NOW FEATURING...ERIKA TIFFANY SMITH TO THE RESCUE

[lm]

I think this is kind of a weird episode that I do not quite understand; maybe some of you can help me out. At first, when Erika starts chasing the Professor, he acts as if he's totally surprised and has no idea what's going on. Later, he tells Gilligan she is interested in building a research lab with him. It seems like a great comic misunderstanding--the lustful Erika is interested in romance and the geeky, clueless Professor interprets it another way. Then, suddenly, he seems to have gotten the picture and even agrees to become engaged to her. How did this happen? Then he's upset that she's drifting away from him? He cares? The Professor wouldn't sell his soul for a research laboratory, would he? I thought he had more integrity than that. And, if not, how did he fall in love so quickly? It's weird.

Hey, MAP people, Maryann seems to be not the least bit upset that the Professor is marrying Erika; in fact, she seems very happy for him. Conversely, the Professor seems to be giving not a second thought to Maryann. With him and Ginger, though, it seems perhaps to be a different story. I'd love to hear from both the MAPs and GAPs on this!

Ms. Gabor looks lovely, doesn't she?

I love the little subplot about the Skipper and how he doesn't win--it's so natural.

I also love the scene between the Professor and Gilligan.

I love the fact of Lovey and Erika as friends/rivals; it makes perfect sense.

Why does Erika react negatively to the Skipper's suggestion that he bring Gilligan along on the yacht as his first mate? Gilligan didn't do anything disastrous in this episode.

Again, what happened at the end? Erika was basically a nice person, who definitely knew the Howells. It's weird that she wouldn't at least mention the people who were marooned even if she didn't know the coordinates. And what about sailor Johnny? He must have had some island map skills--after all, he took her there!

[callensensei]

Originally Posted by lm

I think this is kind of a weird episode that I do not quite understand; maybe some of you can help me out.

I'm afraid I've never understood the main plot of this episode either. The Professor's 180 towards marriage doesn't make any sense. What in the world does he see in this woman? I still can't get over how rude Erika was to Mary Ann and the Professor didn't even seem to notice. (Mr. Howell did, and was quite embarrassed.)

Ms. Gabor is indeed lovely, but in every role she plays, she plays herself, and her sister is practically her clone. How did this pair parlay so many "dahlinks" into an acting career?

Originally Posted by lm

Why does Erika react negatively to the Skipper's suggestion that he bring Gilligan along on the yacht as his first mate? Gilligan didn't do anything disastrous in this episode.!

Another example of Erika's rudeness? As for Gilligan's harmlessness in this episode, it tends to be the case in episodes that don't focus on him. In "The Big Gold Grab," "Agonized Labour," "Where There's a Will" and "The Postman Cometh," he doesn't make any big blunders either.

Originally Posted by lm

Again, what happened at the end? Erika was basically a nice person, who definitely knew the Howells. It's weird that she wouldn't at least mention the people who were marooned even if she didn't know the coordinates. And what about sailor Johnny? He must have had some island map skills--after all, he took her there!

Sherwood Schwartz was asked about Sailor Johnny and said that he had a fatal heart attack shortly after the return to Erika's yacht. Poor Johnny! I think he's the one visitor who didn't help the castaways because he died!

You're right - Erika's not telling just doesn't make sense. More proof of the poor handling of this episode. Can we speculate that the Howells were the reason she didn't tell? She didn't want the Wolf of Wall Street returning as a competitor?

One more note: The scene with Gilligan's turtles in the Skipper's sea chest slays me every time.

[littlesoprano]

Originally Posted by lm

I think this is kind of a weird episode that I do not quite understand; maybe some of you can help me out. At first, when Erika starts chasing the Professor, he acts as if he's totally surprised and has no idea what's going on. Later, he tells Gilligan she is interested in building a research lab with him. It seems like a great comic misunderstanding--the lustful Erika is interested in romance and the geeky, clueless Professor interprets it another way. Then, suddenly, he seems to have gotten the picture and even agrees to become engaged to her. How did this happen? Then he's upset that she's drifting away from him? He cares? The Professor wouldn't sell his soul for a research laboratory, would he? I thought he had more integrity than that. And, if not, how did he fall in love so quickly? It's weird.

I love this episode, though I agree that it is very puzzling. The only way I can interpret the Professor's behavior is that he never was in love with Erica, and never really "got the picture" (until Ginger enlightened him, but more on that in a bit). I think he was completely blindsided by her, and honestly and totally believed that she wanted to be partners in research. He wasn't in it just for a laboratory or money - nothing so mercenary as that. He really believed they were on equal terms and had the same goals.

Why did he go along with the engagement, and why was he worried later about how to "win" her? Maybe the Professor was not totally uninterested in women per se, but wanted more of a partnership rather than just a romance. This idea of marriage seemed acceptable to him, and he didn't want to lose it. Maybe he had even had a secret dream of finding a woman who would be his companion and partner, and thought he had found that in Erika.

