# MaryAnne, Gilligan when come back, bring pie **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** tv-shows-scripted, food-cooking\ **Created:** [April 13, 2026, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maryanne-gilligan-when-come-back-bring-pie/1029234 "2026-04-13T02:04:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2026, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maryanne-gilligan-when-come-back-bring-pie/1029234/41 "2026-04-16T18:07:22Z")
Earlier in the scene, Bob says “There were chicks, but you couldn’t touch them.” In defense of Roy, he did try to patch the boat up in the first few episodes. Unfortunately, the glue he concocted turned out to be no good. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2026, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maryanne-gilligan-when-come-back-bring-pie/1029234/42 "2026-04-16T19:20:36Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > In defense of Roy, he did try to patch the boat up in the first few episodes. It’s been a while, so my memory is not so good. Didn’t a typhoon come along and sweep the Minnow out to sea? Which is why it never became an issue, a monument to the Professor’s failure, after a while? ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2026, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maryanne-gilligan-when-come-back-bring-pie/1029234/43 "2026-04-16T19:33:25Z")
There was an early episode where Gilligan tried to make pancake syrup, but it turned out to be incredibly sticky. They used it as a glue to patch the _Minnow_, but then Gilligan saw a pancake fall out of its plate and realized the glue wasn’t permanent. He got everyone off the boat just as they were about to set sail. As the glue wore off, the boat fell to pieces around him. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2026, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maryanne-gilligan-when-come-back-bring-pie/1029234/44 "2026-04-16T19:34:18Z")
Hey, where’s the spoiler alert! 😜 ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2026, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maryanne-gilligan-when-come-back-bring-pie/1029234/45 "2026-04-16T19:38:40Z")
Spoiler alert: They eventually get off the island. But they end up back, because TV is desperate to milk every idea dry. I just want to know if they could eat the pancake syrup. And where they got flour. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2026, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maryanne-gilligan-when-come-back-bring-pie/1029234/46 "2026-04-16T19:39:06Z")
I found the scene. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/PoDPR1lhzak/maxresdefault.jpg "Only temporary permanent syrup glue") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PoDPR1lhzak) ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2026, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maryanne-gilligan-when-come-back-bring-pie/1029234/47 "2026-04-16T20:31:01Z")
Oh god. Even for Gilligan’s Island, that’s stupid. Why would the unrepaired parts fail? And with such velocity? And sprongy noises? Where did the engine go? And how is that Gilligan’s, and Gilligan’s alone, fault? And I liked the show! I guess they were still finding their way t episode 8. But funny, I don’t remember this one at all! Maybe it was just too stupid for my 8 year old self. I did like how Gilligan’s reflection waved back with the wrong hand! ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2026, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maryanne-gilligan-when-come-back-bring-pie/1029234/48 "2026-04-16T21:51:00Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Why would the unrepaired parts fail? And with such velocity? And sprongy noises? I think they gave the entire boat a good coating of the syrup, just to be sure. I had forgotten that Gilligan made the syrup, but I’m pretty sure the Professor tinkered with it a little. You can make flour by grinding the breadfruit commonly found in the tropics: [Discover the Secret to Making Perfect Ulu Flour: How to Make Ulu Flour Like a Pro! - OliviaOven](https://oliviaoven.com/how-to-make-ulu-flour/) You can also grind pretty much any edible wild grain to make flour. There must have been at least one kind on the island. (Or maybe there was a box of Bisquick on board the _Minnow_.) ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2026, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maryanne-gilligan-when-come-back-bring-pie/1029234/49 "2026-04-16T22:09:41Z")
In the above clip, did you notice there were absolutely no furnishings inside the _Minnow_? There was just the wooden frame of the boat, and nothing else. And why did they bring along so much luggage on a three-hour tour? 🤨 I imagine the wreckage was just left to decay on the beach. The engine would have been of no use, since no fuel was available. By the way, did you know the _Minnow_ was named after then-FCC Chairman Newton Minow, the guy who said that TV was “a vast wasteland”? ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2026, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maryanne-gilligan-when-come-back-bring-pie/1029234/50 "2026-04-16T22:25:05Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > By the way, did you know the _Minnow_ was named after then-FCC Chairman Newton Minow, the guy who said that TV was “a vast wasteland”? Only just today (before I read you post, but after I watched the linked video). And all this time I thought it was named after a small fish. Turned out, Mr Minow was right after all. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2026, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maryanne-gilligan-when-come-back-bring-pie/1029234/51 "2026-04-16T23:08:21Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > In the above clip, did you notice there were absolutely no furnishings inside the _Minnow_? There was just the wooden frame of the boat, and nothing else. And why did they bring along so much luggage on a three-hour tour? 🤨 I cannot find it, but a few years ago there was an article explaining what was really going on. The Howells were on the lam because of financial fraud or something, and that’s why they were trying to get away with all that money. I think Mary Ann was actually an undercover FBI agent. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2026, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maryanne-gilligan-when-come-back-bring-pie/1029234/52 "2026-04-16T23:09:27Z")
I think I read that here on the Dope ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2026, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maryanne-gilligan-when-come-back-bring-pie/1029234/53 "2026-04-16T23:20:51Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > In the above clip, did you notice there were absolutely no furnishings inside the _Minnow_? There was just the wooden frame of the boat, and nothing else. And why did they bring along so much luggage on a three-hour tour? 🤨 And the helm was right in the center of the boat, too; not on the bridge. The show was not a documentary. I would think they’d keep all the pieces they could. Flat boards would be useful for building things. The Professor might be able to distill alcohol to fuel the engine, or save the generator to recharge batteries or power the radio. Bearings in the engine could be used when turning grindstones to mill the breadfruit flour. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2026, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maryanne-gilligan-when-come-back-bring-pie/1029234/54 "2026-04-16T23:24:37Z")
Around 20 years ago, I read a long explanation at a _ **GI** _ website on the Internet. As I remember, Ginger was heading out to do a gig at a resort owned by the Howells, who were coming to inspect the place, and Mary Ann had won a stay there in some kind of contest. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2026, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maryanne-gilligan-when-come-back-bring-pie/1029234/55 "2026-04-16T23:28:05Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > I would think they’d keep all the pieces they could. Flat boards would be useful for building things. The Professor might be able to distill alcohol to fuel the engine, or save the generator to recharge batteries or power the radio. Bearings in the engine could be used when turning grindstones to mill the breadfruit flour. Good thinking! You’d probably survive on a desert island, and I wouldn’t. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2026, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maryanne-gilligan-when-come-back-bring-pie/1029234/56 "2026-04-17T00:09:17Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > Flat boards would be useful for building things. I dunno; it’d be a lot of work to carve them into the necessary bamboo-slat shapes first. ---
**Author:** ![echoreply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/echoreply/32/3641_2.png) [@echoreply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/echoreply)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2026, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maryanne-gilligan-when-come-back-bring-pie/1029234/57 "2026-04-17T00:57:10Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > But funny, I don’t remember this one at all And just to bring balance to the force, that is one of the few episodes I do remember. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2026, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maryanne-gilligan-when-come-back-bring-pie/1029234/58 "2026-04-17T02:09:49Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Turned out, Mr Minow was right after all. Well, he was partially right. It’s half vast. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2026, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maryanne-gilligan-when-come-back-bring-pie/1029234/59 "2026-04-17T04:58:31Z")
Ahh.. .5 fast. 😀 ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2026, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maryanne-gilligan-when-come-back-bring-pie/1029234/60 "2026-04-17T19:39:14Z")
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