Seer Gilligan

Seer Gilligan is the nineteenth episode of the second season of Gilligan's Island. It first aired January 27, 1966.

Synopsis
Gilligan is building a birdhouse when the Skipper comes up looking for the Professor, and he answers the Skipper's questions without him saying a word. Realizing that Gilligan read his mind, the Skipper shows him off to the Professor, Ginger, Mary Ann and Mr. Howell, who are dubious at first until he successfully reads their minds. Howell is determined to find out how Gilligan is doing it, eating everything he eats, but only succeeding in making himself sick. When Ginger talks to Gilligan about his new abilities, he shares some of his sunflower seeds with her, and she starts reading his mind as well. When they reveal the source to the Professor, he claims they're an extremely rare type of plant that became extinct. The Skipper, Ginger, and Mr. Howell separately try to get Gilligan to promise to bring them their own seeds, and by the following morning, everyone has their own batch. While things start smoothly, everyone is soon fighting from reading each others' private thoughts. The Skipper learns Gilligan blames him for being fat, Mrs. Howell discovers how dishonest her husband really is, the girls accuse each other of not pulling enough of their share of the work, and the Professor gets offended by Gilligan not respecting his plans for the seeds. Realizing how much everyone is fighting, Gilligan rushes to destroy and burn the bush, as everyone starts running out of seeds. When the men find him, they are stunned at first, but realize how noble he was being and pat him on the back. That night, Gilligan gets from the Skipper his list of chores for the next day and tells him that it's a good thing he can't read what he's thinking.

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
 * Charles Maxwell as the Radio Announcer (unconfirmed)

Messages

 * "Some things are better left unsaid."
 * Reading minds just leads to discontent.

Highlights

 * Mr. Howell full from Mary-Ann's cooking.
 * Gilligan telling Ginger his father used to beat him at Checkers.

Trivia

 * There is no such thing as seeds that induce telepathy, unless the Professor read about them in a book about myths and legends.
 * Gilligan mentions his Cousin Rudolph and their friends Claude and Freddie who was missing a few teeth.
 * When Mr. Howell and Ginger visit Gilligan in the middle of the night, Gilligan is in the bottom hammock and the Skipper is the top hammock. (Why did they switch hammocks? Isn't explained.)
 * Ginger and the others develop their mind-reading skills very quickly. She has barely tasted them when she shows telepathic skills before the seeds enter her metabolism. It is not revealed how long Gilligan had been eating them before he started having results. Since he has been eating them sometime prior, his abilities might have lasted a while longer before completely dissipating.
 * When Gilligan and the Skipper work on their hut, there's a view of the Girl's Hut behind them, suggesting it's to the right of their hut, placing it where the Howell's Hut would be by the arrangement in Love Me, Love My Skipper and Feed the Kitty.
 * Mr. Howell mentions his Uncle Egbert, who has a pointed head, and Mrs. Howell's brother in this episode.
 * Everyone talks about going back to the bush for more seeds, but Gilligan never actually showed them where it was.
 * The Sundance TV and IFC, airings cut the end of the episode.

Quotes
Ginger: Um, 36... 22... (pauses) 36... Tsk-tsk-tsk... Skipper: Well, Ginger, I was trying to figure out the longitude and latitude of... this island. Gilligan: Oh-no, you weren't, Skipper. You were thinking about Gin- Skipper: Never mind, Gilligan! You try, Professor. Professor: All right, Ginger, read my mind. Ginger: 36-22-36.... Professor: Well, that's just the atomic weight of sodium hydrochloride.
 * Skipper: Oh, never mind, Professor, I'll test her myself! Now Ginger, start reading.

Skipper: I most certainly do!!!
 * Ginger: Mary Ann is under the impression that I've been getting you to do all my work for me. (pauses) So you think so too?! Well, do you know what I think?!