Leap Date:
February 28, 1979

Episode Adopted By: Rindi
Additional Info Provided By: A7MAD, Mary Lea, and Brian Greene

Teaser:

In a very strange and creepy episode, Sam finds himself in the life of a homicide detective investigating a horrible murder involving the removal of the victim's heart. He begins to have flashbacks he can't understand, and once he meets the victim's psychiatrist he drifts into a dark place to find the meaning behind the visions.

Audio from this episode:

Sam: I can't read the words...

TV Guide Teaser:
Sam's a detective at the scene of a murder and the images that later flash through his mind might help him solve the crime---and prevent his own murder. Roselli: Joycelyn O'Brien. Crane: Alan Scarfe. DeCaro: Tim Ahern.

Place:
Malibu, California

Leap Date:
February 28, 1979

Name of Person Leaped Into:
Lt. Jack Stone

Broadcast Date:
November 13, 1991 - Wednesday

Synopsis & Review:

Sam leaps into a cop Jack Stone (played by David Garrison) just as he discovers the body of a violently murdered woman (Janice) and her two traumatized children (Lea (played by Noley Thornton) and P.J. (played by Michael Patrick Carter ) hiding in the next room. The husband of the woman, Peter Decaro (played by Tim Ahern), is crazed and asking to speak to his wife before he shoots himself with the gun he has pointed at his head. Sam tries to talk him down and ultimately must tackle him to save his life. The sound of the shot brings several more officers running and Peter is arrested.

(See the full leap-in sequence - over a minute longer! - from the end of the previous episode in the miscellaneous trivia section.)

Al shows up and tries to talk to Sam, mentioning something about how Sam was hard to find because his brain was scrambled. Sam isn't really listening, though. He tries but cannot bring himself to go back into the room with the body. He's having flashbacks to a different body that he's never seen before and it's leaving him shaken. Al tells him that he was sent to save Peter who goes on to die in the electric chair for Jack's murder in two days and then Sam has nightmares of being eviscerated. He speculates that some unconscious trauma that Jack's mind couldn't handle is still affecting him and asks Al to do a thorough background check on Jack. Sam goes back to the bathroom he found the body in but still can't bring himself to open the door. Al watches, concerned.

Sam goes over the case with his partner, Pamela Roselli (played by Joycelyn O'Brien), and learns that Peter met with his therapist, Dr. Mason Crane (played by Alan Scarfe), and then cleared the rest of his schedule before apparently murdering his wife. Janice's heart was also evidently removed by her killer. Roselli reminds Sam that they have dinner plans and Sam, with heavy urging from Al, reluctantly agrees to keep them. Sam stops by the hospital and tries to ask P.J. about who he saw since the sister was unable to do something but P.J. is practically catatonic and gives them nothing. Sam promises to come back later.

Wondering if the murder was premeditated and if the doctor had known, Sam goes to meet with Crane at his office and catches them as he leaves the building (mistakenly identifying himself as ‘Sam’ at first). He claims that he wants to make an appointment because of the strange dreams keeping him awake and that Peter recommended him. Crane claims to be able to see through lies but agrees to make an appointment the next day anyway. Crane has his driver circle back around the building and so watches Sam break in.

Sam and Al find nothing useful in the office until finally in the rolodex, they discover that Crane was treating both husband and wife. This new development in the case is all that Sam wants to talk about over dinner even though Roselli had clearly wanted a date and, at minimum, to put work aside. Sam is unable to stop fixating on the case, however, and he won't remove himself from the case like Roselli suggested when she saw how overly invested he was in the outcome. Sam leaves prematurely and the evening was ruined.

The very next day, Crane reminds Sam that they had met when Sam was dazedly leaving the crime scene and that's how he knows that Sam is an officer investigating the crime. He agrees to trade answer for answer, admitting that Peter loved his wife but that she was planning on divorcing him. He speculates that since most bits of love such as kisses cannot be made tangible and the heart can be possessed, Peter could not take the rejection and quite literally claimed his wife's heart. Crane puts Sam under hypnosis where he sees bright lights in a hallway, a door he can't open and words he can't read. He knows that SHE is behind there but not who that is. Sam gets out of there when Al arrives telling him that they need to talk.

