Review By Roberto Leal
Fantasy Island TV Series is Reborn on FOX
She is Woman, Hear Her Roark
Finding someone who could fill the shoes or more accurately fill the iconic white suit of Latino legend, Ricardo Montalban, in his masterful and unforgettable role as the mysterious, but always courteous, courtly and cultured Mr. Roark on the long-running Fantasy Island TV series (1977 – 1984), had to be a daunting task. But it appears the producers of the new incarnation of Fantasy Island, which premiers on FOX, August 10, may have taken a secret trip to the tropical paradise and asked the island to send them a star to take Señor Montalban’s place. Well, dreams do come true.
The beautiful and talented Roselyn Sánchez (Act of Valor, Without a Trace), with her easy Latin style and grace, has managed in only four episodes to make the role her very own. Elana Roark is the grand-niece of Mr. Roark. She has accepted to continue the Roark dynasty that owns and runs Fantasy Island. Ms. Roark is dressed in a sleek, very feminine custom-tailored white suit that replicates Mr. Roark’s right down to the vest.
Ms. Roark helps her guests realize their fantasy wishes with friendly persuasion, gentle encouragement and tough love with a velvet touch.
But as is developed further in the storyline, accepting the responsibility of the new “Roark” comes with a price of personal loss and self-sacrifice.
Different Choices, Different Voices
The dynamic writing duo of Elizabeth Craft and Sara Fain, who previously teamed up to work on The Shield, The Fix and 66 Park Avenue, have infused the reborn Fantasy Island stories with a definite woman’s POV. The new version of the old classic is shot by a film crew dominated by highly skilled women artisans and technicians in front of and behind the camera. As a result, the choices the fantasy pilgrims make often reflect those of a woman’s sensibilities and perspective.
In Episode One, Kiana Barnes (The Bold and the Beautiful, Stick with You), like Ruby, experiences loss, self-sacrifice, and the painful realization it often takes more strength to let go than it does to hold on. Ruby ultimately finds herself forever transformed.
Craft and Fain have created a wide range of diverse ethnic guests to Fantasy Island allowing them to tell their stories in their own distinctive voices. They also have a good time putting creative twists on old tried and true story structures.
“Da Plane” is Now Just a Plain Plane
The show no longer opens with Tattoo ringing the bell announcing the arrival of new guests with those two most imitated lines in TV history: “Da plane! Da plane!” Da plane does indeed still arrive but without all the previous fanfare.
John Gabrial Rodriguez (The Vampire Diaries, NCIS), plays Javier the handsome hotshot pilot who brings anxious fantasy-seekers to the mystic isle.. Javier harbors a desire of his own involving the lovely Latina lady in white, Elena Roark. Unlike the old series where Mr. Roark seemed like an unapproachable, mythical almost God-like being. Ms. Roark, despite her powers to make things happen on her island, is a real woman with vulnerabilities and desires of her own. Sánchez has not only instilled Ms. Roark with beauty, intelligence and lots of moxie but also with a huge dollop of humanity.
“What Can This Island Do For You?”
Ms. Roark’s humanity is evident when she asks all the exciting arrivals, “What can this island do for you.” It’s a natural expression of her generosity and willingness to share the island’s mysterious gifts with those seeking answers or wishing to change something in their troubled lives.
What the island will do for viewers of the rebirth of Fantasy Island is witnessing the showcasing and birth of a Latina superstar, Roselyn Sánchez. Her refreshing Latin charm, vitality and down-to-earth humanity make Sánchez the very likable and logical heir to the Roark legacy. The obvious fact Sánchez is drop-dead gorgeous and looks fantastic in her elegantly tailored white suit doesn’t hurt either.
Thanks to the divine feminine-inspired writing team of Craft and Fain, the stories on this new rethinking of Fantasy Island are now imbued with a more nuanced exploration of the feelings, desires, uncertainties, lessons and decisions for the visitors to this magical place.
Fantasy Island is shot on location in Puerto Rico, coincidentally the birthplace of its star, Roselyn Sánchez. The island is a lush tropical Caribbean gem whose warm constant sea breezes carry the whispered allure and promise of fantasies yet unrealized.
Welcome to Fantasy Island!
Cast: Roselyn Sánchez, Kiana Barnes, John Garbial Rodriguez. Fantasy Island premieres on FOX on August 10.
Featured Photo: Roselyn Sanchez (Photo: Miller Mobley/FOX)