Top 10 Worst Episodes of Quantum Leap

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The Play's the Thing

Apart from having the most strange of titles, this episode has some really cringeworthy stuff (and not in a funny way). This was the episode with all the nude people on stage and all the karaoke stuff. Not the finest hour of Season 4 (and the episodes surrounding it weren't either).
 
Apart from having the most strange of titles,

I think the title's fine. It's from Shakespeare. I guess I would call this one forgettable, because I hardly remember it. Were they doing Hamlet in the buff or something? That would explain the title, because it's a quote from Hamlet.
 
leaper said:
i think blood moon wanst as good as the portrait of the troian
I would have to agree here although Kristen and I just adore the vampire jokes in Blood Moon. And Al's fear of Vampires is halarious.
"I'm telling you, he has all the markings of the undead!"
"Then you have all the markings of the braindead!"

hahahahaha:lol

And ok NOW you're trippin' Grimlock to call Play's the Thing one of the worst epsisodes, I LOVE IT. It's so funny and Scott as Hamlet, YEAH!;)
You're obviously not a girl hehe so I guess that justifies you |I (hehe thats just a joke, just so I am not misunderstood).
 
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Unchained


Not much to say about this one and that is probably why it is on the list. It just totally couldn't captivate me from the beginning to the end. As mentioned before, there is a whole gap of episodes (not all listed here, I'm try to spread the 'love') in Season 4 which do not do justice (pun unintended) to the series.
 
Hmmm, Unchained I would have to say is just barely on my nutral list. The best thing about it is Boon finding out about Al and waving goodbye to him when Sam leaped. (thats not a spoiler is it? I mean its not important like the maid in Troian.)
 
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It's a Wonderful Leap


Mind you, comedy episodes can be fun (look out for a good example in my other list very soon) but this takes cringeworthy to extreme levels. And to think that this kind of episode could work (Della Reese, anyone?) makes it even more embarrasing. And then I haven't even started on the banter between Al and the Angel (only topped by another horrid conversation, which will soon follow on this list).
 
Ok, now you've gone and crossed the line! Eaither that or this one must be a joke! It's a Wonderful Leap is one of the BEST epsiodes, Angela is halarious! :hair
 
Sam Beckett Fan said:
Ok, now you've gone and crossed the line! Eaither that or this one must be a joke! It's a Wonderful Leap is one of the BEST epsiodes, Angela is halarious! :hair

Well, this doesn't surprise me, as you have a passionate hate for the Trilogy.

Mind you, there won't be many fans around who will rate this and the no. 2 (trust me, you won't like that one either) above Trilogy (in terms of quality).
 
Grimlock said:
Well, this doesn't surprise me, as you have a passionate hate for the Trilogy.

Mind you, there won't be many fans around who will rate this and the no. 2 (trust me, you won't like that one either) above Trilogy (in terms of quality).
I'm trying to figure out what this means but it's eluding me. How does disliking the Trilogy episodes automatically translate into liking this episode. I'm sure it's not how you meant it but this sentence seems to be a bit rude.

As far as how people rate things quality wise, I would rate "It's A Wonderful" as being better than the Trilogy episodes but that's my opinion. Each person is going to differ on what their opinion is, what they think is a good episodes, and what they think a quality episode is.

I think you do need to keep in mind that these lists are your opinions. While it's your right to hold an opinion about this or any episode, and I'd fight to the death to protect your right to such, it's good to bear in mind that, in the end, this is Your Opinion. It's not a rule of law and it doesn't have to be accepted by everyone as a whole. It doesn't mean that the person who disagrees with your opinion is somehow defective.
 
I must admit, I find this thread intriguing. Not for the "10 Worst...", but for the reactions. It's amazing just how wildly peoples' tastes vary, and yet we can all agree that we love the same show!
 
jmoniz said:
I think you do need to keep in mind that these lists are your opinions. While it's your right to hold an opinion about this or any episode, and I'd fight to the death to protect your right to such, it's good to bear in mind that, in the end, this is Your Opinion. It's not a rule of law and it doesn't have to be accepted by everyone as a whole. It doesn't mean that the person who disagrees with your opinion is somehow defective.

