Paul from The Traitors isn’t a psychopath – he just wants to win

It’s a game! There are going to be winners and losers – so why are we so quick to chastise someone for understanding the rules?

Everyone loves a good villain. The best heroes, narratively speaking, live and die on the strength of their counterparts. Would The Lion King have become such a classic if Scar hadn’t been willing to murder a man (lion) in front of his child? No!

What is the original Star Wars trilogy without Darth Vader, The Avengers without Thanos, or The Dark Knight without Heath Ledger’s Joker? They wouldn’t be bad, necessarily, but they would certainly not be held in the high esteem they are today. A well-crafted villain elevates a story to new heights and brings the audience on a journey with them. Enter, The Traitors. Enter, Paul.

For a reality TV show, The Traitors is wonderfully plotted, presumably due to some outstanding editing work (the Saw-esque reveal of Diane admitting that Ross is actually her son will go down in television history). Locking 22 people in a Scottish castle and having them play a sleep-deprived version of “wink murder”, while Claudia Winkleman heckles “dance, puppets!” through her fringe, will naturally produce some golden moments. People don’t crack under the pressure; they disintegrate like wet paper. Poor Brian basically banished himself out of pure fear.

The standout players, however, are the ones who can hold their nerve. Opinions on Wilf last year were so split because at times he seemed to relish the opportunity to murder his fellow players, and when the time came for him to turn on the other traitors, he did. However, there was still some reticence on his part. In his confessionals, he seemed conflicted, especially towards the end of the show. When Wilf was outed as a Traitor right before he was going to single-handedly win the whole thing, he seemed almost relieved.

Paul is a different animal. Paul was born to play this part. The people calling him a “psychopath” on Twitter/X aren’t entirely wrong – he’s one well-timed banishment away from indulging in a maniacal laugh.

A common theme among Traitors is that over time, as the numbers of Faithful are whittled away, they tend to struggle more and more with their decisions. The murders become more personal because they come to know the other players more intimately. They know why their fellow contestants need the money and, significantly, they know what they are taking away by “beating” them. As the game goes on, empathy becomes more and more of a factor.

I do not think that Paul will have this issue.

As a starting point, he’s having a great time. The murders mean literally nothing to him – it’s all strategy. Episode four was particularly telling. After getting himself out of hot water with fellow Traitor Ash for voting for her during the previous episode’s banishment, he immediately voted for her again. That takes some nerve.

The cherry on top of the deception cake was when he started to cry after someone suggested he should be nominated. Paul claimed through tears that he was ready to leave, and how maybe it was time to go back home to his family.

Except it was all for show. He does not give a hoot! He’ll throw his whole family under the bus to win the money. And he’s right to do so, because at the end of the day, it’s his family who will benefit the most from his treachery. The winner can walk home with up to £120,000. That’s a ridiculous amount of money. That could change a person’s life. I don’t blame anybody for crying a few crocodile tears if it means potentially giving their family a better life.

It’s a game! There are going to be winners and losers! Why are we so quick to chastise someone for understanding the rules? It’s why I didn’t understand a lot of the Wilf hate last year. He played the game well, even if he was kind of irritating on occasion.

I’m not going to sit here and profess to be a Paul fan. I find him a little abrasive. His Cheshire Cat grin is rubbing viewers the wrong way, and he’s being so Machiavellian that even the contestants are staring to notice. My bold prediction is that Miles, not Paul, will make the final.

I couldn’t go on The Traitors. My family played the boardgame over Christmas and I got banished every time because “my face looked guilty” and “I didn’t defend myself right” (whatever that means). In the real game I’d be gone immediately.

If by some miracle I was a Traitor and I did survive, I would absolutely break under the pressure of eliminating people from the game... and I would be in the wrong. The whole point of being a Traitor is that you get rid of the innocent Faithfuls. There’s no point clutching your pearls over it, this is what you signed up for.

No matter what our personal feelings towards him, Paul is playing the game the right way. We have a true Traitor in our midst and, quite frankly, he probably doesn’t care what we think.