Well that is a fair point, and a very interesting one. What would you call Sam's original machine and this new one?
Will Sam Beckett Return Home? NBC Orders Quantum Leap Reboot Pilot
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Well that is a fair point, and a very interesting one. What would you call Sam's original machine and this new one?
Realistically? I would guess, potentially but not probably. As I recall from Mythbusters, igniting flammable gas requires a precise mixture of gas and oxygen, and if there's too much or too little of either, no ignition will occur. That's why car engines need carburetors or fuel injection systems to ensure a precise balance of air and gasoline vapor.
Also, IIRC, a methane explosion wouldn't produce the kind of bright orange billowing fireball that cinematic pyrotechnicians so adore, but more of a nearly invisible pressure wave with maybe some faint, short-lived glow more like a diffuse candle flame.
Did it even have a name in the original show? Wasn't just the QL Project?
EDIT:
The QL Wiki names a "Project Accelerator"
https://quantumleap.fandom.com/wiki/Project_Accelerator
I always took the term "Accelerator" to refer to some kind of particle accelerator for creating the energies necessary for the temporal leap.
And yes, of course it's a time machine. Anything that allows travel or even communication between two different times is a time machine, no matter the specifics of its operation.
Can someone clear something up for me? I haven't seen the episode yet (and I'm not sure I'll be able to, since it looks like Peacock is subscription-only and it's not worth it for just one show), but I read a statement that Ben's body is still in the present, implying that only his mind is traveling. That's how the Ashley McConnell novels portrayed it, but the show was pretty explicit that Sam's body was traveling, e.g. when he leaped into a double amputee but could still stand and walk because he had his legs, even if nobody else could see them. (How everybody's clothes still fit him was never explained.) So is the new show retconning that?
And yes, of course it's a time machine. Anything that allows travel or even communication between two different times is a time machine, no matter the specifics of its operation.
Can someone clear something up for me? I haven't seen the episode yet (and I'm not sure I'll be able to, since it looks like Peacock is subscription-only and it's not worth it for just one show), but I read a statement that Ben's body is still in the present, implying that only his mind is traveling. That's how the Ashley McConnell novels portrayed it, but the show was pretty explicit that Sam's body was traveling, e.g. when he leaped into a double amputee but could still stand and walk because he had his legs, even if nobody else could see them. (How everybody's clothes still fit him was never explained.) So is the new show retconning that?
Peacock has a nice free ad-supported option, QL should be there.
It’s free right now on nbc.com with ads
https://www.nbc.com/quantum-leap/video/july-13th-1985/9000287009
usually the next day it’s on nbc.com
What I miss about this show is the chemistry the old one had
Somehow we went from the futuristic 1995 with hover cars to a regular 2022 setting.
https://www.nbc.com/quantum-leap/video/july-13th-1985/9000287009
usually the next day it’s on nbc.com
What I miss about this show is the chemistry the old one had
Somehow we went from the futuristic 1995 with hover cars to a regular 2022 setting.
A
Amaris
Guest
What a great start! I'm hoping for good things ahead, because this show has a lot of promise. It has a nice mix of humor, poignancy, and it's based on a concept I've always found fascinating.
Pilot 1.01 Thoughts
the good
the bad
other observations
the good
- Ben's character already feels likeable (wanting to do the right thing - actually helping, not just calling 911) and reminded me of Scott Bakula's portrayal of Sam sometimes, but especially the fist punch and following "ouch that hurt" - scene.
- Magic: calming voice - like a grandpa looking out for his flock - vibe. Loved how he not only refused security lady's resignation, but actually tried to motivate her so she'd help. Signs of a good boss person.
- Security Lady: Liked that she wanted to own up for the "breach".
- dig the catchphrase update to "Oh Sh*t!". Leaves the classic "Oh Boy!"untouched while being modernized.
- liked the "Leap" story part - felt like an QL episode - just with different characters.
- intrigued by the project QL ring person
being one of Al Calavici's daughters + her seemingly teaming up with Ben for probably/hopefully Sam/Al related reasons
the bad
- Not feeling the chemistry between Ben and Addison - romantic or otherwise - unfortunately.
