It's not always a good idea to meet your heroes. On Fantasy Island Season 2 Episode 12, guest Courtney not only met hers, but she's also chosen to work for her, and after two years, that hero still doesn't know her name.

Not so heroic, in my mind, but hero worship can blind one to hard truths -- as can love.

Isla's influence on Ruby is horrifying, effectively washing her brain clean of her memories of life before the Island. Will Elena's last-ditch effort to pull Ruby back from the brink work?

It's always fascinating to see how The Monkey's Paw the Island can get with the guests' fantasies.

In Courtney's case, she literally asks that Julia learn her name and recognize her for her value.

All that comes true except that once Julia recognizes the value of Courtney's idea, she fires her so she can steal it.

What Courtney really wishes for is to be the Julia-type business person she studied in school. She wants to be a part of a company that gives back to the world and builds the future she wants for her daughter.

Julia: You are an idealist, Courtney.
Courtney: So are you.
Julia: No. I’m a pragmatist. Ultimately, my top priority is shareholder value. Seed & Spear is a high-end lifestyle brand. It’s not a save-the-world, feed-the-people brand.
Courtney: It could be both.
Julia: But it won’t be.

• Permalink: But it won’t be.

Julia's duplicitous nature is subtle even when Courtney starts taking the mind-reading caramels. Her thoughts are full of insecurities which initially are relatable.

The real tip-off for me was her thinking, "That's so sad," about Courtney's Christmas story rather than reflecting on Courtney's resilience as a single mother. Instead of seeing the experience as inspiring or motivational, she had a cold and distanced judgment of the situation.

Meanwhile, there are clever little moments that hint at Leo's more ethical nature.

On multiple occasions, he speaks his thoughts aloud, verbatim, in contrast to others, thinking one thing and saying another.

Courtney: Mr. Campos, almost time for the fire walk.
Leo: Yes, nothing shows more respect for employees than making them trudge across burning hot coals.

• Permalink: Yes, nothing shows more respect for employees than making them trudge across burning hot coals.

Of course, his condescending snark is purposefully off-putting to paint him as another of the corporate nasties Courtney has to contend with.

With Disney's The Lion King's Scar's accent, the over-tailored clothes, and the laconic posture, he is almost too perfectly the picture of a villainous antagonist. That probably should've telegraphed his heroic underpinnings to the observant viewer.

This might be a frivolous question, but his fall from grace obviously loses him his seat on the corporate jet -- where on the Island does that land? -- but why does his wardrobe change too? Was that company property, or was it part of his role as Julia's right-hand guy to dress the part of intimidating goon to her Earth Child warmth?

Courtney's limited perspective on her own strengths, leaning heavily on her 17-year-old to bolster her spirits, is a product of a life externalizing her wants.

It's good to keep your eye on the prize, but there's also a time and place to value yourself.

We had nothing, but you gave me everything. It was magic.

Alexis

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Alexis is an excellent touchstone for grounding Courtney from losing herself to the ocean of anxiety she chooses to swim in.

Elena taps into this and helps Courtney take hold of life after Julia fires her by having her take her own advice.

Sometimes the wrong door has to close so we can move through the right one.

Elena

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Striking the gong is a beautifully appropriate metaphor for waking up to the realities of Julia and her "vision" behind Seed & Spear. While Mason and some of the other lackeys continue to drink the poison punch, many look like they've realized their empress has no clothes.

Elena's involvement in Courtney's fantasy is complex here, and I appreciated how the caramels prove pivotal to the Ruby plotline, woven into Javier's activities as a comical element, only to trigger some powerful honesty as a side-effect.

So much of Isla's power draws on the mythology of not only mermaids but also the Sirens and the Lotus-Eaters.

Her call, the music that pushes out Ruby's memories, is the draw, promising her love in her time of loneliness. Sirens lured sailors to their deaths, stealing their lives.

Ruby's surrender and ability to shrug off the odd absence of history is a testament to the powerful, addictive sensation of Isla's allure. The Lotus-Eaters lived off hedonistic pleasure with no thought for others, friends, or family.

In losing her memories, she does away with the pain of losing Mel and her life with her children, but she forgets there's a lifetime of good memories being thrown out too.

And Isla would probably argue that it can't be a genuine loss if you can't remember losing it in the first place.

A shark doesn’t always bite, but it is always a shark.

Segundo

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Something the writers have done imperceptively but well is building the community of the Island.

Where the OG had Roarke and Tattoo, we have Javier and Segundo supporting Ruby and Elena, and I can't imagine this world without them.

We may only see Segundo occasionally, but he is a bedrock of wisdom and joy that buoys all around him.

There's a sense that Elena's learned from him as she's grown into her role as Island host.

Furthermore, the fact Isla remembers him and he was old when she, an immortal mermaid, was young means he's probably more than he seems to be as well.

Will Ruby's daughter be enough to sound the gong on Isla's magical hold over Ruby?

Daughters and mothers have potent bonds.

Ruby was in her seventies when she came to the Island on Fantasy Island Season 1 Episode 1. Her daughter is probably in her fifties. I'm curious who they'll cast in the role.

Will learning that her mother's living a second youth on an enchanted island, falling in love with mermaids, and about to purge her entire lifetime of memories for a pink tailfin give Ruby's daughter pause?

Will she reawaken her mother's memories? Tie her to her past? Or will she give Ruby and Isla her blessing?

Remember to watch Fantasy Island online, then head back here to let us know how you think the finale will play out!

Meet us at the dock, Fanatics! The Island is calling!

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.