Sorry, but I meant with quality is the quality of the script. Obviously, that doesn't always have any bearing on liking an episode or not. There are quite a few quality episodes which I don't rate at all. Great script, but doesn't engage me. If I would have a hatred towards blacks and that's why I hate a certain episodes, now that would be a totally different thing.

Sorry for any misunderstanding.
 
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Heart of a Champion

When you start rooting for failure of a mission then you know something is wrong. Not my kind of sport and the supporting characters were all very unlikable and uninteresting. The writing was also very lacklustre.

 
OMG, finally one I agree with you on! thank you! My best friend and I hate Heart of Champion! :)

and I agree with Julia Grimlock we think these lists of yours(the best anf the worst ep lists) are great but you are kind of making them as if you were deciding this for everyone since instead of taking up just one post your lists ARE the thread so bare in mind that not everyone is going to agree with these lists and except for Heart of Chamption I so far am one of them. So it's been great seeing your opinions of the best and worst eps but just bare in mind these lists are not for the whole community here, this is just your opinion.

Jmoniz said:
I'm trying to figure out what this means but it's eluding me. How does disliking the Trilogy episodes automatically translate into liking this episode. I'm sure it's not how you meant it but this sentence seems to be a bit rude.

Yeah I am confused as well here. how do my like for It's a Wonderful Leap and my hate for the trilogies connect? So I like Angela and hate Abigale , what's the problem? And I also agree that I found the partiular wording of that sentence kind of rude, as if your list here is the only correct one and that you were scoffing at me for disliking trilogies. I have never once scoffed at any trilogy likers. which leads me back to what I said above about not everyone sharing your opinion.

I also agree with Julia that I am sure thats not how you meant it but that's how I saw it and my mom taught me that the way someone views a comment you make matters.
 
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Sam Beckett Fan said:
Yeah I am confused as well here. how do my like for It's a Wonderful Leap and my hate for the trilogies connect? So I like Angela and hate Abigale , what's the problem? And I also agree that I found the partiular wording of that sentence kind of rude, as if your list here is the only correct one and that you were scoffing at me for disliking trilogies. I have never once scoffed at any trilogy likers. which leads me back to what I said above about not everyone sharing your opinion.

Sigh. Some people like lighthearted episodes and other people like darker episodes. There is always some pattern to be made (even on my list). Some people take into account that Sam does something which is in character and others don't. Doesn't make one person better then the other, but you can very easily see a pattern emerge. And that's why it's obvious to me that you like most episodes on this list, and will probably dislike most episodes on my other list. Just as it is the other way around (I dislike your favourites, so I will probably like the ones you dislike). Pure logic and nothing else.

What anybody gets out of an episode is for him/her to decide, but things like quality of the script can be measured. If you like the script itself is another matter.
 
Actually I like all the episodes on your favorite list at least so far. thank you for explaining and not getting miffed at me for taking slight offense.
 
Sam Beckett Fan said:
Actually I like all the episodes on your favorite list at least so far. thank you for explaining and not getting miffed at me for taking slight offense.

Well, if you were a non-fan then I would be boiling :realmad :lol


Why don't you list your 10 least favourite (aka 'worst') episodes of QL in this thread and I will tell you if I rate (like) those episodes or not. Offcourse, rating them doesn't automatically mean that they will appear on the other list as there are at least a dozen episodes which could have replaced the ones which are on the (other) list.
 
Grimlock said:
Well, if you were a non-fan then I would be boiling :realmad :lol


Why don't you list your 10 least favourite (aka 'worst') episodes of QL in this thread and I will tell you if I rate (like) those episodes or not. Offcourse, rating them doesn't automatically mean that they will appear on the other list as there are at least a dozen episodes which could have replaced the ones which are on the (other) list.

Ok, I will try, but it may be a little hard for me to come up with ten:
1.) Triogies (all three)
2.) The Last Gunfighter
3.) Heart of a Champion
4.) Last Dance Before an Excution (Except I do like the scene where Al gets the little girl to help him talk to the layer woman)
5.) Goodbye Norma Jean

thats all I can come up with right now because I have other that arn't my favorites but I wouldn't call them my least favorites eaither. That list is in no partiular order by the way.
 
