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Spoilers ahead for the entirety of season two ofThe Traitors.
Halfway throughthe season-two finale ofThe Traitors, I was feeling heartbroken.
I couldnt imagine coming back around on this finale now.
Something happened, though: The drama didnt end.
Theres a dazzling array of different reality-TV backgrounds onscreen here, but also within the viewership itself.
I know multiple people whove never watchedanyof the contestants original shows and yet couldnt stop watching this one.
Thats partly because Phaedra is TV gold, but its also because the edit prepared us for this outcome.
With those stakes in place,Phaedras final episodemanages to overcome the high potential for anticlimax.
Shes free, and its a sad, beautiful conclusion to her arc.
Of course, its always necessary to leave material on the cutting-room floor.
In retrospect, her banishment feels like a foregone conclusion, but we needed that ambiguity as viewers.
As in scripted TV, some things arent meant to be explained in full.
Still, its true thatThe Traitorsis an imperfect game, and that extends to the edit.
The goal in editing together a series like this one isnt complete truthfulness, and its certainly not exhaustiveness.
