Portrait for Troian and Shock Theater.

J

JoeLeaper

Project QL Intern
Aug 4, 2006
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Hey everyone! I haven't been here in ages, but I thought I'd drop by and pose a question to you guys that I've been thinking about lately. In all of this, I don't mean to offend anyone by the way.

It seems to me that "A Portrait for Troian" and "Shock Theater" are pretty popular episodes among Quantum Leap fans. I'm kind of at a loss about this, honestly, because those are my two least favorite episodes of the entire show. Maybe I'm missing something, I don't know, but I'd like to hear honest impressions of how you guys feel about those episodes.

Here's my two cents: now, it makes a little bit of sense to me that "Shock Theater" is so popular, because if nothing else, it really showcases Scott Bakula's tremendous acting talent and versatility. I still think he's one of the most underrated actors living today. And I enjoyed Al's Alphabet Rap scene, but other than that, there doesn't seem to be much of a story present. Don't get me wrong, I don't dislike the episode, but compared to most other episodes, it just feels kind of weak to me. I'm gonna watch it again pretty soon though, so perhaps I'll change my mind, but I kind of doubt it.

Now onto "A Portrait for Troian." This is the ONLY Quantum Leap episode that I actually dislike! Deborah Pratt is a wonderful writer, and she's done a lot of really great things for the show, but I'm sorry, but she is NOT an actress. At least if she is, she forgot how to act in this particular episode. In this episode, she gives some of the most awkwardly delivered lines I have ever heard. And for some reason, to me it seemed like the acting quality from Dean Stockwell and Scott Bakula was a little lower too, which is practically unheard of!

Anyway, I don't mean to be negative, but I'm curious to see if I'm the only one who feels this way about these episodes. And if I am, what am I missing?
 
I've always felt the delivery in Troian was kind of weak, too. I do like the twist though. And there are some great Sam-Al lines.

As for Shock Theatre, yes, the story is weak, but I still think it's a great episode. :)
 
t makes a little bit of sense to me that "Shock Theater" is so popular, because if nothing else, it really showcases Scott Bakula's tremendous acting talent and versatility.
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absotivly posolutly. back when I was lending my mom ym DVD so she can relive QL, this was the first thing she commented on when she returned the last disk of Season three to me. Scott is absolutly amazing. at first I thought I would never watch this episode a second time because it was so sad but then Kristen, my best friend wanted to see it with me and her mom doesnt like it eaither because of it being sad so I was her onlny salvation hehe. since then I love it.

Troian is also great it has its funny moments with Al being terrified of ghosts and the creepy mystery as well, the only thing I have against it is the sadly fake earthquake effect. :( oh, sorry I lied there is one more thing. I didn't care for the whole Ms. Stoats thing and her being a ghost, that was kinda cheesy and dumb, almost as dumb as them seeing bigfoot at the end of The Beast Within or the aliens at the end of StarLight StarBright.
 
I'd have to watch "A Portrait For Troian" again to properly rate it (haven't seen it much because it's not a favorite of mine, either). I felt it was a bit on the cheesy side the few times I watched it.

As for "Shock Theater," it still is one of my favorite episodes. The basic leap is weak in & of itself, which is basically to teach Tibby how to read, but there are some other leaps that are just as simple. Take the small leap at the beginning of "Honeymoon Express," for example: the entire leap was to save a cat from a tree. And "Catch a Falling Star" was basically to save an actor from falling to his death on stage. Even "The Boogiem@n" was pretty weak if you believe most of the episode was a dream. My point is that every once in a while I think it's OK for there to be a basic, simplistic type of leap. I sort of count them as the "in-between" leaps.
 
So, my two cents now. Yay.

In Quantum Leap, there are obviously many episodes that are better than others, and many of them written with different flavors. Some are more dramatic and have a purpose to teach the audience an important lesson, or touch on social issues. Others are meant to be more comedic and light hearted. A Portrait for Troian was one of the QL Family episodes. Basically, Deborah, Don, Scott, and Dean having fun in a silly episode . . . because they can.

Shock Theatre? People like it for different reasons. A direct quote from one of my friends is, "I like that one because Sam goes nuts." Me, personally? I love that episode because it shows how much Al really cares about Sam and his well-being. My favorite part in the entire episode is near the end, when Sam is reliving Jimmy's personality and Al appears with just enough energy pumped into the Imaging Chamber to tell him he needs another therapy session. Al is close to tears, and in the end scene, he is desperately hoping that Sam - his best and possibly only true friend - lives. He wipes at his face and screams at the people who couldn't hear him to administer the shock treament.

And that's because I'm an Al-Coholic. But we knew this.

So, that's my opinion.
 
