NOW FEATURING...COURT MARTIAL

[lm]

It's so weird seeing Gilligan as "Lord Admiral Gilligan."

Do you think the Professor went a little too far with the whole recreation thing? Necessary or time on his hands? Couldn't they have just acted the whole thing out without the props?

I love Lovey's pink outfit in the departure scene! Did the aristocrats really wear snazzy things like that?

I love the "I'll push you over" cliff jumping joke.

What do the MAG fans say about Gilligan's willingness merely to abandon Maryann and live apart on the other side of the island. Can he be interested if he is doing this? Do you think he really wants to go or is he just going along with the Skipper?

It's odd, I always tend to think of the castaways as subjected, of course, to Gilligan's goofs on the island but equally victimized by the natural disaster of the shipwreck--Gilligan's being "responsible" for it all doesn't seem to come through for me in the other episodes--wouldn't that be a kind of major thing throughout?

I love the "You'd go to sleep???" joke!!! One of my favorites of the series.

[callensensei]

The authorities recognized that the false weather report was responsible for the loss of the Minnow and exhonerated both the Skipper and Gilligan. Maybe that's why the idea of the shipwreck being Gilligan's fault was never emphasized in the series - because it wasn't Gilligan's fault. Interestingly, in the unaired pilot, Ginger bitterly states, "It's because of Gilligan that we're here!"

I love the way the castaways care about one another in this episode. The Skipper and Gilligan are very supportive and protective of each other. I love Gilligan's snicking the radio off and his immediate, "They weren't talking about you, Skipper!" and the Skipper's determination not to let Gilligan shoulder the blame alone. The girls are absolutely heroic in their fight not to let the Skipper jump off the cliff. Even the mock Minnow and the whole restaging is an expression of love as the castaways are determined to prove the Skipper's innocence. Then there's the Howells, offering the crew everything they have to stay, the girls running up and clutching both men (MAG moment! "Gilligan, we don't know what you're trying to say, but we love you!") The whole episode is a tribute to the "all for one, one for all" GI spirit.

And then there's Lord Admiral Gilligan. (Warning: shameless plug follows!) I loved him so much I made him Gilligan's ghostly ancestor and wrote a lengthy fanfic with him as guest star. And the other men as pirates are equally brilliant. That gag of Lord Gilligan's with the swords: "Never let them say that Lord Admiral Gilligan fights unfair! Ho! Ho! Ho! Ho! Oh..." gets me every time. The sequence even got its own swashbuckling musical theme. This is my all-time favourite dream!

[Teebs]

I just watched this again last night so it's fresh in my mind, maybe I can answer the questions a little better.

Do you think the Professor went a little too far with the whole recreation thing? Necessary or time on his hands? Couldn't they have just acted the whole thing out without the props?

I agree with callensensei in that it showed how much they cared about Skipper and Gilligan by getting the recreation right. It's a fantastic mock Minnow, with weather machines- even lightning! The Professor scores 11/10 for his efforts here. Without this recreation scene, they'd just be handwringing and sitting around. It also provides some of the best slapstick comedy of the whole series.

What do the MAG fans say about Gilligan's willingness merely to abandon Maryann and live apart on the other side of the island. Can he be interested if he is doing this? Do you think he really wants to go or is he just going along with the Skipper?

Neither of them exactly want to go into exile. But they believe it's the honourable thing to do. Gilligan knew all about what happens when a Captain loses his papers. He's not going to abandon his Skipper. I think this scene, rather than being 'is it or isn't it MAG', is beautiful and heartbreaking and shows how much all of the castaways love and cherish one another.

It's odd, I always tend to think of the castaways as subjected, of course, to Gilligan's goofs on the island but equally victimized by the natural disaster of the shipwreck--Gilligan's being "responsible" for it all doesn't seem to come through for me in the other episodes--wouldn't that be a kind of major thing throughout?

I agree. I always thought they were shipwrecked by a fierce, uncontrollable storm. Not by any one person's blundering, whether it be Skipper or Gilligan, although I'm highly surprised to think they'd have an anchor that wasn't attached to a line!! That's the only truly unbelievable thing. No-one who owns a boat has an anchor that isn't attached to a line!!

I love the "You'd go to sleep???" joke!!! One of my favorites of the series.

Gilligan's so literal. It's one of the sweetest things about him.