The following contains spoilers for Episode 6 of Survivor Season 43.The long-awaited moment, for both fans and players alike, has finally arrived: the Merge. Three tribes of varying levels of unity come together to form new alliances and really start to play the game. A lot of fans have noted (as well as some of the players, even in this episode) that the game of Survivor doesn't really start until the Merge, as it gives players a chance to really play for the end game and start building the gameplay in their Survivor resume.

This episode was a classic as far as Merges go - chaotic strategy, high stress levels for basically every player, and a potentially game-changing vote for a lot of the contestants. This is one of those episodes where a narrative thread is set up for one player in particular, giving an early hint that they're going to be important to the story in this episode, but not so obvious that the audience can immediately guess what's going to happen. This is what keeps things interesting to watch, as the constant unknown among the chaos keeps the viewer guessing as to where everyone's allegiances really lie.

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In the case of this episode, that big player is Elie. Near the beginning of the episode, she has a confessional where she talks about how proud she is of her game so far, and how she knew she'd be good at Survivor, but wasn't expecting to be quite this good, especially at the social element. And it's true that she has been playing a great game so far and navigating the social side of things well, but this episode proves that she perhaps came on a little too strong, and wasn't aware that others were immediately clocking her as a threat, which becomes evident later at Tribal Council.

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The individual tribes are all informed of the Merge and meet up at Baka's camp. Everyone's excited, but Karla knows that something is up with the Merge, because she knows that it's never as simple as just Merging right away from the past two seasons. This is a reminder that the audience is now getting to see a crop of players who is aware of the twists of "new" Survivor, unlike the players of the past two seasons who basically went in blind to all of the new elements. Though the show has tweaked things after seeing the audience reactions, it's still interesting to see how players adjust their strategies in advance to fit the twists that they feel might be coming.

And indeed Karla is right, as at the next challenge, Jeff Probst informs the players that they will be split into two teams to compete for Merge spots. The winning team gets to automatically Merge (and he explicitly states that the outcome won't be reversed like in past seasons), while the losers are at risk of being voted out at Tribal Council. The challenge itself is one of the fun ones for the audience, as it involves a lot of individual stages and requires intense teamwork. In the end that teamwork pays off, as the blue team comes from behind with an incredible comeback to win.

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Now is the time when people start to scramble, and the losing team is now back at camp trying to figure out their game plan. This is where the James vs. Elie vote is first introduced, as neither of them trust each other and are trying to get their own alliances on board with the vote. Over at the Merge feast, the strategy talk turns wild very quickly, as Ryan poses the idea that this group should stick together and be the final 7, which is an idea that receives a very lukewarm reception, as no one wants to commit to that kind of alliance out of convenience. Then Gabler really blows things up by telling the group that he doesn't trust Elie because she went through his bag once. This not only shows the other tribes that Baka is very fractured, but it also sets in motion the chain of events that leads to Elie's downfall.

Elie confronts Gabler about the accusations, which results in a very entertaining argument where they end up talking in circles a lot. Elie tells him that it's not true and that she never went through his bag, while Gabler insists that there's still a lack of trust between them because her alliance was involved and she refuses to tell him for sure whether or not it was Jeanine who went through his bag. Elie is nervous, rightfully so, and tries to get the rest of her alliance (and some of the other tribes) on board with voting out James to keep herself safe, though she's hesitant to trust Gabler after all of this. Unfortunately, James has the same idea and has also set Elie as his target. A lot of the people around the camp, especially after what Gabler pulled, are suspicious of Elie and see her as a threat.

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This all comes to a head at Tribal Council, where it's clear that there are fractures among the tribes (Baka in particular), and no one is quite sure who to trust. Just before the votes are read, Jeanine has the opportunity to play her idol for Elie, but chooses not to, apparently thinking that she wouldn't need to. Elie is then subsequently voted off, and Jeanine looks truly shocked, as though she really thought that Elie would be safe tonight. It just goes to show that the viewer can see so much more of the game than the players can, and outcomes that seem obvious often aren't to the people actually in the game.

This episode was one of the good Merge episodes, as it managed to stay fast-paced and exciting throughout the hour. Hopefully this momentum will keep up, especially as a lot of these players seem willing to shift their alliances. This episode is also a lesson that getting too confident in one's game is usually a mistake, as the second a player starts thinking that they're on top, they get reminded that their game can crumble instantly at the hands of another.

NEXT: Survivor Season 43 Episode 6 Review