Interesting Observations/Facts/Questions about Quantum Leap

Does anyone else think it would be funny if Al's daughters ended up having the same names as his four other wives from the other timeline? It would be especially hilarious if he kept mixing them up like he did with his wives :p

What were Al's wives names anyway? I can remember Beth, Ruthie, Maxine, the Hungarian, what was the other one?
 
lol. Maybe. Michelle D can confirm.

Hahaha, I don't recall The Project having a bar. The idea it may have been a different time line is a valid one; I agree with the idea neither Sam nor Donna would have hung out at a bar. I think Carol was trying to portray them as being in love and meant for each other; she is a good writer. I just don't agree with some of the stuff that seemed out of character.

Sam was shy, but I think he was basically an honest person. I think he'd have been open with the people close to him also. He hated not being able to tell the families/friends/etc. of the people he had leapt into what was going on (at least in the show). Of course, the few times he did, they thought he was nuts at least initially.
 
Does anyone else think it would be funny if Al's daughters ended up having the same names as his four other wives from the other timeline? It would be especially hilarious if he kept mixing them up like he did with his wives :p

What were Al's wives names anyway? I can remember Beth, Ruthie, Maxine, the Hungarian, what was the other one?

Sharon. I admit it, I cheated and looked in the Quantum Leap book by Julie Barrett, I couldn't remember either. I did remember Beth, Ruthie and Maxine. The Hungarian wife wasn't named. :)
 
Sam was shy, but I think he was basically an honest person. I think he'd have been open with the people close to him also. He hated not being able to tell the families/friends/etc. of the people he had leapt into what was going on (at least in the show).

Exactly. I think he was only really secretive when he was about to do something that he knew Al would say was a bad idea and try to talk him out of (like stepping into the quantum leap accelerator before everything was ready, taking Alia with him when he leaped out of Arnold the midnight marauder, etc.).
 
Does anyone else think it would be funny if Al's daughters ended up having the same names as his four other wives from the other timeline? It would be especially hilarious if he kept mixing them up like he did with his wives :p

What were Al's wives names anyway? I can remember Beth, Ruthie, Maxine, the Hungarian, what was the other one?

My best friend created an entire Beckett/Calavicci family tree along side her fanfic in which it just so happens three of one of the daughter's children are named for Al's alternate timeline wives; Sharon, Ruthie and Max. This Max is apparently a boy but still haha.

She named the daughters Alison, Mauricia, Angela and Donna Beth. Donna Beth is the one who has Sharon, Ruthie and Max. And one, I believe it's Alison is a chip off the old block having gone through five husbands she can never keep straight haha! XD

She did such an awesome job. Though personally I'd say how can he not name one of his daughters Trudy. Right?
 
I was watching "Deliver Us From Evil" yesterday and a thought struck me. We know Al the Bartender makes an indirect reference to the Butterfly Effect "The lives you've touched, touched others, and those, others..." and we know that Sam has done a great deal of good. But we DON'T know anywhere near all of the lasting effects from the Butterfly Effect (and Al points out Alia's changing of history caused numerous natural disasters, though he didn't know it was Alia at the time). So I was thinking, what would happen if all the negative effects of Sam's changing history were to snowball like that? What do you think Sam could do to try to reverse all the damage he might have done. What if some outside force (like the Devil) decided to use this to his advantage and manifest all this negative influence into a massive disaster? Do you think GFTW would put Sam in a position to try to do something about it?

I don't think what I wrote made any sense, but I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts :p
 
I was watching "Deliver Us From Evil" yesterday and a thought struck me. We know Al the Bartender makes an indirect reference to the Butterfly Effect "The lives you've touched, touched others, and those, others..." and we know that Sam has done a great deal of good. But we DON'T know anywhere near all of the lasting effects from the Butterfly Effect (and Al points out Alia's changing of history caused numerous natural disasters, though he didn't know it was Alia at the time). So I was thinking, what would happen if all the negative effects of Sam's changing history were to snowball like that? What do you think Sam could do to try to reverse all the damage he might have done. What if some outside force (like the Devil) decided to use this to his advantage and manifest all this negative influence into a massive disaster? Do you think GFTW would put Sam in a position to try to do something about it?

I don't think what I wrote made any sense, but I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts :p

Al "Well, four airline crashes, an outbreak of Rangoon flu,
[Beeping], three earthquakes and 17 floods."


Alright well the three earthquakes and seventeen floods are beyond my understanding as those are natural disasters beyond man's power are they not?
As for the Airline crashes and epidemics it would help to know the chain. Like the one linking Maggie's photograph to Al's extra years in Vietnam this is one that doesn't make direct sense (though Pulitzer suggests a beautiful filler to the Maggie/Al chain). Especially as a result of a task as simple as destroying a marriage. That is if I am understanding correctly that these events are implied to have been resulting from Alia's actions in this particular leap.
I find the notion that a chain of events Sam creates could result in something as devastating as an epidemic or a plane crash very interesting. In a case such as that it could be possible for Sam to leap into that part of the chain and correct it. Though I find it interesting that you are going back to the GTFW concept when most of us here had come to an agreement that Sam had been subconsciously leaping himself the entire time. Going by this Sam would have to know the date and location in which the event was triggered if he wanted to interfere.

