401 The Leap Back

The Leap Back


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alsplacebartender

Al's Place Bartender
Staff member
The Leap Back
June 15, 1945


Crown Point, Indiana & Stallion's Gate, New Mexico


After a lightning strike, Sam and Al have switched places, with Al stuck in the year 1945 as an ex-POW returning from WWII and Sam confined to the Imaging Chamber which has been locked by mistake. Al must find a way to keep his host's old girlfriend from marrying someone else and Sam must get the Imaging Chamber door open so that he can save Al...and return to his lost love.


Written by: Donald P. Bellisario
Directed by: Michael Zinberg


Rate and comment on the fourth season premiere!
 
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"You have a FILTHY Mind!!!" Sam said to Al, quite SHOCKED!!

I STILL crack up to this day watching this episode.

"Revenge is mine, sayeth the Hologram! Wuahh, Wuahhh, Wuahhh!!!"
 
:D I really crack up every time when I see this one to.I like how Al and Sam's mind.

What about what Al says when that women walks by."A Women with a Body like that and Your Thinking Pure Thoughts"

I did see 1 mistake in that episode near the end when Sam tryed the handlink,he used Al's voice the first time but the rest
were Sam's
 
This is one of the best episodes in the series. It's the perfect way to open the fourth season. Sam finally gets to go home and Al gets to do the leaping. Sam unfortunately doesn't get to stay, because he has to save Al's life, but at least it's not the end of the series.
 
This is my Fave episode.
especially when sam shocks Al by apearing through the door and says 'Revenge is mine, thus sayeth the hologram'. :roflmao:
But i cry at the end when Donna (i think thats her name) tells Al not to tell sam about her again. :cry
 
I like how this episode mirrors Al's own past and he feels that he is there to correct the mistake that happened in his past.

It was also good to see more detail for Project Quantum Leap for the first time.

I remember when The Leap Back first aired on the BBC. It was painful waiting for the outcome for months. :)
 
Disregarding the situation that Donna was in at the time, did anyone get kind of - irked - when she replied, "I don't care." after Ziggy mentioned Al saved Sam's life 23 times?
 
Her attitude still ticks me off every time I see that episode, because of her selfishness. But she does change eventually, and just in time.
 
LunarCrystal said:
Disregarding the situation that Donna was in at the time, did anyone get kind of - irked - when she replied, "I don't care." after Ziggy mentioned Al saved Sam's life 23 times?

I did, yes. Without Al, Sam wouldn't be there; you'd think she'd appreciate that!
 
Don Quixote said:
I like how this episode mirrors Al's own past and he feels that he is there to correct the mistake that happened in his past.

It was also good to see more detail for Project Quantum Leap for the first time.

I remember when The Leap Back first aired on the BBC. It was painful waiting for the outcome for months. :)
You and me both!

I remember watching the last episode of season 3 "Shock Theatre" and then watching the leap-in and the "oh boy!"

Then during the music "Quantum Leap will return later in the year..." a voice said.

I went in to a right huff! :realmad

"Aww, mammy that's not fair!" I was only 10 years old. :baby

I loved this episode...there was something when I was only a child I thought meant something else:-

Al - I've never experienced anything quite like that...I guess I owe that to you.
Sam - Well, I guess I owe you one to.
Al - Just one?

Now when I was a sweet little child I thought he meant "I owe you for saving my life more than once...." But only since I've grown up that I know what he actually meant!

Oh Al!! I love ya! :dreaming

But the ending makes me ball my eyes out almost as much as "Mirror Image"
 
I loved this episode. I never saw Shock Theater, that I can remember, but I've heard a lot about it. I thought this episode was so funny when Sam was passing various limbs through a tree and so on, but I thought the end was kinda sad when Sam had to leave. I mean, I'm glad he left to save Al, I would've been mad if he decided to stay and not save Al, but I still thought it was sad that he had to leave when he just got back.
 
Oooh I lurve this Episode!! It's my all time favourite, up their with 'The Leap Home Part II' and 'LHO', so you know it's great.

My favourite part has got to be the opening with the realising of what the heck's happened, and Al not being able to walk through stuff, the look on his face is great and Dean shows how good an actor he is in this role reversal, taking the part of Sam and vice-versa.

The worst part? All that Donna rubbish, to be honest I think Don should have left her out of QL altogether, swiftly avoiding the whole 'Is it moral?' situations Sam find's himself in over the years.

