And now, we check in on Why Ian Wouldn't. Specifically, Katie is in the shelter, lying in the hammock and whispering to Ian and A-Jenn that they need to get rid of Caryn. A-Jenn wants to know, though, whether Ian and Katie are prepared to get rid of Tom if Tom doesn't win immunity. Ian says he isn't sure yet. A-Jenn is shocked, because she thinks it would be obvious that Ian would want to remove his "biggest competition." He gets it, but still isn't sure. He hates to break his word, he explains. ["I don't know why he let pass the opportunity to say, 'I hate to break my word, Katie.'" -- Wing Chun] And besides, Ian would rather be rid of Caryn. And...wouldn't we all.

Speaking of whom, Caryn is now getting a talk from Tom about the fact that she'll be better off with him and Ian, even though he's sure Katie will come to Caryn about the three women getting together. Caryn knows that this is likely as well.

Elsewhere, A-Jenn is trying to convince Ian that he has a better chance against Jenn and Katie than he does against Tom. She tries to convince him not to get "attached to people" at the expense of his chance at the money. He noncommittally pretends to agree with her, sort of, in a way I would like to think indicates trickery, but I actually think indicates, based on the rest of the episode, the beginnings of a fugue state.

At the same time, Tom is telling Caryn that she shouldn't go with the women, because it's "not a good deal." He tells her that if she went with that deal, she'd go out third anyway. Caryn interviews that Tom just explained that he wants to get rid of Katie and A-Jenn and go to F3 with her and Ian. She says she's not sure whether to believe this, of course, but she calls herself "guardedly optimistic." "Guardedly optimistic"? How very mealy-mouthed. Thus concludes Caryn's press release from the public relations firm of Caryn, Caryn & Caryn. ("We'll Tarnish Your Image In Thirty-Nine Days, Or It's Free!")

Tom and Ian go and get treemail, and this time, it's a message implying something about a creek and a paddle and being far from home. I'm so tired of interpreting treemail. I would run myself through the heart with a broken piece of the immunity necklace, except that I fear that I would wind up with some kind of clumsily cryptic rhyming eulogy. Tom and Ian have a quick meeting in which Tom says that they need to talk about what they'll do if they win the reward challenge. Tom interviews that if they get to take one person to something or other, they can't choose each other. They have to remove one of the women so that the women don't sit around and plot. Ian thinks they should take Katie on the reward, but Tom thinks Caryn. Ian says plainly in an interview that he and Tom are now basically arguing over which of the women to take to F3, because Tom thinks Caryn would bring him if she weirdly won immunity, and Ian thinks Katie would take him. It's interesting to see him acknowledge that his and Tom's interests have diverged, at least to some point. Tom interviews that getting to F4 is going to be tougher than he thought. But it's good to know that he and Ian have a plan. And you know what? You always stick to the plan. It's good advice. Let's see if Ian takes it, shall we?