Jencyclopedia

Some kids want to be roller coaster tycoons, but they suck at it; and one kid really just wants to hang out with his dad.
Chachi and his siblings want to be rock stars, but they suck at it.

Oh, another Sunday special? But I thought Cindy didn’t show up again? Was she recast, or does she just not show up here? Considering she made her first appearance two episodes ago, I feel like it wouldn’t have been that hard to bring her back, so I wonder if maybe the producers/whoever hated her, or if she hated working on the show?

Whenever I see Jimmy Baio’s name, I always think it’s Joey Baio, and I’m always disappointed.

Roarke: Hurry, Tattoo, hurry! You know this is my favourite day of the week!
Tattoo: I know, boss; it’s the day when the children come.

Ugh, they’re repeating themselves.

I appreciate that it’s the same hot air balloon man.

Now it makes doubly less sense that Cornelius and Alphonse arrived on the balloon, because this week, both groups that arrived on the balloon were kids.

The one thing I do like about the kids’ fantasies is that Roarke has a milkshake. And it’s a different flavour milkshake this time.

Roarke: My dear friends.

Roarke: I also released your album here on Fantasy Island. While we don’t have any charts or top forty…

I find that really hard to believe; they have everything else on Fantasy Island.

Scooter Collins: What do you want?
Girl [Doris?]: For you to marry me.
Scooter Collins: That’s crazy.

They’ve re-dressed the outside of the normal bungalow this episode rather than using the gingerbread house they used last Sunday Special.

Oh, their parents died, but they never found the bodies?

Tama getting more lines, weee. Where’s Wally been lately though?

They write a surprising amount of original songs for this show:

The kids all think I’m crazy for running after you
They say you play hard to get with every boy at school

Ready or not, baby, here I come
I’m coming to ???, and when I’m done
I’m gonna catch you, and then you’ll see
How much fun love can be

They don’t seem to understand that a verse usually has more than two lines.

Tee hee, Roarke keeps calling the guy Mr. Scott.

[Tattoo breaks Roarke’s lamp.]
Tattoo: Your antique lamp! I’m sorry, boss.

Yes, the one that we’ve never seen before; I’m sure Roarke cherished it.

When did matching outfits for bands go out of style? I feel like you didn’t see those very much after the ’70s.

Roarke: How much are you being paid to play their album while they lip sync to it?
Tattoo: Oh, boss. You don’t think I would take money from kids?
Roarke: How much?
Tattoo: …ten bucks.

Roarke: You see, I happen to be the law on Fantasy Island, and the letter of my law stipulates that you have absolutely no jurisdiction here.

You know, I just realized that it doesn’t really make sense to make episodes specifically aimed at kids for a show that’s usually about “an island that people can go to and all of their sexual fantasies will be realized”.

Roarke: Lip syncing is a form of deceit, Rob. So was telling me that you had parental permission to visit Fantasy Island.

Roarke obviously knows that the parents are ~lost at sea~ (because he’s Roarke), but him saying this makes him look incompetent; if he doesn’t actually check to see if kids have parental permission to come to Fantasy Island, then he’s basically kidnapping them.

Take me away if you want to
I won’t try to resist
‘Cause I’m guilty, baby
Of falling in love with you

And it’s good, so good
It’s gotta be against the law
But how can you stop a love so strong?
And it feels so right, it can’t be wrong

Love in the first degree–

Roarke: I have just received a telegram announcing that the children’s parents were found alive.

WTF. Tattoo is dressed as Big Bird.

Roarke: Now that our guests have gone, for your information, this is positively your worst disguise. You fooled absolutely no one with it.

Savage Roarke.

Tattoo: That’s not possible; you know I cannot lay eggs.
Roarke: Well, you just did.
Tattoo: No, I did not. You’re putting me on, boss.
Roarke: Am I, Tattoo? Am I really? After all, anything is possible on Fantasy Island.

I feel like “anything is possible on Fantasy Island” might be a recurring phrase too, but ugh, I don’t want to go back and check all the episodes for it. There are so many recurring things I’ve missed on so many episodes though.

There are a lot of minor roles credited this episode. We know Tama is Bob Kaimi Cummings, credited here as Ride Operator.

Sam Hiona is credited as Jack. Hiona also appeared in “The Beachcomber” as Bapu. In this episode, he was the guy near the end who said “We need your help quick; there’s a kid hanging on the sky wheel.”

Then there’s George Cheung as Attendant #2; I would say he’s the guy who said “Hold on to your seats, folks. Because we’re going around some more. Compliments of the new management here.”

Then we’ve got Joshua Gallegos as Attendant #1. By process of elimination, he must be the cotton candy guy who says “How come?” His back is to the camera, and you can barely see his face, but he appeared in TMP so of course Memory Alpha has his picture, and I’d say it’s a match. His IMDb picture threw me off though, because it shows a young (well, too young to have been an adult on Fantasy Island at least), bald guy. My guess is the guy in the picture is a Crossfit trainer also named Joshua Gallegos.

One of the IMDb reviewers compared the “Rock Stars” story to Milli Vanilli — which, yes, the story is about musicians who are lip syncing, so there’s that obvious connection. But they don’t get exposed accidentally; they expose themselves. And they’re lip syncing to themselves, just an enhanced verison of themselves… which is what most acts did when they appeared on Ed Sullivan or Shindig or whatever. (Well, technically… I don’t think that was Scott Baio singing, because I’ve heard Scott Baio singing… but in-universe, it was presumably meant to be The Collins Kids singing.)

• Tattoo’s shenanigans: He’s spent too much time in the Sherlock holodeck program, and now he thinks he’s a master of disguise.
• Recurring phrases:
  • Tattoo: Do they have any talents?
    Roarke: A good question, Tattoo. A very good question indeed.
• Roarke’s drink: strawberry milkshake with whipped cream, a spoon, and a straw
• Fantasy Island brand: Fantasy Island Amusement Park
• Recurring characters:
  • Derrus: Say, from now on, everybody gets a double turn.
    Tama: Double turn?
    Girl: Sure, that way everyone gets twice as much fun.
    Tama [yelling to the kids in line]: Everybody gets a double turn!
• Roarke humouring Tattoo:
  • [Tattoo enters Roarke’s office wearing an eye patch, hook hand, woolhat, and coat.]
    Tattoo: Guess who.
    Roarke: That disguise is truly a work of art. Hm! Ordinarily, I would be tempted to say that you are… Tattoo.
    [Tattoo looks disappointed.]
    Roarke: But then again, I, I… I can’t be positive.
• Not leaving on the plane: Mr. Scott is unemployed, but he’s decided he wants to give up motorcycles and take up sky diving stay with his son, so Roarke offers Mr. Scott a job as manager of Fantasy Island Amusement Park.