Though apparently he could have reversed all the listed events in this episode by just bending his knees during the moving process HAHAHAHA! XD

Sam: "All because I didn't bend my knees!?"
Al: "Right."


XD
Oh Al.
 
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Al "Well, four airline crashes, an outbreak of Rangoon flu,
[Beeping], three earthquakes and 17 floods."


Alright well the three earthquakes and seventeen floods are beyond my understanding as those are natural disasters beyond man's power are they not?
As for the Airline crashes and epidemics it would help to know the chain. Like the one linking Maggie's photograph to Al's extra years in Vietnam this is one that doesn't make direct sense (though Pulitzer suggests a beautiful filler to the Maggie/Al chain). Especially as a result of a task as simple as destroying a marriage. That is if I am understanding correctly that these events are implied to have been resulting from Alia's actions in this particular leap.
I find the notion that a chain of events Sam creates could result in something as devastating as an epidemic or a plane crash very interesting. In a case such as that it could be possible for Sam to leap into that part of the chain and correct it. Though I find it interesting that you are going back to the GTFW concept when most of us here had come to an agreement that Sam had been subconsciously leaping himself the entire time. Going by this Sam would have to know the date and location in which the event was triggered if he wanted to interfere.

Though apparently he could have reversed all the listed events in this episode by just lifting his knees during the moving process HAHAHAHA! XD

Sam: "All because I didn't bend my knees!?"
Al: "Right."


XD
Oh Al.

I don't believe that Sam actually leaps himself to the situations he gets put in, I still believe that's the work of the higher power. I just think that he chooses to keep on leaping. Blind Faith :)

Maybe Al the Bartender was pointing out to Sam that the chains he created were all good? I could live with that :)

As for Alia's chains... Maybe Corey had originally grown to be an engineer and his input had made the planes he built safer, preventing the plane crashes? Maybe Alia was already sick with the flu prior to her leaping into Connie and spread it?
Maybe the earthquakes and floods are the effects of climate change and global warming? Again, perhaps Corey had built more environmentally-friendly planes and started a cleaner revolution in the original history?
 
Lightning McQueenie said:
I don't believe that Sam actually leaps himself to the situations he gets put in, I still believe that's the work of the higher power. I just think that he chooses to keep on leaping. Blind Faith

Ok I see what your viewpoint is now, you only believe that he has the power to return himself home not the situations in which he must interfere? That's an interesting concept. It had once crossed my mind as well that even if he had been leaping himself why couldn't a higher force still have played a role? Have molded him to be the man who would create the science project that would get him started (I elaborate on this in my thread 'Destiny') and give him situations he would not have imagined. For example in All Americans Sam refused to believe that Chuey would throw the game and thus that is a leap he would not have chosen because he would have been blind to the wrong.

But there is evidence that in some situations he does seem to take control of his leaps. Such as Thou Shalt Not:
Al: "Well done my boy, leap in good health....go on, Bon voyage, Auf Wiedersehen, Shalom."
Sam: "I don't think so."

Al: "Now Sam?"
Sam: "Now."
[leaps]


It's quite suggestive that mending the bond between the father and the daughter was extra credit that he'd chosen to do.

Anyway back to the chain discussion Al the Bartender did seem to imply that all of Sam's chains were positive though it would defeat his point to mention any negative ones. Just as it would defeat it to admit to Sam that he is GTFW if he were. We know for a fact that Sam has created some negative chains which usually he would fix such as Lisa Sherman (Al's Lisa) and Elvis but we also know of one which could not be fixed. Al's extra years in Vietnam. Unless possibly he was able to fix that after Beth since he would know where to go and possibly to stop that photo from being taken. Which he still might be able to end up doing if he were to simply focus on sparing Maggie's life.

Regarding Alia:
Lightning McQueenie said:
As for Alia's chains... Maybe Corey had originally grown to be an engineer and his input had made the planes he built safer, preventing the plane crashes? Maybe Alia was already sick with the flu prior to her leaping into Connie and spread it?
Maybe the earthquakes and floods are the effects of climate change and global warming? Again, perhaps Corey had built more environmentally-friendly planes and started a cleaner revolution in the original history?

You are right, I should have thought of this.
 
Ok I see what your viewpoint is now, you only believe that he has the power to return himself home not the situations in which he must interfere? That's an interesting concept. It had once crossed my mind as well that even if he had been leaping himself why couldn't a higher force still have played a role? Have molded him to be the man who would create the science project that would get him started (I elaborate on this in my thread 'Destiny') and give him situations he would not have imagined. For example in All Americans Sam refused to believe that Chuey would throw the game and thus that is a leap he would not have chosen because he would have been blind to the wrong.

