S1.E02: His and Hers; The Heartbreak Hotel

[statsgirl]

Quote

Two adventurers, whose marriage has grown stale, want to have the ultimate adventure together; after sleeping for 35 years, widower Brent must decide if he is ready to face his grief awake.

Guest stars François Chau, Dave Annable, Odette Annable

[Crashcourse]

Not feeling this couple.  Neither one is that likable.

[tinkerbell]

33 minutes ago, Crashcourse said:

Not feeling this couple.  Neither one is that likable.

I agree. Their own bodies or each others, they're both a couple of assholes.

[AnimeMania]

I would have been funny if after Daphne and Zev switched bodies, the two men were staring at Zeb in Daphne's body at the restaurant because Zev was manspreading, which in a no-no for a lady, especially if she is wearing a dress. They could have even thrown in a joke about whether or not he was going commando.

It might also have been funny for Zev to try to walk in heels like a runway model since isn't that how ladies are supposed to walk.

There was room for lots of comedic moments like when Daphne was in Zeb's body sleeping on the beach and Elena told him to take a shower in the public shower room, he could have went into the ladies portion or could have been embarrassed being around so many naked men. Or when Javier stands over Zeb's body when spotting him in weights, if his shorts were loose she might have seen something that might have gotten her flustered.

The stories didn't really have anything that made you really think they had swapped bodies. You would have thought they at least would know what would really give them pleasure in the sex department. They didn't even manage to have sex in each other's bodies.  

[Meowwww]

I unashamedly love this show. 

[Trini]

Liked this a lot better than the first episode.

So the Island can apparently accommodate extended stays?? I know I shouldn't nitpick a show with magic, but it didn't seem feasible for either party to let that guy stay for 35(!) years, even if it was his fantasy.

My general questions are, how many other people are on this island? Because there are apparently other employees. Do they all know about the magic or not? And there also seem to be other vacationers and/or 'regulars'/locals(?) that are not there for the Fantasy aspects. So is it just a regular vacation resort for other people? I don't know, it's bugging me.

[MsTree]

Other than the scenes between Roarke and Ruby, I did not enjoy this episode as much as the first.

[Egg McMuffin]

I really like Roarke and Ruby. Roselyn Sanchez has a lovely manner about her, not dissimilar to Ricardo Montalban.

The rest of the show seems a bit depopulated and the lack budget is showing. In the old show, each fantasy involved 3-4 guest stars. Last night, one fantasy had two guest stars, and the other had one.

Someone will have to explain the appeal of Dave and Odette Annable to me. She’s cute enough, I suppose, though she doesn’t have a whole lot of screen presence. He looks like a skinny 18 year old who grew a mop of gray hair and is trying to grow a beard. Go get a makeover, buddy. And neither one has the acting chops to pull off playing the someone in the body of the opposite gender.

Edited August 18, 2021 by Kyle

[DanaK]

I enjoyed the episode and thought the Annables did nicely as a bickering couple.

That poor guy sleeping for 35 years to avoid the pain of losing his love and dealing with the guilt

I liked Roarke and Ruby too, though Roarke clearly was uncomfortable with small talk. It's interesting that we get more on who Ms. Roarke is than we ever did with Ricardo Montalban's Roarke, including a first name and a past

 

[seacliffsal]

I thought that the dog was actually the best "host" on the island.

Unpopular opinion but I'm not drawn to the Ruby character.  She acts more like "17 going on 30" rather than "70 going on 30" in that she doesn't seem to have a lifetime of experience as she seems extremely naive.  I guess the big help that she provided was figuring out that the woman/man was pregnant.  I've never been pregnant but I figured out the same thing.

I think that they aren't really writing a lot of depth for the characters.  The husband/wife storyline seemed really simplistic (oh, all men feel powerful...no, no they don't; oh, the husband will stay home with the baby and the wife will keep working...is not a revelation).

What I really want to know is how much do the people pay for a weekend at Fantasy Island because there are a lot of employees and expense involved in these experiences.

[CarpeFelis]

The couple said in the beginning that they weren’t having sex anymore. So when they found out she was pregnant I thought it would turn out she’d been cheating on him.

[seacliffsal]

9 minutes ago, CarpeFelis said:

The couple said in the beginning that they weren’t having sex anymore. So when they found out she was pregnant I thought it would turn out she’d been cheating on him.

Good catch!  I had forgotten that.  So, does that mean the island...

[Crashcourse]

I also thought they spent far too much time on the couple than they did on the old man.

