108 Play It Again, Seymour

[alsplacebartender]

Play It Again, Seymour
April 14, 1953

New York City, New York


You dirty rat! Well, actually he's leaped into a guy that could be the spitting image of Bogart. He's holding a gun over a dead body and the police come in. Oh boy.

He's there to find the killer, possibly a dropper named Clapper or some other hard Harry out there. He's a peeper; a private detective, that is...a gumshoe, if you will, and things get a little sticky when a sultry woman steps into the picture. Did she do it? Was it Seymour? Or did Sam do it? There's a book about it, but it was never finished, so Sam must unravel the mystery before the Clapper claps him. Or something like that.


Teleplay by: Scott Shepherd & Donald P. Bellisario
Story by: Tom Blomquist and Scott Shepherd & Donald P. Bellisario
Directed by: Aaron Lipstadt


Rate and comment on this episode!

[Vince Beckett]

This was a good episode. It was filled with mystery and suspense.

[Quantum Bakula]

Not a bad episode.Claudia Christian is sizzling.

[lilttkaibacorpchic008]

Eh... Ijust thought this one was ok...

[Snish]

This is my favorite from Season 1, barring the pilot. It has an almost magical quality that the series never achieved again. It's as though Sam has leaped into a fictional character. All the film references are great fun, along with the silly gumshoe slang. Besides, Al was to die for in that white suit.

On the DVD for season 1, Scott tells a great story about that episode. He and Dean had to work all night filming promos for the show because Sunday evening was the only time they could schedule it. Then they both had to go to the set to film all day Monday, doing the ballroom scene. So both of them were completely exhausted, but I don't think you'll find any flaws in their performances because of it.

[Enterprise]

I really like this Episode as well, it just goes to show how great Scott and Dean are as actor's and not just collapse on set, and the general quality of their skill shines right through.

I particularly like the elevator scene, but surely Scott hurt himself a bit there? Poor guy.

Also, it reminds me of the ST:TNG episode 'The Long Goodbye'. Which is always good.

[SamBeckett94]

I loved this episode. Reasons for I don't know, but there was just something about it. I liked that it appeared to be poking a little bit of fun at those old detective movies. I also agree with Snish's comment.

[samnal]

Why do I treasure this episode???? Because it was filmed in the Bradbury Mansion for one, for another Scott looks gorgeous, Dean was exquisite as Al and the interplay between them locked Sam and Al in my heart forever.
Terri

[Janna Galaxy]

I loved the spat that Al and Sam had at the bar. But then Sam says sorry at the end. Awww.

It was cool to see Willie Garson. He looks younger with that cap on!

But the main reason I like this episode is because Scott looks so hot!!!

[cookiemom6067]

I love the scene when he and Claudia are kissing in the rain - ooooooooo - hot!

Does anyone else find it interesting that Sam lights up several times in the series, including in this episode, but calls smoking a "nasty habit" several other times?

[leaper1]

Originally Posted by cookiemom6067

Does anyone else find it interesting that Sam lights up several times in the series, including in this episode, but calls smoking a "nasty habit" several other times?

I've always taken this as being the leapee's influence making him smoke. A slight merging of brainwaves such as we see stronger in other episodes, like Will's stammer, giving Sam the craving for nicotine that the person he's leaped into feels.

[isz]

Good Episode but all the "gumshoe slang" really ruined it for me,because it seems to me like if you're not an American and familier with that old detective slang and fiction it hard to follow the dialogues. thanks god i've seen it with translation...

[cookiemom6067]

I'm curious, isz - where are you from? That genre (the Phillip Marlowe/Sam Spade detective story) would require some familiarity with American cultural references. Don't feel bad, though, some of it was gibberish to me, too.

[isz]

I'm from Israel.

[HologramIAm]

The Best Part: I was never a fan of this genre, so finding a best part in it is a "few and far between" issue with me. I'm actually having to think about it. Hmm. I guess when Sam thought he Leaped into Humphrey Bogart at first. He sure looked like him.

The Funniest Part: When Al told the cop he should (not quoting) trim his mustache... it had some junk in it and it was yucky. I died laughing!

The Worst Part: All that slang... and I'm an American who understood every word of it!

