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5x09 "The Last Door"
Trilogy Part III














































































































     
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Leap Date:
July 18, 1978


Episode Adopted by: M. J. Cogburn
Additional info provided by: Deborah Hendryx and Brian Greene


Teaser:

In the final installment of a three-part saga, Sam leaps into Larry Stanton, a lawyer who defends Abagail on trial for the  murder of Leta Aider. Secrets are revealed, the family history comes unraveled, and surprises are in store for Sam as he discovers the heritage behind Abagail's daughter, Samantha Jo Fuller.



Audio from this episode (spoiler):

Al: There's a 91.9% chance that
Sammi Jo Fuller is...



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Production #: 68113

TV Guide Teaser:

Conclusion. Sam leaps into Abagail Fuller's attorney in a murder trial with personal implications. Sam: Scott Bakula. Al: Dean Stockwell. Laura Fuller: Meg Foster. Abagail: Melora Hardin.


Places:

Potterville, Louisiana
Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Leap Date:

July 28, 1978

Leapee:

Laurence “Larry” Stanton, III

Broadcast Date:

November 24, 1992 - Tuesday

Last Week On Quantum Leap:


Synopsis & Review:

Summation from the previous two leaps:

SAM: Do you think a little girl like Abagail could be capable of murder?

LETA AIDER: (played by Mary Gordon Murray) It was you who killed her, Abagail!

ABIGAIL: I didn't kill her!

SAM: I'm coming!

AL: Sam, look out!

We see Sam run into the fire to save Abigail, then the beam on fire starts to fall on him. He leaps out and into Will Kinman sleeping with a now 21-year-old Abigail.

MARIE BILLINGS: (played by Fran Bennett) You two rabbits ought to be ashamed! The weddin' is tomorrow! You get him out of here. You hear me, Abigail Fuller?

BO LOMAN: (played by Stephen Lee) Don Takins's boy's disappeared. AL: It looks like you're gonna have a witch hunt on your hands.

We see Sam in the midst of the crowd where Leta Aider tries to shoot Abigail.

AL: Sam, look out!

We see Mr. Takins take the gun back from Leta and shove her to the ground.

LETA AIDER: No! No! She should die! No!

Sam is holding onto Abigail looking into her eyes.

SAM: Just know that for this brief moment in time, we belong to each other. Please know that. I love you. They kiss.



TRILOGY PART III: THE LAST DOOR

When Sam leaps in, he’s in a white long sleeved shirt with a tan lapel that’s unbuttoned. He has on glasses and he’s looking at a newspaper. The headline reads: President Carter Traveling through Louisiana today. There are 2 sections to the Baton Rouge Gazette – a total of 28 pages in the newspaper. All of the surrounding print is about Los Angeles County.

SAM NARRATING: Baton Rouge Gazette. July 28, 1978. Louisiana. It wasn't over. My memory was fading, but in my soul, I knew it wasn't over. I was still in the South, and somehow Abigail had summoned me back. But for what? And as who?

Sam walks over to the mirror to see an older Larry Stanton – played by W. K. Stratton. He takes off his glasses as he remembers:

LARRY STANTON: Bo, the child has legal rights!

SAM: Wait a second. Wait a second.

Coming back from his memory.

SAM: Larry Stanton?

Cheryl Lynn is standing in her undergarments across the room from him.

CHERYL LYNN STANTON: (Played by Diana Bellamy) Hello, sweet cheeks. Now, you come over here, you hot-blooded Southern rebel, and melt me down! Tonight, Lawrence Stanton III, I am Jane Fonda in Butterfield 8. (She blows him a kiss) SAM: Oh, boy.


SAM: I got a bad feelin' about this.
CHERYL LYNN STANTON:  After 28 years of marriage, I know every feelin' you got.
SAM:  I'm your husband?
CHERYL LYNN STANTON:  Well, of course you're my husband.  Unless you wanna be that wicked Blackbeard again.
SAM:  Why am I here?

Cheryl Lynn quickly turns Sam around to face her and she’s definitely upset.

CHERYL LYNN STANTON:  Oh, no, you don't! Don't you start that.
SAM:  Start what?
CHERYL LYNN STANTON:  That-That craziness about hearing voices.  I don't wanna hear another word.
SAM:  I heard voices?
CHERYL LYNN STANTON:  I said, not another word.
SAM:  But what do you mean…
CHERYL LYNN STANTON:  That's it.  That is it.  You have gone and done it.  You have ruined everything.  I am no longer in the mood.  So, you can hang up your holsters until next Saturday night.  Aren't you gonna stop me? SAM:  Stop you?
CHERYL LYNN STANTON:  I'm callin' my mother!
SAM:  Oh, boy!     

Although we don’t see the door, we hear it open and close and Al shows up.  He’s dressed in a red suit with a black shirt underneath with a silver bolo tie.

AL:  Sam, you're not gonna believe this yo-yo in the waiting room.
SAM:  Larry Stanton?
AL:  Lawrence Stanton III, actually.  You have a lucrative law practice in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and your counterpart in the waiting room thinks he's dead.
SAM:  What?
AL:  He thinks I'm St. Peter and I'm gonna send him to hell for overcharging his hours.  Reminds me of my last two divorce lawyers.
SAM:  Do you remember Larry Stanton?
AL:  Yeah.
SAM:  I mean, there were- I remember, uh, there was a hanging and a lot people, and he was hurt.  I think he tried to save her.
AL:  Who? Her?
SAM:  No, no, no. Not her, not her.  That's Mrs. Larry Stanton.  She wants to "melt me down."
AL:  Oh.  Well, no wonder old Larry I would rather go to hell than come back here.
SAM:  He's gonna be in big trouble if he comes back here talking about heaven and angels, because Mrs. Larry already thinks that he's nuts.
AL:  Mrs. Larry.  Her name is Cheryl Lynn Stanton.  She's 51 years old, and she's going through her second husband.  She killed the first one at the tender age of seventeen and Ziggy says that she's gonna bury the second one as well.
SAM: Murder?
AL: No.  Heart attacks. Mr. Stanton the first was 77. Now, according to Ziggy, there's a 41- 41.12- 43 percent chance that you’re here…
SAM:  No, no, no. If you think I'm here to save their marriage, Al, you can forget about that.

A doorbell is rang from off stage.

AL: Well, actually, Ziggy hasn't the slightest idea why you're here.  So, I'd suggest you go open the door and see what drifts in.

Cheryl Lynn appears outside of the bedroom door, this time with a see through red robe on and she fusses at Sam.

CHERYL LYNN STANTON: Larry, will you please answer the damn door! I am far too upset to be entertaining guests.

The doorbell rings again.  Sam looks from Cheryl Lynn who makes a dramatic exit then looks back at Al.

AL:  Don't look at me.  I don't make up these assignments.

Sam goes to the door and opens the door and sees that it’s someone that he recognizes.

SAM: Hello.

We see Marie walking through Al then then Al through Marie as she approaches Sam.

MARIE BILLINGS:  It's been a long time, Counselor.  A very long time.
SAM:  Would you like to, uh, come in?
MARIE BILLINGS:  No, it's- Be all right out here.  You don't remember me.
It's Marie.
AL:  It's Marie from Pottersville. Your brain is Swiss-cheesed, Sam.
SAM:  Marie?
MARIE BILLINGS:  Marie from Pottersville.  Marie Billings.
SAM:  Marie- Marie Billings.
AL:  This is the woman that used to work for Clayton Fuller.
SAM:  Abagail? Yeah.
AL:  Abigail, yeah.
MARIE BILLINGS:  I knew you didn't get my telegram.
SAM:  Is Abagail all right?
MARIE BILLINGS:  Well, I've been working for that family for almost 30 years. Practically raised that child myself after her daddy died.  She didn't have no one else after Henry died.  Neither did I.
SAM:  What's happened to Abagail?
MARIE BILINGS:  They found those bones, and then there was that horrible murder.  They're accusing Abagail of murder.
AL:  That happened over 25 years ago.
MARIE BILINGS:  And the trial starts tomorrow.  But nobody would take it, Mr. Stanton.  Nobody.  She said maybe you? You were there for that horrible night, and she said only Will and you believed in her.
CHERYL LYNN STANTON:  My husband doesn't take charity cases anymore.  Besides, he is retired.

Cheryl Lynn Stanton appears in an orange, pink, red and white dress with red and yellow beads around her neck and pink dangly earrings.

AL:  No wonder Larry would rather stay dead.
MARIE BILINGS:  This is very important, Mrs. Stanton.
SAM:  You remember Marie Billings from Pottersville.
CHERYL LYNN STANTON:  I said, my husband is retired.  He has a very bad heart.
AL:  Sam, Larry never took Abagail's case.
MARIE BILLINGS:  But if you would just hear me out…
CHERYL LYNN STANTON:  I have told you a million times.  We don't have to work with this kind of nigger trash anymore.
AL:  Ouch!
SAM:  Marie, I'd like to apologize for what my wife just said.  Will you excuse me for a moment? (Sam turns back around to Cheryl Lynn) I’d like you to go inside and make Marie and me some lemonade and take your time.
CHERYL LYNN STANTON:  But, Lawrence…
SAM:  Get inside.

Sam turns back around to Marie and approaches her.

