Episode
Adopted by: Eleiece
<aka> Sherdran Additional info provided by: Brian Greene
Synopsis:
This
time Sam leaps into... himself! Himself as a teenager back in
Elk
Ridge, Indiana on the family farm. Al tells him he is there to win a
basketball game that was a turning point in many people's lives, but
Sam wants to take the opportunity to prevent his sister from marrying
an abusive alcoholic, his father from dying from a heart attack, and
his brother from getting killed in Vietnam. This is part one of a
two-part
episode.
TV
Guide Synopsis (TVGuide.com): Sam
jumps all the way home to himself as a basketball-playing Indiana farm
boy trying to alter the sad fates of his father, sister and brother Tom
(David Newsom), who's destined for tragedy in Vietnam. Thelma: Caroline
Kava. Katey: Olivia Burnette. Sam: Scott Bakula.
TV Guide Synopsis (From the 2-hour
movie version broadcast): Sam
(Scott Bakula) leaps home – to himself as an Indiana farm boy, with
what he thinks is a chance to alter the sad fates of his father, sister
and brother (David Newsom) – and to 1970 Vietnam where, as a Navy SEAL, he has
another shot at saving his sibling. Bakula plays his father in a dual
role.
Music: "Imagine"
by John Lennon is performed by Scott Bakula with a little help from Dean Stockwell
"Suite From The Leap Home Part I" and a new recording of Scott Bakula singing "Imagine" are included on the official soundtrack album.
Project Trivia: Ziggy
is able to predict new futures for the Coach and several of Sam's high
school friends. Previously, Ziggy could only tell what happened in the
original history.
Sam's leaping
through time must have effected his family already at some point. In
Genesis, Sam's father died in 1974, but in this episode, it has changed
to 1972. Also, Katie's marriage dates to both Jim and Chuck have been
changed over time.
Sam Trivia:
He remembers that Tom was All-State in basketball (when he was 18). He
also remembers & blames himself for causing his team to lose
this particular game to Bentleyville in the original history.
Sam's jersey number was "11".
John Beckett smoked Lucky Strikes ('Luckies').
Al Trivia:
We find out that even though they tried to save Al's marriage to Beth
in the previous episode M.I.A., Beth still married Dirk.
Al's Women: Al
likes the cheerleaders and comments on their "cute pom-poms."
Al's
Outfits Worn in the Episode:
1st outfit (in the kitchen scene/supper): Black pants, red jacket,
white & black patterned shirt, black string tie, black lapel
pin on left breast pocket, red shoes.
2nd outfit (in the gym at practice): Bright blue shirt, black &
white paisley vest with black back, diagonally striped, 2-tone navy and
blue
tie, white pants and belt. His shoes were probably white, or
possibly blue to match the shirt.
3rd outfit (on the porch then in the cornfield): White leisure suit,
dark brown print shirt, a reddish-burnt orange tie and a lapel
pin. Shoes were probably black or possibly he wore his gold shoes.
4th outfit (in the backyard with Sam and Tom): Darkish blue pants
with tiny white flecks on them (only got a close glimpse of
them), a red, black & white print shirt, his silver bomber
jacket and
silver shoes.
5th outfit (the game scene): Camel colored pants and belt, a light
cocoa brown shirt with a gold lining showing in his rolled up sleeves,
a shiny gold tie with horizontal dark stripes, tan shoes, and
a silver watch on his left wrist.
Sam's
Outfits Worn in the Episode:
1st outfit (the leap-in): Blue jeans, dark blue plaid shirt, white
undershirt, dark red & white high school letter jacket with a
big yellow "E" on the left front, a red ball cap with a yellow "C", a
black belt, white socks and black & white high-top sneakers.
2nd outfit (at the supper table): Blue jeans, gray shirt, white
undershirt, white socks and black & white high-top sneakers. In
the barn scene, he swapped the sneakers for almost knee-high rubber
work boots.
3rd outfit (in the kitchen/breakfast): Jeans, red & black plaid
shirt, socks and sneakers.
4th outfit (in the gym at practice): (Sweaty) red 'muscle' shirt, gray
gym shorts, white socks and black & white high-top sneakers.
5th outfit (hunting with Tom): Jeans, black & gray plaid shirt,
white undershirt, brown jacket, dark gray knit hat, and black &
white high-top sneakers.
6th outfit (on the porch and then in the cornfield with Al): Blue
jeans, white undershirt, red & black plaid shirt, a dark green
pullover sweater, and black & white high-top sneakers.