According to Al, the reason Peter kills him is that Jack (who slept with Janice years before but lost contact with her until the day of the murder when she'd called him) was the killer and her husband was returning the favor. Jack doesn't remember doing it but given the Swiss-cheese effect, Al doesn't feel that is conclusive proof. Sam decides to go visit P.J. again and try to get some answers this time. Al thinks this is a very bad idea as it will traumatize P.J. even more if Jack were the killer. Sam reasons that if Jack were the killer then he never would have gotten P.J. out of the bathtub they were hiding in when Sam first found them.

Sam makes an impassioned plea for P.J. to help him, calling him his last hope but P.J. barely looks at him. Eventually, he gives him a picture of two gloves. He calls Crane and takes him to the DeCaro house for stage two of the therapy. Standing in front of that bathroom door, Crane helps Sam recover Jack's memory of being at a hospital after his mother died when he was nine and accidentally walking in on his mother's autopsy. This had been similar enough to Janice's murder that he started having flashbacks.

Crane is almost giddy this entire scene but when Sam, still hypnotized and in his ‘I’m nine’ voice, accuses Crane of murdering Janice when she ended things with him, Crane pulls out a knife. Al keeps trying to snap Sam out of it while Crane takes Sam's gun and orders him to shoot himself with it, the same way he had done with Peter on the night Janice died. Sam nearly does but in the end turns the gun around and refuses. He is forced to shoot Crane and, as he collapses against the bathroom wall, he leaps. Source

Personal Review by Rindi:

This is one of my favorite episodes. I love the scary and mysterious murder episodes and this one definitely falls under these categories. This episode makes you think and makes your mind spin. It gave me the chills and made me look over my shoulder when it was over. This is truly one of those episodes you can watch over and over.

Project Trivia:
There is no imaging chamber door the second time Al comes to Sam.

Sam Trivia:
Sam sees himself dead in two of the flashbacks - not Jack Stone.

Sam doesn’t know how to jimmy a lock.

Sam remembers when he and Al simo-leaped (why doesn’t he remember Donna?).

Al Trivia:
Al appears seven different times and each time he has a cigar.

Al scares Sam the second time he comes to see him.

Al’s Outfits Worn in the Episode:
1^st appearance: Al was wearing a blue button up shirt, a blue white and pink tie, a vest with blue and pink and yellow triangles, a gold broach on the left breast side, and maroon jeans with a belt with a gold rectangular buckle. His shoes could not be seen.

2^nd appearance: Same outfit as #1.

3^rd appearance: Same outfit as #1.

4^th appearance: Al was wearing a white pin stripped jacket with a rectangular cloth with three white squares on it on the left breast pocket and a tan strip along collar, a brown and black and tan speckled button up shirt, a metallic red tie, and white pants. His shoes could not be seen.

5^th appearance: Same outfit as #4.

6^th appearance: Al was wearing a metallic gold jacket with a black and silver snake skin pattern from the collar and shoulders to the back of the jacket, an orange and black button up shirt with the color spread like fire and a black collar with three white dots on each side, a tie with tan and black diagonal stripes, a pair of orange pants and black dress shoes.

7^th appearance: Same outfit as #6.

Miscellaneous Trivia:
The leap-in during the end of "The Wrong Stuff" runs over a minute longer than the leap-in during the actual episode. See the full leap-in sequence below!

Regular Cast:
Scott Bakula as Sam Beckett
Dean Stockwell as Al Calavicci

Guest Stars:

Joycelyn O’Brien as Pamela Roselli
Alan Scarfe as Dr. Mason Crane
Bill Marcus as Captain Vincent
Tim Ahern as Peter DeCaro
Noley Thornton as Lea DeCaro
Michael Patrick Carter as P.J. DeCaro
Anthony Pena as Officer Talbot
Wycliffe Young as Coroner
David Gene Garrison as Jack Stone (Mirror image)
Brandon Loomis as Young Jack Stone

Guest Cast Notes:

Joycelyn O’Brien as Pamela Roselli: Joycelyn O'Brien is known for Oscar (1991), Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987) and Quantum Leap (1989). Has guest starred on Star Trek: The Next Generation: Allegiance (1990). She has also acted in the play "Aristocrats" (1989-1990) with John Larroquette.

