40.07-Walking into a wall

Previously on the Smole, the contestants took part in Season 38's first mission. Unsurprisingly, it was the Season 38 duo, Benjamin and Shirley, who clinched the exemption. 50/120 points were earned in that mission, which meant that the pot currently has 220/350 points. It was a sad sight to see Jerome leave. He was lucky last season, but the Mole outsmarted him this time around. Who is this Mole?

Herb: "Do I just talk into this thing...I think I do. Hello. I am Herb DeValentino. I am apparently now a father. I can't believe Tina was pregnant, and I didn't know about it. Bonnie is in her 20s or 30s...she's all grown up. I somehow lived 20-odd years without realising her existence. Is that why Tina left me? What was she worried about? That I wouldn't want the babies? Or that I wouldn't take responsibility? Tina, if you're out there somewhere, watching this...I wish you had trusted me more."

Carol: "What did he mean when he said that he hopes I will find true love?"

Carol: "And he kept emphasising how we were just friends."

Carol: "We had a routine of gathering to discuss suspects and strategy and he didn't even show up. Why?"

Carol: "Oh my god, I'm so stupid!"

Carol: "He must have seen Ben trying to kiss me and thought we were into each other! Now he has the wrong idea about us. It's all Ben's fault."

Herb: "Bonnie, take a seat. I made some waffles for you."

Bonnie: "That won't be necessary."

Bonnie: "I prefer some nuts."

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For the next mission, 5 inflexible contestants were chosen. They are: Herb, Damien, Shirley, Philo and Milan. These five will enter a maze full of mirrors. They can only walk in a straight line, turning only when they reach a mirror. The other six have to move the mirrors around the maze to guide the former five to where the points are, and possibly an exemption if they are feeling generous. This mission is worth 100 points. The six contestants have limited time to study the layout of the map before the first contestant enters.

Iris: "How are we going to do this?"

Lisette: "I think we should enter the actual maze."

Carol: "It might be too confusing for us though. The birds' eye view provided here is good enough."

Benjamin: "We just need to ensure every mirror is in position. We should deploy less of us to the areas with less traffic, like those corners."

Carol: "Hmm, good idea. That means the centre should have the most."

Bonnie: "I think this mission was from a previous season. We just need to avoid those mistakes. I think the front and end of the maze needs to have some of us permanently stationed there, as well as areas which require a lot of mirrors to be moved around."

Carol: "I guess that means some of us will have to do some running around."

Lisette: "We should hurry and get in. For all we know someone has already entered."

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Bonnie: "We need two here. Who wants to volunteer?"

Iris: "Me."

Lisette: "Me too."

Benjamin: "The rest of you, follow me."

Bonnie: "Alright, we'll see what tricks he has up his sleeve..."

Benjamin: "Autumn, you and I will cover this area."

Bonnie: "I guess then we're moving to the end."

Bonnie: "We'll be stationed here to ensure that the contestants make it out successfully."

Carol: "Got it."

Iris: "Only these mirrors can be moved."

Lisette: "How do you move them? The wheels aren't very smooth."

Iris: "Just pull."

Benjamin: "Autumn, move those mirrors to the corner. Ensure they are at 45 degrees."

Lisette: "Be careful not to knock the ball away."

Carol: "I need to shift this over there."

Bonnie: "Don't touch that mirror. We want to block off that area. It contains the exemption."

Milan: "I hope dey do not do a patetico job."

Milan: "And den I will bounce off to here. Good."

Iris: "We're doing well."

Lisette: "Now we should rearrange the mirrors for them to access the other area."

Iris: "I'll do it. You just stay here in case of any emergency."

Autumn: "This feels like a fun house with less wacky mirrors. Oh, I see someone walking over."

Milan: "Do not block de way."

Milan: "I have a ball."

Milan: "Autumn, are you forgetting someting"

Autumn: "Am I?"

Milan: "De mirror is not aligned, stupido."

Autumn: "But I can't move that mirror."

Milan: "Den move anoder one"

Milan: "Too late."

Bonnie: "They didn't reach the end. Something screwed up somewhere."

Carol: "From the reflection I see Milan with Autumn."

Shirley: "Hi Lisette."

Lisette: "Wait! I didn't expect you to enter from the left side."

Shirley: "I can't stop. The best I can do is slow down."

Lisette: "Phew. That was a close shave."

Benjamin: "How do I angle this mirror?"

Shirley: "Iris, I will be bounced back."

Iris: "No you won't."

Iris: "You're right at the edge of the middle one, so you'll be reflected to my direction."

Shirley: "That was a risky move to make."

Iris: "But it worked out."

Shirley: "I have a ball now."

Shirley: "You're not going to let me go there?"

Iris: "Maybe the next guy, if we get a chance. I don't want to risk screwing up and then losing the points you already have."

Shirley: "You're playing with very dangerous angles."

Shirley: "So I'll be going back to the starting point? Wait no, from this angle I won't."

Shirley: "The decision made by Iris and the rest was really weird. In one small section of the maze, I had been reflected a thousand times due to extreme angles."

Shirley: "Finally I'm out of there. So I guess I'll be heading in the opposite direction?"

Shirley: "I see another ball."

Shirley: "Be careful, Ben."

Shirley: "20 points now."

Shirley: "I'll be heading in there."

Benjamin: "Roger. Which way did I want this to face?"

Shirley: "Another ball! I'm doing really well."

Autumn: "Just to update you, I shifted the mirrors over there a bit."

Benjamin: "Why?"

