Jencyclopedia

Phyllis Davis wants to be Lillian Russell, a (real) singer from the 1890s, and she gets caught in a love triangle.
A man wants to go fishing and catch the elusive serenade fish, but some escaped prisoners ruin his fantasy, and I stop paying attention.

This was the first episode last year where I started actually writing down my thoughts on each episode. (“Am I gonna do this? I guess I’m gonna do this.”) Little did I know how much time I’d invest into this stupid show nearly a year later. Anyway, I’m going to incorporate my thoughts from the old posts into my new posts, because I tend to forget what I wrote last year, and I end up re-writing it again this year.

They explain away Julie this episode by saying she’s going to a seminar about wildlife, and they imply she’s really just interested in the guys giving the seminar. I could see Tattoo doing something like that, but I don’t think Julie’s ever given off a boy-crazy vibe. This scene would have been specifically written for Julie, so why not give her a different personality than Tattoo for once?

Also, these dudes are an improvement over the typical Fantasy Island “attractive” guys I was complaining about in 5×6 “A Night in a Harem”. That mustache has got to go, though. And I think they’re still too old for Julie, who I still haven’t established an age for yet.

Oh, interesting. They don’t show a close-up of the dancing girls this episode; we had a few season 2 episodes with shots like this, but I don’t recall ever having that in season 3.

Roarke: But I’m afraid the experience may be more potentially heartbreaking than Miss Martin can possibly expect…

Roarke: In fact, how he reacts to what awaits him may very well determine whether… whether he lives or dies…

Two great Ominous Roarke summaries. I love when the stakes involve ~life or death~. I also made a comment on these summaries in my original post.

Lillian Martin: Mr. Roarke, are you trying to warn me about something?

I’ve been adding the songs that appear in each episode to IMDb, but I don’t know if Phyllis Davis is actually singing here or not. A quick check on YouTube doesn’t find any other videos of her singing, she doesn’t have any soundtrack credits in IMDb, and there’s no mention of singing in her Wikipedia, so I’m guessing it’s not actually her.

Also, apparently Lillian Russell was a real person — I didn’t realize that. Oh, and she was born in the same city as the guest, Lillian Martin. That’s a nice touch.

Wally appears as Mr. Roarke again. I swear they used to let Roarke drive his own boat in the earlier seasons:

Calvin Pearson: I spent the most contented days of my life here with my father. Walking these trails, fishing in that lagoon.
Roarke: Yes, I remember.

I remember finding this line weird when I first saw this episode on TV — is Roarke supposed to be this guy’s father? Is Roarke Santa Claus? Although, I guess you could take this as Roarke saying he remembers Calvin writing about that in his letter when he requested his fantasy.

Roarke: Wasn’t there a special fish your father was particularly interested in?
Calvin Pearson: Oh yes, the one he never caught.
Roarke: The serenade fish.
Calvin Pearson: How did you know about that?
Roarke: Well, it’s my business to know everything about my guests, Mr. Pearson. No one has ever caught a serenade fish. No one. Some even say it doesn’t exist.
Calvin Pearson: Well, they’re wrong, Mr. Roarke. Once, on a hot, still night, here, in this lagoon, we both heard it… heard its song. My father was more at peace after that. He wasn’t so bitter about my mother’s death.
Roarke: Yes. Yes, I remember that too. A most remarkable transformation.

Yeah, Roarke is being weird here.

I mean, okay, this fits with the angel theory, but don’t angels have better things to do? And how can they be watching everyone at once? After a while with Quantum Leap, I kinda gave up trying to make sense of things, and I just had to accept that there aren’t hard and fast rules for that universe. I feel like that’s yet another thing these shows have in common.

I have spent entirely too long trying to identify if this cash register is the same as the cash register in Luke’s Diner on Gilmore Girls, and I do not have conclusive proof either way, because I cannot find a good shot of Luke’s cash register from the back, and I am going to be very upset if in the next shot of this episode, they show this cash register from the front, but not that upset, because then I will know whether it’s the same one or not.

I went and took my own screenshot from an episode (thanks mom for deciding to re-watch Gilmore Girls recently), and it didn’t appear to be the same cash register… but looking at it again… maybe???

This site claims to be selling the “Luke’s Diner cash register”, but I think this is just a similar model from the same company; the Luke’s cash register does seem to say “National” along the front bottom. The cash register in the Gilmore Girls revival series appears to be a completely different one. There are a few images taken by fans during Warner Bros backlot tours that seem to show the original cash register, and that certainly looks a lot like the Fantasy Island cash register.

The serenade fish sounds an awful lot like Princess Nyah.

Oh my god, now there’s a different cash register? WTF.

“Golden Grecian goblets guarantee graves…”

Don’t look up the goblets. Don’t look up the… actually, these could possibly be the same goblets. Again, I can’t find definitive proof, because they don’t show really good shots of the goblets in either series, but from every shot I’ve seen, they look very similar.

I remember seeing the beginning and ending of this episode on TV, and I remember being confused about the ending of the Lillian Russell fantasy. I am still going to be confused, because I spent that entire scene looking at the goblets.

Why did Roarke show up at the beginning of Lillian’s fantasy in a period costume if he’s just gonna show up halfway through in his regular suit?

Lillian Martin: Would you help me?
Roarke: …have you forgotten the poker hand in that box I showed you?

Wow, that’s got to be the first time Roarke has actually helped someone when they asked for his help.

Roarke pulled his disappearing act on Calvin twice; I don’t know if that’s happened before. Also, Tattoo was involved in the second disappearing act, which has happened before, but not often, so I feel like I should make a note of it.

