Oh boy. It's a Quantum Leap watch-through.

Interesting. To be honest, I'd never thought about whether or not Sam physically replaced the person he leapt into, or whether he just "took over," so to speak. Not that it really matters from a storytelling perspective, but I'll have to keep an eye out if they happen to deal with that in an episode.

1x02 "Star-Crossed"

6/10

... in which we meet a very young Teri Hatcher. Good God. Give me a moment.

...

Okay, I think I'm better now, but I would have absolutely no complaints if she started leaping along with Sam, especially if she kept that green skirt from the end. Maybe I can leap back into the writers... hmmm...

Right. The episode! This one started off pretty dull, but bumped itself up by a couple notches by the end, with the revelation of the hotel being the Watergate responsible for a whole point in-of itself. That was a real laugh-out-loud moment for me.

I'm also glad that the story changed focus from Jamie-Lee to Donna before too long, but the former story was bad enough (along with the actress playing Jamie-Lee) to keep the episode from reaching any truly great heights. The climax with Donna's father and Sam's elation at the fact that he may have changed his own future for the better was pretty well-done, though, and I have to give "Star-Crossed" credit for getting me invested by the end.

However my biggest problem with the episode was that it felt like it came too soon. There's been no real build-up for anything to do with Sam's personal life, nor have we learned much about the Quantum Leap project itself, so as a viewer, I didn't feel particularly on top of either of those story lines. Again, I was sold on the Donna plot by the end, but the writers hurt themselves by working from a really difficult plot to pull off in the first regular episode. Props for ambition, I suppose, but I can't help but feel this would work much better six or seven episodes in.

And quickly, I'll note once more that Scott Bakula and Dean Stockwell are amazing together, especially for so early in the series. That was some amazing casting right there.

Who You Talking To?!: 2

While Sam argues with Al on the college quad, two girls coming out of a building notice, and give Sam a "you're crazy" look.

Appearing/Disappearing Skillsets: 3

Sam has a hell of a lot more knowledge of quantum physics than most English Lit professors. I decided not to count his lack of literary knowledge because it didn't really factor in to the story at all.

Well listen to THIS!: 1

Sam accidentally sets off the Watergate investigation.

 

AFAIK, the first episode that established that it was Sam's mind AND body that were leaping (not his mind leaping into other bodies) was when he was the blind concert pianist, yet he could still see.

After that, it wasn't until later that they brought it up again (the legless Vietnam vet, but Sam could walk, and looked like he was floating in midair; the pregnant girl where Sam asks how he could possibly be pregnant, and Al says something about "No, it's your body, not hers").

 

What I like about this episode is that we see Sam in a truly awkward situation that he despises. In the first ep. we see Sam having to fly when he can't. In this we see Sam having to be a Professor who is shady, Sam hates it. It not as bad as being a Woman, which Sam hates.

I like that this episode gives us a background to Sam also in retrospect we see that Al was continuing to withold information about Sam's future. As far as exactly what part of Sam is leaping, I was always confused about that, but I was a kid at the time. I always thought it was his spirit or something, but I guess not.

As far as not finding out about the project itself, that always bothered me about the show. This always bothered about Star Trek too, we never saw much of Earth and what life on Earth is like. We have to remember a lot of the 80s and 90s show didn't have the story arcs that shows have today.

 

That's true, of course, and it can sometimes be tough to make that mental leap (sorry). But I wish they had taken a little time to show what was involved with the project, just to give all those scenes with Al worrying about being fired some more weight.

Incidentally, I seem to recall reading one or two QL tie-in novels that did, in fact, flesh out what happens back in Sam's time in more detail.

 

Definitely lame in the beginning. However, IMO, once they got it to it's final version, it became one of the defining elements of the show - just as integral as the Enterprise was to Star Trek or the General Lee was to The Dukes of Hazzard, at least for me.

Agreed, this one should have come a little later. As much as I love the show, it is a shame that it's not an arc-based one (or at least one that contains mini-arcs) because this episode could easily set the groundwork for a great arc. I could detail what I mean, that would get into spoiler territory.

It can be confusing, because they weren't careful about questions like this in the beginning. At first, the implication is that only Sam's mind (or consciousness) is leaping. Later, it's made explicitly clear that it is his body that's leaping.

