"Quantum Leap: Season Three" Part 2 Review (Major Spoilers)

[matt_zimmer]

Runaway:

As this episode was going on, I'm thinking to myself "This Leap makes no sense." God messed up. Especially with who he chose Sam to Leap into. This mission is outright badly planned. But see, that's the point. Al misread the mission the entire time, and the situation was something entirely different than what Sam was trying to prevent all episode. The first thing that told me something was wrong is that Bill is actually a nice guy. I like Hank too (him cheering the Civil Rights Act over the radio instantly endeared him to me [and Sam]) but I think Bill is probably more on Emma's wavelength. It bums me that she'd wreck the rest of the family by leaving, (which is precisely why Al is taking the Leap a bit personally) but I would instantly think Sam's mission had merit if Bill were some kind of leering bunghole the way Russ Tamblyn's character was last season. Instead he seems genuinely decent, and if Sam is imparting to his mother that her life is hers, and she can do whatever she wants, Bill does not actually seem like a bad option. Plus, if God REALLY were trying to prevent that 'ship, they wouldn't constantly be running into each other. And that's strikes me as strange too. Al can't find anything on Emma after she runs away. But Hank is right about something when Emma is upset about losing the number. She can just call information. Al should be able to do that. If she DID run off with Bill, there would actually be a record of it. He's in in the phone book. But no, the reality is that Emma is not in any danger of actually spurning Hank. She just almost got her dumb @$$ killed doing a daredevil stunt to prove her worth and vitality. I think it's possible the entire mess could have been avoided had Sam Leaped into Hank instead of Butchie, but I'm wondering if maybe the reason God chose Butchie, was because Emma was always gonna try that stunt either way. And if she IS, she needs two strapping men to rescue her, not one man and a weakling 13 year old boy. Maybe the Universe provides for Sam AGAIN, and always has. That whole chimpanzee petting zoo seemed cruel as h*ll to me, and reminds me of a big reason I dislike television and movies of this era. By the way, chimps are lethally dangerous. You do NOT put them in a petting zoo with kids. Ever. God deciding to wait to Leap Sam so he could put the fear of God into his sister so Butchie wouldn't have to keep suffering is interesting, but frankly, Sam took things far too far. Wasn't falling down a large hole the trauma of the episode in the first place? How could Sam put her through that after she saw that with her mother? And why would she be impressed with Butchie for it? I can tell that Sam dislikes this Leap more than usual. Because as Al notes, to keep in character and not raise suspicions, Sam has to LET himself be constantly beat up by Butchie's sociopathic sister. And I get him wanting to split as soon as possible. Plothole: How does Sam fit into Butchie's clothes? Or did Butchie's clothes change size and get bigger? If so, why doesn't anyone else notice? This isn't exactly a great episode, but it went in a direction I did not expect, which means I like it. A lot. ***1/2.

8 1/2 Months:

This episode was truly a turning point for Quantum Leap. I wish Twin Peaks had lasted long enough to have an episode like this. Or Brisco County Jr.. But this episode changed everything. Earlier in the season, NBC moved the show into the Friday death slot of 8:00PM, which made no sense whatsoever. Not only was nobody home to watch Quantum Leap, but it was airing during the family hour, while Quantum Leap is certainly not a family show. It's not outright vulgar or overly violent or sexual, it's just that the subject matter it addresses would be of absolutely no interest to young kids, especially back then. Youngsters in 1991 were NOT as eclectic and open-minded as kids today can be. But Quantum Leap was a show with actual fans and a base of support. And unlike ABC and Twin Peaks, and Fox and Brisco County Jr, NBC decided the best move would be to move the show back to its original time slot, and also promote the h*ll out of it. "Quantum Leap Weeks" became a regular thing as the show went on, and NBC also sort of started doing more gimmick episodes with the show to highlight the sci-fi concept. That is why Sam being pregnant is the first episode in the new timeslot. It's edgy, relatable, and hilarious. Ironically, the episode itself is not so hot. But it got people watching the show, and Quantum Leap was a hit for another couple of years until NBC moved the show to Tuesdays in the fifth season. Now Quantum Leap was NEVER the failure on Tuesdays it was on Fridays, simply because all of the episodes from this point forward until the end of season four, made everybody huge fans of the show. It was always a cult hit, but it became a beloved, actually popular show, even if only for a year and a half. This episode, and the promotion NBC did for it is precisely why there are still Quantum Leap jokes on Family Guy. If not for this episode, and NBC's change of heart, there wouldn't be. And the episode isn't great. But I love how increasingly amused and amazed Sam gets upon realizing he actually IS pregnant and how freaked out it makes Al. Sam actually spends the entire episode moving like a very pregnant woman, even when he believes he isn't one. And that was one of the best Leap-Outs ever. I love that the 14 year old black girl is the smartest person in the episode. And I think the father Willis is a piece of cr*p. It takes a special kind of dirtbag to leave a woman pregnant with his own baby passed out in the middle of the road. It is true that he didn't actually see her fall, and pass out. But that's because the butthole didn't bother to look back and check on her when he took off like a punk. The kid'll be better off. Do you know who I love? The adoption agent played by the wonderful Anne Haney. There is no judgment from her, and she simply wants what is best for Billie Jean and her baby. And when Sam makes it perfectly clear he's changed his mind, she doesn't try to get him to change it back. She supports him, and tells him she hopes it will work out for him. Which is something I love. I love this episode. It it probably three star quality, but I'm giving it four just because it gave us an additional 2 and a half years of the show. If it didn't exist, we might not have gotten that. ****.

Future Boy:

This is not the best episode of Quantum Leap. It is not the most famous one. But it is definitely the most universally beloved. There is not a person who has seen it who has anything to say against it. This episode is this show at its crowd-pleasing best. For the record, Captain Galaxy is the role of Richard Herd's career. And yes, I know how long he's been at this. It's still true. I think the thing that makes me especially love the episode is the moment where the kid in the crowd asks Captain Galaxy if he can really travel in time, and when he confidently affirms that he can, the kid asks him to go back two weeks, and lock his gate so his dog won't get out and get killed. First off, the show is genius for even raising that dilemma. It is one of the most appalling scenarios I have seen on television. I could not imagine the horror of being placed on the spot like that in the specific way Moe was. No other show would have gone there. But what amazes me is Sam's astounding response off the top of his head. Sam says he visited Doggy Heaven on his time travel mission, and Tiger wanted to give the kid a message, that he misses him, he loves him, and it doesn't hurt. That last thing is phenomenal, because that's the biggest thing a kid fears from death. And this is the FIRST place Sam Beckett's mind goes to. I have my problems with the character, but when all is said and done, he's pretty much an amazing human specimen. And as amazing as that is, Moe is frustrated because he thinks he could have used the time machine to go back two weeks and actually lock the door. But even if he COULD do that, Sam's answer is the right one. Because you can never control the Leaps, and that is not a promise Moe would have ever been able to keep. I love that Moe rewrites the crummy sci-fi writing on air. What I don't get is why his producer is opposed to it. He's making the show better with every change. Look at the letter where he says that he and Superman would never get in a fight, because they are good friends, and because violence doesn't solve anything. I have a REAL hard time believing a kids show producer would object to that. He's all "kids love violence", and yeah, true, but that doesn't mean broadcast standards didn't exist in the 1950's. Captain Galaxy just gave the show a perfect good excuse for being on the air in the first place. It's annoying that the producer is mad rather than grateful. I love when Moe gets in the time machine at the end, we see the beginning of the Quantum Leap effects. Which shows he actually got pretty close, and closer than Al was ever giving him credit for. "Quantum Leap! I like that!" That line shows the episode knows exactly what crowd-pleasing buttons to push. No way is Zefrem Cochrane's uttering of the words "Star Trek" in First Contact remotely acceptable compared to that. The reveal that he did it all just so he could give his daughter a second chance with him is probably the biggest "Awww!" moment of the season, and possibly the series. Al's line, "If the boys at MIT could see you now," is probably the funniest quip of the season. Him saying that De Niro probably started out this way was a good one too. I think the best joke in the episode though is Moe talking about it being Friday night at 8:00PM, and you missed your favorite show Wednesday at 10:00PM. That's why the time machine exists. I love that joke. I love that joke, because I got it over the air, and it was the first example I've seen of actual meta humor outside of The Simpsons. It changed everything for me, and how I processed jokes. It is admittedly not as funny as the MIT quip while Sam is dressed as a giant soapy brillo pad. But it is genius on every level. And of course the episode ends with Captain Galaxy explaining the string theory that Sam helped him perfect to a young Sam Beckett from Elkridge, Indiana, who amazingly for a four-year-old, is interested in the scientific theories of time travel. But that's the kind of kid Sam was. And that makes the ending (and Al's gob smacked reaction) absolutely perfect. I defy you to hate this episode. It cannot be done. *****.

