Fantasy Island – Season 2 Episode 1 Recap & Review

Tara and Jessica’s high school reunion; Cat Lady

Episode 1 of Fantasy Island season 2 starts with Javier’s alarm clock ringing, waking both him and Elena up. They are currently in a secret relationship because Elena is not ready to go public. Despite this, Javier remains comfortable with keeping their relationship private.

He leaves to pick up the visitors, and Ruby and Elena eagerly await their arrival. Ruby takes note of Elena’s positive attitude and the scent of sandalwood she exudes. She also observes Javier’s energetic stride as he disembarks from the plane. Ruby tries to convince Elena to trust her, while the visitors settle in. However, Elena avoids the conversation.

The guests this week are two best friends,  Tara and Jessica along with Andi and her cat BoBo. Tara and Jessica want a do-over of their prom. They were bullied a lot while in high school and wish to be the star of their high school reunion. All their lives, Tara and Jessica have been dependent on each other and Elena thinks this has been limiting them.

Meanwhile, Andi and her cat  BoBo discuss the accommodations in Andi’s room. Andi wants the room to be perfect for her cat. Elena and Ruby check on her and she tells them that her fantasy is to know if BoBo loves her as much as she loves him. Ruby and Elena are shocked by the request but are happy to help. BoBo transforms into a naked man and is finally able to talk.

Tara and Jessica start their fantasy and they are shocked to see how popular they are. The former mean girls compliment them. Jessica is now married to Ashton, her former high school crush, and Tara is a successful published author. They take a moment to reconcile their memories as they learn more about how their lives were portrayed at the reunion.

Javier joins Elena as she observes the reunion party. She confesses to skipping her prom. She regrets not going because she wanted to wow everyone with her salsa moves. Elena realizes they are in public and tells Javier they shouldn’t be seen fraternizing. Ruby doesn’t miss the chance to tease her but Elena refuses to admit she is dating Javier.

Ashton and Jessica catch -up and he reveals that Tara had warned him that Jessica wasn’t interested in football players the first time he wanted to ask her to prom. Jessica confronts Tara and asks her why she lied to Ashton. Tara insists that she did it to protect her and Jessica tells her that was not her decision to make.

Back to Andi and Bobo, she is hoping to know more about BoBo.When Andi tries to treat him like her pet, he claims he needs space and accuses her of oppressing him. He runs off to chase a lizard already distracted from their conversation.

While Jessica and Ashton have sex, Tara is taken aback when she enters her room and finds Rita and her young son waiting for her. During breakfast, Elena encounters Tara and her son. She eagerly awaits Jessica’s arrival so she can talk to both of them about how the island can bring possibilities to life. Jessica accuses Tara of deceiving her and Ashton in high school.

Elena reminds them that everyone tells lies. She instructs the waiters to bring drinks for the women and demands that they must be completely honest with each other after consuming them.

The truth cocktail is served to all of the reunion attendees and secrets begin to spill. Jessica and Tara’s lives are now exactly as they were before – Jessica’s marriage has ended and the baby is gone. Their classmates begin hurling food at them and chanting their hated high school nicknames.

Andi finally finds BoBo after he ran away. He is relaxing on a beach lounge chair. He tells her that he now goes by the name Baron and that she’s scared of human interaction. He advises her to find something more than him. He says she has been using him as an excuse to validate her delusion that she is not wasting her life.

Javier approaches Segundo to request a favour. Segundo teaches Javier how to salsa. Ruby watches from a distance. She informs Dr Gina that she believes Javier and Elena are dating and then leaves to talk to Andi. Gina is disappointed as Ruby leaves.

Andi converses with Ruby regarding her struggles with dating. Ruby highlights the idea that if someone is not authentic, they cannot form meaningful connections. Ruby offers to introduce Andi to Harrison, who is a member of the island staff. Ashton joins Jessica, who is seated solo with her drink, and they reminisce about the strange weekend and recall their high school days. Jessica agrees to Ashton’s invitation for a date.

A storm takes over the island, Baron is obliged to return to Andi, who is occupied with Harrison. Andi denies Baron entry, she is still angry about what he said to him. He later brings a fish as a peace offering. Andi finds him again and he confesses his love for her and his wish for her happiness. He then transforms back into a cat.

Elena visits Tara and they discuss the nickname, “Breadsticks,” given to her by her classmates. Tara informs Elena about an event at the Olive Garden and confesses that she froze her eggs secretly due to her fear of disappointing Jessica.

Elena assures her that if the island knew she couldn’t handle motherhood, they wouldn’t have assigned her a child. While taking a walk, Ashton and Jessica both confess to having had crushes on each other in high school. Ashton invites Jessica to the prom. Tara approaches the venture capitalist Driscoll and presents her business idea.

When Elena meets Javier, she finds the area beautifully decorated with flowers and lights and realizes it’s her prom. Elena presents Javier with a corsage and turns on salsa music for them to dance. Javier informs Elena that they need a larger dance floor.

Tara and Jessica both exit their rooms for prom and discover they are in the same limousine, which has its doors shut, trapping them inside. They are transported back in time to their high school prom, where they are seen eating bowls of ice cream together, reminding them of their promise to always support each other.

The mature women acknowledge that they must lead separate lives while still supporting each other’s success. At prom, Tara rejects the bullies and Ashton invites Jessica to dance. Harrison and Andi are seen dancing together, while Ruby ends her relationship with Gina and is led onto the dance floor by Segundo. Elena invites Javier to join her on the dance floor for a salsa dance, and they kiss in front of everyone.

The Episode Review

Elena and Javier did a terrible job hiding their relationship. Everyone including Segundo knew what was going on. It is nice that they finally came out during the dance, it would have been much harder to hide it as days go by.

Ruby and Gina’s break-up was a long time coming. Ruby barely even noticed the disappointment on Gina’s face when she went on and on about Elena and Javier. I don’t think Ruby is invested in Gina as much as she is invested in her.