All in all a fantastic episode with great writing and the more of the project, the better in my opinion! == 9/10 == ;)
 
Ok, old topic but I'm new and have a couple of cents to spare...I loved the role reversal in this one. I think I heard Sam say, "...Kazooms!" There are some great one-liners in this one. Ziggy cracks me up as well..."...He'll kiss the girls and make them cry." "...Ohhh, if you weren't my father!" I prefer to look at the Donna hang up as another wrong Sam has to right before he can get to the wrong he has to right...But what I loved best in this episode is the fact that Sam doesn't let Al down even though it costs him what he wants most of all, to be home.
There were episodes prior to this one where you get a good sense of the bond between Sam and Al, but this one just seemed to cement it into my brain. Al has Sam's back in tons of tough spots but here we see that, even though Sam enjoys a little vacation with the little lady, he doesn't even consider leaving Al hanging. I know I haven't added anything new, but I did enjoy typing it. "...Tina's having an afair with gooshie." haha
 
Janna Galaxy said:
I loved this episode...there was something when I was only a child I thought meant something else:-

Al - I've never experienced anything quite like that...I guess I owe that to you.
Sam - Well, I guess I owe you one to.
Al - Just one?

Now when I was a sweet little child I thought he meant "I owe you for saving my life more than once...." But only since I've grown up that I know what he actually meant!

Oh Al!! I love ya! :dreaming

But the ending makes me ball my eyes out almost as much as "Mirror Image"

Ah, the innocence of youth. I remember watching episodes of QL when I was young, and Al's comments went right over my head. When the show aired again while I was in my late teens, I remember staring slack-jawed at the screen, because I didn't remember Al being quite so... lecherous. It was quite a shock. And yet, it made me love him more.
 
LadyKayoss said:
Ah, the innocence of youth. I remember watching episodes of QL when I was young, and Al's comments went right over my head. When the show aired again while I was in my late teens, I remember staring slack-jawed at the screen, because I didn't remember Al being quite so... lecherous. It was quite a shock. And yet, it made me love him more.

You and me both, my friend. You. And Me. Both. You should see some of the scenes we've written involving Al being - well - Al. . . or rather, maybe not. heh.
 
LunarCrystal said:
You and me both, my friend. You. And Me. Both. You should see some of the scenes we've written involving Al being - well - Al. . . or rather, maybe not. heh.

I can only imagine... The way Sam reacted in this episode when he had to deal with Al's filthy mind and realized just how dirty it truly was leads me to believe that Al's been holding back all this time. :D
 
I really enjoyed this episode. I liked seeing Sam's reaction to when he feels Al's perverted mind. It's the way Sam talks about Al's mind. I also liked seeing the project on the inside. It is among my favorite episodes.
 
jmstone65 said:
:D I really crack up every time when I see this one to.I like how Al and Sam's mind.

What about what Al says when that women walks by."A Women with a Body like that and Your Thinking Pure Thoughts"

I did see 1 mistake in that episode near the end when Sam tryed the handlink,he used Al's voice the first time but the rest
were Sam's
I noticed that too. Everytime I watch it, I go 'wait! That didn't sound like Sam!' But I love the episode overall. I giggle during the whole thing.
 
Ok, there is no way it took me this long to submit a review for this episode.

Let me just say this, after I finished seeing everything through season three, Kristen and I were so desperate for this episode that I downloaded it off limewire in my desktop before it's hiatis. It was hell too, because the download keot dying and I had to keep back clicking it and tell it to find more hosts. It must have taken about a week.

This epiosde was a ball of fun though, so the wait and hassle was worth it one million percent. The beginning was especially funny, I loved Sam as a happy hologram, he was so cute the way he was having fun with it, and shoving his head through the tree stump like "yay, look at me, I go through stuff!" He looked like a child on a playground, so that made me smile and want to hug him, pat him on the head and give him a cookie hehe. In Another Time, Another Place, there is a quote from Dean saying that he was actually kind of jealous that Scott was playing his role now hehe. But I also loved Al's role as the leaper, I loved how he was being the serious one for once with the struggle of getting Sam to focus hehe. One of my favorite lines from the opening sequence is
"Al what?"
"What you think I've forgotten my last name!?"
"I'm about to bet on it"
"Well you'd loose....it's Beckett, Al Beckett! HA!"

Kristen and I burst into tearful laughter at that one, it's priceless. Although Sam has some priceless lines himself basically everything his says in the whole resturant scene about the women with Big Cazums and the Dairy farm, we just love how the dairy farm line makes Al drop the sugar shaker and it makes a clunk on his plate. I also love how adorablw Sam is when he catchs himself using a Al line and feels so terrible like after the dairy farm line
"Stop that!"
"Oh my god I am so sorry, thats a horrible thing to say I don't know why I would...yes I do, yes I do, this is all your fault!"
"My fault!?"
"I must have gotten part of your letherous mind during the leap...oh, you've got a filthy mind!"

