A new Traitor, two dramatic departures and some downright bizarre outfit choices. Here's your full recap of all Thursday night's Ardross Castle action.
Warning: spoilers for episode 8 follow...
Since Linda's overdue banishment, Minah was left as the last Traitor standing. Needing to recruit a Faithful, she plumped for Charlotte. We'd been left on a cliffhanger, waiting to see if Charlotte would accept the invitation to defect to the dark side. We now saw that secret meeting at the castle's fire-pit (all a bit Love Island). Minah gave Charlotte an ultimatum: join her as a Traitor or be murdered as a Faithful. Charlotte didn't want to die, so gladly accepted the offer and was solemnly handed her cloak. "Let's go and have some fun," said bloodthirsty Minah.
Some doubted the wisdom of Minah's decision to seduce the not-really-Welsh business director but it looked a smart pick. "She's someone I can get to the final with," said Minah. Her "new sister" is smart, skilled at deception, a widely trusted Faithful and embraced her new role with relish. Charlotte was also fully aware that the more experienced Traitor might double-cross her. Minah might get more than she bargained for.
Back in the conclave, they debated who to kill that night. Priestly Lisa and Jake, the Linda-hunter-in-chief, came under consideration but ultimately they plumped for Irish Anna, who had "served her purpose" and "ran out of lives". Side note: she'd also accused Minah earlier that night and misspelt her name. Slán, Anna. Your random outfits often looked like you'd done a supermarket sweep around Ninties-era Primark (you even wore a blue feather boa and matching slacks as you were killed) but you were a good Faithful. "She's gone to a happier place," said Charlotte devilishly.
Mission time. "It won't be child's play," warned Claudia Winkleman, swishing out of the room. Her flowing skirt followed several seconds behind. A hilariously horror-tinged task saw the players split into two teams. At a creepy cabin, The Woods Team had to find dolls which sang nursery rhymes backwards, then mimic the sound down the phone to the Castle Team. They recorded it into a gramophone, played it the right way round and guessed the nursery rhyme. There was also one shield to be found in the dollhouse.
As the dolls sang sinister phrases ("You're going to die soon", "Get out of my house", "I know where you sleep", "I hate you"), players made increasingly bizarre noises. Airing on the day the film director died, it was all distinctly David Lynch-ian. Claudia whispered wry asides to camera and got the giggles.
Desperate to dodge murder, Jake went rogue and ripped apart a teddy bear to find a shield. Don't have nightmares, kids. He declared it to his teammates - except Alexander the diplomat, whom Jake doesn't trust - but opted not to tell the Castle Team in a bid to protect them all. A clever bit of group gameplay from the Faithful for once. The treacherous twosome had made a tactical error by not splitting up to keep an eye on both locations.
Back at the castle, there was an endearing corridor moment when Lisa quietly told Alex he was "one of the best people I've ever met". They might not be mother and son, as conspiracy theorists suggested, but there was a fond bond there. However, Alex was about to make a fatal fumble. Chatting in the kitchen, he mentioned Linda's voting pattern, positing that she'd never voted for a fellow Traitor. Joe gleefully leapt on this. Armani was the only confirmed Traitor who Linda hadn't voted to banish. How did Alex know about the rest of her votes unless he was a Traitor himself? Going into the Round Table, Joe was convinced he'd got his man. Again.
At the Round Table, Joe immediately attacked Alex over "the kitchen slip-up". Jake added that Alex hadn't voted for Linda the previous night, which also looked dodgy. Alex deflected by voicing his lingering suspicions about Freddie. Francesca pointed out that "anyone who's mentioned Alex's name is no longer here", implying that he'd murdered people who were onto him.
As the tide turned against Alex, Leanne grilled Leon about why their relationship had changed. He admitted that he'd reevaluated things since his "near-death" experience. He still had doubts about Alex, Alexander and Freddie. "But if I'm wrong, I'm strong and I'm sorry," he concluded in rhyming style.
Moving to a vote, it was a rout. Poor Alex received eight banishment votes out of 11. That's what a stumble over your words around a kitchen island will do. These paranoid players will pounce on anything. Not a single vote went to an actual Traitor. When Alex confirmed he was a Faithful, heads were in hands and Francesca wept. "Faithful, I thought you were getting the hang of this," said Claudia. She's not angry, just disappointed. When will they learn not to listen to Detective Inspector Joe, who's always so certain but invariably wrong?
Amid the fallout from another bungled banishment, Leanne was certain that Leon or Alexander had to be a Traitor. Francesca also came under suspicion, as she'd led the crusade against Alex. Were her tears out of guilt? Freddie was beginning to suspect Minah. Charlotte opted not to tell her co-conspirator and keep this intel up her sleeve. "Minah is three or four steps ahead, so I need to think five or six steps ahead," said Charlotte. She's leaning fast. Maybe too fast for Minah.
As the sisterhood convened in the castle conclave, Minah was complacent. "There's noise around everyone so we're relatively safe," she said. However, the mission's two groups posed a problem. Without knowing who had the immunity shield, murdering anyone from the Woods Team was a risk. Charlotte said it might be safer to do a "direct kill" from the Castle Team. Minah was delighted to hear her using such cold-blooded phrases already.
Nonetheless, they settled on Joe (aka Rubbish Sherlock), Lisa (aka Pulpit Poirot) or Jake (who, unbeknown to them, had the shield). Even if there's no murder, Minah reasoned, it would create chaos. She glowed with praise for Charlotte, who "knows what she's doing, has taken to it well and we could go all the way". Minah suddenly seems over-confident. There's a niggling sense that Charlotte could throw her under the bus before long.
Before we sign off, a sweet detail from spin-off show Traitors Uncloaked (which airs on BBC Two directly after each episode). Alex got married late last year, with both Lisa and Linda among the wedding guests. How lovely. Wonder if there were any head-swivels or fake crying in church?
Best Traitor: New recruit Charlotte, who took to treachery like a non-Welsh duck to water. She's already changed the conclave dynamic and could ultimately outsmart Minah.
Best Faithful: Lisa the priest, who lost her best mate Alex but donned the "gilet of truth" and suddenly clocked both Traitors out of nowhere.
Quote of the night: "Apart from speaking in a Welsh accent, I'm just being myself," said Charlotte, failing to see the irony.
Winkleman wardrobe watch: Our games mistress arrived at breakfast in a green turtleneck and floor-length black lace skirt. She added a grey felt military greatcoat, hand-warmers and Hunter wellies for the mission. A rare sartorial misstep for the Round Table, though. That jacquard two-piece might be by Emilia Wickstead but it resembled a schoolboy's pyjamas.
Prize pot: Finding three dolls on the mission banked £7.5K, meaning the prize fund stands at £48.5K from a possible £67,950.
Body count: Another strong night for the Traitors. We lost another two Faithful. It's now two Traitors versus eight Faithful. How do we like those odds?
Who will be murdered? Could Princess Charlotte dethrone Queen Minah? And has a Faithful ever been more serially wrong than Joe? Please share your thoughts in the comments below. Meet you back here tomorrow to analyse the ninth episode - the last before Finals Week. In the meantime, stay faithful.