Jencyclopedia

George Jefferson wants to be the strongest man in the world, and Julie accidentally gives him exactly what he wants.
Charo wants to meet El Lobo Rojo, the Spanish Robin Hood, but she ends up becoming El Lobo Rojo herself.

Ooh, I’ve never noticed that window up there. Oh! Because this episode isn’t fake widescreen again.

Everybody every time I mention fake widescreen:

Julie: There he is, Charlie Atkins!
Roarke: Yes, Julie, your very own fantasy to fulfill, and all the way from Sioux City, Iowa.
Julie: Oh, thank you for giving me the chance, Mr. Roarke.
Roarke: Oh, nonsense; you’ve worked very hard and therefore deserve to handle a fantasy.

Julie has been here for what, a month? Tattoo didn’t get to handle a fantasy for over a year — not until 2×9 “Mr. Tattoo” — and Roarke didn’t even seem to be totally on board with that. Nor did Roarke have faith in Tattoo granting Audrey Landers’ fantasy in 3×8 “Tattoo’s Romance”. And I don’t think Roarke was thrilled with Tattoo granting a fantasy in 4×1 “Instant Millionaire” either.

Julie is granting a fantasy, and she still doesn’t get a drink?! If she’s supposed to be a minor, give her a damn milkshake then.

Haha, I love that we now have a Fantasy Island equivalent of this GIF:

Oh boy! It’s been a while since we’ve had good special effects on this show.

Well, uh, this episode gives us a really good shot of the doorknob… which I didn’t ask for, but I’ll take it.

Julie: How did he do that?
Roarke: Very simply: you made him the strongest man in the world.
Julie: But I didn’t mean to make him strong-strong, like in muscles. I meant inner strength.
Roarke: My dear young lady, if you meant inner strength, why didn’t you specify inner strength? There is a great deal of difference between inner strength and outer strength.

Specify to who? Who procured this potion? It seemed like Roarke didn’t know what Charlie’s fantasy was; if he didn’t, then Julie wouldn’t have specified to Roarke that she needed a strength potion… so how did Julie get this potion?

Oh, hey, it’s the convent again. Some nice shots of this set in this episode.

I wonder if that’s the devil’s contract on the desk. Do they only have one prop piece of paper on this show?

Charo is about to be raped by the bad guy, but then she realizes the bad guy is actually the good guy — the guy she came to Fantasy Island to meet — so she’s okay with it. But, uh, one of the reasons she wanted to meet this guy is because she thinks she’s related to him. Soooo, um…

Roarke: Well, you’re right. Your fantasy was not very special, but your openness, your honesty was special indeed. That is why I am granting you the fantasy you are now experiencing.
Carrie Wilson: Experiencing?
Roarke: Yes.
Carrie Wilson: I asked to meet a plain, simple, decent guy so that I’d know what it’s like, so I’d have some frame of reference, so when I go back home, maybe I’d meet someone.

I hate it when people ask for inconsequential fantasies, because we know they’re paying a ton of money for nothing.

The music during the wrestling match is very Rocky.

I’m trying to identify the song Charo plays on guitar; it reminds me of “Spanish Caravan” by the Doors, which apparently ripped off a classical Spanish song, but no one seems to agree on what the original song is. At 0:27, it sounds like “Leyenda” by Isaac Albeniz… but the beginning of that doesn’t sound like the beginning of what Charo plays. I don’t think I’m going to figure this one out. Although I suppose one could use something like Shazam.

Charo’s swashbuckling fantasy is one of those fantasies I would usually ignore, but I actually quite enjoyed it. For one, Charo has a fun personality, and also, she gets to become Robin Hood and take over for her boyfriend after he’s injured in a swordfight. That’s pretty cool.

