I am an avid fan of the original Zorro TV series, starring Guy Williams, and I was delighted to see that the mood was properly set here: the town and the costumes were fantasy appropriate, and it felt a bit like watching a colorization of the old show. Everyone played their parts very well.
I'm sorry to say that the wrestling fantasy killed the mood for me. It was of no interest to me, and I couldn't stand the bright sun in it, as it takes place completely outdoors. It felt like a conglomeration of 2 previous episodes: "The Toughest Man Alive" with Red Buttons and Frances Nguyen, and a boring boxing episode with Gary Collins. (Wrestling? Boxing? Same difference!) The only thing I liked is that Carrie was a great choice of a romantic interest for Sherman, they had good chemistry together, and Vernee did look lovely in lavender.
Back to Charo. I think she shows more acting chops than when playing just her usual "Love Boat" cuchi cuchi self. She is still a spitfire, particularly when arriving and departing, and it was fun watching Roarke's mien as she squeals and yelps at his face (yet never once does her cuchi cuchi, here). Her performance was solid and she was a joy to watch in this unexpected role.
The twist in this story made me have to rewatch this episode, which I just did now. The fun scene where the twist is revealed, mid fantasy, was truly unexpected to me. I loved the foil fights, just like in Zorro. The only nitpick is that we, once again, clearly see the stuntman's face in a Charo costume. (Also in the wrestling fantasy, we clearly see the head slamming had no impact, naturally, but that ought to have been concealed.)
Charo does get to play the guitar, and it shows what a talented woman she has always been. (PS: Her son, who is no nepo baby, has truly inherited her musical talent and, I'd say, even surpassed his mother; he has a YT account where he posts his breathtaking songs, and his voice is beautiful, his original singing is pure talent and his songs are truly haunting. Pity that he isn't famous at all, but check him out and you might be delightfully surprised.)
All in all, I give this an 8/10. I was disappointed when Mr. Roarke appeared saying "Your fantasy is over". Really?? But, but... I wasn't done yet! (Neither was she!) Wow. That was brutal! And I was further disappointed that there was no love interest to accompany her home, at the end. What a bummer. Other than that, this episode was truly something else, and I don't think they've repeated such a fantasy in all their seasons, strewn with tons of repeat stories.
Not a dark/horror segment here, but if you're gonna get to Fantasy Island, what a greater fantasy than to live inside your favorite TV show universe?! Zorro universe fantasy? Oh, yeah: I'm there!
I think I should like to see a fan made episode some time, editing together some of my favorite segments, removing the silly stuff and making a horror/Zorro combo. Wouldn't that be neat?! (Or even edit Charo with Guy Williams, LOL!)
This series had a lot of boring fluff and silliness, and often the same annoying repeat actors would show up. But Charo is really fun whenever she shows up, you know it's going to be entertaining. I get that she's a "take it or leave it" type of performer, but she's a lot more lively than boring Carol Lynley (who clocked in at a whopping 13 episodes: mother, have mercy!) and her episodes are typically better than the overdone cheesy fantasies.
Slight nitpicks: some of the Spanish is slightly incorrect (as is the title: it should be La Liberadora, but I get that the probably wanted to make a play on words with the English "liberator") which is surprising to me, what with both Charo and Ricardo who could have said something, but the same has happened, in the past, with errors in French, and Herve not being asked to correct the writers! Weird. Also Juan's accent was amiss. (He was trying for Spanish, folks!)
I wish they had made this one an hour long and skipped the wrestling, but I'd say don't miss this one: if you're a Zorro fan, I think this is well worth your time. Tattoo does not appear, as he was still in contractual disputes.
I'm sorry to say that the wrestling fantasy killed the mood for me. It was of no interest to me, and I couldn't stand the bright sun in it, as it takes place completely outdoors. It felt like a conglomeration of 2 previous episodes: "The Toughest Man Alive" with Red Buttons and Frances Nguyen, and a boring boxing episode with Gary Collins. (Wrestling? Boxing? Same difference!) The only thing I liked is that Carrie was a great choice of a romantic interest for Sherman, they had good chemistry together, and Vernee did look lovely in lavender.
Back to Charo. I think she shows more acting chops than when playing just her usual "Love Boat" cuchi cuchi self. She is still a spitfire, particularly when arriving and departing, and it was fun watching Roarke's mien as she squeals and yelps at his face (yet never once does her cuchi cuchi, here). Her performance was solid and she was a joy to watch in this unexpected role.
The twist in this story made me have to rewatch this episode, which I just did now. The fun scene where the twist is revealed, mid fantasy, was truly unexpected to me. I loved the foil fights, just like in Zorro. The only nitpick is that we, once again, clearly see the stuntman's face in a Charo costume. (Also in the wrestling fantasy, we clearly see the head slamming had no impact, naturally, but that ought to have been concealed.)
Charo does get to play the guitar, and it shows what a talented woman she has always been. (PS: Her son, who is no nepo baby, has truly inherited her musical talent and, I'd say, even surpassed his mother; he has a YT account where he posts his breathtaking songs, and his voice is beautiful, his original singing is pure talent and his songs are truly haunting. Pity that he isn't famous at all, but check him out and you might be delightfully surprised.)
All in all, I give this an 8/10. I was disappointed when Mr. Roarke appeared saying "Your fantasy is over". Really?? But, but... I wasn't done yet! (Neither was she!) Wow. That was brutal! And I was further disappointed that there was no love interest to accompany her home, at the end. What a bummer. Other than that, this episode was truly something else, and I don't think they've repeated such a fantasy in all their seasons, strewn with tons of repeat stories.
Not a dark/horror segment here, but if you're gonna get to Fantasy Island, what a greater fantasy than to live inside your favorite TV show universe?! Zorro universe fantasy? Oh, yeah: I'm there!
I think I should like to see a fan made episode some time, editing together some of my favorite segments, removing the silly stuff and making a horror/Zorro combo. Wouldn't that be neat?! (Or even edit Charo with Guy Williams, LOL!)
This series had a lot of boring fluff and silliness, and often the same annoying repeat actors would show up. But Charo is really fun whenever she shows up, you know it's going to be entertaining. I get that she's a "take it or leave it" type of performer, but she's a lot more lively than boring Carol Lynley (who clocked in at a whopping 13 episodes: mother, have mercy!) and her episodes are typically better than the overdone cheesy fantasies.
Slight nitpicks: some of the Spanish is slightly incorrect (as is the title: it should be La Liberadora, but I get that the probably wanted to make a play on words with the English "liberator") which is surprising to me, what with both Charo and Ricardo who could have said something, but the same has happened, in the past, with errors in French, and Herve not being asked to correct the writers! Weird. Also Juan's accent was amiss. (He was trying for Spanish, folks!)
I wish they had made this one an hour long and skipped the wrestling, but I'd say don't miss this one: if you're a Zorro fan, I think this is well worth your time. Tattoo does not appear, as he was still in contractual disputes.
