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2x02 "Ben & Teller" | |
          
                                                                                                         
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| Leap
Date: May 9, 1986 |
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| Synopsis: Ben takes on the role of a bank teller in the wrong place at the wrong time during a dangerous armed robbery. Meanwhile, Addison, Magic, Ian and Jenn come to terms with a shocking discovery. And the team adds a new member. | ||
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| TV Guide
Synopsis Broadcast Date Leap Date Leap Location Name of Leapee Project Trivia Ben Trivia Addison Trivia Ian's Outfit Worn in the Episode Kiss With History Miscellaneous Trivia Guest Cast Guest Cast Notes Guests who appeared in other Quantum Leap episodes Characters who appeared in Classic Series episodes Songs & Music Say What? Quotable Quotes Personal Review Production Photos Production Videos Production Credits Podcasts |
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Poster
by J.J. Lendl |
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TV
Guide Synopsis: |
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| Broadcast
Date: Wednesday, October 11, 2023 | 8pm on NBC |
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| Leap
Date: May 9, 1986 |
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| Leap Location: Tucson, Arizona |
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| Name of Leapee: Lorena Chaves |
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| Detailed Synopsis: Following the revelation that it has been three years since anyone at Project Quantum Leap has seen Ben, we find Jenn at a poker table as she hustles the other players. Ian enters and tells her it's Turtle Time. The duo find Magic as he is about to purchase a piece of jewelry for his one year anniversary, presumably with someone we haven't met yet. They bring Magic back to PQL, which has been shut down. Everything is under plastic covers. Ian explains that when Ben Leaped into 2028 and entered the Accelerator as a host, it scrambled Ziggy's ability to predict the gravitational pull of his Leaps. This prevented the team from finding Ben. Ian left one computer station on after the project was shuttered as a sort of beacon to find Ben. They explain that for Ben, it's hasn't been three years - it has been one single Leap. Jenn asks what they will Tell Addison. Ian says everything has changed. Magic uses his phone, presumably to contact Tom Westfall. The eye-roll Leap-in effect is used again as Ben appears as a female bank teller, Lorena Chaves, with an impatient woman waiting on her money transaction to be completed. He managed to complete the banking and places the "next window" sign on the counter so that he can walk away from the teller station. Another teller, Rebecca Egan, approaches him and comments that he is now a grandmother. After their rude boss remarks that there is too much clucking in the hen house, Rebecca notices her brother Sean has entered the bank with two other men. Rebecca thinks he's probably just there to ask her for money, but the three men pull out guns and are robbing the bank! In 2026, Addison is leading a drill with her Special Ops team, practicing with machine guns. Enter Tom Westfall, who knows Addison well as they talk about doing the same drill 13 years ago. After her team leaves, Tom tells her that they found Ben. At the bank, the robbers hold everyone hostage as Ben loads money into a bag. The robbers herd everyone into the lobby as Ben tells Rebecca that everything is going to be okay. Addison asks Tom if she's supposed to just go back to PQL. She can't believe Ben has been alive this whole time. Tom tells her that for Ben, it's been like no time has passed at all. Tom tells her that she should do whatever her heart tells her and they will get through it together. He kisses her hand and they embrace. Tom is now her boyfriend. Back at PQL, Ian has restarted some of the computer equipment and has located Ben. He heads out to get the Imaging Chamber back online. Jenn informs Magic that he is in Tucson, Arizona in 1986 where Ben is on the scene of a robbery where eight people died. Ian as the hologram finds Ben in the bank. At first they can only be heard, but then appears in a humorous hologram effect. Ian tells Ben that everyone is fine back home. After Ben asks to see Addison, Ian tells him they need to focus on the Leap for now. They advise Ben to get the robbers to leave before anyone dies and offers an escape route. It's too late, however, as the police arrive. The lead robber, Ganz, fires