Suvechha Sarkar
Season 1 of Fox’s ‘The Snake‘ is heating up as deception and lies emerge amid the saving ceremonies. Following the previous week’s explosive fallout, the tension in the house is quite high. As episode 4, titled ‘Surprise Snake’ commences, Jacob still reels from Jack’s betrayal during the elimination of Cody and Bryan. While the players try to put on brave faces and gear up for another day of strategy and deception, they have no idea how a brand-new twist can expose secret pacts and reveal where their loyalties really lie.
Tensions Begin to Simmer With the Choice of the New Snake During Dinner
As the players wake up to face another day, Jacob reveals how he has not been able to sleep for the night because Devonte stabbed him in the back. Hence, he turns to Frank for counsel and expresses how he came into the game as a part of the process. However, it has now turned into lies and manipulations. Nevertheless, he wants to be here as himself. Frank notes that since he is a hairdresser, he is also playing the role of a therapist, helping them learn their secrets. However, he discloses how he feels bad for the Pastor and offers him a hug. In the meantime, as Kethryn speaks to Jack, she observes that since Jack, Devonte, and Brett always bring attention to themselves, she can use it to put the target off her back. Hence, her biggest goal is to get rid of them.
In the flashback, Kethryn divulges to Jacob and Derek about her pact with Devonte, Jack, and Brett. Currently, she remarks to Jack that Jacob has been gullible. Meanwhile, Maclaine finds a message from the host welcoming them to a formal dinner party. Although everyone is excited, they are equally skeptical about the same. Jack approaches Derek personally to state that he has no other feelings and, despite being in a battle, they can choose to play the game strategically instead of knocking each other out. According to the former, extending an olive branch to the Detective is his strategy. However, Derek notes that he cannot trust Jack since he has betrayed him twice. As everyone arrives at the dinner table, they are shocked to find incredible food because the host, Jim Jefferies, always has something in store for them.
Unbeknownst to the contestants, Jim reveals how one of the plates has a snake medallion painted at the bottom. Whoever is eating off that plate is going to become the Snake without being aware of it, making the dinner the week’s challenge. As everyone is letting their guard down, Kethryn notes that she is observing everyone’s behavior. Alyssa surprisingly declares that all of them should go around the circle of the table and compliment the person sitting to the left of them. Beginning with Jacob, he expresses to Frank how the latter is full of wisdom. The latter, in turn, compliments Derek on how he remains calm in the face of adversity, and he respects him for that. However, the Detective feels that Frank is the real snake because, being a hairdresser, he is good with the ladies. Derek further notes that since the latter is also charismatic, he is a threat.
Emotions Surface With Alyssa’s Snake Reveal and the Arrival of a New Player
Derek tells Alyssa how he admires her for her toughness. In the meantime, Christine opens up during her confessional that since Cody’s departure, she has no one in the house to hold the ground beside her. When Kethryn compliments Jacob that he has too many good qualities to pick one, the latter observes that his Pastoral skills help him decipher strategies. Hence, he feels that the fact that Kethryn is with Brett, Devonte, and Jack and still wants them to get eliminated makes her untrustworthy to him. With that being said, Jim finally informs the players about the hidden snake medallion. When everyone turns their plate around with the clink of the host’s glass, Alyssa delightedly discovers she is the Snake for the week and is going to have control of the game.
While this revelation makes Derek happy, it leaves Devonte unsatisfied since he wants either Jacob or Derek to be eliminated. However, Alyssa feels that being the Snake can put her in a challenging position, and she does not want to be the bad guy and bring a target on her back. To everyone’s surprise, Jim brings another crate before the players, only to reveal a new contestant, John, who is from San Francisco. In his confessional, he discloses that his career as a professional has equipped him with the skills to win the game. He feels his ability to convince people to say yes and to read them is going to be of assistance. While the contestants are unhappy with his arrival, Jim informs them that John will be automatically safe in the Saving Ceremony for the week.
John’s arrival only excites Christine because not only is it an enormous weight off her shoulders as the new girl, but she is also eager to fill him in on everything. However, as they return to the house and she informs him about the situation in the house, John realizes that she is not a big challenge. However, he reassures her that if she ever needs help, he can be the person to do so. Meanwhile, Derek informs Alyssa that Jack wants him to side with his team. He adds that Jack wanted to target her team, including Frank and Jordan. This baffles Alyssa because she saved Jack during the first ceremony. On the other hand, Amanda approaches Devonte to tell him that although she has a pact with Jacob, she has no emotional tie to it.
Rising Suspicions and a Fiery Confrontation Expose the Cracks in Alliances
The focus shifts to Maclaine and Jack, nestled away from everyone. While the former finds it challenging not to act on her feelings for Jack, the latter also notes that his strategy was not to have feelings in the game because it never works out. In his confession, he truthfully states that her charm makes it hard for him to follow that strategy. In the end, the duo shares a passionate kiss. As the following morning rolls in, Alyssa informs Frank and Jordan about what Derek had said to her. Jordan quickly notes that although Jack may say something to blindside Derek, she feels Derek is lying to get the target off his back, which also gains Frank’s approval. Shortly after, Kethryn joins them because she wants to get one of Jack, Devonte, and Brett out of the game, but wants to make it seem like someone else’s idea.
