Jencyclopedia

Carol Lynley and her husband want to have the honeymoon they never got a chance to have, but Michael the angel is there to take the husband’s soul.
Jenilee Harrison wants to hang out on her great-great grandfather’s riverboat.

I’ve been looking forward to re-watching this episode, because if Roarke is indeed an angel, this is probably an important episode.

When I first saw this episode on TV, I thought I was gonna have to skip it, because I knew Roddy McDowall was a recurring character, but he doesn’t play Mephistopheles here.

Love the zoom when Michael shows up.

This guy is awkward.

Tattoo: Does he have a fantasy too?
Roarke: No, Tattoo. Mr. Eden is here for an entirely different reason. His presence means that Mr. and Mrs. Harris… will never enjoy their honeymoon. For one of them is destined to die.

There’s only a brief mention of Michael being the angel of death in the Michael Wikipedia article. Also, the last name of Eden would seem to be a reference to the Garden of Eden, but I don’t know enough about religion to be able to read anything into that.

Roarke: Miss Ryan, I suppose you’re ready to begin your fantasy, huh?
Jenny Ryan: I sure am, Mr. Roarke.
Roarke: Good.
Jenny Ryan: I can’t wait to see what it’s like on a riverboat back in the glorious days of the old south. You know, my great-great grandfather, Hamilton Ryan, he was a riverboat captain.
Roarke: Really?
Jenny Ryan: His name was Cap’n Ham.
Roarke: Ah.
Jenny Ryan: Oh, Mr. Roarke, he was a living legend.
Roarke: Ah, I see.
Jenny Ryan: Wanna see a picture of him?
Roarke: Well, I-I–
Jenny Ryan: See? There he is! Cap’n Ham.
Roarke: Ah.

Jennilee Harrison is so damn excited to tell Roarke about her family history, and Roarke’s just like “ah, really”.

Haha, and Roarke disappeared from her fantasy pretty quickly. I don’t think he likes her too much. Roarke is like a character in a dream; as soon as you look away from him, he disappears.

Roarke: Go on, Michael. It’s quite alright to speak freely; I keep no secrets from Tattoo.

Then why did Tattoo try to hypnotize someone in 5×17 “Tattoo, the Matchmaker”? Surely, if Roarke keeps no secrets from Tattoo, Tattoo knows he doesn’t have the same power to hypnotize people as Roarke.

Michael Eden: For hundreds of years, I have stood by and witnessed human emotions, but I’d never really experienced one.

Fascinating.

Tattoo: Did you say a hundred years?
[Michael nods.]
Roarke: Mr. Eden… is not exactly one of us, Tattoo. His specialty is helping people whose time has come to make their transition from this earth. He is an angel.
Tattoo: You mean, he takes people? I’m sorry, boss, but I just remembered… I’ve got a lot of work to do. Goodbye.

Roarke implies he and Tattoo are the same, and Roarke also implies they are not angels. Hmm.

Roarke: You fell in love with a mortal woman?

Ahem.

But if Michael is the angel of death, maybe that’s more problematic than just a regular angel falling in love with a mortal.

Michael Eden: I don’t know. But how do you explain what I felt? When I reached out to take her, and touched her… I knew I couldn’t let her die.
Roarke: You mean, you gave her a reprieve?
Michael Eden: Yes. That’s what makes this especially difficult for me.
Michael Eden: I see. Then Mrs. Harris’ reprieve is over.
Michael Eden: No, you don’t understand. I’m not here for Catherine; I’ve come to take her husband.

I wonder what the significance is of Michael wearing a blue suit. I guess they couldn’t put him in a black suit, because that’s what the devil wears, and they don’t want us to confuse him with Roarke, so they couldn’t do a white suit either.

Carpet in a hospital seems like a bad idea.

[Michael looks skyward.]
Michael Eden: I don’t quite know how I’m gonna explain it this time.

