FANTASY ISLAND: SUPERFRIENDS (TV)
Summary
One in this series of fantasy dramas, set on a tropical island resort, where the host, Mr. Roarke, helps guests live out their lifelong fantasies.
Fisher receives a woman named Gina Williams at the travel office with a long-standing unrequited attraction towards her friend Doug Strickman, and he proposes that Fantasy Island might allow her to tell him how she really feels about him. He sends a message to Mr. Roarke immediately about their plight. Meanwhile, Harry and Cal get into a dispute with Scotty, the island’s trash collector. Before they can resolve their argument the plane arrives, bearing the island’s latest guests: recently divorced investment banker Louis Burton and his son Max; Mr. Roarke explains that Louis is attempting to find a “quick and easy” means of bonding with Max, who he doesn’t get the chance to see very often. Max is obsessed with the “Dynoman” video game and views the title character as his personal hero. Gina and Doug arrive as well, and Mr. Roarke explains their situation to his staff.
Louis keeps trying to ignore Max in favor of finding a means of communication in order to finalize an important business deal, but his cell phone does not function on the island. Mr. Roarke calls him and tells him to forget about his work for the time being; Louis discovers that he is now wearing Dynoman’s “power ring,” the source of his super-powers, on his finger. While checking in, Doug and Gina meet a woman named Leila who flirts with Doug, much to Gina’s annoyance. Louis asks Max to tell him about Dynoman, and Max explains the superhero’s origin and the nature of his powers, including flight, x-ray vision, and super-strength and speed. Louis demonstrates his newfound super-powers by slicing a tree in half with heat vision, much to Max’s astonishment. Louis claims that he is Dynoman in an attempt to win his affection.
Gina speaks to Mr. Roarke, confused about how to fulfill her fantasy of creating a romantic relationship with Doug. Mr. Roarke believes that the easiest way would be for her to simply tell him how she feels, but Gina believes that Doug is too familiar with her to view her in any sort of romantic sense, and that telling him would jeopardize their friendship. Mr. Roarke decides to aid her by making Doug forget who Gina is, thus allowing him to “meet” her for the first time. Gina takes the opportunity to “introduce” herself to Doug, and he is puzzled at her familiarity with the intimate and precise details of his life. He asks her out to dinner and she accepts. Harry and Cal continue to try to solve the island’s trash problem, although Scotty is the only trash professional they are able to contact. Louis and Max are informed that a meteor is hurtling towards earth, and Max points out that Louis could easily stop it with his super-powers. Loius flies up into space to accomplish just that.
While on her date with Doug, Gina discovers that he has been seeing Leila. Harry petitions Mr. Roarke to grant him the power to make things disappear, but will not divulge the reason why. Mr. Roarke declines his request, as that ability is too “advanced” for him. During the date, Dougl claims that he is a vegan, much to Gina’s surprise. He makes a number of further claims which contradict Gina’s knowledge about him, including that his current profession is that of a lawyer for the FDA. Gina is made uncomfortable with the realization that she can no longer be sure of any of Doug’s characteristics. Louis assumes greater responsibility in his new role as Dynoman, making him just as busy and inattentive towards Max as before. Mr. Roarke communicates with Gina through her television set and she informs him that her date with Doug was “a disaster” since he is a completely different person than before. Mr. Roarke points out that in removing her as an influence on Doug’s life, his personality and traits are fundamentally altered; she encouraged him to drop out of law school and become a photographer, for example. She decides that she can accept this, believing that she need only bring out the characteristics in Doug that she loves in order to be happy with him.
Cal and Harry attempt to dump garbage into the island’s dump but are chased off by Scotty, who says that they require his permission in order to do so. Louis feels dismayed that his new responsibilities as a superhero are keeping him from spending time with Max. Unbeknownst to either of them, Max is being watched by a man with reptilian eyes. Max spends time on the beach alone, and in the evening Mr. Roarke comes out to speak to him. Gina tries to bond with Doug by showing him old Three Stooges films, but he does not appreciate their humor the way she had hoped he would. Her attempts to get to the “real” him backfire and he decides that he no longer wishes to see her. Louis comes back and is greeted by Mr. Roarke, who informs him that Max has been kidnapped by “Rex Raskin,” the arch-nemesis of Dynoman. Louis demands that he be brought back but Mr. Roarke points out that Louis has a long history of abandoning Max, insulting his lack of parental skill. Suddenly Louis finds himself transported to Rex Raskin’s subterranean lair, where Max is being held. He finds Max, who claims that he does not wish to leave. Rex appears and says that Max “belongs” with him.
Gina complains to Mr. Roarke about Doug’s behavior, but he says that can do nothing about it. Mr. Roarke discovers that Cal and Harry have been using a grand hall (disguised as a dilapidated shack) as a dumping ground for the island’s garbage and confronts them about it. He reveals that Scotty performs a number of functions on the island other than trash removal, such as supplying the hotel’s soap, mouthwash, and pillow mints. He chides them for getting on Scotty’s bad side and cajoles them into bagging the large piles of trash. Max refuses to leave with Louis after spending time with Rex; Louis admits that he isn’t a good father but that he loves Max and wants to do right by him even if he has to change his ways. Rex agrees to let Max go if Louis surrenders the Dynoman power ring to him. Louis agrees and Rex puts on the power ring, and he tries to use it to kill Louis. However, Max defeats Rex by hitting the reset button on his game console, somehow causing him to dissolve into nothingness. Louis and Max then find themselves back on the beach, and Max is touched that Louis was willing to give up the ring for him; Louis remarks that he would give up anything for him.
Doug begins a relationship with Leila, claiming that he has never been happier. Before they can leave the island together, Gina confronts Doug and haltingly admits that she loves him, or at least the person that he used to be. She kisses him, and suddenly they find themselves back at the island’s bar several days earlier, but this time Doug has reacquired his previous traits and personality. Gina takes the opportunity to summon her courage and admit her attraction towards him. Mr. Roarke greets Leila, who is actually Ariel in disguise, and commends her on a job well done. Louis takes Max out sailing and decides to pay attention to him instead of his job. Includes commercials.
Details
- NETWORK: ABC
- DATE: October 3, 1998 9:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:00:05
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:54582
- GENRE: Drama, fantasy/science fiction
- SUBJECT HEADING: LGBT Collection; Drama, fantasy/science fiction
- SERIES RUN: ABC - TV series, 1998-1999
- COMMERCIALS:
- TV – Commercials – Advil pain relief
- TV – Commercials – Always feminine pads
- TV – Commercials – Betty Crocker cake mix
- TV – Commercials – Breakfast Mates breakfast cereal
- TV – Commercials – Burger King restaurants
- TV – Commercials – Crest toothpaste
- TV – Commercials – DieHard car batteries
- TV – Commercials – Domino’s pizza
- TV – Commercials – Jeep automobiles
- TV – Commercials – McDonald’s restaurants
- TV – Commercials – National car rental service
- TV – Commercials – Pledge cleaning spray
- TV – Commercials – Pontiac automobiles
- TV – Commercials – Pringles potato chips
- TV – Commercials – Sprint phone service
- TV – Commercials – Telecom phone service
- TV – Commercials – Vicks cough syrup
- TV – Commercials – Wendy’s restaurants
- TV – Commercials – “Holy Man” motion picture
- TV – Promos – “20/20”
- TV – Promos – “Columbo”
- TV – Promos – “Cupid”
- TV – Promos – “Monday Night Football”
- TV – Promos – “Sabrina Goes to Rome”
- TV – Promos – “Spin City”
- TV – Promos – “Sports Night”
- TV – Promos – “The Practice”
CREDITS
- Barry Sonnenfeld … Executive Producer
- Barry Josephson … Executive Producer
- Diane Frolov … Executive Producer
- Andrew Schneider … Executive Producer
- Peter Hume … Supervising Producer
- Randy Anderson … Producer
- John Flynn … Producer
- Rob DesHotel … Co-Producer
- Dean Batali … Co-Producer
- Vivienne Radkoff … Co-Producer
- Joe Deoliviera … Co-Producer
- Paul Gadd … Associate Producer
- Michael Dinner … Consulting Producer, Director
- Gene Levitt … Created by
- Edward Kitsis … Writer
- Adam Horowitz … Writer
- Roger Neil … Music by
- John Ottman … Theme Music by
- Malcolm McDowell … Cast, Mr. Roarke
- Mädchen Amick … Cast, Ariel
- Edward Hibbert … Cast, Harry
- Louis Lombardi … Cast, Cal
- Sylvia Sydney … Cast, Clia
- Fyvush Finkel … Cast, Fischer
- James McDaniel … Cast, Louis
- Michael Buchman Silver … Cast, Doug
- Jascha Washington … Cast, Max
- Max Perlich … Cast, Scotty
- James MacDonald … Cast, Rex Raskin
- Dawn Radenbaugh … Cast, Leila
- Alyssa Milano … Cast, Gina Williams