But I have to say my very favorite of Sam's lines in the restaruant is when Cliffard barges in to see Al and Suzanne kissing:
"Suzanne Alsinga, what are you doing!"
"Sucking face pal with my buddy here, it was real big in the 40 and 50's..."
"Will you shut up!"
"sucka sucka sucka!"
(I'd like to sucka sucka your face Scott grrrr:heybaby )

I also really liked how they so happened to end where they did with Al as the leaper in connection to what happened to himself and Beth and how he wanted to kick cliffords butt in Beth's honor. It was also fun seeing Al do Sam's flying noodle kick, and be the one confused now as he was hitching a ride home with Mike the Milkman. And then another one of my favorite Sam lines in the episode comes up when he opens the door to his house and Sam shocks him into a stumble backwards.
"Don't do that!"
"Revenge is mine this saith the hologram, wha wha wha!"
and I love his cute little motion where he pretends to swim in the air right through Al.

Ahhh, and then we have Donna. I love Donna, I think she absolutly belongs with Sam and that they were truely meant to be. I loved seeing her return in this episode, and Sam being granted a well deserved break to let himself out on the one person that loved him and married him for him. I think that She's his one and only as far as a sex life goes which makes me made when he asks her if hes ever done anything to hurt her ad she answers that she's never felt that their love has been betrayed. This is one of the reasons I hate Abigale, and the fact they he even made love to her let alone had a daughter with her. She's annoying and obnoxious as a kid and a real ditz in the second one. She's terrible for Sam, and I hate that Pratt wanted to pretend that Donna never came back in this ep(I was told this by CarolD anyway). I believe that Sammy Jo and Abigale never exsisted and that Donna is Sam's one and only true love.

I loved seeing Sam and his beloved Donna back together, you can tell by his desperation to get her together with her father in Star Crossed, that Sam truely charishes her, and that his heart always remembers and holds what his mind may forget.That in his heart is has and always will love Donna, and his heart is always searching for her in every other woman he kisses. Plus the novel prelude stresses a real good concept that Sam often pondered what would have happened if Donna had not stood him up, where would he be with this project if she were there too as his wife? So he stressed early on that he wanted to redo that day, to somehow win her back.

So I think that bringing her back in this episode is an excellent follow up on the story of Sam's heart. In fact I think they should have shown her at the project more when they did eps like Killin' Time, LHO, and other eps where they showed the leaper in the waiting room, and most definatly in Mirror Image. Sam and Donna were made for eachother, and that brings me to a subject already brought up here regarding Donna's attitude towards Sam leaving. Yes, I must admit that I was a little irritated, like one percent by the way she was so unwilling to let him save his best friend's life and finish doing God's good deeds, but you have to look at the situation with a bit more of an open heart. Imagine your husband has been gone for five long years and has now finally returned to you, made love to you and then has to leave again. Wouldn't that hurt you as well? Wouldn't you want to beg him to stay because you love him so much and don't want lose him again. Donna has been without Sam for five years and now that he's finally come back to her he has to turn around and take off again. But she's missed him and waited his safe return for five years already, she doesn't want to do it again. She doesn't want to lose him. So basically what I am saying is, yes its a little on the irritating side but if you really consiter it, her behavior is justified. She just wants her hubby back:cry
Poor Donna. I cried at the end scene where she says "I love you Sam" to the stars, like five times. And I mean I REALLY cried, I had t keep a roll of tissues on my lap. It was such a joy to see Sam back together with his true love, in the place where he belongs, but It's also good to see him back as the good ole leaper for the contiunation of the series.

The Leap Back is a Wonderful episode.It was adorable and funny to see Sam and Al switch places and a joy to see Sam back with his heart's treasure.

ook, its almost 2am here, I need to hit the hay. :p
 
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Wow! It's so refreshing to read such an exciting review from a first-time watcher of this episode!!

This has got to be one of my favorite episodes. This one, and Shock Theatre, . . . and MIA . . . *hugs Al and Sam*

Regarding Donna: I totally agree with you. I think they belong together. Funny how you say you ignore that Abigail and Sammy Jo exist. You're not alone. I disregard the Trilogy episodes completely. They never happened in my mind. Then again, I also disregard the whole Mirror Image thing too ("Mirror what? I'm sorry, I don't know what you're talking about.") mainly because I don't think Al's marriage should have been "fixed".

