The other Castaways hear on the radio that Mary Ann's boyfriend, to whom she has been sending letters to, has eloped. Determined to avoid hurting the sweet farm girl, they attempt to tell her, but can't bring themselves to do so. The Professor, during his attempt, finds Mary Ann in an emotional state about a radio soap opera, and instead makes up a story about how some mushrooms can be poisonous. Later on, in an attempt to make Mary Ann forget about her boyfriend, Gilligan, the Skipper, and the Professor pose as potential suitors to her, Gilligan as Charles Boyer, The Skipper as John Wayne, and the Professor as Carey Grant, which does nothing but confuse her. She later overhears the three agonizing about how they're going to tell "Poor Mary Ann" the bad news, and she assumes it's about the mushrooms she ate being poisonous. That night she has a dream that she's dying in the hospital, and the other castaways portray various doctors and nurses. When she awakens, the castaways inform her that she's not dying, but that her boyfriend has eloped. Mary Ann admits she actually didn't care much for him, and exxagerated the extent of their romance, because, Ginger's had many boyfriends, and Mrs. Howell has a secure marrage with Mr. Howell, and she wanted the others to think she had someone who cared about her. The castaways admit they care about her, and want her to be ok.
The episode includes examples of the following tropes:
- All for Nothing: The others go through a series of plans, unable to get the nerve to tell Mary Ann that her fiance has married another girl. When they finally tell her the truth, Mary Ann tells them she never really liked her alleged fiance and just wanted them to think she had someone waiting for her.
- Crashing Dreams: As her nightmare ends, Mary Ann clings to the nurse, played by Ginger, and begs her to get a doctor to help her. The nurse tries to reassure her...and then Mary Ann wakes up to find her fellow Castaways crowded around her bed.
- Daytime Drama Queen: Mary Ann enjoys a radio soap opera called Young Doctor Young, which plays into the story at various points.
- Hypocritical Humor: The Professor chastises Gilligan for not telling Mary Ann what happened, but, when his own time comes, he can't bring himself to tell her either.
- I Kiss Your Hand: Quoted verbatim by Gilligan when he tries to help cheer up Mary Ann. He ends up with a mouth full of the flowers he had given her.
- Mistaken for Dying: The Professor sends Gilligan to tell Mary Ann the bad news, which he never does. Then the Professor tries to handle it himself, but loses his nerve at the last minute, instead telling her the mushrooms she's preparing might be poisonous in order to explain his serious demeanor. Combined with a half-heard conversation between him, Gilligan, and the Skipper, this convinces Mary Ann she's been poisoned and is dying.
- Out-of-Context Eavesdropping: Mary Ann comes back to the hut to hear Gilligan, the Skipper, and the Professor having a conversation about why they're all suddenly trying to court her. When one of the others asks how long they're likely to have to do this, Gilligan answers that the same thing once happened to a friend of his sister's and she never got over it. In context, they're talking about Mary Ann being jilted, but Mary Ann puts it together with the Professor's warnings about mushrooms and assumes she's been poisoned.
