(S05E08) I was always terrible at math in school, which probably explains why I'm typing this right now. So this episode of The Mole, at least the first half, is rather tense for me. I like to follow along with the questions and the clues and try to figure out stuff myself in this game (as much as you can in an edited format), and all of the questions involving math problems in the first challenge confuse me. Still, I knew the answer to that one question was 455, and I couldn't understand why Clay was insisting it was a number it couldn't possibly be. Could he be screwing up the numbers on purpose because he's (insert dramatic music)...the Mole?
This is the episode we see in several reality shows, the one where the family members/ friends of the contestants show up and either get to spend time with their loved ones or are sent home crying. There's actually some suspense generated in these scenes, as we see the family members waiting inside the subway car waiting for the doors to open.
When it got down to Paul after everyone else was successful, I thought he'd be the one who didn't get to meet his family. But after the commercial, we see his wife and daughter come through the doors. Side note: Paul has an adorable two year-old daughter. If she's not part of central casting because Paul is the Mole and really doesn't have a daughter, that is.
I wondered if the family members knew which person is the Mole, but that was answered in the interviews. The family members don't know either, which makes sense. Nicole's mom tells her to quit the game if she's not enjoying herself. Nicole thinks about it, but decides to not throw the quiz. I love how her mom calls her Omarosa at the end. Even her mom knows what she's like! It's also cool to see another reality show referenced on a reality show, especially one on a rival network. Kinda odd that Nicole brought up the whole "I threatened to kill Paul" thing. Mom was surprised that Nicole would say this. Not because she didn't think Nicole would say something like this, but that she knows Nicole knows how to kill someone and shouldn't have said it out loud.
I know a lot of readers picked Clay as the Mole, and you've lost your office pools tonight (in a perfect world where the Mole is in the top 20 in the ratings and offices around the country have Mole pools, that is). Clay is executed. Which means we're down to four, and I think we saw a clue tonight as to who survives next week (possible spoiler ahead).
In the previews for next week, we see the red thumb come up on the TV screen for the next execution, and Nicole opening her mouth and gasping. I really doubt that they would show her gasping like that if she was the Mole, nor do I think that Nicole would gasp like that if she was voted off (all of the reactions have been fairly calm, if I remember them all), so I think that she'll survive at the end of next week, and either Mark, Paul, or Craig will be the next to go. Which means that one of those guys is not the Mole, and Nicole could still be.
I'm sure there's a mathematical way to figure that out even more, but like I said, I suck at math.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
7-22-2008 @ 4:23AM
collin said...
I am perplexed as to who the Mole could be. What makes it difficult is that the final four characters could all be the Mole.
Damn.
- I wasn't as shocked with Clay going home (not nearly as much as I was when Alex went home last week), but I'm baffled as to who could be the other person who was tied with Clay at the bottom.
- As much as I hate to admit this, I have gotten used to Paul and sort of admire how he is playing this game. He is very evasive, and is now changing up whatever his tactics once was. I can't say that he's definitely the Mole, but I can see him winning this game.
- Craig is one of two people that I think could be the Mole. I can't figure it out, but there is something about him that I don't trust.
- Mark is the other suspect that I have for the Mole. He answers questions wayyyy too quickly and has influenced the game in recent weeks more than anyone else, imho. He's actually carried the challenges while other players have been deliberately trying to fail in order to cast suspicion on themselves. I can picture the producers going to him (if he were the Mole) and instructing him to put money into the pot to offset the losses that would've happened thanks to the other players.
- That leaves Nicole. I can't imagine the Mole trying to trick the audience by lying in their confessionals, but that's what Nicole pulled tonight. She did say something to her Mom (Mommy Mole?) after the execution about not being able to go home despite what she said earlier. I'm not sure if that's a clue about the Mole never being executed, but I'll be very disappointed in the show if she ends up being the Mole. It would come off as being very cheesy compared to previous seasons where the Mole was very mysterious.
In order of my guess as who the Mole is:
- Mark
- Craig
- Nicole
- Paul
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7-22-2008 @ 10:18AM
brenth said...
collin,
I loved your post. I'll be the first to admit, I was wrong, I had Clay picked from the beginning, and it's part of why I love this show. I must admit, I re-watched the end of the first challenge where Clay figured out the missing numbers, and I was like, that's not something the Mole would do... but even after Clay comes up with the number, Craig has to enter it into the computer and he kept saying 232 or 233, are you sure...So maybe Craig?
But now I don't know. I also noticed Omarosa's reaction when the red fingerprint popped up, and had the same thoughts, she isn't getting eliminated next week.
So now I would be out of my pool.. I'll just watch the last few episodes and and enjoy.
7-22-2008 @ 11:44AM
JPN said...
The mole lies in all their confessionals about being a player or whatever. They're always lying, they do fake interviews/confessionals/etc.
7-22-2008 @ 8:57AM
Sarah said...
at least i got something right... i knew Clay was way too genuine to be the mole. my pick is still Craig, but something in episode 1 or 2 still has me thinking that Mark could be the mole. he said, "i would do anything to win this money for my family." i guess that could include being the mole.
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7-22-2008 @ 9:07AM
Sarah said...
something just bugged me. as much as i dont want to believe that Paul or Nicole is the mole, after Clay spoke of his trust for Nicole over every other player, he was the one eliminated. he had a conversation with Mark, where Mark believed that Nicole was the mole because he had been charting his answers to the quizzes and things kept pointing to her. then Clay had a the same conversation with Nicole, where she said she believed Craig was the mole cause of her answers to the quiz. since there was a breakdown of trust between Clay and Mark, it could be that Clay started to answer his quiz questions more in favor of Craig, which eventually got him eliminated. could the mole (Nicole) be at work?