As Kethryn reminds them about the boys being mean to John during his arrival, she reveals it is one of her strategies. She has to plant seeds without taking the credit and raising questions to invoke paranoia so that others begin pointing their fingers at each other rather than her. On the other hand, John feels it is his opportunity to get into the game and get to know the players. He proceeds to speak with Alyssa and even offers his bed for her to sleep, noting that he can sleep outside until someone gets eliminated. He quickly divulges that his strategy is to make others feel good with sweet-talking. Meanwhile, Jacob notices Kethryn speaking with Devonte, which prompts him to grow more suspicious about her. Hence, he calls her inside to speak with Frank, Jordan, Alyssa, and Derek privately.
When Jacob points out Kethryn’s pact with Devonte, Jack, and Brett, it surprises Frank, who feels that she is being called out about her actions behind closed doors. However, the environment gets heated up as she claims it was not a secret and can have multiple pacts. Jordan feels Jacob is only trying to do everything he can to stay in the game. However, when he bluntly states that he cannot trust her to pick them because of her pact with the guys, she decides to play her cards carefully. Kethryn points her finger at him, claiming that he came into the room to prove her untrustworthy so that Frank and Alyssa would pick him. She further adds how he is throwing her under the bus. She excuses herself from the room only to reveal that this is her strategy of withdrawal, where the appearance of loss is different than loss.
A Player’s Manipulation Sparks a House-wide Blowup, Leaving the Snake Confused
Frank’s fear that Kethryn may go out and it may lead to a fight turns real when she tells Brett, Devonte, Maclaine, and Jack that Jacob threw her under the bus. However, this turns out to be another of her strategies: creating a scapegoat to divert attention from herself. They all rush into the room to question Jacob, and everything turns into chaos. Amid the accusations, Alyssa asks if Jack suggested targeting her, Frank, and Jordan, as Derek mentioned. When Jack agrees that he had a conversation with the Detective, the latter states that his allies have always lied. Unable to take it anymore, Alyssa asks everyone to leave the room except Frank. She tells him that although everyone is lying at some point, Jacob is really stirring the pot. In the meantime, Kethryn explains to Jordan how she feels personally targeted.
Jordan acknowledges that she understands what Kethryn has to say. However, Jacob feels it is ironic that they are upset at him for bringing the truth out. In the meantime, Frank points out to Alyssa that whatever Jack is saying has some weight to it. Although unsure who to trust, she playfully remarks how others presume they are playing her and Frank when it is the other way around. Finally, it is time for the contestants to prepare themselves for the Saving Ceremony. While Jacob worries that the fight and exposing others can be his downfall, Alyssa feels everyone has tried to turn her against people she trusts; hence, she is unsure how the ceremony will go. Similarly, Derek is worried because the boys may ultimately gun for him.
As everyone arrives for the ceremony, Alyssa steps beside Jim, and John is asked to step out of the Snake Pit, as he and Alyssa are both safe from elimination.. In the beginning, the Snake chooses to save Frank since she has always trusted him the most in the house, who, in turn, selects Jordan. She picks Kethryn, prompting Jacob to express his disbelief that Jordan still trusts her. Upon asking, Kethryn tells Jim that the day has been hard for her because her character and integrity came into question, and she felt personally attacked. Moving on, she declares that she is choosing to save Maclaine since she has never been picked first, and she feels this person deserves to know how wonderful she is. In her confessional, Kethryn reveals that she chose her because it can help keep her pact with the guys under wraps, and Maclaine will always choose Jack.
After a Fiery Clash, Jacob Decides to Sacrifice Himself to the Snake
As expected, Maclaine saves Jack, whose strategy is to send either Jacob or Derek home. Jack then selects Brett, who, in turn, picks his friend, Devonte. He states he chooses Amanda because he has enjoyed getting to know her. In his confessional, he reveals that he is saving her because she can benefit him, and he also likes her. Amanda’s choice now comes down to Jacob, Derek, and Christine before Alyssa sends someone home. Jacob uses this opportunity to state before everyone how Kethryn had said she wanted to gun for one of the boys since they are in a competition. He adds that he is gullible if everyone is in on the deception.
However, Kethryn accuses Jacob of lying instead and states that she deserves to be in the game, unlike him, because he threw her under the bus. When he insists she has lied, it only makes her angrier, leading to a heated argument. Eventually, when it’s Amanda’s turn, she decides to choose Catherine, noting that although she has a pact with Jacob and Derek, she doesn’t want to be a part of the drama. When it comes down to the final two choices, Derek points out how Jack had asked to target Alyssa and her allies, which only makes Jack more defensive. Frank quickly takes note that this reaction is equal to guilt. However, when it’s Jacob’s turn, he chooses to do the selfless act of taking himself out of the game because he doesn’t have the emotional capability to continue.
Jacob asks Alyssa to select Derek because he can be a better person to play the game. However, he does mention how he has never lied. In his exit interview, Jacob states that Derek is the only person he knows who can fight against the deception in the house. In a shocking twist that no other contestants are aware of, Jim discloses to Jacob that just because he is eliminated, it doesn’t mean he is not going to affect the game. The Pastor is left shocked to find that from this moment, every player who is eliminated has the opportunity to provide one player with an advantage or a disadvantage.
Read More: The Snake Episode 3 Recap: Two-Headed Snake