MARIE BILINGS:  I don't want to cause any trouble.
SAM:  Marie, I'm sorry.
AL:  From the look of it, Miss Racist-in-a-Moo-Moo could use a dose of trouble.
SAM:  Just sit down.  I'm so sorry.
AL:  Sam, maybe you're here to see that Larry takes Abagail's case.
MARIE BILINGS:  You remember that little Aider girl? Well, she disappeared two years before you moved to town.  Folks thought that she was taken by a pack of wild dogs.  They found her bones last week.
AL:  Violet Aider's bones were discovered sealed in the town well.
MARIE BILINGS:  And everybody thought that Abagail…
SAM:  Abagail didn't kill them.
AL:  I can't believe this is really happening.
MARIE BILINGS:  You and I both know that.  After they got the bones out, Ms. Leta put together a case with some lawyer…
AL:  Denton Waters.  Ziggy says he's never lost a case.
SAM: For something that happened twenty-five years ago?
MARIE BILINGS:  No, no, no.  That was just it.  The lawyer told Ms. Leta that he couldn't try Abagail for Violet's murder.  
AL:  Abagail is convicted of murder, Sam.
SAM:  But she was eight years old.
MARIE BILINGS:  Ms. Leta was found with her throat cut open on Abagail's kitchen floor.
AL:  Abagail is executed for the murder of Leta Aider.

Sam stands up and moves away from Marie, but she moves toward him.

MARIE BILINGS:  Now don't go have a heart attack on me, Mr. Stanton.  Abagail needs your real bad.
SAM:  I'll go, uh, pack my things, Marie.
MARIE BILINGS:  Now, we have to call Sheriff Loman and tell him that…
SAM: Right.
MARIE BILINGS:  You'll be up there this afternoon.
SAM:  All right.  I'll do that.  You just sit down here, relax, and I'll be out in a few minutes.  Okay?
MARIE BILINGS:  Abagail said you would come.

Sam moves to go inside the house.   He pauses at the door and Al meets up with him.  

AL: You're still in love with Abagail, aren't you?
SAM:  I'm taking the case, Al.  Does history change?
AL:  Not unless you do something to change it.  Abagail Fuller dies in the electric chair June 30, 1984.

Sam leans up against the door of the house and sighs.


PART ONE

We see the boards of the well askew on top of the well with police standing behind it talking.

SAM NARRATING:  Little Violet Aider had waited twenty-five years for someone to finally find her and finally, they had.  Leta had come after Abagail with a vengeance, desperately trying to mount a case that would send her to the electric chair.  But now Leta was dead, and I knew that fate had brought me back into Abagail's life to prove her innocence once and for all.

Sam enters into the Sheriff’s office with a smile.

DENTON WATERS: (Played by James Greene) All right.  Let me see those files.  I'll be out of your way.
BO LOMAN:  You got it.  There he is.  Hey, Stanton.  How come I'm so young, and you got so old?
SAM:  Good to see you again, Bo.
BO LOMAN:  Good to see you.  This is Denton Waters.  He's the special prosecutor for the State.
SAM:  Mr. Waters.
DENTON WATERS:  Mr. Stanton.  I understand you used to live around these parts.
BO LOMAN:  Yeah. Moved away in '66 right after that incident with the Takins boy gettin' lost.
DENTON WATERS:   What incident was that?
BO LOMAN:  Oh, a couple of townsfolks decided to take the law in their own hands.  They were gonna string up Abagail.
DENTON WATERS:  Is that so?
SAM:  As I recall, Leta Aider was one of the main instigators.
BO LOMAN:  Larry packed up his bags and his wife and kids and left damn near the next day.  
ABIGAIL: (played by Melora Harden) Mr. Stanton said he had no intentions of letting his family grow up in a town that was so backwards, it was capable of lynchin' one of its own. Um, I always admired you for that.
SAM:  Mrs. Kinman?
BO LOMAN:  "Kinman"? There's a name I haven't heard in a long time.
ABIGAIL:  It's still Fuller.
BO LOMAN:  Yeah, Will and Abagail never quite made it to the altar.
ABIGAIL: If you don't mind, I would prefer to discuss my past with Mr.
Stanton myself.
BO LOMAN: I thought he'd rather hear it from me than get an earful from the Potter parish.
SAM:  I don't think that Miss Fuller's marital status has any relevance to this trial, does it?
DENTON WATERS:  Neither does my bein' here.  I'm sure you two have a great deal to discuss before tomorrow.
SAM:  Yeah, starting with a continuance.
DENTON WATERS:  I'm afraid we've had two already.  A third is out of the question.
SAM:   I'm sorry.  Have you…
ABIGAIL:  Uh- Mr.  Waters and I have already met.
DENTON WATERS:  Well, I'll need to see the rest of those files. Oh, and make sure that Mr. Stanton has copies. We wouldn't want him to declare a mistrial for lack of disclosure.
BO LOMAN:  Stanton, why don't you go ahead and use my office? Take as much time as you want to.  Jim Bob's gonna be outside, and the file's on the desk.

Abigail and Sam go into Bo Loman’s office and shut the door.

ABIGAIL:  I'm very glad you came, Mr. Stanton.
SAM:  I never should have left.
ABIGAIL: There aren't any hotels in town, so I told Marie you'd be staying at the house.
SAM:  Yes, thank you. She, uh- she told me.
ABIGAIL:  Would you mind taking these home for me? They're just a bunch of bills.  But right now, they seem kind of unimportant.
SAM:  Sorry about what happened with you and Will.
ABIGAIL:  Oh.
SAM:  Would you mind tellin' me?
ABIGAIL:  There's not much to tell, but, uh… It was just one moment, we were very much in love and getting married and the next, he moved out west to write a book.  I hear he's doing real well. What else do you wanna know, Mr. Stanton?
SAM:  How I'm gonna stretch 15 hours into three weeks to get ready for your trial.
ABIGAIL:  Should I be afraid, Mr. Stanton?
SAM:  Only if you're guilty.
ABIGAIL:  Well, I didn't kill Leta Aider. (pause) Do you believe me?
SAM: Yes, I do.  Now, you wanna tell me what happened?
ABIGAIL:  Well, it was a little after 3:00 on Tuesday. I'd just been to the market to get a few things, and, uh… I came straight home, and I went to the kitchen to put the groceries away.  And then I saw Leta.
SAM:  Were there any signs of a struggle?
ABIGAIL:  The whole place was a mess.
SAM:  So, you phoned the police?
ABIGAIL:  No. No, no, I didn't.  I was just standin' there lookin' at Leta in all that blood and then, uh, Bo Loman showed up and said that he'd gotten a call from someone that said they heard a woman screamin'.
SAM:  Your first attorney wanted you to plead self-defense.
ABIGAIL:  I didn't kill her.
SAM:  Denton Waters was approached prior to the death of Leta Aider to come up with a case against you for the murder of Violet and for the murder of her father, Bart Aider.
ABIGAIL: I know.  They're supposed to exhume Bart's body tomorrow.
SAM:  Abagail, didn't you know that no matter how much evidence they got together to bring you to trial that they couldn't because the crimes were committed when you were a minor?
ABIGAIL:  I remember that day Violet disappeared so clear. And yet, sometimes I feel… (pause) Well, everyone else was so sure.  Maybe I remembered what I wanted.  (pause) Maybe…
SAM: (internalized) I wanted to hold her.  Tell her, "You're not crazy. You didn't kill anyone." But I wanted more.  With Abagail, I always wanted more.
ABIGAIL:  You all right?
SAM:  Yes, I am.
ABIGAIL: Strange.  It was just for a moment, you… in your eyes….
SAM:  I, uh, don't believe that you killed Violet.  Otherwise, I wouldn't be here.  Who discovered, uh, Violet's remains?
ABIGAIL:  Restoration crew.  They were tearing down the old well, and one of the workmen dropped his watch or something.  Went down to get it, and found the skeleton.  (She kinda laughs) Funny, the games fate plays.
SAM:  I imagine that was enough to get Leta Aider started again.
ABIGAIL: Oh, she never stopped.  Not really.  I mean, all she needed was Violet's locket, and the case would be complete.
SAM: Abagail, I need you to remember everything about the day that Violet disappeared and about Bart and about Leta.
ABIGAIL: Why?
SAM:  Because I need to know everything about your past - good or bad.
Why don't we start with Violet?
ABIGAIL: Well, I can't really say that we were friends, Violet and I.  I guess we were rivals.  She, uh- She used to tease me all the time.  Then that day- that day, she was tauntin' me about a little gold locket that I'd been saving up for, but I couldn't afford. Just to spite me, she bought it.  She kept pushin' it in my face, saying that my family was poor and that we were crazy.  So, I hit her.  She laughed harder, so I hit her harder. Her nose started to bleed on her sweater, and she started crying. And I just kept hittin'her and hittin'her and hittin'her. It was like I couldn't stop. When I finally did stop, she ran off, said she was gonna tell her mother. I did not like Violet, but I didn't kill her. (pause) I'm not a killer. (longer pause as she becomes completely emotional)  I didn't kill her.

Sam walks over to Abigail and takes her into his arms and held her.


