The pain in Slane continues on The Traitors Ireland (RT\u00c9 One, 9.30pm) as the Faithful conspire to eliminate yet another innocent contestant. This time, it is poor Linda, who becomes the third Faithful to be banished at the round table at the end of another absorbing episode that confirms RT\u00c9 is on to a winner with its Co Meath-set take of the global social deduction hit. <\/p>\n
As before, the Faithful are breathtakingly out of their depth when attempting to detect the back-stabbers in their midst. Even host Siobh\u00e1n McSweeney \u2013 whose job description includes words such as \u201caloof\u201d and \u201ccryptic\u201d \u2013 seems to take pity on these guileless goodies. \u201cAll you\u2019ve done is talk and banish Faithful,\u201d she says, as a teary Linda takes her leave. \u201cThe Traitors are running rings around you.\u201d <\/p>\n
The day begins with a bang as it is revealed that the Traitors\u2019 latest victim is kick-boxing champion Michele. But even as they continue to pick off Faithful, there is little danger of bromance breaking out among the back-stabbers. Quite the opposite: Paudie, Katelyn and Eamon have started to turn on each other. Voices are raised as they pick their next target just before the final credits. Hoods lowered, retired prison officer Paudie confronts garda Eamon for leading a whispering campaign against him in advance of the round table \u2013 prompting an exasperated business consultant Katelyn to weigh in.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re not going to get anywhere if you keep interrupting each other,\u201d she sighs. \u201cSo you\u2019re interrupting the two of us,\u201d shoots back Paudie. Given the option, you suspect they\u2019d all vote each other off straight away. <\/p>\n
But if the Traitors aren\u2019t getting along \u2013 and they really are not \u2013 how is it that the Faithful have been so inept at unmasking them? The answer is that they have developed an uncanny talent for picking the wrong contestant. After ejecting Diane at the first round and then Nina, it feels all too inevitable that they would interpret Linda\u2019s natural curiosity and chattiness as a red flag, while failing to pick up on the guilty-as-anything body language of Paudie, Katelyn and Eamon.<\/p>\n
Tough talk at Traitors\u2019 Tower aside, there is lots to enjoy about the episode. The latest challenge involves growing the prize pot through a puzzle featuring a church, a riddle and pews filled with creepy cultists wearing gold masks, vaguely reminiscent of Stanley Kubrick\u2019s Eyes Wide Shut. <\/p>\n
Here, too, the Faithful miss a blatant clue when Katelyn proves economical with the facts about her private chat with McSweeney. Why would she brush over the details of their conversation? Tearily, she says she\u2019s tired and emotional \u2013 and they all fall for it. <\/p>\n