The Mole Season 6 Episode 8 Review: The Bird Cage
Justin Carreiro
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Manhunt missions are The Mole's bread and butter. These games put everyone to the test with their teamwork and observation skills.
The Sydney search for Avori didn't disappoint on The Mole Season 6 Episode 8.
Plenty of debates and sabotaging hooked us in, and the tension felt like an intense high-stakes game. We needed more of this mission because it left us wanting more!
"The Bird Cage" delivered a thrilling round of intrigue and bold sabotages.
Whether intentional or not, we were left with so many questions by the end. And we have to reevaluate our suspects to see if they're still top Mole possibilities.
The mission raised the stakes, albeit with a small prize hanging over their heads. You got a real sense of how complex and layered these challenges could be, especially when one decision could lose it for everyone.
Plus, the players didn't hold back on the drama. This round was deliciously satisfying as a reality TV fan.
It's a shame that The Mole Season 6's biggest instigator got executed just as the drama kicked up.
Were you sad to see Greg get the red screen of death? He gave us so many memorable confessionals and shady moves. He toed the line between a lovable villain and a love-to-hate anti-hero.
Greg: I played my game.
Alex Wagner: You did!
Greg: And I think she got me. I felt like my strategy was working, but I don’t know if Joi is the reason I’m standing out here with you right now.
What was interesting about Greg's elimination came from his conversation with Alex Wagner.
Joi calling out Jacob truly did have an effect that messed with his head. He knew it, Joi knew it, and possibly everyone else in the game knew that Joi's plan worked.
We need to remember the mind games element of The Mole. These players will do whatever it takes to manipulate and fool others into getting eliminated. It wouldn't be the first time someone got led astray during a quiz. (Looking at you, Bribs on The Mole Season 2!)
The city search has been a classic mission since The Mole Season 1. Ever since the group searched Monaco for their missing teammate, a variation of this game finds its way back into the franchise.
I'm not complaining; I love this type of game!
Similar to The Mole Season 6 Episode 4, this mission hinged on the player's skill at base camp. Avori needed to be at the top of her game to provide helpful details.
[In confessional] If other players don’t trust me, that doesn’t matter. What matters is if they’ll listen to me. Do I trust Avori in this position? I wouldn’t trust Avori to pass me the salt and pepper. If she is The Mole, she could sabotage the whole thing.
Will
Unfortunately, since she didn't place the order in time, there was no way that the group would be able to catch up. It was a very suspicious move not to check around the box.
Her excuse to blame it on Jacob didn't make much sense. Sure, there wasn't an order number on the ticket or the top of the box, but there was a phone number. She could've looked around the box to find anything.
Though, we shouldn't place all of the blame on Avori. The mission could've gone sideways a few times, and the groups had other opportunities to jump in if Avori faltered.
For example, why didn't Will and Jacob place the pizza order themselves? If Avori didn't have a number on the side of the box, they could've asked her to find any details about the person who made the regular order.
Also, why didn't they hand the red phone to the pizzeria owner and have Avori speak to her? Was that against the rules?
Group #2 had a few workarounds they could've made, like giving Avori the phone number to call the pizza place. Though, kudos to Jacob for coming up with the strategy that would've helped them if they had more time.
For Group #1, Kesi was deadset on stalling the team and inadvertently sabotaging the mission. She wasn't even subtle about it.
Kesi has been my top choice for being The Mole for many episodes now.
During this search mission, she kept directing Joi to check different locations on top of the building, she didn't notice the birds, and she tried her hardest to get Joi to pick a different pigeon. One or two of these issues could be an accident, but all three together painted a suspicious picture.
[In confessional] Who plays Rock, Paper, Scissors for $10,000?!
Joi
And having fate come down to a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors seemed like a risky move. If she were innocent, she should've followed Joi because Joi was so certain that the second pigeon looked completely different from the rest.
Joi was right, so it didn't look good for Kesi. She hasn't done much to remove suspicion from her target.
Out of the remaining players, Will and Joi seem the least suspicious.
Granted, they could still be The Mole. Neither players are innocent because they have played their part in failing missions and throwing suspicions on others. And The Mole can be determined to win money for the group at times.
Kesi: We’ve been playing this game for a while. It’s interesting to see who always throws shade at this table. Who’s so concerned about diverting attention in different directions. That’s noteworthy too.
Avori: It’s a strategy to call out people that you aren’t suspicious of to try and throw other people off, so that’s not working.
Joi: Wooooow, that’s something The Mole would say. [Laughs]
Avori: If you take the quiz tonight me, then you’re going home. I’m not The Mole.
Though, Will has been too determined to win money. And he was blindsided by Casey's execution on The Mole Season 6 Episode 7. He has the highest odds of not being The Mole.
On the other hand, Joi has turned around her suspicion level.
She lost a lot of money, but she's also won her fair share back. Plus, she played mind games to throw the others off their games. Joi wouldn't have needed to make a calculated move if she were The Mole.
Last Thoughts From The Mole:
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Elimination cliffhangers are the most cutting. If either Joi or Jacob leaves, it will reveal a lot about which players were completely off about their suspicions since both were strong suspects.
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When did the frenemy feud start between Will and Jacob? The playful tension seemed to come out of nowhere.
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Joi loves calling people out. She found a strategy that works for her, and she's claiming those victories.
- Will will most likely never let Avori live it down that she failed the mission.
Now, over to you, Mole fans.
What did you think of "The Bird Cage"?
Will Jacob or Joi be the next one executed? Was Kesi sabotaging the pigeons? Did Avori sabotage by not noticing the phone number?
Share your thoughts in the comments below.
The Mole is now available to stream on Netflix.
Justin Carreiro was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow him on X.
