102 Star-Crossed

[TheLeaper]

Originally Posted by blue enigma

. Through the whole episode neither of them really gave a damn whether Donna was 'okay' or not for her own sake regardless of what Sam might or might not get out of it personally.

Now that you mention it, did we get any indication of how Donna's life turned out in the original history? Or was it just simply a case of "she left me at the altar, how do I prevent that?" Who is to say she wasn't happy living somewhere with a job she loves? He knew in the previous episode there was a possibility he would be bouncing around in time for the rest of his life. And he changes history to "She's cured of her abandonment issues!! I can abandon her for the rest of my life now!"

[blue enigma]

Originally Posted by TheLeaper

Now that you mention it, did we get any indication of how Donna's life turned out in the original history? Or was it just simply a case of "she left me at the altar, how do I prevent that?"

This is the exact point I've made elsewhere. It was just "she left me at the altar, how do I prevent that?" We have no idea what her life was like in the original history and Sam never bothers to ask. It was really all about him.

Originally Posted by TheLeaper

Who is to say she wasn't happy living somewhere with a job she loves? He knew in the previous episode there was a possibility he would be bouncing around in time for the rest of his life. And he changes history to "She's cured of her abandonment issues!! I can abandon her for the rest of my life now!"

Exactly.

[TheLeaper]

Just watching the episode now. Obvious problem of playing episodes out of production order. Al claims they'll get Sam to leap out pretty quick this time. Considering his previous baseball leap was mere minutes, how can this leap be considered quick?

[MichelleD]

I haven't posted here for a while, I've been occupied. You make some valid points Blue Enigma, and you too Leaper. The idea is to make things right, but it's questionable in this case who is the one benefitting. Is Sam really helping Donna or is he simply not wanting to be left? Sam wasn't perfect or anything; he could be selfish (and we all have at least that capacity even if we don't act on it). I like Teri Hatcher, and I like that this is about Sam's past.

[Lightning McQueenie]

Did anyone wonder what happened to Colonel Wojohowitz after he was shipped out? I thought he must have died, as in the original history, Donna was never later able to get over her daddy issues. Michael Gregory, who played Colonel Wojohowitz, seemed to believe the same thing, as he told us in his interview for the Quantum Leap Podcast. I was pleased to see that this was also mentioned in "Pulitzer" - one of the best novels I've read by the way.

As for the Star-Crossed episode itself, I did really enjoy it, and I have to disagree with many who have posted earlier. Sam would not have acted as he had if he didn't believe that Donna would end up better off from his actions - he must have subconsciously known that Donna getting over her issues would be the best way to ensure she gets some happiness later in life - even though he, you know, ended up doing exactly the same thing to her later on...

[MO]

Just rewatched this episode, and even after several years, it's still just 'meh' to me. The professor/student dynamic creeps me out, and the whole story (yes, including the Donna angle) just didn't interest me at all. And I found it rather unbelievable that in the scene where Al was trying to convey info to Sam in front of observers who were inside the imaging chamber, it took them that long to realize that that was what he was doing. I vote "Average" for this episode.

[Lightning McQueenie]

I just watched this episode again, and a couple of thoughts crossed my mind...

First, I think it actually IS implied in this episode that Donna ended up marrying Sam. Almost immediately after Donna and her father reconcile, Al says that Ziggy is spitting microchips, having "never seen it coming". Al manages to pass this off as Sam causing the Watergate scandal, but in future episodes, Ziggy never has a problem with stating the changes to history. I think that Ziggy's meltodown must have been due to the fact that the change in timeline actually did affect the project this time.

Second, while this is a long shot and probably impossible, would you think it possible that Dr Bryant was actually the first person that Donna was supposed to marry? That would have been a funny twist :P

[chris-oates]

A great episode. The first to be written by Deborah Pratt. The only problem I have with it is I don’t think it feels like it should be the second episode. I don’t know where in the order this was filmed, but it feels like it should be somewhere towards the end of season 1 (maybe because the pressure at the project seems to have come about too quickly). Even so, this is a solid episode.

This is the first time that Sam has a chance to change his own life and personal history. I love Teri Hatcher in this episode. She’ll always be the best Donna in my eyes. The whole subplot with Jamie Lee and Oscar is very funny, as is the first brush with history regarding the Watergate break in. Best scene of the episode has to be Al with the hieroglyphics, desperately trying to send messages to Sam. It’s the first time we see a glimpse of that unbreakable bond between Sam and Al.

My rating. Good. A fun and touching episode.