While Gilligan is digging a barbeque pit for the Howells, he discovers a mysterious, chain-bound chest which the Skipper thinks contains treasure. Mr. Howell tries to lay claim to it, and the Skipper insists that the person who found it owns it. What are the Castaways to do but hold a trial?
This episode includes examples of the following tropes:
- Argument of Contradictions: The Skipper, Mr. Howell and Gilligan get into an argument about who owns the chest which eventually devolves into single-word utterances.
- Courtroom Episode: The episode involves the Castaways holding a trial to determine who owns the treasure chest, with the Professor as judge and Mary Ann, Ginger, and Mrs. Howell as witnesses.
- Cutting the Knot: The Skipper and Gilligan work for a long time at sawing the chain with no luck. It occurs to everyone after they go to bed that they didn't think to try to pick the lock.
- Femme Fatale: Downplayed; Mr. Howell sends Ginger to seduce Gilligan into dropping his claim on the chest. However, the Skipper catches her in the act and tells her to stay away from Gilligan.
- Karmic Twist Ending: Played With. After resorting to many unscrupulous lengths to get the treasure, including trying to bribe the Professor in his role as judge, Mr. Howell finally resorts to buying everyone's shares in the chest. When it's opened, it turns out to be full of cannonballs. However, the other Castaways decide it wouldn't be fair to force Mr. Howell to pay them, given that they all thought it was treasure.
- Not So Above It All: Mr. Howell lends the Professor a black cape to use in his role as the judge. When he threatens to take it back if he can't call his witnesses first, the Professor looks noticeably perturbed.
- Running Gag:
- The Professor has to keep adding cases to the docket throughout the episode.
- The Professor uses a coconut attached to a stick as a gavel. It keeps spraying the lawyers with coconut milk every time he needs to use it to enforce order in the courtroom.
- Take a Third Option: Faced with deciding whether Mr. Howell or Gilligan owns the treasure chest, the Professor decides to treat the chest like all the island resources they've found so far — belonging to everyone.
- Taught by Television: When Mrs. Howell gushes over her husband's knowledge of legal terms (specifically "loophole"), Mr. Howell tells her that he watched Perry Mason for years.
- That Was Objectionable: Naturally, Mr. Howell and the Skipper, acting as the lawyers, object to their opponents several times. In one case, Mr. Howell can't actually think of a reason for the objection. It climaxes with this:Mr Howell: I would like to press charges against Mary Anne.
The Professor: For what?
Mr Howell: Murder.The Professor: Murder?Mr. Howell: Her testimony is killing me. - "What's Inside?" Plot: Gilligan digs up a chest, and the Castaways are excited to think what treasure could be inside. At one point, curiosity draws them all outside to try picking the lock. After the trial, Mr. Howell buys the treasure chest before it can be opened...and it turns out to contain cannonballs.
- Worthless Treasure Twist: The Castaways think for most of the episode that the chest contains treasure. It turns out after it's opened that it just holds cannonballs, much to Mr. Howell's dismay. However, the Castaways do manage to get some use out of them by repurposing them as bowling balls.
