Is Crusoe Permanently Shipwrecked?

It looks like Robinson Crusoe could be permanently stranded on his island.

NBC has moved Crusoe to Saturday nights at 8:00 beginning December 6. (Lipstick Jungle will be airing its final four episodes in Crusoe’s original Friday night time slot). I’m not sure this is really going to bode well for the show. Last week’s ratings have it coming in at #19 on NBC’s schedule – My Own Worst Enemy was #18 and Lipstick Jungle was #20, and we all know what has happened to those two shows. As much as it pains me to say it, I’m assuming that Crusoe might not be far behind in this year’s canceled TV shows. There are 6 episodes left and I’m assuming those will all air, but there’s nothing definite yet.

Now on to this week’s episode…..Friday has become delirious and is threatening to kill Crusoe. Crusoe is desperate to save him and begs Olivia to help him find out what’s wrong. When Olivia figures out that Friday has been stung by two wasps that were protecting poisoned honey, she and Crusoe set out to find the plant that will cure him. The plant that will cure Friday is located on the side of the cliffs and the only way for Crusoe to reach it is to repel down the cliffs. While he is repelling, his rope breaks free from the tree stump it was tied to and he is left barely holding on. So how is he saved? Olivia takes her clothes off and uses them to make a rope to throw to Crusoe so he can pull himself up. Thanks to Olivia’s quick thinking, Crusoe is able to get the plant and he and Olivia are able to save Friday not a moment too soon.

Overall, the setup of the scene on the cliffs was a bit too contrived, but I guess it worked because it really played up the tension that is going on between the two of them. I love the chemistry the two of them have, but of course these types of relationships never turn out well. What do you think are the odds Olivia will end up turning on Crusoe at some point, especially once the mutineers repair their boat and he tries to overtake them in order to escape? I’m thinking she will probably put her own needs in front of any feelings she has for Crusoe.

It looks like it’s definitely a strong possibility that Blackthorn somehow set up Crusoe’s voyage to the new world to be ill-fated. The flashbacks this week told us that the only way Crusoe could escape his problems is to leave for America. While Crusoe is at the ship telling Susannah and Blackthorn goodbye, Blackthorn tells Crusoe that if he should die on his voyage, all of Blackthorn’s money will go to his children. As he hugs Crusoe goodbye, Blackthorn gives another passenger on the boat a mysterious look. What I can’t figure out with this part of the back story is why Blackthorn would have such a vested interest in Crusoe’s children. In an earlier episode, Blackthorn insisted that he be their godfather. Does anyone have any ideas as to why he would care so much about Crusoe’s children? It seems a bit odd that Blackthorn would be out to destroy Crusoe, but appear to genuinely care about his children.

I have to admit that this show is really growing on me and I would be disappointed to see it gone after just one season. Overall, it’s a great escape from reality and it is pretty family friendly, especially for families with tweens who have outgrown Nickelodeon or Disney programming. Is there anyone else out there who would like to see NBC continue to give this show a chance? Are there any ideas for some kind of campaign to help save the show before it gets the ax? Being proactive is always a great thing, right? There’s no new episode next week, so maybe between now and when the show returns on December 6, we can think of something. Let me know your ideas.

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Meredith lives in a small South Carolina town where there is nothing to do but watch TV! She loves The Office, Chuck, Scrubs and Arrested Development, and her guilty pleasure is anything Gordon Ramsay related.