[Gharlane]

22 hours ago, statsgirl said:

"His and Hers; The Heartbreak Hotel". Two adventurers, whose marriage has grown stale, want to have the ultimate adventure together; after sleeping for 35 years, widower Brent must decide if he is ready to face his grief awake.

What is it with Freaky Friday/sex-switching eps on TV always being stupid? For example, the woman gets overwhelmed by testosterone and the man suddenly becomes overemotional and cries at the drop of a hat.  I'm just grateful the hyperemotionalism and bloating was pregnancy. 

Rip VanWinkle's story was at most five minutes. What was the point? Won't him being asleep for 35 years(!) be problematic?

[seacliffsal]

The sleeping man must have been mega-wealthy to be able to pay for 35 years on the island.  Probably set up automatic payments before he went to sleep the first time.  And, how interesting that nobody was looking for him (and if he was at fault, he must have left before being charged).  I wanted to be invested in his story but just hearing about all the revisions his fiance made to her wedding dress was just boring to me.

[Egg McMuffin]

The fantasies cost $50,000 in the old series. But Mr. Roarke had a sliding scale based on ability to pay.

[AnimeMania]

17 minutes ago, Kyle said:

The fantasies cost $50,000 in the old series. But Mr. Roarke had a sliding scale based on ability to pay.

Yeah, I was kind of wondering how the couple was able to afford all their adventures, since neither one of them seemed to have a high paying job. A professor at a university might explain how he has the time to do this but not how he has the money. The wife seemed to be in sales.

[LakeGal]

Dave Annable has always annoyed me.  For that reason I didn't care too much for their storyline.  The other storyline was so brief.  I felt like something was missing from this episode.  

[Gharlane]

1 hour ago, Kyle said:

The fantasies cost $50,000 in the old series. But Mr. Roarke had a sliding scale based on ability to pay.

I always thought something magical happened, like they won them in a contest.

So how do people get to live there, like the people who threw the husband out of the car and into a ditch?

[chediavolo]

20 hours ago, CarpeFelis said:

The couple said in the beginning that they weren’t having sex anymore. So when they found out she was pregnant I thought it would turn out she’d been cheating on him.

Huh, so how the hell is she pregnant? Not feeling this show. Roarke seems like she doesn’t even want to be there. Ruby acts like she has never experienced 70+ years of life. I just can’t get behind any character & the guest or horrible. 
I enjoyed the 70s show I guess because it was something new but this one just isn’t cutting it for me I’ll try again but it just seems sad and depressing and weird. 

[Medicine Crow]

When Ms. Roarke invited Ruby for dinner, how did she refer to her "house"?  Just wondering!!

[AnimeMania]

46 minutes ago, Medicine Crow said:

When Ms. Roarke invited Ruby for dinner, how did she refer to her "house"?  Just wondering!!

Hacienda

[Medicine Crow]

40 minutes ago, AnimeMania said:

Hacienda

Thanks, that's what I thought, but then I just couldn't remember for sure.

[Johannah]

I found this one boring.

His & Hers:  Body swapping can be fun, but this show decided to make it insightful, and failed.  The only interesting part was when the wife was told she would have to learn to deal with the testosterone.  Then they dropped it.  Maybe they tried to work off of that by having them feel a man is safer when alone than a woman would be, but I think that is more societal and should have followed the personality switch and not stayed with the body.  If being alone on a beach by yourself is scary to you, then just being in a man's body wouldn't totally alleviate that fear.

About all the other people at the bar, I just figured the island conjured them up for this fantasy.  Or they keep a staff of "extras" to cater to fantasies.  Or they are other people there for their fantasy and that one guy's fantasy was to beat up some guy and leave him stranded in the woods?  I don't think non-staff people would just be allowed to arbitrarily live there.

Heartbreak Hotel:  Boring, but a ton of questions.  I agree that he must have been super-rich.  Why else would Roarke let him stay so long?  Sad, but too many people lose their loved ones before getting to share their lives - and too many were the cause of that death, even if indirectly.  Why was this guy special?  Because he could afford it?  If he was rich, making yearly payments may have kept his family from declaring him dead and taking his money. 

And he needs that money, because where was he going when he left the island?  After 35 years, who is going to take him in?  His parents, probably, but how welcoming would his family be after he ignored them for 35 years?  Would he have any marketable skills at this point?  He's been out of touch since the mid-80's.  Being awake for 2 days every 5 years wasn't long enough to acclimate to the changes (especially tech) and he spent most of his awake time brooding.

I hope he was mega-rich and he opens and runs a rescue for dogs.  Did we even see the dog after the initial time the dog went to him?  It seemed like the writers lost track of wherever they wanted to go with that.