But there is evidence that in some situations he does seem to take control of his leaps. Such as Thou Shalt Not:
Al: "Well done my boy, leap in good health....go on, Bon voyage, Auf Wiedersehen, Shalom."
Sam: "I don't think so."

Al: "Now Sam?"
Sam: "Now."
[leaps]


It's quite suggestive that mending the bond between the father and the daughter was extra credit that he'd chosen to do.

Anyway back to the chain discussion Al the Bartender did seem to imply that all of Sam's chains were positive though it would defeat his point to mention any negative ones. Just as it would defeat it to admit to Sam that he is GTFW if he were. We know for a fact that Sam has created some negative chains which usually he would fix such as Lisa Sherman (Al's Lisa) and Elvis but we also know of one which could not be fixed. Al's extra years in Vietnam. Unless possibly he was able to fix that after Beth since he would know where to go and possibly to stop that photo from being taken. Which he still might be able to end up doing if he were to simply focus on sparing Maggie's life.

Regarding Alia:


You are right, I should have thought of this.

Or maybe it really WAS because Sam didn't bend his knees :p
 
As I watched the Disney film 'Brave' earlier this evening there was a quote I caught which made me think of Sam as it quite closely resembles something Al the Bartender told him:

"Our fate lies within us, we just have to be brave enough to see it."
(I am totally trying to imagine a banner to go with this quote).

This has me going back to a theory of mine that when Al the Bartender helped Sam accept control of his leaping he may have taken it from something else. We see how strongly Sam had blocked the notion from his mind and such a powerful mental rejection can retrain abilities.

Consider the Christmas film 'The Polar Express'. The young boy could not hear the ringing of the sleigh bell until he accepted the existence of Santa. He knew he was boarding the train with doubts, doubts based on what he could not see but even when he'd held that bell in his hand it still made no sound for him. Not until he believed.
Sam is that young boy and his leaping/fate is that sleigh bell. Believing is seeing (or hearing). That is the catch that Al the Bartender had told Sam.

That's just one theory however since while a few situations seem to draw Sam to them there are also some such as All Americans where he refused to see the undoing unfolding right before him, that he couldn't have possibly chosen.

On the subject of Mirror Image, having watched it New Years eve with my best friend for the first time in years I noticed some confusing elements that I hadn't remembered. When Sam notices that all the minors have different faces in the mirror as he always had. What was this supposed to symbolize?

I had also forgotten just how much Al the Bartender had encouraged Sam to figure things out for himself which supports the whole 'Sleigh bell' theory. The whole jackpot game, I bet that was rigged to have no winning strips or else ATB had removed it before handing to Sam to give him that push to think it through himself.

This is all of course ignoring the whole theory of Mirror Image taking place in his subconscious. In which case ATB would represent the repressed part of him that knows the answer but won't give it because the lucid part of himself is rejecting it. And as I once before suggested Stawpa would be the part of Al he received in the simo-leap. Not only does the whole Russian thing fit but he gave Sam the answer to how to get recusers down to Tonchi and Pete (of all people he was stuck rescuing, the Frank and Jimmy look alikes, the leap that had meant the most to Al part from Beth). The same kind of guidance that Al usually provides.

There are so many possibilities that have a lot of sense to them.
 
On the subject of Mirror Image, having watched it New Years eve with my best friend for the first time in years I noticed some confusing elements that I hadn't remembered. When Sam notices that all the minors have different faces in the mirror as he always had. What was this supposed to symbolize?

I think it was Sam figuring out in his mind that things are not always as they seem.

Something else crossed my mind watching Season 5. In "Killing Time", Al tells the guard not to shoot Leon Styles, because if he was to die, Sam could never return home. Does he take that to mean that if the leapee dies in the future, would a) Sam be stuck in the past unable to leap out because there would be nobody to leap back into the aura, or b) would Sam die too? There is a similar question but in reverse in "Deliver Us From Evil", if Alia had succeeded in her mission and killed Sam, would Jimmy have been stuck in the future, or would Jimmy have died as well?
 
Firstly there is something I forgot to include in my last post (not surprising considering it was after 1 am). Would the theory of Sam leaping himself include the ability to choose how he appears; under the guise of an aura or as himself? And would he have been able to choose the aura if he went in that direction?

I think it was Sam figuring out in his mind that things are not always as they seem.

Something else crossed my mind watching Season 5. In "Killing Time", Al tells the guard not to shoot Leon Styles, because if he was to die, Sam could never return home. Does he take that to mean that if the leapee dies in the future, would a) Sam be stuck in the past unable to leap out because there would be nobody to leap back into the aura, or b) would Sam die too? There is a similar question but in reverse in "Deliver Us From Evil", if Alia had succeeded in her mission and killed Sam, would Jimmy have been stuck in the future, or would Jimmy have died as well?

Merely a theory which Al had treated as fact because otherwise he'd be directly risking Sam's life which will never be an option as far as he's concerned. That's my head cannon.

