S01.E01: Hungry Christine/Mel Loves Ruby

[AnimeMania]

A modern drama series, FANTASY ISLAND takes place at a luxury resort, where any fantasy requested by guests is fulfilled, although they rarely turn out as expected. Elena Roarke is a descendant of the iconic Mr. Roarke and the steward of this mysterious island. Pilot Javier is the head of island transportation and a jack of all trades. In the series opener, Roarke welcomes a local morning show host, Christine Collins, who has a simple fantasy: she wants to eat. And eat. And eat. But when Christine gets to Fantasy Island, she’ll realize that she’s hungry for much more than food. Roarke’s other guests include Ruby Akuda, who arrives on Fantasy Island with her husband; Ruby is afflicted with a terminal illness and is given a new lease on life in the all-new “Hungry Christine/Mel Loves Ruby” series premiere episode of FANTASY ISLAND airing Tuesday, Aug. 10 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX.

[DanaK]

I liked this, especially the Ruby storyline, which had an unexpected ending. I half-expected the dog to be the assistant initially

[Chaos Theory]

I thought the first episode was pretty good.  Loved Bellamy Young in this.   Watching her look at food like she wanted to make love to it.  But the story behind it was interesting as well.  I honestly thought we would see her eat her step father on the spit.  “I think I finally know what will satisfy your hunger.”

the other story was sweet and sad at the same time.  Mel and Ruby made a beautiful couple even if Ruby may not have loved Mel as much as Mel loved Ruby and with Ruby dying from cancer having her stay on the island is an interesting Narrative choice.

Edited August 11, 2021 by Chaos Theory

[ketose]

So, in the new Fantasy Island, metaphorical cannibalism is good.

[Athena5217]

My head hurts from being hit repeatedly with the metaphor that Christine is trying to satisfy her emotional hunger with food.

I found the other story strange like they were trying different plots to see what stuck. There were suggestions that Ruby is bisexual and was going to have an affair with that woman, but then she just got a tattoo. Why can’t her husband and kids visit her on the island?

[AnimeMania]

I found it interesting that Ruby packed a halter top, booty shorts, and running shoes in her luggage.

I am glad that Christine's stepfather took pretty good care of her, honoring his promise to get her teeth fixed and took care of her after her mother died. Yeah, he inflicted some psychological trauma, but I was bracing for it to be so much worse.

[kathyk24]

19 minutes ago, AnimeMania said:

I found it interesting that Ruby packed a halter top, booty shorts, and running shoes in her luggage.

I am glad that Christine's stepfather took pretty good care of her, honoring his promise to get her teeth fixed and took care of her after her mother died. Yeah, he inflicted some psychological trauma, but I was bracing for it to be so much worse.

I thought Christine's stepfather was horrible. Fixing a child's teeth is the bare minimum and he made her ashamed about her body image. Christine was right when she talked about her viewers commenting about her weight. I thought it was interesting how Mel and Ruby kept their older minds while they had younger bodies. I think having Ruby stay on the island allowed Mel to move on and not see her die a painful death.

[Elizzikra]

10 minutes ago, kathyk24 said:

I thought Christine's stepfather was horrible. Fixing a child's teeth is the bare minimum and he made her ashamed about her body image. Christine was right when she talked about her viewers commenting about her weight. I thought it was interesting how Mel and Ruby kept their older minds while they had younger bodies. I think having Ruby stay on the island allowed Mel to move on and not see her die a painful death.

I kept waiting for the reveal that he molested her, instead of him just showing up after years of her being successful, to shake her down for money. He did seem awful but there was a lot of room for him to be even more awful.

I didn't love the Christine storyline. I have a kid with an eating disorder so an entire episode about diet culture and a woman basically binge eating just didn't work for me. But I do love Bellamy Young and she did a great job with the material. I liked her on-air breakdown over doughnuts, which I have been craving ever since that scene.

Quote

I liked this, especially the Ruby storyline, which had an unexpected ending. I half-expected the dog to be the assistant initially

Ruby is fine but I hope the dog shows up again. He was sweet. 