Private Dancer:

Is it just me, or does Sam do a disturbing number of Leaps where he is tasked with protecting a young woman's virtue? Diana's plight is interesting because he knows she'll eventually get AIDS if she crosses that line, but I kind of think this cr*p is none of Sam Beckett's business, and is a way for him to control a woman's sexuality. See, when Diana slapped him for canceling her gigs behind her back? She was right to be mad. Sam should not get to do that. Yeah, he should talk her out of them, but he doesn't get to unilaterally decide what she can do with her own body. And it disturbs me the show has him doing this while he's a stripper. Don't feel too bad for Scott Bakula having to do that embarrassing Chippendales' dance. Dude posed for Playgirl back in the day, probably oblivious to the fact that that magazine's readership was NOT primarily women. I forgot Debbie Allen directed a few episodes of Quantum Leap. Why is it with all of her dancing, choreography, and director skills, that her sister Phylicia Rashad is somehow more famous than she is? That does not seem right to me. I wonder what happens to Diana's opinion of the Rod the Bod now that Sam is gone, and Rod has no memory of any relationship with her whatsoever. I think this is another case where Sam left a big relationship mess in his wake. If Diana is not confused and furious at why he now pretends he doesn't know her, I'll be very surprised. I think the one thing I liked about the icky concept was Sam asking Vickie if she could go back to her "first time" and change it, would she? And that's the entire premise of the show. Her quipping that she wishes she had a nice guy in her life at that time is another way of saying that Sam's behavior and mission isn't entirely icky and controlling, even if it outwardly appears that way. He's still stopping a regrettable thing from happening either way. Diana in the blue dress, dancing with Sam to the strobe light was such a beautiful moment, season four put it in the main title. It WAS quite striking. Not a bad episode, but not a good one either. **1/2.

Piano Man:

I liked the music, but this was a below average episode. I think the idea of a human jinx is so dumb a concept, and it bugs me that this stupidity is not unusual writing for 1991. This is how bad the average television show used to be. And since Quantum Leap is often quite average itself, it is not immune to dumb ideas. The biggest clue that Carl was a bad guy, was the fact that every time Lorraine called him to update him on where she was, the bad guys found them. I would think she would have put two and two together quicker. What bothers me is that Sam didn't figure that out quicker. Lorraine isn't a jinx because she's clumsy. It's because she's stupid. Al giving her credit for saving the day is far more than she deserved. She literally saved the day by accident. In my mind, it doesn't count. 1985 is the most recent Leap in time the show has done yet. Very few Leaps are set in the 1980's. The fact that it is means this is another one of those Leaps that isn't defined by the time period. The music would have been different, but they could have set this story in the 50's, 60's, or 70's and nothing else would have changed. A dud of an episode. *.

