This one was pretty good as well! So this is where the good episodes are hiding! Season 2 & 3, and some in 1. However, I found it pretty bizarre that the 2 stories were identical: two women get cheated on, both their love interest sleep with another women. Then the women take them back. Um, okay.
Both the men were however unattractive. Don Stroud played creepy to perfection. Looking like a used car salesman complete with polyester satin shirt, synthetic fabric just as fake as he is, and open on his chest, as the 70s dictated. Pretty convincing performance, he was always a solid B-list actor, usually the guest star playing "sweaty types" as the pimp he embodies here.
The other fantasy has us meet Aphrodite. Brit Ekland didn't quite measured up. (I much preferred Vanna White in that obscure yet very fun 80's film she did, for those who might remember it.) Then there was Maureen McCormick looking good in her bit part; sadly she didn't have much to do, and she's the one who gets cheated on. The other well-known 70s actress was Belinda Montgomery whose unfortunate hairdo was very distracting here.
The decor wasn't as great as it could have been but Aphrodite's cave was neat. The part that elevates this to a 9 for me is that Mr. Roarke had plenty to do here. He has a face off of sorts with the Greek goddess, the same that he had one with the mermaid in the John Saxon episode. Sadly for his fans, Tattoo didn't have much at all to do here. Neither at the end, he doesn't get one of his comical quips, which was surprising but, I'll admit, I can only take Tattoo in small doses. (If mister Roarke has the smug attitude going, it's all character-based here, but Herve seemed to have coped a big head along with his TV star status, and that in part ruined his "charm" for me.)
All in all, this was pretty solid. I, for one, can't understand those who down-rate shows after praising them, taking themselves for professional movie critics. Look, a rating for a show like this has to do with entertainment value. I'm not comparing this to Casablanca, ok? I'm rating this on account of how fun it was for me to watch it, and that's probably more of an 8 but I'm in a generous mood, having found the fun episodes.
This is another one that well balances drama and action with the characters and their feelings. Neither was overdone. Solid writing. (I guess they still had the good writers in S3.) Mr. Roarke has some great lines. Granted, they don't apply to my life and they sounded a bit contrived, but you could tell that Ricardo had fun delivering them (with the full conviction of his acting talent) and it was a treat to watch him do so. (Now: if only he would say "Rich Corinthian Leather" just once!) A solid 9/10 from me, and hope I keep finding these fun titles, and I'll elevate my series rating from a 4/10 to higher up.