Gilligan Gets Bugged

Gilligan Gets Bugged is the thirteenth episode of the second season of Gilligan's Island. It first aired December 16, 1965.

Synopsis
When the Skipper goes looking for Gilligan, he finds his first mate using bamboo to build a bathtub, and a strange bug on Gilligan's neck. He swats at it, but it bites Gilligan anyway. He goes to the Professor to identify it in his book, The World of Insects, and matches it to the Mantis Khani whose bite is deadly. It seems Gilligan may only have twenty-four hours to live, but to be sure the Skipper needs to check for other symptoms. He has another symptom, aches and pains in the joints, but they were actually caused by Gilligan working on his knees and accidentally smashing his hand with a hammer. Mary Ann and Ginger check on him to see if he has loss of appetite, and are terrified to see him in the would-be bathtub which actually resembles a coffin. Having filled himself up with bananas, Gilligan has no appetite for the coconut cream pie they brought which gets dropped and attracts several ants. The Howells check Gilligan for the last symptom of severe itching, which he has but was actually caused by the ants. With Gilligan seemingly showing all symptoms, they throw a party for him, each of them getting somber and wandering away, but the next day, the Professor learns of an antidote he can make for Gilligan which consists of calcium carbonate from clam shells, cellulose sulfide from mustard plants and ferric nitrate from papaya roots. However, as everyone searches for the ingredients, they each get bitten one by one. They all run back to tell the Professor who has yet to get any of the ingredients for the serum. By now, Gilligan learns he has less time to live than the others, but the Professor soon appears to them with the insect that stung them. Having properly identified it, he reveals its not poisonous at all and no one is dying after all. Later that day as Gilligan takes a bath in his finished tub, he and the Skipper notice the insect that bit him, which flies off, dies in mid-flight and falls dead into the bath tub. The Skipper reveals it is exactly twenty-four hours since it bit Gilligan.

Message

 * "A little learning is a dangerous thing."

Highlights

 * The three symptoms Gilligan unknowingly goes through: aches and pains in the joints, no appetite and itching.
 * Ginger and Mary-Ann crying.
 * The castaways throwing a party for Gilligan.
 * Gilligan yelling "Help!"
 * Gilligan in the bathtub with ships.

Credits
Main Cast
 * Bob Denver as Gilligan
 * Alan Hale, Jr. as The Skipper
 * Jim Backus as Mr. Howell
 * Natalie Schafer as Mrs. Howell
 * Tina Louise as Ginger
 * Dawn Wells as Mary Ann
 * Russell Johnson as The Professor

Guest Cast
 * None

Trivia

 * At the end of the episode, the bug that bit Gilligan dies 24 hours after biting him; this epilogue to the episode is not seen in the syndicated versions of the episode.
 * Gilligan, the Skipper and the Professor are the only characters seen in the first six minutes of the episode.
 * According to the Professor, there are only seven species in the Mantis family. There are actually 2400 species across 430 genera.
 * Gilligan is wearing shorts in the bathtub.

Quotes

 * Ginger - "Ferric Nitrate? Sounds like a good name for a cowboy star."

Professor - "Well, no wonder... you're wearing Mrs. Howell's veil!"
 * Skipper - 'I'm beginning to see spots before my eyes!"


 * Skipper - "Isn't it amazing... here we've survived a shipwreck, hurricanes, head-hunters and now we're being done in by a little bug."


 * Mr. Howell - "I've heard of joiners, but this is ridiculous!"


 * Mr. Howell - "A Howell is never chicken... pheasant, perhaps, but never chicken."