PART TWO

SAM NARRATING:  Abagail and I talked for another three hours.  She told me about Violet and Bart and how she had been there when they died. About her mother and her grandmother.  Each story brought back more memories of Abagail.  Somehow, in my Swiss cheese brain, every moment I had spent leaping into Abagail's life was as clear as if it had happened yesterday.

SAMMY JO FULLER: (played by Kimberly Cullum) Gonna save her? Are you gonna save my mommy?
SAM:  Abagail?
SAMMY JO FULLER:  Abagail's my mother.
SAM:  Your mother? But she said that Will…
SAMMY JO FULLER:  Mary Beth said you can't help her.  Mary Beth said that the judge was gonna take her to jail, and they were gonna…
SAM:  Come here.  Nobody's gonna hurt your mother.
SAMMY JO FULLER:  But Mary Beth said that they were gonna….
SAM:  Look, I don't care what Mary Beth said.  I'm not about to let anybody hurt your mother.
SAMMY JO FULLER:  You mean that?
SAM:  With all my heart.  You know, I came from very far away to help your mother.  And I don't think I would have been brought here if I couldn't do the job.  So why don't you dry those pretty eyes, and, um, let's not worry about any of this a bit, okay?
SAMMY JO FULLER:  What's your name?
SAM:  Sam.  Larry Stanton.  What’s yours?

We don’t see the door, but we do hear it as it opens and Al steps out.

SAMMY JO FULLER:  Sammy Jo.  
AL:  Samantha Josephine Fuller.
SAMMY JO FULLER:  I’m very, very glad you’re here, Mr. Sam Larry Stanton.  Very glad.
AL:  Uh, Sam, Ziggy says you're not here just to save Abagail.  You're here to save SammyJo.  There's a 91.9% chance that SammyJo Fuller is your daughter.  (pause) According to Ziggy, she has an I.Q. of 194.  So, she got her brains from her father.  But the tragedy in all of this is that she's so traumatized by the death of her mother that she drops out.  She's living alone in Mobile right now.  She's writing computer manuals for some rinky-dink little company.
SAM:  No.
SAMMY JO FULLER: “No” what?
SAM:  No way am I gonna get busted for keeping a 10-year-old kid up so late.
SAMMY JO FULLER:  I'm not 10.  I’m 11, and you’re not keeping me up.  I'm waitin' for Marie to wake up so we can go.
SAM:  Where are you going?
AL:  Yeah, you know, I think it's kinda creepy, uh…
SAMMY JO FULLER:  Just to Marie's.
AL:  You know, for a kid to stay in a place where dead people were.
SAMMY JO FULLER:  I'm staying with her till Mommy comes home.
MARIE BILLINGS:  Lordy.  We all gonna turn into pumpkins.  I gotta get you home, child.  I see you met our Sammy Jo.  Smartest little girl in the whole parish.  I put up some chicken and rice for you, Mr. Stanton, in the kitchen.  You want me to warm it?
SAM:  You better get her home, huh?
MARIE BILLINGS:  SammyJo, why don't you run in the kitchen and pull that plate out…
SAMMY JO FULLER:  No! I can't go in there! Please don't make me go in there.
MARIE BILLINGS:  Oh, I'm sorry.  I'm sorry.  I'm sorry.  I didn't know what I was thinkin' about, baby.  Your Marie is just gettin' old and forgetful.  Now, I'll get you outta here and in a nice, warm bed.
SAM:  She's probably right.  If you, you know, put on some nice pajamas and get in a big, warm bed, you'll have a good night's sleep.
SAMMY JO FULLER:  Will I see you tomorrow, Mr. Stanton?
MARIE BILLINGS:  Now, SammyJo, I don't want you anywhere near that courthouse.
SAM:  I'll be here every day after 5:00.
SAMMY JO FULLER:  And I can come see you?
SAM:  I'd be sad if you don't.
SAMMY JO FULLER:  Good night.
MARIE BILLINGS:  Come on, honey.
SAM:  I have a daughter, Al. 


PART THREE

We now see the courthouse where the trial will be at.  

SAM NARRATING: Now there were two people I had to save- Abagail and our daughter, SammyJo.  And even from her grave, Leta held the key.

JUDGE SHINER:  (Played by Parley Baer)  Mr. Stanton, would you care to address the jury?
SAM:  Uh, yes.

We now see Al dressed in a brilliant blue suit.  He has a white shirt underneath, a bolo tie and has a gold medallion on his suit.

AL:  Well, firstly- firstly, there's no proof that Abagail killed either Violet or her father.
SAM: First of all, I would like to clear up some of the clutter that Mr. Waters has thrown in your way about this trial. We are here for one reason and one reason only- to determine the guilt or innocence of Abagail Fuller with regards to the murder of Leta Aider.  

We now see Sammy Jo Fuller coming into the court in the loft upstairs.  She’s watching with great interest.

SAM:  Now, since Mr.  Waters brought this up, I feel I must remind you all that it has never been proven that Abagail Fuller committed murder.  It has never been proven that Abagail Fuller took the lives of Violet or her father. Now, that fact haunted Leta Aider.  It haunted her because she desperately needed someone to blame for the loss of her family.  Now, I do not know why Leta's family was taken from her, but I do know that my client, Abagail Fuller, was not responsible.
AL:  Well, she had no motive to kill Leta.
SAM:  And-And because she is innocent…
AL:  And even if she did, she wouldn't be responsible because she just was a minor.
SAM:  Since she did not kill Violet or Bart, she would have no reason to murder Leta- no motive to murder Leta Aider.  Now, Mr. Waters omitted the fact that by statute, the state of Louisiana cannot convict a minor of a felony.  That's if she committed a felony, which she did not.  Why would this woman jeopardize her life and the life of her daughter? The answer is she would not.
AL:  Yeah.  They're barking up the wrong oak.
SAM:  There is a murderer and a killer- a killer who came into Abagail's kitchen and, for whatever reason, took the life of Leta Aider. A crime was committed, but not by this woman. Now, you, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, have a very difficult task ahead of you here. You have to throw out the rumors and the gossip and the lies that have followed Abagail Fuller for the past 25 years and listen only to the facts. And using that knowledge, and that knowledge only, you must determine the guilt or innocence of Abagail Fuller.  You must determine her fate and the future of her daughter and everyone else who loves her….
AL:  Sam, are you okay?
SAM:  I will do my best to present the facts as I know them, as will Mr. Waters and it will be up to you to determine…
AL:  Sam?
SAM:  The truth.  Thank you.
ABIGAIL:  Are you all right?
AL:  Sam, I don't like the way you look here.
ABIGAIL: Are you all right?
AL:  What's goin' on?
SAM:  I'm all right.  I just need a moment.
AL:  Sam, there's a problem in the waiting room.  Tell them you need a break.
SAM:  Your Honor, if I could just have a moment, please?
JUDGE SHINER:  The court will take a 20-minute recess before we bring in the prosecution's first witness.


PART FOUR

SAM NARRATING:  I had found Stanton's nitro pills in his briefcase and taken them.  They had made the pain in my chest subside enough to make it through the first day of witnesses.  I listened as Denton presented a variety of experts and a ton of evidence- the knife that killed Leta with Abagail's fingerprints on it, as well as Leta's, Bo and his recount of finding Abagail standing over Leta's body, adding his memories of Violet and Bart. And now, I had to face the one other person whose future depended on me.

Sam drives back to the Fuller house, and he comes in the door.  Marie comes up to take his coat.  She’s wearing a red and white flowery dress and has red dot earrings in her ears.  He places his briefcase on the floor.  Sammy Jo Fuller is sitting on the couch humming Hush Little Baby.  She’s in a peach-colored dress that has a white frill around it.  She also has a peach colored bow in her hair.

SAM:  SammyJo? Sammy Jo, are you all right?
SAMMY JO FULLER:  Brigadoon.
SAM:  What? I was just rememberin'.  See, when I read a book, the pages, they stay like pictures in my mind.  Whenever I want to, I can just go back and remember it all over again.
SAM:  You've got a photographic memory.
SAMMY JO FULLER:  Sometimes.
SAM:  I've got a photographic memory.
SAMMY JO FULLER:  You do?
SAM: Mm-hmm.  Brigadoon.  Brigadoon.  That was one of my favorite stories too.
SAMMY JO FULLER:  Mine too.  My grandmama said she likes it when the old reverend asked God for a miracle and he makes Brigadoon disappear for a hundred years.
SAM:  What’s your favorite part?
SAMMY JO FULLER:  I like when Tommy calls the whole village back through time because he loves Fiona so much that he can't live without her.
SAMMY JO FULLER:  Do you believe in miracles, Mr. Stanton?
SAM: Miracles?
SAMMY JO FULLER:  Someone, if they really loved somebody, could go back in time and be part of their lives?
SAM:  Well, if that's a miracle, then yes, I believe in miracles.
SAMMY JO FULLER:  I wanna go back in time someday.
SAM:  You do?
SAMMY JO FULLER:  I wanna meet my daddy.  I wanna tell him…
SAM:  Tell him what?
SAMMY JO FULLER:  It doesn't matter.
SAM:  Sure, it does. It- It matters.
SAMMY JO FULLER:  Just that I love him. But he knows.  My grandmama Fuller says so, and she knows everything.
SAM:  Laura.
SAMMY JO FULLER:  What's the matter?
SAM:  SammyJo Fuller, I love you, and I want you to know that everything's gonna be okay.  (He kisses her forehead then stands to leave)
SAMMY JO FULLER:  Where are you goin'?
SAM:  I'm gonna go tell your grandmama that it's okay to remember.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

We see the nursing home where Laura Fuller has been staying – now much older than previously with vines growing all around it.  We are transported into Laura’s room where she is sitting in a rocking chair dressed all in white.  She has white gloves covering her hands and a white shawl over her head.