7th outfit (Thanksgiving dinner): Dark suit with a pin-stripe dress
shirt, black tie. His shoes were probably black.
8th outfit (shooting hoops with Tom after dinner): Jeans, white
sweatshirt with a gray neckline, and white socks with black &
white high-top sneakers.
9th outfit (the game): Basketball jersey and shorts (red with yellow
trim) and white socks and black & white high-top sneakers.
--
John
Beckett's Outfits:
1st outfit (in the barn): Denim overalls, blue plaid flannel shirt,
denim jacket, heavy black work shoes, a black/maybe dark gray fedora,
and a wedding ring.
2nd outfit (at the supper table): Denim overalls, a wide-plaid blue,
gray & black flannel shirt. Probably the same heavy black work
shoes; and, the wedding ring.
3rd outfit (at breakfast): Gray flannel shirt, white tee shirt, denim
overalls, and heavy black work shoes.
4th outfit (Thanksgiving dinner): Gray wool suit, black trousers, a
pin-striped dress shirt, a dark green with some sort of vague pattern
on it, and, probably, black dress shoes.
5th outfit (at the game): Black pants, white shirt, a red with white
polka dots tie, a black belt and, probably, black shoes.
Miscellaneous
Trivia:
The script for the saga-sell changed with this episode with a variant
script and mostly new scenes.
In the game scene, Al mentioned Dennis Hopper
in the basketball-based
movie 'Hoosiers'. Dennis Hopper is a real-life friend of Dean Stockwell.
Al carried a cigar in all but two scenes of this episode; both of those
scenes were the ones shot in the gym.
In the opening shot of the Beckett Farm, it's
is actually footage from the movie "Field of Dreams." You can see the
baseball field clearly in this shot!
The makeup to create John Beckett took over
five hours to apply. Bakula filmed those scenes earlier in the day and
did Sam Beckett's side of those same scenes later in the day.
According to director Joe Napolitano, the corn
was painted by hand to change the color for late Fall!
The Leap Home Parts I & II are Scott
Bakula's favorite episodes, according to his thoughts at The
Leap Back 2009 convention.
A full version of the "Suite from
The Leap Home" can be found on the official soundtrack.
Scott Bakula
recorded a full version of "Imagine" for the soundtrack as well.
Harriet Margulies,
Don's assistant, was the inspiration for Harriet the cow.
Regular
Cast:
Scott Bakula as Sam Beckett
Dean Stockwell as Al Calavicci
Guest Stars:
Scott Bakula as John Beckett
David Newsom as Navy Lt. Tom Beckett
Olivia Burnette as Katie Beckett
Caroline Kava as Thelma Beckett
Hannah
Cutrona as Mary Lou
Mai-Lis Kuniholm as Lisa Parson
Mik Scriba as Coach Donnelly
Niles Brewster as Dr. Berger
Matthew John Graeser as Harley
Ethan Wilson as Sibby
John L. Tuell as “No Nose” Pruett
Adam Affonso as Young Sam Beckett
Scott Bakula as John Beckett: Scott
Stewart Bakula was born on October 9, 1954 in St. Louis, Missouri, to
Sally (Zumwinkel) and J. Stewart Bakula, a lawyer. He is of German, as
well as Czech, Austrian, Scottish and English ancestry. He comes from a
musical family. In the fourth grade, he started a rock band and wrote
songs for them, he later sang with the St. Louis Symphony. He studied
Law at the University of Kansas until his sophomore year when he left
to pursue acting. In 1976, he was first hired professionally in the
role of Sam in "Shenandoah" and went to New York. After several small
roles on television, he starred opposite Dean Stockwell in the science
fiction series Quantum Leap (1989). Bakula played Dr. Sam Beckett, a
physicist who was trapped by a malfunction of his time machine to
correct things gone wrong in the past. He won a Golden Globe in 1992
for Best Performance by an Actor in a TV series - Drama for Quantum
Leap (1989) and was nominated for a Tony Award in 1988. He also starred
in the prequel series Star Trek: Enterprise (2001) as Jonathan Archer,
the captain of Earth's first long-range starship. Today, he lives in
Los Angeles, California and has a farm in upstate New York.
David Newsom as Navy Lt. Tom Beckett: Father
was an investor. Mother was an employment agency manager. He attended a
year at Ohio University but then dropped out. A year later he began
attending Ithaca College where he earned a degree in film production.
