Hey, I wanted to thank you for your work on this one. I thought you did an especially good job with Ginger. It can be really hard to come up with specific ways for her to come in handy in a crisis (ones that have her just being herself, I mean). You did a good job of finding a way that an actresses life experience really could be usefully adapted to a genuine medical crisis (well...they thought it was, so it counts).
I also like the way you helped define the professor by setting him up as a sort of foil to Gilligan. One makes mistakes all the time and finds it to be expected. The other never makes mistakes and feels like a single one would be somehow unforgiveable. The natural way of life for the one is unthinkable to the other and yet they live on the same island as good friends. Maybe not particularly deep, but that's a nice way to illustrate another good cliche: "It takes all kinds to make a world". Thanks again!

Anybody mention Roy and Ginger have great chemistry.

Glad to see Ginger fighting for Gilligan, but I don't like stories with anyone in pain.

Sweet little ficlet you wrote. Keep them coming, please.

Yes, the Professor is only human and can make mistakes like everyone else. Probably less than Gilligan, though. I love this story so far. I really wish they showed this in the episode than the way they left the story. Update soon, please.

That was truly an exciting and suspenseful story. Had me on the edge of my seat.

I reviewed this before quite some time ago from my second account (as Tourmaline Shine), but I read/review/favorite Gilligan's Island fanfiction primarily from this account now, and just felt the need to comment again on how lovely it was upon rereading it. I still love how the Professor and Ginger worked together to save Gilligan and the little "quest" they went on to do so. The magical descriptions and overall keen storytelling have continued to make this a permanent fixture on my favorites list. The fact that it's Professor/Ginger centric doesn't hurt either. ;)

That was great! That was how the episode should have ended! Of course, Gilligan gets blamed and gets punished for it, but Professor doesn't get blamed for leaving it there. Your ending is much better and I love the touch of Professor and Ginger! Good job! :)

Great story! That seemed like something that would actually happen in an episode - everyone was so in-character! Great job!

How have I never read this before! I really enjoyed this piece; especially considering that I too always wondered how Gilligan hadn't been poisoned by the Professor's formula. I think the solution was brilliant as well! I don't believe I ever would have thought of a bio luminescence as the answer but I find it terribly clever and fitting. I love how you've portrayed Ginger as well; just as theatrical as her true show counterpart but also a model in compassion and determination (which I think is often overlooked by some of Gilligian's Island more casual viewership).

My favorite line was this: "Professor felt the cold ashes of his hope begin to smoulder" - and that is because I like the idea of hope being analogous to a fire.

I liked how there were some G/P undertones, but they were not heavy handed. It was also completely in character for the Professor to offer her a hand shake, I would have expected nothing less. This was a rather heart-warming fic and I can't tell you how much I enjoyed it. :D

I was surfing round the sight searching for a good professor-centric story, and happily I was lucky enough to find yours! (:

WOW - this delivered big-time! Sweet! Poor professor, full of crisis, angst, self-doubt, and generally beating himself up. Nice to see some emotion from him! I know he's capable of it, but sometimes the series had him acting a bit too clinical, like a robot, and that never really suited him. In 'Gilligan Gets Bugged', he was almost nonchalant as he ticked off and confirmed the symptoms that spelled Gill's demise! Geeezzz! The poor skipp was beyond fretting, the girls were crying uncontrollably, but there's the prof, eerily calm as he labours on an antidote. Too unemotional for me...

But your story - totally reassuring to see him act like a human being with very human emotions. There are a number of instances on the programme where he's wrong and says so, but how refreshing (not to mention utterly distressing!) to see him completely gutted to the point of emotional collapse. You wrote his anguish so well!

And Ginger! I *adored* her approach to the situation, giving him much needed confidence (not to mention a right good talking to! LOL!)in her own unique theatrical way! :) Her character is so multi-faceted, and I love that chose to reflect that. Pity she didn't get the thanks she wanted! Oh, Roy...!

Completely enjoyed this fab story! Brilliant! Thanks for posting it! :)

I really love these more serious explorations of the characters. The characterization is true to the series but lets us appreciate them as complex people in ways that the series mostly only hinted at.

thank you.. you kept the Professor in character even while making him admit to making a mistake and apologizing to Gilligan.. great story

Ginger moved down the twisting path with sinuous grace, her red hair and gold-trimmed dress gleaming in the smouldering glare of his torch. "And the Lord went before them like a pillar of fire by night," the Professor murmured softly.- Ginger and the Professor are really growing on me. I'm sure there's some Greek tragedy you can compare them to, I just don't know what it is!

"Hold the torch for me, would you?", and then Ginger smiles as at a private joke.

but the wide expanse of water below was anything but still: it danced and sparkled with a thousand neon blue flashes, like a mysterious fire blazing just under the surface, all the way out to the horizon.- I've actually seen this phosphorescence for myself, out on a boat at night. It really is magical.

But more importantly, Gilligan didn't eat real phosphorous, he just ate microscopic life forms that glow! Hooray, hoorah, oh frabjous day, calloo callay! Hooray for Dino Flagellates- give that guy his own show!

And wrapped in a blanket, curled cozily on Mr. Howell's chaise lounge while sipping warm coconut milk from a straw, was Gilligan.- After all that worry, there he is without a care in the world, being royally pampered! Gotta love the luck of the Irish.

The Skipper hit the table like a torpedo, scooping up knife and fork before Mary Ann could even set the tray down.- Awww, the poor guy's been starving for a week!

Roy Hinkley held out his hand in his best boy-scout manner. "Thank you, Ginger."- OH, ROY! You're not supposed to shake her hand! *slap* Get thee to a nunnery. Oh well, at least we know you think about her!

I love in the episodes how Gilligan eats and drinks stuff without checking it first and it's never explained what happened to him afterwards, like in Goodbye old Paint, "mmm, what's this, it's yummy" It's paint thinner! He must have a cast iron stomach.

Face it- eating phosphorous can't be good for you. That's not exactly a healthy glow.

Mr. Howell's barbecue reference was funny. Gilligan probably WOULD be in the mood for a barbecue if you asked him.

"Symptoms of acute or rapid phosphorus poisoning include burning in the throat, pain in the stomach, violent vomiting, coldness, prostration, and either convulsions or stupor. If ingested, there may be extensive damage to the mouth, throat, liver, lungs...dear God..." As he read his voice suddenly slowed as in a nightmare while he dragged a distracted hand through his hair. "...esophagus, nose and stomach. The accepted lethal dose is as little as...oh...oh, dear God."

- So, not good then.

One can only hope that Gilligan's brain hasn't yet received the message from his stomach and there's still time to save him!

"It is." The Professor's voice was inexorable. "It is, because I set a bowl of deadly poison on the table in the midst of Gilligan's food and didn't tell him what it was."- Well, now that you mention it Professor, you DID do that.

Love Ginger's pep-talk, she really goes for the jugular. It's important that the Professor doesn't collapse right now, and she gives it to him straight. Inside that fey actress' body beats the heart of a lioness!