Another thing that I find even more puzzling than the Professor's behavior is Ginger's. What's with her completely blase "I thought you and Mrs. Tiffany-Smith were engaged to be married?" She might as well have been asking "I thought you were going down to the lagoon?" Even if she had had no romantic interest in the Professor at all (which canonically is not the case), that is hardly the way a person would react when their friend - whom they believed to be totally uninterested in romance/women - suddenly became engaged in the space of a few hours. Any thoughts on this? I'm (slowly) working on a fic in which this coolness is part of Ginger's master plan to break up the Professor and ETS (for his own good, of course. Seriously.)

[callensensei]

Originally Posted by littlesoprano

Another thing that I find even more puzzling than the Professor's behavior is Ginger's. What's with her completely blase "I thought you and Mrs. Tiffany-Smith were engaged to be married?" She might as well have been asking "I thought you were going down to the lagoon?" Even if she had had no romantic interest in the Professor at all (which canonically is not the case), that is hardly the way a person would react when their friend - whom they believed to be totally uninterested in romance/women - suddenly became engaged in the space of a few hours. Any thoughts on this?

Considering that Ginger's comment was followed by the extremely steamy "kissing lesson" with the Professor, I get the impression that Ginger is quite confident in her ability to break up this so-called romance. As dream-cave-man-Professor remarked (with a delightfully lascivious leer) "Uhhn...Ginger know how!"

Looking forward to that fic when you finish it!

[littlesoprano]

Since it is related to the episode, here is a "sneak peek" at the fic. Here, Ginger fumes about the strange romantic goings-on that ETS has brought about:

I’m not going to be that lucky. I could pinch myself until I’m black and blue, and it won’t change a thing. It’s not a dream and for the moment anyway I still have my sanity. It’s real. It happened. That smarmy socialite Erika Tiffany Smith waltzed - alright, boated - right in and did in a day what I haven’t managed in a year. Five measly little hours and she’s got the Professor swooning all over the place like a lovesick teenager. Worse than that, they’re engaged! I’ve never heard anything so ridiculous! Just when I’d half convinced myself he must be some kind of eunuch or something he goes and does this.

It’s not just the Professor, either. The Skipper’s been panting at her heels since the moment her three-inch designer pumps hit the sand. Suddenly he forgets all about me and it’s ‘Ginger I need advice,’ and ‘Ginger, you’re a girl, right?’ Of all the… honestly! Okay, so I haven’t exactly encouraged the Skipper, but still, that’s no reason for a man to be fickle. I suppose Gilligan will be next. Hmph. There’s a May-December relationship for you. Late, late December. And while we’re at it, why don’t we just throw in Mr. Howell and make it a four-for-one special!

[callensensei]

Originally Posted by littlesoprano

It’s not just the Professor, either. The Skipper’s been panting at her heels since the moment her three-inch designer pumps hit the sand. Suddenly he forgets all about me and it’s ‘Ginger I need advice,’ and ‘Ginger, you’re a girl, right?’ Of all the… honestly! Okay, so I haven’t exactly encouraged the Skipper, but still, that’s no reason for a man to be fickle. I suppose Gilligan will be next. Hmph. There’s a May-December relationship for you. Late, late December.

Oh, SNAP!

I love your wicked sarcasm, especially when directed at the Hungarian harridan! I can't wait to see this fic in its entirety!

[callensensei]

I just caught a great visual in-joke while watching this episode today.

In the scene where Gilligan is packing his duffle bag (guess he must have made a new one after Ginger used his old one to make that dress) he goes to the closet, gets out some garments and stuffs them into the bag. Take a close look at the garments. They are the identical red rugby shirt with the white collar and pale blue jeans that he's already wearing! He apparently has a whole wardrobe of them! No wonder that outfit never wears out!

[Steve Carras]

All that I can say is that she's the only white solo female guest [not counting Tina Louise doubling as Eva Grubb-no Zsa Zsa as a sister there in "All About Eva"]. And that Tiffany is equally good hypenated to her last or to her first or as middle as second, [Like Tiffani-Amber Thiessen today.]

[biffbronson]

There was at least one other white solo female guest who appeared -- Sandra Gould played a telephone operator, though she was never on the island. And there was also the Vagabond Lady who flew over the island, though we never saw her...

There had to be others if you count the dream sequence episodes. But you're right that Erika being on the island itself represented a true rarity.

[JWood201]

Originally Posted by littlesoprano

It’s not just the Professor, either. The Skipper’s been panting at her heels since the moment her three-inch designer pumps hit the sand. Suddenly he forgets all about me and it’s ‘Ginger I need advice,’ and ‘Ginger, you’re a girl, right?’ Of all the… honestly! Okay, so I haven’t exactly encouraged the Skipper, but still, that’s no reason for a man to be fickle. I suppose Gilligan will be next. Hmph. There’s a May-December relationship for you. Late, late December. And while we’re at it, why don’t we just throw in Mr. Howell and make it a four-for-one special!

Hahaha. LOVE! Can't wait for the story.

I agree that this episode is totally ridiculous and confusing and out-of-character. How hard is it to keep track of how your characters act and then have them not do anything too insane? Really? That being said, it's still pretty darn funny and I do thoroughly enjoy the Gabors.