Our rating system this season consists of a possible of 10 raters ! We took the average of six raters and came up with an average for that episode. Based on ratings of 10 being the highest and 1 being the lowest, the average of this episode was: 9.3
The first six raters are the ones that will appear on the site here. Please be aware that some reviews may contain spoilers! Some of the comments given were:
Vince Beckett:
Pretty good overall. Involves recent history. I like how the encounters with the evil leapers are simpler.
RATING: 9
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Vicci:
A great "episode" as always, Erik. The pain that Christa's husband had to endure knowing he couldn't save his friend. A superb episode I would give it a "9".
RATING: 9
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Ziggy's Soul:
The leap itself I really, really liked. It made sense and Sam's frustration on not being able to get the people in his reality to believe him felt very real. I liked the character development. All in all a stellar leap. Lot's of points for that part of the story.
However, having worked on a restricted base in RL, the story at the project (e.g. getting access to the waiting room) was WAY to contrived to have me suspend my belief. The guards watching this would not be ALLOWED to turn the other way if they saw someone gaining access that they truly BELIEVED did not have proper access, even if a person of higher rank GAVE them the order to look the other way. Then there's the whole concept of chain of command. Just because you are of higher rank, you can't come into a situation and change everything that the proper chain of command for that situation had put into place. Add to that, Al is a RETIRED Admiral and thus doesn't have any actual military standing anymore. AND court-martial isn't something a single person does anyways. It requires a court. Much lesser points on this part of the storyline.
AND FINALLY (although this is not Eric's problem alone...things have been going this way at the project for FAR too long)...The family members of people on secret projects don't KNOW about what's happening at the projects. My spouse used to ask me and I had to say "If I told you, I'd have to kill you" and mean it. Otherwise my butt would have been in a sling and it's likely I would be up on charges myself. Criminal charges 'cause devulging secret information IS a Crime. I never said and will never say anything about what I learned when I was involved in that capacity.
OK...Al, Beth, Juliana, Donna, Sammie Jo, Daniel, Verbena, Aurora, Dom, and Eddie would know about things 'cause they WORK on the project. Their security clearances and need to know would allow them to know about things (although not everything...the need to know is the key. Even if you work on a project, you don't know EVERYTHING.) Eddie the least of them. Tuyen when he was a senator MAY have been clued into what what happening, if he was on the right committees or sub-committees (which as he's written, he was, I believe.) Those people that had been leapt into MIGHT know of something cause of the residual from the leap (although the concept that has been put forth the they are all brought together for a party once a year doesn't even come CLOSE to how an actual secret project would be run.)
I don't even want to talk about Stephen and how that would be treated in RL. However, Stephen is integral to the storyline so I'll look the other way.
I'm not counting any lower points for this last though because it's not just Eric's issue.
Overall, it was an enjoyable read and took a great deal of imagination to come up with the story. I like Eric's works. I really do and I hope to see more of his stories into the future.
Thus my rating of 8.0. which is an average between the leap story and the project story.
RATING: 8
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Allie Cat:
I thought this story was superb! Well-written and with a great plot, I think it's probably one of the best stories of the VS so far. The scene with Eddie, Christa, and Joe in the Waiting Room was priceless!
RATING: 10
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Seeker:
This story, while peopled with fictional characters, demonstrates this writer’s skill of taking a snapshot from reality and blending the two to create a highly enjoyable read. I loved everything about this story!
My favorite scene, without doubt, is the scene at the end, when Sam saves Jimenez’s life. Picturing Sam on the ground, ostensibly mortally wounded and looking up at the unknown evil leaper standing over him, gloating as he prepared to --he thought-- finish Dr. Beckett off, it was so effortless to imagine it as part of a real episode.
Given the dearth of detailed factual information available to the general population about what actually goes on inside such a top-secret place like, Project Quantum Leap, it is my opinion that Erik did the best with what information was available to him. Indeed, the vast majority of the readers, and writers, of Quantum Leap fan-fiction do not have access to information about what goes on inside a top-secret place like Project Quantum Leap. I will grant, however, that a tad more research into Al’s authority over the military personnel at the project (given his official retired status from the Navy) might have helped to clarify certain points in Al’s handling of the situation and his dealings with Eddie. However, it seems logical (at least to me) that, though retired from active service, Al’s decades of experience with the Navy, being in positions of authority and dealing with military protocols and such, made him a perfect candidate to be in authority over the military personnel housed at PQL. At any rate, I thought that Erik’s handling of the situation with Eddie was done imaginatively and well.
