Jencyclopedia

Karen Arnold wants to be a trashy talk show host, but Roarke wants her to be a trashy talk show guest.
A man wants to not have a conscience.

I don’t like that Fisher and Clia tell you what your fantasy is. Sure, Mr. Roarke always knew what people’s fantasies were too, even if they didn’t tell him, but this way, you can’t have people coming to the island misrepresenting their fantasies, like 2×2 “The Big Dipper” or 4×1 “The Devil and Mandy Breem” or 2×8 “Return” or 5×15 “The Case Against Mr. Roarke”. You can’t have people pretending to be millionaire playboys like 6×22 “Love Island”.

Did they seriously, seriously think it would be funny to have Harry yell “the plane” fifty times every episode? I can’t believe they are still doing this.

Roarke: Mr. White’s at the point in his life where he believes nice guys finish last, and he’d like to be first for a change.

Ummm what is going on in the background here?

Oh my god, they have the fake red flowers! Love this.

Florence Jenkins’ fantasy is to be a talk show host, so they call her talk show Let It Flo. That’s terrible. Why not Go with the Flo?

Roarke: Do I smell an Emmy?

Bob: I’m [bleep]ing his wife.

Wow. And I was tracking “hell”s in the original series. I mean, this is bleeped, but it’s still weird to hear that on Fantasy Island.

I don’t like that Flo’s show didn’t follow the rule of three. She spoke to one audience member, and then the first guest turned out to be Flo’s lover, Bob. There should have been another mundane segment before that.

The audience has a big reaction after it’s revealed that Bob is sleeping with Flo, but this is Flo’s very first show, so the audience shouldn’t really care that much. They should have had Flo tape two shows with mundane guests, everything goes good, and Flo is happy. Then there would be a scene with Roarke telling her that the show is a big hit, and they’re projecting five million viewers for the next episode. And then that’s when Bob comes on the show; then the audience could actually be believably invested in the story, because they know who Flo is.

Also, since Fisher and Clia just decided what Flo’s fantasy was, having Flo be humiliated in front of five million people seems unfair; Flo didn’t ask for this.

I do like that her conversation with Roarke just keeps hitting trope after trope though:

Florence Jenkins: This is not my fantasy.
[…]
Roarke: Don’t you think I know what you really wanted?
[…]
Roarke: This is Fantasy Island.
[…]
Florence Jenkins: I want this fantasy to end right now.

Roarke: And don’t forget: you’re under contract.

I don’t know; it doesn’t look like she’s signed this contract.

At first, I didn’t like Arnie White’s fantasy, because he basically just became a jerk, and I don’t really want to watch someone just being a jerk. Then the fantasy went to the extreme, and he killed his boss so he could take over the company, and now he’s at the funeral comforting his boss’ wife because he wants her too. He is like a super villain from every kids’ movie ever now, and that’s kind of entertaining.

But then he literally turns into the devil, and that’s less fun.

It’s nice that this episode has a Harry/Ariel subplot instead of Harry/Cal again.

Ariel: So this is about death?
Harry: Yes. No. It’s about life. You wouldn’t understand.

I don’t know if we’re meant to interpret this as “you wouldn’t understand because it’s about life” or as two completely separate statements. I like the former, because it implies something about Ariel. We already know Ariel isn’t human, but I don’t think there have been any talk about whether she’s immortal or not.

• Guests:
  • Miss Florence Jenkins
  • Arnie White, his dog Martin, and his co-workers
• Mini-fantasy:
  • [Ariel is dressed in a Marie Antoinette-esque outfit.]
    Ariel: Roarke, I was so embarrassed; I’m in the middle of the French Revolution, and the guillotine blade’s missing.
    Roarke: It only went halfway through last time; I’m having it sharpened.
• Not what I asked for:
  • Florence Jenkins: How could you do this to me? This is not my fantasy.
    Roarke: You wanted your own talk show.
    Florence Jenkins: Yeah, but not with my husband and lover on display as guests!
• What you really, really want:
  • Roarke: Don’t you think I know what you really wanted?
    Florence Jenkins: What are you talking about?
    Roarke: You’ve spent all of your life solving other people’s problems; wasn’t this fantasy just to solve your own?
• Recurring phrases:
  • Roarke: Your life is a shambles.
    Florence Jenkins: And you’re making a public spectacle out of it.
    Roarke: This is Fantasy Island; we delight in spectacle of every kind.
  • [Arnie White looks into a reflective surface. He has two small bumps on his forehead.]
    Arnie White: What the hell are these?
    Roarke: What the hell indeed?
• Cancelling the fantasy:
  • Florence Jenkins: It’s over. I want this fantasy to end right now.
    Roarke: I’m afraid that’s not possible.
• Religion:
  • Roarke: Mr. White, there’s only one entity who is entirely lacking conscience.
    Arnie White: You’re telling me I’m turning into the de–?
• Disappearing act: Roarke advises Arnie White on how to deal with traitors, and then disappears.
• Age gap:
  • Olivia d’Abo: 29 / Jordan Mott: ? = ?
  • Olivia d’Abo: 29 / Markus Flanagan: 34 = 5 years
  • Georgia Emelin: 29 / John Hawkes: 39 = 10 years
  • Georgia Emelin: 29 / Richard McGonagle: 52 = 23 years
• Cast:
  • Olivia D’Abo … Florence “Flo” Jenkins
  • John Hawkes … Arnie White
  • Markus Flanagan … Bob Gardener (Florence’s lover)
  • Georgia Emelin … Trudy Woodson (Mr. Woodson’s wife)
  • Richard McGonagle … Mr. Woodson (Arnie’s boss)
  • Jordan Mott … Ronnie Jenkins (Florence’s husband)