"Three to Get Ready" is a fanciful idea that suffers from obvious padding. Gilligan discovers a cat's eye piece of quartz that the Skipper insists is the eye of the idol Mentuzar that grants the lucky finder three wishes between now and sundown. While the Professor argues against superstition, Gilligan wishes for a gallon of ice cream, which miraculously washes up in the lagoon. The other castaways are convinced of its authenticity, but with two more wishes to go Gilligan overtaxes his brain trying to come up with something that will please everybody. A spontaneous wish for a gallon of vanilla ice cream also comes true, leaving only one left, which the Skipper insists must be to get the castaways rescued. Just when it's time for number three, Gilligan's pocket hole leads to a dragged out search for the missing eye, eventually found by Ginger just before dusk. The resulting disaster is both fitting and logical, though it took far too long to get there.
4 Reviews
Gilligan meets his idol.
Ralphkram22 August 2017
Warning: Spoilers
The series returns to the supernatural and native spirits in this swift-paced and entertaining episode. It's close to being a classic; only some silly second act padding and a lapse in logic keep it from sticking the landing. The episode contains some very good laughs, a zany and likable performance from our lead, and one of the better and funnier endings of the season.
Gilligan is busily digging a bait trap in the cold open when his shovel strikes something-altogether now-valuable. This time it's a little gem. The Skipper recognizes it as the Eye of the Idol. According to native superstition, whoever possesses the gem is entitled to three wishes. Gilligan buys in, but the Professor dismisses it as a worthless cat's eye, and he and the Skip have another one of their science-vs-superstition debates. Our lead brings the squabble to an end when he holds the Idol aloft and wishes for vanilla ice cream. Mary Ann soon dashes over from the lagoon with a gallon of vanilla that just washed ashore, and the fun is underway.
The rest of the castaways believe that our lead possesses the power of the Eye and is the bearer of two more wishes. To add tension, the wishes have to made before sundown, otherwise Gilligan blows his chance. There is the obligatory scene of Mr. Howell copping the Idol from Gilligan, and he and Mrs. Howell try to figure out how it works. To show just where his head is, he wishes for millions of dollars on top of the millions he already owns rather than escaping the island, and hilariously whiffs on all three tries.
He angrily returns the gem to Gilligan and labels him and the Skipper frauds and the Idol a dud. The Skip explains that only the original finder of the gem is able to make any wishes. Mr. Howell scoffs, so our lead innocently shows him by making his second wish, and a gallon of chocolate ice cream appears mysteriously in the lagoon.
Now our lead is down to his final wish with a lot of episode left to go. So writer David Harmon stretches out the making of that wish in none-too-clever ways. Gilligan clumsily misplaces the idol when he discovers a hole in his shoe. The castaways break into pairs to cover the places Gilligan has recently been. There is a mildly funny scene with the Howells at the oyster bed which ends embarrassingly with Mrs. Howell covered in a mountain of oyster shells, and the low point of the episode follows where the Professor acts like a mole.
Sigh.
Anyway, Ginger finds the idol, which Gilligan nearly loses again, and everyone scampers back to the beach. But now the skeptical Professor refuses to participate. Starting with Mary Ann, one-by-one the other castaways splinter off from Gilligan and the Skip to stay behind with him. With sundown fast approaching, the sailors plead with him to reconsider. Eventually, he relents when they promise not to engage in any future silliness, a promise he should know is impossible for them to keep.
Gilligan is finally able to make his third and final wish, which he hilariously bungles, and we get an appropriately funny fade out.
COCONOTES:
It's never revealed just what the castaways think they can catch with the bait trap.
Bob Denver's English accent when he wears the gem as a monocle is chuckle-worthy.
The Skip wants Gilligan to use his second wish on something they could all enjoy. He must've forgot he just had a gallon of vanilla ice cream.
Major plot hole: As has been noted, why does Gilligan have to save his third wish for the rescue? Why doesn't he use the second wish for that and then have the third as a back-up?
Gilligan is busily digging a bait trap in the cold open when his shovel strikes something-altogether now-valuable. This time it's a little gem. The Skipper recognizes it as the Eye of the Idol. According to native superstition, whoever possesses the gem is entitled to three wishes. Gilligan buys in, but the Professor dismisses it as a worthless cat's eye, and he and the Skip have another one of their science-vs-superstition debates. Our lead brings the squabble to an end when he holds the Idol aloft and wishes for vanilla ice cream. Mary Ann soon dashes over from the lagoon with a gallon of vanilla that just washed ashore, and the fun is underway.
The rest of the castaways believe that our lead possesses the power of the Eye and is the bearer of two more wishes. To add tension, the wishes have to made before sundown, otherwise Gilligan blows his chance. There is the obligatory scene of Mr. Howell copping the Idol from Gilligan, and he and Mrs. Howell try to figure out how it works. To show just where his head is, he wishes for millions of dollars on top of the millions he already owns rather than escaping the island, and hilariously whiffs on all three tries.
He angrily returns the gem to Gilligan and labels him and the Skipper frauds and the Idol a dud. The Skip explains that only the original finder of the gem is able to make any wishes. Mr. Howell scoffs, so our lead innocently shows him by making his second wish, and a gallon of chocolate ice cream appears mysteriously in the lagoon.