Sam Beckett Fan said:
Triogies (all three)
Last Dance Before an Excution (Except I do like the scene where Al gets the little girl to help him talk to the layer woman)
Goodbye Norma Jean

These are the episodes I rate (in other words which I disagree with).


Sam Beckett Fan said:
The Last Gunfighter
Heart of a Champion

These are the episodes I don't rate (in other words which I agree with).
 
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Dr. Ruth


Well, what is there left to say about this episode? Apart from the celebrity leap (which doesn't bother me as a rule; the marilyn monroe episode was very good) the whole leap itself was very mediocre to me. And the script was a mess. You have Al and Dr. Ruth (I had to close my eyes and ears during that scene), the lovebirds, a murder waiting to happen (which was sssooooo Murder She Wrote). And none of these plotlines felt relevant in any kind of way. There was no real sense of urgency to it. I don't usually agree with the general fans of the series, but if you get this episode presented to you there is no defence that I could come up with.
 
Sam Beckett Fan said:
Ok, I will try, but it may be a little hard for me to come up with ten:
1.) Triogies (all three)
2.) The Last Gunfighter
3.) Heart of a Champion
4.) Last Dance Before an Excution (Except I do like the scene where Al gets the little girl to help him talk to the layer woman)
5.) Goodbye Norma Jean

thats all I can come up with right now because I have other that arn't my favorites but I wouldn't call them my least favorites eaither. That list is in no partiular order by the way.
is there any a particualr reason that you dont like that episode last dance before an execution??i mean for me its one of the best episodes in the show and i d never looked at it it as the one of the worsts.Its moving and tragic in the end as for the very first time sam DOEsNT SAVE the leapies life and also shows how cruel and unhuman is the death penalty.Regardless what you think about this kind of law
 
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Grimlock said:
You have Al and Dr. Ruth (I had to close my eyes and ears during that scene),

And I love those scenes. To me they're the reason to watch the episode, which I don't find compelling otherwise. Although Scott's tush in that dress is... eye-catching. ;)
 
I liked parts of the episode Dr. Ruth (like the scene with Al's councelling), but I didn't like the story that much.
I think season5 was the worst of the QL series. I think they went too far with all this mind merging. I like the idea, but they really jumped to all this mind merging, and it was used too much. That's what I think, anyway.
 
SamBeckett94 said:
I think season5 was the worst of the QL series.

Well, I don't agree. The last season of any series (especially with such a controversial ending) always gets the shaft amongst fans. For me Season 4 would have to be the weakest of all the QL Seasons. There just isn't much there to recommend. It also features the most cliché stories in a single season (rape, KKK, fan-kidnapping, estranged father etc.).

I would say that Season 3 and Season 5 are the strongest seasons, while Season 1 is also quite good (but only as the 8 episodes, so less danger of a duffer). Season 3 has a good variation of stories, while Season 5 takes a dark route in exploring new grounds (which is the biggest reason for the dislike of this season; it tinkers with the format and longtime fans don't like that). Which is funny, as my number 1 on this very list also comes from Season 3 :lol



SamBeckett94 said:
I think they went too far with all this mind merging.

So I take it that you didn't like Shock Theater either? And the only real mind merging happened in LHO and Return of the Evil Leaper (the others were physical treats he took over).
 
Grimlock said:
Well, what is there left to say about this episode? Apart from the celebrity leap (which doesn't bother me as a rule; the marilyn monroe episode was very good) the whole leap itself was very mediocre to me. And the script was a mess. You have Al and Dr. Ruth (I had to close my eyes and ears during that scene), the lovebirds, a murder waiting to happen (which was sssooooo Murder She Wrote). And none of these plotlines felt relevant in any kind of way. There was no real sense of urgency to it. I don't usually agree with the general fans of the series, but if you get this episode presented to you there is no defence that I could come up with.

You make some good points with this one. The only part I really enjoyed was the leap-in, where Sam is asked all those awkward questions. It's a wonder he didn't die of embarrassment!
 
