I see the original 1977 Fantasy Island through nostalgia-colored glasses, making it hard for any island-come-lately to compete in my eyes. So I was happily surprised when I enjoyed the premiere of the 2021 revival, complete with a relative or the original Mr. Roarke and a new sidekick named Ruby. In the second of the episode’s two subplots (“Mel Loves Ruby”), there is even a bit of time-related fantasy when the island makes Ruby young again (although without sending her back in time).

As with the first episode of the 2021 Fantasy Island revival, the second has no actual time travel, but the side-plot (“The Heartbreak Hotel”) does have a time-related phenomenon when Elena and Mr. Jones try to connect with a grieving widower who wakens only once every five years to see whether life is worth living.