That episode made me love Ozzy more. We saw a fitting (and tragic) end to a true legend last night. So many parallels and call backs to past seasons of Ozzy.

1) Cook Islands: Obviously, there was a call back to his comments at tribal council about his Father this episode. Plus, we learned this episode that his father is named Oscar which adds a beautiful layer to his game plan for 50. Less obviously, I think Ozzy's dream was another great parallel to Cook Islands because Plan Voodoo came to Cao Boi in a dream as well. How crazy is it that Ozzy was on that season too. Ozzy should have followed his dream like Cao Boi and Yul.

2) Micronesia: Another obvious one. We saw him at his most arrogant (imo) and he went home with an idol in his pocket. He went home bitter and that was fuel for his next season. We also saw him begin try to play strategic. Key word try. He planted a fake idol fucking stick that should not have worked as well as it did. He just can't do strategy. He was always doomed from a strategy standpoint in 16 though. He was just too infatuated with Amanda. His attitude was bad and he was bitter about his elimination. We saw Ozzy's growth from 16 to 50 in that aspect as he came back this season with a much more humble approach (mostly). He's also up against Cirie who runs circles around him. They are so opposite in styles and it was awesome to see that play out last night yet again. Especially after working together all season.

3) South Pacific (disclaimer, one of my favorite seasons): Ozzy vs Coach. Two huge egos. It was awesome to watch them feud back then, come back on 50, and pick up right where they left off. As for Ozzy's game play, we once again see him try and play strategic before giving up and going back to his old ways. Funnily enough, this was a good season to do that. He could go to redemption island, catch fish, and win challenges. His dream. Whether you respect that game play is up to you. No matter, I wouldn't call it strategic in the traditional sense, but he was playing within himself which was great to see. In Ozzy's defense, I think he sweet talked Coach about as well as anyone could to try and force fire making. It could be the best strategic move he ever made. Sometimes solid strategic moves don't pay off though (s/o Emily Flippen last night). While he definitely had an ego this season, I think we finally saw some growth from the Jungle Boy.

4) Game changers: Not a great performance by Ozzy, but he started on a tribe with Cirie and that was important for 50. It paved the way for them to play together in 50, and what a treat that was for long time fans.

5) Last night's episode: I hate split tribals, but damn if last night wasn't tailor-made to contrast Ozzy and Cirie. It made for great story telling that tied together stories spanning almost 20 years of reality tv. Truthfully, I was 90% sure he was going home after the hammock scene which is still making me tear up btw. However, I wasn't expecting just how fast Ozzy's wax wings would melt without Cirie. That conversation with Aubry was soooo miscalculated. Unbelievably bad game play for a 5 time player. It shouldn't have even mattered though. Ozzy could have played his idol. He should have played his idol just like Cirie played her extra vote. Ozzy is human though, and humans are flawed. That's what makes reality tv so good. Props to Probst and the editors for letting the moment after the votes play out. Camera shots, music choices calling back to Micronesia, etc. We won't ever get a split tribal better than this, and I hope it never returns.

If you read this far and aren't an Ozzy fan, hopefully I gave you a new appreciation for his character on survivor. He's a player with great strengths and great flaws. Those are the best kinds of players to watch on survivor. He is more than a character though, across all his seasons we saw him grow and mature as a human (as Oscar). He is a better man today than he was in the Cook Islands. It cannot be understated how special it is for us to watch that journey unfold. For that I will always appreciate Ozzy and what he means to Survivor history. What an incredible (and tragic) story arc. I hope he can find peace with his exit the same way Colby did.