Our rating system this season consists of six raters and three back-up 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: 8.08
Please be aware that some reviews may contain spoilers! Some of the comments given were:
Seeker said:
I liked the story line and the pacing was good, too. The twist at the end is something I?ve heard of before and I like the idea that when something ends, there?s a new beginning or, if you will, a continuation, a passing of the torch, somewhere else in the world. There were a few small grammatical ?bumps in the road,? but other than that, this was a nice read.
RATING: 8.5
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Morris J. Finkle said:
Well, other than "Flirting With Disaster," it's been quite a while since Erik has written anything for the VS, so I really don't remember his prior stories that much (because they were so long ago). I did assume that Angela Ramsey must have been a character from one of his earliest stories (possibly "Reunion" and/or its sequel "Man in the Mirror"?), but as another rater pointed out, a footnote or something would have been nice. The constant shift between Sam's leap and Al in the Imaging Chamber was also very distracting, especially when several of Al's scenes lasted for only one or two sentences before going back to Sam. Still, all-in-all, it was an enjoyable story with a "classic" QL feel to it. Phillip's character reminded me of Stawpah from "Mirror Image," not being able to move on until his "mission" succeeded. I also liked the fact that he was born on Al's date of birth and died on Sam's date of birth.
Some minor mistakes and discrepancies aside (the St. John reference), well done, Erik.
RATING: 8.0
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Sporty said:
This was an interesting story. I liked the way that the ghost was able to move on because of what he did for Sam. I like stories with a supernatural beat. Great job!
RATING: 9.0
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Allie Cat said:
This was one story that really was in desperate need of a Beta reader. The continuous changing of scene setting made the story difficult to follow and, as others have pointed out, there is the reference to a dead man in the story (Edward St. John VI), which is a very telling indication that the author has not been keeping up with the last couple of seasons of the VS.
A couple of my own little nitpicks (other than the St. John reference). In the story, Al referred to the Everglade as a boat. As a Navy man, he sees a difference between a boat and a ship - a boat is either a submersible or is a very small craft, like a lifeboat or even a PT boat. The Everglade would be a ship to him, not a boat.
The reference to Angela from Erik's previous story was a nice touch but the story itself should have been referenced better to make her appearance more understandable. I found myself wondering who this Angela was and where she seemingly suddenly came from. A reader shouldn't have to go back to a previous story just to know who a character is, especially if that character has only appeared once before.
Still, the story was nicely Quantum Leap. I liked the simplicity of the leap, Sam rescuing a little girl from a sinking ship. And though the little twist at the end was somewhat predictable, it was a very nice touch. Having Phillip failing several times to save the girl because of his own fear of the water (thanks to having drown in his real life) was believable and even made me sympathize with him.
Good story, Erik.
RATING: 8.0
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Marigold Brambleburr said:
The plotline for this story was very interesting, if predictable. I had a feeling where things were going with Philip, but the birthday touch was a nice one. Good characterization, but I had several stumbling points. For one thing, Sam seems to be very passive and not in control of his actions. He "found himself" in various places--fine for the Leap-In, although excessive usage at three occurences in one paragraph and a fourth in the very next one; however, when Sam "found himself" in a room after talking to Al, it caused me to stop and wonder how he traveled there if he didn't walk, swim, or climb into it. A brief summary of just who Angela Reynolds was and how Sam helped her and her brother Max would be nice. Even those readers who've read all of the VS could use a reminder, I'm sure. I couldn't understand why Al was in uniform, nor why he was calling out to "St. John," who is no longer with the Project. Minor bumps, but they jarred me out of the story and away from the fic.
All in all, a good read.
RATING: 7.5
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Gooshie said:
This was a pretty good episode with a nice ending. It was interesting to see another "ghost Leaper" helping out Sam, like Stawpaw in Mirror Image. The effects on PQL was fun to read too with Senator Reynolds and Angela both relating to Sam's project because of how he helped their lives.
Some constructive criticism would be to not divide the story up so much as it was, jumping back and forth between the leap scenes and the PQL scenes. It kind of confused me at some points when it felt like things were just getting into a full swing during the leap and suddenly we were back with Al at PQL.
Overall, I enjoyed the storyline and the result. Good work, Erik!
RATING: 7.5
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The Virtual Seasons Team
