User Reviews

Here is another third season entry which is saved by its inventive, very funny, and iconic dream sequence. Until it arrives, the episode moves along in fits and starts with a slight plot and little action. Most of the cast are tucked out of sight. But then along comes the dream sequence and all is right with the world.

In the short, simple open, Gilligan assists Mary Ann with hanging the wash. He reminds us he is a sailor by bragging how many different type of knots he can tie. During his discourse, Mary Ann abruptly vanishes.

A search party is organized. While partnered with Gilligan, Ginger disappears in the same area where Mary Ann did. The Professor concludes the two girls have been taken by savages to a nearby island as brides, and Mrs. Howell is the next logical candidate to be snatched. His conclusion is an excuse for Gilligan to cross dress as the socialite in a semi-funny diversion that keeps the episode's direction from getting too dark. The ruse fails, however, and Mrs. Howell is taken anyway.

There are no signs of any headhunters down by the lagoon, so the Professor concludes that his first conclusion was wrong. He speculates that one of the men has gone Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde under the strain of island living and is responsible for the women's disappearance. Gilligan was in the area of all three victims and begins to suspect himself.

Of course, the Professor jumps to this outlandish conclusion (as he did the initial one) without any proof; it's as ridiculous an idea as Gilligan being a murderer in Not Guilty. Yet our lead eats up this silly plot point, and becomes just as obsessed over becoming a Jekyll and Hyde as he did a vampire.

His obsession isn't helped at all by the early morning disappearance of the Professor and Mr. Howell. When he and the Skip go looking for them, and then his big buddy drops out of sight, Gilligan is the last Indian standing. His horror leads into the memorable dream sequence.

The setting is a Victorian court. Gilligan is the sweet, kindly, innocent-looking Dr. Gilligan who is accused of being the mean Mr. Hyde. His defense attorney is Mrs. Howell, who pops in via umbrella as Mary Poppins. Mary Ann is a real stand out as the doctor's character witness, a loud, uncouth Cockney girl out of My Fair Lady. The prosecuting barrister is the smug Professor, who has never lost a case, and his uncle is Judge Lord Armstrong Hanging, ably played by Mr. Howell. The prosecution's key witness is the Lady in Red, a stunning beauty who of course is Ginger. She maintains that Gilligan will turn into Hyde at the mere mention of food.

His trial may be silly and adolescent at times (Gilligan and Ginger's petty squabble, for example), but it contains a number of good lines and is very funny. The Lady in Red's epic recitation of Gilligan food faves is a definite highlight.

After Gilligan's nightmare ends, he stumbles around and drops in on the others for another last minute, seat-of-his-pants save.

COCONOTES:

Kudos to writer Ron Friedman for an inventive script that fits in Agatha Christie, Eliza Doolittle, Mary Poppins, Oscar Wilde, and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

Gilligan's mastery of knots contradicts his ineptitude in President Gilligan, where he couldn't even tie his own shoelaces.

Jim Backus' melodramatic 'Why, why, why?' speech is hilarious.

Our lead may look cute in pearls, but his voice certainly gets irritating.

Major plot hole: None of the castaways think to call out for help until only Gilligan is on the surface. Where they unconscious most of the episode?

Despite having a defense attorney, Dr. Gilligan mounts his own defense and cross-examines the Lady in Red.

This is another episode which I distinctly remember seeing when it first aired in prime time, even though I was only in kindergarten at the time.

Gilligan's dream, in which he is the handsome Dr. Jekyll/Gilligan (I think modeled after Oscar Wilde?) and he stands trial for being Mr. Hyde, is what I like most about this episode.

When I was young, I was big into Mary Poppins - we saw the movie several times, had books, I would stand outside our house with an umbrella on a windy day and pretend I could fly, even though only the umbrella would fly away.

So seeing Mrs. Howell as Mary Poppins, acting as Gilligan/Dr. Jekyll's defense counsel, was a hoot.

Also, even though I did not understand it at the time, Mary Ann taking the stand as Eliza Doolittle -- the poor Cockney flower girl -- was also funny. It wasn't years later, when I saw the movie "My Fair Lady" in the movie theater, that I made the connection -- this was Gilligan's nod to "My Fair Lady," and the humor was that even though Dr. Gilligan had taught Eliza how to "walk, and to to talk, and to dress like a regular lye-dee. 'E give me real class, 'e did," as Eliza blows her nose loudly. The humor was that even though Dr. Giligan had taught poor Eliza/Mary Ann all these things, she still looked and sounded like a Cockney flower girl.

Anyhow, then Gilligan, at the mere mentioning of food by Ginger, turns into Mr. Hyde.

Anyway, great show, and always a great way to expose kids to many different things.