User Reviews

Off course by a little more than 18 inches, a spacecraft from the Soviet Union lands in the lagoon. The two cosmonauts are not happy about landing so far off target, but the castaways think they are going to be rescued.

Arguably, this is the most timely of all Gilligan Island episodes as it reveals much about the Cold War effect on the country. Mr. Howell's attitude towards them in particular is reflective on many Americans at the time.

Highlights include Igor's "wolf" tendencies towards Ginger, the Howell's first encounter with the cosmonauts, Gilligan's first attempt to pull the capsule to the shore, the male castaways and the cosmonauts have their separate secret meetings, the suitcase gag with the girls, and finally the switching of water for vodka.

Overall, this is a very entertaining episode that is well paced with two interesting cosmonauts to say the least. However, some of the plot contrivances, particularly in getting the men drunk but not the women so they can leave the island secretly is frankly absurd. But overall, this is a very good episode that reveals much about the Cold War mindset at the time.

Tidbits & Trivia

• Gilligan is disturbed by the Skipper's snoring...after all this time?

• The Soviet craft sure looks much more like an American Gemini spacecraft. Plus, Soviet spacecraft were designed to touchdown on land, not the water. Even so, it appears awfully lightweight when Gilligan pulls on it.

• We see the cosmonauts peer out of their spacecraft at night, yet apparently they do not attempt to leave until the next morning.

• It is rather clever that Ivan does not reveal he speaks English to the castaways.

• Seeing the two cosmonauts celebrating after telling the Professor that they've received a message from the submarine seems a bit backwards in order.

• I wonder what Mrs. Howell added to her luggage that required removing three fur coats?

• Funny that Gilligan doesn't seem to notice that Ivan can speak English when overhearing their plot.

• Why would the Skipper be suspicious that the cosmonauts have weapons? If they did, would they use the weapons to then tie them up?

• The rather bright, jazzy incidental music underneath Gilligan switching the vodka with the water is my favorite of the entire series.

• You can really hear the coconut cups "clink" when they are toasting, indicating that they are definitely not coconuts.

• Maybe they should have followed Gilligan's advice about guarding them.

This has long been one of my favorite Gilligan's Island episodes. It does a wonderful parody of what was then a real, current event: the intense competition of the Space Race, with "US" vs the Russians. One of the best lines, towards the end, is when the Soviet news service, in discussing the capsule that mistakenly landed half the world away from its intended site, claimed that it was "only 18 inches from it's intended target".

One technical problem with the episode (not that GI should be held to a high technicality standard) is the capsule is very American looking. The Soviet capsules of that era not only looked completely different, they landed on dry land, not water. And why was the capsule pink? I'm also curious what the Russian lettering said on the side of the capsule.

One particularly bothersome plot hole in this episode is the ploy to use alcohol (Vodka) to intoxicate the Americans. Then we find out the women aren't included... so what's the use of just intoxicating the men? Then the men excuse themselves one at a time as reasons they can't participate in the drinking party. Next thing we know, they're doing it, albeit with switched bottles.

The suspicious dialog, in Russian (translated with subtitles) adds a delightful dimension of humor to this episode, and also serves as a more serious reminder of just how tense relations with the USSR was in those times.

Just a little over a month after an American lunar probe finds its way to the island, it's the Russian's turn as their capsule hits the lagoon. Nyet is an entry that is more politically interesting than humorous as it shows the frosty relationship between America and the Soviets in the Cold War of the 60's. The episode does have a clever bit here and there, but it's beset with slow pacing and only scattered laughs, and squarely falls into the mediocre pile.

The capsule makes its grand appearance in the cold open. This time Gilligan sights it right away, sparing us his earlier embarrassing obliviousness with the American probe. He and the Skipper see two cosmonauts emerge from the hatch and mistake them for invaders from Mars, but the Professor views them as friendlies who can rescue them. The two cosmonauts, Igor and Ivan, are introduced to all the castaways in scenes that are pretty uneventful, outside of the fun of them instantly rejecting the filthy capitalist Howells.

At first, everyone is polite and cordial, but inevitably their natural distrust of each other grows. In a nice series of cuts, we hear from both sides. The Russians regard the castaways as spies with Gilligan as their ringleader, while the castaways believe they'll become permanent guests of the Kremlin. The cosmonauts promise they'll take the castaways back with them to Moscow in their sub when it comes to extract them the next morning, and the castaways break bread with them.

There is very little action in the first act. Mr. Howell tries to liven up the proceedings with one of his underhanded schemes, one that involves our lead helping to get the cosmonauts sloshed with their own vodka at a farewell toast so the castaways can commandeer the capsule. The 'ringleader' sneaks aboard in a draggy, overlong scene to sabotage the Russian's vodka bottle and replace it with water, which the men will drink instead of the liquor. But he and the Professor are caught red-handed by the cosmonauts.

Are they executed? Nyet. Their punishment is to work on the radio.

The highlight of the second act is supposed to be the toasting sequence, but it's more tense than fun to watch. The cup switching gag is as old as the hills and it works as predicted, so there is no twist. There is a dumb, careless lapse in judgment by the men that explains why they remain shipwrecked week after week. It's followed by a patented Gilligan screw-up. Like most of the episode's humor, Gilligan's timing is a little off, and it's the same old story for the castaways.

COCONOTES;

Vincent Beck and Danny Klega, who play Ivan and Igor respectively, are serviceable but don't leave much of an impression. There is very little personality to either of them, other than the idea that Ivan is more girl-crazy.

Gilligan plugs the Smothers Brothers, a fellow CBS series.

Other than that seductive scene between Ginger and Ivan, the girls have little to do in this one.

Every Howell plan involves Gilligan, for some reason.

Very cool background instrumentals during Gilligan's switching of the bottles.

Yes, Skipper, don't guard the cosmonauts. Just leave everything to chance. He may as well be a Bond villain.