Top 10 Worst Episodes of Quantum Leap

It is also worth sharing this:

"The writers guide for the series warns against having Sam leap into a situation just for the shock value without really considering how an entire episode can follow it. For better or worse, this is certainly the case here: Look! Sam is conducting a Bat Mitzvah!... And then after the ceremony is over, Judaism plays no part in the show at all. The characters could just as easily have been of any religion at all; of course, in a country nearly 2% Jewish it would be ridiculous in over 100 leaps for him not to work with a Jewish family, it's just very much a bait and switch, implying an episode about Judaism and delivering one about grief."

That is a quote from Behind the Mirror Image, the most comprehensive guide to Quantum Leap that exists.

Isn't 'Behind the Mirror Image' a book written by a fan? That makes it another fan's opinion, not fact. As far as I can tell this publication is not the 'show bible' that a show's team uses for a television show that has multiple writers for various episodes. If that quote does come from the actual QL show bible/guide for the writing team, then it really does beg the question doesn't it, why would the show creators have greenlit an episode that went against their own rules for how an episode should be written?

I've already stated the reasons why I think it's a narrow and short-sighted view, and why I think it's not for someone who is not of the culture to judge, so I'm not going to spell those out again.
 
Isn't 'Behind the Mirror Image' a book written by a fan? That makes it another fan's opinion, not fact. As far as I can tell this publication is not the 'show bible' that a show's team uses for a television show that has multiple writers for various episodes. If that quote does come from the actual QL show bible/guide for the writing team, then it really does beg the question doesn't it, why would the show creators have greenlit an episode that went against their own rules for how an episode should be written?

I've already stated the reasons why I think it's a narrow and short-sighted view, and why I think it's not for someone who is not of the culture to judge, so I'm not going to spell those out again.

Seeing as I have never stated what my culture is, it seems that the only one of a narrow and short sighted view is you. But Quantum Leap is as television show, and I am definitely of the culture of TV watcher, so the episode is fair game for criticism.

The show-writers' bible is a term given to testimony from interviews with several of the writers of the show about what their rules were for writing stories for the Quantum Leap Universe. I actually agree that we should wonder why this episode was greenlit when it goes against the established writers' rules. It is worth noting that this episode is not from one of the main writing staff, and it shows.
 
It is worth noting that this episode is not from one of the main writing staff, and it shows.

Yes, but the script still would've gone through more than one draft and someone else, likely someone on the main staff, would've been the one giving edits (and if the first draft was bad there would've been major suggested edits). In the episode 'Her Charm' for example, multiple writers got involved because there were issues with the script, which did not happen here. No other writer is credited on this episode, which tells me that the main staff must not have had an issue with the script or with the story. Otherwise why would they give this single writer, who wasn't even a regular staff writer, such free rein?

Sam leaped into a priest in the middle of a church wedding ceremony in 'Leap of Faith', which could also be considered a 'shocking' entry similar to his leaping into the Rabbi in the middle of a Bat Mitzvah. 'Leap of Faith' is an enjoyable episode (it's been a while since I've seen it but I remember liking it), but other than the side story about Al not going to church/praying anymore, couldn't the same argument be made that if they changed the setting and vocation of the leapee the story could still work?

To me, representation is a good thing, not just for the cultures that need more of it, but for everyone, and I really don't get the argument against it.
 
I think that since it was so early in the season, they were trying to find their feet and were far less likely to reject a flawed script, especially as this was the first full 20+ episode season and the need to churn out the episodes was there. My criticism comes with the benefit of hindsight, but I don't think it's unfair when we have to look at the series as a whole to make the rankings.