But going back to Donna. Yes. Sam's true love. Totally agree. He wouldn't have gone to such dire straits to get Donna reconciled with her father. Even in that episode - the second episode of the series - there was that soul-mate connection between them! *whimper* True love. Yes. So, Sammy Jo doesn't exist. Instead, I wrote a story where Donna is preggers because of this eppy. ^____^ Not an original concept, but I likes it.

So - yay!!
 
Yay Lunar Crystal, another person on my side about the Sammy Jo thing (Sorry I am not saying I dislike all you Sammy Jo likers) :)

lunarcrystal said:
there was that soul-mate connection between them! *whimper* True love.
Yeah, In fact I forgot to mention my fav line in Star Crossed when He's wathing her get his order ready in the restruarnt
"I wanted to tell her who I was, to let her know that I was her Sam, and that we were meant to be together"
At least it goes something like that.
I loved how he called himself 'her Sam' that hows how much he really cherishes her. :)

This also made me real happy at the mail box scene when his memory was flooding back into his mind and he ran back through the imaging chamber door calling her name. Sadly this was not a surpise for me however as before I thought to download it, I looked it up and found a website to confirm that I somehow already knew that Donna was there. I forget how I knew its been almost two years now hehe. But yeah I blew it for myself and Kristen but thats not nearly as bad as my guy friend ruining Boogiem*n for us both :p

So yeah knew Donna was back but it was still a very suspensful scene seeing him remember so suddenly like that.
 
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This episode was brilliant! I thought it was so funny when Sam couldn't get out of the Imaging Chamber, and also when Sam says "Revenge is mine; thus sayeth the hologram!"
 
The Leap Back...

I figured I might as well start two debates on the forum since apparently I have nothing better to do...like...say writing my student's exam.

I've said before that I love the character of Donna and think that she has so much potential, and so much could have been done with her.

I know the Leap Back was arrived at out of marital squabble but let's leave that aside for a moment.

I honestly think the greatest weakness in the Leap Back is the way that it was dealt with. It was a great idea and has so much potential as the episode shows. The reversal of situations is hillarious, the exchange of mesons between Al and Sam is hillarious etc. etc. etc.

I think the episode could have been so much better if they had expanded it to two episodes instead of hurridly trying to get through it in one. The beginning of the episode is too slow in comparison to the rest. Sam doesn't even get through the Imaging door for half the episode and the rest passes quickly and unsatisfyingly in my opinion. Donna's wimpiness (though understandable in my opinion) is really a result of trying to demonstrate a myriad of emotions in a short period of time.

I guess I have it to be two episodes so we could have as balanced a view of the project as Al's mission.
 
Hey I like that Idea, of it being a two episode special. I think that would have been great. I agree they needed to do more with Donna including Bringing Terry Hacher back hehe. Although I also loved Mimi Kuyaz(sp?).

I think they could have also expanded on Donna trying to get Sam to stay home and Sam having a personal debate on it. He loves both Al and Donna but he can only help one. But we all know Sam, he has got to always find a way to help everyone. I believe this is most strongly shown in Dr. Ruth. Yet this time would be special because it's just impossible. unlike Dr. Ruth and other eps where this applies he just cannot help both. He eaither has to save Al or stay with Donna. In the end his mind wins over his heart. They definiety could have made a great two parter out of this episode.
 
of course, 2 eps would be best. it has to be examined because, well, we have so much going on here: donna's temperamental i want you home and al's sudden choir boy act. funny. and i think i have some issues. i gotta go to fix a few bye bye.
 
I love the conversations between Sam and Ziggy:

Sam: Give me what I want, baby.
Ziggy: Oh, if you weren't my father . .

Ziggy: I don't understand why people would die for love.
Sam: Read Shakespeare's plays.
Ziggy: All right. . .
Sam: Not now! We don't have time!
Ziggy: Done. [pause] I see your point.

Ziggy: I was doing fine until I reached Franklin Delano Roosevelt's death. It depressed me.

I kind of hate Donna, but I can accept that she's necessary for two really important component. One, dramatic tension - will Sam stay or go save Al? and Two, half naked Sam beneath the stars. Yum.
 
Oh God I can't believe I forgot to mention that in my review. I totally love that Dana. I especually love
"Mmm great legs Dr."
And I will also have to agree with it too *growl*:heybaby:dreaming

bluedanna said:
and Two, half naked Sam beneath the stars. Yum.
Oooh agreed one hundred percent. And he wasn't half naked he was all naked except for boxers. YUMOLA!:heybaby:dreaming:dreaming
 
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