Reconsidering Ryan
When talking about the last live show and Ryan's ascension to the post of HoH, I mentioned that I thought I had sold Ryan a bit short. My first impression of him was that he was merely Jen's appendage, didn't really know what he was doing in there, and would be a sitting duck.
But as it happens, all of Jen's alleged knowledge of the game didn't do her much good; in fact, other than winning the $10,000 at the start it's hard to think of a single thing that she did well. Ryan's game might have been seen as under-the-radar, but he conducted himself pretty well considering his two nominations and spent the previous week looking like a sure goner, thanks entirely to the behavior of his partner Allison.
And now as HoH, I think he's conducting himself pretty well and is making inroads towards doing what he needs: making alliance support for himself. As the first HoH of the solo era, he's the first with real leeway to build an alliance in the classic BB sense. Matt and Adam seem to be solidly on board, and wherever Matt goes Natalie will follow. One thing I wonder, though: is it too late for a solid alliance to hold together? These players have gotten used to a house without them, as they've been forced to navigate along with a partner. We've seen players and teams "make alliances" because they know that's what you're supposed to do on Big Brother, and then proceed along as if nothing had changed. But if Ryan can pull in Sheila on an as-needed basis (he seems to have written off James and Chelsia, and I don't think Sheila is a good fit in the proposed "women's alliance), he could have himself a little protection.