If Roarke was Michael’s boss or peer, you would think Roarke would try to stop Michael from not doing his job. But if Michael was Roarke’s boss, then why would Michael be going to Roarke for advice on human emotions and stuff? Their relationship is more like peers, like Quinn going “Humans, humans… who would have more recent experience with humans?” But I guess telling someone what to do is not Roarke’s style; he lets people make their own mistakes.

But calling an angel Michael seems like an obvious reference to Michael the archangel, and he’s apparently the boss of all angels; he doesn’t have any peers. So I feel like this episode goes against the Roarke-is-an-angel theory.

Umm… what?

Jenny Ryan: Look, Mr. Roarke! Where are they going?
Roarke: Into the pages of immortality.

Oh no. There are new shots of the season 5 dancing girls at the end! I thought I was done with that.

• Guests:
  • Miss Jenny Ryan, a blackjack dealer at one of Las Vegas’ most popular hotel casinos
  • Mr. and Mrs. Harris, Catherine and Brent
  • Michael Eden
• Ominous Roarke:
  • Roarke: What Miss Ryan doesn’t know is that it will be her card playing proficiency that may well decide the destiny of one of the world’s greatest authors…
  • Roarke: Their fantasy is to spend here on Fantasy Island the honeymoon they never had.
    Tattoo: That’s easy.
    Roarke: Is it…?
  • Roarke: His presence means that Mr. and Mrs. Harris… will never enjoy their honeymoon. For one of them is destined to die…
• Friend of Roarke:
  • Roarke: His name is Michael Eden, an old personal acquaintance.
• Roarke’s drink: same old
• Ominous shot of Roarke drinking: it’s not as ominous as it should be, considering Michael the archangel is there
• Magic object:
  • Roarke: Miss Ryan, before you leave to go on your fantasy, there is something I’d like you to take with you. Tattoo, if you’d please?
    Tattoo: There’s five hundred dollar in gold coin in there.
    Roarke: There will come a time and place in your fantasy when you’ll find those gold coins to be most useful, Miss Ryan.
• Hypnosis:
  • Roarke: And now, I’d like you to look closely at this picture and concentrate… very hard…
• Time travel: Jenny Ryan travels back in time to Mississippi in the 1870s.
• Costume change:
  • Roarke wears a brown top hat and light brown and red suit to Jenny Ryan’s fantasy.
  • Roarke wears a light brown jacket and yellow vest to go horseback riding with Michael.
  • Roarke wears a blue and black suit with a blue-grey vest, and Tattoo wears a brown and black suit to Jenny Ryan’s fantasy.
• Disappearing act:
  • Jenny Ryan: Am I gonna get to meet Cap’n Ham, Mr. Roarke? Mr. Roarke?
  • Roarke and Tattoo also pull this on Jenny Ryan mid-fantasy.
  • Jenny Ryan: Hey, Mr… Mr. Roarke?
• First name basis: Michael
• Recurring phrases:
  • Roarke: I must warn you, my friend. Emotion is like a sword; it has two edges. The other side of pleasure… is pain.
  • Roarke: I warn you, be very, very, careful.
  • Jenny Ryan: That time, isn’t it, Mr. Roarke?
    Roarke: I’m afraid so, Miss Ryan; your fantasy’s over.
• Locations:
  • Fantasy Island Hospital
  • Natchez, Mississippi
• All you need is love:
  • Michael Eden: I don’t quite know how I’m gonna explain it this time.
    Roarke: Love needs no explanation, Michael.
• Leaving with an extra guest: Jenny Ryan with Huck Finn’s frog, Fremont
• Drivers:
  • To the dock: Roarke
  • The Harris’ departure: Tama (he’s back!)
  • Jenny Ryan’s departure: That Guy
• Age gap:
  • Carol Lynley: 40 / Doug McClure: 47 = 7 years
  • Carol Lynley: 40 / Gary Collins: 44 = 4 years
  • Jenilee Harrison: 24 / Stephen Shortridge: 31 = 7 years
  • Jenilee Harrison: 24 / Roddy McDowall: 54 = 30 years