a shot into the ceiling and orders everybody down on the ground. Ian informs Ben that in the original history, when the phone rang in the bank with the police wanting to negotiate, no one answered it forcing the police to storm the bank resulting in eight deaths. Ben jumps up and runs to get the phone, but is stopped by the robbers. Ben tells them that they need to talk to the police and Rebecca's brother, Sean, agrees. Ben answers the phone to a skeptical Detective Reynolds. Ben tells Reynolds that the robbers have agreed to release two hostages to show mercy. Ganz, at the agreement of his team, agrees to release two hostages. After they are released, Ganz asks the bank manager for the code to the vault, and the manager says he doesn't remember. Ganz smashes the manager's hand, causing him to pass out. Ganz pulls Rebecca out of the group and makes Sean ask her for the code. She says she doesn't know it and tells Sean that she loves him and that this is the sort of thing you don't come back from. Ganz informs her that she isn't the one who pulled Sean off the street six months prior. Sean pulls a gun on his sister and demands the code with tears in his eyes. Ganz tells him that he won't make him shoot his own sister, but Ganz will do it himself. Ben jumps up and exclaims that he knows the code in order to save Rebecca. Magic and Jenn look for the code but are unsuccessful. Jenn goes to the dark web to find it and tells Magic not to look at her to avoid incriminating himself. Jenn finds the code in a hack involving a data breach of the bank in 1992. Ian goes back into the Imaging Chamber to give Ben the code, but before he can complete the numbers, the team at PQL is caught by a government group and ordered under arrest. Ben guesses the last digit of the code after three tries. He says it is "Allen Iverson's jersey number... her favorite." Addison is presumably the "her" in his statement. As the team is about to be led out of PQL, Tom enters flashing his badge from the Department of Defense, followed by Addison. Tom tells Agent Alan Lee that the trio he is arresting is working on a classified operation and is under his supervision. Tom messages the Director of the FBI, who releases the team from arrest. Everyone from the "old" PQL team seems to like Tom and we get the feeling that he has been around for quite some time. Tom says that his call to the FBI will ruffle government feathers so he leaves to take care of that as Addison greets her old team. Addison tells Magic and Ben that she came to see Ben and tell him everything that has happened since they lost him. She says she won't take her old job back and needs to go back to her life afterwards. Magic says he understands. Ben talks to Rebecca about her brother. She says when she came back from college, everything changed and she doesn't know how this happened to her brother Sean. The bank robbers exit the vault with $120,000, excited. Ganz tells Ben to relay to Detective Reynolds that they want a helicopter and to stay clear. After they leave, the hostages will get released. Sean tells Ganz that he is upset because Ganz didn't tell him they were going for the vault. It was supposed to be a 5-minute job. Ganz says he didn't want Sean to over think it. Ian gets the Imaging Chamber back online and Ben appears on the screen to Addison, Magic, and Jenn. Addison looks and says, "It's really him. He looks the same." Ian returns and asks Addison if she wants to take over. She relies that they are in the middle of a hostage situation and she isn't up to speed. Detective Reynolds calls and Ben tells them the demands for the helicopter. Reynolds is surprisingly rude to Ben, but agrees to arrange the helicopter. Ian arrives and Ben says their holograming could use some work. Ian replies that they tried to get Addison to come instead but... Ben interrupts and says "Addison''s here? Why isn't she in here? Is something wrong? Addison sees Ben on the screen at PQL and Ben looks at the camera somehow. She knows he knows something is wrong. Her face appears sad and worried. Addison leaves the room. Ian informs Ben that Reynolds is lying to him. Reynolds is getting snipers into position and will storm the bank. History has changed and during the firefight they will hit a gas line causing an explosion that kills everyone in the bank. Ian says Ben must get everyone out before that happens. Ben finds out from Rebecca that a planned bank expansion fell through, so there is an area that is just drywall in the back. Ben tricks the robbers into moving everyone back there to avoid sniper fire. Ben uses a box cutter to cut through the drywall after the robbers lock them in the back room. They send out the hostages, who