- Present part: getting to know the characters + QL project felt rushed and yet didn't really add a lot of value to the story.
- the visual special effects were bad and distracting (hologram chamber lightning aura around person - not the overall effect, some scene backgrounds from city/cars)
- "Mushroom Techie" = high annoying character potential. Hopefully the writing scales back on the technobabble and the "I know better music than DJ" thing for example. (Don't mind or care about the identity part. Nice if it helps people feel represented though)
- Addison emotional side / range of the actress seems rather flat.
- Security Lady: Wonder about the long term use case for the character.
other observations
- don't remember the details but this was not the original pilot episode (it was an earthquake-related I think) and that was changed late in production, thus probably rushed including the visual special effects. Hopefully they can fix that going forward + maybe less, but better, is more?
Why did the original series have Sam’s “present” day six years ahead of the show’s air date? I could never understand that conceit by the writers, and how they tried to make Sam’s present look like it was decades into the future rather than what would reasonably be six.
It would make sense to do that if they had planned on setting a leap for Sam in the near future, like suddenly he finds himself in 1994, and because he’s just so close to his present time he may be tempted to want to just stay.
Of course that’s not what the show was trying to do. It was purely Baby Boomer nostalgia bait leaping from the 50s to the 70s, with the extreme rarity of leaping into the 80s and never the 90s.
It would make sense to do that if they had planned on setting a leap for Sam in the near future, like suddenly he finds himself in 1994, and because he’s just so close to his present time he may be tempted to want to just stay.
Of course that’s not what the show was trying to do. It was purely Baby Boomer nostalgia bait leaping from the 50s to the 70s, with the extreme rarity of leaping into the 80s and never the 90s.
That was a mixed bag for me. Some stuff worked, but I found most of the present-day stuff distracting. And I'm weary of having an ongoing mystery plot. If I was going to change things I'd simplify the story and make Ernie Hudson the hologram.
So quick continuity notes, spoiler-marked for fun:
- Unless this 2022 has a hyperloop to the middle of a desert and a secret military crystal mountain, this version of the project is within "Jack Bauer" driving distance of Venice Beach in LA. Rather, it seems to be a generic underground government facility where no one wears uniforms.
- There is no real hint of the colorful gummi bear motif from the future of 1999, even in the computer screen OS graphics, which would've been a nice callback. Here, everyone (including the mysterious Calavicci daughter) is using 2022 external screens and Apple products.
- Speaking of, I understand the use of a generic "dial" shaped holo device instead of a handlink, since EVERYONE HAS A HANDLINK these days. Still, I'd say a phone device wouldn't be bad, as it's generally accepted as the most ergonomic shape for personal data displays these days, and Al's handlink has been shown to be able to display holograms too. How will Addison get her unit to work when Ziggy inevitably glitches? Clap her hands?
- There's no waiting room in this version of the project, as confirmed by the producers. They perhaps wisely don't delve into it in the very crowded pilot, but it's a plot device that was completely omitted from swaths of episodes in the original anyway. Why omit it at all? I think including something like "The person you leaped into is comatose in the future. We can't wake them up." would've been explanation enough AND leave room for future use of the concept later.
- OTOH, we were left with "The leaps will get harder" from Sam in the finale. Presumably he's kept leaping, without Al or any help from the Project, and therefore meaning that rando leapees weren't popping into a blue room after that episode.
- There IS a Ziggy, but who knows if it's THE Ziggy from the original. My money is on yes, and they're saving Deborah Pratt (who did the opening intro speech here) for special occasions.
- Are Ben and Addison linked because they synchronized their neurons and mesons in the accelerator? If Addison was meant to be the leaper originally, if Ben was going to be the hologram then it stands to reason. In practice there should be no reason anyone else can't do it later on, since Gooshie eventually appeared as a hologram "rush job" and at one point Dr Beeks did appear as a silent partner, albeit at great power expense.
- There is no real hint of the colorful gummi bear motif from the future of 1999, even in the computer screen OS graphics, which would've been a nice callback. Here, everyone (including the mysterious Calavicci daughter) is using 2022 external screens and Apple products.