Am I an authority on such things? Not by any stretch of the imagination and I’ll be the first to say it. However, as I said earlier, neither are the majority of the readers and writers of QL fan-fiction. For those of us who write it, we do the best we can in researching for the stories we write. For those of us who read it (here I assume for the majority but speak only for myself), as long as the story makes reasonable logical sense we don’t question it and just enjoy it.
For those readers who, due to their life-style and/or job description, do know, to one degree or another, what life is like inside a top-secret project, they probably just shake their heads or roll their eyes at our “poetic license” of our descriptions and explanations. At those moments, hopefully they will understand and dismiss them then continue reading and enjoying the fruits of our labors of love for a top-quality TV show that ended long before it should have done.
Last of all, there were a few minor grammatical and sentence structuring spots throughout the story, but none of them detracted in the least from the quality of the story for this rater. A little closer attention to proofreading, will, I’m sure, solve those problems in the future.
So, with all that being said, in a nutshell, I think this story rocks! Great job, Erik! I anticipate reading more of your work in the future.
RATING: 10
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Zanadu:
This story was very emotional, heart-felt and one of the best that I've seen Erik Dreiling write so far. He's grown as a writer and I personally believe that it's his constant writing that is keeping him fresh and gaining strength. This can be summed up in one word: AWESOME.
I have read what the other raters have put on the board, and I must respond to all of them in kind.
Vince Beckett mentioned how this was tied into recent events in history. Spot on, Vince. It was. Makes this rater think of all the American Soldiers over there who are giving their all - no matter what the cost. My hats off to them.
Vicci mentioned the pain that Eddie went through for his friend. Imagine that type of pain. It's hard to fathom. If you knew what would happen and you had an opportunity to change it... I know that I'd do my level best and then some (as Eddie did) to get to that friend. My friends are worth that much to me - possibly more.
Ziggy's Soul mentioned several things in her rating that I can't help but disagree on. But then again, I am not part or have ever been a part of a secret project. However, since I don't have that blessing that you have had in real life, I found the scenes that you depicted of getting the code and entering, probable and believeable. Al, although he is retired military, he is Project Coordinator and in charge while Sam is away and with that authority alone, I believe (in this raters opinion) could and would recommend a court-martial if one was required. Perhaps it was the word "recommend" wasn't in the story itself, but at some point, you have to deduce that it could definitely be a possiblity.
As for the family knowing of what's going on with PQL.... even though the "if I tell you, I'd have to kill you" line may come into play, after Sam has leaped in to save Christa, meet and have Julianna fall in love with him then finally marry her husband, leaping into the other girls lives to help them in some shape, way or form, and the girls knowing that their father was around even when he wasn't there, etc. and with a mother and father and step-sister in the project, I could possibly see even a smidgen of something floating down around them and them figuring out just by LOGIC at some point what was going on. But, maybe that's just my over-active imagination. It could be. I've been told that before.
Allie Cat mentioned that she loved the part where Christa, Joe and Eddie are in the Waiting Room. That was an excellent scene! It was well thought out, and superbly written. Everything was said - as it should be. But in this rater's mind, the best scene was the last one. Talking about Joe and his actions over the grave and how he inspired Jiminez to adopt... well, that's just pure genius.
Seeker pointed out some of the same things I am discussing about here. I think that she's right. These stories are written with love and care by each writer and when there is something negative said about a story, and it's not taken in the right context or it's plainly pointed out - if it's not constructive criticism... it could come off the wrong way. I can't help but boast about this story. It's a definite nomination in this raters mind for best improved writer.
Erik, thank you so much for writing this. It reminds us what our soldiers are doing out there for us... no matter what the cost and that they are willing to stand in the line of fire for us. Again, awesome story. I can't wait until the next one!
RATING: 10
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The Virtual Seasons Team