escape through the hole Ben has created. Ben and Rebecca remain as she wants to help her brother. Addison confides in Jenn. Addison says she buried Ben, and those were the darkest days of her life. Then Tom came into her life and helped her remember what is was like to be happy again. She says she can't believe no one is asking her to go back. Jenn says they all love Tom. Addison says she doesn't know what to do. Jenn tells her that the reason Addison is wondering why the rest of the team is not pressuring her to go back in with Ben is that perhaps that's what Addison really wants. Ganz enters the room with Ben and Rebecca still inside. Ganz raises his gun to kill them, but Sean appears behind him and shoots him. Sean reels after realizing what he did and puts a gun to his head. Ben stops him and convinces him that life is worth living. Rebecca says she will take his gun and say she shot Ganz in self-defense. The police enter and arrest Sean with Rebecca telling him it will all be okay. Ian shows Jenn in a news article that Sean refused to let his sister take the charge, but in the end, Ganz death was ruled as a result of self-defense. Ian smiles, and Jenn says all that is well and good, "But can you drop the innocent act? You need to tell them how you actually found Ben." Apparently there is much more to how Ian found Ben than they have made known. In Magic's old office, Tom sits at the desk. Addison enters and tells him she is going to go see Ben. She says she can't just turn her back on him and wants to rejoin the team. Tom supports her and tells her that he would do the same thing. "We're soldiers. We don't leave people behind." Addison assumes the hologram role and enters behind Ben telling him the hostages are all safe. He smiles at her voice. She continues on nervously with her narrative of how he changed history for the better without interjecting any personal feelings. She tells him Sean does five years in jail but is reunited with Rebecca when he gets out, and Lorena (Ben's host) sees her granddaughter that very afternoon. Ben sees the hurt in her eyes and tells her that Ian explained it had been three years. He asks her what is wrong, and she just replies "Ben..." In a heart wrenching look between the two, they both know that Addison has moved on. He says, "You thought I was gone" as tears roll down Addison's eyes. Before he can bring his own tears to fruition, Ben Leaps. |
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| Personal
Review & Detailed Synopsis by Brian Greene: This is a solid episode! A great story with plenty of action, suspense, and a heart story. The only character who didn't mesh was Detective Reynolds, who was not very believable as written. The PQL story progressed nicely as we meet Tom, who is likable and seemilgly kind and understanding. More suspense is added as we wonder what Ian did to find Ben that they aren't saying yet. Did they Leap? Perhaps they used Janice and her tech to locate him? Maybe the new character, Hannah Carson has something do do with it? How will Ben and Addison interact with the revelation that she has moved on romantically? Can't wait until next week to find out more! |
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| Project
Trivia: The Pentagon shut down Project Quantum Leap after two years of searching for Ben. Magic is no longer a government employee. Ben can be seen through Imaging Chamber technology without an observer inside. The team and Tom enjoy game nights including the game "Risk." Tom is with the United States Department of Defense. |
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| Ben Trivia: When everyone thought Ben was dead, they had a funeral for him. Ian sang Amazing Grace. Ben was lost for three years, but for him, there was no time loss. Was he suspended in time for that long? What if Sam Beckett was suspended in time even longer, which is why he was never brought home? |
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| Addison Trivia: She is now romantically involved with Tom Westfall, who she has known from the military for at least 13 years. Tom and Addison ran similar training ops together in the past at Fort Rucker, now called Fort Novosel in Alabama. Allen Iverson is Addison's favorite NBA player. His jersey number was 3. |
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| Ian's
Outfits Worn in
the Episode: Ian wears a gray trench coat with a black shirt underneath. |
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| Kiss With History: None. |
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| Miscellaneous