He has worked as a band singer, alternative newspaper editor, write,
waiter, delivery man, blasting worker, beer bottler, fence installer,
and has worked in film production and set construction. While working
set construction for the Catskill Actors Theater, he was given a role
as a waiter with two lines in Death Of a Salesman. He was given a
ticket to L.A. by a friend, and got a small part in TV's China Beach
(1988) (which was later cut). He continued working odd jobs until he
was cast as Scott Bakula's brother, "Tom", in the TV series Quantum
Leap (1989) (which was a very memorable role and performance).
Olivia Burnette as Katie Beckett: Olivia
Burnette began her acting career at the tender age of 6. The most
notable of her first acting jobs was in Planes, Trains &
Automobiles (1987) opposite comic superstar Steve Martin. After several
television appearances, Olivia was cast as the lead in the down-home
series The Torkelsons (1991), playing Dorothy Jane. Olivia continued
her television career with a few television movies, before being cast
in The Quick and the Dead (1995), which allowed her to work with such
actors as Gene Hackman, Sharon Stone and Russell Crowe. Olivia
continued her work on the big screen in Eye for an Eye (1996) with
director John Schlesinger, and got the opportunity to play Sally
Field's daughter as well as be brutalized in a controversial scene by
Kiefer Sutherland. Determined to obtain a college degree, Olivia left
Los Angeles to attend the prestigious NYU, Tisch School of the Arts.
She graduated with not one but two majors: Film and English. After
school, she was inspired to buy the rights to a novel and adapted it
into a screenplay, which is currently being shopped. Most recently,
Olivia has been seen in the hit television show CSI: NY (2004) along
with Oscar nominated Gary Sinise and Emmy nominated Melina Kanakaredes,
and in the naval drama NCIS (2003) with Mark Harmon. Her most recent
feature film entitled Flourish (2006), which also stars Jennifer
Morrison and Jesse Spencer from the hit Fox drama House (2004),
premiered at the world renowned Cinequest Film Festival 2006, as well
being screened at the Cannes Film Market in 2006. She currently resides
in Southern California with her husband, singer/songwriter/producer
Julian Sakata, and her five year old stepson, Rain.
Caroline Kava as Thelma Beckett: Caroline
Kava was born on September 25, 1949 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. She is
an actress and director, known for Born on the Fourth of July (1989),
Number One (1998) and Year of the Dragon (1985). Teacher at American
Academy of Dramatic Arts as of November, 2018. Taught at
University of North Carolina (UNC) School of Drama from 2003-2018.
Hannah
Cutrona as Mary Lou: Hannah
Cutrona was born on February 8, 1972 in Santa Clara County, California,
USA. She is an actress, known for Quantum Leap (1989), Silk Stalkings
(1991) and CBS Summer Playhouse (1987).
Mai-Lis Kuniholm as Lisa Parson: Mai-Lis Kuniholm is known for Quantum Leap (1989), Arachnophobia (1990) and Miami Vice (1984).
Mik Scriba as Coach Donnelly: Mik
Scriba was born on December 1, 1947 in Illinois, USA. He was an actor
and producer, known for The Negotiator (1998), Conspiracy Theory (1997)
and Wild Wild West (1999). He was married to Mary Todhunter. He died on
June 15, 2018 in Burbank, California, USA.
Niles Brewster as Dr. Berger: Niles
Brewster was born on November 12, 1934 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He
was an actor, known for Quantum Leap (1989), Casual Sex? (1988) and
Doubles (1978). He died on July 3, 2002 in Santa Monica, California,
USA.
Matthew John Graeser as Harley: Matthew John Graeser is known for Quantum Leap (1989) and Diagnosis Murder (1993).
