| "Nyet, Nyet, Not Yet" | |
|---|---|
| Season 2, Episode 9 | |
| |
| Two Russian Cosmonauts crash land on the island. For once, Gilligan does something right when he switches vodka for water bottles... but as usual he messes everything up as usual! | |
| Basic Info | |
| Air Date: | November 18, 1965 |
| Written By: | Adele T. Strassfield and Bob Riordan |
| Directed By: | Jack Arnold |
| Guest Cast: | Vincent Beck and Danny Klega |
| Episode guide | |
| Previous | Next |
| Agonized Labor | Hi-Fi Gilligan |
Nyet, Nyet, Not Yet is the 45th episode in the series and ninth episode in the second season. It first aired on November 18, 1965.
Synopsis[]
The Castaways discover two Russian Cosmonauts named Igor and Ivan have crashed on the Island. They see their crash as a chance to be rescued, but there's a lot of mistrust between them. The Professor doesn't trust their arrival as random, and Igor and Ivan don't believe their claims of being stranded. Using a ruse, the Professor takes Gilligan to sneak on their craft to use a radio, but Gilligan hangs on a power switch and short-circuits their radio. Although they're caught, the Professor is the only one who can fix the radio so that the Cosmonauts can call for help. Gilligan, meanwhile, overhears them planning on leaving everyone behind after drinks. Without anyone capable of handling the Russian vodka, Gilligan has to sneak aboard and replace one marked bottle of Vodka with water. The men thereby are able to drink the Cosmonauts into submission, and leave them to be disgraced by their countrymen, but the next morning, Gilligan sets his watch to Manila time, and everyone misses the rescue boat. A few days later, the Castaways learn from the radio that the Russian Space Program has relocated their misplaced capsule to the Black Sea to cover-up their accident.
Message[]
- "Trust is a two-way street; mistrust is a dead end."
Highlights[]
- Gilligan comes up with a smart idea for once
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
- Vincent Beck as Igor
- Danny Klega as Ivan
- Charles Maxwell as the Radio Announcer (unconfirmed)
Trivia[]
- When Igor and Ivan first arrive on the island, Ivan makes a statement in Russian, and Igor tells the Professor, Skipper, and Gilligan that Ivan does not speak English. This might be a lie as Ivan can be heard speaking clear and fluent English numerous times later in the episode.
- Vincent Beck (Igor) was American-born (New York), yet appeared more skilled at duplicating a Russian accent than Danny Klega (Ivan), who was born in Czechoslovakia.
- The syndicated version of this episode cuts out the ending where the Skipper and Gilligan hear of the rescue of the Cosmonauts.
- The footage shows the Russian capsule coming down like a falling star when it should have descended on a parachute.
- The tea urn and framed photo of Lenin in the Russian capsule shouldn't have survived traveling into space or even re-entry.
- In a previous episode, the Professor claims he speaks several languages. However, in this episode, it seems Russian is not one of them.
- When the cosmonauts and the Skipper and Gilligan are trying to pull the capsule to the beach, the Russians announce say it must not tip, but they don't secure a line to the top to control the craft.
- Since English is their second language, it's odd that Igor and Ivan plot against the Castaways in English where someone could hear their conversation rather than their native Russian.
- When Gilligan switches out one of the bottles of vodka with water, he spills an awful lot of water on the floor of the capsule. Unless there was already water on the floor, this should have aroused the cosmonauts' suspicion.
- This episode contains a rare occurrence of a plan (switching out the vodka for water) being carried out with Gilligan doing most of the work...and no foul-ups by Gilligan.
- Mrs. Howell asks Ginger and Mary Ann to pack her furs in their suitcase since she doesn't have room in her own. However, she must originally have had enough room in her own luggage to bring them along in the first place. Perhaps she's forgotten how everything was once packed or she's taking home relics from the island as she attempted in The Big Gold Strike.
- When Ginger goes to flirt with Igor at night, Igor greets her with "Khorosho devchonka". This is Russian for "OK, girl."
- The Professor claims he is allergic to alcohol. However, in Man With a Net, he drinks a highly fermented tea made from native berries with no ill effects.
- There is no Russian tradition of switching drinks before a toast.
- The coconut cups actually "clink" when struck, suggesting they are made of something other than coconut. At the outset of the show, the producers considered using real coconuts for drinking cups, but liquid kept seeping through the cups.
- Ivan supposedly passes out while drinking vodka as the Castaways drink water, but a close-up shows he had been drinking from the bottle with the "X" on it which had water in it.
- Mr. Howell mentions his brother-in-law in this episode; he also mentions him in Seer Gilligan.
- According to some press reports, the Russian space agency did allow alcoholic beverages to be taken along with their cosmonauts to keep them "in tone" and neutralize tension.
Quotes[]
- Gilligan "Boy, those falling stars are sure scary at night. I don't mind them during the day but at night when it gets dark."
Skipper "Gilligan, how can you possibly see a falling star during the daytime?"
Gilligan "Easy. Wait till it gets dark."
- Ginger "Tell me, Igor, how long do you think it will be before we're rescued?"
Igor - "If we're lucky, it will take long time."
Ginger "How about that, a Russian wolfhound."
- Mr. Howell - "Gentlemen, I am Thurston Howell III and this, of course, is my wife, Mrs. Thurston Howell III."
Mrs. Howell "Charmed."
Igor - "Capitalist... Exploiter..."
Mr. Howell - "Capitalist? Exploiter? I was wrong, Lovey, they're very friendly."
- Igor - "This calls for celebration."
Ivan - "With what? Coconut milk?"
Igor - "I have for you a big surprise. Hold this."
Ivan - "You bring vodka? On space ship?"
Igor - "Only way to fly!"
- Skipper "Professor, ask them again, they can't keep saying no forever."
Professor "All right. Igor...."
Igor - "Nyet."
Professor "You're wrong, Skipper, they can keep saying no forever."
- Professor "The capsule is gone!"
Skipper "The Russians are gone too!"
Gilligan "And you said nobody would steal them!"