The Paudfather sleeps with the fishes. After becoming the breakout star of The Traitors Ireland (RTÉ One, 9.35pm) and very briefly the country’s favourite grumpy old man, Paudie has been outed as a traitor – and sent marching.
The round table ranks as one of the most suspenseful yet, as traitors Paudie and Nick knife each other in the back, and also the front and sides. As the blows fall, the other contestants struggle to decide whether Paudie or Vanessa is the most suspicious. That leaves Nick the only remaining traitor – and gives him the choice of recruiting his bromantic bestie Ben or plotting his downfall. We will find out on Sunday.
It’s a thrilling conclusion to a bizarre episode that features a recreation of a famine funeral – with three open coffins housing Christine (shocked), Ben (worried), and Faye (sobbing like an Oscar winner), while rural types in flat-caps – potentially the 2 Johnnies and friends doing a nixer – scoff sandwiches and hug their shawls.
This is by way of revealing that someone – ie Nick and Paudie – placed a piseog on Christine the previous night, meaning she’s the one who finally has a coffin lid placed over her. You haven’t seen a Cork person freeze like this since the second half of the All-Ireland final.
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Back at the castle, Faye’s tears have convinced Ben, but leave some of the female participants unmoved. “Men see tears, they see innocence,” scoffs one.
Faye is actually a faithful of course, and reacts sharply when at the round table it is suggested she’s playing for some pity points. “I’m having a panic attack, you think it’s an act,” she says to Joanna. “I don’t think I need to explain myself in a coffin.”
Around they go until finally Vanessa names Paudie as her number one suspect, and Nick weighs in behind her, as do Oyin and Ben. Paudie is gone - though not before dropping the bombshell that the previously eliminated Traitor Andrew was his son.
The Traitors enters its final week on Sunday with Nick surely in pole position. But will viewers have the will to continue without Paudie? Joanna will certainly miss him. “I’m the only one who doesn’t have an alliance,” she confides to Paudie over tea – explaining that she feels excluded by the other female contestants. “They are so young.”
Paudie doesn’t miss a beat. “Welcome to my f***ing world.” he says. Truly, we have lost a legend.