As Sam walks in the door, Al also appears, and they greet each other.

AL:  Sam.
SAM:  Al.  
AL:  Wait a minute.  You gotta take it easy for a while.
SAM:  What are you talking about?
AL: I'm talking about - Do you remember today in court when you were upset?
SAM:  Yeah.
AL:  Well, Stanton had a mild seizure in the waiting room at the same time.  You seem to have a mental and physical connection with him on this leap.  I don't know why.
SAM:  Okay, but I feel fine right now.
AL:  If you wanna have a massive coronary, that's okay.  But Ziggy says if not, you gotta take it easy and keep Stanton's medicine next to you.  My advice is maybe you should just take it easy for a while.
SAM:  The only way I can find out the truth is to talk to Laura.  Okay? I gotta talk to her.

He approaches Laura.  She’s rocking gently humming Hush Little Baby.

SAM:  Hello, Laura.  You don't know me. My name is Larry Stanton, and I'm here to help your daughter.
LAURA FULLER:  (played by Meg Foster) Abagail?
SAM:  Yes.
LAURA FULLER:  Is Abagail in trouble?
SAM:  Yes, she is.
LAURA FULLER:  Well, that's why she hasn't been to see me in a long time.
SAM:  She's in very bad trouble, and she needs for you to remember something from the past.
LAURA FULLER:  No.  I don't have to remember. It's just a bad dream. When I wake up, it'll all be gone away.  That's what Mama used to say.
AL:  Uh, Sam, no.  She's not firing on all six cylinders.
SAM:  She's all I've got.
LAURA:  (Begins to hum Hush Little Baby once again)
AL:  I know, but if she testifies, Denton Waters will have her declared non compos mentis.
SAM:  All I need her to remember is what happened the night Violet disappeared.  That's it, Al.
AL:  I know.  But if they think she's crazy, then they'll disqualify her testimony.

Laura stops rocking the chair and turns to look at Sam and Al.  

LAURA FULLER:  I remember you.  (She stands and moves to Sam.)  You were here a very long time ago.  You were gonna marry my Abagail.  But you didn't.  You went away.  Well, you broke her heart, you know.
SAM:  I think you've mistaken me for someone else.
LAURA FULLER:  No.  I've been waiting for you for a very long time.  A very long time.  Clayton said that you'd come.  And then, I'd have to tell about Violet.
AL:  Bingo!
LAURA FULLER:  Clayton- He knew that.  

Laura removes one of her gloves.  Her body is all scarred and looks as if her skin is peeling off of her body.  She slowly opens her palm to reveal the locket.  Sam picks up the locket from her hand and holds it up.  After looking at it, Sam looks at her arm as she continues to talk.

LAURA FULLER:  She wanted that locket so much.  So very, very much.  Clayton wouldn't let her have it, but I kept it.  I kept it… and all of its secrets.

Sam gently takes the shawl off of Laura’s head to reveal how badly she had been burned from the fire she had been in previously.  Half of her scalp is badly burned and her once brown hair is now white and barely existent.

AL:  Oh, God.

Sam covers her head back up as she smiles gently at him humming Hush Little Baby once again.


PART FIVE

We then see the court building were the trial is taking place at as Sam narrates.

SAM NARRATING: Laura came to court that morning with the support of her doctor, who said her confinement had been self-inflicted for years.  She said Clayton had forbidden her to tell her story.  But today, after 25 years, she told.

Laura is now dressed elegantly in a white dress.  Her scars are all covered and she has on a white headdress to cover her hair.  

As she tells her story, we see her back when she was young, going to the store before the storm.  We see her coming across Violet Aider (played by Heather Lauren Olsen).  While she is telling the story of what happened, we see Sammy Jo Fuller, dressed in pink with a pink band in her hair in the upstairs gallery watching.

LAURA FULLER:  I was trying to buy candles for the storm, but the general store was closed.  Everybody had gone home to lash their windows and cellars.  Then I saw Violet walking across the town square.  She was upset.
She was angry and crying, and there was blood on her face and on her little white sweater.  I ran to her to see if she was all right.  But before I could say much, she started screaming at me about Abagail.  She said Abagail was mean and crazy and that she had hit her.  I tried to calm her- calm her down, but she said she was gonna go tell her mama.  Violet was glad that Abagail had hit her because now everybody would know that Abagail was crazy and they would lock her away forever.  I pleaded with her, but she ran away.  I ran after her and I-I grabbed her.  I was trying to talk to her.  She was in a rage, and she tore herself from my hands.  She fell away from me, and she fell through the old planks that covered the well.  I reached out for her, but I only caught the little gold locket that was around her neck. It broke.  The chain snapped.  Violet was gone.  She's gone.
DENTON WATERS:  You expect the court to believe that Violet's death was an accident?
SAM:  And that Bart Aider had a heart attack.
JUDGE SHINER:  Mr. Waters?
DENTON WATERS: I object.  Counsel is trying to take a woman who's been institutionalized for 20 years and get her to take the responsibility for all of 'em.  And Leta- Did you kill Leta Aider too?
JUDGE SHINER: Mr. Waters, you will have a chance to cross-examine the witness.
SAM:  Laura, did you kill Leta Aider?
LAURA FULLER:  No.
COURT GALLERY:  (everyone begins to talk)
JUDGE SHINER:  Order in this court! One more such eruption, and I will have this courtroom cleared.  Mr. Stanton, just where is this line of questioning leading?
SAM:  I wanna prove to the court that Abagail Fuller was innocent of the history that this town has branded her with for the past 25 years, Your Honor.  And… (pauses) Now, I would like to…  show the court why… she…  didn't kill Leta Aider.
AL: Sam, uh- Yeah, take one of your pills.

We see Sam rummaging through his bag to get to Larry Stanton’s pills for his heart.

JUDGE SHINER:  Counselor, are you all right?

Sam sees the bills that Abigail had given to him from the previous day.  The top bill is from the Louisiana Telephone Company address:  2904 Peach Lane, Baton Rough, LA 71839  (Sidenote:  This is an actual address of a house in Baton Rouge, LA.)  It’s addressed to Abigail Fuller.  Address:  206 Wilson Avenue, Pottersville, LA 70821.  (Another sidenote:  There is not a town in Louisiana named Pottersville – nor is there a Potter Parish.)

This sparks an idea in Sam’s head.

SAM:  I'm gonna put her on the stand.
AL:  What for?
SAM:  Your Honor, I would like to call Abagail Fuller to the stand.
JUDGE SHINER:  But Mr. Waters hasn't had a chance to cross-examine this witness.
SAM:  He may not have to, Your Honor, if you let me bring her on the stand.
DENTON WATERS: I don't wanna cross-examine her.  I want her testimony stricken from the record and declared non compos mentis!
SAM:  I know who killed Leta Aider, Your Honor.
AL:  You do?
DENTON WATERS:  Objection!
SAM:  Please, Your Honor I won't be wasting the court's time.  Let me put Abagail Fuller on the stand.
JUDGE SHINER:  Overruled.  Counselor, call your witness.
SAM:  The defense calls Abagail Fuller.  

Abigail takes the stand.

JUDGE SHINER:  Ms.Fuller, you may step down. The bailiff will show you where to sit.
SAM:  Just tell the truth.
BAILIFF (played by: Lanier Edwards) Do you-state your name
ABIGAIL:  Abigail Fuller
AL:  Sam, do you know what you're doing?
BAILIFF:  Swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?
ABIGAIL:  I do.
SAM:  Miss Fuller, would you be kind enough to tell the court the events that transpired the afternoon of May the 15th when you returned home?
ABIGAIL:  I came home at about 3:15. I had just been to the grocery store.
My arms were full, so I entered the house and went straight back to the kitchen.
SAM:  And what did you see in the kitchen?
ABIGAIL:  It was torn up.  There were broken dishes and food thrown on the walls like someone had a tantrum.
SAM:  And what else did you see?
ABIGAIL:  Blood.  There was a large pool of blood.
SAM:  Whose blood?
ABIGAIL: Leta Aider's.  I didn't see her body at first.  Then I walked around the table, and she was there.
SAM:  And where was the knife, Abagail? Do you remember where the knife was in relationship to the body?
ABIGAIL:  Right near Leta, I guess.  Um, a few inches away from the body.
SAM:  And, uh, then what happened?
ABIGAIL:  I was afraid to move.  I wanted to cry out for help, but I  couldn't.
SAM:  So you didn't call the police, you didn't call the doctors, or…
ABIGAIL:  When I looked up, Bo was standing at the backdoor.
SAM:  Bo was at the backdoor because somebody had called him?
ABIGAIL: He said someone said they heard a woman screaming from my house and called it in.
SAM:  What are these?
ABIGAIL:  Bills.
AL:  Sam, do you know where you're going with this?
DENTON WATERS:  Counsel is wasting the court's time.
SAM:  Please, Your Honor.
JUDGE SHINER:  Mr. Waters.
SAM: I'd like you to open your phone bill from May and see if you recognize any of the phone numbers that were dialed on the afternoon of the 15th.
ABIGAIL:  Oakdell-65234.  That's the sheriff's office.
SAM:  And what time was that call made?
ABIGAIL:  2:53
SAM: full 22 minutes before you got home.
DENTON WATERS:  Objection! You have no proof that she wasn't there earlier.
SAM:  I have a store full of people and the time it takes to get from there to her home.
JUDGE SHINER:  Objection overruled.
SAM:  On May 15, 1978, as Mr. Waters told us yesterday, the day that he explained to Mrs. Aider that based on Louisiana statutes for the protection of minors, she had no case against Abagail Fuller. Even though they had found the bones of her daughter, Violet, at the bottom of a well, she had no case.
Can you imagine how she felt? After 25 years of waiting and hoping and praying for some shred of proof to turn up that could verify what she had believed all along, it finally turns up, and she is told that it doesn't matter.  I believe that at that point, Leta Aider became incensed and full of rage, she came to Abagail's house to confront her.  But Abagail was not there.  