The project wouldn't have any more proof of what would happen to either Sam or a leapee if one were to be terminated during a leap than they do of GTFW being in control; the contrary of which is directly suggested.

The novel 'Mirror's Edge' (and ironically the leapee in this story is connected to the Killin' Time leap) briefly visits the possibility of Sam being killed in-leap but clarifies that the Project doesn't have a sure answer of what would become of the leapee.
Personally I have always envisioned Sam's lifeless body leaping back to the project though I won't claim that it makes sense as it probably doesn't.

There is a suggestion presented with the evil leapers in Revenge of the Evil Leaper but like everything else it as well is open to interpretation.
Both Alia and Zoey had shots fired at them, immediately leaped out as the bullets had at the very least met with their auras and were replaced by their leapees who returned slightly disoriented but otherwise unharmed.
It was unclear if Alia leapt out alive or dead or even if the bullet had actually gotten her but to me at least it appeared as though Zoey had died instantly just a millisecond before her leap out. She hit the ground so I believe she had caught the bullet at least.
This is what has come to present a difficulty deciding how I can sensibly present a concept I have in mind for a fanfic I have begun. But that's another subject.
 
There is a suggestion presented with the evil leapers in Revenge of the Evil Leaper but like everything else it as well is open to interpretation.
Both Alia and Zoey had shots fired at them, immediately leaped out as the bullets had at the very least met with their auras and were replaced by their leapees who returned slightly disoriented but otherwise unharmed.
It was unclear if Alia leapt out alive or dead or even if the bullet had actually gotten her but to me at least it appeared as though Zoey had died instantly just a millisecond before her leap out. She hit the ground so I believe she had caught the bullet at least.
This is what has come to present a difficulty deciding how I can sensibly present a concept I have in mind for a fanfic I have begun. But that's another subject.

Actually it IS clear that Alia leapt out alive, the bullet passed through the aura, and Angel leapt back alive as well.

ShotgunLeap3.jpg


However, the question is, did Zoe die from her shooting? I think with how much Thames was typing/communicating with Lothos in this time, I choose to believe that he had Lothos try to leap her out (possibly back to the project, though I don't think this is possible as she did not accomplish her mission - more likely into a situation where she might have been able to get some treatment...) Then again, Thames did fade out, so it is quite possible that Zoe did die... Who knows? Again, I personally don't think she did die, as I'm sure if the show had been brought back for a sixth season, the Evil Project and Zoe would have resurfaced...

Although I agree with you, if Zoe DID die, then that would answer our question about whether the leapee would be left in the future with no means of getting home, the answer being no. Although that would be contradictory to what Al said, as if it works one way, it should work the other way too...
 
Something else I thought of to explain the evolution of the project and change in some of the technology between Seasons 1 and 2 (e.g. the Imaging Chamber door). Maybe when Diane McBride became the chairman of the committee, not only did she approve the funding for the year, maybe she also approved a RAISE in funding, thereby allowing (necessary) upgrades to the Project...
 
Right the bullet did hit the aura in both cases so doesn't that support that Alia may have taken it? I'd say that this could be why Angel came back unharmed but then if Zoey did die this would not be consistent with her situation.

In addition you are probably right about Diane McBride. Not only did she believe in trying being a success in itself but perhaps she was able to puzzle out the familiarity of Sam's last name and piece together that her "husband" had really not been roleplaying that night on the train. If this is so she'd probably raise the funding out of both gratitude and knowledge that Sam is in fact out there.
 
I watched "Return of the Evil Leaper" the other night, and a couple of things jumped out at me.

The first is, why was Al the one giving Arnold therapy in the Waiting Room? The project had a psychiatrist (Dr Beeks), she would have been the obvious candidate. Plus it would have been great to see these scenes done by Dr Beeks, she was a very underutilised character. The scenes with Al were great though :) Maybe Arnold just trusted Al a lot more (after all, Al had "the light of truth in his eyes" :p ).

The other thing is that I think this episode shows that the Evil Quantum Leap project works differently from Sam's. Even though they're similar, it shows that the leaper can leap outside of their lifetime. How do we know this? Sam's project is set in 1999, and it's presumed that the Evil Project is set sometime in the 21st Century (probably copied from Sam's own project). Yet Alia looks much younger than Sam, probably in her early 30's. Yet, she leaps to 1956, meaning if their project was in 1999 she'd have to be at least 43.

I can buy Zoe leaping to 1987, she looks about Al's age, and even Alia leaping to 1966 (just) but definitely not Alia leaping to 1956...
 
Lightning Queenie said:
The first is, why was Al the one giving Arnold therapy in the Waiting Room? The project had a psychiatrist (Dr Beeks), she would have been the obvious candidate. Plus it would have been great to see these scenes done by Dr Beeks, she was a very underutilised character. The scenes with Al were great though Maybe Arnold just trusted Al a lot more (after all, Al had "the light of truth in his eyes" :p ).