Now our lead is down to his final wish with a lot of episode left to go. So writer David Harmon stretches out the making of that wish in none-too-clever ways. Gilligan clumsily misplaces the idol when he discovers a hole in his shoe. The castaways break into pairs to cover the places Gilligan has recently been. There is a mildly funny scene with the Howells at the oyster bed which ends embarrassingly with Mrs. Howell covered in a mountain of oyster shells, and the low point of the episode follows where the Professor acts like a mole.
Sigh.
Anyway, Ginger finds the idol, which Gilligan nearly loses again, and everyone scampers back to the beach. But now the skeptical Professor refuses to participate. Starting with Mary Ann, one-by-one the other castaways splinter off from Gilligan and the Skip to stay behind with him. With sundown fast approaching, the sailors plead with him to reconsider. Eventually, he relents when they promise not to engage in any future silliness, a promise he should know is impossible for them to keep.
Gilligan is finally able to make his third and final wish, which he hilariously bungles, and we get an appropriately funny fade out.
COCONOTES:
It's never revealed just what the castaways think they can catch with the bait trap.
Bob Denver's English accent when he wears the gem as a monocle is chuckle-worthy.
The Skip wants Gilligan to use his second wish on something they could all enjoy. He must've forgot he just had a gallon of vanilla ice cream.
Major plot hole: As has been noted, why does Gilligan have to save his third wish for the rescue? Why doesn't he use the second wish for that and then have the third as a back-up?
Gilligan needs to wish for a pair of pants without a hole in the pocket.
mark.waltz14 April 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Lots of filler nonsense in this episode about a piece of courts that Gilligan finds which Skipper is sure has brought him the ability to have three wishes. The first two involve ice cream and the second is supposed to take them off the island and back to civilization. But somehow, Gilligan loses the jewel, and a good percentage of the episode involves everybody (including the cynical professor) searching for it.
Of course there are other distractions, with Ginger trying to get from Gilligan who his favorite movie star is, and not happy with the answer, and Mr. Howell attempting to wish when he gets his hand on the stone. Then there's more distractions when they find the stone again for the third time of people debating whether or not they want to leave and ultimately what happens when Gilligan makes the wish.
The episode is good but not great, although the two large containers ice cream looks tasty. You get to see a bit of the narcissism and greed of some of the characters, as well as varying degrees of Gilligan's stupidity. Everyone does their best to make the situation more amusing than it is, and you wonder why the chunk of Island doesn't sink with two huge containers of ice cream balanced between the seven of them.
Of course there are other distractions, with Ginger trying to get from Gilligan who his favorite movie star is, and not happy with the answer, and Mr. Howell attempting to wish when he gets his hand on the stone. Then there's more distractions when they find the stone again for the third time of people debating whether or not they want to leave and ultimately what happens when Gilligan makes the wish.
The episode is good but not great, although the two large containers ice cream looks tasty. You get to see a bit of the narcissism and greed of some of the characters, as well as varying degrees of Gilligan's stupidity. Everyone does their best to make the situation more amusing than it is, and you wonder why the chunk of Island doesn't sink with two huge containers of ice cream balanced between the seven of them.
Decent Episode...with One Major Flaw in Logic
kmcelhaney00523 July 2013
Warning: Spoilers
Although it can be argued that all Gilligan's Island episodes have at least one flaw in logic, if not many. The problem with this episode is that the flaw wrecks what otherwise might be a minor classic.
While digging a new pit, Gilligan discovers a gem that is "$11 worth of quartz" according to the Professor. But the Skipper instantly recognizes it as the fabled "Eye of the Idol", a legendary gem that will grant the finder three wishes before sundown. Naturally, the Professor is skeptical, but when Gilligan's first wish for a gallon of ice cream washes ashore, then rest of the castaways prepare to leave the island.
The central flaw in logic with this episode is that Gilligan should immediately wish that they were "off the island" or "rescued". After all, why wait? Instead, the plot has us needlessly waiting for Gilligan to make his final wish and as a result we are dragged along as Gilligan loses the Eye...twice.
This is one of those episodes that might have been an instant classic of greed, much like the "Gold" episode. But the fatal mistake of logic casts this into the "what could have been" pile. Still, there are a number of nice touches and a few chuckles to make this episode okay.
While digging a new pit, Gilligan discovers a gem that is "$11 worth of quartz" according to the Professor. But the Skipper instantly recognizes it as the fabled "Eye of the Idol", a legendary gem that will grant the finder three wishes before sundown. Naturally, the Professor is skeptical, but when Gilligan's first wish for a gallon of ice cream washes ashore, then rest of the castaways prepare to leave the island.
The central flaw in logic with this episode is that Gilligan should immediately wish that they were "off the island" or "rescued". After all, why wait? Instead, the plot has us needlessly waiting for Gilligan to make his final wish and as a result we are dragged along as Gilligan loses the Eye...twice.
This is one of those episodes that might have been an instant classic of greed, much like the "Gold" episode. But the fatal mistake of logic casts this into the "what could have been" pile. Still, there are a number of nice touches and a few chuckles to make this episode okay.
- The instant recognition of the "Eye" by the Skipper is somewhat odd, especially considering that according to him, the "Eye" had been lost for thousands of years. It would have been better for the Skipper to not have come to that conclusion until a little later, perhaps having Gilligan "accidentally" wishing for something that came true and then making the realization.
- It's a little funny that no one questioned the Professor's explanation for the gallon of ice cream. While a passing plane or ship may have dropped it, the ice cream would have been fully melted by the time it reached the island.
- Admittedly, the execution of the final "wish" is very good. Kudoos to the writer and props department for a logical conclusion that makes perfect sense.
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