As Sam continues to hypothesize what he thinks happened, we see Abigail Fuller getting upset with tears in her eyes.  We also see Sammy Jo Fuller in the upstairs gallery, also getting visibly upset as she listens in.

SAM:  And her rage and her frustration grew.  She tore apart Abagail's kitchen looking for some measure of revenge to fill all the years of hatred that had consumed her.  And finally, feeling she had no other recourse and from some dark and horrible place in her mind, she picked up Abagail's kitchen knife, a knife that she knew would have Abagail's fingerprints on it…
AL:   Just like Laura's mother.
SAM:  And she slit her own throat.
COURT GALLERY:  (gasps and begins talking)
DENTON WATERS:  (He quickly stands up)  Objection! This is unadulterated conjecture!
JUDGE SHINER:  Order in this court! Bailiff, clear this courtroom!
DENTON WATERS:  This is conjecture!  This witness…

We see that Abigail Fuller is visibly shaking, crying and holding onto the bills she had just read from.  The judge is tapping with his gavel trying to get everyone to be quiet.

JUDGE SHINER:  I want order, and I want it now!
DENTON WATERS: Abagail Fuller murdered Leta Aider!

Sammy Jo stands up and screams:  

SAMMY JO FULLER:  No! I remember! I remember her!
ABIGAIL:  Oh, SammyJo!

Sammy Jo comes running down from the upstairs gallery and comes running to her mother.  As she comes running down the stairs, Abigail tries to go to her daughter, but the bailiff stops her from going all the way to her.

SAMMY JO FULLER:  I saw her! I saw her in the kitchen! I saw her when she…. I was hiding because I heard all the dishes breakin'. And then I came down the stairs because it got quiet.  I saw her through the crack in the door.  She was walking back and forth….  And then she stopped…. and she picked up the kitchen knife.
DENTON WATERS:  I object! This is preposterous!
SAMMY JO FULLER:  I saw her! I saw her do it!
AL: Sam, you changed history.  That was just great. You okay?
SAM:  Yeah.  (pause) They gonna be all right, Al?
AL:  Yeah.  Well, Ziggy says that since SammyJo is carrying your genes and now that you cleared Abagail, the curse is broken.  Um, Abagail gets married in two years to a wonderful guy, and they move to Chicago.  And she's happy, Sam.  She's really happy.
SAM:  How do you know all this?
AL:  SammyJo told me.
SAM:  SammyJo?
AL:  SammyJo is working with us on Project Quantum Leap, Sam.
SAM:  What?
AL:  Yes.  As a matter of fact, she has a theory on how to bring you back home.
SAM:  Does she know I'm her father?
AL: No. And Ziggy says that after this leap, you won't know either.
SAM:  I'll know, Al.  I'll always know.  

Sammy Jo who had been hugging her mother, turns and runs over to Sam and gives him a huge hug.  Sam hugs her tightly.  We see Abigail in Marie Billings arm smiling at her daughter.

SAM:  You, uh- You take care of yourself, okay?
SAMMY JO FULLER:  (She nods) I won't forget you.

Sam leaps.


When he leaps in he’s standing in the middle of a bank, with a red cap on his head and a bandana tied around his face covering his nose and mouth.  He has a gun in his hands which he finally notices.  Beside him are two men.  Both are in bandanas and are trying to conceal who they are.  There is also Christmas music playing in the background.

UNKNOWN MAN:  You heard me! Hands up! Everyone, stay calm.  We'll get this over with and be on our way.  Keep me covered while I shut the blinds.
Don't fall apart on me now, little brother.
SAM:  Oh, boy.



Personal Review by M.J. Cogburn:

Finding out that Larry Stanton and his family left Pottersville, Louisiana to have his own practice in Baton Rouge because he didn't like that the town had tried to lynch one of their own makes him a very interesting person.  He also (with Sam's help) puts his wife in her place when she throws an 'n' word out to Marie Billings.  

When we find out that Abigail is now in jail for killing Leta Aider - we know that he's got to figure everything out.  We all know that Abigail wouldn't have done it - but would we blame her if she had?  Leta blamed her as a child, now as an adult and then suddenly she's dead in Abigail's kitchen.

As we find out the information from Abigail - she says something offhandedly about Will Kinman.  She says, 'He suddenly moved out west to write a book'.  I wonder what book he wrote.  Did it have something to do with him being in a facility where he was kept in a room and asked questions about his life - where he looked like someone else - something futuristic?  That would have been an interesting update from Al and Ziggy.

We learn about Sammy Jo Fuller - Abigail and Sam's daughter. Sam learning he has a daughter is absolutely precious.  The look in his eyes and the love he has for her even after he's only known her for a little while is amazing.  

It's interesting that the Hush Little Baby theme is strong here.  Laura and Sammy Jo hum it a lot!  
Speaking of Laura, how they aged her as well as the aesthetics of her body, hair and head where she had been burned from the fire 20 years ago was chilling.  So was the story of poor Violet.  I wonder if Laura (because of her PTSD with her own mother) kept everything secret.  She must have told Clayton (or the ghost of Clayton came to her) and told her she'd have to tell the story. Meg Foster did an excellent job portraying the character.

I'm sure that even Sammy Jo Fuller had to get some professional treatment for PTSD after seeing someone kill themselves.  Thankfully, she has a village to help her - and a great group of people at PQL as well.

It's just frustrating that - even for the rest of the season - never bring Sammy Jo back up.  I'd like to think that Sammy Jo, with her brilliant mind, would be trying her level best to bring Sam, her father, back home.

Music:

Mockingbird (A lullaby) – depending on the time in the show, it can be anywhere from sweet and calming to eerie and odd.

Fan-made music video featuring all three parts of Trilogy:


Project Trivia:

Al’s memory of history after Sam changes it comes to him instantly. When Sam changes history with Abagail, he immediately recalls Sammy Jo at the Project and all past history with her in his life.

Sam inherits Stanton's heart problem, further evidence of mind/body synergising.

Sammy Jo is working at Project Quantum Leap (by the end of the episode) and is currently working on a way to bring Sam home!

Ziggy says Sam will not remember Sammy Jo after he Leaps out. Sam's memory comes and goes, so it is interesting to learn that Ziggy knows this to be fact. Perhaps Ziggy has developed a hand in controlling Sam's memory between Leaps?

Sam Trivia:

He finds out that he has a daughter, Sammy Jo Fuller, who was concieved with Abagail during "Trilogy Part II: For Your Love."

Sam and Sammy Jo both love the play, "Brigadoon."

Sam's daughter has an IQ of 194.


Al Trivia:

Al reveals a little about two of his divorce lawyers.

Al's Outfits:

1) Red jacket
White and black shirt
White pants
Black talisman string tie

2) Blue with white pen striped suit
White shirt
White Talisman on Lapel
Silver tie

3) Green suit jacket
Multicolored brown shirt
Copper Tie
Green pants


Miscellaneous Trivia:

Sammy Jo Fuller's character was created for a future project by Deborah Pratt, namely "Time Child" which never came to fruition. Watch Deborah read a few bits of "Time Child" in the video below:

The planned Quantum Leap spin-off series "A Bold Leap Forward" was also going to use a version of Sammy Jo. Click the link above to read the script and look below to watch Trey Callaway, Caitlin Bassett, Nanrisa Lee, Georgina Reilly, Deborah Pratt, Albert Mark Burdge, Christopher DeFilippis, &Allison Pregler perform a table read of the pilot episode for A Bold Leap Forward!


Progression of Trilogy Characters - Part III:

Leta Aider:

Her daughter, Violet was presumed dead in 1953 and her husband was killed two years later, and Leta believed Abagail Fuller was responsible for both deaths.

Eleven years later she led a lunch mob that tried to kill Abagail after a local boy turned up missing. The boy was eventually found safe.

New: In 1978, her daughter’s bones were found at the bottom of a well. Leta went to an attorney, but he told her that they couldn’t prosecute Abagail because she was a juvenile when the murder took place. Leta was later found in Abagail’s kitchen, dead, and Abagail was arrested for the murder. In the trial it came out that Leta had committed suicide, but called the sheriff just before then to report screams in the house in order to set up Abagail.