Though I as well would have liked to see more of Beeks and something that kind of peeves my best friend and I is that the twice she is shown her only line was removed, Arnold was a young man so he might not have been as comfortable speaking with a woman. Al was also the one who could better relate to him being an orphan like him.

Lightning McQueenie said:
The other thing is that I think this episode shows that the Evil Quantum Leap project works differently from Sam's. Even though they're similar, it shows that the leaper can leap outside of their lifetime. How do we know this? Sam's project is set in 1999, and it's presumed that the Evil Project is set sometime in the 21st Century (probably copied from Sam's own project). Yet Alia looks much younger than Sam, probably in her early 30's. Yet, she leaps to 1956, meaning if their project was in 1999 she'd have to be at least 43.

It is speculated by many fans and even the novel 'Knights of the Morningstar' that the evil project is based further in the future than PQL, even that they were born from it via the information that Sam left in the past on two occasions:
1.) the tape of him revealing the clearance number under sodium amatol in 'Starlight Starbright'
2.) The handlink that had leaped into 1945 with Al and was left there in 'The Leap Back'.
The exception being that they managed to solve all of PQL's flaws which could be an indicator that they are from further in the future where is new technology in existence that surpasses what they have to work with in the mid-late 90's.

Personally along with these possibilities I also believe that the devil was somewhat behind their project, perhaps even leading them to these items. He made it clear that he wanted to put a stop to Sam's meddling but could have realized that he would not be able to do it himself after God interfered the one time he tried. I have the same belief that God may have shaped Sam to become the leaper by giving him the mind and upbringing he needed to create PQL and want to help others.

There is no telling for sure where the evil project is based and where they came from but one thing that is clarified is that they have control over their leaps that PQL doesn't. They can leap Alia back to their project at any time, success or no. Though Zoey suggesting that Alia might get home by pulling the trigger on Sam in 'Deliver Us...' is inconsistent with this fact which was clearly specified in 'Return...' and 'Revenge...'. 'Knights of the Morningstar' even suggests that they can aim Alia at a target host (and even further suggests that they can aim Alia at who Sam touches in his leap). Zoey's leap could actually support this, she no doubt knew the warden was the best position for her to be in to accomplish her mission as opposed to say that guard, Sophie or whatever her name was. The one who was a b****.

In conclusion it is completely possible that they also worked out how to leap outside the Alia's lifetime but again her age falls under information we do not know and will never.

I do wish we'd learned more about their project it would have been interesting.
 
Though I as well would have liked to see more of Beeks and something that kind of peeves my best friend and I is that the twice she is shown her only line was removed, Arnold was a young man so he might not have been as comfortable speaking with a woman. Al was also the one who could better relate to him being an orphan like him.



It is speculated by many fans and even the novel 'Knights of the Morningstar' that the evil project is based further in the future than PQL, even that they were born from it via the information that Sam left in the past on two occasions:
1.) the tape of him revealing the clearance number under sodium amatol in 'Starlight Starbright'
2.) The handlink that had leaped into 1945 with Al and was left there in 'The Leap Back'.
The exception being that they managed to solve all of PQL's flaws which could be an indicator that they are from further in the future where is new technology in existence that surpasses what they have to work with in the mid-late 90's.

Personally along with these possibilities I also believe that the devil was somewhat behind their project, perhaps even leading them to these items. He made it clear that he wanted to put a stop to Sam's meddling but could have realized that he would not be able to do it himself after God interfered the one time he tried. I have the same belief that God may have shaped Sam to become the leaper by giving him the mind and upbringing he needed to create PQL and want to help others.

There is no telling for sure where the evil project is based and where they came from but one thing that is clarified is that they have control over their leaps that PQL doesn't. They can leap Alia back to their project at any time, success or no. Though Zoey suggesting that Alia might get home by pulling the trigger on Sam in 'Deliver Us...' is inconsistent with this fact which was clearly specified in 'Return...' and 'Revenge...'. 'Knights of the Morningstar' even suggests that they can aim Alia at a target host (and even further suggests that they can aim Alia at who Sam touches in his leap). Zoey's leap could actually support this, she no doubt knew the warden was the best position for her to be in to accomplish her mission as opposed to say that guard, Sophie or whatever her name was. The one who was a b****.

In conclusion it is completely possible that they also worked out how to leap outside the Alia's lifetime but again her age falls under information we do not know and will never.

I do wish we'd learned more about their project it would have been interesting.

I don't want to beat a dead horse, but I disagree with the idea that they can leap Alia home whenever they want. Even though they have more control over their leapers, and can bring their leapers home as long as they complete their mission in 48 hours, Alia very clearly is trapped in time. For one thing, Zoey goads Alia to complete her task by saying it could finally send her home, and for another, Sam is able to convince her that "whatever trapped her in time" is the evil force, not her. These are not throwaway lines.

But yes, I can believe the Devil having an involvement (if God can trap someone in time then so can the Devil) and I also agree that they can target their leaps, after all, as the Warden Zoey had full reign to do as she pleased, and also they were able to leap Alia somewhere she could be tortured.

