Warning: This article contains spoilers for season two, episode five of The Traitors Ireland.

Siobhán McSweeney pictured during today's challenge. RTÉ RTÉ

SOMETHING STRANGE HAS happened to the Faithfuls on The Traitors Ireland.

They’ve become good at this.

After spending much of the series treating such suspicious behaviour as drinking water, being too bubbly and occasionally touching another human being as compelling evidence of treachery, tonight they found themselves staring directly at another Traitor.

And, remarkably, they didn’t look away.

Things were already looking ominous for Páraic at breakfast. Anna thought he “looked wrecked”, while Diego had two names he wanted to investigate.

Páraic was one. “Carla is my other one that I want to look at,” he said.

And there you have it. Both remaining Traitors identified before everyone had even finished breakfast.

Diego also suspected Donal, but nobody’s perfect.

There were more pressing concerns anyway. Six players – Sam, Janet, DJ, Donal, Denis and Ian were missing.

Eventually Siobhán McSweeney appeared. “Am I early?” she asked, before looking around. “No, I think I am actually meant to be here.”

The six missing players, she explained, had been kidnapped by the Traitors. One would not see sunrise and the others would play a part in deciding who.

“You better eat up. You need the brainpower.”

Tears and suspicions

Before the group headed off to find their missing friends, Aoife became upset as discussion turned to the strongest Faithfuls.

She had received the second-highest number of votes at the previous night’s Round Table and felt eyes remained on her following Saoirse’s murder.

Aoife pictured during the morning discussion. RTÉ RTÉ

Pete followed her into the kitchen.

“I feel like I’m not cut out for this,” she told him.

Páraic was less sympathetic.

“I’m sorry, I may be a blunt fucker, but we have to look at that too like,” he said. “

That’s three days in a row of tears.”

Aoife knew what was coming. “I know they’re all going to be like, ‘Do you think the tears are genuine?’” she told the camera.

Cut to Gráinne. “Tears, but then as cold as fucking ice last night.”

Sometimes television just edits itself.

Death row

The six kidnapped players were eventually discovered tied together in a pitch-black barn.

Janet was coping well.

“I was really looking forward to my croissant this morning,” she said. “Didn’t get it because I’m on death row!”

“It’s pitch black, cold, shit. It’s just fucking shit” (isn’t it great that the cursing is included in the Irish rendition of the show).

Their fellow players were tasked with saving one pair.

Players pictured in the barn. RTÉ RTÉ

“In a moment, you will get the chance to do what any of us would do when our loved ones are in imminent danger,” Siobhán explained.

“Take a little quiz.”

The quiz was as Gaeilge, with correct answers buying time to collect gold for the three pairs. it was good to hear more of the Irish language in the show.

Ian and Janet eventually secured the most support and were released, while Donal, Sam, Denis and DJ remained condemned.

Páraic, meanwhile, had attracted attention by complaining about where players were putting their gold.

Things didn’t improve on the journey home.

“You look tired,” Diego told him. “Just fear of being murdered, honestly,” Páraic replied.

Aoife said she felt mentally drained too. “I am fucked,” Páraic said.

“Like from running?” Aoife replied to him, a bit confused.

“Oh yeah, not Diego’s accusations. From running.”

Sure.

‘Murdering is a nocturnal activity’

By the Round Table, Páraic knew he was in trouble.

Denis, potentially facing his final night in the castle, wanted to “take a Traitor with me”.

His target was Páraic. The first piece of evidence? He was tired.

“We all know that murdering is a nocturnal activity,” Denis explained.

Hard to argue with.

Denis then questioned why Páraic had previously volunteered that he was anxious and said his behaviour changed at the Round Table.

“You are passive and you’re quiet, but you’re fully activated,” Denis said.

It was a near-unanimous decision at today's round table. RTÉ RTÉ

“Your eyes are darting. You’re full of charge in your body.”

Diego recalled seeing Páraic shaking before the first Round Table, while Anna thought his body language resembled that of banished Traitors Fionula and Edelle.

Seán C had another theory. Páraic was obsessed with “double bluffs”.

Could putting the already-suspicious Donal on death row itself be a double bluff?

And who was always talking about double bluffs? You get the idea.

Páraic made one final plea. “If I stand up tonight and I say I’m a trai–”

Oh no.

“I say I’m a Faithful up there. Can you please all get me moisturiser or something? As a gift, as an apology.”

He would not be needing the moisturiser. All of the other players, bar DJ, voted for Páraic.

Denis even found time to tell him: “I didn’t really want to chase rainbows in this game, but I think you may have added another T to our LGBTQ.” (Traitor, in case you didn’t get that)

Standing in front of the group, Páraic revealed he had indeed been lying.

For one thing, he wasn’t an English teacher. He was an assistant professor of communication and information.

He was also a bestselling author. “And you’ve just written your next bestseller,” he told them, “because I am a Traitor.”

Chaos.

Three Traitors had now been uncovered in four nights and Carla is now alone.

“That last Traitor must be absolutely bricking it,” Ian said.

Perhaps more importantly, the group now appeared increasingly convinced they knew who it was.

Aoife.

There was only one slight issue with that theory, that being that Aoife was a Faithful.

‘Aw bollocks’

Not for long.

After the players left the castle, Siobhán informed Carla that she would have to blackmail a Faithful into joining her.

Her choice?

“This person is playing the game, obviously as a Faithful, but quite a bad one at times,” Carla said.

“I genuinely do believe that they’re a Traitor, even though I know they’re not, and that’s just mad.”

Aoife soon received an invitation to meet the Traitors.

“Aw bollocks,” she said. Things didn’t improve when she arrived to find a hooded Carla waiting for her.

Carla removed her hood.

“What the fuck?”

After spending an entire episode becoming frighteningly good at identifying Traitors, the Faithfuls had also become convinced Aoife was one.

As it turns out, they were right. Just about 12 hours too early.