Is it possible that “Survivor: Samoa,” which just two weeks ago was turning out to be a televised Ambien pill, has pulled off two doozy blindside elimination wham blams in a row? Yes it is! And has the former Galu tribe become so disgustingly smug that I was actually rooting for Evil Russell and his scheming to triumph?

Apparently they have! And are we finally having fun? Oh, assuredly yes!

We begin this week’s episode with a recap of last week’s awesomeness, where Erik yapped his way into elimination, where Russell played his immunity idol early, and where Jaison remembered he was playing this game and got all Shakespeare on Erick. It was the best of times, it was the best of times.

The only thing about the recap is that Probst won’t give Jaison any recap love for being a part of Natalie’s talking-up of the Galu women. Jeff Probst – you are fie biscuits.

A weird looking crab and a rat lurk across the Aiga camp, and provide two more reasons that I will never, ever, ne-ver apply for “Survivor.” The latter critter provides fodder for what I’d like to christen “Survivor Theater,” starring Natalie and the rat. I wish I could say I made up most of this dialogue, but most of it’s the real deal. And that’s even funnier.

NATALIE: You’re really cute, rat! But you’re something to eat! So I’ma have to kill you! Stick or a rock…stick or a rock…Turn around and eat your snack, buddy. Eat your snack!

GIANT STICK: Whack!

NATALIE: Oh, I’m sorry. Oh, my word. He was looking at me…and he was cute! But I never been this hungry in my life.

(Goes into camp with the rat, now dead, sticking tail-first out of an empty coconut)

NATALIE: I killed something, y’all!

JAISON: On so many levels, I’m proud of Natalie.

ME: (eating low fat ice cream out of a cup) But are you proud that you’re eating a rat? What’s wrong with you?

And scene!

Russell is, at this time, looking for the second immunity idol, again with no clue. First he has to get through the reward challenge, which involves some torture gauntlet with carrying a big stick full of balls, figuring out a number code and then making a blindfolded tribemate find those numbers in Braille. Cruel, show, the hoops you make them jump through.

The winning tribe, including Dave, Monica and Shambo, frollick in a natural waterslide, while Russell finds the immunity idol, again without a clue, because evil is smart. He says he ‘s “not gonna tell a damn soul,” right before he tells Shambo and the rest of old Foa Foa. Apparently, they don’t have souls. He’s like Gollum with the hidden immunity precious. Hush up.

So the plan becomes that old Foa Foa will vote for Laura, but she totally wins immunity. Shambo retreats to her lair where high school cliques abound and she’s on the AV team, because Laura is the lead Heather and look, it’s Christian Slater! And if you didn’t get that reference, sorry to get all my Gen-X on you.

Mick wants to “put a dent in the patronizing attitude” that the old Galu still has, and that’s going to be easy, because they’re so smug and patronizing that they can’t see past their own butts. They totally want Russell gone, but Monica wonders if they shouldn’t be careful in case Russell found the idol, and Dave Ball’s like “No, they didn’t, because my awesome mullett twitches when I’m being punkcd, and it’s perfectly still, so suck it, losers!”

Dave ends his victory-before-it-happens speech with the declaration that when they vote Russell out, they will kill a chicken. The chicken (the one Shambo didn’t lose) is frantically trying to tell Russell about the  plan, because it totally is not going out like that. The chicken that did get loose is trying to alert the rat’s family. There will be retribution, Natalie. Oh, yes. Make no mistake about that.

Tribal starts, and Erik comes in to sit in the jury section and give old Galu the stink eye. It’s wonderful. Something bad has happened, y’all – I dislike so many people this season that most of my motivation is picking who among the people I dislike I want sicced on all the other people I like less. But it’s fun.

Dave Ball, who is on my list, is talking about how Erik was bad juju, so even though the rest of the old Galu tribe is still tight, Erik had to go. Erik is not happy. But he gets happier when everyone votes, and then Russell plays his Idol. Dave Ball looks shocked, and Kelly, who I keep forgetting about, sees her name written down three times, which is enough to boot her because none of the majority votes, all for Russell, count.

Erik is pleased. And I don’t love him, but I just love that smug look going away on the Galu faces, so I’ll join him.

This has become epic. And now that Russell’s second Idol is gone, it’s anyone’s game. As it should be.