Jencyclopedia

A man wants to hunt Roarke.
A woman wants to fall out of love with George Maharis.

Well, my Julie pants/skirt theory is now completely out the window. Oh well.

Roarke: The sugar content has been extracted from a special fruit —
[We know where this is going.]
Roarke: — that grows only here on Fantasy Island.

The effects when Suzi licks the gum drop are great — the ol’ zoom-in-on-the-eyes-and-superimpose-volcanoes-and-lightning-and-hell-fires bit. I’ve seen this episode twice before (because James Darren), and I remembered that as being one of the particularly good parts of this episode.

Suzi Swann: You know something, Mr. Roarke? I just met you, and already, I don’t like you. I don’t like either one of you. You’re too short!
[And you have no ear for music.]
Suzi Swann: And you — you’ve got a funny accent.

Roarke’s desk calendar is on the 25th today. And no one cares except for me.

Roarke: Say what you mean.

Pffft, why don’t you ever say what you mean.

They’re getting a lot of use out of those spiders; they made an appearance both in this episode and 5×16 “The Challenge”.

I really should like “Sitting Duck”, since both Roarke and Tattoo are involved in this fantasy, but I don’t dig hunting stories, and it’s basically the same plot as 2×19 “The Hunted”.

Roarke: I’ll get the rover and attend to some other important business, alright?

I think this is the second time they’ve called the car a rover.

Aah! There’s a garage next to the main house! It’s so cute!

Oh my god, he’s wearing a Monkees shirt without the white buttons.

Frank Barton: There’s no way you could have survived that explosion without using some special power.
Roarke: I don’t need special powers to beat you, Mr. Barton. I simply walked out the back door of the garage. That simple.

But he had no reason to do that.

I’m sad that this isn’t the same kitchen as in 3×2 “Goose for the Gander”.

I always ask myself “why would Roarke invite this person to his island?!” and I always forget the point of this show is to teach people a lesson.

Roarke: Curiously, I found an explosive device in this putting cup today. They’re popping up in the most unlikely places. Who knows, anyone might even find one in… his own room.

Part of me is like “yes! show me Roarke’s room so I can add it to my floor plan!” But another part of me doesn’t want to see Roarke’s room ever, because I feel like that would be revealing too much. I’ve been reading comments on articles about the new Fantasy Island series, and someone was like “do an origin story for Mr. Roarke, explain what he is” and I was like hell no! That would be terrible.

When they showed us Tattoo’s room in 3×4 “Baby”, that was fine, because there’s not really any mystery about Tattoo. If I was designing Roarke’s room, I don’t know what I’d even put in it. I suppose it would be a lot like the things on his desk in his office. And a closet full of white clothing. Do you even need a bed? Does Roarke even need to sleep?

Roarke: Oh by the way, I believe the door will open now.

That’s kind of cheating; Roarke wasn’t supposed to use his powers at all during the hunt, but the door jammed temporarily, when Barton thought the putting cup was about to explode, and then unjammed after Roarke revealed he’d removed the explosive. I don’t know how he could make the door jam and unjam, unless maybe he’s got some kind of remote controlled device.

Now Barton is tearing apart his bungalow, looking for a bomb. Which is so stupid, because clearly, this is just a distraction. He could just not go to his room if he was really worried about a bomb being there.

I remember being annoyed — even when I saw this episode for the first time before I was a Fantasy Island fan — that Suzi’s whole fantasy was to fall out of love with her boss, but she still ended up with him in the end. Also, she eats a gumdrop and calls James Darren a gigolo, and then he leaves, and they never talk to each other again, and that part didn’t really feel resolved to me.

I don’t like that Roarke’s bag is beige, and I don’t like that Tattoo was kidnapped, and the one thing Roarke thinks to bring with him is a ball of string.

The stunt double for Barton doesn’t even have the same colour hair as Barton.

Boy, what is with the Monkee/western shirts in this episode?