Quote

I found it interesting that Ruby packed a halter top, booty shorts, and running shoes in her luggage.

I guess her Fantasy package included a youthful wardrobe?

I have loved Rosalyn Sanchez since Without a Trace and I thought she was well cast in this role. I thought her allusion to having fought against her fate to run the island but ultimately coming back to it was interesting and I hope they give us more Roarke family backstory.

[mertensia]

My guess is they were given a list of clothes to bring. Or that maybe she decided, remote island -I'm wearing what I want!

I wasn't expecting Ruby to stay, or that Mel would be the one to convince her.

[DanaK]

I read an article before the premiere that I think said we would see in the premiere Elena in her pre-Island life before she took the job, but I don’t think we got any of that unless I missed it. I think all we got was her talking about it

The island turned Ruby and Mel young; I’m sure it could manage to conjure up an appropriate wardrobe

This was filmed in Puerto Rico, which made Sanchez very happy

[Sweetleigh]

I FINALLY GOT IT!!!

Ruby IS Tattoo! 😉
 

[libgirl2]

4 hours ago, Sweetleigh said:

I FINALLY GOT IT!!!

Ruby IS Tattoo! 😉
 

It took me a bit to realize that. I felt so bad for her husband, getting on that plane alone, meanwhile, she is young and will live forever (I assume). I know she was going to die and he sacrificed as she had 50 years ago, but it still made me sad. 

Edited August 11, 2021 by libgirl2

[chediavolo]

Wow this was pretty bad. The ruby story was kind of interesting but there’s just something about the whole island that makes me feel very depressed it’s not a very happy place. I think I’ll go back and watch some old fantasy islands if I can find them. I absolutely hated the story with Christine. The actress is horrible! If they were going to do a story about a woman on TV who doesn’t eat to keep up her figure they should’ve at least got someone who was fit & thin.  not saying that this actress is fat, Her figure is that of a normal woman. And most of the TV anchors are quite thin so this was not believable at all also what was up with a terrible terrible wig? It was all I could focus on. 

[Rorysmom]

I loved this first episode. I watched the original version as a kid in real time (heh), and I remember them being a little cheesy and a weaving in little morality tales, too. Your logical or surface fantasy may not always be what you really want. Christine's fantasy to eat it all without gaining weight was surface. She wanted to feel full, satisfied, and whole. I thought Bellamy and the show did a great job. I also loved the couple and how Roarke gains her assistant. And it was lovely seeing the altar to the original. I do remember there were episodes where we were introduced to Roarke's love of his life. This Roarke is totally believable. I'll be watching!

[Elizzikra]

2 hours ago, libgirl2 said:

It took me a bit to realize that. I felt so bad for her husband, getting on that plane alone, meanwhile, she is young and will live forever (I assume). I know she was going to die and he sacrificed as she had 50 years ago, but it still made me sad. 

I'm not sure why I was thinking about this as I was getting ready for bed last night, but... I don't think this is a happy ending. I get that Ruby came to the island, dying, and Mel was going to lose her, so his outcome was somewhat the same. But the more I think about it, the sadder I am for Ruby. She has another entire life to lead but she has a whole family - children and grandchildren - that are lost to her, since it seemed that Mel's plan was to tell them that she had died on the island. I guess there is some reason they can't tell the family the truth (beyond the unbelievability factor which one has to suspend to watch the show at all). So Ruby has all these people out there that she loves but she can't see them or even communicate with them ever again? That would be awful! I'm not sure I'd want another 50 years, even as a young, beautiful woman, if that was the price I'd have to pay.

[Rorysmom]

Ruby said goodbye to her family before coming to FI. She said she was hoping to die there. She'd done all she and her family were needing.

 

[Bulldog]

13 minutes ago, Elizzikra said:

She has another entire life to lead but she has a whole family - children and grandchildren - that are lost to her, since it seemed that Mel's plan was to tell them that she had died on the island.

 

8 minutes ago, Rorysmom said:

Ruby said goodbye to her family before coming to FI. She said she was hoping to die there.

