We open with another Gruber plot-selling some an island, or part of one, to Chief Urulu to be divided into lots with fine homes to be built for buyers. Binghamton shows up, in disguise, and pretends to purchase a lot, only to be able to arrest Gruber & Co. for selling military land, etc.
In foiling the scheme, Binghamton seems to go out of his way to insult Urulu, and we soon learn why. They wanted him to again be Urulu's enemy, because the phone is about to ring at Binghamton's office, another call from this week's admiral, Rogers (He seems to almost alternate with Admiral Reynolds) with orders to buy a needed island from a native chief-of course, Urulu.
So Binghamton has to drop the charges against the crew to get McHale to work with him to buy the island. They spend half the episode entertaining Urulu, letting him pilot the PT-73, giving him a nice banquet, and more. When they finally tell Urulu what they want, he says he'll be happy to sell it to the Navy-for $350,000. Binghamton physically attacks Urulu, driving his price up to half a million.
McHale now needs to make Urulu think the island is worthless so he'll sell it to him for a song. They try a fake radio transmission using Fuji to make Urulu think his island is about to be taken over by the Japanese, but Mr. Parker foils that when he wanders in on Fuji while he is still broadcasting from a nearby hut. Next, the men use drums, smoke, and TNT to make him think there is an active volcano on the island-which Urulu had trouble believing because there isn't even a hill on this small, flat island. Just when they have him convinced, the plan gets foiled again. Without giving away details, a third attempt gets Urulu dropping his price to a couple of hundred, but then it goes way up again before he can sign the agreement.
All of this back-and-forth could have been more amusing if not for the fact that much of the problems came from Binghamton as he is almost constantly losing his cool and attacking Urulu. It's like he cannot remember for two minutes that he needs to get Urulu to like him enough to make a deal. This was a rare episode when Binghamton was much dumber than Parker usually is. If he hadn't needlessly insulted Urulu in the first place-and previous episodes have showed him being ordered to be on good relations with the natives for various Navy needs-the island could have been purchased cheaply and the episode would have been over before it was 8 minutes old.
Jacques Aubuchon added most of the good lines to what there were in this episode. I liked it when he was lying in Binghamton's bed in his quarters, with Binghamton on the far side, wanting him to get out, when the phone rang. Urulu picked up the phone saying, "This Navy, who you?"
I also thought it illogical for Gruber or the chief to think they could make much money, selling plots for resort homes on islands in the middle of a war zone. Who would they reach who might buy such a plot? Sailors and soldiers stationed far from home, knowing they might move out with their units anytime as the war progressed? Native islanders who have no real money to speak of?
Just cannot justify giving this one more than a 4.
In foiling the scheme, Binghamton seems to go out of his way to insult Urulu, and we soon learn why. They wanted him to again be Urulu's enemy, because the phone is about to ring at Binghamton's office, another call from this week's admiral, Rogers (He seems to almost alternate with Admiral Reynolds) with orders to buy a needed island from a native chief-of course, Urulu.
So Binghamton has to drop the charges against the crew to get McHale to work with him to buy the island. They spend half the episode entertaining Urulu, letting him pilot the PT-73, giving him a nice banquet, and more. When they finally tell Urulu what they want, he says he'll be happy to sell it to the Navy-for $350,000. Binghamton physically attacks Urulu, driving his price up to half a million.
McHale now needs to make Urulu think the island is worthless so he'll sell it to him for a song. They try a fake radio transmission using Fuji to make Urulu think his island is about to be taken over by the Japanese, but Mr. Parker foils that when he wanders in on Fuji while he is still broadcasting from a nearby hut. Next, the men use drums, smoke, and TNT to make him think there is an active volcano on the island-which Urulu had trouble believing because there isn't even a hill on this small, flat island. Just when they have him convinced, the plan gets foiled again. Without giving away details, a third attempt gets Urulu dropping his price to a couple of hundred, but then it goes way up again before he can sign the agreement.
All of this back-and-forth could have been more amusing if not for the fact that much of the problems came from Binghamton as he is almost constantly losing his cool and attacking Urulu. It's like he cannot remember for two minutes that he needs to get Urulu to like him enough to make a deal. This was a rare episode when Binghamton was much dumber than Parker usually is. If he hadn't needlessly insulted Urulu in the first place-and previous episodes have showed him being ordered to be on good relations with the natives for various Navy needs-the island could have been purchased cheaply and the episode would have been over before it was 8 minutes old.
Jacques Aubuchon added most of the good lines to what there were in this episode. I liked it when he was lying in Binghamton's bed in his quarters, with Binghamton on the far side, wanting him to get out, when the phone rang. Urulu picked up the phone saying, "This Navy, who you?"
I also thought it illogical for Gruber or the chief to think they could make much money, selling plots for resort homes on islands in the middle of a war zone. Who would they reach who might buy such a plot? Sailors and soldiers stationed far from home, knowing they might move out with their units anytime as the war progressed? Native islanders who have no real money to speak of?
Just cannot justify giving this one more than a 4.
