The overarching story of Gilligan's Island, upon reflection, turns out to be surprisingly nihilistic. Sherwood Schwartz's whimsical 1964 sitcom may take place in a cartoon-like universe where no one is truly desperate, hungry, or unclean, but it also takes place in a world where hope cannot thrive. At the beginning of each episode, seven survivors have the chance to escape from the island and return home. They become joyful and hopeful. Then disaster strikes, usually at the hands of the unwitting Gilligan (Bob Denver), and their chance is wasted. The survivors remain imprisoned for another week and their prison terms have essentially been extended. Hope becomes despair again and again, creeping in from day to day in this minute pace, until the last syllable of recorded time.
Sisyphus would relate.
But “Gilligan's Island” balances this despair with an unshakable sense of fantasy. The show's characters could push the boulder up the hill forever, but there were some crazy antics along the way. The seven castaways – played by Denver, Alan Hale Jr., Jim Backus, Natalie Schafer, Tina Louise, Russell Johnson and Dawn Wells – may have lost their temper and hit each other with hats from time to time, but they never became depressed. starvation, murder, or cannibalism (although they would have that in Charlie Kaufman's proposed reboot). They seemed to be doing well on this tropical island. The series started with a solid premise and managed to deliver on that with 98 episodes, four TV movies and two animated spin-off series. In a sea of anguish there were manifestations of joy.
“Pass the Vegetables, Please” (September 26, 1966) has the rare distinction of being the highest-rated episode of “Gilligan's Island” on the Internet Movie Database. It currently boasts a rating of 8.2 out of 10, based on the opinions of 266 users. What makes this episode so great? Probably because of the weird idea involving radioactive vegetables, temporary superpowers, and edible soap.
Pass the vegetables, please
In “Pass the Vegetables, Please”, Gilligan fishes a box of vegetable seeds out of the ocean. Since Mary Ann grew up on a farm, she knows how to grow them, and the castaway is excited at the thought of eating fresh vegetables for the first time in years. Gilligan failed to notice that the seed box had a warning on it stating that the seeds were radioactive. That's why vegetables grow in unexpected ways. Carrots are large and bulbous, corn grows in the shape of a torus, and zucchini is the size of Moo Deng.
Fortunately, the survivors are not poisoned by radioactive vegetables, but are physically strengthened. Gilligan temporarily has super strength, Mary Ann can see for miles, and Mrs. Howell has super energy. However, the radiation is still dangerous, so the Professor finds a way to neutralize it; they are supposed to eat the homemade soap they use on the island. The soap tastes terrible, but they drink it anyway as a concoction. The screen fills with bubbles. Whim! The episode ends with Gilligan taking a liking to soap and blowing explosive bubbles in his sleep.
Looking through the reviews on IMDb, “Gilligan” fans seem to like the casual, light fantasy feel of this episode. It's not about trying to escape, but about finding a solution to a strange non-problem. Nothing appears to be at risk as no one is sick or appears to be in immediate danger. Indeed, it seems quite funny that the survivors should temporarily possess radioactive powers. One user noted that the screen filling with bubbles was likely a reference to “The Lawrence Welk Show,” an extremely boring series that ran for 26 seasons. (Lawrence Welk usually had a bubble machine.)
Since Gilligan's Island was largely a fantasy show anyway – physics and reality are far apart – it should be obvious (?) that one of the best episodes is also one of the more fantastic ones. “Pass the vegetables, please” is funny, and that seems to be its greatest strength.