 

This plan had more holes in it than a block of Swiss cheese.  Even if Ruby planned to die on the island, how is Mel going to explain the absence of a body.  I've actually known people who have died (unexpectedly) while on vacation.  The bodies are always shipped back home for burial.  Is the family not going to wonder why there was no funeral?  No grave to visit?  No ashes to scatter?   What's Mel going to say to his family?  Well, Grandma dropped dead while we were vacationing, so I just left her there.  Oh, and you can never, ever go there and see where's she's buried or pay your respects.  

On the whole, I thought it was kind of meh.  I didn't hate it, but I certainly didn't love it either. Thought the whole food fantasy was kind of lame.  I'll give it a couple of more episodes to see if it gels.  Reviews I read were generally positive so I'm hoping it gets better.   One nitpick - there is something about the cadence with which Sanchez speaks that just irks the heck out of me.  Its been that way in every role of hers that I've ever seen.  

[libgirl2]

39 minutes ago, Bulldog said:

 

 

This plan had more holes in it than a block of Swiss cheese.  Even if Ruby planned to die on the island, how is Mel going to explain the absence of a body.  I've actually known people who have died (unexpectedly) while on vacation.  The bodies are always shipped back home for burial.  Is the family not going to wonder why there was no funeral?  No grave to visit?  No ashes to scatter?   What's Mel going to say to his family?  Well, Grandma dropped dead while we were vacationing, so I just left her there.  Oh, and you can never, ever go there and see where's she's buried or pay your respects.  

On the whole, I thought it was kind of meh.  I didn't hate it, but I certainly didn't love it either. Thought the whole food fantasy was kind of lame.  I'll give it a couple of more episodes to see if it gels.  Reviews I read were generally positive so I'm hoping it gets better.   One nitpick - there is something about the cadence with which Sanchez speaks that just irks the heck out of me.  Its been that way in every role of hers that I've ever seen.  

I didn't even think about the fact that there is no body! Nothing at all. 

[Elizzikra]

1 hour ago, Rorysmom said:

Ruby said goodbye to her family before coming to FI. She said she was hoping to die there. She'd done all she and her family were needing.

 

Yeah but there is a big difference between saying your goodbyes and dying versus saying your goodbyes and leaving, but living and knowing your family is out there and you're still loving them and worrying about them. Ruby is like in some sort of cancer witness protection program where her family thinks she is dead but she's alive and her loved ones are out of reach. She isn't going to stop loving them or worrying about them just because she said her goodbyes. I think her life will be really hard, cut off from everyone she loves even if she starts new relationships. I don't think I'd want to live that way; it would be awful.

[libgirl2]

5 minutes ago, Elizzikra said:

Yeah but there is a big difference between saying your goodbyes and dying versus saying your goodbyes and leaving, but living and knowing your family is out there and you're still loving them and worrying about them. Ruby is like in some sort of cancer witness protection program where her family thinks she is dead but she's alive and her loved ones are out of reach. She isn't going to stop loving them or worrying about them just because she said her goodbyes. I think her life will be really hard, cut off from everyone she loves even if she starts new relationships. I don't think I'd want to live that way; it would be awful.

I have a feeling she won't give them another thought again. More, I feel that they won't address it. 

I couldn't even imagine it. 

Edited August 11, 2021 by libgirl2

[Rorysmom]

We'll see, Elizzikra! That might be a plot point. I kind of think of it also in terms of the show Lost. Caretaking of the island does mean giving up something, but the choice is worth it for each person's reasons. Ruby's reasons, to me, were both renewed health and also to be of service to others just as she had received. 

[GaT]

5 hours ago, chediavolo said:

Wow this was pretty bad. The ruby story was kind of interesting but there’s just something about the whole island that makes me feel very depressed it’s not a very happy place. I think I’ll go back and watch some old fantasy islands if I can find them. I absolutely hated the story with Christine. The actress is horrible! If they were going to do a story about a woman on TV who doesn’t eat to keep up her figure they should’ve at least got someone who was fit & thin.  not saying that this actress is fat, Her figure is that of a normal woman. And most of the TV anchors are quite thin so this was not believable at all also what was up with a terrible terrible wig? It was all I could focus on. 