No offence to any lovers of the epi. but I just find A Portrait for Troian downright creepy - it's probably one of the only episodes of QL i'll avoid watching again, alongside Dr.Ruth and Blood Moon of course, deep down the dank alley that is the QL hall of shame.

The bodies at the end scared me!!:eek Let alone some little kids in a 'family' episode.... but I do like Shock Theater, mainly because, as said earlier, it showcases the hugely underrated talent that Scott Bakula has and his ability to flit through roles like playing cards! :D
 
I’ll agree that A Portrait for Troian is more than a bit weak – it’s definitely not one of my favorites by any stretch of the imagination. I don’t find Troian a very sympathetic character. Now whether that relates to how she was written or acted, I really can’t say. There are some interesting exchanges between Sam and Al (I’m thinking of the part in the crypt after the earthquake) but, other than that, this is sort of a sub par episode.

Shock Theater, on the other hand, is one of my favorite episodes. Yes, it is a pretty simplistic reason why Sam leaps into Sam Beederman – to teach Tibby to read – but this is an episode with a lot of layers. As has been stated by others, it’s a real showcase for Scott Bakula’s acting talent. It’s not often you see an actor playing 7 distinct characters (Sam, Samantha Stormer, Jesse Tyler, Tom Stratton, Kid Cody, “Magic” Williams, and Jimmy LaMotta) in one, one-hour episode. How he didn’t get an Emmy for this, I don’t understand.

Aside from showcase Scott’s talents it’s also presents a dramatic view of the friendship between the two of them – albeit mostly from Al’s point of view. There is one, brief moment, though, where the viewer gets a glimpse of it from Sam’s pov and I find the most dramatic moment of the episode. It’s right after Al has taught Tibby the alphabet using Rap and Sam has flashed back to Tom Stratton. Just after Al leaves, there’s a very brief look of recognition that comes over Sam and he softly calls for Al. I just think that speaks volumes of the level of friendship that for that brief instant Al was able to reach through to Sam. The unfortunate thing is that he’s not there to witness it and, perhaps, nurture that moment.

Ultimately, though, I think it's going to come down to individual people as to whether they're going to like or dislike a given episode. I know that two episodes that most people seem to favor greatly, MIA and Temptation Eyes, are two that I personally don't care for all that much.
 
jmoniz said:
Ultimately, though, I think it's going to come down to individual people as to whether they're going to like or dislike a given episode. I know that two episodes that most people seem to favor greatly, MIA and Temptation Eyes, are two that I personally don't care for all that much.
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This could be a fun analytical project. Or I could just say what I think happens.

Basically, the fandom is split into two groups - not really entirely distinct, but two groups nontheless. You've got the group of people who love Sam. And the other who love Al. And somewhere in the middle, you've got the group who loves them both equally. The character an individual is most attached to will receive the most attention. So when you've got an Al-centric episode like MIA, most of the fans whose favorite character is Al will love that episode.

Temptation Eyes, in my opinion, seems like a Sam-centric episode.

We could go through the whole list of episodes and categorize them as Sam or Al-centric . . . or both. Sometimes their both showcased equally. I think that more often than not, the episodes mostly revolve around Sam, however - making the occasional Al-squishy-moments rare and precious. Then again, this is me, the confessed Al-coholic . . . I'm vaguely interested in which crowd is bigger. Do more people in the fandom like Sam or Al or both together?

Am I rambling now? Did I just go completely off topic? If so, I apologize.
 
In my case I don't think it really matters which character is favored or who, it seems, is the central figure of an episode. In my opinion, the majority of the series revolves around Sam and his point of view. There's a few rare exceptions to this when what we see is the pov Al's but I don't think that holds true for the vast majority. That's just my opinion, though.

The character an individual is most attached to will receive the most attention. So when you've got an Al-centric episode like MIA, most of the fans whose favorite character is Al will love that episode.

Temptation Eyes, in my opinion, seems like a Sam-centric episode.
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I guess this is where I can disprove your theory or at least prove to be the anomaly of it. My favorite character is Sam yet I greatly dislike Temptation Eyes. I personally don't judge an episode by who, in my view, is central in it but rather how the story affects me. In the case of MIA and Temptation Eyes neither storyline does anything for me.

Personally, I'm a bit dismayed by the way the fandom often seems to break down into a one or the other. Sometimes it seems that there's a bit of a "I'm an Al fan so he's perfect and everything Sam does is wrong" or the complete opposite - "I'm a Sam fan so he's perfect and everything Al does is wrong". Like I said, I favor the character of Sam but I also do greatly enjoy the character of Al. I wouldn't say it's an equality thing but neither does it come down to an either/or. I honestly much prefer there not be any kind of either/or thing either. Sometimes I find it hard to want to join in on a discussion when there's stated a definite favoring of one thing or the other because then I feel like I'm treading a minefield and if I say the wrong thing it's not going to be pretty. Mind you, this is my opinion only.
 