Wow, Roarke wears three different outfits during Lillian’s fantasy. That has to be a record.

Roarke: I’m sure this letter of credit will identify me.

I can’t actually see any of the paper, but I have a feeling it’s the same paper as the devil’s contract.

Suitor #1 (sorry, I didn’t bother to learn these guys’ names): I fold.
Suitor #2: I fold.
Suitor #1: You know I love you more than anything.
Lillian Martin: And I love you both.
[Suitor #2 is frozen.]
Me: “Your fantasy is over.”
[Suitor #1 is frozen.]
[Lillian looks around, confused.]
[The spectators are frozen.]
[Lillian stands up beside Roarke.]
[Roarke nods.]
Me: Say it, dammit!
Roarke: …your fantasy is over. I’m sorry.

Don’t tease me like that.

I didn’t understand the poker game stakes when I first watched this episode, and I still don’t quite understand it, and what exactly happened due to Lillian “winning”.

Also, I had to look it up, and I’ve just now learned what a flush is (I didn’t realize that was a thing; I thought it only counted if it was a straight flush).

In my original post, I wrote that I found it hard to believe that she had a hard time choosing between two guys she just met because she loves them both so much… but then again, the other day (5×7 “The Perfect Husband”), the lady found out her new boyfriend was a clone, and then she meets the original, and they immediately start making out, so I guess that’s just how it works on Fantasy Island.

[Roarke talks about Calvin returning to the trading post.]
Calvin Pearson: Yes, thanks to you, I’ll be back. I’ll be back.

That’s… weird. Usually people fly off into the sunset with their new spouse, or they stay on the island; they don’t usually leave with plans to return. Like, Paquito’s dad did in 4×24 “Paquito’s Birthday”, but that was a little different because the rest of his family stayed on the island.

I’ve probably mentioned this before, but re-watching “Everywhere a Sheik, Sheik” to get a better look at those goblets reminded me that Mr. Zero was fond of putting on costumes and visiting the Monkees in all kinds of places, just like Roarke does. Although, I do need to analyze all of Monte Landis’ appearances on The Monkees and figure out just exactly how I can explain that he’s actually Zero in all of them. In “Sheik”, he’s actually not playing a bad guy for once, so that makes things a bit difficult.

• Julie’s outfit: skirt
• Where’s Julie?
  • Julie: Mr. Roarke, I’ve been invited to a seminar on the wildlife of the island.
    Roarke: Really? Well, I didn’t know you were interested in wildlife, my dear Julie.
    Julie: Well, I–
    [Julie looks over at three dudes standing nearby.]
    Julie: Oh, uh, those are the professors giving the seminar.
    Tattoo: You’d better make sure what kind of wildlife they’re gonna teach you.
    Roarke: Well, I suppose it would be alright, provided Tattoo is willing to cover for you.
    Julie: Oh, I know he’s willing. Thanks!
    Tattoo: But boss!
• Drivers:
  • To the dock: Wally
  • Calvin Pearson’s departure: Wally
  • Lillian Martin’s departure: That Guy
• Guests:
  • Miss Lillian Martin from Clinton, Iowa
  • Mr. Calvin Pearson
• Time travel: Lillian Martin travels back to the Gay Nineties to research her biography on Lillian Russell.
• Ominous Roarke:
  • Roarke: But I’m afraid the experience may be more potentially heartbreaking than Miss Martin can possibly expect…
  • Roarke: In fact, how he reacts to what awaits him may very well determine whether… whether he lives or dies…
• Roarke’s drink: same old
• Ominous shot of Roarke drinking: yes, but I feel like he could have made it slightly more ominous
• Not a magic object:
  • [Roarke shows Lillian Martin a box of Lillian Russell’s fake diamonds, and it definitely seems like we’re about to get a magic object explanation, but the diamonds didn’t seem to actually be magic.]
    Roarke: The contents of this box belonged to Miss Lillian Russell. It was discovered when they demolished an old New York bank where it had remained unopened for 87 years.
• Magic door:
  • Roarke: Now if you’ll please, uh, follow me.
    Lillian Martin: Where are we going?
    Roarke: Into the nineteenth century, to Tony Pastro’s theatre.
• Disappearing act:
  • [Technically, Calvin ran away, and when he returned, Roarke was gone.]
    Calvin Pearson: Trading post? Right in the middle of my island? Mr. Roarke?! Mr. Roarke?
  • [Tattoo is also present for this disappearing act.]
    Roarke: Listen, Mr. Pearson… listen with all your strength and all your heart. Listen.
    Calvin Pearson: I hear it. I hear it, Mr. Roarke!
• Locations:
  • Tony Pastro’s theatre
  • Dutton’s Trading Post
  • DeMotto’s restaurant
• Costume change:
  • Roarke wears an old-fashioned light brown suit to visit Lillian Martin in her fantasy.
  • Roarke wears a black tuxedo with white bowtie to visit Lillian Martin in her fantasy.
• Hypnosis:
  • Roarke: The song of the serenade fish is not heard with the ears. Oh, no, no. It’s heard with the heart. That’s the secret your father learned. That’s the secret learned by all the lonely souls who have sought it out. Listen, Mr. Pearson… listen with all your strength and all your heart. Listen.
• Recurring phrases:
  • Roarke: Your fantasy is over. I’m sorry.
  • Roarke: I’m surprised at you, Mr. Pearson. Very surprised indeed.
• Age gap:
  • Phyllis Davis: 41 / Gene Barry: 62 = 21 years
  • Phyllis Davis: 41 / Craig Stevens: 63 = 22 years
  • Pamela Susan Shoop: 33 / Claude Akins: 55 = 22 years