I also seem to remember one like that. I think it dealt with Sam leaping into a Congressman who was a U.S. Presidential candidate in the final weeks before an election (which just happened to be a few weeks before Sam and Al's present). He was able to use the guy's high-level clearance to visit Project Quantum Leap itself.

 

There are some logistical issues about leaping that always bothered me. So, it was established that Sam's physical body was leaping and it was also established that Sam could not see his own reflection and that when Al looked at Sam he (just like everyone else) didn't see Sam but the image of the person he leaped in to.

Now what about little things like getting a hair cut. After years of leaping Sam's hair would grow and get long but if he tried to get it cut the barber wouldn't be able to see Sam's real long hair, just the hair of the person he leaped into. Would the barber be able to touch/feel Sam's real hair?

Also if Sam couldn't see his own image in the mirror what about if he just looked down at his own body? If his finger nails grew and he needed to clip them would he see his own finger nails or the nails of the other person?

Or was he even aging? Did the leaping process stop his aging process? Since he was bouncing around in time did that mean that time (the aging process) was not moving forward for him?

And what about injuries? If he broke a bone in one leap and had it set and then leaped he would be in trouble. In the next leap he would have a broken bone but no cast. And since he physically appeared as someone else could a doctor treat an injury from a previously leap? Would it show up in an x-ray?

I just watched a second season episode where Sam is shot. It was a flesh wound and he just shrugged it off later (as fictional characters always seem to do) but there was no way the wound would have healed by the time he leaped out. In the next leap would he be able to see the wound? And if he couldn't then what would he do to treat it? Apply gauze in the general area?

Or does the leaping process heal wounds and/or basically "reset" the body to its "factory settings"?

These are the things I always thought about when I watched.

 

That's fair, and it has been at least a few years since I've seen any QL (and that was only a handful of episodes to begin with), so maybe I'll change my mind once I get further into the show.

With regards to Sam's body, I think it just has to come down to suspension of disbelief. It doesn't always make sense if you think about it hard, but I think it's best to just let it not bother me.

 

The way I understand it(now) is that Al could see Sam as he was because of the Neuron connection. As for everything else, I have no idea. Nothing is really clear. I think when Sam looks down at his body he can see it, so he can cut fingernails, but I too wondered about how he cut his hair. I'm sure he could learn to do those things over time.(pun intended) He would have to fly blind, but I think it's within the rewalm iof posibility.

 

That's not a bad fanwank. Anything that disputes it?

 

I think the only episode we saw that showed the "future" - I believe Sam leaped the first time in 1999 was in the last season but it was only a couple of scenes and didn't didn't show anything different.

Any others scenes were within the Project it's self (btw was it a model or what used for the external shots?) and only really the waiting room and I think the console room in "The Leap Back".

 

The most of QL's future we ever saw was "Killin' Time" where the serial killer escapes from the Waiting Room and Al goes after him. We see a fair amount of a future city in that episode.

 

yes that was the ep I was referring to but didn't want to spoil in case there was a chance some-one hadn't seen it.

 

Yeah, I'd prefer if folks could refrain from spoilers. I know there's no major arcs to worry about, but it would still be nice to not know what's coming.

 

1x03 "The Right Hand of God"

6/10

I can just imagine how the writers meeting for this episode must have gone. "Hey, you know what movie was great? Rocky."

Once I got past the somewhat derivative feel of the episode, there was enough meat left to create an above-average outing. Mostly, there was the guest characters. Both the main nun (Angela, I think? I watched the episode last night, so the names are a tad fuzzy now) and Sam's girlfriend were very well-drawn characters, which is impressive in a show that has less that 50 minutes to develop them in.

To be honest, though, I'm struggling to find a lot to say about the episode. I found there were bits that strained credibility somewhat, like the fight being decided in the first round, and how easily the... uh... gangster (I guess?) was dealt with, but again, it worked overall. Not bad, not great, but certainly enjoyable.

No updates to the counters. Sam not having the ability to fight at first I don't count, since his trainer didn't consider it surprising he had lost his touch after a year of fixed matches.

 

I agree - a pretty forgettable episode. Certainly not bad, but exactly great either.

Then again, I think this one and the next two are forgettable. It's not until the sixth episode when things really pick up and the season ends on a high note of three good episodes.