- Speaking of, I understand the use of a generic "dial" shaped holo device instead of a handlink, since EVERYONE HAS A HANDLINK these days. Still, I'd say a phone device wouldn't be bad, as it's generally accepted as the most ergonomic shape for personal data displays these days, and Al's handlink has been shown to be able to display holograms too. How will Addison get her unit to work when Ziggy inevitably glitches? Clap her hands?
- There's no waiting room in this version of the project, as confirmed by the producers. They perhaps wisely don't delve into it in the very crowded pilot, but it's a plot device that was completely omitted from swaths of episodes in the original anyway. Why omit it at all? I think including something like "The person you leaped into is comatose in the future. We can't wake them up." would've been explanation enough AND leave room for future use of the concept later.
- OTOH, we were left with "The leaps will get harder" from Sam in the finale. Presumably he's kept leaping, without Al or any help from the Project, and therefore meaning that rando leapees weren't popping into a blue room after that episode.
- There IS a Ziggy, but who knows if it's THE Ziggy from the original. My money is on yes, and they're saving Deborah Pratt (who did the opening intro speech here) for special occasions.
- Are Ben and Addison linked because they synchronized their neurons and mesons in the accelerator? If Addison was meant to be the leaper originally, if Ben was going to be the hologram then it stands to reason. In practice there should be no reason anyone else can't do it later on, since Gooshie eventually appeared as a hologram "rush job" and at one point Dr Beeks did appear as a silent partner, albeit at great power expense.
@Mark_Nguyen, about the spoiler…
Also, does Magic give any hint, even the slightest, that he remembers his own experience as a leapee?
If there’s no waiting room, where does the leapee go when Ben replaces them?
Also, does Magic give any hint, even the slightest, that he remembers his own experience as a leapee?
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It is, that's how I watched it this morning.
That was pretty good good start to the series.
Ben Song seems pretty likeable so far, and feels like he should be pretty good Sam Becket 2.0.
The stuff in the present was pretty good too, it was interesting to see them dealing with everything going on their side of the leap. I always wished we got more of that on the original.
Having the woman Ben was secretly working with be
Al's daughter was a nice way to connect back to the original series
I want to see the original pilot, the one that took place during the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake.
Cause the heist felt really like a network note to open the show with some action and a literal ticking bomb.
I like all the new characters and the cast. But I'm not digging the structure or pacing of the episodes. In the OG, we got smaller, quieter scenes where Sam learned a lot about the leapee and those around him. Here we just move from thing to thing without a pause. Thankfully, Ben (Ben Song, a reverse of Sam Beckett's initials!) and Addison.
Also, I'm not sure I like the constant cutaways to Project Quantum Leap... it's all to set up an arc outside the leaps. And that cuts into the leaps themselves. But... I wouldn't remove them because...
I already have a massive crush on Mason Alexander Park! (Thanks also to SANDMAN and COWBOY BEPOP.)
Cause the heist felt really like a network note to open the show with some action and a literal ticking bomb.
I like all the new characters and the cast. But I'm not digging the structure or pacing of the episodes. In the OG, we got smaller, quieter scenes where Sam learned a lot about the leapee and those around him. Here we just move from thing to thing without a pause. Thankfully, Ben (Ben Song, a reverse of Sam Beckett's initials!) and Addison.
Also, I'm not sure I like the constant cutaways to Project Quantum Leap... it's all to set up an arc outside the leaps. And that cuts into the leaps themselves. But... I wouldn't remove them because...
I already have a massive crush on Mason Alexander Park! (Thanks also to SANDMAN and COWBOY BEPOP.)
Don't think there was ever a crystal mountain - more like the energy field when Sam fired up the Accelerator and made his first leap
Some images https://www.quantumleap-alsplace.com/imagingchamber/projectQL.htm
Could never work out if the shots of the external Project builds where a model or somewhere that actually exists (or existed).
But yes it's supposed to be Stallions Gate New Mexico not somewhere in California.
Thanks for that. I get confused with all the streaming services -- didn't know there was both NBC.com and Peacock.
