NOW FEATURING...SHIP AHOAX

[lm]

This episode is fun, I've always found!

I would have liked to know what all the pairs of castaways were fighting about; if the Professor had a person sharing his hut do you think he would have been fighting too?

That's great how Gilligan can so quickly change his mood after fighting with Maryann when he discusses the tarot cards with Ginger.

What was the Professor planning to do after getting their hopes up with no ship finally coming? Wouldn't the disappointment just sink them into a depression and lead them to, again, take it out on each other?

I love the "What do you mean that's a stupid idea?" joke!

Ginger's gypsy outfit is so pretty!

Why on earth was Maryann wearing white prom pumps with a farm girl dress?

Why did the Professor dress up for the seance when he wasn't even going to be seen attending?

I could imagine the castaways' reaction thinking the seance stuff was all real!

Didn't the Professor at first promote Ginger to the others and then he uses his thinking it's silly to cover his not being there? I missed something there--how could he have both attitudes?

So Gilligan was about to light a signal fire at the end--why not let him do it?

I felt bad for Lovey having to give away her minks--a little bossy on Thirston's part? (even though I'd never wear them myself).

[callensensei]

When I watched this episode as a child, I was baffled as to why the castaways were fighting at all and what on earth this “island madness” was. The castaways always seemed to get along very well the rest of the time. The idea that just this once they all seemed overcome with despair and bitterness doesn’t quite wash with the tone of the rest of the series, unless we want to postulate that it was the problems the castaways encountered that helped them to bond, and maybe in this episode we were seeing them after a long period where nothing in particular happened.

Gilligan’s mood does indeed lighten very much after his fight with Mary Ann, and this may be the most un-MAG and pro-GIG (is there such a faction?) moment in the series. Mary Ann is absolutely and pointlessly nasty to Gilligan, while Ginger treats him with respect and affection throughout the entire episode. Ginger’s “Gilligan as heroic captain” scenario is a lovely example of her fondness for him.

The Professor’s plot here has the same flaw Ginger’s plot in “The Postman Cometh” has: it raises false hopes that must ultimately be dashed, instead of dealing with the heart of the problem. Perhaps the Professor was hoping that headhunters or some other distraction would come along and jolt his friends out of their doldrums.

I can’t remember a “What do you mean it’s a stupid idea” joke from this episode. Are you thinking of “Seer Gilligan?” I do like the “I won’t hire a first mate as dumb as the one you hired” joke, though.

The Professor does indeed do a complete 180 at the end, and nobody questions it. But I have no idea why he’s gotten all dressed up to sit under the table!

Ah, that phantom ship and the signal fire that never was. (Did Bob Denver burn his fingers there? He actually seems to have forgotten he is holding a lit match.) Maybe Gilligan would have to stay up to tend the signal fire and the Skipper wanted to give him a break. I love the way they walk off, with the Skipper’s arm around Gilligan’s shoulders. You can tell their fight is certainly over. I would have loved to have seen their reaction to the ship, though!