 

This episode I have skipped deliberately because I just don't care for boxing stories in general, it's always the same. QL did do a good job with sports episodes more than other series have. I am not a sports fan, but this show managed to hold my attention when doing spots episodes, the only exception is this episode. I think this episode just simply continues to establish characters and establish that someone else is in charege here, namely "him" ^ as Al puts it. Other than that, this is just another boxing story. So far, Canadave, you have hit the mark.

 

Just want to say I haven't forgotten about this thread. I've watched up to "The Colour of Truth," having also watched "Double Identity" this evening. I think I've just been slow to update because "How the Tess was Won" fell very flat, and I haven't had the heart to review it yet. Suffice to say, though, I'll have all three reviewed tomorrow.

 

Yeah, the series writers not ashamed to crib whatever films they liked, you should do a list of them as we go along. So far we have Rocky and The Right Stuff

 

^ That's a good idea, actually. I'll start the Quantum Leap Filmography; if I miss something obvious because I haven't seen the movie, please let me know. Hokay. Reviews.

1x04 "How the Tess was Won"

2/10

Alternate title suggestion: "O plot, where art thou?" I'm going to keep this one quick, because the episode did very little for me. The main story essentially amounted to Sam running about doing cowboy things for 45 minutes, while another cowboy glared at him on occasion. The characters were cutouts at best (we barely even get to know the person Sam leapt into; I couldn't even tell you his name besides "Doc"), and even Sam and Al's interactions seemed a little muted.

It does get a point for the nice reveal of "Peggy Sue" at the end, though it was obvious all along that the kid was going to be some famous musician. There's a bit of a timeline quibble, though—hadn't Holly signed a record contract by 1956? Seems odd that he'd be working as a vet's assistant in very rural Texas...

1x05 "Double Identity"

7/10

This one wasn't terribly deep, but it was reasonably fun. The mobsters were a little more "A Piece of the Action" than The Godfather, but that was okay. There were a few laugh-out-loud moments, like when Sam had to sing at the wedding, and when Al was coaxing Sam through a conversation in Italian with the Don. I was also amused by the fact that Ziggy was responsible for the blackout of 1965, even if it doesn't necessarily make a lot of sense.

The "double leap" was interesting as well, though they didn't do a hell of a lot with it. Still, it allowed them to wrap up the story well, and it was nice seeing a little bit of the person Sam leapt into for a change.

1x06 "The Colour of Truth"

10/10

Easily the best of the show so far. It works brilliantly as both a period piece and as a bit of social commentary. It is admittedly something that it only made sense for the show to do, but I can forgive the obvious when it's done so well.

Firstly, I love the setting. Rural Alabama of the mid-50s is perfectly realized, and unlike the last two outings, feels much less generic and is a better use of the time travel premise.

The characters are also well-done here. Miss Melanie is sympathetic, and you can understand where she's coming from, even though she initially seems to support the injust segregation laws of the South. Jesse's granddaughter Nell is also very well-written, and you genuinely care about her when she gets injured in the climatic act. And then it all dovetails quite nicely with Miss Melanie's character arc, as she supports Jesse's actions to save Nell, illegal though they may be. That was a good piece of writing right there.

In addition to all this, Sam made for a great fish-out-of-water, and you do get the impression that he really learns what it was like to be black in the South before the civil rights movement. Again, this is not exactly new, but the episode does it quite well, so I really don't have an issue with it. Finally, the ending scene was quite nice, and closed the character arc of Miss Melanie quite well, while making for a very satisfying ending to Sam\Jesse's story in this episode as well.

And next week, Sam must prevent the accidental death of a teenage boy who drowns in acne cream.

Who You Talkin' To?!: 5 (+3)

The Don clearly notices Sam is doing something weird (getting cues from Al) while they have their conversation in the hairdressers; Jesse's son walks in on Sam and Al arguing in the kitchen; and the nurse at the white's only hospital sees Sam conversing with Al on the front steps.

Appearing/Disappearing Skillsets: 5 (+2)

Sam doesn't know how to speak Italian though Frankie should; Sam uses his medical knowledge to help both Miss Melanie and Nell.

Well listen to THIS!: 4 (+2)

Quite literally when Sam gives Buddy Holly the lyrics to "Peggy Sue"; Ziggy causes the Great Northeast Blackout of 1965.

Quantum Leap Filmograpy:

The Right Stuff
Rocky

 

I think you can add The Godfather and Driving Miss Daisy to the list?