It's not bad, I guess. Did a good job reintroducing the premise for new viewers. The two leads are okay, not breathtaking. The ensemble seems like a pretty generic modern TV ensemble so far, but they have potential.
The portrayal of some things is rather different. Ziggy is the biggest discrepancy. In the original, Ziggy was a "she," not an "it," and had a voice and personality. (Al originally called Ziggy "he," but then they cast a female voice when we finally saw the future, and it was "she" from then on. I guess that was one of the timeline changes.) Ziggy was also a futuristic multicolored Lucite construct, like a larger version of Al's handlink, which was a piece of Ziggy, I believe.
I also miss the "door of light" that Al came and went through, representing the entrance to the imaging chamber.
Well, it is a mutable timeline.
Plastic cable ties, including the flex-cuff variety, would have been around for a couple of decades at that time. But this seemed more like an ordinary cable tie of the sort used to bundle wires and the like, which is why Ben was able to break it so easily.
Having seen it now, if anything, I think the sewer gas would be the least of the problems. A C4 explosion is more force than flame -- or rather, in a really high-powered explosion, the combustion occurs so rapidly that the flame dies out in an instant and there's just a very powerful blast wave. I'd think that much C4 in a sewer pipe would've cracked the walls, maybe undermined the pavement above it. It would've caused a lot of underground damage, at the very least.
They probably didn't want it too far ahead, because they wanted it to be limited to Sam's lifetime and wanted that to include the '50s. As for making the near future look so futuristic, I guess it was just the fashion of the day, maybe influenced by Back to the Future Part II, although that was decades in the future.
That is quite a change. So no Dr. Ruth counseling the team members this time, huh?
I thought that was the same narrator! Her voice has changed over the decades, but the breathy way she delivered the lines was familiar. I'd forgotten -- or never known -- that the narrator and Ziggy were the same voice. Does that mean Ziggy is the one narrating the shows?
I guess that makes sense.
If the heist stuff was a reshoot, maybe that explains why it was so backlot-bound.
The exterior of PQL seemed to be mostly stock footage of other places, including those white buildings. In the odd instance we saw the outside as a static location, it was either that big rock formation or the crystal mountain; said mountain WAS seen on occasion after the pilot and that first leap.
Of course, the original show never really focused on continuity of the future scenes outside of the two or three episodes that heavily featured that setting. It was never the focus of the show, and so they probably never put too much thought into what it looked like outside of the one crystal mountain graphic and assorted stock footage clips. The new show will have multiple regular characters sharing the screen and assorted character plotlines in 2022, so a regular set will be needed to explore. Regarding that:
Mark
Of course, the original show never really focused on continuity of the future scenes outside of the two or three episodes that heavily featured that setting. It was never the focus of the show, and so they probably never put too much thought into what it looked like outside of the one crystal mountain graphic and assorted stock footage clips. The new show will have multiple regular characters sharing the screen and assorted character plotlines in 2022, so a regular set will be needed to explore. Regarding that:
- The absence of a waiting room DOES preclude one discontinuity regarding the original in that in the future, it frequently took Al, Gooshie and the crew days or longer to find Sam (with notable exceptions such as when Sam leaped into an amputee). But if there was someone conscious in the waiting room all this time, even with a swiss-cheesed memory, they could work on finding them right away.
- Without anyone in a waiting room, the show can take its time in "catching up" with Ben as he travels along. In the pilot, hours pass between Ben's leap and Addison entering the imaging chamber, but for Ben it's just a few moments. As a storytelling device I can see why the producers opted out of it, but I hope they'll explain away the continuity as some sort of "advancement" or change instead of ignoring it.
- Without anyone in a waiting room, the show can take its time in "catching up" with Ben as he travels along. In the pilot, hours pass between Ben's leap and Addison entering the imaging chamber, but for Ben it's just a few moments. As a storytelling device I can see why the producers opted out of it, but I hope they'll explain away the continuity as some sort of "advancement" or change instead of ignoring it.
Mark
To rephrase my question, why did they have Sam leap from a “near future” 1995 rather than a present day 1989? Since they never really delve into Sam and Al’s present all that much, with a few rare exceptions, it just seemed like an odd flourish.