Ethan Wilson as Sibby: Ethan
started as a production manager within the Walt Disney Studios where he
cut his teeth on TV campaigns, trailers, and in-school programs. He
would later move on to become a producer for Alkemi Entertainment,
responsible for a bevy of independent feature films and home
entertainment campaigns, earning his Key Art win for the home
entertainment trailer on 'Pulp Fiction.' Changing venues and producing
promotional content for other motion-picture companies, such as New
Wave Entertainment, Open Road Entertainment, and In a Garage; he
furthered his unique perspectives on what speaks to an audience, and
has produced a wide-range of promotional material of every kind,
including trailers, promos, sizzle reels, multi-cam productions and
original content for TV shows such as 'Sons of Anarchy Seasons 1-7,'
'Justified,' and 'The Bastard Executioner.' In 2016, Ethan successfully
opened up his own shop, BOM! Creative, his most recent assignments are
working on 'Mayans M.C. seasons 1-5, 'The Old Man' seasons 1-2 starring
Jeff Bridges, David Leitch's 'Bullet Train' starring Brad Pitt, Zack
Snyder's next film for Netflix 'Rebel Moon,' FX's coverage of this
year's San Diego Comic-Con, Chris Judge's newest Sci-Fi/Fantasy
round-table series for The Companion App, 'Iconic' hosted by Guillermo
Del Toro, and the up-coming horror film 'Insidious 5,' 'Gran Turismo,'
'Spiderman 3,' and 'Venom 3,' adding to his retinue of creative
exploration. * Ethan is a member of the Producers Guild of America, a
Director of Photography with the International Cinematographers Guild -
Local 600, and an FAA certified Drone Pilot - Part107 License.
John L. Tuell as “No Nose” Pruett: John
Tuell is known for Mask (1985), Quantum Leap (1989) and Legal Eagles
(1986). Tall, extremely handsome actor best remembered as Gus, an
extremely handsome actor sharing the stage with Gene Rowlands in John
Cassavetes' Opening Night. Not only an actor, John led the
transportation units on five films including Mask and Legal Eagles...
which gets the cast and crew to and back from the shooting locations.
Co-starred in John Cassavetes' Opening Night that featured Peter
Bogdanovich as himself, and later was directed by Peter in Mask.
Adam Affonso as Young Sam Beckett: Adam Logan aks Adam Affonso is known for Alias (2001), Quantum Leap (1989) and Born on a Black Rainbow (2015).
Say
What? A
mother would normally ask her son why he was crying, but Thelma doesn't
in the first scene as he arrives at the door.
The Raisin Bran box on the table is from after this time period.
In the mirror in
the hallway when Sam and Al are speaking, you can see Al's shoulder in
the mirror along with two more shots of Sam's face (instead of his
younger self).
A
scene must have been cut or skipped over in filming, because Sam never
mentions time-travel to any of the family members. However, all of the
sudden, a doctor is brought in to assess his delusions of traveling in
time and even tries to convince Katie he's a time-traveler when he
sings "Imagine."
When Sam and Al
speak in the cornfield, the corn waves sometimes, and is very still in
other shots, inconsistently.
By
preventing the marriage of Lisa Parsons and No-Nose Pruitt, Sam also
prevents their children from being born. The ramifications of this are
never discussed, neither temporal nor ethical. Also not mentioned is
whether or not Sam's sister, Katie, had children by her new
(post-change) husband. (In fact, the latter is not changed: It had
already been established in the pilot that, at the time Sam leapt,
Katie had remarried to a man named Jim and had two children, and this
episode states that her marriage to Chuck still happened.) Source
In the original history, the team that defeated Elk Ridge won honestly.
In the new history, Elk Ridge won, but not honestly, since Sam is,
technically, no longer in high school. Elk Ridge's victory allowed the
Elk Ridge boys to get scholarships. What happened to the boys on the
other team? Did they lose scholarships? This is never explored. Source
Quotable
Quotes:
Al to Sam (shooting baskets with Tom): "He's right, Sam. A good
jump-hook can melt a woman's heart."
Al to the coach: "Paddycake? That's 'high 5s'! That's called 'high 5s'!
And what are you yelling defense for? You should be put 'em into a
press!" ...he pauses as something occurs to him... "I feel like Dennis
Hopper in 'Hoosiers'."
Don't listen to
Sans-a-beak there!
-- Al, "The Leap Home"
Ya got a lot of Boy Scout in you, Sam.
-- Al, "The Leap Home"
Lisa wants to know if you're taking anyone to the Gobbler hop after the
game.
Oh boy.
I knew he was shy, but that's ridiculous.
-- One of the cheerleaders and Sam, "The Leap Home"
Sam, you scared 10 years out of me!
Mom?
-- Thelma Beckett and Sam, "The Leap Home"
You're not old Dad, you look just the way I remember you.
What, since you left for school this morning?
-- Sam and John Beckett, "The Leap Home"
Lisa asked him to the dance after the game on Saturday and you know
what Sam did?
Katie!
He ran away!
(Figures.)
-- Katie and Sam, with comments from Al, "The Leap Home"
What would you do if you ran into a girl you had a crush on 25 years
ago? ... Don't answer that!
