Welcome to Retro Television Reviews, a feature where we review some of our favorite and least favorite shows of the past!  On Tuesdays, I will be reviewing the original Fantasy Island, which ran on ABC from 1977 to 1984.  Unfortunately, the show has been removed from most streaming sites.  Fortunately, I’ve got nearly every episode on my DVR.

This week is another trip to the Island that feel a bit too familiar.

Episode 7.10 “Goin’ On Home/Ambitious Lady”

(Dir by Don Ingalls, originally aired on January 7th, 1984)

Nope.  I’m just not going to do it.  I refuse to spend too much time on this episode.  This episode felt like a rehash of several earlier episodes, all of which worked considerably better and didn’t feature Lawrence hovering in the background.

Billy Joe Pine (Mickey Gilley) is a country-western star who comes to the Island because he wants to be reunited with the family that he left behind when he traveled from the farm to …. Nashville, I guess.  His father (Leif Erickson) forgives him but his younger brother (John Dennis Johnston) is less inclined.  Mickey Gilley was a real-life country western singer and the only reason I know this is because he appeared previously on Fantasy Island as himself.  That episode wasn’t great but it was a masterpiece compared to this one.  “They don’t let you swim in your long johns!” is a line that is uttered at one point and I cringed like I’ve never cringed before.  This whole thing just felt rehashed and tired.

The second fantasy featured fashion designer Bryana Spencer (Mary Ann Mobley) and her husband, Fred Nelson (Ron Ely).  Fred gave up a promising entertainment career so that he could work as the exclusive emcee for Bryana’s fashion shows.  Bryana’s fantasy is for Fred to find the success that he gave up while Fred’s fantasy is for Bryana and him to experience that type of love that they felt for each other before Bryana became successful.  In other words, it’s time for another Fantasy Island fashion show!

Character actor George Wyner (you would recognize him) made me smile as the fashion show’s choreographer but otherwise, this was a pretty boring fantasy.  Mobley and Ely didn’t have much chemistry.  Then again, neither did Roarke and Lawrence.  The entire time I watched this episode, I kept thinking to myself, “Tattoo liked country western music.  Tattoo liked fashion shows.  This could have been a great Tattoo episode!”

This was not a great trip to the Island.