There’s not really much to speculate on when it comes to PPT2 episodes. We get little-to-no information regarding the plot. Mostly just out-of-context previews from various scenes and storyboards. The only looks we get into the plot is 4-image tweet from Yellow that represents a part of a bigger scene.
HOWEVER…. I have noticed a pattern regarding the past few merge episodes. They each seem to have a theme of sorts, reflected in the actions of the characters that episode. With the descriptions and dialogue being very forward about the messages it wants to tell, I’m guessing this is very much intentional.
“Living On the Edge” was about change and the various ways it manifests. That being change is inevitable and a natural part of life. You can’t stop it, no matter how much you try. And sometimes, people change for the wrong reasons. The last two sentences mostly apply to Gold Ingot in particular, but you can get a sense of how the new changes have upended a lot of previously established dynamics within the game itself.
“Platinum Puppets” is about how sometimes, the people you hurt aren’t obligated to forgive you, even if you have changed your ways. Post-It Note is usually lenient with his allies’ mistakes, but once Bottle votes him off, he stops giving her any second chances. This runs in parallel with Gold Ingot’s own plot, of course.
“A Rotten Egg”… Isn’t really as overt in it’s theme as the other two are?? From the description and what I can gather, it seems to be about responding to stress, whether it’s breaking out or cracking under the pressure. Chainsaw tries to break Bottle by belittling her, only for her to retaliate with brute force. The constant push-backs frustrate Plasma Ball more and more, until her anger literally blows up in her face. I’m not sure if Ukulele successfully sabotaging without Slipper’s guidance really factors into this theme however.
With this in mind, we can only assume the same will apply to this episode. As Yellow has confirmed on his Discord that this episode will have more focus on Treasure Chest and Cup, there’s a chance that whatever theme this episode has, it will be explored with these two. Or the former, at the very least. The previous episodes seems to be setting something up regarding Treasure Chest. If Treasure Chest is going to last longer, he’s going to have to confront the failings that caused his team to fall apart head on. Eliminating him here wouldn’t do him any good, seeing as his pact with Bottle was just established 2 episodes ago, and it didn’t really have much focus in the previous one. As we have a 50/50 split between the Brackets and everyone else, now would be a good opportunity for the latter to finally start taking action. Treasure Chest has Bottle, who is much more experienced at understanding people and mediating situations than him. Maybe she can nudge him towards the right path. I don’t know if Plasma Ball is ever going to factor into this. I wouldn’t be surprised if she showed reluctance or skepticism towards working with Treasure Chest given past events. Not to mention the fact that Team 47 was sabotaged… Which the narrative doesn’t seem to want to bring up for some weird reason. It would be a let down if she did just go along with no objections whatsoever. The latest episode seems to be setting up an arc for Plasma Ball to manage her anger, so if anything this is killing two birds with one stone. I’m not sure what Yellow has planned for Cup besides not relegating him to gags. I do hope it will focus on Cup’s other traits that the past couple of episodes seemed to have glossed over.
Whatever happens next episode, I at least hope it does something with what’s been established in previous episodes. The contestants can’t keep crumbling to the Brackets forever. (and it's obvious that 3 of them are in no way suited to be runner-up anyway)