Poll of the Day > Quantum Leap...

(+) Yeah! (+)

So, I'm close to the end of the second season. So, anything from the first two seasons, I'll probably leave out in the open. Anything after, I'll try to spoiler tag. But I could forget...

So, I love the show... But there are a few problems I heave with the show... Well, I guess I'm questioning it more than really problems... First, I should mention the things we do know. We know that Sam has Swiss Cheese Brain due to the leaps or whatever. He can't seem to remember lots of things. Based on what Al says in many episodes, we also know that when he leaps into someone's body, they leap into his. He mentioned is multiple times (knowing he leaped into Frankie's body after he came, mentioning the face Frankie looked, mentioned a lawyer saying something like, "I am a lawyer. Take me to your leader", and when he mentioned seeing "Black Magic" again... We also know that times moves weird, but not exactly how. After Sam leaped out of the first body he leaped into, he saw Al. And Al said it had been about a week since he last saw him. That said, it was probably also a joke because it on a weekly TV show... We also know they have A LOT of
information on people. Some things make sense, like things that are in
records. Some things don't, like knowing when someone was going to lose their virginity... We also know Sam sleeps nude, but that's not important. And he has to take his shirt off at least once per episode... Probably a contractual thing...

One thing that's weird is how people just get back on track with their
lives. Not everyone will have this problem, but some will... He has
definitely started relationships while acting as certain people. So, that
would be weird to jump back into your life at a completely different time, with so much stuff different. So far, I've only seen one person leap back into their life. It was when Sam leaped out of Frankie, and into the Don. When Frankie came back, he was wondering why it was dark, and what happened to the wedding. Teresa mentioned the wedding was days ago. He didn't really get to question it much because of the Don, but he seemed pretty confused. And maybe not the brightest... Other people may have more questions. Like the women who started labor right before Sam leaped out of her... And as far as I know, it seems the people Sam leaped into don't keep their memories that Sam made, or their memories of the future. So things are probably weird to get back into where days have passed, people are in new relationships, and Sam has done something big in their life... So, that's a problem...

Another things is how he's actually fixing things, and the way this time
travels works... Some fixes make sense. Like when you save someone from dying. They are alive, so that's good. Since they don't keep their memories, they return back to normal. Like the sleazy professor, or the douchy college kid. They go back to their old personalities... I guess if a life is saved, cool. But many relationships will fall apart as soon as they are back to normal, so... or the dirty FBI agent who was working for the bad guys. Would he still try to kill the women when he got back into his body? Would he be arrested? Will they fall in love now that he's bad boss is dead? What happens there?

For time-travel, it's a whole other issue... I mean, they never really
explain who remembers the differnces. We know Sam does. And somehow, Al does. Sam remembering makes sense as he's in the past and changing it. Al remembering makes sense when he's in the chamber and with Sam. But he also seems to remember even when he's not there. In one episode, he was trying to prove to some department head that the Quantum leap project was important
and worked. His plan to prove it was to stop a certain plane from being shot down. Which Sam doesn't actually stop. Right before the Head pulls funding, Sam finds a flaw in his host's wife's answer. Which saves like half her answers, and changes her future. And she becomes the head, and is giving them more funding. It kind of makes you wonder if they remember anything. Because they should know that a person changed right in front of them. If they don't remember (which would make sense if they didn't)m how was Al suppose to prove anything to them in the first place?

And tbh, I'm wondering if this is the first time Sam went to these places. Or if these places are messed up because of him. Some episodes felt like he caused it, sometimes. Like the one girl who ran away from him because he mother told her he was faking being blind. The real guy was blind, but not Sam. So, originally, she probably wouoldn't have ran away, when led to her getting strangled in the forest. So, did Sam always cause that. There were a few other things that I wonder if he caused since he tries to stop them, which can sometimes makes those things happen. Then there's the evil leapers who mess things up even more... And that makes things even more confusing...

