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Trying very hard to keep an open mind and put aside my personal feelings on the pendant of production for this post...
As we all know, Paul's safety is expiring in five days. He knows it too, and he's been acting accordingly. For Paul, his current strategy seems to involve surrounding himself with people who will do his bidding and eliminating those who will not. I think that's why Dominique is this week's target. Unlike Marlena and Maven, Mark and Dominique are a duo loyal to each other before Paul. That doesn't mean they are not loyal to Paul, but if either landed in a situation where the other and Paul were on the block, they'd actively campaign against Paul. I don't believe that is the case with Matt, Raven, or Elena.
If Paul is as savvy as I'm making him out to be (after all, he may just be targeting her because of the weekly house meetings that her show has evolved into) this type of gameplay could either set him up for a season of success, or a season in the jury house. Like any player/dynamic, there's always more than one side to the story. If Paul is targeting pairs, it could work out well; with stealth, he may be able to eliminate someone's "ride or die" and in turn, increase their dependence on him. This week--he was not able to utilize that stealth and therein may lie his mistake. By shooting at Dominique, Paul is also shooting at Mark. But to take two shots in the Big Brother house, one must reload and while Paul is reloading, Mark may have the opportunity to shoot back. I don't peg Mark as a master strategist, but his he seems to prioritize his loyalty to Dominique over his allegiance to Paul. Mark probably won't take Paul down, but the same dynamic occurs between other players and the same scenario could repeat itself multiple times until Paul finds himself in the same position as Paulie: making enemies out of loyal allies. You can only take out one person every seven days; there's a lot of buffer in there for people to attack back.
In essence, taking shots in the BB house is a dangerous thing. It's why some players never do it and why others thrive off of it. Paul appears to be taking shots far too often and making too many enemies in the process. By controlling every week, every sour feeling can be traced back to him. In my opinion, that will be his falling -- but thus far, it has been the sole thing holding him up (with the exception of his pendant). Which of the two shapes the remainder of the season is yet to be seen.
For the sake of entertainment, I hope it is the former; however, with the mindset of some of these houseguests (*cough* Raven *cough*), it may be the latter.
What do you all think? Is Paul this season's obvious yet successful mastermind or will he be joining his victims very soon? How important is this week in shaping up Paul's fate in the BB house? Will Mark go into Week 4 with a vengeance or will he return to his muscled minion status?
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Paul and Dominique: Preparation or Demise