Snish said:
And I love those scenes. To me they're the reason to watch the episode, which I don't find compelling otherwise. Although Scott's tush in that dress is... eye-catching. ;)

I completely agree. I love Dr. Ruth Sam is adorable in the Dr. Ruth dress and how he was so embrassed to answer the questions when h first leaps in. I also particularly feel bad for him when he's closing off an episode:
"Next we'll be getting into common male sexual disfuntions like premature...premature...ah well we'll talk about a lot of stuff next time on Frank Talk About Sex"
Awww poor Sam. I just want to hug him.
I also loved the Al and Dr. Ruth conversations, the first time Kristen and I saw it we laughed so hard that we missed all of Al's funny words for breasts and had to rewind and try not to laugh again so we could hear. lol.
I also love the car hopping scene when Sam has to get to Annie quickly.

leaper said:
is there any a particualr reason that you dont like that episode last dance before an execution??i mean for me its one of the best episodes in the show and i d never looked at it it as the one of the worsts.Its moving and tragic in the end as for the very first time sam DOEsNT SAVE the leapies life and also shows how cruel and unhuman is the death penalty.Regardless what you think about this kind of law

Basically because it's real sad and it's scary poor Sam. :(
it's a good episode as far as the story goes though.

sambeckett94 said:
I think season5 was the worst of the QL series.

agreed wholeheartedly. Season five was when the new NBC guy came in and all he cared about was the ratings and saving money so he threw in thr evil leapers and had to cut a lot of Al's appearences down to just producing the sound of teh imaging chamber off screen to keep to a budget. Plus he moved the show up in the time slot which put it in conflict with Full House then he turns around and throws the evil leapers in because he's afraid of losing ratings, yet he put them at that issue! sheesh. Even Don agrees that its a bad season if you read "Another Time, Another Place." Plus they go a little far with the celebrity leaps, like Elvis for example. Memphis Melody was a ball of fun and Scott does a mighty sexy Elvis impersonation, but for the particular thing he was there for, there was no necessity for him to leap into Elvis. They could have done that episode with a different host cuz having him be Elvis was a little cheesy even if he did do a sexy job of it. Plus there was the whole Marlyin Monroe leap. I never even got that leap, was he there to stop that con chick or what? I thought he was supposed to make sure that she could make her last movie but i could swear he mentioned that he saw the film which means she did it fine without him. But maybe I am wrong. That and I don't know, the whole thing where there was a scene that De Ja Voused One Strobe Over the Line (good episode) and that whole thing with the con chick, it just didn't appeal to me.

Now I will admit that there were great episodes in Season five that seemed to keep a lot of the QL goodness such as Nowhere to Run, Liberation and the Beast Within (except for the end, the end was really cheesy and very season five :p) and a few more but most of the episodes in season five just lost the QL goodness feeling that the rest of the seasons had. Even Debrah Pratt agreed along with her husband that it was bad. She even refused to write for it with the exception of the Trilogies but that was only because she wanted to write them anyway because she liked the idea of chucking Donna and giving him a relationship in a leap (Bleh, sorry Debrah no offense, its just the idea not you, its like Sam said in Liberation, Don't confuse people and Ideas).
 
I thought he was supposed to make sure that she could make her last movie but i could swear he mentioned that he saw the film which means she did it fine without him.
I believe Sam mentions that it was "Some Like It Hot" that was his favorite Marilyn Monroe Movie. The last movie she made was "The Misfits". The name of that movie is mentioned until the very end when Al tells Sam that's what the movie she's involved in at the time is renamed.
 
Ah, ok only saw it twice. I like to give them all a second chance but this is the first time that it didn't work because I still don't care for it.
 
Sam Beckett Fan said:
I but most of the episodes in season five just lost the QL goodness feeling that the rest of the seasons had.

As I already said, some fans just didn't like the darker episodes.


Sam Beckett Fan said:
Even Debrah Pratt agreed along with her husband that it was bad.

She is a precog?



P.S. LHO, Killin' Time, Trilogy, A Tale of Two Sweeties, Dr. Ruth, Blood Moon, Return of the Evil Leaper, Good-bye Norma Jean, The Beast Within. All are S5 episodes which featured a lot of Al.