-- Sam to Al, "The Leap Home"
Cheerleaders! I'll bet Lisa's the one with the cute pompoms.
They don't have ... (glare)
-- Al and Sam, "The Leap Home"
You hear that, whoever you are, where ever you are - I QUIT.
-- Sam, "The Leap Home"
You're the best.
Thanks, but I'm not eligible to play.
-- Sam and Tom, "The Leap Home"
He could give stubborn lessons to a mule.
-- Sam's mother, "The Leap Home"
It's not fair, Al. I mean, c'mon. It's not fair.
Well, I think it's damn fair.
What?!
I'd give anything to see my father and my sister for a few days.
To be able to talk with them again. Laugh with
them. Tell them how much I love them. I'd give
anything to have what you have, Sam. Anything.
-- Sam and Al, "The Leap Home"
Hell no, we won't go.... I gotta admit, it's a catchy slogan.
-- Lt. Tom Beckett, "The Leap Home"
Why can I save strangers and not the people I love?
-- Sam, “The Leap Home”
To..................................................om!
-- Sam, "The Leap Home, Pts 1 & 2"
Best Line:
Al to Sam: "I'd give anything to have what you do, Sam. Anything."
Best Scene:
The second 'best' scene is the one on the porch just after Katie has
gone to her mother to her mother, crying, and John and Tom have also
come running:
Al: "Sam, tell them you made it up."
Sam: "I can't"
(Tom kneels before Katie, comforting and assuring her that he isn't
going to die in Vietnam.)
Al: "Sam, you're not changing anything. Your father still dies in '72,
Tom still gets killed in Vietnam, and Katie still marries Chuck. You're
not changing their future, Sam. You're just making their present
miserable."
Sam: "Okay! I made it up. I made it all up." (He's becoming emotional;
his voice starts to falter) "I didn't wa...I didn't want Tom to go to
Vietnam."
Thelma (gently): "Oh, Sam."
Sam (voice quivering, almost in tears): "I'm sorry." (He licks his lips
then bites his lower lip) "I'm sorry!"
(Sam runs off the porch, across the yard and around the parked truck.
Tom starts to go after him but is stopped by John).
John Beckett: "Let him go, Tom. He needs to be alone."
(Sam
comes running up to Al in the field then stops, breathing hard.)
Al: "I know it hurts, Sam. But you did the right thing."
Sam (still getting his breath back): I always d...I always do the right
thing, Al. And what does it get me? Why can I save str...strangers, and
not the people I love?"
Al: "I don't know."
Sam: "Well, I'm not gonna do it anymore, Al.
(He rears back, looking up at the sky and yells)
"You hear that? Whoever you are...wherever you are? I'm not doing it
anymore! I quit!"
(He sort of stumbles as he turns to Al)
"I quit."
(Sam tears off running through the corn rows again. Al looks after him,
concerned, and
calls to him.)
Al: "Sam!"
(Scene shifts to other side of cornfield. Al's waiting for Sam as he
comes tearing out of the corn rows, stumbles and falls to the ground;
he gets up quickly, once more breathing hard from the exertion.)
Al (quietly): "Feel better?" (He lights a cigar and puffs it slowly.)
Sam (sharply): "No! No, I don't feel better. It's not fair, Al. I
mean...come on. It's not fair."
Al (takes cigar out of his mouth, studies it a moment before saying):
"Well, I think ....uh... I think it's damn fair."
Sam, incredulously: "What?!"
Al (looking up at Sam): "I'd give anything to see my father and my
sister for a few days. Be able to talk with them again. Laugh with
them. Tell them how much I love them." "I'd give anything to have what
you have, Sam. (Al pauses significantly as he holds Sam's gaze):
"Anything."
(Al's words and expression at last get through to Sam, realization
finally dawning for him.)
Awards:
This episode won an Emmy for Outstanding Achievement
in Makeup for a
Series in 1991 on their work creating John Beckett. Makeup team:
Jeremy Swan
Douglas D. Kelly
Gerald Quist
Michael Mills
Michael Watkins (director of photography) won
his 2nd consecutive Emmy
for both parts of 'The Leap Home').
Donald P. Bellisario was nominated for an
Episodic Drama award by the Writers Guild of
America for Episodic Drama in 1991.
Synopsis & Review:
When
Sam leaps in, he is crouching in a field of seed corn, and immediately
realizes from the height of the crops and the smell that it must be
November. He also realizes that there must be pheasants around, and
when he flushes one out, pretends to shoot it. He is being watched by
three high school cheerleaders, who giggle and ask if he got it.