Actually, while Leap of Faith is not a great episode, it stays out of my bottom 10 as it does a much better job at weaving Sam's profession and the underlying religion than Thou Shalt Not did. If we compare where the religion/culture and Sam's position in the place of worship in the two episodes:

Leap of Faith:
- Sam leaps in at the end of the wedding ceremony and pronounces the couple married. This might seem inconsequential, but it did lead to the next...
- Sam is approached and his performance critiqued by the two older women. This was an entirely necessary scene because it showed the women's trust in and rapport with the priest Sam had replaces, which would be needed later in the episode.
- Al is uneasy for the entire leap because of him turning his back on his faith in his childhood.
- It was because Sam was in a position of power in the community that he was able to diffuse the tense situation at the boy's funeral.
- Sam's primary mission is to not only save the life of the other priest, but also to help him restore his faith - it having been severely tested after the young boy's murder. I seriously doubt that had Sam been in any position other than a priest, that Father Mac would have confided in him.
- Had Sam not tried to get Father Mac to hide til the trial (and dry out), he wouldn't have been doing the Confessionals, which would not have given Tony the chance to get close enough to him to attempt to murder him (mistaking Sam for Father Mac).
- Sam being shot was what created some development for Al's character (I won't say "growth" because it's actually regression), rekindling his own faith in God when his prayer was answered.
- Sam was trusted enough by the two older women to have them loan him the car to chase after Father Mac (in his state it would take a LOT of trust in that case).
- Sam had to remind Father Mac of his vows and why he had become a priest in the first place - to make up for killing people in war and that nobody else had to die. Again, it is doubtful that anyone other than a priest would be able to bring Father Mac back from his anger.
- Sam coins the term "One Day At A Time", a common phrase in AA, where it is believed that only a higher power can help them get through their disease.


Thou Shalt Not:
- Sam as the rabbi finishes Karen's Bat Mitzvah and celebrates at her party with some traditional Jewish food and dances. This is fine and was entertaining to watch, but where does it lead?
- We get some more information about Al, that he had a Jewish wife and that she helped him to understand the importance of family. This doesn't lead anywhere though. How good would it have been for Al to see parallels from what originally happened to Irene and her family to his own life. Maybe Ruth could have cheated on Al because of his distance? Maybe Al could empathise with the family from the fact that his mother abandoned him? Or that Beth left him? It could have been a scene like when he's reminded of Trudy in Jimmy. Yes we did get some more information about Al's life, but not any growth, and it so easily could have.
- Karen opens her presents at home. Again, inconsequential.
- Joe laments to Sam that he is thinking of having an affair. I include this simply because the title is "Thou Shalt Not" and one of the ten commandments is "Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery", so it is unclear whether Joe is telling Sam this in confidence as a brother or as a rabbi (Joe could be wanting some spiritual guidance as well as just a brother to confide in). It's a stretch, and is a prime example of how the Jewish/rabbi factor is removable.
- Irene also confides in Sam, wracked with guilt over Danny's death. Again, it is ambiguous as to whether this is because of Sam being in the position of a close family member or in the position as the rabbi. Exactly the same argument as the previous.
- Sam and Irene are holding a fundraiser at the temple. The only purpose this serves is to make it possible for the woman to confess his affair...
- The woman confesses her affair to Sam. This is the ONLY part of the episode where Sam being a rabbi has some consequence, as it helped Sam realise that Bert could not be trusted. However, this has problems too. First, Jewish people don't have Confession and don't believe in Hell, which means that it's not so much because of the woman wanting forgiveness for her sin than it is her trying to find the right course of action to forgive herself and do the right thing by her husband. This is why this particular case is interchangeable with Sam in the place of some other trusted person in a position of power, like a counsellor.

I was very generous with my Thou Shalt Not entries, but it is very clear that in that episode the Jewish/rabbi factor is being used as a border and chucked out once the real story took place. But good storytelling is when the elements you include are interwoven, forming a tapestry where everything has consequence.

Again, it is not the fact that Judaism was included that made me dislike the episode, it was one of the best parts. It's the fact that these elements were completely inconsequential. The criticism is the storytelling, not the content.
 