That segment was written by Skip Webster; it seems like he wrote a lot of Action Woman fantasies, like 2×6 “Queen of the Boston Bruisers”, 2×12 “Charlie’s Cherubs”, 3×5 “The Boss”. Oof, but also 3×12 “Marooned”, ugh. I might have to make a list of my favourite fantasies and problematic fantasies and see if you get a lot of the same writers or directors.

After Roarke declares the fantasy is over, he strums a few notes on a guitar. At first, I was like haha, I bet he can’t play guitar, so he probably had to try really hard to memorize those couple chords, but then I remembered Ricardo Montalban seemed to actually know how to play piano in Fiesta, so I feel like he should know how to play guitar too.

Roarke: Oh, the potion was a mistake — I hate to keep mentioning that, Julie — but it placed you in a fantasy beyond anything I — Julie had planned.

Roarke keeps saying “I” when he means Julie, and I’m not sure if we’re supposed to take that as Roarke’s just so used to being the one controlling the fantasy that it’s just habit, or if we’re supposed to think Roarke is letting Julie think she controlled the fantasy, when really, it was Roarke controlling things all along. How much does Julie know?

I wonder if I could piece together all the dancing girl shots into one long shot of the entire dance.

Julie: Face it, Mr. Roarke; I’m pretty good at arranging fantasies, even when I goof.
Roarke: Julie, will you please do me a favour?
Julie: Certainly, Mr. Roarke. What?
Roarke: Stop fantasizing.

• Julie’s outfit: pants
• Where’s Tattoo?
  • Julie: Where’s Tattoo?
    Roarke: Uh, sleeping in. Mrs. Parnell’s fantasy ran much later than expected last night.
    Julie: Mrs. Parnell… she’s the elderly lady who had the fantasy to be Cinderella, isn’t she?
    Roarke: Yes. Unfortunately, Prince Charming destroyed the pumpkin coach.
    Julie: Oh, I’m sorry. How did he manage to do that?
    Roarke: Well, it appears that Prince Charming smashed Cinderella’s pumpkin coach because he, Prince Charming, was also smashed.
• Mini-fantasy: Mrs. Parnell wants to be Cinderella.
• Drivers:
  • To the dock: Wally
  • Dolores DeMercia’s departure: not shown
  • Charlie Atkins’ departure: That Guy
• Guests:
  • Dolores DeMercia, the famous guitarist
  • Charlie Atkins from Sioux City, Iowa
• Ominous Roarke:
  • Roarke: Unhappily, Miss DeMercia will be placing her life in great jeopardy.
• Roarke’s drink: same old
• Ominous shot of Roarke drinking: he looks at Julie like he’s unsure if she will be able to fulfill the fantasy, but he’s not very ominous
• Time travel: Dolores DeMercia travels back in time.
• Locations: Nuestra Senora la Reina de los Angeles
• Magic object:
  • Roarke: This particular potion has never failed to provide the user with the strength you so desperately long for, Mr. Atkins.
• Someone else had a fantasy:
  • Roarke (to Carrie Wilson): Well, you’re right. Your fantasy was not very special, but your openness, your honesty was special indeed. That is why I am granting you the fantasy you are now experiencing.
• Recurring phrases:
  • Roarke: Your fantasy was not very special, but your openness, your honesty was special indeed.
  • Roarke (to Dolores DeMercia): Your fantasy is over.
  • Julie: No potion could ever do that either, Mr. Roarke.
    Roarke: Indeed.
• Can’t help you:
  • Roarke: I could try to discourage him from fighting.  However, in his case, as in yours, I cannot alter a fantasy once it has begun. The consequences, whatever they may be, are inevitable. I’m sorry.
• Costume change: At the wrestling match, Julie wears a white jacket with “Fantasy Island” on the back and “Julie” on the front pocket.
• Leaving with an extra guest: Charlie Atkins with new girlfriend Carrie Wilson
• Age gap:
  • Charo: 30 / Alex Cord: 48 = 18 years
  • Vernee Watson: 27 / Sherman Hemsley: 43 = 16 years