Sam recognizes one of the cheerleaders, Lisa (played by Mai-Lis
Kuniholm), who asks him to go with her to the “gobble hop”
(Thanksgiving dance) after “the game”. In shock, Sam runs off, but
immediately recognizes his home street and runs straight for his
family's farmhouse. He gets a glimpse of his reflection in the window,
and sees none other than himself at sixteen years old. A woman, who Sam
recognizes as his mother, Thelma Louise Beckett (played by Caroline
Kava), opens the door, and exclaims that Sam scared ten years off her.
She starts calling for everyone to come in for supper, and on the verge
of tears, Sam immediately hugs her, and goes to find his father.
Sam's father, John Samuel Beckett (played by Scott Bakula), is milking
cows in the milking shed. He sternly tells Sam he shouldn't have stayed
back after basketball practice to keep shooting hoops when he has
chores to do, and to not push himself too hard, he can't expect to play
as well as Tom (played by David Newsom) in his senior year, because Tom
was 18 and Sam is only 16 and still growing. After telling his father
it won't happen again, Sam shocks John by telling him that he loves him
and giving him a hug. Sam's sister, Katie (played by Olivia Burnette),
sees this as she walks in, and thinks Sam is just buttering up his
father so that he can have Tom's bedroom, which she also wants. Even
though John thinks Sam should have it, Sam tells Katie she can, and
anything else she wants, and carries her off in a playful hug. At
dinner, Sam shovels the food down because it's “all very good”, and
John thinks Sam is trying to bulk up for the game.
Sam, remembering how the game originally went, absentmindedly says that
Bentleighville still beat them, then covers by saying that happened
last year. John says the key will be stopping “No-Nose Pruitt” (played
by John Tuell), who scored 20 points against them in the last season,
and whom Sam says is “unstoppable” and “6 ft 4” (answering Al, who just
walked through the wall and asked how tall he is) and lost part of his
nose in a reaping accident.
Katie also heard from one of her friends that No-Nose has it in for
Sam, because he is sweet on Lisa, who likes Sam, and teases Sam about
running away when she asked him out. Sam leaves to “do his chores”
(really to talk to Al), even putting off peach cobbler, and Thelma has
a funny feeling. This worries John, because last time she had a bad
feeling they had a massive flood “that could float the Ark” the year
Katie was born – and they think Katie was God making it up to them.
Even though Al ribs Sam for running away from Lisa, Sam couldn't be
happier at being back in Elk Ridge Indiana with his dad alive. He
already knows it's 1969 sometime near Thanksgiving, because 1969 was
his senior year and they always opened the basketball season against
Bentleighville, which Al says is why Sam leapt there.
In the original order of events, Sam's team lost that game, or rather,
as Sam puts it, he lost the game because of how badly No-Nose beat him
on offense, defense, and just plain beat him, and spent many nights
wishing he could replay the game. Al tells him he's going to get that
chance as that game would have been a turning point for a lot of
people; if they had won, the team would go on to be state champions,
his coach would have accepted a position at the University of Iowa and
go on to the NBA and some of his teammates would get basketball
scholarships and become doctors. Al tells Sam all he has to do is win
the game against Bentleighville and he'll leap, but leaping out isn't
very appealing to Sam. Sam thinks if he stays, he can help his father
live a healthier lifestyle to prevent the heart attack that kills him,
he can stop Katie from marrying Chuck – an abusive alcoholic who beat
her, and could stop Tom from going to Vietnam, thus saving his life.
Al doesn't think it's possible and reminds Sam that they tried that
sort of thing with Beth, and that some things aren't meant to be. He
reminds Sam that he's supposed to help people, telling him that any
leap could be the leap home. But as far as Sam is concerned, he's
already home and still wants to try. The next morning, Sam causes an
argument with his father, because he has made a “healthy, well-balanced
breakfast” with decaffeinated coffee, which John does not like the look
of. Sam tells John that his lifestyle promotes cardiovascular disease
(which makes Thelma think Sam will be a doctor) and that John has to
stop eating foods high in cholesterol and saturated fats, stop smoking,
and start exercising, but John believes he is healthy, works hard and
will continue to eat what he raises (dairy products).
John goes to buy more cigarettes (which Sam has burnt along with the
trash) and Thelma tells Sam that he had been very mean to his father.