This episode: SO-SO

[Bexter]

Gee, everyone's complaining about the slang being hard to follow. I'm from australia and I found it a breeze. Just goes to show how influenzed we are over here by America. I did enjoy this ep, i really do enjoy the ones that have a lot of comedy and fun in them. This is one of those ones that have the 'stereo types' that we can have a giggle at. I think as the series progressed they were got few and far between. The fun eps that is.

[Joe_Quarterback]

Ok, there goes my opinion:

I'm not complaining for the slang, and it kinda helped to increase the vocabulary. But I had a hard time trying to understanding it at first without the spanish subtitles (for the english practice, you know, and I remember watchin' this episode with spanish dubbing first when I was a kid). Of course, with the spanish dubbing, you lose half of the slang in the adaptation, but it was a decent adaptation.

It's kinda funny how Seymour sticks at Nick/Sam's side, like a chewing gum on a shoe and tries to emulate the attitude (in his own way) of Nick/Sam. Anyway, as we all know, after all the kidnapping and shooting, Seymour limits the detective adventures to writing stories...

Best Regards

Joe Quarterback

[Lightning McQueenie]

Forgettable episode...

[blue enigma]

Originally Posted by Snish

It has an almost magical quality that the series never achieved again. It's as though Sam has leaped into a fictional character.

The first time I watched this episode I actually thought for a while that Sam was dreaming the leap. There really is a magical, unreal, dream-like quality to the whole episode that was wonderful.

I also loved the way they integrated the friendship theme in the episode, with Sam's lashing out at Al and then at Seymour, and then it resolves beautifully in both instances. It's done in a subtle, touching way. One of the best in Season 1.

[Donofrio_QLTD]

Right up there with the episode "Stand-Up" (which I'll get to sometime soon), this is one of the episodes I always try to skip or at least leave it to the very end after watching all the other episodes first. Loved the beginning and the end of this episode, especially the "start of a wonderful friendship" stuff, but everything that is in the middle is rather boring to me. It actually captures its point very well at recreating that sort of detective story and its very peculiar style, but it's just not of my liking.

My rating: Fair.

Overall, not my favorite season, but definitely the one that carries most of the gems of variation.

[servo75]

This is actually in my Top 10 list. It took me a while to warm up to it, but it was creatively done, the whole film noir angle (even having Sam talking like a 1940s private eye). Despite not having a clear mission, there was a good plot and I thought well-acted.

Though Sam seemed "off" in this episode, his treatment of Seymour and smoking a cigarette!

We never really knew what Sam's real objective was here, but it was one of those "on the lighter side" episodes (well except for the guy shooting at him at Laguardia).

[servo75]

Originally Posted by Bexter

Gee, everyone's complaining about the slang being hard to follow. I'm from australia and I found it a breeze.

The slang was a neat angle, I could usually figure it out from context. Strange episode, but good anyway.

[servo75]

When Sam left Gotham Towers for Laguardia, we saw someone get into the cab with Allison, someone she was expecting. If that was Lionel, how could they not have been in it together? Perhaps it wasn't Allison's intention for Lionel to kill Phil, but would she then have had Nick killed to get him out of the way?

Also, I was wondering about that "Who Killed Grimsley and Allen" part. Who wrote it if Nick and Phil were both killed? I'm not familiar with those contest books but did they write them about real events hoping that a reader found the killer? And what did Al mean about "if the cops could prove it...", did he mean the real cops or what?

[leaper1]

Originally Posted by servo75

When Sam left Gotham Towers for Laguardia, we saw someone get into the cab with Allison, someone she was expecting. If that was Lionel, how could they not have been in it together? Perhaps it wasn't Allison's intention for Lionel to kill Phil, but would she then have had Nick killed to get him out of the way?

Also, I was wondering about that "Who Killed Grimsley and Allen" part. Who wrote it if Nick and Phil were both killed? I'm not familiar with those contest books but did they write them about real events hoping that a reader found the killer? And what did Al mean about "if the cops could prove it...", did he mean the real cops or what?

I always took it that she hadn't actually looked, and was assuming it was Sam in the cab.

As for who wrote the book, the natural candidate is Seymour. That's why it was never finished - because he was originally killed .

[blue enigma]

Originally Posted by leaper1

I always took it that she hadn't actually looked, and was assuming it was Sam in the cab.

Exactly. She's looking in the mirror and putting on lipstick, not at who got in the car. She assumed it was Sam/Nick coming back.