Hawaii Tiki Bikini
October 4th, 2017 by Proprietor
Season Four of the Brady Bunch started out with a three episode cliffhanger serial involving the Bunch’s vacation to Hawaii. Mike comes home with a surprise, a client he did designs for wants him to come out to Hawaii to oversee some things in the construction of the building. The architecture firm Mike works for has generously decided to not only send Mike, but his family as well on a vacation, while Mike works. The family goes crazy, and scene cuts to what would be a commercial break.
As Mike and the family fly to Hawaii, we are introduced to David, who will be showing the Brady family around Hawaii. His coworkers are digging and one finds a Tiki statue, the McGuffin that ties the entire epic together is revealed with a creepy flute lilt and guitar riff. The older construction worker explains it is taboo, and cursed, to touch it is to bring bad luck, so the younger co-worker scoffs at the superstition, but picks the statue up in a shovel and tosses it aside.
The Brady’s arrive in Hawaii and they are given lays, and picked up by David to be taken to the hotel. Quick cut scene, and the Brady family is in Hawaiian shirts to go see some of the tourist attractions. David informs them about the island’s history and myths. The Brady women are dropped off at the hotel at some point, while the boys tag along with dad to the construction site. Bobby and Peter go out exploring, and Greg hits David up about going to see bikinis on the beach. David mentions he is judging a surf contest, there is some back and forth, and Greg is allowed to enter the surf contest. Bobby finds the Tiki statue, the ominous music is played, Bobby calls the statue his new good luck charm, then the scene fades to commercial.
When the show continues, Bobby and Cindy are sitting outside, while Bobby tries to play the Ukulele. Enter Don Ho and Sam Kapu, while Don plays, Sam sings a beautiful Hawaiian song. Bobby and Cindy realize whom they have met, get an autograph, and Bobby feels it is his new good luck charm that allowed the meeting famous Hawaiian singer to happen. Bobby then smashes his Ukulele by sitting on it. Cindy remarks “Some good luck charm.” As the scene fades.
The boys are in their room at night, and discussing the upcoming surfing contest. Bobby and Peter chide Greg about how he is not up to snuff compared to the Hawaiian guys. Greg throws a pillow at Bobby and Peter, it hits a wall hanging, it falls off the wall and almost hits Bobby. Bobby thanks his good luck charm for protecting him.
Bobby, Greg and Peter are in the hallway discussing going to the beach, Bobby drops his Tiki statue, and Alice finds it as the girls are going to a Hula lesson. The ominous music plays, and Alice dons the statue. At the Hula lesson the music plays, and suddenly Alice’s back goes out. The girls and Carol help Alice back to the hotel, scene cuts to commercial.
Greg, Bobby and Peter are on the beach, Greg listens to the surf contest rules laid out by David. While Bobby and Peter wait, the rest of the Brady clan arrives to watch Greg surf, Alice hands Bobby his Tiki, and exited, Bobby runs down to give it to Greg for good luck. We get some brief glimpses of Jan and Marcia in bikinis. Then as Greg surfs, there is focus on the statue. Ominous music plays, and Greg wipes out. The Brady family are worried, because he has not come up. Mike rushes into the water to look for him, and Greg is shown foundering. End of the first episode.
Episode 2 begins with a recap of the situation, then cuts into Mike spotting Greg and bringing him to shore. When Greg wiped out, he was hit on the back of the head by his surfboard, and lost Bobby’s Tiki statue. Bobby shrugs it off, and says it is no big deal, at least Greg is alive. David runs to get the car to take Greg to the hotel and have a doctor look at him. While the rest of the family heads up to the parking area, Jan is assigned to police the beach and make sure nothing is left behind. Jan finds the Tiki washed up on the beach. Ominous music.
Mike complains about going to work, while the women head on a picnic, and Greg goes to the beach with the boys. Bobby does not understand why Greg is so enthusiastic about going to look at women in bikinis. Peter keeps telling Bobby he will learn.
The girls go on a picnic, while they are enjoying the beach, ominous music plays, and a spider is seen crawling toward Jan’s beach bag, which contains the Tiki. The girls pick up their stuff and head for a walk around the island, Jan keeps reaching into her bag for a tissue or camera, and her hand comes close to the spider. The implication is the spider is venomous or going to bite Jan. When the girls return to the hotel, Jan finds Bobby on the beach, and returns the Tiki. David notices it, and tells the boys about how the Tiki is taboo, but it is ultimately silly island superstition. The boys begin to question all the odd stuff that happened to them. David tells them of an old islander whom he works with who can tell them more information. The boys visit the old man, and he tells them the story. In order to lift the taboo curse, the boys have to return the idol to the grave of the first king.
While in their hotel room, the boys debate going to the grave site. Peter laughs at the notion, takes the Tiki from Bobby, and challenges the fates. The spider Jan brought back ends up crawling onto his chest. At first Greg is going to kill the spider, but then flips it off onto the floor. Mike hears the commotion, and sticks his head into the room to tell the boys to be quiet. They point to the spider, and Mike manages to get the spider into a bag, to carry outside. Carol interrupts Mike, thinking he had bought her a gift, opens the bag, and sees the spider.
Spooked by the spider incident, the boys decide to return the Tiki. They work with the girls to cover for them, and go to find the tomb. The Scooby Doo moment reveals Vincent Price lurking around and stalking the boys. There is a cue of ominous music, then the shift to the closing Brady theme.
Episode 3 starts with a recap, then moves into the boys walking around the tomb, when they are ambushed by Vincent Price. Turns out he is an archeologist who is afraid someone will steal his discovery. He is demented enough to think the boys are thieves working for his competition, and in a major foreshadowing he talks to a Tiki statue called Oliver. Cousin Oliver was brought in the following season, to save the show*.
Eventually the girls break down, and tell a worried Carol and Mike where there brothers went. Mike and Carol grabbed the company car, and head out to talk to the old islander and find out where the tomb of the kings is located. Mike and Carol then head to the tomb, and find their sons tied to Tiki statues. The archeologist realizes the jig is up, and breaks down, but Mike being the fair minded man he is, realizes the scientist meant no real harm and agrees to be witness to his discovery. The boys are free, and place the Tiki on the tomb. Curse lifted. A luau is held in to celebrate. No cake.
The final scene Mike tries to lecture Bobby about luck is up to how a person perceives the world while he is packing to leave. What Bobby viewed as bad luck was actually good luck. Like the wall decoration almost hitting him on the head concept. Mike has Bobby hop onto the suitcase to compress it so he can latch it shut, and in doing so, accidentally cuts the toes off his sandals. Mike says “what rotten luck”. Bobby replies back it is good luck that his feet weren’t in them.
The movie parody of the whole Hawaiian epic had an interesting twist. Carol’s husband, whom was thought to be dead, was actually the Professor from Gilligan’s Island. Actually it was a con man who wanted to steal a priceless antique that the Brady’s had in their possession. He brings Carol to Hawaii to get her to sign away the rights to the antique, Mike and the Bunch go there to get her back. In the end, the Bunch sells the antique for 20 Million to a reputable collector, and Mike donates the money to charity.
*There is a TV term called Cousin Oliver Syndrome where a show brings in a younger child as the original children actors begin to age beyond a point of appeal to children. When this happens, it means the show has finally reached a point close to cancellation. Usually the younger child does not help save the ratings. Luckily the Brady Bunch never really jumped any sharks. Though, that would be an interesting episode.
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