Katie thinks it's because John is the same age his father was when he
died. Thelma agrees to cut some fat out of their meals after
Thanksgiving, but tells Sam not to remind John about his father's death
again. Sam thinks he will change their futures, but Al tells Sam he has
to get to basketball practice. Sam doesn't want to go because he
doesn't want to leap, but agrees when Al tells him he will get to see
his old friends again, but says he's not going to play in the game. Al
says if Sam really believes he is here to help his family, he shouldn't
worry about leaping if they win the game.
At basketball practice, the coach has organized to have someone “bigger
and uglier” train with them, to get them over the intimidation of
No-Nose Prewitt. The man (who is wearing an ape mask) has great skills,
and Sam thinks he knows him. When he playfully hits Sam in the head
with the basketball, Sam immediately knows it is his brother Tom and
pulls him in for a hug. Tom and Sam go hunting in the cornfield, and
Tom tells Sam about his training, being pushed well past his limits and
never thinking past the evolution he is in. Sam says he knows how that
feels, which makes Tom laugh, and asks “what evolution are you in now?”
Sam replies that he's trying to figure out how to stop his brother from
going to Vietnam. Tom is shocked, having never thought of Sam as a
hippie, burning his draft card and yelling “Hell No! We won’t go!” But
Sam says Vietnam is a losing battle that's just going to drag on for a
few more years, taking more lives from both sides with them, and the
North eventually swallowing up the South anyway. Tom wonders why Sam is
being so unpatriotic, and Sam says that if his brother's life is in
danger it should mean something. Tom believes that Vietnam is America
pushing its own limits, and that he took an oath to God and his country.
Now having realized that Sam thinks he's not coming back, Tom tells him
that neither of them can see the future, but Sam confesses that he can,
correctly predicting that Tom will flush out two birds, hit the first
and miss the second, stunning Tom. Sam's parents and Tom have a doctor
examine Sam. The doctor believes that Sam is simply under a lot of
stress, doing his senior year so young and having numerous college
offers, and out of fear of losing Tom, his mind has created a creative
way of handling it, believing he can see the future. The doctor advises
the family to simply play along and that he will outgrow it.
Katie plays along too, asking Sam about the future. He tells her about
some of the new slang (thereby starting the use of the word “Awesome”)
and tells her to stay away from a guy named Chuck who she's going to
elope with. He gets frustrated realizing she's just humoring him, so
she asks him about the Beatles, and if Paul is dead (which she heard
when playing the White Album backwards). He tells her Paul's not dead,
and that after the Beatles split up he forms Wings. She then asks about
John Lennon, as he's her favorite, and after being told by Al not to
tell her about his murder, says that John writes his favorite song,
“Imagine”. He starts playing it, and Katie is clearly into it, but
starts crying, having realized that because the song doesn't exist yet,
that Sam actually is telling the truth and that Tom actually is going
to die. She runs to her parents and Tom and tells them what happened.
Al pleads with Sam to tell them he made it all up, as nothing is
changing; John and Tom will still die and Katie still marries Chuck.
Instead of making their future better, Sam is only making his family's
present miserable. Reluctantly he agrees claiming he only did it
because he didn't want Tom to go to Vietnam. He then runs off in tears,
and John decides to leave him be for a while.
Sam runs into the cornfield, where Al tries to comfort him, telling him
he did the right thing. Sam says he always does the right thing, and
wonders why he can save strangers but not the people he loves. He
angrily tells whoever is controlling his leaps that he quits before
running off again. After giving him a few minutes to calm down, Sam
tells Al how unfair he thinks his situation is. Al tells Sam he thinks
it's “Damn Fair”, wishing that he could have a few days to be with his
father and sister again so he could talk to them and tell them how much
he loves them. This snaps Sam out of it, and he decides to make the
most of out of the time he has left. Returning home, he has a very
happy Thanksgiving with his family. After dinner, he and Tom shoot some
hoops, and Tom teaches him how to do a jump hook shot, and says it will
impress the Hell out of Lisa. He also tells Sam that they have to beat
Bentleighville, he wants his revenge as they were the only team his own
team didn't beat. Sam promises that he will win the game, on the
condition that on April 8, Tom will crawl into a deep dark bunker and
stay there. Although Tom still doesn't believe Sam, he agrees.
