As the tables turn

There were lots of unexpected turns. Blindsides, hook-ups, plot twists ... try and keep up.

"Survivor" (CBS, 8:00): Foa Foa is outnumbered 8 to 4 but lucky for them it's merge day! (Pulling out party hats, wine and cheese). The tribes are rewarded with a feast for making it thus far and move onto camp on Galu's beach. Pause it: Why do these people go for wine and beer after being hungry and thirsty for 19 days? Why not drinks some juice or water that doesn't have to be boiled? They renamed themselves "Aiga", which in Samoan means "extended family that lies to you." For all of Foa Squared's losses, they certainly had a plan going into the merge: divide and conquer. Galu revealed the crack between Laura and Shambo, giving Russell the opportunity to campaign for Laura to go.

The immunity challenge is a game of T-ball, and two people get to win immunity: one girl and one guy. Pause it: You mean to tell me you'll let these people wrestle together, but they can't play T-ball? Please!!! It looks like Russell is about the take the win, but it's John who get the W. And of course, Laura wins for the girls because the person that people scheme to vote off is always the one who's a clutch player.

Camp is like a swarm of angry bees as players strategize about who to vote off. Both Russell and Erik have immunity idols and both think they're calling the shots. At Tribal Council, Erik comes down with a horrible case of condescending antagonist, and manages to insult every member of Foa Squared. Jaison calls him out on his arrogance and ultimately has the last word. Erik gets blindsided and is sent packing after (stupidly) not playing his idol. The tribe did manage to flush out Russell's though, leveling the playing field since both idols are out of the game. I wonder how big was Erik's slice of humble pie. Had to be pretty big to satisfy the appetite of his inflated ego.

Rewind the tape: I haven't seen a blindside this good since the girls of "Survivor All-Stars" tricked Ozzy into not playing the idol. Russell is definitely playing the 'outwit' portion of the game but not very well. He tipped his hand to three too many people. Looks like that cocky attitude just may earn him a bed next to Erik at the ponderosa.

"CSI:" (CBS, 9:00): Talk about tables turning. There were so many plot twists in this episode I could barely keep up. Two seemingly unrelated crimes turn out to be connected by a weird revenge plot. A teen-aged boy is brutally beaten, but he refuses help from the CSIs because he doesn't want to admit he was sexually assaulted. Across town, a man is found shot to death in a burned-out electronics store. It was a long, confusing road but the dots connect with the boy being raped by the man found in the store. It was kind of one of those sister's-boyfriend's-brother type stories that lost me when a stripper was thrown in the mix. I still learned something, though: most dust particles contain trace amounts of fecal matter. That's poop.

Despite the loss of some major characters (single tear falling for Grissom and Warrick), the show has managed to stay fresh and hasn't missed a stepped when introducing new players. Instead of forcing us to believe a doctor could become a CSI overnight, they remind us that newbie Langston is still learning. The conversation about him taking multiple classes was a great attention to detail for plot continuity. And how much do I heart Greg and Nick? They are the sexiest nerds on television.

CHANNEL SURFING

• It's Irina, Carol Hannah and Althea heading to fashion week on "Project Runway" (Lifetime, 10:00). Too bad this show is a year old and their fashions are probably already outdated.
• The online commercial during "CSI:" was about a cheesemaker who lets us in on a little secret: cheese is a moldy bacteria with controlled decay. Which proves my point for not liking it.
• Do you think the agent killing himself on "Flash Forward" (ABC, 8:00) will actually alter someone else's outcome?