When the Skipper sees an unusual green-and-yellow bug on Gilligan's neck, he tries to swat it but suspects that his "little buddy" got bitten anyway. The Professor has more bad news — the bug appears to be a deadly variety called the mantiscani, and if Gilligan was bitten, he only has 24 hours to live.
This episode includes examples of the following tropes:
- Ant Assault: When Gilligan drops the coconut cream pie, it attracts ants, which begin biting him while he works on the bathtub. The Howells mistake this for the last symptom: itching.
- Appetite Equals Health: One of the symptoms of a mantiscani bite is total loss of appetite. The girls think Gilligan is exhibiting symptoms when he doesn't eat a coconut cream pie they bring him (especially given that it's his favorite), but actually he's just been snacking on bananas and has no room left.
- Brick Joke: While talking about his love for bath toys, Gilligan tells the Skipper that if you have a submarine, you have to take care where you sit. He sits on the submarine in the last scene.
- Description Cut: When the Skipper goes to break the news to the girls, the Professor reminds him to break it to them tactfully. The scene cuts to Ginger and Mary Ann both wailing loudly.
- Good News, Bad News: The Professor delivers multiple levels of good news and bad news after the Castaways become convinced that Gilligan has been bitten. The good news is, there's an antidote; the bad news is that the ingredients aren't found on the island. The good news is that it's possible to substitute ingredients; the bad news is that he's not sure they can find them all. Finally, the good news is that he can make enough antidote for Gilligan in time. Unfortunately, the mantiscani travels in swarms and the rest of them will probably be bitten.
- Got Me Doing It: When the Professor says he's making a serum, Gilligan mistakes the word for "syrup" and starts gushing about how much he likes it. The Professor actually refers to it as "syrup" and has to correct himself.
- Hats Off to the Dead: Mr. Howell takes off his hat when it seems most of the Castaways have been bitten.
- Mistaken for Dying: The other Castaways think Gilligan was bitten by a deadly bug. They initially try to throw him a party to make his last day more pleasant, but that fails when all of them start breaking down and walk away from the table while he's trying to light the candles. Later, the Professor discovers that there's an antidote and everyone starts hunting for ingredients. It turns out the bug was harmless.
- Shout-Out: Mr. Howell says that there must be "joy in bugville" that the mantiscani bit both Howells in a single day.
- Spoonerism: Upset at the thought of Gilligan being poisoned, the Skipper mixes up the symptoms.
- Went to the Great X in the Sky: Mr. Howell refers to Gilligan's death as "going to that deserted island in the sky."
