As it turns out, nobody really worthy has needed saving this season, and there was no way they weren’t going to use the Save at all in its debut season (Cehkhov, gun, first act). I wouldn’t be at all surprised if Matt goes home next week, btw.

That’s not the only power in his hands. The Judges’ Save is essentially Simon’s Save — or at least, it was, until he relented last night.

The most interesting thing about the Save is that, as per the rules, “It must be unanimous,” which translated basically means two or three of the others have to convince Simon — the only one who can be relied upon to be a hardass (I mean that as a compliment). For weeks now, Simon has stood as the bulwark between sentiment (forgive my sexism, but lately it has appeared to be almost entirely female sentiment) and a use of the Save the panel wouldn’t come to regret later.

Last night, Simon, to be blunt, just caved. Two other contestants over the last month and a half have deserved the save far more than Matt. But — probably because it was the penultimate week the save could be used, and probably because of sentiment in the audience, on the panel, and even among Matt’s fellow contestants — Simon understandably but disappointingly gave in. I can’t say I wouldn’t have been stronger than him, but it was sad the Save wasn’t used to rescue, say, Kris or Allison. (I think Simon was holding out that one of them, or maybe even Lil, would end up needing it.)

Unlike many observers and commentators this season, I am actually a fan of the Save. Not because I look back with heavy regret over the Jennifer Hudsons of the past, but because it gives the judges a power they should have — the ability to correct the built-in flaws of the show. (E.g., people lose not because they were “voted against” but because for one week they couldn’t motivate “votes for,” etc.) When I hear peeps complain about how the Save is “undemocratic,” I’m reminded of the scene in The Godfather where Kay says to Michael, “Presidents and senators don’t have men killed,” to which he retorts, “Now, who’s being naive, Kay?” I mean, “Democracy,” my ass.

Nonetheless, I think Simon et al. will look back on the first season with the Save with regret. Not only because Matt, its recipient, was one of the less deserving, but also because timing and serendipity worked against it. The two most deserving recipients, Jorge Núñez and Alexis Grace, got the bottom vote in the first two weeks of the show — way too early to use the judges’ new toy — and since week three, every loser has richly deserved to go. And now, Simon kind of had to cave because next week, the Save’s final permitted round, the pressure to use it would have been unbearable.

Sorry, long comment. Summary: Save good, first use disappointing.