I have to remove several stars for the horrible "musical" parts (UGH! I hate musicals) that really ruined this episode for me. Why bother with turning this into a musical when you have 2 leads who can't sing and have to be dubbed?! Nonsense!
Dorothy Hamill was unbelievable as the love interest. The silly looking wig they gave her didn't help her case, and I couldn't buy that a guy who looks like Lorenzo Lamas would fall for boring, oh hum her!
This is at least the 3rd time (if not more) that I see Jayne Meadows. She always plays the same affected and overbearing character, an annoying one, but purposefully so, and somehow I'm not totally disliking her, as an actress. She has her charm, but an acquired taste. (At least, it wasn't Carol Lynley, LOL!!)
Lorenzo Lamas did look spectacular in the period costume, but he had lost his charm by the time he was leaving the island. I was like "huh? THAT's the same guy?" Bad hair and a checkered shirt and boring brown blazer meant he completely lost his "hot" quotient at the end. Weird!
The other story involved Tattoo, so that means we get a lot of Mr. Roarke/Tattoo interaction, and that's how I prefer this show, when it doesn't have the "horror" element. So which story did I like best? It isn't that one was more remarkable than the other, it's that the musical moments really aggravated me, and there were many, where I should have FFWD'd to make the torture stop. (I can't believe there's people who actually PAY to go see such racket! You couldn't pay me any amount of money to get me to get dressed, get off my rear and have my ears broken by these cat "stepped on tail" screeches for a couple of hours!) Fingernails on a blackboard, folks! UGH!!
So the Tattoo story, I saw right away that it would be Tattoo, the winner. But, here again, we have some nonsense: Mr. Roarke kicks him off the island and only leaves him till "first plane tomorrow morning to leave". Huh? What's he supposed to do so far as packing all his stuff!? Nobody even addressed that! Was Mr. Roarke gonna pull a Bewitched and magically get his entire life belongings and furniture nicely packed and squished into that tiny plane??
Also, here we realize that all this time we've been wondering what Mr. Roarke's first name is, but Tattoo himself doesn't have a last name! (And why is he called "Tattoo" in the first place?! This has never been addressed, either! Writers? Anyone alive went to a fan conference and got answers here?! Fill out the show's Trivia if you know!)
So anyway, we kinda feel upset with Mr. Roarke for wanting to kick Tattoo off the island simply because he's now a millionaire! What sense does that make?! (We'll find out by the end, folks! Still, bah humbug for the time being, and boo to you, Mr. Roarke!)
Highlights of the show: Tattoo eating a formal dinner with golden glassware, plus, once again, the beautiful costumes! Here are the best ones:
David Doyle (whom I've really enjoyed in most of his appearances, particularly the first I saw him in, in his king fantasy) looking like he totally belonged in that 1700s era, with his tricorn cap and beautiful taupe color coat. Perfect colors for him. Kudos to Grady Hunt.
Jayne Meadows looking absolutely spectacular in a pale yellow and floral marquessa gown (with olive green accents) and wig, paired with a gorgeous river of diamonds necklace. A show stopper! Oh, she was happy preening in it, too. A joy to watch her delight!
Lorenzo Lamas looking absolutely handsome in his blue period costume with epaulettes. Very flattering color for him.
Mr. Roarke looking elegant in his first period costume, in shades of brown. Later, he wears a black coat, which was his most flattering color ever. Even Tattoo looks good, later, in a black tux.
One more highlight: Mr. Roarke pulling his slightly arrogant faces, like only him could without making the viewer hate him. It's a mixture of mild arrogance and a lot of mischievous, "pleased with himself" stares and smiles. I never found Ricardo Montalban particularly handsome per se, and his character isn't exactly played as "attractive", but I must say he really really cranks up his charm when he does that. And he does that a lot in this episode. You want to hate him for what he does to Tattoo...and then he's mister charismatic. Maddening... in a good way.
All in all, one boring story ruined by a poorly cast Dorothy Hamill (why couldn't they just have her do some gymnastics or be the skater in that Charlene Tilton part?) and way too much singing, yet redeemed by the presence of both David Doyle and Jayne Meadows as the goofy husband and affected wife (who overacts a bit, but somehow that works for Jayne's charcter roles) and then an unfair story redeemed by the end and sprinkled with tons of Mr. Roarke charm.
Once again, you just want to hate him because of what he does to Tattoo, but then he whips out the charm and you cross your arms and turn your back (figuratively speaking) because you "ain't speaking to him anymore" but then it was all for a good cause and you can't help but love your Mr. Roarke all over again. AH!!! This reminds me of why I watch this show: it's not for the idiot storylines, the dumb fantasies, or the annoying repeat actors, but it's first and foremost for Ricardo Montalban and his impish and self satisfied portrayal of Mr. Roarke! That, definitely keeps me coming back for more, and I watch also for Tattoo's silly antics, and for their awesome friendship. THAT is what made this show truly worth watching, along with a few hidden elements...
Sidebar: why weren't the (Charlie's) Angels cast, except for Tanya Roberts? Would have loved to see Jaclyn Smith in an episode, as well as the other ladies. What a pity!
This would be an 8/10 if it weren't for the dreadful singing (what a racket!!) but I've recently enjoyed a few stories more than this one, so I'm giving it a 7/10 and I do recommend this one, for its many, aforementioned, enjoyable moments.
Dorothy Hamill was unbelievable as the love interest. The silly looking wig they gave her didn't help her case, and I couldn't buy that a guy who looks like Lorenzo Lamas would fall for boring, oh hum her!
This is at least the 3rd time (if not more) that I see Jayne Meadows. She always plays the same affected and overbearing character, an annoying one, but purposefully so, and somehow I'm not totally disliking her, as an actress. She has her charm, but an acquired taste. (At least, it wasn't Carol Lynley, LOL!!)
Lorenzo Lamas did look spectacular in the period costume, but he had lost his charm by the time he was leaving the island. I was like "huh? THAT's the same guy?" Bad hair and a checkered shirt and boring brown blazer meant he completely lost his "hot" quotient at the end. Weird!
The other story involved Tattoo, so that means we get a lot of Mr. Roarke/Tattoo interaction, and that's how I prefer this show, when it doesn't have the "horror" element. So which story did I like best? It isn't that one was more remarkable than the other, it's that the musical moments really aggravated me, and there were many, where I should have FFWD'd to make the torture stop. (I can't believe there's people who actually PAY to go see such racket! You couldn't pay me any amount of money to get me to get dressed, get off my rear and have my ears broken by these cat "stepped on tail" screeches for a couple of hours!) Fingernails on a blackboard, folks! UGH!!
So the Tattoo story, I saw right away that it would be Tattoo, the winner. But, here again, we have some nonsense: Mr. Roarke kicks him off the island and only leaves him till "first plane tomorrow morning to leave". Huh? What's he supposed to do so far as packing all his stuff!? Nobody even addressed that! Was Mr. Roarke gonna pull a Bewitched and magically get his entire life belongings and furniture nicely packed and squished into that tiny plane??
Also, here we realize that all this time we've been wondering what Mr. Roarke's first name is, but Tattoo himself doesn't have a last name! (And why is he called "Tattoo" in the first place?! This has never been addressed, either! Writers? Anyone alive went to a fan conference and got answers here?! Fill out the show's Trivia if you know!)
So anyway, we kinda feel upset with Mr. Roarke for wanting to kick Tattoo off the island simply because he's now a millionaire! What sense does that make?! (We'll find out by the end, folks! Still, bah humbug for the time being, and boo to you, Mr. Roarke!)
Highlights of the show: Tattoo eating a formal dinner with golden glassware, plus, once again, the beautiful costumes! Here are the best ones:
David Doyle (whom I've really enjoyed in most of his appearances, particularly the first I saw him in, in his king fantasy) looking like he totally belonged in that 1700s era, with his tricorn cap and beautiful taupe color coat. Perfect colors for him. Kudos to Grady Hunt.
Jayne Meadows looking absolutely spectacular in a pale yellow and floral marquessa gown (with olive green accents) and wig, paired with a gorgeous river of diamonds necklace. A show stopper! Oh, she was happy preening in it, too. A joy to watch her delight!
Lorenzo Lamas looking absolutely handsome in his blue period costume with epaulettes. Very flattering color for him.
Mr. Roarke looking elegant in his first period costume, in shades of brown. Later, he wears a black coat, which was his most flattering color ever. Even Tattoo looks good, later, in a black tux.
One more highlight: Mr. Roarke pulling his slightly arrogant faces, like only him could without making the viewer hate him. It's a mixture of mild arrogance and a lot of mischievous, "pleased with himself" stares and smiles. I never found Ricardo Montalban particularly handsome per se, and his character isn't exactly played as "attractive", but I must say he really really cranks up his charm when he does that. And he does that a lot in this episode. You want to hate him for what he does to Tattoo...and then he's mister charismatic. Maddening... in a good way.
All in all, one boring story ruined by a poorly cast Dorothy Hamill (why couldn't they just have her do some gymnastics or be the skater in that Charlene Tilton part?) and way too much singing, yet redeemed by the presence of both David Doyle and Jayne Meadows as the goofy husband and affected wife (who overacts a bit, but somehow that works for Jayne's charcter roles) and then an unfair story redeemed by the end and sprinkled with tons of Mr. Roarke charm.
Once again, you just want to hate him because of what he does to Tattoo, but then he whips out the charm and you cross your arms and turn your back (figuratively speaking) because you "ain't speaking to him anymore" but then it was all for a good cause and you can't help but love your Mr. Roarke all over again. AH!!! This reminds me of why I watch this show: it's not for the idiot storylines, the dumb fantasies, or the annoying repeat actors, but it's first and foremost for Ricardo Montalban and his impish and self satisfied portrayal of Mr. Roarke! That, definitely keeps me coming back for more, and I watch also for Tattoo's silly antics, and for their awesome friendship. THAT is what made this show truly worth watching, along with a few hidden elements...
Sidebar: why weren't the (Charlie's) Angels cast, except for Tanya Roberts? Would have loved to see Jaclyn Smith in an episode, as well as the other ladies. What a pity!
This would be an 8/10 if it weren't for the dreadful singing (what a racket!!) but I've recently enjoyed a few stories more than this one, so I'm giving it a 7/10 and I do recommend this one, for its many, aforementioned, enjoyable moments.