Fantasy Island Season 2 Episode 9 Review: Gwenivere of Glendale
Diana Keng
at
.
There's a quirky balance on Fantasy Island Season 2 Episode 9 between the complicated Island relationships and the guest's relatively simple odyssey of self-discovery.
For Elena, Javier, and Ruby, there is heartbreak bound up with secrets, anger, and misunderstandings. There is no winning for our trio of denizens, but it does reveal another layer of what Elena's duties entail.
Meanwhile, Gwen's crisis of confidence IRL finds its resolution in a cosplay fantasy with the historical accuracy of Ye Olde Renaissance Faire.
Most Island guests are pretty relatable. Even the sillier requests -- like Eli's wish to be a chick magnet -- come from places of vulnerability and insecurity.
For some unexplainable reason, I'm not really able to connect with Gwen's desire to have someone else make all the decisions about her life.
Even after learning about her experience in her first year of med school, I don't get her. She's easily the most self-unaware college student with aspirations in medical science ever represented on television.
From my experience, most med school novices have at least the cursory seeds of megalomania to buoy them through the rigors of doctor training. No offense intended.
It's a generalism based on the fact that the training is a ridiculously arduous gatekeeping, and successful candidates must believe in their abilities first and foremost.
I just… I just don’t know what to do with my life, and I’m tired of thinking about it, and it’s just too much pressure.
Since Gwen proves herself incredibly capable when motivated to help, her lack of confidence in herself feels contrived.
Or she truly doesn't understand how that one professor's judgment has taken up rent-free habitation in her head and is undermining her clarity. And, if that's the case, she isn't cut out to be a doctor.
I know that sounds harsh, but doctors face a lot of ugly truths.
Yes, her professor was a jerk to a first-year student facing a patient with horrific injuries who may potentially die, but he won't be the last professor to be a jerk.
Gwen: I used to think that being a princess would be simpler. I mean I have yet to make any decisions and everything is still wackadoodle.
Lance: Sleeping in the woods seems… not wackadoodle if it keeps you alive.
There's also Gwen's Glendale vocabulary which lends itself to contrasting with her fantasy's vernacular in a very Connecticut-Yankee-in-King-Arthur's-Court sort of application.
Perhaps it's there to demonstrate her youth and lack of life experience.
Perhaps it's meant to convey a freshness of perspective, or it's just meant to be cute.
I'll allow that it's distinctive. Sort of like a bullhorn at a symphony, not as humorous as it is idiosyncratic. At least, it didn't land a laugh for me.
Or maybe it's camouflage. Like Clueless's Cher, Gwen's acronym-laden chatter hides her intelligence and ability and hides it well.
Princesses, they just have to smile and wave and they’re good. I could use a little of that. Also, jewels.
With the obvious exception of Lance -- and seriously? "Lance" and "Gwen"? Ow, that plot frying pan to the head hits hard -- the cast of her princess fantasy characters execute their roles like fairly standard DnD non-player characters (NPCs).
Villainous prince, heavy-handed henchman, devious nurse, loyal handmaiden, and clueless king. They all step up when it's their turn. Roll twenty for irony.
The meatiest element of Gwen's plotline is Elena showing up with some tough love advice.
The more the series develops its canon, the less I envy Elena's job. Of course, there are some great perks, but guiding guests to their better selves looks like a frustrating endeavor.
Elena: How are you faring?
Gwen: My handmaid has been poisoned because someone’s trying to kill me. So, other than that, I’m great.
Elena: Well, you wanted to be a princess.
Gwen: Yes, but I was thinking more like Cinderella. But anyways, high hopes dashed. Story of my life.
We've seen Elena's sterner hostess face a handful of times before, but typically, she's able to let the guests find their way with minimal interference.
Here, we see her literally bar the way for Gwen to escape her panic, confronting her with the source of her insecurity and then telling her to shake it off.
Mind you, since Lance turned out to be another Island guest, it's all a bit of a charade, assuming Lance's fantasy to be a hero didn't have a "May die the hero" clause.
A part of me wishes Gwen could've found her magic feather without the fairy tale pairing off in her happy ending.
For someone hiding out in her mother's house, I'd prefer she learns to recognize her worth without a confidence-boosting boyfriend who plans to turn her into a comic book heroine.
But considering what happens in the other romantic plotlines, I guess we need at least this one in the win column.
Let's deal with the mermaid/siren issue first.
When I floated the theory on Fantasy Island Season 2 Episode 2, I saw Isla's relationship with Ruby as a good thing. Magical creature, meet immortal Island co-host; what could be more perfect for Ruby after breaking up with Gina?
But when Elena cottons onto who Ruby's become entangled with, we learn Isla's folk are not good partners for humans, whether immortal or not.
Elena: Stay away from Ruby.
Isla: You’re just like your great-uncle.
Elena: I certainly hope so.
Isla's reference to the OG series's Roarke reveals that she was once Nyah, a mermaid princess (!) who encountered Mr. Roarke multiple times.
As Nyah was a recurring character on the original series, we can probably expect that Isla will be back.
I'm sorry that Ruby's alone again but more concerned that Elena, once again, does not (cannot?) explain the situation fully.
Will Isla leverage the secret Elena's kept from Ruby to drive a wedge between the hostesses out of vengeance?
So far, Ruby's taking Isla's absence well. It may be a different story in a week or two, though, when she starts to wonder where her undefined relationship partner's gone.
Or will Isla's memory fade as the tune in Ruby's head did? Island magic does funny (not haha) things at times.
Elena and Javier's relationship has already fallen victim to her secret-keeping.
I suspected she'd try to clear the air after Helene returned to her mainland life and wondered how receptive Javier would be after (what appeared to him to be) an abrupt and callous breakup.
Javier: You made a decision about us without allowing me to weigh in.
Elena: I want to explain why.
Javier: No, I don’t want to hear it. Why doesn’t matter.
Elena: Javier.
Javier: Elena, if I let you explain, then I won’t be able to stay mad at you. Being mad is how I’m going to get through this.
Elena: Maybe this is wrong.
Javier: Don’t do that. You made your decision. You hurt me. My decision is to not let you do it again.
His decision to refuse Elena the chance to explain is a genuine response to his hurt and, honestly, a little unexpected on a show with the appearance of frothy escapism.
I can't call it a delightful twist, but I appreciate the authenticity reflected in his pain even while I recognize Elena's despair as she accepts his choice.
As we slide into the final arc of the season, will Elena's emotions become too much to manage? Have her relationships with Ruby and Javier made her vulnerable to the darker aspects of the Island?
We will learn what Segundo imprisoned in the suite at the end of Fantasy Island Season 2 Episode 7? Does it have anything to do with Elena's lost cousin?
Once you've watched Fantasy Island online and responded with your thoughts in our comments section below, cruise on over to our exclusive interview with Javier himself, the charming and thoughtful John Gabriel Rodriquez.
He's got a lot to say about our favorite tropical escape!
Diana Keng was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. She is a lifelong fan of smart sci-fi and fantasy media, an upstanding citizen of the United Federation of Planets, and a supporter of AFC Richmond 'til she dies. Her guilty pleasures include female-led procedurals, old-school sitcoms, and Bluey. She teaches, knits, and dreams big. Follow her on X.
