This is a decent episode- You have to remember that in the mid 60s Space travel was a very big thing. As far as some of the "Mistakes" that the episode has in it; 1) Although trying to send a signal around the curvature of the Earth to Hawaii or such is difficult, direct line-of-sight is easier in some situations(Spacecraft directly above the island). 2) Loss of signal during attempted contact- the space craft traveled far enough around the Earth in orbit that they were too far away for the Professor's system to reach. And C) The spacecraft that landed on the island was NOT the one carrying the astronauts- it was the EMPTY one they were going to rendezvous with- that is why the astronauts were not on board.....Might help to actually watch the whole episode and pay attention!
3 Reviews
Unmanned space capsule lands in the lagoon
kevinolzak13 June 2016
"Splashdown" finds the Professor hoping to communicate with orbiting astronauts as they pass directly over the island, but the attempt at broadcasting a signal fails. Hearing that the astronauts can see Mexico City from the sky inspires an SOS signal lit by Mr. Howell's brandy, only for Gilligan to shift the logs to spell out SOL instead. All seems hopeless until the astronauts' rendezvous capsule splashes down in the lagoon, unmanned and its radio equipment useless. A search for the capsule has the castaways bickering over who gets to go inside, unaware that NASA has decided to blow it up rather than allow it to fall into enemy hands. Another example of how to wring laughs out of a serious situation, with Gilligan's ineptitude for once saving all their lives.
Gilligan's splashdown is a letdown.
Ralphkram28 September 2018
For the first time this season, GI's writing staff returns to the well they drew from far too many times in the second year. They give the castaways yet another close encounter with NASA. This outing starts off fairly well and then gets more uneventful and tedious as it goes along, specifically in the second act. Ultimately, it is as empty as the space capsule that lands on our favorite island.
The castaways learn in the cold open that a spacecraft, Scorpio 6, will orbit the earth. According to the Professor's usual infallible calculations, the craft will pass over their isle on its ninth, sixteenth, and thirty-second orbits. So they have three chances to make contact with the astronaut team of Ryan and Tobias, and somehow get off the island.
Mildly funny is the familiar bit where Gilligan is tapped to deliver the great news to the others and predictably gets their wires crossed. More interesting is the Professor's latest creation, a telegraph powered by four bicycles ridden by castaways. The invention is certainly unique, and the riders get in some good one-liners as they pedal. But when the Professor pushes them to pedal faster, the old gag of speeding up the camera undermines any humor.
Their signal mysteriously vanishes due to plot purposes. Strike one.
The second attempt involves the men spelling out SOS with logs soaked in brandy and lit on fire, a plan not that much different from the fishy shenanigans of Marooned. This time Gilligan spells his letter correctly, but, through a broad sight gag, knocks a log out of place, and bungles the attempt. Strike two.
Writer John Fenton Murray then randomly drops the idea of a third orbit and has the unmanned rendezvous capsule land in the lagoon. His plot similarly runs out of fuel. Yet another Navy task force is sent out to find the capsule. Too much time is wasted on senseless bickering over who will meet the astronauts and operate the capsule. The Skip and Gilligan are tapped to make the launch; they're apparently the most qualified since they've piloted the Minnow so well.
But the others stubbornly won't let it go. The Howells and the girls actually stowaway aboard the capsule, which is not only petty and dumb beyond words, but endangers the rescue attempt, and doesn't lead to any fresh or funny material. The scenes are slow, listless, and predictable, nothing more than padding to give the controllers at NASA time to call off their search and detonate the capsule. The only fun comes at the close when Mr. Howell throws a hissy fit over his lost brandy (and not over this misfire of an episode).
COCONOTES:
Writer Murray dusts off that old joke of Gilligan not knowing what SOS means used in the pilot.
The radio announcer is the legendary Chick Hearn, voice of the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Skip exclaiming each of the stowaways' names aloud belongs in a radio script.
In this one, the girls have both beach blankets and bikinis. Right.
The castaways learn in the cold open that a spacecraft, Scorpio 6, will orbit the earth. According to the Professor's usual infallible calculations, the craft will pass over their isle on its ninth, sixteenth, and thirty-second orbits. So they have three chances to make contact with the astronaut team of Ryan and Tobias, and somehow get off the island.
Mildly funny is the familiar bit where Gilligan is tapped to deliver the great news to the others and predictably gets their wires crossed. More interesting is the Professor's latest creation, a telegraph powered by four bicycles ridden by castaways. The invention is certainly unique, and the riders get in some good one-liners as they pedal. But when the Professor pushes them to pedal faster, the old gag of speeding up the camera undermines any humor.
Their signal mysteriously vanishes due to plot purposes. Strike one.
The second attempt involves the men spelling out SOS with logs soaked in brandy and lit on fire, a plan not that much different from the fishy shenanigans of Marooned. This time Gilligan spells his letter correctly, but, through a broad sight gag, knocks a log out of place, and bungles the attempt. Strike two.
Writer John Fenton Murray then randomly drops the idea of a third orbit and has the unmanned rendezvous capsule land in the lagoon. His plot similarly runs out of fuel. Yet another Navy task force is sent out to find the capsule. Too much time is wasted on senseless bickering over who will meet the astronauts and operate the capsule. The Skip and Gilligan are tapped to make the launch; they're apparently the most qualified since they've piloted the Minnow so well.
But the others stubbornly won't let it go. The Howells and the girls actually stowaway aboard the capsule, which is not only petty and dumb beyond words, but endangers the rescue attempt, and doesn't lead to any fresh or funny material. The scenes are slow, listless, and predictable, nothing more than padding to give the controllers at NASA time to call off their search and detonate the capsule. The only fun comes at the close when Mr. Howell throws a hissy fit over his lost brandy (and not over this misfire of an episode).
COCONOTES:
Writer Murray dusts off that old joke of Gilligan not knowing what SOS means used in the pilot.
The radio announcer is the legendary Chick Hearn, voice of the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Skip exclaiming each of the stowaways' names aloud belongs in a radio script.
In this one, the girls have both beach blankets and bikinis. Right.
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