This season had some issues (like the to strong bonus London gave as well as the strava maps) but I actually quit liked it. Favourit hide and seek after Switzerland for me.
Being the first runner feels like a massive advantage. You get to start at the main transport hub for the game, not a 30 minute sprint away from some random branch line that gets a train per hour.
It probably was this time because the UK rail system is very London centred, but I think this is the first time the first run won. Going first has the disadvantage that your seekers start from the main transport hub too!
I was rooting for Ben and so sad that he lost! Kinda funny that the clouds once again contributed to his downfall.
I liked that we were able to see Adam and Sam strategising how to cut up the map before they arrived - followed by what they did in reality. And the endgame was really exciting throughout. It’s not often that the stakes are so high and the editing was great!
When it cut away from Ben’s final cardpull, I wrongly assumed it must be a mega curse that won him the game and got really excited. it didn’t cross my mind that they would also cut away for a time bonus.
Ben being confused by the concept of an M&S was delightful, as was Adam not understanding roundabouts. Glad for another Adam win but that was super tight in the end!
I was certainly not surprised that Ben lost. Once they worked out that they’d have over two hours in the town it seemed inevitable. It was still a really impressive run, especially considering the actual hiding time (ignoring time bonuses) ended up being considerably longer.