I too would have loved to learn more about this project, maybe even have it as Quantum Leap's first ever spinoff show :D
 
Something to ponder: When Sam leapt into Jimmy (the first time) he was unnaturally clumsy and got to the point where he felt he couldn't do anything right and was just hurting Jimmy in the long run. We know from later in the series that Sam's mind can merge with the leapee's. Do you think that Sam's clumsiness was due to his mind merging with Jimmy's, or do you think it was psycho-sematic and a self-fulfilling prophecy - everyone thinking he's dumb and would fail, so he feels dumb and fails?
 
i think when sam leapt to people he always took something from they aura.when he leapt into jimmy even though he didnt had jimmys medical problem he took his clumsiness so the rest of the people around him wouldnt notice any difference.imagine if all this time he looked perfectly fine then they d all be surprised by this medical change and thinkin that he somehow got better, they d abadoned him in the end thinking that he could live on his own without any help
its the same when he leapt also to that gay athlete so if he showed any love interest to a woman when the real athlete would return to his body that would couse him a problem
and the same when he leapt to that rock star and he knew how to sing and play the guitar
in few words he became that person he leapt to till he finished his mission
 
i think when sam leapt to people he always took something from they aura.when he leapt into jimmy even though he didnt had jimmys medical problem he took his clumsiness so the rest of the people around him wouldnt notice any difference.imagine if all this time he looked perfectly fine then they d all be surprised by this medical change and thinkin that he somehow got better, they d abadoned him in the end thinking that he could live on his own without any help
its the same when he leapt also to that gay athlete so if he showed any love interest to a woman when the real athlete would return to his body that would couse him a problem
and the same when he leapt to that rock star and he knew how to sing and play the guitar
in few words he became that person he leapt to till he finished his mission

I agree with you about everything except the rock star comment. Sam had a doctorate in music, he already knew how to sing and play numerous instruments (like the piano and the guitar).
 
Another interesting observation:

The first time we get concrete proof of someone being able to see Sam and Al is in "Another Mother", but in the FOUR preceding episodes - "So Help Me God", "Catch A Falling Star", "A Portrait For Troian" and "Animal Frat" actually all have hints that there are people there who are seeing something off about the leapee or seeing/hearing Al.

Sadie Carter, who is not in her right mind from the trauma of the shooting, twice comments about his host Leonard looking older and more haggard than normal.

John O'Malley, heavily drunk, calls Sam an "Imposter!" and also repeats something that Al says (that he is giving a terrific performance).

In "A Portrait For Troian", the equipment picks up on Al, and Al uses it to confuse Jimmy Claridge.

And in "Animal Frat", there are that many confused drunk people around it's quite possible there are heaps of people seeing something off about "Wild Thing".


Also, interestingly, if Sam had leapt into anyone else besides Jimmy LaMotta in "Jimmy", Jimmy too would be seeing Sam and Al :)
 
I've noticed all of these moments and a few more you missed from the mentioned episodes"

In Catch a Falling Star and I pointed this out in it's episode thread there is another moment of suggestion which my bestie actually pointed out to me.
Right after Sam rescues John from his as Al put it "Gerald Ford impression" he insisted on going back on for we know him as being determined to remain the star, remember he was always trying to keep the role from Ray which is why I don't believe the 'Impostor' comment applies. That could have been referring to the Don Quixote costume.
Anyway he then turns to look at Sam and gets this profound expression before miraculously deciding to step aside. What my bestie suggested which had never crossed my mind prior was that he saw Sam.
John was well known for performing heavily drunk and when one is drunk enough the mind becomes unclear.
There is actually another example later in the series of being drunk allowing one to see Sam, at least partially. In Hurricane when Sam and Cissy attempt to evacuate the hurricane party the clearly drunk host with the mustache suddenly double take blinks at Sam and comments that his hair is changing colors:
"Brown hair, black hair, brown hair, black hair".
(As a side note, in the first scene of this episode Cissy actually gets a glimpse of a different eye color than she's familiar with or so is implied by her random comment that for a moment she'd thought his eyes looked green. Though she is not drunk so I have no idea how to explain that).

In A Portrait for Troian There was also Ms. Stolz whom is revealed to be a ghost, she makes a suggestive comment. She informs "Tim Mintz" that he'd received a message from some woman, I can't recall exactly. If memory serves she makes some kind of implying comment that she can tell that his response to the message is off and then says:
"Strangers aren't welcome here." or something to that effect. True Tim Mintz was also a stranger to her but something about the way she said it, with warning in her voice tells me she'd directed the comment at Sam.
I also believe she locked Sam in the study while Jimmy was making his move with Troian intentionally.

The So Help Me God reference makes no sense to me although I admit I haven't watch that episode in ages. Sam does not look old nor do I recall Leonard being significantly younger than Sam. Though don't misunderstand, I do NOT deny that Sadie's mindset would indeed allow her to see Sam. My bestie and I have observed that her testimony in court had a creepy vibe to it similar to Laura Fuller of the Trilogy episodes.