I wondered about the wig also because it was really distracting so I looked up her photo to see what she really looks like, (photo from May) & I don't understand why they used a bad wig instead of her own hair. I also wasn't impressed with her acting.  

3 hours ago, Elizzikra said:

I'm not sure why I was thinking about this as I was getting ready for bed last night, but... I don't think this is a happy ending. I get that Ruby came to the island, dying, and Mel was going to lose her, so his outcome was somewhat the same. But the more I think about it, the sadder I am for Ruby. She has another entire life to lead but she has a whole family - children and grandchildren - that are lost to her, since it seemed that Mel's plan was to tell them that she had died on the island. I guess there is some reason they can't tell the family the truth (beyond the unbelievability factor which one has to suspend to watch the show at all). So Ruby has all these people out there that she loves but she can't see them or even communicate with them ever again? That would be awful! I'm not sure I'd want another 50 years, even as a young, beautiful woman, if that was the price I'd have to pay.

 

2 hours ago, Bulldog said:

 

 

This plan had more holes in it than a block of Swiss cheese.  Even if Ruby planned to die on the island, how is Mel going to explain the absence of a body.  I've actually known people who have died (unexpectedly) while on vacation.  The bodies are always shipped back home for burial.  Is the family not going to wonder why there was no funeral?  No grave to visit?  No ashes to scatter?   What's Mel going to say to his family?  Well, Grandma dropped dead while we were vacationing, so I just left her there.  Oh, and you can never, ever go there and see where's she's buried or pay your respects.  

On the whole, I thought it was kind of meh.  I didn't hate it, but I certainly didn't love it either. Thought the whole food fantasy was kind of lame.  I'll give it a couple of more episodes to see if it gels.  Reviews I read were generally positive so I'm hoping it gets better.   One nitpick - there is something about the cadence with which Sanchez speaks that just irks the heck out of me.  Its been that way in every role of hers that I've ever seen.  

This bothered me too, Mel is just going to go back home & say "well, she's gone, it was easier to leave her there, so I did" & none of her kids or grandkids are going to have a problem with that? How about when he dies? Is Ruby going to go to the funeral? Is he going to come back to the island & hope he can be younger too? How is he going to explain that to the kids & grandkids? Just too many holes in the plot, why didn't they just have a young, bisexual character to begin with instead of this forced plot?

9 hours ago, Sweetleigh said:

I FINALLY GOT IT!!!

Ruby IS Tattoo! 😉
 

YES!!!!! I wonder why her tattoo changed at the end?

Edited August 11, 2021 by GaT

[Elizzikra]

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YES!!!!! I wonder why her tattoo changed at the end?

I took it to mean that by deciding to stay on the island, she became empowered by whatever magic it has to grant people's fantasies. Or something???

Quote

This bothered me too, Mel is just going to go back home & say "well, she's gone, it was easier to leave her there, so I did" & none of her kids or grandkids are going to have a problem with that?

Maybe he'll put some sand in an urn and say he had her cremated?

[Bulldog]

Anyone want to guess the over/under on when Meredith is a guest on the island? 

[txhorns79]

21 hours ago, Elizzikra said:

I didn't love the Christine storyline. I have a kid with an eating disorder so an entire episode about diet culture and a woman basically binge eating just didn't work for me.

I thought it was handled in way too simplistic a manner.  It was like: Let's solve her real problem with disordered eating by having it boil down to a step-daddy issue that she can solve by literally eating the guy.   

[mertensia]

9 hours ago, libgirl2 said:

I didn't even think about the fact that there is no body! Nothing at all. 

Mel probably told everyone he had her cremated and ashes scattered in the ocean - that may have even been their original plan. 

[Elizzikra]

17 hours ago, Bulldog said:

Anyone want to guess the over/under on when Meredith is a guest on the island? 

Who?

[statsgirl]

The good:

Rosalyn Sanchez. She even had a few of the gestures Ricardo Montalban used.

The stories had some of the creepy/bizarre values of the original show.

The not-so-good:

Both of the stories had problems. In the Cristine story, I kept expecting the reveal that he had sexually abused her. The stepfather did mess with her mind but he also took care of her when her mother died and he did pay to fix her teeth which was necessary to be on camera so needing to eat him was extreme. Everyone who works in early morning TV and radio needs to get up that early and she's still going to need to mostly eat spinach and protein powder to keep her weight down. (When Kim Cattrall got the role of an aging prostitute a couple of years ago, she said that it was the first time in 30 years that she didn't have to be on a diet.)

On 8/11/2021 at 11:47 AM, libgirl2 said:

 I know she was going to die and he sacrificed as she had 50 years ago, but it still made me sad. 

I couldn't figure out what sacrifices she made. She had a choice between 2 people who loved her and she chose Mel and spent 50 years with a man who loved her very much and raised a wonderful family with him. I wish I were so lucky.

Mostly I felt sorry for Mel. He loved her very deeply but knew that she didn't love him as much as he loved her. Now she's ggotan exciting immortal life on Fantasy Island while he leaves to die alone when he gets sick himself. Why couldn't he stay with her? 

It's a bad taste in my mouth.

[Johannah]

I liked it.

I don't think Ruby came there hoping to die, I think she went there planning to kill herself to spare Mel the anguish of watching her die.  She was planning on swimming as far as she could and not come back.  Mel could just tell her family that.  Maybe not suicide, but that she drowned and her body was never recovered.  Maybe fell off a boat and couldn't be found.  And why couldn't her family visit the island?  She might have to hide and/or watch from afar for a week or so, but I see no reason why her family couldn't go to the island to see where their matriarch died - unless you can only visit with a fantasy, but maybe that would be their fantasy.  Yes, it was sad for Mel, but also a relief.  You don't want to lose a loved one, but you don't want to watch them suffer and waste away, either.  It's hard to do, but it IS why people 'pull the plug.'

I liked that Tattoo is now a woman with a tattoo.  That glows.

I , also, thought Christine's stepfather was going to be a molester, especially when she told her younger self to say no.

Definitely worth watching a second episode.

 

[Johannah]

9 minutes ago, statsgirl said:

...

I couldn't figure out what sacrifices she made. She had a choice between 2 people who loved her and she chose Mel and spent 50 years with a man who loved her very much and raised a wonderful family with him. I wish I were so lucky.

...

50 years ago, it wasn't so easy to come out as a lesbian, so maybe she didn't make the choice she really wanted to make, but, still, she did choose a man who adored her and, I think, she loved him.  I think she had a happy life with him, so, since we all may not get our first choice in life, I agree with you.

[mythoughtis]

People who are bi-sexual and decide to commit to one person aren’t making any more of a sacrifice than a heterosexual or a gay/lesbian  committing to  one  person. I didn’t get the impression that Ruby wasn’t attracted to Mel or that she considered him second rate.  
In terms of the island, I have the impression that Roark and the assistant are extremely long lived and are tied to the island in such a way that they can’t leave it. Furthermore, how would Mel and Ruby explain her fountain of youth situation to her kids and grandkids? 
I’m sure Fantasy Island  can create a death certificate and something that shows her ashes being scattered at sea. 

 

[MsTree]

5 hours ago, mythoughtis said:

People who are bi-sexual and decide to commit to one person aren’t making any more of a sacrifice than a heterosexual or a gay/lesbian  committing to  one  person. I didn’t get the impression that Ruby wasn’t attracted to Mel or that she considered him second rate.  

I don't believe that was the implication. It was more about the fact that 50 years ago, whether one was gay, lesbian or bi, they were made to feel that anything other than a man/woman relationship was not acceptable. IOW how many gay folks of that era "married" (or dated) the opposite sex just to appear main stream? Perhaps in Ruby's mind, she knew it would be difficult to commit to a woman...and since she also loved Mel, she sacrificed what would have been her first choice in today's world. This does NOT mean she saw Mel as second best because I believe she loved them equally for difference reasons.