Violet Aider:
Next to Abagail fuller, she was the prettiest girl in the parish in 1953, but she vanished after the two girls had an argument over a locket. The entire parish searched for her until they found hre bloody sweater and decided a pack of wild dogs roaming in the area must have killed her. They destroyed the dogs and Sheriff Clayton Fuller closed the case.

Violet’s mother believed Abagail Fuller had murdered her daughter.

New: The child’s bones were discovered in 1978 when the town well was unsealed for renovations.

Abagail Fuller:
The whole town believed this little girl was cursed crazy because her mother and grandmother were "touched". When Sam leaped into her father Clayton, Abagail had just found the body of Bart Aider, father of Violet, a girl Abagail had been accused of murdering two years before. The girls had gotten into a fight over a locket, and Abagail said Violet had run off and that was the last she had seen of her. Violet’s body was never found, but her bloody sweater was. Clayton was the sheriff, and he closed the case, saying a pack of wild dogs must have killed the girl. Violet’s mother Leta never stopped haranguing Abagail, insisting she killed Violet. And when her husband Bart died under mysterious circumstances, she believed Abagail killed him, too. Leta tried to get Abagail to admit she killed Violet, and then set the Fuller house on fire, hoping to kill Abagail. Sam rescued Abagail and Leaped just before Clayton was killed.

Cut to 1966: Twenty-one-year-old Abagail was preparing to marry Will Kinman, the local deputy. Sam leaped into Will the night before the wedding, and she later told him that making love seemed wrong, and then in a "magic flash" it was as though their bodies were made for each other. Sam was equally attracted to Abagail, practically becoming obsessed with her. When Tavis Perkins, a boy she had been baby-sitting, disappeared, the town – at Leta’s instigation – blamed her and formed a lunch mob. Sam kept Abagail from being shot and helped the town find the missing boy.

New: Cut to 1978. Violet Aider’s bones were found at the bottom of the town well during restoration work. Leta went to an attorney, who told her they couldn’t prosecute because Abagail was a minor when the crime occurred. Later, Leta’s body was found on Abagail’s kitchen floor. Abagail was arrested and in the original history, died in the electric chair on June 30, 1984. Sam leaped into Larry Stanton, a former local attorney who had moved to Shreveport. The Fuller family housekeeper asked Sam to take the case, and he did. Sam was surprised to meet Sammie Jo, Abagail’s daughter by Will Kinman. She and Will never married, and she raised the child on her own. Al reported that Sammie JO was conceived while Sam was Will Kinman. Sam proved Abagail’s innocence by showing that Leta Aider had called the police before committing suicide in the kitchen. Sammie Jo then confirmed the evidence when she screamed from the audience in the courtroom that she had seen everything. Abagail eventually married, moved to Chicago, and is happy to this day.

Laura Blanchette Fuller:
Clayton Fuller’s wife. After Sam leaped into Clayton, he was under the impression that Laura was dead., but saw a "vision" of her when a gust of wind blew closed his bedroom door. He found out from Abagail that the night Violet Aider died, Laura and Clayton had a terrible argument and she left. Sam found out that she had been committed to Peach Hill Home fore the Mentally Ill that night. He visited and found her uncommunicative, rocking in a chair and staring into space, though she did seem to notice Al.

When Sam visited her eleven years later as Will Kinman, Laura had bandages on her head and one arm. She was more communicative, but talked about her mother, who had killed all of her brothers and sisters because there was no food. Laura had escaped death because she had fallen under the bed. She saw Sam as himself and believed he would keep her daughter safe.

New: In 1978 when Abagail was being held in Leta Aider’s murder, Sam went back to visit Laura as Larry Stanton. The bandages were gone, revealing a head and arm that had been severely burned. Her doctor said she was staying at the hospital of her own accord and was free to come and go as she pleased. Laura remembered him as Sam, and said that Clayton told her he would come, and now she would tell the whole truth about Violet Aider’s death. She had seen Violet after the fight, and the girl backed away and fell into a well. Laura tried to catch her, but was only able to grab the locket, which she had secretly kept all these years. Since Laura wasn’t at the hospital against her will, her testimony on Abagail’s behalf was accepted in court to the disconcertment of Mr. Waters.

Reta Blanchette:
Laura Fuller’s mother killed all of her children except Laura after she lost her husband and her money. Then she cut her own throat. The local story was that she preferred to kill her babies than to see them starve. Mr. Devareaux, who found the carnage, said she’d lost her mind. The local legend had it that the family had one cursed child every generation. First Reta, then Laura, now Abagail. Later it came out the reason Laura wasn’t killed was that she had slipped down between the beds and was not seen by her mother.

Marie Beth Billings:
She worked as the housekeeper for the Fuller family for thirty years. In 1978, Marie went to Larry Stanton/Sam and asked him to defend Abagail Fuller for the murder of Leta Airder. Stanton originally didn’t take the case.

Willis Gunerson Kinman:
Will Kinman was the son of a local doctor, and spoke with a stutter.

He seemed to like Abagail Fuller, and eventually proposed to her. Sam leaped into Will the night before their wedding just after the pair had made love. Will was now twenty-seven and deputy sheriff. Sam found himself falling for Abagail bit time. He had picked up Will’s stutter, but after they made love, he lost the stutter completely. Sam saved Abagail from a lynch mob and leaped.

New: Will and Abagail never married. He moved out west to write a book. On the night Sam and Abagail made love, they conceived a daughter, Sammie Jo.

Bo Loman:
Clayton Fuller’s deputy became sheriff on his death in 1955 and was still holding that position when Sam returned in 1966 and 1978.

Denton Waters:
Leta Aider tried to retain this high-powered attorney to prosecute Abagail Fuller in the death of her daughter. Denton explained that he couldn’t take the case because Abagail was a juvenile at the time of the murder, so she couldn’t be tried as an adult. Leta was then found on the floor of Abagail’s kitchen with her throat slashed, and Denton was the prosecuting attorney in Abagail’s trial on charges of murdering Leta Aider.

Doc Kinman:
Doctor in a small Louisiana town where Sam found himself as sheriff. He couldn’t determine the cause of death of Bart Aider, and had to have the coroner from Shreveport come in. His son is Will Kinman.

Laurence (Larry) Stanton III:
Larry is a small town Louisiana lawyer who stepped into the lynch mob to help save Abagail Fuller from dying.

New: He left town after Abagail Fuller was nearly lynched because she didn’t want his children to grow up in an atmosphere of prejudice and hate. He was living in Shreveport in 1978 when Marie Billings came to ask him to defend Abagail fuller on charges of murdering Leta Aider. Originally, he didn’t, but Sam was now there and took the case. Stanton had a heart condition, and Sam had "inherited" it along with the physical aura, and he had to take nitroglycerin pills to keep going sometimes.

Cheryln Stanton:
By 1978 she had been married to Larry Stanton for 28 years, and loved to play bedroom games on Saturday nights,. Larry was her second husband. The first one died of a heart attack when she was seventeen and he was seventy-seven. Al said Larry Stanton will meet the same fate, and believe she killed both of her husbands. She didn’t want her husband to take on defending Abagail Fuller because it was her black housekeeper Marie who showed up to ask him to take the case. She called Marie "nigger trash." Larry/Sam apologized to Marie for Cherlyn’s actions.

Judge Shiner:
Presided over Abagail Fuller’s murder trial.




Sammy Jo returns prominently in the Novel, "Loch Ness Leap." She is also mentioned in some of the other novels.


See our Novels & Books section to read this book and more!




Deleted Scenes:

A compilation of clips from the originally televised movie-length version of Quantum Leap: Trilogy Part II and Trilogy Part III. These were removed/altered when the episode was split in syndication.


Guest Cast:

Mary Gordon Murray as Leta Aider
Stephen Lee as Sheriff Bo Loman
Fran Bennett as Marie Beth Billings
Melora Hardin as Abagail Fuller
Kimberly Cullum as Samantha Josephine "Sammy Jo" Fuller
Meg Foster as Laura Fuller
W.K. Stratton as Laurence “Larry” Stanton, III
Diana Bellamy as Cheryln Stanton
James Greene as Denton Waters
Max Wright as Doctor Kinman
Parley Baer as Judge Shiner
Lanier Edwards as Bailiff
Heather Lauren Olsen as Violet Aider

Meg Foster as Laura Fuller


Guest Cast Notes:

Mary Gordon Murray as Leta Aider: Born on November 13, 1953 in Ridgewood, New Jersey, USA. She is an actress, known for Junior (1994), Quantum Leap (1989) and Poison Ivy (1992). Nominated for Broadway's 1982 Tony Award as Best Actress (Musical) for a revival of "Little Me." She was awarded the 1991 Drama-Logue Award for Performance for "The Most Happy Fella" in the 25th Anniversary Season presented by Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson at the James A. Doolittle Theatre (University of California) in Los Angeles, California.

Stephen Lee as Sheriff Bo Loman: Born in Englewood New Jersey in 1955. Having lived in Europe the first 15 years of his life, Stephen comes from a "casino" background with his father selling and making slot machines. Stephen started acting when he came to the U.S in 1970 and eventually getting a partial scholarship to Avila College in Kansas City, Missouri.He has appeared in over 200 TV shows, 5 TV series and over 20 pilots. He has also played in 39 movies including: La Bamba (1987), WarGames (1983), Purple Hearts (1984), RoboCop 2 (1990), The Negotiator (1998), Dolls (1986) and many others. He speaks English, German, French and Spanish. His interests include golf, tennis, horseback riding (when time permits) and biking around his Sherman Oaks, CA neighborhood.Other guest staring appearances are NCIS (2003), Fear Itself (2008), Boston Legal (2004) (for which he received critical acclaim), Bones (2005) and 'Til Death (2006) . He is grateful everyday for a roof over his head and hopes for a more prosperous future for himself and everyone who has experienced such hard times.

Fran Bennett as Marie Beth Billings: Graduated from the University of Wisconsin with an M.A. and subsequently spent twelve years acting and as voice and movement director with the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis. Her Broadway debut was a leading role in the short-lived play Mandingo at the Lyceum Theater in 1961. Thereafter, Bennett concentrated on stage acting and education, serving for many years on the faculty of the California Institute of the Arts, latterly as head of acting and director of performance at the CalArts School of Theater (1996-2003). Her credentials included a teaching spell at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) and voice production workshops at several American universities. As an ensemble member of the Los Angeles Women's Shakespeare Company, her dramatis personae tended to be powerful individuals (Othello, King Lear, Oberon, and others). Bennett's screen work has likewise shown a predilection towards sober, resolute authority figures: doctors, judges, head nurses, community leaders and family matriarchs, even a Fleet Admiral on Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987). Her TV debut was as early as 1952 but she did not become prolific in that medium until the late 70s. From then on, she regularly guest-starred in episodes of popular fare, ranging from soapies (The Bold and the Beautiful (1987), Dynasty (1981)) to crime drama (Simon & Simon (1981), Crossing Jordan (2001), NCIS (2003)) and science fiction (The Twilight Zone (1985), Quantum Leap (1989)). The Arkansas native was a 2005 inductee into Arkansas Black Hall of Fame. Her honours have included an NAACP Theatre Award and the inaugural AEA/AFTRA/SAG Diversity Award.

Kimberly Cullum as Sammy Jo Fuller: Born on November 29, 1981 in Los Angeles, California, USA. She is an actress, known for Quantum Leap (1989), Maverick (1994) and The Amazing Spider-Man (2012). Daughter of Leo Cullum, a cartoonist for New Yorker magazine.

Meg Foster as Laura Fuller: Blue-eyed brunette Meg Foster was born in Reading, Pennsylvania on May 10, 1948 to David and Nancy. She has four siblings and grew up in Rowayton, Connecticut. Foster studied acting at New York's Neighborhood Playhouse.Foster's first role came about in 1969, when she appeared in an episode of NET Playhouse (1964). Throughout the '70s, she guest starred in numerous TV shows including Barnaby Jones (1973), The Six Million Dollar Man (1974), and Hawaii Five-O (1968), and played Hester Prynne, a young woman who has an affair with a pastor, in the miniseries The Scarlet Letter (1979). Foster did not really come to attention until 1982, though, when she replaced Loretta Swit as Christine Cagney in Cagney & Lacey (1981); she herself was later replaced by Sharon Gless (CBS reportedly wanted a more "feminine" actress playing the role of the detective). Foster began to appear in more movies throughout the late '80s, primarily Masters of the Universe (1987), in which she played the nefarious Evil-Lyn. Other notable films include the satirical science fiction flick They Live (1988), the horror sequel Stepfather II: Make Room for Daddy (1989), and the comedic martial arts movie Blind Fury (1989) (Terry O'Quinn also appeared in the latter two). Foster continued to work prolifically throughout the '90s, mostly appearing in science fiction films. She also guest starred in many popular television shows such as Quantum Leap (1989), ER (1994), Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993), Murder, She Wrote (1984), and Sliders (1995). After appearing in a 2000 episode of Xena: Warrior Princess (1995), Foster took a decade-long break from the acting industry. She returned in 2011 with roles in indie flicks 25 Hill (2011) and Sebastian (2011), and had a villainous role as a revenge-seeking witch in Rob Zombie's '70s-esque horror movie The Lords of Salem (2012). Additionally, Foster appeared in the TV show The Originals (2013), as well as Pretty Little Liars (2010) and its short-lived spin-off Ravenswood (2013). She re-teamed with Rob Zombie in 2016 for his horror film 31 (2016), in which Foster plays a kidnapped carnival worker. Foster has a son, Christopher, with Ron Starr. At one point, she was married to actor Stephen McHattie.

W.K. Stratton as Laurence “Larry” Stanton, III: Born on August 2, 1950 in Front Royal, Virginia, USA. He is an actor, known for Spy Kids 4: All the Time in the World (2011), Shoot 'Em Up (2007) and Machete (2010). He is married to Maureen Denise Lacoste. Appeared in the pilots of four different series created by Donald P. Bellisario: Magnum, P.I. (1980), Airwolf (1984), Quantum Leap (1989) and JAG (1995). Holds the unique distinction for having "flown" (in character) a Corsair, a Viper, and Airwolf. (three aircraft used in Bellasario productions).

Heather Lauren Olsen as Violet Aider: Born on November 12, 1982 in San Jose, California, USA. She is an actress, known for Quantum Leap (1989), Days of Our Lives (1965) and Internal Affairs (1990).

Melora Hardin as Abagail Fuller: American actress, singer and director from Houston, Texas who is known for playing Jan Levinson from The Office and Trudy Monk from Monk. She also acted in The Rocketeer, 24 Dresses, 17 Again, Hannah Montana: The Movie, Transparent, The Bold Type and The Hot Chick. She had two daughters with Gildart Jackson, a British actor.Was cast as "Jennifer Parker" in Back to the Future (1985) after actress Claudia Wells dropped out of the film during preproduction. Wells had recently filmed a television pilot (Off the Rack (1984) ) that had been picked up by ABC for a six-episode run and the shooting schedules would have conflicted. Melora never shot a single frame of the movie, however; she was let go when Eric Stoltz was replaced by Michael J. Fox as the original Marty McFly because she was considered too tall to be his girlfriend. Wells was then brought back as Marty's girlfriend when her series didn't get picked up by ABC for a full season. She also appeared on several episodes of "The Office" as Jan.

Diana Bellamy as Cheryln Stanton: Born on September 19, 1943 in Los Angeles. She graduated with a master's degree in Fine Arts from Southern Methodist University (SMU) in 1970. Diana Alice Bellamy began her acting career in puppet theater in her native Los Angeles. On the big screen, she had such memorable small roles as a sassy whorehouse madam in Outrageous Fortune (1987), a sharp-tongued secretary in Outbreak (1995), and a sarcastic White House switchboard operator in Air Force One (1997). On television, Bellamy played Mrs. Pennington in The Nest (1987) and Grace Woods in Spellbinder (1988), and had recurring parts as Maggie Poole on 13 East (1989) and as Mrs. Cha-Cha Rimba Starkey on Superhuman Samurai Syber-Squad (1994). Among the many series on which she made one-off appearances were "Married with Children", "Melrose Place", "Nash Bridges", "Wings", "Murphy Brown", "Baywatch", "Quantum Leap", "Alien Nation", "Family Ties", "Newhart", "Hunter", "The Fall Guy", "Hill Street Blues", and "T.J. Hooker". Outside of her film and television credits, Bellamy did a substantial amount of stage acting: She did three seasons with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland and also acted in stage productions of "Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All for You" (as the title character), "The House of Blue Leaves", and "The Skin of Our Teeth". Despite suffering from cancer, diabetes, and blindness in the last five years of her life, she continued to act. Her last roles included the blind Principal Cecelia Hall on Popular (1999) and the crippled Mrs. Nichols onstage in "The Ladies of the Corridor". Bellamy died on June 17, 2001 at age 57 at her home in Valley Village, California.



James Greene as Denton Waters: A successful working actor for over seventy years. He appeared on Broadway in 1951 in Romeo and Juliet starring Olivia de Havilland. His most recent television appearances were in Parks and Recreation (2009) as Councilman Milton, Modern Family (2009), Cold Case (2003), and Las Vegas (2003). James enjoyed a four-year stint on TV's The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd (1987) with writer and director Jay Tarses. His films include Road to Perdition (2002), Patch Adams (1998), The Missouri Breaks (1976), and Philadelphia Experiment II (1993). He resides in LA with his wife of thirty-three years, Els Collins.


Max Wright as Doctor Kinman: Born on August 2, 1943 in Detroit, Michigan, USA. He was an actor, known for ALF (1986), All That Jazz (1979) and The Shadow (1994). He was previously married to Linda Ybarrondo. He died on June 26, 2019 in Englewood, New Jersey, USA. Watch Max on the TV show ALF below:



Parley Baer as Judge Shiner: Born on August 5, 1914 in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. He was an actor, known for License to Drive (1988), A Fever in the Blood (1961) and Dave (1993). He was previously married to Ernestine Clark. He died on November 22, 2002 in Los Angeles, California, USA.


Lanier Edwards as Bailiff: Known for Deep Blue Sea (1999), Species (1995) and Primal Fear (1996).