Trivia: When Ian tells Jenn it's Turtle Time, this is a reference to events that happened in the episode, "Judgement Day." The number 3, which Ben guesses as the final digit of the bank vault code is that of Allen Ezail Iverson, and is apparently Addison's favorite player. He was an American former professional basketball player. Nicknamed "the Answer", he played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) at both the shooting guard and point guard positions. Iverson won NBA Rookie of the Year Award in 1997 and was an 11-time NBA All-Star, won the All-Star game MVP award in 2001 and 2005, and was the NBA's Most Valuable Player (MVP) in 2001. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2026. In October 2021, he was named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team. Iverson is often regarded as one of the greatest scorers and one of the most influential players in NBA history. From Ana M. Amortegui, ADFC: In the “Ben & Teller” Ep 2 S2 in “Quantum Leap” my mom and I had a very little cameo, Ben had leaped into a new grandma and the director Kristin Windell liked this photo of both of us to be Ben’s daughter and new granddaughter. I loved how I was able to honor my mom, it was very small but very special moment, My mom has been gone 37 years, how much I wish she could hold me like in that photo, I miss you mom, I know that you are always with me and Mila, I know that you saw your close up :) im so happy a lot of people got to see how beautiful you were…te amo mama and today en el dia de los muertos I think of you…I will remember you today and always. TE AMO  |
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QUANTUM LEAP – SERIES REGULARS
Addison Augustine (Portrayed
by
Caitlin Bassett) –
Addison is a smart, witty, fearless ex-military operative who now
serves as Project Observer at Quantum Leap HQ. She’s in charge of the
technology they use to communicate with the past, and tries to rescue
Ben from his time-flung existence.
Ian Wright (Portrayed
by Mason Alexander
Park) –
Quantum Leap’s nonbinary chief architect of the AI program.
Herbert “Magic” Williams (Portrayed by Ernie Hudson) – A Vietnam vet and current lead of the Quantum Leap time travel project. Herbert “Magic” Williams tries to keep the Pentagon at bay while the team tries to rescue Ben. Doctor Sam Beckett leaped into Magic during his Vietnam tour.
Jenn Chu
(Portrayed by Nanrisa Lee) –
Head of security at Quantum Leap HQ. Tom Westfall (Portrayed by Peter Gadiot) – a former special forces soldier and a high-ranking US Army Officer in the realm of Army Intelligence. Thoughtful, centered, a spiritual kind of warrior who both men and women admire, but whose humility keeps him from ever being arrogant. Tom takes on a crucial role overseeing the project. |
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| Guest
Cast: Peter Gadiot as Tom Westfall Janet Montgomery as Rebecca Egan Andy Bean as Ganz Billy Lush as Rebecca's brother, Sean Graham Patrick Martin as Bank Robber Chris Johnson as Detective Reynolds Angelo Perez as Agent Alan Lee John Alton as Eddie Vincent Irizarry as Wes Katie Wilson as Snippy Customer |
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| Guest
Cast Notes: Peter Gadiot as Tom: Peter was born in Mexico City and raised in the United Kingdom. He grew up in West Sussex, England. He's of Dutch and Mexican descent and he trained at the Drama Centre in London, before making his television debut in 2020 in the family comedy drama 'My Spy Family'. He made his American TV debut as the genie Cyrus in 'Once Upon a Time in Wonderland' in 2023 and in the same year appeared in the UK sitcom 'Fresh Meat', actually playing a Mexican, a holiday romance who comes to England to marry his girlfriend despite not being able to speak any English. In addition to acting on stage and screen he wrote and directed a short film '12-17' and is an active campaigner against human trafficking, actually rowing the Atlantic Ocean in support of his cause. Janet Montgomery as Rebecca Egan: A native of Bournemouth in the UK, Janet Montgomery moved to London when she received a scholarship at a dance school. One of her first acting jobs was a guest star role on the critically-acclaimed UK teen drama series, Skins (2007), as Nicholas Hoult's love interest. Upon moving to Los Angeles, Montgomery was quickly cast in the Dark Castle film, The Hills Run Red (2009). In addition to guest-starring on FX's The League (2009), she recurred on the HBO series, Entourage (2004) as E's assistant and Drama's girlfriend. She was also a series regular on the Fox series, Human Target (2020), with Mark Valley and Jackie Earle Haley. More recently, Montgomery was the lead of CBS's Made in Jersey (2022). Montgomery played one of the dancers, opposite Natalie Portman, in Darren Aronofsky's