Alan Scarfe as Dr. Mason Crane: Alan Scarfe was born on June 8, 1946 in London, England, UK. He is an actor, known for Lethal Weapon 3 (1992), Andromeda (2000) and Double Impact (1991). Has guest starred on Star Trek: The Next Generation: Data's Day (1991), Birthright (2) (1993) as well as Star Trek: Voyager: Resistance (1995). He acted in the play The Screaming Woman (1986) and The Wonderful Death of Dudley Stone (1989). He was also in Iron Eagle II with Mel Gibson (1988), Double Impact with Jean Claude Van Damme (1991), and Lethal Weapon 3 with Mel Gibson (1992).

Bill Marcus as Captain Vincent: Bill Marcus is known for Die Hard (1988), Scrooged (1988) and Beauty and the Beast (1987). Has costarred in Die Hard with Bruce Willis (1988), Blind Date also with Bruce Willis (1987) and Kiss the Girls with Morgan Freeman (1997).

Tim Ahern as Peter DeCaro: Tim Ahern is an American Actor originally from Boston, Mass. Tim has worked extensively in the USA, England and Europe in TV and Film. He has also appeared in 2 productions in the West End. He is based in London and lives with his American Actress wife Janis Ahern and 2 children.

Noley Thornton as Lea DeCaro: Noley Thornton was born on December 30, 1983. She is an actress and director, known for Heidi (1993), Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993) and Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990). Guest starred on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Shadowplay (1994), and Star Trek: The Next Generation: Imaginary Friend (1992).

Michael Patrick Carter as P.J. DeCaro: Michael Patrick Carter was born on November 24, 1981 in Huntington Beach, California, USA. He is an actor, known for Milk Money (1994), Child's Play (1988) and Black Sheep (1996). Started his acting career on the show Paradise (1988). He also starred in Milk Money (1994) with Melanie Griffith and Ed Harris. He was nominated in 1989, 1990, and 1991 for The Young Artist Award Best Young Actor under Nine Years of Age for: "Paradise" (1988).

Anthony Pena as Officer Talbot: Attended University of California at Santa Barbara where he played baseball and played football at Fullerton Jr. College then graduated from California State University at Fullerton with a degree in Comparative Literature and Southwest American History and a credential to teach secondary history. Taught high school and city college classes. Currently also writing and developing projects for television and film. Enjoys charity golf, baseball and snow skiing events and travel especially to Texas, Canada and Hawaii. Has also appeared in the movies Born On the Fourth of July (1989), Backtrack, with Dennis Hopper and Jodie Foster. He is currently on Young and The Restless (1984-present).

Wycliffe Young as Coroner: Wycliffe Young is known for Quantum Leap (1989), Caged in Paradiso (1989) and Monster in the Closet (1986).

David Gene Garrison as Jack Stone (Mirror image): David Garrison is known for Total Force (1996), Quantum Leap (1989) and City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly's Gold (1994).

Brandon Loomis as Young Jack Stone: Brandon Loomis is known for xXx: State of the Union (2005), Gone in 60 Seconds (2000) and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007).

Guests Who Appeared In Other Episodes of Quantum Leap:

Brandon Loomis, who played Young Jack Stone in this episode, also appeared as Scorekeeper in "Play Ball."

Say What?
In Dr. Cranes office Al tells Sam that he is the killer. Al says "You are", but the words don’t exactly match his lips in this scene.

In the first image of Jack Stone he has a thick dark mustache whereas in the second image we see, his mustache is thinner and he just looks unshaven, and these two images are on the same day.

Dr. Crane tells Sam about Peter Decaro and his wife and why they came to see him. This is a violation of Dr./patient confidentiality and doctors would not divulge this information without a subpoena.