Oh, and he was in room 112.  There are 112 rooms there?  I can't believe they would ever have a need for a tenth of that amount.  Sometimes the first number designates the floor, but I also can't believe there is a multi-floored hotel there.  They'll probably prove me wrong in a future episode and have a high-rise suddenly appear.*  They should have little huts or something.

Actually, I liked the wedding gown story and that she was buried in the only one she didn't like.  I guess he was the only one that knew that and her family wasn't willing to listen to him after he "killed her".

Hacienda Dinner:  Don't want the back-story.  I like NewRoarke, but keep the mystery.  And it was an awkward and boring dinner.

 

I'll watch next week, but if they are making all the storylines try to be serious and insightful, I probably won't last long.  Have some fun ones, too.  Don't remember if they were all serious stories on the original series.

 

* Did you all notice the island changing in the beginning?  I thought that was cool.  Probably changes to fit the fantasy.

[Johannah]

On 8/18/2021 at 1:11 PM, seacliffsal said:

Good catch!  I had forgotten that.  So, does that mean the island...

Is the baby-daddy?

Sure, why not?  But try collecting child support.

I did think the same thing about maybe she was cheating, but then figured "We don't have sex" was couple-talk for "as much as before."

Edited August 19, 2021 by Johann

[CarpeFelis]

1 hour ago, Johann said:

Is the baby-daddy?

Sure, why not?  But try collecting child support.

I did think the same thing about maybe she was cheating, but then figured "We don't have sex" was couple-talk for "as much as before."

Probably. But if that’s the case, it was lousy writing.

[Egg McMuffin]

The original always had extra people in their tiki bar. I’ve always assumed that they were there for their own fantasies too. There were also natives who lived on Fantasy Island.

I’m rooting for the show to succeed because I’ve always loved the concept. It’s so flexible and has so much potential. I liked when the original did suspense stories, but the producers of this new one say they want it to be lighter. So no scary stuff like Roarke fighting the devil. Too bad.

[Trini]

3 hours ago, Johann said:

About all the other people at the bar, I just figured the island conjured them up for this fantasy.  Or they keep a staff of "extras" to cater to fantasies.  Or they are other people there for their fantasy and that one guy's fantasy was to beat up some guy and leave him stranded in the woods?  I don't think non-staff people would just be allowed to arbitrarily live there.

Yeah, 'conjured up' people is one theory I have.

[DrSpaceman73]

I liked this one better than last week.  

But with the sleeping guy, tatooine (that's what i'me calling her) just lost her husband last week. It seemed like a natural spot for her to offer support and help on the fantasy rather than just lingering around for an awkward dinner.  Seemed like a missed opportunity. 

I know the body switching has been done a bunch but I don't recall one with a husband wife 

Still doesn't have the edge I was expecting from the show.  I'd like this better if it was on AMC or a cable network, I would bet it would be more interesting.   

It's perfectly enjoyable .....just still seems like it's not initializing the full potential of the stories.  

[chaifan]

OK, two episodes in, and I'm strangely liking this show.  I grew up with the original, and I think this is staying rather true to the tone - mysterious, sometimes a bit dark, but at the same time light and fluffy tv time.  The only thing missing is Love Boat an hour before this!

Rosalyn Sanchez seems familiar to me, but I checked on IMDB and I didn't really watch anything she was in.  I think she makes a very good Roarke, and I like the updated Tattoo.  Ruby needs a bit more character development, but they're hinting at her being the old wise person, which I like.  On a shallow note, I love both Roarke and Ruby's wardrobes! 

I'm guessing the minimal cast is a product of filming in the time of Covid.  We had a few extras in the bar/restaurant scenes, but for the most part there are rarely more than 2 people on screen at a time.

I wasn't really crazy about either plot line this week, but somehow I still enjoyed the episode. 

And can I also say I'm glad that Roarke's pet is an old dog.  Not a big fluffy cat, or some popular somethingdoodle or fancy schmancy breed.  But just an old mutt.  They're hinting at something mysterious with the dog.  I sort of just want it to be a dog. 

I hope Ruby's family comes into play at some point.  Her children or grandchildren coming on the island for their own fantasy, or possibly her lover from long ago.  I like that they've given Roarke a bit of a back story.

[Joimiaroxeu]

Oy, they're going to have the actress playing Ruby keep doing that weird accent. Bleh.

Not a fan of the gender swap thing. Seemed like a parade of overused stereotypes to me.

Mr. Lee's story got me in the feels.

It would be nice I think if at some point they do a "where are they now?" segment to show how a selection of the guests fared after they left and returned to real life.

[ketose]

A show called Fantasy Island (which started as a joke pitch about a sexual paradise in the 70's) requires a certain suspension of disbelief. Fantasy Island on the surface is a hot tourist spot where people pay for a vacation. The island also hosts a number of events. In the old series, people wrote letters to Mr. Roarke about fantasies. There's a few people at any one time who are actually going through fantasies. Sometimes, they don't even happen on the island.

I think "His and Hers" was interesting because the physiological responses were intact, just the memories were "downloaded" into the other body. Zev's body still got turned on by looking at Daphne or got tight in the chest because of the conditioning of being afraid of being away from her. Daphne's body was mostly the pregnant thing.

"Heartbreak Hotel" was kind of tacked on and mostly an excuse for developing Elena Roarke's character. I'm not sure how much it would cost to maintain a magical coma. The time line implies that Elena has been in the job more than 5 years and the guy's fantasy started around the time the original series ended.

[DrSpaceman73]

1 hour ago, ketose said:

A show called Fantasy Island (which started as a joke pitch about a sexual paradise in the 70's) requires a certain suspension of disbelief. Fantasy Island on the surface is a hot tourist spot where people pay for a vacation. The island also hosts a number of events. In the old series, people wrote letters to Mr. Roarke about fantasies. There's a few people at any one time who are actually going through fantasies. Sometimes, they don't even happen on the island.

I think "His and Hers" was interesting because the physiological responses were intact, just the memories were "downloaded" into the other body. Zev's body still got turned on by looking at Daphne or got tight in the chest because of the conditioning of being afraid of being away from her. Daphne's body was mostly the pregnant thing.

"Heartbreak Hotel" was kind of tacked on and mostly an excuse for developing Elena Roarke's character. I'm not sure how much it would cost to maintain a magical coma. The time line implies that Elena has been in the job more than 5 years and the guy's fantasy started around the time the original series ended.

Didn't she say this was her third time seeing him awake?  That would be 15 years.  But maybe I'm remembering wrong.  

The original show ended about 35 years ago. 

[Elizzikra]

Quote

But just an old mutt.

I think he's a golden retriever. I love him.

[mythoughtis]

Elena said this was her second time with the  5 year sleeper, but the the fantasy had been started 35 years ago. Presumably by her great uncle Mr. Roark.
She also  told Ruby that  she was human.  I found that interesting because I never thought Mr. Roark was human. 

So are we to assume that Mr Roark  died less than 10 years ago. Or  was there a Roark in between him and her? 

[Elizzikra]

Just now, mythoughtis said:

Elena said this was her second time with the  5 year sleeper, but the the fantasy had been started 35 years ago. Presumably by her great uncle Mr. Roark.
She also  told Ruby that  she was human.  I found that interesting because I never thought Mr. Roark was human. 

So are we to assume that Mr Roark  died less than 10 years ago. Or  was there a Roark in between him and her? 

So if the show ended 35 years ago (which makes me feel so old, I need to go to Fantasy Island to renew my youth), and Mr. Roark was at least 65 when it ended, he would have had to have lived to be 100 years old, and would have to have served in the "welcome to fantasy island" capacity until his death for him to hand the reins directly to Elena. Otherwise, there had to be someone in between.

I have a sense that there is a reason the dog is a senior dog. I love the grey/white muzzles of the seniors; I've adopted several old dogs and they are just my speed. So I think it's not an accident that they cast a dog who is visibly older. Does he carry the spirit of original recipe Roarke? Or is the old dog going to die to teach Elena a lesson about grief and loss (and my cry, angrily, at my tv, because there is no need every to kill a tv dog). Finally - how did the dog get to Fantasy Island. That's a hot, humid climate for a dog that was breed to hunt and retrieve fowl from cold water. He must be hot all the time there. Did someone bring him there as a pet without regard for what an uncomfortable environment it would be for him?

Honestly, I'm more interested in the dog's backstory than I am anyone else's.

[DrSpaceman73]

Original series end in 1984 so 37 years ago, just to be specific. 

And Ricardo montabaln, assuming he is the same age as mr roark, was 64 when the show ended, so good guess at 65. 

Edited August 23, 2021 by DrSpaceman73

[Wizardpatch]

On 8/22/2021 at 11:11 PM, Elizzikra said:

So if the show ended 35 years ago (which makes me feel so old, I need to go to Fantasy Island to renew my youth), and Mr. Roark was at least 65 when it ended, he would have had to have lived to be 100 years old, and would have to have served in the "welcome to fantasy island" capacity until his death for him to hand the reins directly to Elena. Otherwise, there had to be someone in between.

I have a sense that there is a reason the dog is a senior dog. I love the grey/white muzzles of the seniors; I've adopted several old dogs and they are just my speed. So I think it's not an accident that they cast a dog who is visibly older. Does he carry the spirit of original recipe Roarke? Or is the old dog going to die to teach Elena a lesson about grief and loss (and my cry, angrily, at my tv, because there is no need every to kill a tv dog). Finally - how did the dog get to Fantasy Island. That's a hot, humid climate for a dog that was breed to hunt and retrieve fowl from cold water. He must be hot all the time there. Did someone bring him there as a pet without regard for what an uncomfortable environment it would be for him?

Honestly, I'm more interested in the dog's backstory than I am anyone else's.

Wasn't there a "new" Fantasy Island show that lasted half a season in the 2000s? Maybe that is canon.

[Gharlane]

On 8/22/2021 at 11:04 PM, mythoughtis said:

So are we to assume that Mr Roark  died less than 10 years ago. Or  was there a Roark in between him and her? 

There was a version with Malcolm McDowell as the host around the turn of the millennium. I haven't seen any indication that they are recognizing it, however.

[ketose]

On 8/25/2021 at 10:56 AM, Gharlane said:

There was a version with Malcolm McDowell as the host around the turn of the millennium. I haven't seen any indication that they are recognizing it, however.

In that version, there was a magical travel agency that popped up out of nowhere and people would find it and end up getting booked, so many of them didn't even know there was a "Fantasy Island." There's also a scene early on where McDowell's Roarke looks at a closet full of white suits with disgust. He wears a black suit during the series.

The 90's series is available for free on Tubi for anyone interested.

[Anela]

I like Dave Annable. I don't mind his wife, either. 

[Crashcourse]

I had never heard of Dave Annabele before this show, so I looked him up and I forgot that he got killed in the first episode of Yellowstone.  So there's that.  Never heard of his wife.  

[Elizzikra]

44 minutes ago, Crashcourse said:

I had never heard of Dave Annabele before this show, so I looked him up and I forgot that he got killed in the first episode of Yellowstone.  So there's that.  Never heard of his wife.  

He was on Parenthood, I think, as sort of the black sheep brother. She's been in a bunch of stuff (and I think maybe she was a model before that) but I remember her from the later seasons of House.

[mythoughtis]

8 hours ago, Elizzikra said:

He was on Parenthood, I think, as sort of the black sheep brother. She's been in a bunch of stuff (and I think maybe she was a model before that) but I remember her from the later seasons of House.

I think you mean Brothers and Sisters.  Dax Shepherd played  the free spirited younger brother on Parenthood  

Edited August 28, 2021 by mythoughtis

[ketose]

12 hours ago, Crashcourse said:

I had never heard of Dave Annabele before this show, so I looked him up and I forgot that he got killed in the first episode of Yellowstone.  So there's that.  Never heard of his wife.  

I saw her on a short-lived UPN series called "South Beach."

[Elizzikra]

14 hours ago, mythoughtis said:

I think you mean Brothers and Sisters.  Dax Shepherd played  the free spirited younger brother on Parenthood  

Right, right. I get my fictional, wealthy, dysfunctional families all mixed up.

[SherriAnt]

On 8/19/2021 at 8:16 PM, chaifan said:

  The only thing missing is Love Boat an hour before this!

And Dukes of Hazzard before that! Fond Friday night sleepover memories!

[Daff]

On 8/19/2021 at 10:16 PM, chaifan said:

Rosalyn Sanchez seems familiar to me, but I checked on IMDB and I didn't really watch anything she was in. 

She has done some Hallmark movies and was a nice, highly watchable change from the usual female leads. She’s sassy, witty, and a joy to watch. 

[Medicine Crow]

Who was the actress that looks like Rosalyn Sanchez that played an alien about to give birth & a reporter was in love with her?  (Sorry for being off topic, but it's driving me nuts!!)

Edited to add:  Did a little digging & it's Morena Baccarin who I first became aware of in "V".  Thanks anyway.

Edited September 12, 2021 by Medicine Crow
Bad memory!!

[sue450]

On 8/25/2021 at 7:30 AM, Wizardpatch said:

Wasn't there a "new" Fantasy Island show that lasted half a season in the 2000s? Maybe that is canon.

yes there was another fantasy island 2002  malcolm mcdowell played mr rourke  lasted 13 episodes  he had 3 assistants...