User Reviews

Nothing particularly great nor bad with this episode. Just some enjoyable viewing from the early years of the series.

It was nice seeing Shelly Fabares during the period between The Donna Reed Show and Coach.

I also appreciated the writer's inside jokes with the Desi Arnaz, Jr. Story including the reunion with Maureen McCormick as well as implying his character was a virgin.

Neither Maureen McCormick nor Shelley Fabares were annoying here, which is a plus. (Usually, I can't stand them! Ref. To Maureen's beauty pageant dreadful episode.) I had no idea that was Desi Arnaz Jr. Till the end! He is a lot less annoying than both his parents, and played his part well. (He was a lot cuter as a toddler, though!) Maureen and his story was cute, and she played that part much better than said later episode.

The Egyptology story was also unremarkable for me, but I enjoyed that it was fast paced enough, had some cool artifacts props, and I really enjoyed the twist with Aki. Pity we didn't get to see Shelley Fabares awake & standing up, in her Cleopatra makeup.

Highlights of the show: Mr. Roarke petting a kitty. (Enough said!) The denouement of Tattoo's contest entering and Mr. Roarke, once again, laughing his head off at the end. (Although sometimes it's forced, it was very well played here!)

Mr. Roarke also got his customary glass of orange juice cocktail with the slice on the rim, and his welcome delivery was again, one of the better ones. The dancer & musical talent was, however, very poor in these first seasons, and instead of a welcome reception, they look rather poor and cheap! (Aaron Spelling? I'm looking atchu, here!) You will notice that Caribbean blue set reused once again, as well as the Vasquez Rocks (later used in the Sasquatch/Cyd Charisse episode) and the lagoon's edge location where Desi & Maureen converse was also used in many episodes, including Bet a Million. This one has its charming moments, but most notably they were Mr. Roarke's.

This is the classic type of episode that has one solid story, and the other one is rather weak. Let's get the silly part out of the way; Desi Arnaz Jr. stars as Barney Hunter, a book store clerk who wants to write a famous book, and supposedly, attract the other sex, although you wouldn't know it because he runs away from all the women, save for Angela(Maureen McCormick a.k.a. Marcia Brady). I didn't feel any serious chemistry between them, and her mother(Gloria DeHaven)warned her about being interested in a man who writes sex books, even though I believe Barney is a virgin, and Angela doesn't believe in premarital sex. How sweet. Nothing of consequence happens here, and the ending is predictable, although I find it odd that one woman's fantasy(both sisters were chasing Barney)is to take a man from her sister, for once, and that man ends up being Barney, who has no interest. I ask why does he want to be famous then? You're better off skipping this story.

The other story is much better and darker, which I like, as it revolves around a professor's(Barry Sullivan)passion to dig up an Egyptian tomb. You should recognize Shelley Fabares, who plays his daughter, and the best part of this segment is the nightmare she has of being mummified while she's still alive, and this occurs on a night with a full moon. There's another cool scene that has the explorers stuck inside a large crypt before being released. The ending wasn't that great, but I always enjoy the sinister angle of this show.