Jencyclopedia

Georgia Engel wants to choose between three men she’s in love with, but they’re all jerks who are just using her.
A young man and his sister spend a night in a haunted house, but the creepiest thing about it is their relationship.

When I first wrote about this episode last year, I made the comment: “I almost feel like I’m hate-watching this show at this point”. And… yeah. “Night of the Tormented Soul” is… something.

A driver I don’t recognize takes Roarke and Tattoo to the dock (to be fair though, I only recognize three of the drivers). That’s weird though; it’s always been Wally this season. Did they also film them arriving at the dock with this guy?

…nope.

Anyway, I’ve started keeping track of the drivers, and it’s gonna get confusing when I just call them all “some guy”, so I’m gonna start giving them names. This guy is gonna be “Evan”.

Tattoo: What’s her fantasy?
Roarke: To meet the man of her dreams, or to be more precise, three men.
Tattoo: She’s in love with three men?
Roarke: In a sense, she is, Tattoo. You see, Tattoo, Miss Harris knows them, and yet, she doesn’t know them. They all know her, and yet, they don’t know her. In short, none of them has ever met face to face.

I started transcribing this because I thought it was gonna have a punchline, but it didn’t.

Boo, neither of the fantasies’ opening scenes took place in the office.

Jason Martinique: Let’s go on in.
Beth Martinique: No, Jason, wait. I’m afraid.

It’s broad daylight. You’re going inside a regular old house. What is your problem?

I love how each time Georgia Engel transforms, they have to play the same voiceover from Roarke explaining what is happening.

[Beth notices a smell; it smells like a specific flower. She talks about the flower for a while, and then she notices one sitting on the table.]
Beth Martinique: Jason — the fresh flower.
Jason Martinique: BETH, STOP IT!

Whoa, Jason, calm down there. That was uncalled for.

Jack is dancing with Sally, he’s all over her, she’s trying to tell him something, and he’s like “I don’t care”. Roarke and Tattoo nod, proud of themselves. Pfft.

I would transcribe all the creepy stuff the brother and sister are saying to each other, but I just can’t.

The Georgia Engel fantasy is weirdly structured. There are three men, so in a typical story, you would expect her to meet with each man once, and the first time, it goes well; then she would meet with each man again, and it would go not so well. Then she would talk to Roarke and do some soul searching, and then she would pick the man she wants to be with. But instead, she’s met the first two men twice already, with no sign of the third man. I guess they did it this way because the third man rejects her instead of her rejecting him, but… it just doesn’t feel balanced, and it really irks me.

Roarke just walked from his patio right over to the Fantasy Island Telephone Exchange; we can see the patio door from this building. There was a dance floor here in 4×17 “Portrait of Solange”. Ugggh!

Jason Martinique: It’s no use; the battery’s dead.
Beth Martinique: That means we’re stuck here.
Jason Martinique: No, we’re not. I’ll find a phone. We’re supposed to call Mr. Roarke anyway.
Beth Martinique: You’ll never find a phone, Jason. You’ll never start this car. Something is keeping us here!

Oh my god, calm down.

Beth Martinique: THIS HOUSE HATES US! WHY?! WHY?!

Tattoo is doing karate in the middle of the episode for absolutely no reason. This is like season 2.

Tattoo: Back to the drawing board, boss.

This is kind of a mini-catch phrase for Tattoo. Next, he’s gonna be saying “You stupid monkey!” again.

[Richmond enters the house.]
Richmond Martinique: Congratulate me, Miss Barrens; I bagged six pheasants today. Wait ’til I tell the children.
Blanche Barrens: Richmond? I love you. I know it sounds crazy, but I’ve been wanting to tell you for so long, and I can’t hold it in any longer. I’ve loved you since the day I first came here, and I always will.

Yes, that does sound crazy. Everybody in this fantasy is super over-dramatic.

When I first saw this episode, and Beth and Jason have the conversation about why they’re both single, and Jason’s like “well, I guess I just never found anyone I got along with as well as my sister” I was like… um, why is this conversation happening right now. And then, when their fantasy is over, Roarke’s like “hey, by the way, I have something to tell you”, I was like “ya, you’re not really brother and sister, hur hur”… but that was actually what he did tell them. Not cool.

Now, in the other fantasy, Sally is overly mad at Ben. Both of these fantasies are memorable — I’m pretty sure I’d seen the entire episode when it was on TV before — but… they’re both kind of bad.

Oh my gosh, and they returned to the karate gag at the end of the episode! This is great.

There’s this one IMDb user who has reviewed a lot of episodes, and his reviews are always so entertaining. He mentioned in this review that he has an Instagram where he posts Fantasy Island videos, so I just spent entirely too long trying and failing to find his account. I did find some other interesting stuff on Instagram though.

• Julie’s outfit: skirt
• Where’s Julie?
  • Julie: Would you mind if I don’t come with you to the plane?
    Roarke: Why?
    Julie: Well, Tattoo asked me to locate a horse for Miss Talbert’s fantasy.
    Roarke: Ah, yes. Miss Talbert, who wishes to lead the Charge of the Light Brigade.
    Tattoo: Boss, she’s over three hundred pounds.
    Roarke: You’re absolutely right, Tattoo; a three hundred pound woman doesn’t sound like a “light” brigade, does she? And I am certain a horse would agree. Well, Julie, continue your quest, and uh, report all progress to me, huh?
    Julie: Oh, I will, Mr. Roarke. Bye-bye.
• Mini-fantasy: Miss Talbert wants to lead the Charge of the Light Brigade.
• Drivers:
  • To the dock: I don’t know his name, so I’m going to call him “Evan” (but I’m not totally sure if he’s the same guy from 5×3 “Cyrano/The Magician”); he turns into Wally when they arrive at the dock though.
  • To the Martinique house: “Evan”
  • Sally Harris’ departure: Wally
  • The Martiniques’ departure: “Evan”
• Guests:
  • Miss Sally Harris, a telephone answering service operator
  • Mr. Jason Martinique and his sister Beth
• Ominous Roarke:
  • Roarke: If complicated were the worst of it, Miss Harris would not be about to face the most difficult period of her life…
  • Roarke: Unfortunately, they will find that some events are best left unknown… particularly, this one.
• Roarke’s drink: same old
• Ominous shot of Roarke drinking: slightly
• Warning:
  • Roarke: Before you go, I must remind you that despite the consequences, you are on your own once your fantasy begins. Regardless of the outcome, it cannot stop until it has reached its own conclusion.
• Can’t help you:
  • Sally Harris: Sorry, I can’t go through with it.
    Roarke: Oh. But my dear Miss Harris, your fantasy has already begun.
• Locations:
  • Lilac Bungalow
  • Fantasy Island Telephone Exchange
• Costume change: Tattoo wears a white karate outfit.
• Recurring phrases:
  • Roarke: Fantasies often work in strange and wonderful ways, Tattoo.
    Tattoo: Indeed.
• Leaving with an extra guest: Sally Harris with new boyfriend Ben Daniels
• Age gap:
  • Georgia Engel: 33 / Frank Converse: 43 = 10 years
  • Georgia Engel: 33 / Frank Bonner: 39 = 6 years
  • Georgia Engel: 33 / David Groh: 42 = 9 years
  • Dianne Kay: 29 / Stephen Shortridge: 30 = 1 year
  • Elinor Donahue: 44 / Richard Anderson: 55 = 11 years