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7-22-2008 @ 11:09AM
Doug said...
Sarah - I agree with your thought about Nicole possibly being the mole because of her conversation with Clay, but for yet another reason. She asked who he thought was the mole, and she VERY quickly agreed that she thought it was Craig, too - even before Clay finished his sentence. Since she asked him first and the way she answered, it looks like she was planning on answering whatever he did. That would potentially make him more confident in his incorrect identification of the Mole, making him more likely to fail the quiz.
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7-22-2008 @ 11:43AM
JPN said...
I'm solidifying my pick for Craig. I just think Paul and Nicole have been too obvious and too confrontational, and I just don't see Mark doing enough sabotage.
But, they showed Clay and Nicole saying they were going to vote Craig again as they did last week, and there was a tie, so it could've been between them voting for Craig, which makes it Mark, unless Clay was lying or changed his mind.
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7-22-2008 @ 12:17PM
Frances said...
I think it's Paul, the behavior in the vineyard in last week's episode where he kept deliberately misreading the directions was to me the ultimate mole-ish behavior. I also think the episode was re-edited so that we in the audience would see it. Their ratings are in the toilet so they are doing anything to get people excited, and what better way than blatantly giving away the mole's identity?
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7-22-2008 @ 12:35PM
MERVE-THE-PERVE said...
I'm still going with Mark since he was my pick from day 1. I've seen Moley behavior in all of them. Mark's journal is number 10 and I saw a close-up of a street address that added up to 10 a few weeks ago. The clues at the end in the past have used numbers to identify the mole. That's all I got and its probably wrong. If it's not Mark then it's Nicole. She made a big deal about throwing the quiz, but the Mole can't lose the quiz and she couldn't tell her mom she was the Mole. I'm sticking with Mark til he's dead, or I find a better clue.
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7-22-2008 @ 2:06PM
collin said...
@JPN,
You're right with the fact that the Mole has to lie during their confessionals. But I was referring to Nicole's outright claim that she was going to throw the quiz and go home with Mom. The family footage also indicated that she and her Mom discussed it (and other stuff - I enjoy the Mom more than her).
Then she survived her executions. And apologized to Mom, of course.
But I'm surprised that she did all that in the first place. I mean, the ultimate priority of the Mole is the same as any spy: Don't get caught. If Nicole *IS* the Mole, then she's playing it in such a trashy way it's a turnoff for me.
She really would be Omarosa playing the Mole.
So if you look at the players' behavior when compared to previous Moles (non-celebrity):
- Craig is acting the most like previous Moles. That is: not drawing attention to himself and being very aware of what is going on at all times.
- Mark seems to want to be like previous Moles, but all of the players are doing the sabotage for him. He's now having to win the cash for the pot because the winner can't go home with only $10,000, right? The producers are probably having fits about the other players' so-called strategy of throwing each challenge to seem like the Mole.
- Paul was the "Anti-Mole" (w/ Nicole) for most of the game: loud, obnoxious, etc. This past episode, he played more like the Mole than I've ever seen him (in-game, not voice over). I previously didn't think he's the Mole but this episode threw me for a loop.
- Nicole really shouldn't be the Mole for the reasons I've stated above. She really is a trashy player and does not come off as slick as previous Moles. If the producers wanted a Mole that would deliberately draw attention to themselves in order to remove themselves from any suspicion, well... they did it w/ Nicole. But this would suck, and I wouldn't want to watch this show again.
On a sidenote, I would love to have someone who's actually in Counter-Intelligence (someone who catches spies) watch all of the seasons and see what they think about the show. And of course, to see if they would be able to spot the Mole quickly.
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7-22-2008 @ 10:58PM
Liz said...
I knew Clay wasn't the Mole when he figured out that puzzle. If he was the Mole he just would have kept quiet. Likewise with Mark in the last episode on the treadmill.
If Nicole is the Mole she is the worst (best?) Mole ever because she is so obvious when she sabotages things. I really hope she isn't the Mole because I will be really disappointed since she is just so obvious. It would basically kill any love I had for this season. I like my Moles to be subtle, I guess.
My #1 vote is Craig for Mole. #2 is Paul- originally I said no way is he the Mole, now I think he could be. He is a jerk and very abrasive, but he is subtle during the missions. He certainly gave a lot of opportunity for failing the family challenge last night. Interesting that no one picked Craig as their most trusted player too...
Either one of them would be excellent Moles because they often make people lose money but no one really focuses on it... they focus on their personality, health, comments, etc more.
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7-24-2008 @ 11:30AM
Danielle said...
Im actually leaning towards Nicole as the mole. Has anyone looked at the Mole's Journal on ABC.Com? Interesting, that on one of the pages the mole wrote "girl" referrring to one of the women leaving. I personally think another woman would write that slang AND in the latest page the closing statement "have a glass of wine on me"...personally not too many men drink wine.
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7-28-2008 @ 11:10PM
nicole said...
I am so frustrated!
Craig is the mole I KNOW HE IS! theres so much obvious evidence. (the producers have been doing a really bad job this season)
but, if Paul was as sure as I am about Craig being the mole...and he got sent home, I could be wrong! But then again, the difference of Paul quiz score could have been one question off due to lack of memory or something little. I'm sad to see Paul go, I started to like him the past few weeks and really wanted him and his cute little girl to get the money!
I guess we'll seeeee, but I am still sticking with Craig.
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