Though maybe not. I mean, some of these people are being pursued by death almost final destination-like?Like how the women was suppose to be hit by a train. And teven though Sam brough her somewhere else, he gets arested. And she goes to free him. Even though a police officer told the nurse to not let her go anywhere for a certain amount of time. Or how when he was an FBI agent trying to protect the women from earlier. Every time he saved her from what would have been her death, she just gets a new date further in the future. It apparently won't stop moving slightly up until either she's dead, or the guy chasing her is...

Then there's the fact that they play hard and loose with the rules
sometimes. I mean, I guess they have rules. Just weird how they do it. The animals being able to tell Sam is Sam and Al is there makes sense. And even children. Though, it seems weird that Teresa could see her, but Michael Jackson couldn't... But the baby from the kidnapping episode or whatever can. It was also weird that the old woman heard Al, though she thought it was her dead husband. Sybil also seemed to not only be able to sense Al, but saw that Sam had been reincarnated a bunch of times already. Which reminds me of Geroge's grandfather who kept using the word "leap" when talking Sam (Who was Geroge at the time)...

I could be forgetting some stuff. I had to re-write this multiple times...
Anyway, I do enjoy the show a lot. I'm worried about the reboot, but kind of excited. I think they could do some good stuff if done right... But who knows? Just a little rant, I guess...

What are your thoughts on the show?

TL/DR: I like the show, but have some questions What are you thoughts?

My sister went to the high school where the actor Scott Bakula that played Sam went to when he was younger in St Louis

Most of the kids that go there have never heard of the guy or Quantum Leap at all. They dont have a statue or a plaque or anything. Its fucked up.

I feel like the show deserved a better ending than it got. Or at least better-written.

Love the show, got them all on DVD, need to give them a re-watch though.
Entity13 posted...

I feel like the show deserved a better ending than it got. Or at least better-written.

QFT.

VampireCoyote posted...

Most of the kids that go there have never heard of the guy or Quantum Leap at all.

Between Quantum Leap, Enterpise and NCIS, you'd figure he'd have some recognition?

Nichtcrawler X posted...

Between Quantum Leap, Enterpise and NCIS, you'd figure he'd have some recognition?

their sport team should be The Leaping Bakulas

instead it was something super generic like eagles or otters or something

the Always Sunny in Philadelphia OZ / Quantum leap episode was hillarious

Footage of an alternate series ending was found a few years ago.
*Spoilers*
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2kI5pkdEwA

I guess the writers weren't sure if Sam was occupying another person's body or physically replaced them but still looked like them. But there's a few where even Al don't know how it works like telling Sam that he can't cross a pond because chimps don't have enough body fat to swim let alone save someone who is drowning. It's generally assumed that Al sees Sam as Sam, except for the episode where he's a woman and Al sees the woman that Sam replaced.

Despite being a later episode (after it's established Sam is in his own body and the other body is in the waiting room) it's implied that S5E17 - an evil leaper was in the body of a prison warden and tried it out.

Sam gets an extra degree as the series goes on. This could be a continuity issue. Or by changing things in the past that effects his personal history he altered his own past. They also change how they describe Ziggy. So maybe the altered timeline also gave it an upgrade.

There's one confusing episode with a hostage situation. The person Sam replaces is holding a gun. So Sam has the gun. But the guy in the waiting room also has the gun. So now there's 2 of the same item which never happens in any other episode.

I'm convinced the evil leapers only exist because Sam invented the technology, told everyone he met in the past about it, and kept leaving clues that the technology will exist and can be taken advantage of.

The leap itself is sometimes described as getting hit by lightning. So imagine the confusion of the family in S2E13 - after the mother suddenly learned martial arts, saved the son from kidnappers, patched up whatever family drama they had going on, only to the see her get struck by lightning and have no memory of the past week.

For that matter what about...
S3E17 - The rock star that now has a son he doesn't remember meeting and doesn't know why his manager was arrested.
S5E12 - The bigamist who doesn't know 2 of his 3 families have met and want nothing to do with him.

SKARDAVNELNATE posted...

