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Has anyone else realized the beauty of Silent Man's strategy?

posted 8 years ago by renankvieira
3 replies | jump to latest

He had a crazy good strategy:
He was a non-voter, so if he was carried to the end, it means the other person alive would be the only one remaining (as there would be no tie in the last 1v1 voting).
So, when Eric told people Silent Man was not voting, Silent Man became the key to avoiding the hardest and final tie.

Anyone who got to the end in a 1v1 with Silent Man would be the one leaving there alive, so it would be good to this person to keep Silent Man alive.

As for Silent Man, this would mean:
1. He would be carried by other people.
2. In a 1v1 scenario, he at least would have lived longer.
3. In the 3-person-remaining scenario, the two voters would probably tie (while trying to convince and get Silent Man to vote) and die in the tie. Silent Man would survive as the last man standing.

He is a strategist, that's what I say. A VERY valid strategy IMO, which would be much better if anyone there realized that he was to key to getting out of there alive.

[–] targa9 8 years ago

Very interesting! I thought he was put in as a symbol for those who hide in the shadows of life, not making decisions, but they cannot hide forever.

But I like your theory better...wow!

[–] transmentalist 8 years ago

I thought he was put in as a symbol for those who hide in the shadows of life, not making decisions, but they cannot hide forever.

I thought he was very decisive; but he decided as Eric suspected. "not to give them anything."

He didn't seem scared, or secretive. On the contrary, he seemed resolute. He wouldn't engage in this "game" in any way, by voting or even engaging in discussion.

[–] transmentalist 8 years ago

I thought he was put in as a symbol for those who hide in the shadows of life, not making decisions, but they cannot hide forever.

And in another thread, targa9 posted:

I think he is symbolic of those in society who stay in the shadows and avoid decisions, to "stay safe", but eventually, as in real life, you can't hide forever.

But after seeing targa9's posts, I actually think it's Eric who "hides in the shadows," more than silent man.

The filmmaker commentary (which includes the actor playing Eric) points out that Eric comes off as principled and heroic because he wants to be seen that way.

In fact, Eric spends a lot of the time "in the shadows," as you say, only coming out to steer the group and plant ideas.

In particular, the pregnant woman & little girl were only singled out AFTER Eric drew attention to them.

I originally thought Eric's final decision was impulsive; when Katie volunteered to die, Eric saw an opening and took advantage of it reflexively.

But the actor and writer made it clear that Eric was strategizing from the very beginning (and it's evident upon re-watching). He's a master of the "strike & fade" strategy - he steps out only to misdirect, then promptly draws back into the shadows.