Speaking of which, tonight we watched the Trilogy, personally my first watch since the first time I saw them and I will admit to being wrong in one area. Abigail in the second episode was not as much of a brat as I thought I'd remembered. She'd just had one small selfish moment when she'd whined about her wedding being interrupted for the investigation of the missing boy.
My opinion of the story overall has not changed however. Look for my full reviews in the episode threads.

Now I'd like to point out one more early example of Sam being even a fraction noticeable. In Genesis during the BBQ after Sam and Peg kiss in the back doorway, Peg touches her fingers to her lips accompanied by a startled expression which screams that she felt that her husband's kiss was different. Amazing catch by the way as I don't think that something most people would be able to pick up on.
 
There is actually another example later in the series of being drunk allowing one to see Sam, at least partially. In Hurricane when Sam and Cissy attempt to evacuate the hurricane party the clearly drunk host with the mustache suddenly double take blinks at Sam and comments that his hair is changing colors:
"Brown hair, black hair, brown hair, black hair".
(As a side note, in the first scene of this episode Cissy actually gets a glimpse of a different eye color than she's familiar with or so is implied by her random comment that for a moment she'd thought his eyes looked green. Though she is not drunk so I have no idea how to explain that).

Wow I'd completely forgotten about the drunk partier from Hurricane, guess it does back up my comment that drunk people may be seeing something off about Sam...

In A Portrait for Troian There was also Ms. Stolz whom is revealed to be a ghost, she makes a suggestive comment. She informs "Tim Mintz" that he'd received a message from some woman, I can't recall exactly. If memory serves she makes some kind of implying comment that she can tell that his response to the message is off and then says:
"Strangers aren't welcome here." or something to that effect. True Tim Mintz was also a stranger to her but something about the way she said it, with warning in her voice tells me she'd directed the comment at Sam.
I also believe she locked Sam in the study while Jimmy was making his move with Troian intentionally.

Ahhh, Ms Stoltz. SO much to speculate about her. I watched this episode a couple of times myself in the past couple of days to write the episode recap and my segment for the podcast. We know perfectly well that dead and near-dead people can see Sam and Al, so she really must have been seeing Sam.

As for the message, Tim had asked for Mrs Little from the newspaper to do some research for him and bring him some newspaper clippings. Mrs Little was going to drop them off at the Claridge Manor, but advised Mrs Little to not do so and that Tim/Sam would pick them up the next day. Sam thinks that was wise due to the storm, to which she replies "It had nothing to do with the storm. Strangers are not welcome here!"

It is at this moment that Al appears, freaking him out, as she glared right at him during her "Strangers are not welcome here" line. It would make perfect sense that she would also be seeing Al and saying that comment to both of them - after all, both of them would appear to be strangers to her.

It's also quite possible that she didn't want Mrs Little to come to the manor, as Mrs Little knew all about the Claridge family history, and might be able to piece together who Ms Stoltz actually was - after all, once the bodies were discovered, it was Mrs Little who commented that it was odd that Troin's housekeeper would be named "Stoltz" when that was Priscilla Claridge's maiden name.

What I find strange is that she just goes about her business as though Sam is Tim. Then again, as a ghost, maybe all she cares about is her unfinished business. Which brings up another point, just WHAT was her unfinished business? There are a few possibilities, and it depends on whether you think Ms Stoltz is good, neutral or evil.

If she is evil, she might be like a poltergeist, simply making trouble because she can. Either that, or she is just angry at the world and wants people to suffer. This would explain why she locked Sam up in Julian's study - either she was trying to make his life more difficult or she wanted Troian dead.

If she is neutral, she might just simply want her body found so that she is not forgotten. I don't think this is likely though, she had too much influence over the household to be truly neutral, not to mention her locking Sam in the study would be completely out of character if this is the case...

If she is good, then she might be watching over the house and the current master or mistress. I think that this is the most likely explanation. Even though she is rude and melodramatic, Troian states that she is a good woman, and Ms Stoltz definitely shows a great deal of respect for Troian. I think she was perfectly aware that somebody was trying to drive Troian insane and eventually kill her, and actually wanted to protect her. Unfortunately, she thought that it was Tim/Sam who was the culprit. This means that when she locked Sam in the study, she was actually doing it to try to PROTECT Troian. It's just lucky that Sam was able to escape and save Troian from the real culprit.

Whatever you think about Ms Stoltz, she was bound to the Earthly plane by some unfinished business. Whether it was to cause havoc, to protect the house and its mistress, or just to ensure that her body was discovered, once Troian was safe and the body was discovered, she had no more business and so was able to pass on. Just what she passed on to is a mystery - although some people in the fandom like to believe that she went to Hell and was later recruited by the Devil to be a part of the Evil Project Quantum Leap, and took on the new name of Zoe. I personally don't believe this - despite her rudeness and melodrama, I think Ms Stoltz was a good person and so finally found peace.

