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The Ballad of Gilligan's Island, also known as Somewhere Over the Rerun is the second episode of ALF's second season. It originally aired on September 28, 1987.
Plot[]
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ALF is in the kitchen drilling holes into coconuts and speaking some vaguely Hawaiian gibberish to Willie
This is because he’s preparing himself for a rerun of Gilligan's Island. Willie thinks ALF is developing an obsession with the show, as he recently bought bamboo furniture for the house (which ALF sent back because it wasn't genuine bamboo).
Act One[]
Brian and ALF are both watching said episode of Gilligan's Island when Kate comes in to tell Brian to get ready for bed, and Brian joins ALF in the Gilligan’s Island quote-fest by forcing his way through history’s most tortured “Aye aye.” as he leaves to take his bath. Willie comes in and ALF complains to him that he only has fun when Gilligan’s Island is on. He questions why life in the Tanner house is so boring in comparison, and mentions how their apple pie is so mundane compared to Mary Ann's coconut creme pie. Willie points out that ALF ate four slices of the apple pie, at dinner, but ALF still insists he's bored with it. That night ALF talks to Kate and Willie in bed, boring them with talk about what happened in the last episode of Giligan's Island he saw. They tell him to go to sleep, and that if he does that maybe, they'll build him a little lagoon in the backyard.
That morning, Kate notices that they have no water pressure, and that ALF outside. ALF asks them to come out and see a surprise has, and Willie falls into the lagoon ALF made. Willie furiously demands that ALF fill in the lagoon, and restore the yard to its former state, and refuses to allow him back in the house, until he's finished. That night, ALF agonizingly filling the lagoon in while singing "Sixteen Tons" and Lynn comes out to bring him some lemonade. ALF claims it'll take weeks to fill in the lagoon, even though it only took one night to build it, as this is depressing to him, while building it was fun. He also found a pet turtle that died which Brian buried. As Lynn starts to go back inside, ALF tries to manipulate her into digging for him, by claiming it's fun, but Lynn refuses, and goes back inside. ALF remarks to himself about how Gilligan always fell for it.
Act Two[]
ALF then falls asleep, and has a dream where he actually finds himself on Gilligan's Island. He sees Gilligan and Skipper, who are fishing, with the usual slapstick hi-jinks occurring. The two meet ALF, and invite him to join them, along with Mary Ann and the Professor for lunch, where Mary Ann serves mangoes. ALF learns that Mary Ann no longer makes coconut creme pies due to the castaways' aging and the Professor being concerned about their rising blood sugar levels, and the fact that they were sick of them anyway (and they're growing sick of mangoes as well and that the professor is tired of making dental floss).
ALF also learns that the castaways have become bored and depressed from being stranded from civilization for so long, and from doing the same thing daily for over 23 years, like eating fruit, and the Skipper's stories, and are constantly bickering about everything, including who's at fault for their being stranded, and for how, despite all efforts, they're completely unable to get rescued from the island. Gilligan, in particular, is fed up with being the brunt of Skipper's (and everyone else's) pent-up aggression, and with being called "Little Buddy" when he's in his 40's. ALF tries to make them be their old funny selves, and re-enact some of their former adventures, but they end up turning on him, and putting him to work, filling in their own lagoon, as they plan to build a miniature golf course, for which they do not intend to share with the Howells (who, along with Ginger, are now residing on the other side of the island). To Alf's further dismay, Gilligan won't be duped into doing the work himself anymore.
Through a makeshift TV built by the Professor, (made from bamboo, transistor tubes and a 19-inch picture tube that fell off a cruise ship and washed ashore), the castaways watch their favorite TV show, The Adventures of the Tanner Family, a program about the Tanner family, Gilligan and the castaways pine for a mundane life in suburbia like the Tanners, where they could take warm baths, have a wardrobe of more than one set of clothes, and eat meatloaf with apple pie for dessert. ALF shows up and asks the castaways if he can watch with them. They order him to resume digging, telling him he's now a castaway, like them, forever. ALF declares he doesn't want to be a castaway anymore, as he now realizes Gilligan's Island is only fun in half hour chunks. Through the TV, Willie reminds ALF that he wanted to be on Gilligan's Island where the fun never stops, and he got his wish. ALF begs to come home.
He is then woken by Willie at the Tanner residence, who said ALF was talking in his sleep. ALF says he realizes now that he should grateful for what he has with the Tanners. Willie is pleased with the apology, but still holds ALF responsible for rectifying the damage to the yard, as before. Left alone, ALF grudgingly puts his back into restoring the yard.
Epilogue[]
Later, now welcome back in the house, ALF thanks Kate for cooking a dinner of meatloaf. When Kate says that she has coconut cream pie for dessert, ALF decides to pass. Willie comes home, and is glad the backyard is nice and level. However, Kate and Willie look out the window and see a stagecoach in the yard, they realize ALF has now become a fan of Bonanza ALF says he'll return the stagecoach in the morning.
Background information[]
Production history[]
- Premiere airdate: September 28, 1987
- Production number: 2004
Transcript[]
The transcript for the episode can be found here.
Title Reference[]
"The Ballad of Gilligan's Island" is the title of the theme song to the Gilligan's Island TV series.
Cast[]
- Paul Fusco – ALF (puppeteer, voice)
- Lisa Buckley - ALF (assistant puppeteer)
- Bob Fappiano - ALF (assistant puppeteer)
- Max Wright – Willie Tanner
- Anne Schedeen – Kate Tanner
- Andrea Elson – Lynn Tanner
- Benji Gregory – Brian Tanner
- Bob Denver – Gilligan
- Alan Hale, Jr. – The Skipper
- Dawn Wells – Mary Ann Summers
- Russell Johnson – Professor
Trivia[]
- Jim Backus (who was ailing with Parkinson's disease), Natalie Schafer (who was almost 87 years old, and in declining health), and Tina Louise (who had disassociated herself from the franchise) did not reprise their respective roles of Mr. and Mrs. Howell, and Ginger in ALF's dream. Their absence is explained as them having moved to the other side of the island.
- Another sitcom from the late 80's, Day By Day had an episode with a similar plotline about Sherwood Schartz's other sitcom The Brady Bunch.