If you watch when Sam wakes in the night, and is scared by his reflection in the mirror... look down to the bottom of the mirror. You'll see an actor (probably Dean) crouched down low, jumping out of shot. No wonder Sam is freaked!

Al says that Stone was ten when his mother died, but Sam in hypnosis states that he was "nine years old."

Al does not remember when he and Sam simo-leaped, but he remembers later in the Lee Harvey Oswald episodes. How does he remember later in his life rather than sooner? Answer by A7MAD: Al does remember when they simo leaped, however if you look on Als face (his face expression) you see he lied to Sam here because one would assume Al fears Sam remebering more things about when they simo-leaped... Example: that he is married to Donna and that would stop Sam from doing some of the things he does for the sake of his mission.
You may find Al states he remembers with the Lee Harvey Oswald episode because of the context and situation surrounding them at that point in time. We also see that only after a short amount of time when the two simo-leaped, Sam started recalling everything in his life including Donna.

Quotable Quotes:

"At the heart of every mystery lies a question." --Sam

"That was her problem. She couldn’t give her heart. So I took it. It was the only way I could really help her." --Dr. Crane

"In all my years of leaping I can’t remember feeling so unprepared for what was ahead of me and yet seeing those two kids and finding there mother I felt this rage inside me like someone or something else was making me go forward and all I could hope for was that what ever was driving me would let me know what to do with a cold blooded killer." --Sam

"Holy Mackerel." --Al

"What channel are you tuned into? Aww Gees Louise!" --Al

"I’m waiting to see if your heads gonna spin around." --Al

"…What did he eat for lunch?" --Sam "Or who." –Pamela Roselli

Best Line:
"I’m scared Al. I’m scared and confused and I feel like I’m loosing my mind. I don’t want to die Al." --Sam

Best Scene:
The best scene in this episode is in the beginning when Sam sees himself die instead of Lt. Jack Stone. You see Sam flashback in black and white, opening the door to the autopsy room with bright white light and he sees himself, eyes wide open, blood on his face and in his mouth.

Awards:

Emmy Nominations:

Scott Bakula for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 1992

Michael Watkins, ASC for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography for a Series in 1992

Production Credits:

Theme by: Mike Post
Music by: Velton Ray Bunch
Co-Executive Producer: Deborah Pratt
Co-Executive Producer: Michael Zinberg
Supervising Producer: Harker Wade
Produced by: Jeff Gourson, Tommy Thompson
Produced by: Chris Ruppenthal, Paul Brown
Created by: Donald P. Bellisario
Written by: Deborah Pratt
Directed by: Anita Addison

Executive Producer: Donald P. Bellisario
Associate Producers: Julie Bellisario, James S. Giritlian
Coordinating Producer: David Bellisario
Story Editor: Paris Qualles
Director of Photography: Michael Watkins, A.S.C.
Production Designer: Cameron Birnie
Edited by: Jon Koslowsky, A.C.E.
Unit Production Manager: Ron Grow
First Assistant Director: Ryan Gordon
Second Assistant Director: Kate Yurka
Casting by: Ellen Lubin Sanitsky
Set Director: Robert L. Zilliox
Costume Designer: Jean-Pierre Dorleac
Costume Supervisor: David Rawley
Art Director: Ellen Dambros-Williams
Sound Mixer: Barry D. Thomas
Stunt Coordinator: Diamond Farnsworth
Sound Editor: Greg Schorer
Music Editor: Bruce Frazier

Panaflex ® Camera and Lenses by: Panavision ®

This motion picture is protected under laws of the United States and other countries. Unauthorized duplication, distribution or exhibition may result in civil liability and criminal prosecution.

Copyright © 1991 by Universal City Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved.

The characters and events depicted in this photoplay are fictitious. Any similarity to actual persons living or dead is purely coincidental.

Bellisarius Productions and Universal, an MCA Company

Podcasts:

Turn out the lights, because it’s time for Dreams!

Join hosts Allison Pregler, Matt Dale and Christopher DeFilippis as they discuss Sam’s Leap into a traumatized cop in this nightmarish, psychological thriller.

Listen to The Quantum Leap Podcast on this episode here: