Lost Update – Gilligans Island Comparison

Season III
Lost Update 01/03/2007

Tonight’s Lost update is a comparison of the current ABC hit series Lost and the old 1960’s half hour sitcom, Gilligan’s Island. As most of us all know, Gilligan’s Island was about a tour boat taking passengers out on a three hour cruise. The weather got rough, the boat was knocked way of course, and shipwrecked on a deserted island out in the middle of nowhere. Ahh, you see where I’m going with this.
First things first. Please take a moment to read the theme lyrics to the Gilligan’s Island opening credits. You will notice several similarities to the cast of Lost and also the fate of both shows.

Just sit right back and you’ll hear a tale,
a tale of a fateful trip.
That started from this tropic port,
aboard this tiny ship.
The mate was a mighty sailing man,
the skipper brave and sure.
Five passengers set sail that day,
for a three hour tour, a three hour tour.
The weather started getting rough,
the tiny ship was tossed.
If not for the courage of the fearless crew,
the Minnow would be lost, the Minnow would be lost.
The ship set ground on the shore of this uncharted desert isle,
with Gilligan, the Skipper too,
the Millionaire, and his Wife,
the Movie Star, the Professor and Mary Ann,
Here on Gilligan’s Isle.

Using the lyrics of the theme song, we notice that both Gilligan and Lost are about a fateful trip. Both the Gilligan boat and the Lost plane were routine charters. Both the boat and plane encountered rough weather causing both to shipwreck and crash land. Both the Gilligan boat and the Lost plane were blown off course miles away from where they should be. Both the Gilligan and the Lost castaways wound up on a deserted island.

Want more? Of course there’s more. Let’s compare and size up the Gilligan and Lost cast:
Gilligan, the first mate: Charlie the rock star fits Gilligan. Charlie is always the second, never in command, feels worthless at times, just like Gilligan did. Sawyer is also a candidate for Gilligan, a main character. Sawyer is always out on his own, like Gilligan, scouring the jungle and beach for things. Both found some strange things in the jungle.

The skipper Jonas Grunby: We have two candidates for the Skipper. We have Jack the doctor and John Locke, the knife wielding outdoorsman. From moment one after the crash, Jack was taking charge, directing the survivors, helping them, and taking charge. Just as the Skipper did on Gilligan’s Island. John Locke on the other hand, took a little time to assert his authority. Now that Jack is gone, Locke is the new leader.

The Millionaire Thurston Howell III: Well, it can only be Hurley. Yes, that’s right! Hurley! Remember, he won the lottery, like 300 million dollars. He qualifies as a multimillionaire.

And his wife, Lovee Howell: Well, what about Libby as the wife? She was after all getting cuddly with Hurley, Right before she died.

The Movie Star Ginger Grant: I think Shannon fits the mold quite nicely here. Like Ginger, Shannon is a beautiful girl, very pampered, and is the eye candy for the show. Just like Ginger Grant.

The Professor Roy Hinckly: Two candidates here. One is Michael. He constructed a boat, not out of coconuts, but also knows more worldly things. The second candidate is of course Sayid. He is an electronics genius and fixed the radio.

Mary Ann Summers: That would be Kate. A down home on the farm type of girl, with great looks but an undiscovered underneath side no one knows about.

And there’s still more coincidences. The radio in both shows for one. Ever notice that both radio’s when they need it the most, goes on the fritz?

Or that both try to build a raft to sail to freedom but both sink and they wind up back on the island.

Or that both found a perfectly seaworthy boat and when they were ready to sail away, somehow, the boats were gone.

Or that strange things happened on both islands to both sets of castaways. Space capsule falling on Gilligan’s Island, Jet pack on the Island, a lion on a raft, Wrongway Feldman. For Lost, just about everything but some examples are the black smoke monster, a polar bear, the French woman, the Others, Henry Gale.

Or that both met some strange people, and some of them were dangerous people who tried to hurt them. Gilligan’s island castaways met wild natives, The Mosquito’s rock band, The Thurston Howell impostor, the crazy doctor

Both sets of castaways were shrouded in conspiracy and murder. The Gilligan’s castaways were accused of murdering Mr. Blake with a spear gun. The Lost castaways all have a terrible secret in their past.

And last, on Gilligan’s Island, A mad scientist and his faithful companion lands on the island. He invites them to his island where a bigger boat will take them to safety. Upon arrival to the mad scientists island, he locks the castaways in his castle, and begins to perform strange experiments on them. The mad scientist switched the conscious and bodies of the castaways with the scientists mind swapping machine.

I lied. Just one more coincidence. This mad scientist episode is the only one in which the Castaways actually leave the island, but when they return in the boat stolen by the mad scientist to gather some personal belongings before they sail back to Hawaii, the boat sinks. And, Sawyer is taken off the island as well to show him that there is no where to run, no where to hide.

And you think my Lost theory is crazy. A 2007 refresher synopsis. Although it appears the survivors of Oceanic flight 815 are on a tropical island, they are being deceived. There is no island. It’s a virtual reality laboratory. All the characters are interconnected to one another sharing each others thoughts, memories, and feelings. While in this virtual reality laboratory, a battery of physical and mental experiments are performed on them. And who is behind all this other than the mysterious government men? Aliens of course.

So this is the tale of our castaways,
they’re here for a long, long time.
They’ll have to make the best of things,
it’s an uphill climb.
The first mate and his skipper too,
will do their very best,
to make the others comfortable,
in their tropic island nest.
No phone, no light, no motor car,
not a single luxury.
Like Robinson Ca-ru-soe,
it’s primitive as can be.
So join us here each week my friend,
you’re sure to get a smile.
From seven stranded Castaways,
Here on Gilligan’s Isle.

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LURKING, MARYANN WAS HOT, ON THE GRASSY KNOLL