Alf

Somewhere Over The Rerun is the Second Episode of the Second Season of "Alf." It aired on September 28, 1987.

Synopsis
Watching TV, Alf becomes a big fan of "Gilligan's Island" and starts considering it paradise, going as far as to question why life isn't as much fun at home, as it is on the series, much to the annoyance of Willie and Kate. Alf starts turning the Tanner's home into a shrine to the series, but he eventually takes it too far as he digs a huge hole in the back yard and diverts the main water line to his hole to create a lagoon. Willie is livid that Alf would do such a thing and demands that Alf restore his yard to its original state, refusing to let him back into the house until he does so. Later that evening, Lynn gives Alf some lemonade, and Alf tries to use reverse psychology to get her to dig for him (which he claims Gilligan always falls for), but Lynn doesn't buy it.

After working well into the night and making little progress, Alf falls asleep and has a dream where he's now on the island and meets Gilligan, the Skipper, the Professor and Mary Ann. However, becoming one with the Castaways is not turning out to be the fantasy he hopes for as they have become bored and chronically depressed from being away from civilization for over twenty-three years. Gilligan has grown to resent being called "Little Buddy" into his forties, and he really detests being continuously smacked by the Skipper (and occasionally the Professor) with his hat. Mary Ann now only makes healthy meals and fruit for dessert since the Professor commented her coconut cream pies were bad for their blood sugar levels. Gilligan comments they were sick to death of them anyway''. The Castaways continuously bicker about other things too, mainly about being stranded and their inability to get rescued. ''The bickering had gotten so bad that Ginger and the Howells have moved to the other side of the island and are now on non-speaking terms with the others. Disillusioned by their bickering and sour moods, Alf tries to convince the Castaways to be the funny, friendly, wacky characters he's used to seeing on TV, but they turn on him and order him to dig dirt to fill in their lagoon for them to build a miniature golf course, something they don't intend to share with the Howells. Alf attempts to use reverse psychology on Gilligan, to get him to dig instead, but Gilligan no longer falls for it. Later, the castaways tune into a TV show. ALF asks how that is possible, and the Professor explains he made a functional TV from a generator, electrical wiring and a 19-inch tube that fell off a pleasure cruise ship and washed up on shore. It turns out their favorite TV show is "The Tanners" which reminds them of what regular life is all about back in the civilized world. It shows the Tanners acting as a typical family, which ALF thinks is boring. However the castaways pine for a life like theirs, as they would be able to take warm baths, have a wardrobe of more than one set of clothes, and eat meatloaf with apple pie for dessert. Alf now realizes that the show is "only fun in half-hour chunks" as Willie breaks the fourth wall through the Professor's TV and says that ALF got more than he bargained for. ALF begs to be rescued, but Willie says he is stuck with life on the island; "where the fun never stops."

Alf begs to return home just as Willie wakes him up. Alf is now disenchanted by Gilligan's Island and more appreciative of what he has with the Tanners. Willie says this does not get him out of the punishment, but is touched by ALF learning his lesson. ALF then puts his back into restoring the yard.

A few days later, Willie is glad the lagoon is gone, but Lynn remarks how their backyard now looks much like the Ponderosa from Bonanza. Kate groans that ALF has traded latching onto one TV fantasy world for another.

Cast
Main Cast/Gilligan's Island
 * Bob Denver as Gilligan
 * Alan Hale, Jr. as The Skipper
 * Dawn Wells as Mary Ann
 * Russell Johnson as The Professor

Main Cast/Alf
 * Paul Fusco as Gordon "Alf" Schumwey
 * Max Wright as William "Willie" Tanner
 * Anne Schedeen as Kate Tanner
 * Andrea Elson as Lynn Tanner
 * Benji Gregory as Brian Tanner