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Well, to answer the first question, I love Shock Theatre not just because of the acting tour de force (and I echo the amazement that SB did not get an Emmy for it), but also because there's something special about series episodes that show what happens when something goes wrong. If you have a formula, and then you turn it on its head, that can make for some pretty compelling What if? storytelling. (LHO strikes me the same way - as Sam leaps into someone who is, at least under Bellisario's theory, schizophrenic, and none of the Leaps are under his control). In other words, Shock Theatre involves not only Al adapting and trying to solve the Leapee's problem without the usual give-and-take with Sam, but also Al having the (to him) real danger of losing contact with Sam forever. A Portrait for Troian is not one of my favorites; like most middle of the road episodes, there are things I really like and things I skip through or ignore completely. I agree; Pratt's acting is kind of wooden.

As to the second issue raised, I agree with jmoniz. I'm not into the either/or thing. To me, Sam and Al are a team, and they balance each other out. To be sure, Sam is the focus of the show, and the stories exist through his point of view, but he could not complete his "missions" alone. I love MIA, which is Al-centric, but I also love, say, Dance Before an Execution, which has very little Al. And an episode like Jimmy, which is as much about Al as Sam, is another favorite. I dislike Temptation Eyes on principle.
 
I loved them two episodes, especially Shock Theatre. This showed Scott's acting abilities the most. We all know what a good actor he is, but he appears to be one of Hollywood's best secerts for some unknown reasons. Prehaps that's the way he likes it. Also, because it showed just how much Al loves Sam.

As for A Portrait of Troian, it was a nice fun episode. Nothing too serious. Some interest plot twists and classic comedic moments between Sam and Al.

There is only one episode of Quantum Leap that I detest and that's The Last Gunfighter. Hate it with a passion.
 
A Portrait for Troian reminds me of a cheesy horror flick in a way, with the dialogue and the wooden acting. Maybe that's actually intentional? And I do love some of the scenes between Sam and Al, especially the one with the bodies in the earthquake-damaged tomb.

And Shock Theatre shows off the skills of both actors, from Sam's personality switches to Al's anguish at watching his friend fall apart. It may have an 'easy' task, but it's a very gut wrenching episode.

As for the second issue raised... It's a shame that so many people have the either/or issues. While I admit that I tend to favor Sam, I adore Al and would have hated to have seen him replaced by a hot young female Observer. They are a great team with wonderful chemistry.
 
LadyKayoss said:
As for the second issue raised... It's a shame that so many people have the either/or issues.
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I don't see much of that here. Years ago I was involved in the fandom for another 2-character show, and many people had a strong preference for one character or the other. It got downright nasty at times. It's clear that some people here feel more drawn to one of the characters, but nobody makes a big deal about it, and that's nice.

On to the topic... A Portrait for Troian isn't one of my favorites either, but it does have entertaining Sam-n-Al scenes. (Heck, every episode does. It's what makes this show so charming.) My favorite moment, though, is Dean Stockwell's hair blowing in the wind, when Al's hair shouldn't be doing that because he's in a cavern underground. Oops.

Shock Theater is just mesmerizing for all the reasons people have already described. For me the key moment is when Al says those two little words, "I'm Al," and he expresses so much grief that Sam doesn't recognize him. The thing I don't like is that the ending falls apart, as far as I'm concerned. It's totally unbelievable to me that they would give a mental patient a shock treatment *because he asked for it.* Especially when they can see that he doesn't want it--his invisible friend does! And the very same nurse who said it's dangerous to give Sam another shock is the one who does it. I would believe it better if Al was shouting in her ear so it looked like he was influencing her subconsciously or something. Or if the doctor did it in a rage. Dramatically speaking, they wanted to have her respond to Sam's pleading, but it just doesn't make sense to me.
But overall, it's gripping. One of my favorites.
 
Snish said:
I don't see much of that here. Years ago I was involved in the fandom for another 2-character show, and many people had a strong preference for one character or the other. It got downright nasty at times. It's clear that some people here feel more drawn to one of the characters, but nobody makes a big deal about it, and that's nice.
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I haven't seen it much here, either. But I have seen it elsewhere, and you're right, it does get nasty. I can't understand why some people think you should love one character and hate the other!
 
i think that's a consensus: troian was a goof and shock theatre showed both of their acting. i love cheesy horror, though so troian isn't too bad. i think scott is so hot and it's great he has some talent...other than making my mind go numb and shock is best showcase of his acting ability...but that's just me.
 
