Extensive Episode Guide

[Screenwriter]

I'm currently writing an episode guide to the first season. My reference is the DVD Season Set.

Here's the pilot. And tell me if you'd like to see more of these episode descriptions.

1. GILLIGAN’S ISLAND (Unaired Pilot)
It was 1964 and Captain Jonas Grumby had just left Honolulu harbor to take a group of tourists on a six-hour tour of the surrounding area. Somewhere in that allotted time, a very dangerous tropical storm struck, and it was up to the Captain to save the boat, including the passengers. The Captain awoke three days later to find his pleasure boat, the S. S. Minnow, beached on an island that was not even on his U.S. Navy charts.
“Gilligan, the Minnow’s been beached.” The Captain was sure of it.
“Beached? When the storm was over and it was calm, you said we’d be home in no time,” a worried Gilligan defended.
It was true. The other passengers, however, were oblivious of the stranding. The Teacher, Ginger, and Bunny, were glad to have finally seen land. Mr. and Mrs. Howell were unaware that they were even on an island.
“Would you have your man remove our luggage from this vessel?” Mr. Howell inquired.
“I’d be very happy to, Mr. Howell. Where would you have it removed to?” The Captain pondered.
“Some place, where the limousine can pick it up and take us to the nearest hotel.” Mr. Howell informed.
The Captain wanted all the passengers to stay near the boat while he and Gilligan scoured the island for any other inhabitants. But first, he wanted a full view of the island. So, the Captain ordered Gilligan to climb the highest cocoanut tree and use his binoculars to check the premises out. Gilligan figured they were all saved when he discovered that there was a group of people and a boat. Gilligan led the incredulous Captain back to the shipwreck.
Later that day, the castaways tuned in to the only radio they had. “The sea and air search of the S. S. Minnow has proven unsuccessful. The small boat which usually ferries tourists among nearby islands must have been sunk in the recent storm and the Coast Guard is abandoning the search.”
The Captain was the only one who remained hopeful. He figured the only way they could be rescued was if the Teacher could fix the transmitter so he could radio for help. To keep the islanders occupied, Skipper ordered Gilligan to fish for dinner, and the girls to wash all the dirty clothes on board. Just as the Teacher fixed the transmitter, Gilligan threw back his line, catching the transmitter and the radio, and sent them into the ocean.
That night, while the Captain was toasting himself in front of a fire, Gilligan came to relieve the Captain from his post, demanding that he was the crew. He took full responsibility of his actions and apologized for all the mishaps he caused that day. And for his mishaps he presented a gift for the Captain: a box of bullets for the revolver. Only thing is, they were of no use. You see, Gilligan couldn’t even do one thing right. As soon as he opened the box, the bullets fell out and into the fire.
The next morning, the Captain and the Teacher began crafting three different thatch huts. One hut for the boys, one for the girls, and one for the Howells. When Gilligan offered to help out, the Captain denied his first mate of any more work, claiming that when Gilligan saved him from the depth charge when they were in the Navy together, he didn’t save his life, but only prolonged it so he could experience more misery. Poor Gilligan, shunned from his fellow man. All he wanted was a little sympathy and to interact with the others. He asked the Teacher if he could help and was rudely cut off. He went to the girls expecting sympathy and in return Ginger shunned him as well.
He knew it. All he was was bad luck. After all, it was his fault they were shipwrecked. All he had to do now was come to terms with it. A little while later, Gilligan tried fishing for food, and when he caught enough fish, he decided to rest. As it so happens, one of the fish swallowed the radio, and it was transmitting feed. He immediately brought it to the Teacher’s attention. The chances of finding the transmitter in one of those fish were rare but what was a group of castaways to do? They all began to talk into the fish. When the Howells appeared on the scene they thought the castaways all went mad.
They finally found the radio. The newscaster reported the latest. “All hope for the missing charter boat S. S. Minnow has now been abandoned.” Without the help of the transmitter the castaways felt that they would be there for a very long time, so they decided to use the fish to spell out the word HELP if any planes flew overhead. The only thing was, Gilligan wrote the “P” backwards, thereby erasing the chance that they’d be discovered.
Gilligan seems to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

[ficlopri]

You sure the pilot is set in 1964 and not 1963 (the year it was made).

[Screenwriter]

Originally posted by ficlopri
You sure the pilot is set in 1964 and not 1963 (the year it was made).

I didn't know that. I'll fix it.

[Samme]

You obviously put a lot of work
those descriptions but they're
just the type I hate to see.
There's no point in a long and
detailed recounting of the plot
of each episode. No one's doing
research into what happened when.
That's what watching the episodes
are for when we want to relive
them. How is reading it more
enjoyable? State opinions about
episode, that's what would be
fun to read. Contradictions,
funny lines, which actor shined
in each episode, or whatever.
Just things that other viewers
might have thought too, or never
noticed. That would be much
more fun to read and worth
putting all this effort forth.
I know what happens by watching
it. I don't need to read it. But
I don't know what you think about
each one.