Southern Comforts:

Do you know what amazes me about Quantum Leap? Episodes like this one were a rarity. Watch iZombie. Liv becomes sex workers or perverts every other week. It smells of desperation. Sam leaping into a pimp is funny precisely because this kind of thing doesn't happen very often. It works because it is outside of his comfort zone. iZombie just seems to traffic in degradation when they do stuff like this. Dan Butler is somehow even more annoying here than he was on Frasier. How come I don't see Diane Delano is too many live-action projects anymore? The idea of her playing a prostitute is frankly awesome. She NEVER got cast in roles like that back in the day because she supposedly wasn't hot enough. If Game of Thrones came out 20 years earlier she'd pretty much be the perfect Brienne of Tarth. I never bought Gwendoline Christie in the role because she's so outright attractive. As seen here Delano cleans up good. But she'd make a far more convincing Brienne to me. Do you know what's fun? A young (and surprisingly sexy) Lauren Tom in the role of Sophie the hooker. This is literally the hottest role I've seen Tom in and that tickles me. Fun episode. ****.

Glitter Rock:

So-so episode with a predictable mystery. I knew the culprit all along, and am surprised Al and Sam actually thought it could be anyone else. Once the stalker revealed he was Tonic's son, there was nobody else the killer could be but Dwayne. I kept trying to figure out who Fringe's Michael Cerversis plays, and IMDB says "Nick", whoever that is. I don't recognize him with hair. Oh well. I think Sam could have said no to Flash's girlfriend more forcefully. This is Sam's entire problem with forward women he should NOT be taking advantage of. He likes to pretend to have morals and the high ground, but I think he secretly likes making out with all of the women he is not supposed to sleep with. If I were in Sam's position, I would have actually shoved Flash's girlfriend away. That is not an act of violence. She is the one violating Sam, and if Sam pushed her off him, that would be him setting a boundary limit around his bubble. Instead, I think Sam never puts up a fight because he wants to get a LITTLE action out of the scenario, if not full-on release. Which just shows that Sam is terrible deep down. I am amused they found a way for Al to do the Who's On First routine with Pete Townsend. Sam is entirely too stupid in that moment, but it's still funny. Why does nobody notice that Tonic no longer speaks in an English accent? And this whole thing with his son would have gone easier with DNA testing. Which they had in 1996, so you'd figure Ziggy could actually check the record there. All right, but not great. **1/2.

A Hunting We Will Go:

Sam describes this as the Leap from Hell, and it's hard to disagree with that assessment. Until we get to the cliffhanger and realize what a REAL Leap from Hell entails. God, that cliffhanger still spooks me decades later. Sam does not get an "Oh Boy!" there. Because the situation is not funny. At all. Diane is a scream and Jane Sibbett has never been sexier. When she pushed Sam into that post seconds into the Leap, we see what kind of person she is immediately. She is violent, and sweet, and passionate, and a born liar all at once. Frankly, her being innocent is inconsistent with her personality. People as untrustworthy as her tend to sociopaths with no conscience. But Diane makes for a cuter reformed bounty hunter at the end. Jane Sibbett was one of those prolific actors in the mid-nineties who you don't see much anymore. Aside from her guest stints on Friends, she had a regular part on Herman's Head. Sibbett always interested me because her voice is so distinctive. It is loud, forceful, and yet has a soft lisp to it all at once. You don't hear many voices where all of that is true. Al's reasoning as to why he thought Diana was innocent was so bonkers that I'm a little ashamed the episode decided to make him right. This was Al going out on a limb that should not have actually been true at all. Demerits to the episode for Sam asking what else could go wrong and then it starting to rain. The only bigger cliche in that moment would have been if Lenny and Squiggy showed up. Jane Sibbett is a Goddess. ****1/2.

Last Dance Before An Execution:

I cannot believe what a Philistine I used to be. Back in the day, I thought this episode was pointless, since Jesus turned out to be guilty after all, and the entire mission could have been over instantly had Ziggy actually been smart enough to realize the real reason Sam was there. I was upset that Jesus was guilty, he betrayed Theresa who now (rightly) hated Sam, and died in the chair anyways. But see, that's actually why the episode is great! I cannot believe I could not appreciate the genius of Sam's desperation getting Biblical once he realizes he's Leaped into a guilty man. It is an absolutely genius twist. Sam was never there to prevent his own death. And is it just me or does Ziggy have information overload the second time Sam is in the chair? This is all information that would have been useful 24 hours earlier, especially since it appears Ziggy had access to it after all. Jesus. It amazes that I can now find information on the internet faster than Ziggy was ever able to. I have to say Julio Oscar Mechoso as Raul is probably the best dramatic guest performance of an actor on the show to date. When he's like "I can't believe we're gonna die for 6 dollars," I immediately thought Jesus was innocent. Because there was nothing about Mechoso's performance that made me think Raul was for a second. Al as an angel in Church was amazing. When the little girl says clearly "Theresa! The bullet!" I get freaking chills. Every. Dang. TIME! SO awesome. James Sloyan is so great because my first reaction to his "last dance" speech was literally, "Oh my God! You are such a horrible person!" When you say that out loud to your TV, you know you have a great villain. I am so glad Sam's secondary mission was to screw him over. Although I have to wonder if the people in the chamber actually wondered where Jesus got the information he did. There was talking over Sam reciting the 555 number, so it didn't take me out of the moment as it usually would. I love that Sam instantly corrects Al that he's there to save Jesus' life. Strictly speaking, he's there to save his OWN life in that particular scenario. And he could have done it a LOT easier if Ziggy knew he was guilty all along. When Sam's like "I did everything I was supposed to," that was a very meta moment, and a Biblical one, and Sam is Job in that scenario. Has God really forsaken Sam? Did he have him Leap into Jesus when he did to show the stakes? Because it seemed a pretty cruel jumping off point. When Al pops in at the end, "You are here to save Raul" you sigh in relief, and then realize this is pretty obvious, and always was. The "25 years in the future" thing places the events at Project Quantum Leap in 1996. That sounds about right but it makes the future stuff the show was off about even MORE bizarre in retrospect. They should have known better at this point. Quantum Leap always has great music. Mostly because they license amazing music from the era. But this is one of the few episodes with an outright great musical score. It's got the dire Psycho / Bernard Herrmann sounding screetching strings and everything. One of Velton Ray Bunch's best. This is one of the best episodes of the season and the series. Amazing. *****.

Heart Of A Champion:

This is very much like The Leap Home in that nobody believes Sam, and he's making everyone miserable with the truth, and not helping anyone. Him going into the ring solo and not tagging out was literally the only move he had left, and as the episode goes on, you kind of realize there is no reasoning with wrestlers and their fans. Those rednecks who were surprised that Sam and his brother didn't have Russian accents are typical of how much that type of person sucks, and how stupid wrestling fans actually are. But how can they tell Sam doesn't speak with a Russian accent in that scene? Because he didn't do it in the ring either. But there was no other way out of that situation than for Sam to take that beating at the end himself. The entire episode was building towards it. Sam's "love interest" this episode was a bona fide psychopath and I'm glad they had him Leap out as he delivered the kick in the butt, because they might not have had him do it unless they did that. And that was the least she deserved in that moment. This episode aggravated me. I didn't enjoy it much. **.

Nuclear Family:

I think you'd be hard pressed to find a time in history where the American public was stupider and more ill-informed than November of 2016. But the Cuban Missile Crisis is a contender for the number two spot. What bothers me in this episode is the level of fear that is generated towards the children over essentially nothing but a false alarm. Hearing them scream in terror because they feared that their dog was going to die was genuinely upsetting. And it was Mac and Kimberly who made them feel that level of fear in the first place. I loved the scene between Sam and the Holocaust survivor Mrs. Klingman. She's right that "Don't worry, they won't attack us," has a very dark place in world history. But she's also smart enough to know if the A-Bomb DOES hit, nobody is surviving anyways, so Sam talking her out of that sale was very easy. Al is right that Sam in a mensch. I understand why he sold a shelter to Burt. Burt was SO upset, only the idea of owning a shelter was giving him comfort. I can see why Sam wanted to appease him in that moment. Al had an interesting, but true, perspective on Duck and Cover. We make fun of the idea today, but it was a good way to distract kids and not make them feel so powerless. It's stupid, but the whole thing is, so it's not much markedly stupider than that. I also liked Sam's scene of describing to Stevie what it would be like look back on this moment from the future. Not only is it comforting, but Sam is allowed to offer a personal perspective that he doesn't always get to do because he has to keep his cover. I like that the dog is named Sam. Funny. I also liked the solution to sell pools instead of bomb shelters at the end. Because they already had the equipment and the material, and could simply find another, more profitable use for it. For the record "Shock Theater" is one of the best cliffhangers ever. This episode was filled with stupid adults and frightened children. It is very little wonder I didn't actually enjoy it. **.