JoeLeaper said:
Hey everyone! I haven't been here in ages, but I thought I'd drop by and pose a question to you guys that I've been thinking about lately. In all of this, I don't mean to offend anyone by the way.

It seems to me that "A Portrait for Troian" and "Shock Theater" are pretty popular episodes among Quantum Leap fans. I'm kind of at a loss about this, honestly, because those are my two least favorite episodes of the entire show. Maybe I'm missing something, I don't know, but I'd like to hear honest impressions of how you guys feel about those episodes.

Here's my two cents: now, it makes a little bit of sense to me that "Shock Theater" is so popular, because if nothing else, it really showcases Scott Bakula's tremendous acting talent and versatility. I still think he's one of the most underrated actors living today. And I enjoyed Al's Alphabet Rap scene, but other than that, there doesn't seem to be much of a story present. Don't get me wrong, I don't dislike the episode, but compared to most other episodes, it just feels kind of weak to me. I'm gonna watch it again pretty soon though, so perhaps I'll change my mind, but I kind of doubt it.

Now onto "A Portrait for Troian." This is the ONLY Quantum Leap episode that I actually dislike! Deborah Pratt is a wonderful writer, and she's done a lot of really great things for the show, but I'm sorry, but she is NOT an actress. At least if she is, she forgot how to act in this particular episode. In this episode, she gives some of the most awkwardly delivered lines I have ever heard. And for some reason, to me it seemed like the acting quality from Dean Stockwell and Scott Bakula was a little lower too, which is practically unheard of!

Anyway, I don't mean to be negative, but I'm curious to see if I'm the only one who feels this way about these episodes. And if I am, what am I missing?
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I totally agree with you.
 
bluedana said:
but I also love, say, Dance Before an Execution, which has very little Al.
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That is actually not true. Remember that Sam was in prison, so Al had to be his eyes and ears outside of the prison wall.
 
In Dance Before an Execution, Tearsa takes on much of the "Al" role for Sam. There is less interaction between Al and Sam than in a usual episode.

Troian reminds me of the old vampire soap opera (yes, there was such a thing) from the early '70s, which was called Dark Shadows. Same creepy atmosphere, same wooden acting.
 
bluedana said:
Troian reminds me of the old vampire soap opera (yes, there was such a thing) from the early '70s, which was called Dark Shadows. Same creepy atmosphere, same wooden acting.
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LOL! I loved Dark Shadows! But, come on, the acting in "Troian" isn't that bad! It does have some of that wooden campiness, but Dark Shadows was way out there.
 
bluedana said:
In Dance Before an Execution, Tearsa takes on much of the "Al" role for Sam. There is less interaction between Al and Sam than in a usual episode.
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He might arrive later in the episode (I remember Sam asking him where he was), but Al appears in the prison and in the church and he is following the female lawyer (being Sam's eyes and ears).
 
You know, you're right, Grimlock. I think Al's presence doesn't really resonate so much with me in that episode (aside from the searching for the bullet scene) because Tearsa is such a well-drawn, strong character, and I underestimated the amount of time he appears in the episode. Plus, I forgot about one of my favorite lines of the whole series: It's not like you're lost in a maaaaaall; you're lost in tiiiiime!

Snish, I thought Dark Shadows was the best. But I was, like, four years old. The whole flowing white nightgown and carrying the candelabra in Troian is really nostalgic for me.
 
Haha, I really like A Potrait for Troian. I don't think it's a bad episode, and I don't really think Troian's acting was bad (but I don't usually notice things like that anyway). I think the main reason I like it though is because I first saw it when they were doing reruns, and I was about 9, and it just scared the heck outta me! Yeah, I was a wimp... But it was the only Q.L episode I could remember for the longest time! (Well, until we got the dvds, I guess. Watching some again trigerred my memory.)

I enjoyed Shock Theater because I thought it really made a point of Sam and Als friendship. And I always love episodes of ANYTHING that really focus on character relationships. :)

Overall I don't really think there's any episode of Q.L I really strongly dislike. I don't think I was very fond of Disco Inferno, but I haven't seen it in yonks so I can't really say. I also saw Dreams a couple of days ago, and it sure didn't do much for me either.

And I could never chose between Sam and Al! I think they're both awesome.
 
i loved the portrait for troian episode.it was creepy,ecxiting and chilling at the end of the show.As far for the shock theatre ep it was more drama than action like in the last dance of an execution.My fav moment in the portrait was when sam rescued that woman from the tomb and he told her i am like indiana jones and she replyed .. who??:lol
 
portrait for troain really scared me when i was a kid :baby and it was the one episode i always remembered and even watching again now i just loved it, i think its cause the story was pretty original so for me because of them reasons id say its a big fave
 
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