Tattoo: Boss, you’ll be a sitting duck!

Jack Hecker: I love you, sweet Suzi Swann.

This is the first episode I’ve noticed where they’ve actually said both story titles out loud, but I’m guessing it’s probably happened before, since many of the titles are so generic.

[About the burlap and satin outfit.]
Audience Member: A brilliant statement on the dichotomy of today’s society.

Oookay.

Tattoo: Why did you grant him his fantasy? You could have been killed!
Roarke: If I didn’t, his sick mind would have driven him to seek prey somewhere else. You understand?

Yeah, I’m alright with that explanation.

Tattoo: Boss, what about her fantasy? After all, she didn’t fall out of love with him.
Roarke: Ah, that is a question of interpretation, Tattoo. Miss Swann did fall out of love with the Mr. Hecker she used to know. But at the same time, she fell in love with a new Mr. Hecker, who appreciates her for the loving, desirable woman she is.

Yeeeh, I dunno, this is kind of unsatisfying. Hecker only fell in love with her once she started dating another man, and that’s kind of immature.

At the end, Roarke absentmindedly eats a gum drop, and then he tells Tattoo “I don’t like you”. I feel like that should have had a way better payoff though.

• Julie’s outfit: skirt
• Where’s Julie?
  • Roarke: Have you seen Julie?
    Tattoo: Remember, she’s working with Mrs. Brennan on her one billion B.C. fantasy.
    Roarke: Ah, yes. As I recall, Julie was going to help Mrs. Brennan introduce women’s lib into that ancient society.
    Tattoo: Right, boss. But I don’t think Julie is doing too well.
    Roarke: What do you mean?
    [A cavewoman runs by. She is being chased by a caveman with a club.]
    Cavewoman: Now you listen, Olag. That club is not the answer to every suggestion I make!
    Roarke: Well, obviously that culture isn’t quite ready to adopt women’s rights yet. Shall we go, Tattoo?
• Drivers:
  • To the dock: Tama, who turns into Wally
  • Suzi Swann’s departure: That Guy
• Guests:
  • Mr. Jack Hecker, a very successful clothing manufacturer, with his assistant, Miss Suzi Swann
  • Mr. Frank Barton, formerly a demolition expert, now a world famous hunter
• Events: Fantasy Fashion show
• Recurring phrases:
  • Tattoo: Out of love? Boss, that’s a new one for us, right?
    Roarke: Indeed.
• Ominous Roarke:
  • Tattoo: Well, I’m betting on the hunter.
    Roarke: You may be right, Tattoo…
• Roarke’s drink: same old
• Ominous shot of Roarke drinking: not really, he narrows his eyes a bit at the very end of the shot though
• Magic object:
  • Suzi Swann: They look like gum drops.
    Tattoo: That’s what they are.
    Roarke: Except for one thing. The sugar content has been extracted from a special fruit that grows only here on Fantasy Island. It contains a certain ingredient which induces, um… shall we say, a reverse emotional response in anyone who tastes it.
• Warning:
  • Roarke: You see, Miss Swann? They do really work. So be careful. Be very careful.
• Costume change:
  • Roarke removes his jacket to play golf in his office.
  • Roarke wears a chef uniform to fool Barton.
• Roarke’s powers:
  • Frank Barton: You’re the game for the kind of a hunt I’ve got in mind, Roarke. With the condition that you can’t use your so-called “special powers”.
• ‘Cause I gotta have faith:
  • Tattoo: Boss, I thought it was booby trapped.
    Roarke: Tattoo, after all these years, have you no faith in me?
• Action Roarke: He punches Barton after Barton kidnapped Tattoo and tried to blow them all up.
• Leaving with an extra guest: Mr. Barton with two men in suits.
• Leaving as a married couple: Jack Hecker and Suzi Swann
• Age gap:
  • Helen Reddy: 40 / George Maharis: 53 = 13 years
  • Helen Reddy: 40 / James Darren: 45 = 5 years