Guests Who Appeared in Other Episodes of Quantum Leap:

W.K. Stratton also appeared in the episodes "Genesis", "Good Night, Dear Heart,"
two different radio despatchers in "Black on White on Fire" and "Hurricane", and the trilogy episodes "One Little Heart" and "For Your Love."

Fran Bennett also played in "Justice."

Parley Baer (Judge Shiner) also played in "8 1/2 Months."


Say What?

The front page article of the newspaper is about land in Los Angeles, but this is Louisiana!

Who is reflecting in the window of Sam's house when he is talking to Abagail about representing her in court? A crew member?

The telephone bill says “Baton Rough” instead of “Baton Rouge."


Quotable Quotes:

SAM’S FIRST THOUGHTS OF THE LEAP:

Baton Rouge Gazette, July 28, 1978… Louisiana… It wasn’t over. My memory was fading but in my soul I knew it wasn’t over. I was still in the south and somehow Abagail summoned me back but for what and as who? Larry Stanton?


Cherlyn Stanton: Hello Sweet cheeks! Come on over here you hot-blooded southern rebel and melt me down! Tonight, Lawrence Stanton the third, I am Jane Fonda in Butterfield 8!

Al: Ziggy hasn’t the slightest idea why you’re here. I suggest you open the door and see what drifts in.

Al: Don’t look at me, I don’t make up these assignments!

Sam: I have a daughter, Al!
Sam: Does she know that I’m her father?
Al: No. And Ziggy says after this leap you won’t know either.
Sam: I’ll know, Al. I’ll always know.

Sammie Jo: I’ll never forget you!


Best Lines:

Al’s Best Lines:
Ziggy hasn’t the slightest idea why you’re here. I suggest you open the door and see what drifts in.

Don’t look at me, I don’t make up these assignments!


Sam’s Best Lines:

With all my heart. I came from very far away and I don’t think that I would have been brought here if I couldn’t do the job. SO, why don’t ‘you dry those pretty eyes and let’s not worry about this a bit.

I have a daughter, Al!


Best Scenes:

Leap In:

Sam: I’ve got a bad feeling about this.
Cherlyn: After 28 years of marriage, I know every feeling you got!
Sam: I’m your husband.
Cherlyn: Well, of course you’re my husband. Unless you want to be that evil black beard again.
Sam: Why am I here?
Cherlyn: Oh ho you don’t! Don’t you start that!
Sam: Start what?
Cherlyn: That… that craziness about hearing voices. Not another word.

Sam: I heard voices?
Cherlyn: I said not another word.
Sam: But what do you mean?
Cherlyn: That is it! That is it. You have gone and done it. You have ruined everything. I am no longer in the mood so you can hang up your holsters until next Saturday night. (long pause) Aren’t you gonna stop me?
Sam: Stop you?
Cherlyn: I’m gonna call my mother!!!
Sam: OHHHH BOY!
Al: You’re not going to believe this yo-yo in the Waiting Room.
Sam: Larry Stanton?
Al: Laurence Stanton the third, actually. You’ve have a lucrative law practice in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and your counterpart in the Waiting Room thinks he’s dead.

Sam: What?
Al: He thinks that I’m St. Peter and that I’m going to send him to hell for over-charging his hours. Reminds me of my last two divorce lawyers.
Sam: Do you remember Larry Stanton? I remember… uh… there was a hanging and a lot of people and he was hurt, I think he tried to save her.
Al: Who… her?
Sam: No no no. Not her. That’s Mrs. Larry Stanton – she wants to melt me down!


Meeting his daughter:

Sammie Jo: Come to save her? Are you gonna save my mommy?
Sam: Abagail?
Sammie Jo: Abagail is mother.
Sam: You’re mother? But she said that Will…
Sammie Jo: Marie Beth said you came to help her. Marie Beth said that the judge was going to take her to jail and they were gonna…
Sam: Nobody is gonna let anyone hurt your mother.
Sammie Jo: Marie Beth said that they were gonna…
Sam: No. I don’t care what Marie Beth said. I’m not about to let anyone hurt your mother.
Sammie Jo: You mean that?
Sam: With all my heart. I came from very far away and I don’t think that I would have been brought here if I couldn’t do the job. SO, why don’t ‘you dry those pretty eyes and let’s not worry about this a bit.
Sammie Jo: What’s your name?
Sam: Sam… Larry Stanton. What’s yours?
Sammie Jo: Sammie Jo.
Al: Samantha Josephine Fuller.
Sammie Jo: I’m very glad you’re here, Mr. Sam Larry Stanton.
Al: Ziggy says that your not just here to save Abagail. You’re here to save Sammie Jo. There’s a 91.9 percent chance that Sammie Jo Fuller is your daughter. According to Ziggy, she has an IQ of 194 so she’s got her brains from her father but that the tragedy in all of this is that she is so traumatized by the death of her mother that she drops out. She’s living alone in Mobile, right now. She’s writing computer manuals for some rinky-dink little company.


Believing in miracles…

Sammie Jo: Do you believe in miracles, Mr. Stanton?
Sam: Miracles?
Sammie Jo: Someone if they really love somebody could go back in time and be a part of their lives.
Sam: If that is a miracle, then yes, I believe in miracles.
Sammie Jo: I wanna go back in time someday.
Sam: You do?
Sammie Jo: I wanna meet my daddy. I wanna tell him...
Sam: Tell him what?
Sammie Jo: Doesn’t matter.
Sam: Sure it does... it matters.
Sammie Jo: Just that I love him. But he knows. My Grandmama Fuller says so. She knows everything.
Sam: Laura…
Sammie Jo: What’s the matter?
Sam: Sammy Jo Fuller, I love you and I want you to know that everything will be okay.

 

Meeting with Laura Fuller:

Laura: I remember you. You were here a very long time ago. You were gonna marry my Abagail, but you didn’t. You broke her heart, you know?
Sam: I think you have me mistaken with somebody else.
Laura: No. I’ve been waiting for you a very long time – a very long time. Clayton said that you’d come and then I’d have to tell about Violet.
Al: Bingo!
Laura: Clayton… he knew that. (pause) She wanted that locket so much… so very very much. Clayton wouldn’t let her have it but I kept it. I kept it and all of its secrets.

 

End of Leap:

Sam: Are they going to be all right, Al?
Al: Yeah. Ziggy says that since Sammy Jo is carrying your genes and now that you’ve cleared Abagail, the curse is broken. Abagail gets married in two years to a wonderful guy and they move to Chicago and she’s happy, Sam. She’s really happy.
Sam: How do you know all this?
Al: Sammie Jo told me.
Sam: Sammie Jo?
Al: Sammie Jo is working with us on Project Quantum Leap, Sam.
Sam: What?
Al: Yes, and a matter of fact she has a theory on how to bring you back home.

Awards:

Kimberly Cullum won the Young Artists Award Best Young Actress Guest Starring in a Television Series for all three episodes of the Trilogy.

Michael Watkins received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Cinematography for a Series in 1993.


Production Credits:


Theme by: Mike Post
Musical Score By: Velton Ray Bunch
Co-Executive Producer: Deborah Pratt
Co-Executive Producer: Chas. Floyd Johnson
Supervising Producers:
Tommy Thompson, Richard C. Okie
Supervising Producer: Harker Wade
Producer: Robin Jill Bernheim
Created by: Donald P. Bellisario
Written by: Deborah Pratt
Directed by: James Whitmore, Jr.

Executive Producer: Donald P. Bellisario
Associate Producers:
Julie Bellisario, Scott Ejercito
Coordinating Producer: David Bellisario
Director of Photography: Robert McBride
Production Designer: Cameron Birnie
Edited by: Randy D. Wiles
Unit Production Manager: Ron Grow
First Assistant Director: Ryan Gordon

Second Assistant Director: Brian Faul
Casting by: Ellen Lubin Sanitsky, C.S.A.
Set Director: Robert L. Zilliox
Costume Designers: Jean-Pierre Dorleac

Costume Supervisors: David Rawley, Katina Kerr
Art Director: Ellen Dambros-Williams
Sound Mixer: Barry D. Thomas
Stunt Coordinator: Diamond Farnsworth
Make-up: Jeremy Swan
Hairstylist: Andrea Mizushima
Fashion Concepts: Jean-Pierre Dorleac
Sound Editor: Greg Schorer
Music Editor: Bruce Frazier
Special Visual Effects: Roger Dorney, Denny Kelly

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 © 1992 by Universal City Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Some of the characters portrayed in this motion picture are based upon actual persons. Although some of those events have been fictionalized for dramatic purposes, otherwise 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 Television, an MCA Company


Podcasts:




Prepare for adventures in fourth-dimensional parenting, because it’s time for Trilogy 3: The Last Door!

Join QLP hosts Allison Pregler, Matt Dale and Christopher DeFilippis for one last romp in the life of Abagail Fuller in which we see Sam save Abagail (again), hear about that damn locket (again) and discover what is arguably the biggest addition to Quantum Leap lore ever — Sam’s daughter, Sammy Jo (who we never see again).


Listen to The Quantum Leap Podcast on this episode here:



There’s also the beigest, sweatiest Southern courtroom drama this side of season two.

Let us know what you think… Leave us a voicemail by calling (707)847-6682.

Send in your thoughts, theories and feedback, Send MP3s & Email to quantumleappodcast@gmail.com.

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