Archive through July 03, 2002
TV ClubHouse: Archive: Kathryn's Mole Insider Column:
Archive through July 03, 2002
Car54 | Friday, May 31, 2002 - 07:02 pm     Episode 1 Dear Mole Fans, Welcome back to The Mole 2. If you're new this season, I'll introduce myself. I'm Kathryn Price and I was The Mole last time around (some people call me "The Old Mole," but I prefer "The Original Mole") and this season I worked behind the scenes as a strategy consultant. The theories posted on this Web site during the first season inspired me, and I look forward to reading the speculation about this season. The great (and frustrating) thing about the players for The Mole 2, is that each one would make an excellent Mole. Al's "average guy" persona would make an excellent cover and I found his performance on the Pulse Rope Walk suspect (I scrutinized him to see if I felt he was purposefully elevating his heart rate). Ali's innocent (almost angelic if you ask me) appearance belies her experience in the military, making for a dangerous combination. Bill, too, has a strong military background as a retired admiral, and is highly educated (he's a surgeon) — but carries himself as the kindly father of the group. Anyone who immediately becomes everyone's buddy makes me take a second look, and Bribs played that role perfectly (not to mention the straight-from-the-prop-department "Mole Killer" he brought with him). Darwin's sarcastic wit hides a sharp, legal mind, just as Dorothy's unassuming and funky demeanor masks her incredible intelligence. Elavia's cool attitude and her emphatic decision to jump last on the Swing for Life, earning herself an opportunity for an exemption, raised a flag for me. Similarly, Heather's decision to form a coalition with Katie on the first night made me wonder how she had the confidence to trust someone else so early in the game — was it because she had nothing to lose? The same, of course, could be said for Katie, and I questioned whether her emotional vulnerability was an act. Lisa (another woman lawyer from Chicago — a factor that I could spend hours thinking and double-thinking) exhibits an intense competitive spirit that could be covering up a darker motive. Myra (another ex-military member) flew very much under the radar in those first few days, and I wondered what she might be hiding. Patrick's leadership experience in government makes him ideally suited to perform a pressure-filled role. And finally, Rob. I've simply never trusted magicians (and what was up with the puking on the bike?). So, as you can see, it could be any of them, and that's the beauty of The Mole. There's one player I didn't mention. Bob. I won't waste time discussing his suspicious behavior because he's already been executed, but I will share some scoop on him. It was hard to get a true sense of Bob in the short time he was around, but I definitely noticed one trend — Bob was a flirt and he turned his charms on several of the ladies. Perhaps he took to heart the fact that last year's winner was a supposed flirt and thought he could win the game that way, too. He also took another lesson out of last year's game book and formed a coalition with another player. Because of time constraints, we weren't able to show footage of the coalition in the episode (each week, I'll try to let you know a little something about the game or the players that you can't learn simply from watching the episode). I don't know if it was the flirting or the scheming that did him in, but obviously his plan didn't work. I loved working on this season's show and I hope you'll find it as interesting and challenging as I did. Good luck with the hunt, and see you next week. Kathryn |
Car54 | Friday, May 31, 2002 - 07:03 pm     Episode 2 So they got their bags back. Enough with the outrage already (my sister read me the riot act too, so if you were up in arms you weren't alone). But I must say that I wouldn't have left anything that I considered valuable in my Mole bag (the players are constantly instructed to keep their valuables in a separate day pack that they carry every day). Despite that, I did get a little teary-eyed on their behalf when I saw how emotional some of them were over their lost belongings, and I knew they were getting them back (something about this show makes me more emotional than I normally am — those of you who watched last season know what I'm talking about — I swear, in the real world, I almost never cry). My favorite part of this episode was the Lure game, where Lisa and Dorothy earned exemptions by luring Darwin and Katie from their rooms after hours. It was quintessential Mole — sneaking around, coded phone messages, double-crossing, accusations, sarcastic Anderson — but all linked to a simple little blueberry (or lack thereof). It just struck me as funny that these adults were arguing over a last piece of cake, and you can rest assured that they will be forevermore paranoid about who eats what. I personally thought all four players looked pretty shady. Well, maybe not Darwin. He just looked pretty drunk. I was surprised and sorry to see Ali leave so early. She seemed very smart and I thought she'd be a straight-talking, interesting character to watch as the game progressed. Perhaps she was too interested in simply having a good time and not focused enough on finding the mole. I also think she missed her new "friend" Bob, but I could be reading too much into that. I don't mean to start any rumors. But if you hear any good rumors, post them to my attention on this message board. Stay tuned, next week things get even better. Kathryn |
Pamy | Friday, May 31, 2002 - 07:20 pm     Car you are the best!!! You find things I didn't even think existed!!! Thanks for all your searching!!
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Pamy | Friday, May 31, 2002 - 07:34 pm     I just read these and she writes as if she had never seen the show, I thought she WORKED on the show, and was the one helping them plant the clues
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Car54 | Wednesday, June 05, 2002 - 08:52 pm     Mole Insider by Kathryn Price Episode 3 One lawyer down, one to go (or will he?). It was hard to see a woman lawyer from Chicago get executed so early in the game. Lisa and I even worked in the same building in Chicago when I clerked for a federal judge there — so that one hit a little close to home. I didn't know her, but right before shooting began, a friend from the building sent me an e-mail saying that one of the Assistant U.S. Attorneys would be appearing on Survivor — Lisa's cover story, I guess. I was dying to write back and say that she was actually on my show, but of course, that $10 million confidentiality clause helped me keep my mouth shut. It was especially disappointing to see Lisa get the ax after losing Ali, another Chicagoan, the week before. Lisa's approach was the opposite of Ali's "I'm here for a good time" motto. Lisa honed in on the competitiveness of the day-to-day games (calling Bill an during the log battle demonstrated her competitive streak), and lost sight of the overall game of finding the Mole. In The Mole, you can't get distracted — not by all the new "friends" you are making, and certainly not by trying to win the money in the games. If you do, you'll be winning that money only to put it in someone else's pocket in the end. You might have noticed Katie wearing a certain green accessory during the pre-execution dinner. That's right, it's a cast. She sprained her thumb (foreshadowing?) after a slip and fall at the pool. I can attest that the tile was slippery because I managed to go airborne myself, slamming down on my bum, knocking my head, and permanently scarring my arm (it's small, but ugly). Did I get rushed to the hospital like Katie? Did I get a sympathy exemption from Al? Nooo. All I got was a mocking laugh from Anderson and the gang, and a few "shh's" from the crew. But I digress, this show isn't about me. So far, I've been pretty unimpressed by the players' coalitions. What's the point? They never do anything. But hang in there, as things come down to the wire, a new coalition will wreak some havoc … Kathryn |
Car54 | Wednesday, June 05, 2002 - 08:54 pm     Mole Insider by Kathryn Price Episode 4 I see Episode 4 as a turning point in a lot of ways… First of all, there was a lot of suspicion around the Reppelling Game because so many people missed their questions (Heather, Elavia and Darwin all missed questions they seemingly should have gotten right). Al, of course, stands out as he was given the chance to fix the other players' wrong answers, but couldn't … or didn't want to do so. Secondly, suspicions abounded in the 'Dumb vs. Smart' game as well. I found Dorothy to be highly suspicious because it almost seemed like she already knew the answers to the brain teasers, especially the last one that seemed to almost accidentally fall out of her mouth! Bill answered one or two wrong and Rob didn't really seem to really help out at all. The "dumb" people were all under suspicion for playing together like a secret coalition … they tried to pick the toughest questions for the other group to answer, knowing full well that if the other group couldn't get any, the "dumb" group would all get exemptions and the team wouldn't get any money. But what was really exciting in Episode 4 was that everyone suddenly started to really play the game. It seemed like they were all just getting their feet wet in the first few episodes, but clearly all hell broke loose when Katie discovered that Patrick had torn several pages out of her journal, which used to be his. This was a huge moment in the game and the other players had incredibly strong reactions to this. Most of them felt this was outside the bounds of the rules of the game, because this behavior was not supposed to be allowed. It was interesting to me that while they all seemed to be stepping up their suspicious activity, they were still drawing lines about what was and what wasn't ethical. Plus, they were so upset with him because he got the team fined, but then wouldn't that be a very Mole-like move? In my opinion, even though there was a rule about not tearing pages out of your journal, this game is all about bending and/or breaking the rules in order to avoid execution. I don't understand why many of them thought that was more unethical than purposefully losing money during the "Dumb vs. Smart" game. For once I actually sympathized with Patrick. I was actually sorry to see him go in that way because I think the others took it as such vindication. I like it when the players play the way Patrick was playing. Keep an eye out for tensions mounting in the next episode. Even with Patrick's early exit, the group still finds others to turn on. Kathryn |
Tntitanfan | Thursday, June 06, 2002 - 06:47 am     Thanks, Car! These were great! |
Neko | Thursday, June 06, 2002 - 01:57 pm     Hehehee <<Did I get rushed to the hospital like Katie? Did I get a sympathy exemption from Al? Nooo. All I got was a mocking laugh from Anderson and the gang, and a few "shh's" from the crew.>> Well, that'd make it seem like she's there to help out... Or she fell on Mole 1, in the same place... |
Cinnamongirl | Thursday, June 20, 2002 - 02:39 pm     (sorry for jumping in here Car54 & posting) Episode 6 So Myra is gone. It's about time. I'm sure that sounds mean, because she was one of the nicest players and one of the easiest to get along with, but she just never played the game. As far as I could tell, she never cast suspicion on herself or anyone else, and her coalition with Patrick went nowhere. She may have known who the Mole was and simply hadn't learned enough about that person, or maybe she was on the wrong track. It's hard to tell once you get this far into the game. The tie Anderson announced makes it even harder to determine whether all the players are gunning for the same suspect. Who is left to suspect at this point? Pretty much everyone, although a few players weren't very active in this episode. Heather continues to raise eyebrows. I can't help feeling that many of the "mistakes" she makes, such as touching the bike and drawing a fine, are things that I would have done in that game. Dorothy's athletic abilities have sunk to an all-time low — it's almost comical (I mean, who can't even mount a bike? I'm totally uncoordinated and I can do that). Elavia's lack of hustle or interest persisted in the biking game. Then she sold the team out for an exemption, but who wouldn't do that? Hell, as either a player or the Mole I'd probably give up even more money for an exemption at this stage of the game. Bill and Darwin's "contraband ice cream" was a funny moment, but difficult to determine if either of them was intentionally breaking the rules or if they were simply hungry. Katie, Al and Bribs were the only ones who didn't act suspiciously this week. Al did get suckered into Darwin's coalition web, in what was one of my favorite scenes to date. Did anyone else think that they looked like an old married couple lying in bed together as they gossiped about their teammates? It will be interesting to see if Al finds out that Darwin is two-timing him with Bribs. Another new coalition sprung up — Elavia and Dorothy. Neither seems to really trust the other, so it's hard to see how they will work together. I hope that they will create more mayhem than the other "so stealth that they remain completely undetectable" coalitions. Elavia's mischievous eyes give me confidence that at the very least she'll dupe her own partner. I know that every week I give a little tease about how great the next week's episode is, but truly, next week's episode will be the most shocking yet. The entire game gets turned on its head. I promise. Kathryn |
Tabbyking | Saturday, June 22, 2002 - 09:38 pm     many of us thought the darwin-al in one bed scene was classic; others somehow read into it as us maybe being'homophobic' for finding it humorous! (?!) your 'old married couple' was a good way to see it! |
Neko | Sunday, June 23, 2002 - 08:04 am     "Old Married Couple" Hilarious! |
Tabbyking | Sunday, June 23, 2002 - 08:53 am     more like walter matthau and jack lemmon!! and i don't mean anything by the 'odd' couple, guys, before you all take offense! lol |
Webkitty | Sunday, June 30, 2002 - 09:52 am     Does anyone have a link to this column? I tried to find it on the ABC site and couldn't. It should be out by now? |
Rosie4040 | Sunday, June 30, 2002 - 10:00 am     Try this: abc.abcnews.go.com/primetime/themole/mole_insider.html |
Pamy | Sunday, June 30, 2002 - 12:54 pm     The link didn't work for me, but after clicking around I found it, I will just post it here, Car must be busy this weekend, haven't seen her!
Episode 7 It was hard to take Gnome Home seriously, between the elfin creature, the dripping lard and Anderson's jokes, but there were several seriously suspicious moments involved. As always, Heather gave me pause. 1) She wasted lots of time walking with the gnome (I'm not sure if you could tell how slow she was on TV, but I'm talking government bureaucracy slow). 2) She claims she knew that the exemption was inside the gnome, but yet again, she sacrificed for the group even though she constantly begs for an exemption. 3) She strongly suggested to Bill that he place the gnome in the bike basket, and then the basket fell off and the gnome broke. Bill, of course, was not without his eyebrow raising moments, the most obvious being that he broke the gnome and lost the team the money. I don't know why, but I was less suspicious of the bike wreck than the fact that he "forgot" to take the picture with the goalie and had to go back (I had to ride that bike back to the hotel later, and I promise you, with grease all over the handles, it was hard to navigate). It seemed to me that if he was the Mole, his true plan might have been to waste so much time that Elavia had no chance of finishing the race, and the blame would fall on her. And we all know that she was everyone's favorite Mole suspect. The Gladiator game was great fun to watch, especially because some of our crew played the Gladiators and got destroyed by the cast (and believe me, no one was told to take a dive — that was pure embarrassment). I think the players saw it as a mini-escape from the game — as Bribs said, it was his boyhood fantasy to be a gladiator — and it gave them a chance to turn their energies against outside forces instead of each other. I've never seen Katie more proud or more enthusiastic. In fact, the toughness she exhibited in that game made me wonder what she's been covering up with her giggles and her quickness to tears. Everyone seems to dismiss her as an impossible choice for the Mole because she's too weak — well, she didn't seem weak during that game. Dorothy was a non-entity in Gladiator, so it's hard to evaluate her activity. Al got killed — or let himself get killed — very early, and Darwin seemed to give it his all. Then there was Bribs. As I look back on some of my columns and consider what I'm about to write now, I realize that I probably come off as ruthless and unethical, so here's a caveat — I only apply these beliefs in the context of a game which has a central theme of lying and cheating. With that in mind, I've been constantly dumbfounded by Bribs's sense of ethics and honor. He was offered a chance at an exemption but he refused because he didn't want to "stab anyone in the back?" What do you think you're doing here, Bribs? Perhaps Bribs is the Mole and he thought that such an open betrayal of his teammates would draw too much suspicion, or perhaps he simply got too caught up in his little boy fantasy of playing the hero that day and didn't want to spoil it. But watching him give up that exemption, I worried that he didn't have what it takes to make it to the end of the game. I'm not suggesting that anyone needs to be mean to win this game — in fact I think the opposite — but I do think that you need to be willing to be a little tricky. Steve was a great example last time: he was well-liked by the others, but he never hesitated to look out for himself first, even (or especially) when it came down to just him and his good friend Jim. He tricked Jim into rushing on the final quiz causing Jim to make too many errors. All that being said, if I had a little sister, I would want her to date a guy like Bribs. Last week I promised that this episode would be the most shocking one yet. I hope you think I was right. I've never seen so many jaws drop to the floor as I saw the night that Elavia took that $50,000 and left the game. I think that she was at the top of every single player's suspect list (she had most of the crew fooled, too) and they were left to scramble for a new game plan when she waltzed out the door. I firmly believe that if she had stayed in the game, she would have made it to the final round, and probably won the game. Here's your hint about next week's episode — I actually cried three times during the filming of it. Kathryn |
Pamy | Sunday, June 30, 2002 - 01:00 pm     Note: on the Mole site it says "why is Heather crying?"
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Webkitty | Sunday, June 30, 2002 - 01:34 pm     Thanks Pammy! I have been hoping that Kathryn would shed some light on why Elavia was offered the money....... If she "firmly" believes that if Elavia had stayed in the game she would have had a good shot at winning, then it seems odd that they would have targeted her, knowing she was the least liked. (they could have used the most liked to offer the money too, or any other number of reasons) Does anyone think that Kathyn gave away a clue that Bribs might go next? Or Heather? Wonder what happens that got Heather crying AND Kathryn? |
Webkitty | Sunday, June 30, 2002 - 04:31 pm     Ooops, sorry Pamy! Its too late to edit my post..... |
Rosie4040 | Sunday, June 30, 2002 - 04:31 pm     I think I read something about someone getting a marriage proposal on the next show. Maybe it was Heather. |
Webkitty | Sunday, June 30, 2002 - 04:50 pm     Really Rosie? Where did you read this? Anyone else know anything? Ack! I have to log off soon. Well, anything anyone can add will be appriciated |
Robynne68 | Sunday, June 30, 2002 - 07:06 pm     I think I caught a glimpse of the commercial for the mole..showing Heather getting proposed to from her boyfriend. Geez, maybe I was dreaming. It went by so fast , lol |
Pamy | Sunday, June 30, 2002 - 07:22 pm     Now that you mention it, I think I heard something about a proposal a while back also
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Rosie4040 | Sunday, June 30, 2002 - 10:29 pm     My feeble mind. I can't remember where I saw it, but I know it wasn't in the TV Guide. |
Roamjotiba | Monday, July 01, 2002 - 11:10 am     TV listings for tomorrow: . . . . . . . . . Mole II: The Next Betrayal (New) Game, Reality, One player gets a wedding proposal from a significant other. And next Tuesday 07/09/01 if you want to know: . . . . . . . . . . . . Mole II: The Next Betrayal (New) Game, Reality, One player sabotages another; the competitors must remain awake for an extended period. These are from my TV Listings on my page at iWon.com I don't know where they pull them from. The TVguide.com quit listing for the Mole and just send you to some episode guide. Later Rodney |
Roamjotiba | Wednesday, July 03, 2002 - 08:26 pm     by Kathryn Price Episode 8 Number of times I cried during the making of this episode: 3. I know it's just a game, but as anyone who watched last season knows, sometimes I'm a big crybaby. Especially when I see someone else crying. When all those players didn't get to see their loved ones and they started crying, then I would start crying. The worst was when Dorothy didn't get to see her mom the second time. I completely lost it watching her mom cry like that (strangely, Dorothy's eyes stayed completely dry). I'm sure I would have cried at Heather's engagement too, but I wasn't at that event. I was watching the dinner with the remaining players and my eyes were welling up because Darwin and his wife announced that they were pregnant and passed around the sonogram photo. Did anyone else notice a theme with the players whose loved ones weren't selected in the first game? They were practically identical to their loved ones, making it ludicrous that they weren't selected. Katie and her dad were an obvious pair (Heather's selection of the very dark skinned Italian man seemed quite odd), Dorothy and her mom bore a strong resemblance to each other (again, Heather, what were you thinking choosing an Italian woman?), and Al and his sister looked very much alike (Bribs, why the trashy blonde?) I also thought that Al's sister also bore a striking resemblance to Carrie Fisher — maybe that threw Bribs off. The only thing of note to me in the bungee jumping game was the fact that Dorothy got her answer wrong and didn't seem that upset about not seeing her mom. But then again, I never saw Dorothy get emotional about anything, so maybe she just bottles everything up. I would never bungee jump myself, so I don't blame her for not doing it. Just when I thought Katie started revealing her true grit and acting like she could pull off being the Mole, she gets executed. Very disappointing. Not many hints about who she was suspecting either, although I think we can assume that she never suspected her coalition partner, Heather. Next week, Anderson gets a little tipsy (actually, I thought he got a lot tipsy — but I'll let you be the judge). Kathryn |
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