While on the subject of Thou Shalt Not, something else that irked me was the fact that the family's problems were all caused by the son Danny's death. Why didn't Sam just leap to save Danny? I have similar issues with "Goodnight Dear Heart", "Play It Again Seymour", "Trilogy Part 1" and "Raped" - if there has been a disaster, why is Sam there to pick up the pieces instead of preventing the disaster?


Anyway, back to my list of worst episodes:

All Americans: Hispanic stereotypes, the cartoony over-the-top moustached villain, and a resolution that leaves us all scratching our heads. The only saving grace I can find for this episode is that it does a slightly better job at incorporating the culture into the plot than "Thou Shalt Not", i.e. the mother being taken advantage of because of her status as an undocumented immigrant.
 
The Play's The Thing: It had some sweet moments, but the entire concept just seemed stupid. Jane is a grown woman who can make her own decisions about where she lives, who she has a relationship with, and what she does for a career. She can just tell her son to mind his own business and everything is done. So the whole purpose of the leap (to help Jane reach her dream and keep the relationship in tact) seemed a bit low on the importance scale in my opinion.

The subplot about trying to get the leapee's acting career of the ground was also stupid - if the actual person can't act well enough to get noticed, why should Sam (who is not an actor) be any better?

The saving grace in this episode is that it's very funny - especially from Al.
 
A Single Drop of Rain: This is another stupid concept episode. Sam leaps into a charlatan to do the job that the charlatan claims to be able to do, and manages to do so with the power of prayer. Puh-lease! I really dislike it when it is an Act of "God" which saves the day instead of Sam.

Having said that, the B plot of trying to salvage the relationships was much better.
 
How the Tess Was Won: In the interests of fairness, I have tried not to judge Season 1 too harshly against my personal criteria for how good an episode is, as they were still finding their feet. But in a season that, with the help of the spectacular episodes "The Color of Truth" and "Camikaze Kid" proved to be above average for a first season of a television show, "How the Tess Was Won" was the equivalent of the student who didn't turn up to any classes and still sat the test, and made the entire class average plummet.

I find episodes where the central theme is to play matchmaker stupid when one of the people to be matched ISN'T EVEN THERE. Even if Sam had succeeded in making Tess fall in love with him, there's no guarantee that she'll like the real Doc when he returns! Then after all that work, someone else professes his love for Tess (the other person who had been writing her letters) and they end up together, presumably as they had done originally seeing as Ziggy had the knowledge that she will marry someone who writes her love letters. What was the point of it all?! Why even leap there?! The only things that Sam actually changes in history are the pig surviving (so maybe there's more bacon for the world in the future?) and Buddy Holly writing "Peggy Sue" a little earlier in his lifetime. Whoop-de-frickin-doo...

Sam's struggles in the challenge were entertaining though.
 
I honestly can't think of an episode from the show that I would like to list as my 10th least favourite, so I will go with the extended universe.

"The Infinite Corridor" from Comic #3

It's a cute story, and I liked the wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey stuff, but one thing really sticks out at me. The whole leap seemed completely pointless! In the original history, Ellen completed her research and Sam built on it to create Quantum Leap. He leaps in, almost ruins it, has to fix what he messed up, and then leaps. What was the point?! My only guess is that in the original history, Matt and Ellen stayed together long enough so that she wasn't distracted and still completed the research, but they broke up not long afterwards. I shouldn't have to be coming up with scenarios to make a story make sense. This was a disappointing story, and should not have been paired up with the heart-warming story that preceded it.


So overall my Bottom 10 are:

Season 1: "How the Tess was Won"

Season 2: "Thou Shalt Not" and "All Americans"

Season 3: "Runaway" and "Piano Man"

Season 4: "Hurricane", "The Play's the Thing" and "A Single Drop of Rain"

Season 5: "Blood Moon"

Extended Universe: "The Infinite Corridor"
 
Not really a fan of listing as "worst" but an episode that I don't really care for is the following:
Season 5 Episode 13 Liberation - October 16, 1968