Shirley: "Guys, I think you should stop talking. You are blocking the way."

Benjamin: "Oops. I'll move away."

Benjamin: "What the...where's Carol and Bonnie? Why is this mirror just left here?"

Carol: "If Jerome was here I would let him have the exemption. He just left too early."

Shirley: "Autumn, I think it's better for you to stay in one side next time unless you need to move things around. Otherwise, you would have cut off our route. Wait, am I walking into a wall?"

Shirley: "Ben, hurry!"

Benjamin: "Oof!"

Shirley: "Sorry."

Benjamin: "It's not your fault. I was too slow."

Damien: "I hope I still have a chance to collect the exemption. I was disappointed that we'd just be walking at first but now that I heard there's an exemption to be found, I'm happy I chose this role."

Bonnie: "What is this? This must mean something."

Damien: "My mind is getting dizzy."

Damien: "I wonder what they are talking about."

Autumn: "I want to update you that there are a few balls over my side that have yet to be collected."

Lisette: "What? We thought that it was cleared. Okay, that means the next one to enter must head back in your direction."

Damien: "It's a small alley."

Damien: "Another ball."

Lisette: "That area was the one with many walls, right?"

Iris: "I need to move this too. Isn't this someone else's job?"

Benjamin: "Iris! Help me adjust that mirror."

Damien: "He better hurry up."

Benjamin: "That was a close one."

Benjamin: "Now I need to re-route and get to the other side before it's too late. Which way was it again?"

Carol: "There are no moveable mirrors over there."

Bonnie: "That means we need to get some from other places."

Benjamin: "I think it was this way."

Damien: "That's another ball."

Damien: "I have to keep moving forward."

Benjamin: "I need to push this mirror over there..."

Damien: "I'm supposed to go there?"

Benjamin: "Just follow the mirror."

Damien: "I won't lie. I'm a bit disoriented."

Benjamin: "Where the hell is Autumn?"

Damien: "Aha."

Damien: "30 points already. I'm doing very well."

Benjamin: "Huh? He's coming from that direction? Carol, quickly. Pull that mirror over."

Carol: "Done. Now what?"

Bonnie: "I must go find another mirror."

Carol: "Hurry. He's approaching fast."

Damien: "So many mirrors. This is just stupid. Where is the exemption?"

Benjamin: "Autumn! Why the hell did you run off? What are you doing over here?"

Benjamin: "We nearly died again because of you!"

Autumn: "I thought to update them and then they needed help..."

Benjamin: "I don't care. You're coming back with me now."

Autumn: "Nobody has ever scolded me like that before. Not even my parents."

Benjamin: "I don't give a fuck. Get back over there."

Damien: "I guess I'm not getting the exemption."

Damien: "Not surprised. At least I managed to earn 30 points."

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Lisette: "I think everything is in place."

Benjamin: "I'll be watching her. I'll tell you when the next one enters, Carol."

Lisette: "Why didn't they send you in first?"

Herb: "Would it have made a difference?"

Herb: "All the mirrors are giving me a headache. I have never seen so many mirrors in my life."

Autumn: "Why didn't you collect that?"

Herb: "It wasn't along the way. I couldn't have moved out of a straight line."

Herb: "It's too late for that anyway."

Benjamin: "The mirrors are off. Autumn, move that mirror!"

Autumn: "No."

Benjamin: "Do as you're told."

Autumn: "Not until you apologise to me first."

Benjamin: "Fat chance. You deserved it. Now move the mirror."

Autumn: "If you aren't going to say sorry I won't listen to you."

Carol: "Uh-oh. Ben and Autumn are fighting and neither of them are willing to budge."

Carol: "I have to go over there and help them."

Benjamin: "If I tell you to move that mirror, you move that mirror. Got it?"

Autumn: "Sorry, I'm stupid. I don't understand what you're saying."

Carol: "That was a close call."

Herb: "Bonnie..."

Bonnie: "Please focus on the mission. I will hold you accountable if you don't cash in those points."

Herb: "Why are there so many mirrors?"

Herb: "I am out at last."

Herb: "This is the end, right?"

Damien: "Nice of you to join me."

Iris: "There was only one ball left to get, other than the exemption ball. If we couldn't even manage that, then we suck big time. Fortunately there seemed to be a pact among the other five to enter the maze only once every half an hour, giving us ample time to prepare."

Lisette: "Welcome to the mirror maze."

Philo: "As usual, I'm the forgotten one."

Philo: "Such a handsome face deserves to be seen on the silver screen again."

Philo: "I still have a ball to collect."

Autumn: "Uh, yeah."

Philo: "I'm still useful and valuable!"

Autumn: "Yay you!"

Autumn: "Now Ben can stop beeathing down my neck."

Philo: "How many more to collect?"

Benjamin: "That is the last of them. Just focus on getting out."

Carol: "Don't screw up, Philo."

Philo: "Since when have I done that?"

Carol: "And that is the last once. This was quite stressful."

Philo: "Hi guys. So only the three of us made it out of the maze?"

Damien: "Appears so."

"The mission is now over. Nobody has the exemption. However, Damien has earned 30 ponts, Herb has earned 20 points and Philo has earned 10 points. This amounts to 60/100 points or 280/450 points in the pot."

Carol: "I worked with Bonnie in this mission and we worked together quite well. I think it's safe to eliminate Bonnie as the Mole. She's probably thinking the same about me."

The gap is slowly but surely widening. Nobody has an exemption, so who will be the next to leave?