At the game, Sam is fouled and winded by No-nose. Tom helps him back
up, and Sam reminds him to keep his promise. After saying a brief
goodbye to his dad, Sam makes his freethrow shots leaving his team
within one point of victory. In the last few seconds, Sam gets the
ball, and makes a jump hook shot against No-nose, scoring the goal and
winning the game for Elk Ridge. Al tells him that his team goes on to
be state champions and everything plays out as Ziggy had predicted. Al
stalls when asked about Tom, but eventually tells him that Tom is still
killed in Vietnam. Sam tries to call for Tom, but leaps at the same
time, and so is still yelling “Tom” when he lands in Vietnam, causing
everyone to start shooting, while Sam ducks in the water. When the
shooting stops, Sam resurfaces, realizing he is alongside Tom, who asks
how he knew they were there..? To Be Continued...Source
Personal
Review by Eleiece <aka> Sherdran:
I have always loved this episode. For one thing, it's about family.
It's about realizing that when you've been given something special,
especially if that special something is something you never ever
expected to get the opportunity to experience again in your life, to be
thankful for it.
I love 'The Leap Home, Part 1' because it's about learning. As Al told
Sam, "Some things just aren't meant to be." It's about taking that
special moment, putting it in your heart, and then embracing and
accepting the wisdom you've just gained and finally, look that
'whatever wasn't meant to be' in the eye and say good-bye.
Perhaps, as Sam said, he was being rewarded for all of the good he'd
done up to that point. But I also think he was being taught a painful
but needed lesson about knowing when it's time to let go of what was,
what can't ever be changed, hold onto the precious memories, and go on.
Lessons like the one Sam had to learn happen to all of us. And all of
us, like Sam, will have in our lives, at one time or another, a similar
moment when we will learn that it's time to tuck the memories safely in
our hearts and go on with life.
Production Credits:
Theme by:Mike Post Music by: Velton Ray Bunch Co-Executive Producer: Deborah Pratt Co-Executive Producer: Michael Zinberg Supervising Producers: Harker Wade, Robert Wolterstorff Co-producers: Paul Brown, Jeff Gourson Produced by:Chris Ruppenthal Created by: Donald P. Bellisario Written By:Donald P. Bellisario Directed by:Joe Napolitano
Executive Producer: Donald P. Bellisario Associate Producer: James S. Giritlian Executive Story Editor: Tommy Thompson Director of Photography:Michael Watkins Production Designer: Cameron Birnie Edited by:Jerry Temple Unit Production Manager: Ron Grow First Assistant Director: Paul Sirmons Second Assistant Director: Rob Mendel Casting by: Ellen Lubin Sanitsky Set Director: Robert L. Zilliox Costume Designer: Jean-Pierre Dorleac Costume Supervisors: David Rawley & Donna Roberts-Orme Sound Mixers: Mark Hopkins McNabb, Jim La Rue Stunt Coordinator: Diamond Farnsworth
Panaflex ® Camera and Lenses by: Panavision ®
Supervising Sound Editor: Paul Clay Music Editor: Donald Woods
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.
Country
of first publication: United States of Amercia. Univeral City Studios,
Inc. is the author of this motion picture for purposes of the Berne
Convention and all national laws giving effect thereto.
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
Quantum Leap Podcast
In
the thirty-first installment of The Quantum Leap Podcast, Albie and
Heather discuss season three, episode one “The Leap Home”. There are
first impressions, an episode recap, thoughts and opinions, listener
feedback, an amazing interview with The Star of Quantum Leap Scott
Bakula, who played Dr. Sam Beckett in every episode. Also, Great
segments from Chris DeFilippis and a cool article from Hayden McQueenie
about The Leap Home.
00:00:00 – QLP opening
00:03:18 – Hello – First impressions
00:09:37 – Episode recap
00:20:28 – Main discussion/Episode breakdown
01:10:52 – Interview with Scott Bakula
01:47:33 – Chit-chat about stuff and things
01:51:47 – Chris DeFilippis – Going Home
01:58:51 – Feedback
02:29:22 – Hayden McQueenie
02:42:41 – Quantum Leap Fanfic announcement
02:44:00 – News
02:46:17 – Trivia
02:51:42 – Radio Trivia with Chris DeFilippis – The Leap Home
02:55:05 – On the next episode
02:58:10 – Credits
Let us know what you think… Leave us a
voicemail by calling (707) 847-6682 and send in your thoughts, theories
and feedback, send MP3s & email to quantumleappodcast@gmail.com.
Also join us on Facebook.com/QuantumLeapPodcast and
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