Fantasy Island Season 2 Episode 3 Review: Paymer vs. Paymer

On Fantasy Island Season 2 Episode 3, “Paymer vs. Paymer,” Elena and Ruby have hard truths to face. Javier, meanwhile, struggles to find a place in his daughter’s life. 

Fantasy Island’s guests this week are a married couple who have grown tired of each other and need a way to either settle a divorce or rekindle their love — and they get more than they bargained for. 

This story, about a love that has lasted for decades and may be past its expiration, is told so that even if they’re not directly related to the story, every character is affected. 

Dolly (Teri Hatcher) and Dutch (James Denton) are infuriating and complicated, much like our regular cast. 

For what feels like the first time, Elena expresses emotions other than happiness and passiveness by sharing with Javier the things that scare her, like her and Javier’s relationship crumbling. 

Getting to know Elena better is what we’ve always wanted from this show, and during Season 1, that growth in her felt stunted as she was forced to explain the island and larger ensemble.

Season 2 is already faring better by giving her a relationship that benefits herself, not the island or its inhabitants. 

Ruby, meanwhile, is struggling to piece together who she is now that she doesn’t have Gina. 

She’s given an opportunity — through Helene, an absolute icon — to explore what it means to live her life over again.

While it’s been nice seeing who Ruby is with Gina, it’s much more exciting to discover who she is on her own, surrounded by this misfit group of people who love her. 

Through Dolly and Dutch, Elena (and, by proxy, Javier) realize what they want out of their relationship: longevity. 

Elena and Javier have completed in early Season 2 what most couples take five seasons to figure out, and that’s how to communicate. 

It’s refreshing to see this from a couple that’s together almost out of the gate, as it feels like slow burns — which are iconic, and I will never hate on them — are taking over the TV landscape. 

Fantasy Island is a good show. The storytelling is exciting and keeps you coming back, the acting is almost always there, and the relationships aren’t ones to miss. 

Season 2, though, feels… hollow. 

I’m not entirely sure if it’s the noticeable green screen in some scenes or the b-roll that looks like it was created for a Microsoft background, but something is lacking. 

It feels shallow to say, given how editors have been treated in the industry lately, but I fear the show’s problem comes from the lack thereof, which is disappointing and quickly takes you out of the “magic” of the show. 

Fantasy Island can be better, but only if given the opportunity from the outside sources necessary.

Stray Thoughts:

• Make Helene a regular. Please. 
• I am obsessed with the fact that there are both Gen Z and Millenials in the writers’ room. 
• “Cheers to nihilism,” is my quote of the year, and it’s January 17th. 

—

What did you think of this episode of Fantasy Island? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Critic Rating:

User Rating:

 

Fantasy Island airs Mondays at 8/7c on FOX.

 Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram!

Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!

What to Watch on TV: New Amsterdam, The Last of Us, and Miracle Workers