Take a Dare

[PartyOfOne]

Someone mentioned a quote from this episode in an earlier thread. I was intrigued, so I picked up a copy from a library. I sure am glad I did not buy it. I have a bachelor's degree in English so bare with me please.
I, like most on this forum (I assume) was not born until after this show was cancelled. I watched it endlessly in afternoon reruns after school. I liked it a lot when I was a boy. I have not seen most of the episodes on DVD. By the time those came out I was an adult.
I'm sorry but IMO this show s*cks. I will just discuss the problems with this particular episode (basically).

Obviously with sitcoms in general and GI in particular one has to suspsend disbelief. Now, I can accept the fact that the castaways brought enough clothing for a 3 year tour. I can even accept the fact that basically any item they would want they would somehow have, provided of course that it could not get them off the island. I cannot however accept the concept of guest stars on this show, and this episode provides ample proof as to why that is.
I thought I would laugh at the absurdity of this episode but I found myself getting very frustrated with the absurdity of the plot. How did this contestant get on the Island? This is not explained. I thought the location of the island was not known. Then the castaways find him and he has a transmitter. They try to use it, but they are foiled because the contestant stole an essential part and wouldn't tell them where he put it. Well, why didn't they just kill him??? Oh, I suppose it's because the GI characters are too nice (and this was a 1960s sitcom after all). Well, how about tying him up and frisking his as*? This doesn't occur to any of them?!? We are told that the Skipper threatened to beat him up? Huh?!? Why only threatened? There was never any indication that the contestant had any weapons are any particular strength. And considering the latter, why could not the Skipper and the Professor have taken him? That was extremely stupid. Then the contestant rejects $40,000 from the Howells because he thinks it's fake. Why doe he think this (I mean besides the fact the producers used obviously fake bills)? That made no sense. Then Gilligan simply watches as a helicopter picks up the contestant (without telling any of the others), which as someone pointed out was simply way too stupid, not to mention 1) how the H*ll did the helicopter know where to find the contestant? and 2) How come they did not see Gilligan or any other castaways? Man it's making my head hurt now just thinking about it... Well to each their own I guess...

[callensensei]

Originally Posted by PartyOfOne

Someone mentioned a quote from this episode in an earlier thread. I was intrigued, so I picked up a copy from a library. I sure am glad I did not buy it. I have a bachelor's degree in English so bare with me please.
I'm sorry but IMO this show s*cks. Well to each their own I guess...

Thank you for sharing your opinion. I have a Master's Degree in English, so bear with me, please.

In my opinion, this show does not suck. It is an absurdist allegory of Shakespeare's "The Tempest," and draws upon a variety of comic traditions, including Horatian satire, the Comedia del Arte, vaudeville and silent film. As for literary references in the show, please refer to my post "Literary Gilligan's Island" for a short list of examples of the program's homage to classic literature.

The show was meant, as Sherwood Schwartz explains, to demonstrate how people of different backgrounds could learn to get along and care for one another. Apart from the extraordinarily talented cast and wonderfully witty musical score, this must be the show's strongest appeal for fans. I have used it in my high school teaching career for years and find that it is consistently the brightest and most sociable students who enjoy this show the most.

Yes, there are admittedly plot holes, some big enough to sail the Minnow through. We often discuss them on Im's insightful "Now Featuring" threads. Suspension of disbelief? Oh, yes, in spades. But rarely, I find, with character. It is perhaps difficult to believe that people could be as kind as the seven castaways, especially Gilligan. I like to think they could be.

But as you said, to each his own. This is certainly mine, and the reason fans around the world have remained loyal to this show for almost a half century.

[ph1l]

I'm a little surprised that someone with a bachelor's degree in English would use the term suck as a description for his argument. But that's just me. And the fact I didn't bother reading anything after the word is me also.

[PartyOfOne]

Originally Posted by callensensei

Thank you for sharing your opinion. I have a Master's Degree in English, so bear with me, please.

Good one, sorry about the misspellings. I rarely do that.

>>In my opinion, this show does not suck. It is an absurdist allegory of Shakespeare's "The Tempest," <<
This may well be true, but most of the 10 year olds watching aren't going to pick that up.and draws upon a variety of comic traditions, including Horatian satire, the Comedia del Arte, vaudeville and silent film. As for literary references in the show, please refer to my post "Literary Gilligan's Island" for a short list of examples of the program's homage to classic literature.

The show was meant, as Sherwood Schwartz explains, to demonstrate how people of different backgrounds could learn to get along and care for one another.
Okay, I can agree with that. The show should demonstrate how they can get along with each other, not some random stranger capable of magic.
>>Apart from the extraordinarily talented cast<<
I'll give you that.
and wonderfully witty musical score, this must be the show's strongest appeal for fans. >>
I have used it in my high school teaching career for years and find that it is consistently the brightest and most sociable students who enjoy this show the most.<<
Generally these are 2 completely different groups of people. Are you making this claim to suggest it had a broad audience?

Yes, there are admittedly plot holes, some big enough to sail the Minnow through. We often discuss them on Im's insightful "Now Featuring" threads. Suspension of disbelief? Oh, yes, in spades. But rarely, I find, with character.
>>It is perhaps difficult to believe that people could be as kind as the seven castaways, especially Gilligan. I like to think they could be.<<
I agree (especially Gilligan and Mary Ann), but that's arguably one more problem with the show, why they didn't just kill Gilligan after about the 5th botched rescue, like everybody else would have.

>>But as you said, to each his own. This is certainly mine, and the reason fans around the world have remained loyal to this show for almost a half century.<<
Yes, it has to be one of the 10 most rerun American live action prime time sitcoms, but that would be hard to quantify. Also GI has many years over a lot of them. It's been in reruns since 1967...

[PartyOfOne]

Originally Posted by ph1l

I'm a little surprised that someone with a bachelor's degree in English would use the term suck as a description for his argument. But that's just me. And the fact I didn't bother reading anything after the word is me also.

I must say I miss Jump the Shark. I realize this isn't the best place to criticize GI, but then again the people on here should be able to take it. Would you prefer for me to say this episode was garbage? How about that? Do you feel better now. I'm not surprised you have nothing to say about the substance, diehard fans are like that.

[lm]

As much as I am a big fan of GI, I do have to say that PartyofOne makes
some legitimate points. I do not, personally, think the show is worthless
because of these things--but, if someone notices these potential glitches
and says I don't care if there are other merits in the show, this
constitutes a sitcom failure for me, I feel he is entitled to his opinion.
I, also, felt, Gilligan watching the helicopter take off, when he is also usually
excited about rescue is crazy (maybe this is one case where he does not
want to get rescued?).
OK--maybe they didn't resort to killing him because although they want to get rescued, they are not THAT desperate to take a measure like that and maybe they felt he also would come around eventually. But, yes, they probably could have looked harder for the transmitter part! And, good question, how did the helicopter NOT see any of the others? I don't think Barclay would've cared about being beaten up, he wanted the money so much any maybe the island, though uncharted officially, was still able to have been discovered by others (and remembered, etc.).
I say we welcome all detractors and discussion; it's more enlightening!!!!

[Teebs]

This thread is so funny. PartyofOne, are you a troll?

[The Flying Dutchmans]

Party, your forgeting something. This is just a fictional story. A TV show that was designed to make us laugh. Your making the same mistake the critics made. Your taking this show seriously.

[callensensei]

Originally Posted by The Flying Dutchmans

Your taking this show seriously.

Heh. Mea culpa!