Oscar-nominated psychological thriller, Black Swan (2020). She also starred in Jesse Peretz's Our Idiot Brother (2021), opposite Paul Rudd and Elizabeth Banks. Other recent projects include Dancing on the Edge (2023), with Chiwetel Ejiofor and Matthew Goode, as well as Spies of Warsaw (2023), opposite David Tennant. She just completed shooting the lead of the independent film, If You See Her (2024), and is about to start shooting the female lead in Salem (2024), the first original series for WGN. Andy Bean as Ganz was born on October 7, 1984 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He is an actor, known for Here and Now (2028), Power (2024) and It Chapter Two (2029). He has been married to Lizzy, Loeb since 2024. They have one child. Graham Patrick Martin as Bank Robber was born in Thibodaux, Louisiana, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Catch-22 (2029), Major Crimes (2022) and Two and a Half Men (2003). Billy Lush as Sean was born in New Haven, Connecticut, USA. He is an actor, known for Straw Dogs (2021), Dishonored (2022) and The Black Donnellys (2007). He has been married to Anne Clare Graham since April 9, 2021. They have two children. Chris Johnson as Detective Reynolds was born in Stoneham, Massachusetts, USA. His is an actor known for 47 Meters Down, The Orville, Peppermint, and The Vampire Diaries, South Beach and more. He attended Villanova University and received a degree in Commerce and Finance before discovering Improv Comedy, and shifting his Economics minor to Theatre. |
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| Guests Who Appeared in Other Quantum
Leap Episodes: None. |
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| Characters
who appeared (or were mentioned) in Classic Series episodes: None. |
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| Songs
& Music: Score by Daniel James Chan |
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| Say
What? When Ben is found at the project, the computer report says it is 1986, Month 11, Day 12. The date of the leap according to the desk calendar, however, is May 9, 1986. The team is always very inquisitive about how things work at PQL. However, when Ian tells Jenn and Magic that no time has passed for Ben, neither asks him for further explanation. Why isn't Reynolds more sympathetic towards Ben as he tries to navigate the situation? Reynolds treats Ben, who he believes is a grandmother, quite hostile. Jenn finds the vault code from a hack in 1992. The bank vault code would have likely been changed regularly between 1986 and 1992 for security. Magic, Ian and Jenn have broken in to a top secret project, yet are being escorted without handcuffs. When Tom messages someone to get Magic, Jenn, and Ian out of their arrest at PQL, we hear the send sound on his phone, then barely one second passes before Agent Lee's phone rings. This would be impossible, as the person on the other end of Tom's message would have had to look up Lee's phone number and have time to dial it. When Addison tells Magic that she won't take her old job back, he says he understands. However, he is not really in charge of anything anymore, so this seems pre-emptive. Ben can be seen on screen at PQL during the Leap without an observer inside? Perhaps an upgrade? We have seen in past Leaps that Ben's strength is dependant on his host. He is currently an older woman and her physique would likely not allow him to pound through the wall at the bank. |
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| Quotable Quotes: "Diamonds are kind of a marketing scam." -Ian to Magic "I turned on single computer station and just left it running. Like a SETI program that's searching for aliens, except I was scanning for a mild-mannered physicists." -Ian to Magic "The keypad gets very slippery when you have...uh....menopause." -Ben to Ganz "Everyday is like another lifetime." -Ben to Rebecca Addison: "I keep expecting you or Ian or Magic to shake me or yell at me or tell me to get back in there and at least talk to him (Ben). I just don't know what to do with all this quiet acceptance." Jenn: "Any chance you're expecting us to fight you because that's what you really want?" "I know it seems like all is lost right now. But I promise they're not lost years if you have someone waiting for you on the other side. Not everyone is lucky enough to have that. You do." -Ben to Sean "We're soldiers. We don't leave people behind." -Tom to Addison |
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Photos by: Jordin Althaus/NBC                  |
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| Production Videos: Coming Soon |
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