 

[Joimiaroxeu]

Haven't seen Bellamy Young since Scandal. This brought back some memories. 😐

And I thought Kiera Barnes (Ruby) looked fabulous without that long, dreadful wig/weave she had to wear on The Bold and the Beautiful.

Those drinks Ruby and Mel had looked like absinthe to me. Nothing "magical" about it; it's a known hallucinogenic.

Heh, the KB haters from B&B would lose their minds if they saw her and the actor who also played her lover on B&B using accents again. Their characters' fake British accents on B&B were widely reviled by viewers.

Cannibalism. Yikes. Not sure eating people is the answer to anything unless you're stranded in a remote location after a plane crash and you've run out of food. 😉 This version of Fantasy Island is going to be wild, lol.

Hmm, there were a few moments where it looked to me like Ruby's dialogue was dubbed. Wonder if they had the actress who played the older Ruby do some voiceovers? It'll be interesting to see if Ruby keeps talking in her "old woman" patois or if she has a young-sounding voice to match her appearance.

Quote

I don't understand why they used a bad wig instead of her own hair.

I have no idea but I do recall she wore a wig on Scandal too and sometimes it wasn't great there either. Many actresses choose to wear wigs to save time or because the show they're on doesn't provide adequate/any hairdressers. (Or sometimes the producers only provide them for the primary stars of the show.)

[izabella]

I liked it!  I wasn't sure what to expect, but it seems they will stay true to its roots and give us the "be careful what you wish for" aspect of the original, complete with the "moral of the story" aspects.  It's not serious drama, but as long as they have decent guest stars each week, I could see this being a fun bit of campy drama.

I really like Rosalyn Sanchez in the Rourke role.

[statsgirl]

I've spent waaaaay too much time thinking about it but if Mel had said ro Ruby "There is nothing for you off the island except death, stay here and live" instead of "You've sacrificed these past 50 years for me", I would have enjoyed the story much more.

[Johannah]

20 hours ago, statsgirl said:

I've spent waaaaay too much time thinking about it but if Mel had said ro Ruby "There is nothing for you off the island except death, stay here and live" instead of "You've sacrificed these past 50 years for me", I would have enjoyed the story much more.

Good point.  

[izabella]

I think Ruby's husband did say he knew she was going to leave him soon anyway, one way or another.  He had guessed she was planning to kill herself rather than going back to die a painful death.

[seacliffsal]

So, Mel's going back after a weekend away and convince his family that not only did Ruby die over the weekend, but he already took care of the cremation/funeral and came back without having to change his flight?  This really is fantasy island.

Not too crazy about the two stories but will give it a couple more tries before making a final decision as to whether I'm in for the run or not.

[AnimeMania]

10 hours ago, seacliffsal said:

So, Mel's going back after a weekend away and convince his family that not only did Ruby die over the weekend, but he already took care of the cremation/funeral and came back without having to change his flight?  This really is fantasy island.

Considering that she "died" in a foreign country, it may not be so easy to transport a dead body out of that country. It might be less red tape to have her buried on the island.

[Elizzikra]

7 hours ago, AnimeMania said:

Considering that she "died" in a foreign country, it may not be so easy to transport a dead body out of that country. It might be less red tape to have her buried on the island.

Do we know where Fantasy Island is supposed to be? I know they film in Puerto Rico but I don't think they have ever ruled out it being in the United States somewhere. 

[DanaK]

3 hours ago, Elizzikra said:

Do we know where Fantasy Island is supposed to be? I know they film in Puerto Rico but I don't think they have ever ruled out it being in the United States somewhere. 

The original series had it somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. The new one is probably somewhere similar

[CarpeFelis]

On 8/12/2021 at 9:03 AM, Elizzikra said:

Who?

Meredith was Ruby’s friend who disappeared from her life when she married Mel.

I couldn’t help but notice that when Ruby went running on the beach, the girl she met she introduced herself: “Yo soy Isla”… effectively “I am the island”.