I guess the writers weren't sure if Sam was occupying another person's body or physically replaced them but still looked like them. But there's a few where even Al don't know how it works like telling Sam that he can't cross a pond because chimps don't have enough body fat to swim let alone save someone who is drowning. It's generally assumed that Al sees Sam as Sam, except for the episode where he's a woman and Al sees the woman that Sam replaced.

Im pretty sure Al mentioned early in that he saw Sam as the other person

That said, there are some weird things. Al was able to see when his host was blind. And was still able to see well when he host was losing his eyesight. Has genius knowledge level in most, if not all, of his leaps. Including the host that had Down syndrome, IIRC But the really weird one was when he was in the body of someone who lost their legs. Yet he could still walk. I think it looked like he was floating

Entity13 posted...

I feel like the show deserved a better ending than it got. Or at least better-written.

Or they could at least have spelled the character's name correctly in the hastily-written epilogue slide.

Also, hes such a hypocrite He made these rules where they arent suppose to mess with their own past, but in the third episode, hes trying to do just that. Then at the end of season 2, he scolds Almfor trying to change his own past, but in the VERY NEXT EPISODE (at the beginning of the third season), he tries to change his own past again. And a lot of stuff He even admits it. When Al says he cant change his past, Sam says, Yeah, well this is different. Al says, Whats different? The only thing thats different is because this time it effects you. And Sam says, Exactly! Straight up hypocrite

Not only that, but hes very smart sometimes He keeps thinking people know its him. First, it was his ex-fianc, and then his old piano teacher He is just a mess of a person

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBdt_BmvszU

Basically, no one knows

It's best to not think about the show's continuity or logistics, because I'm sure the showrunner and writers didn't.

It's been 20 or 30 years since I saw the series and I remember a lot of "Okay, that happened" moments.

LinkPizza posted...

Also, hes such a hypocrite He made these rules where they arent suppose to mess with their own past, but in the third episode, hes trying to do just that. Then at the end of season 2, he scolds Almfor trying to change his own past, but in the VERY NEXT EPISODE (at the beginning of the third season), he tries to change his own past again. And a lot of stuff He even admits it. When Al says he cant change his past, Sam says, Yeah, well this is different. Al says, Whats different? The only thing thats different is because this time it effects you. And Sam says, Exactly! Straight up hypocrite

Thats the entire point. He has rules that are important but he cant help but break those rules to try to fix his mistakes. You see it true to life whenever people are in positions of power.

Count_Drachma posted...

It's best to not think about the show's continuity or logistics, because I'm sure the showrunner and writers didn't.

It's been 20 or 30 years since I saw the series and I remember a lot of "Okay, that happened" moments.

It's a show where what happens and why it happens (and who it happens to) are more important than how it happens. People didn't overthink shit as much back then, so you could mostly just handwave the science to tell interesting stories.

People overthinking shit is how we got Ant-Man pulling excess mass from a pocket dimension or "EYE PUNCHES FROM THE PUNCH DIMENSION" when the entire point of those characters for years was just "Wouldn't it be cool if there was a character who can shrink and grow?" or "Wouldn't it be cool if there was a guy who could shoot lasers from his eyes?"

Nerds ruin everything.

ParanoidObsessive posted...

It's a show where what happens and why it happens (and who it happens to) are more important than how it happens. People didn't overthink shit as much back then, so you could mostly just handwave the science to tell interesting stories.

People overthinking shit is how we got Ant-Man pulling excess mass from a pocket dimension or "EYE PUNCHES FROM THE PUNCH DIMENSION" when the entire point of those characters for years was just "Wouldn't it be cool if there was a character who can shrink and grow?" or "Wouldn't it be cool if there was a guy who could shoot lasers from his eyes?"

Nerds ruin everything.

they arent lasers theyre concussive blasts how dare you

VampireCoyote posted...

they arent lasers theyre concussive blasts how dare you

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdA7aXlCwWU

Just watched the pregnancy episode. The baby apparently was coming out of Sam at least a little. The doctor saw the head of curlscoming out of Sam, apparently