Guest Cast
 * None

Trivia

 * The Howells and Ginger are not seen in this episode; it's explained that they went to live on the other side of the island. In reality, both Jim Backus and Natalie Schafer were in such ill health and couldn't appear, and Tina Louise had pretty much divorced herself from the show for typecasting her and ruining her career. However, she eventually did change her mind a few years later to appear with her surviving guest stars on an episode of Roseanne.
 * This crossover completely ignores the events of Rescue from Gilligan's Island, The Castaways on Gilligan's Island and The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island which sees the Castaways rescued, disenchanted with civilization then sharing the Island with the outside world.
 * The unshown ending to the episode, where ALF ends his Gilligan's Island obsession only to get a "Bonanza" obsession, may have been a reference to Dusty's Trail, an Old West children's show that also starred Bob Denver.

Quotes
Willie - "It's probably clogged with ALF's hair again. He refuses to vacuum himself before he takes a bath." Kate - "No, it's the faucet. There's no water coming out." Willie - "There's no water here either." ALF - (outside) "Hey, could you turn that off? I'm losing pressure out here."
 * Kate - (comes in the kitchen) "Willie, there's something wrong with the bathtub."

ALF - "It's a surprise." Willie - "He said surprise." Kate - "The dreaded "s" word." Willie - "ALF, what are you..." ALF - "Watch out Willie, it's a little slippery." Willie - "Whoa!" (Willie falls into the lagoon.]
 * Willie - "Say, what exactly are you doing out there?"

(Willie screaming) ALF - "See, it's exciting already." Willie - "How would you like to be buried at sea?"
 * ALF - "Willie's swimming in the lagoon I built. It's just like the one on Gilligan's Island. From now on, life around here will be much more exciting."

Kate - "Just tell us why you did it." ALF - "It was Willie's idea." Willie "What?" ALF - "Don't try to worm your way out of this one. You said we'd build a lagoon." Willie - "I said we'd build a little lagoon. Not the Great Tanner Reef!" ALF "Okay, I misunderstood. I'm sorry. I made a boo-boo." Willie - "A boo-boo? (angrily) I want my yard back the way it was. I want trees I can trim! I want grass I can mow! No water! No hut! And you're going to stay right here until i get it! Have I made my self clear?!" ALF - "What? Are you talking to me?"
 * ALF - "You're not happy about this, are you?"

Gilligan - "Bet I catch a big one." Skipper - (his cap flies off on the end of Gilligan's line) "Gilligan!" Gilligan - "Skipper, what happened to your hat?" Skipper - "You're using it for bait."
 * ALF - "Gilligan's Island? I'm in rerun heaven."

(puts the Skipper's hat on him and water comes out) Skipper - "Gilligan! You idiot!" ALF - (laughing) "You guys are hilarious. Encore, encore, ya!" Skipper - "Who are you?" ALF - "I'm ALF, your biggest fan. I worship the sand you walk on." Skipper - "Where did you come from?" ALF - "Melmac." Gilligan - "Melmac, is that anywhere near Bora Bora?"
 * Gilligan - "I'll get it back to you, Skipper, don't worry."

Skipper - "What others?" ALF - "You know..." Skipper - "Hey, wait a minute. How do you know about all of us?" Gilligan - "Hey, wait a minute. How do you know about all of us?" Skipper - "I just said that, Gilligan." Gilligan - "I thought it sounded familiar."
 * ALF - "Ha! You guys never stop. Hey, where are the others?"

Gilligan - "I get tired of it."
 * ALF - (laughing at Gilligan hit by the Skipper's hat) "Oh, I never get tired of that."

ALF - "It's Mary Ann... And lunch. Two of my favorite things." Gilligan - "Mary Ann, this is ALF. He's from Melmac." Mary Ann - "How come everybody can get to this island, and none of us can ever get off?" Gilligan - "Really? I must have overlooked the pattern."
 * Mary Ann - "Gilligan! Skipper! Oh, lunch is ready. I see we have another visitor."

ALF - "Lunch with the castaways! Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!"
 * Skipper - Let's eat. Come on, ALF!"