Can’t say I liked Christine much, but I did sympathize with her struggle against that vicious inner voice. It reminded me a lot of Sheila in Physical.

[sweetandsour]

On 8/11/2021 at 9:20 AM, chediavolo said:

And most of the TV anchors are quite thin so this was not believable at all also what was up with a terrible terrible wig? I

 

On 8/11/2021 at 2:30 PM, GaT said:

I wondered about the wig also because it was really distracting so I looked up her photo to see what she really looks like, (photo from May) & I don't understand why they used a bad wig instead of her own hair.

 

On 8/14/2021 at 11:35 AM, Joimiaroxeu said:

I have no idea but I do recall she wore a wig on Scandal too and sometimes it wasn't great there either. Many actresses choose to wear wigs to save time or because the show they're on doesn't provide adequate/any hairdressers.

Apparently,  Bellamy has been dealing with hair loss for almost two decades.  I just saw an article with her talking about it (and promoting a product line) - https://www.usmagazine.com/stylish/news/bellamy-young-gets-real-about-hair-loss-mental-health/.  What we've been seeing for a long time is usually not 100% her real hair.  It's been supplemented by extensions or a full-on wig.  So her wig on this show may not have been great, but that's why she wears one.

[Anela]

I liked it, but I had a bit of a fever, and had just taken Tylenol, so I was just happy to find something like this.  I was expecting ruby to stay, after protesting first.  I didn’t want to watch Ozark on my phone, and my TV picture isn’t working, for some reason, so that’s one reason that I was happy to see this on Hulu.  Not that anyone needed to know that.  

Edited August 17, 2021 by Anela

[DrSpaceman73]

I was generally unimpressed with this. It was ok and it is just a pilot but the writing seemed trite and stale, the stories were fairly stereotypical and nothing that original. 

The show has so much potential and this i thought was a letdown. 

I'll keep giving it a chance though. Maybe it gets better.  If they keep going for obvious and unoriginal metaphors and stories though I can live without this reboot. 

[ketose]

On 8/12/2021 at 9:59 PM, mythoughtis said:

People who are bi-sexual and decide to commit to one person aren’t making any more of a sacrifice than a heterosexual or a gay/lesbian  committing to  one  person. I didn’t get the impression that Ruby wasn’t attracted to Mel or that she considered him second rate.  
In terms of the island, I have the impression that Roark and the assistant are extremely long lived and are tied to the island in such a way that they can’t leave it. Furthermore, how would Mel and Ruby explain her fountain of youth situation to her kids and grandkids? 
I’m sure Fantasy Island  can create a death certificate and something that shows her ashes being scattered at sea. 

 

In the original series, Mr. Roark was the Chief Magistrate of the island, which meant he was effectively the highest legal authority. Presumably Ms. Roark can sign off on any legal action in Fantasy Island.

[LadyIrony]

On 8/12/2021 at 4:20 AM, Elizzikra said:

I'm not sure why I was thinking about this as I was getting ready for bed last night, but... I don't think this is a happy ending. I get that Ruby came to the island, dying, and Mel was going to lose her, so his outcome was somewhat the same. But the more I think about it, the sadder I am for Ruby. She has another entire life to lead but she has a whole family - children and grandchildren - that are lost to her, since it seemed that Mel's plan was to tell them that she had died on the island. I guess there is some reason they can't tell the family the truth (beyond the unbelievability factor which one has to suspend to watch the show at all). So Ruby has all these people out there that she loves but she can't see them or even communicate with them ever again? That would be awful! I'm not sure I'd want another 50 years, even as a young, beautiful woman, if that was the price I'd have to pay.

Yep she is basically dead now to her family as I think the plan was for her husband to tell everyone she didn't survive the plane trip. She is essentially in exile now as going back will not be an easy thing to do. 

What they also skipped over was the husband also gets to avoid having to deal with his wife's disease and impending death. He gets to move on now and enjoy the rest of his life.  It is not as much of a selfless act on his part as they made out in this show.