Shock Theater:

This was my favorite episode back in the day, but in hindsight, it's a mess. But I still like it a lot. The high-concept is irresistible, although it raises questions of how Sam can remember the things he does as his former personas, when it was Sam in the situations. But I cannot believe such a dire and depressing premise is actually so much fun. Let's talk about the bad stuff first (and there's a lot). Scott Bakula's performance of Jessie Tyler is outright offensive. I will not deny that this episode stretches Bakula's acting skills more than any other episode. But dang it, 25 years later and I am freaking cringing. Also Al's rap was not only incredibly embarrassing and lame, but there is NO real-world scenario in which it would teach a person like Tibby to read. It's nonsense on every level. But I love how crazy it makes the patients at the mental hospital. What is great about the episode to me is that I share the doctors' alarming fascination with the scenario. If I didn't actually know what was going on, I'd want to see more too. If you don't know the science behind why Sam is acting the way he is, it's the most amazing mental breakdown in history. Each persona thinks they are at least a couple of years in the future (smart to set the episode in 1954) and for some weird reason they are all talking to the same unseen person. Sam seems to know things that not only would an illiterate man like Jessie Tyler never know, but things Sam Bederman would never know either. And of course, the one time he gets to use his name, Sam isn't actually present. The Sam thing was genius, because that meant he could switch into Samantha from "What Price Gloria?" and still have the audience be surprised that it happened. We would have been clued in a LOT earlier on had Sam corrected Al calling him "Sam" as the rest of the personas did. This is the one episode where Sam is NOT trying to keep a deep cover, and because of that, it is VERY fortunate it was set in a mental institution. It's like God continues to provide for Sam in every conceivable situation. But I get why the Doctors were freaked. Not only has Bederman seemingly gone insane, but the rest of the patients have become out of control too because they can see Al, and he's deliberately riling them up. There is just so much craziness that popped out of nowhere at that institution that I can see why the doctors were so both alarmed and tantalized. Because none of this made sense. I love that Sam's persona at the end is Jimmy, which makes sense, because I believe Jimmy was Sam's most personal Leap. And it's the fact that he is mentally disabled which means he is more scared than normal, and it also makes it harder for him to relay Al's instructions to the nurse. Butch is an outright monster, but Lee Garlington has always been great in these types of roles as the concerned Nurse Chatam. I never even realized Dr. Masters was David Proval because he always plays mobsters. This was definitely casting him out of type. I love how amazed and delighted Tibby is at the situation, and that he's nuts enough to take what Al says is happening at face value. Granted, he sees actual proof in the way the doctors do not, but I love that he actually finds the entire experience cool and sci-fi and awesome. And because he can see Al, Al can help him when Sam can't. It's not plausible that the way Al taught him to read would ever work for a person with mild Down Syndrome, but that's another problem. How do you get mild Down Syndrome in the first place? I think they just said that so they could cast a person without Down Syndrome in the role. For the record, Scott Lawrence's facial structure is kind of plausible for a milder version of Down Syndrome. This was years before Lawrence was cast as an admiral on JAG or a doctor on Legion. He could definitely pull off this role when he was younger. This is also the first time we saw Dr. Beaks onscreen after being namedropped throughout the rest of the series. What is amazing to me is that there is a lightning storm going on outside of the hospital the entire time so it sets up the final mindblowing Leap cliffhanger. M.I.A. definitely had a better closing scene than this. But this is definitely the best season ending cliffhanger. I'm giving this episode five stars for pure nostalgia. *****.