The So Help Me God reference makes no sense to me although I admit I haven't watch that episode in ages. Sam does not look old nor do I recall Leonard being significantly younger than Sam.

Leonard and Houston went to school together, so they would both have only been in their twenties. When Sam comes to interview Myrtle, he speaks to Sadie for a moment and she comments about him looking older than she remembers. Then in the courtroom she says he looks haggard. Now it's quite possible that the stress of the case might be showing on Leonard's aura, but I doubt it. I just think Sadie was seeing something off about Leonard - her mind was near-alpha-state and so might have been seeing something off about him.

Though don't misunderstand, I do NOT deny that Sadie's mindset would indeed allow her to see Sam. My bestie and I have observed that her testimony in court had a creepy vibe to it similar to Laura Fuller of the Trilogy episodes.

Now I'd like to point out one more early example of Sam being even a fraction noticeable. In Genesis during the BBQ after Sam and Peg kiss in the back doorway, Peg touches her fingers to her lips accompanied by a startled expression which screams that she felt that her husband's kiss was different. Amazing catch by the way as I don't think that something most people would be able to pick up on.

Great catch! I never noticed that, I just assumed that Sam was kissing her differently than Tom had. But it's quite possible that the aura doesn't affect the touch of the leaper. In fact, I seem to recall an episode where someone commented on Sam's host's hands not feeling the same as they had remembered.
 
Lightning McQueenie said:
Ahhh, Ms Stoltz. SO much to speculate about her. I watched this episode a couple of times myself in the past couple of days to write the episode recap and my segment for the podcast. We know perfectly well that dead and near-dead people can see Sam and Al, so she really must have been seeing Sam.

As for the message, Tim had asked for Mrs Little from the newspaper to do some research for him and bring him some newspaper clippings. Mrs Little was going to drop them off at the Claridge Manor, but advised Mrs Little to not do so and that Tim/Sam would pick them up the next day. Sam thinks that was wise due to the storm, to which she replies "It had nothing to do with the storm. Strangers are not welcome here!"

It is at this moment that Al appears, freaking him out, as she glared right at him during her "Strangers are not welcome here" line. It would make perfect sense that she would also be seeing Al and saying that comment to both of them - after all, both of them would appear to be strangers to her.

It's also quite possible that she didn't want Mrs Little to come to the manor, as Mrs Little knew all about the Claridge family history, and might be able to piece together who Ms Stoltz actually was - after all, once the bodies were discovered, it was Mrs Little who commented that it was odd that Troin's housekeeper would be named "Stoltz" when that was Priscilla Claridge's maiden name.

Ah Ms. Little. That connection somehow has bypassed me, between the name mentioned in that scene and the woman at the end of the episode who was intrigued by Troian's housekeeper's name. Certainly she knew too much for Ms. Stoltz's liking.
I'd also forgotten that Al had shown up by the time she was delivering that line so indeed it could have been meant for him as well.

As for her unfinished business, her locking Sam in the study suggests that she wanted Troian dead, why isn't exactly clear except maybe to extinguish Nathaniel Claridge's line which would mean she was responsible for Julian's death. This makes sense. Recall he'd died under strange circumstances, he grew bored of posing for Troian's painting quicker than is typical and the fact alone that he'd drowned when he was supposedly a strong swimmer.
Then a painting Troian had thrown into the lake reappears. That obviously wasn't Jimmy's work as he could not swim and later a new painting appears showing two spirits in the lake. So Ms. Stoltz could have been messing with her head at the same time Jimmy was.
There are some holes in this theory however, that she didn't seem to show interest in also offing Jimmy wouldn't add up and I would have suggested that perhaps she was using Jimmy for her dirty work but that isn't supported by his revelation that he needed the Claridge fortune to pay off someone in Los Angeles. Gamblers I assume.

Another thing one could argue is the connection between her body being found and her vanishing act at the end moment of the episode. It could be said that she was able to move on upon her body being found and/or her death being revealed but the stronger connection is that Ms. Little had just blown her cover. This might have been what ultimately saved Troian's life because as I've suggested it might not have just been Jimmy making an attempt on her life but Stoltz as well. Interestingly it WAS the moment she vanished that Sam leaped.
 
As for her unfinished business, her locking Sam in the study suggests that she wanted Troian dead, why isn't exactly clear except maybe to extinguish Nathaniel Claridge's line which would mean she was responsible for Julian's death. This makes sense. Recall he'd died under strange circumstances, he grew bored of posing for Troian's painting quicker than is typical and the fact alone that he'd drowned when he was supposedly a strong swimmer.

Except Troian wasn't from the Claridge line, she married into it. And since she never had a child with Julian, the Claridge line had already been extinguished in everything but name, which would also die off when Troian dies or remarries.

Then a painting Troian had thrown into the lake reappears. That obviously wasn't Jimmy's work as he could not swim and later a new painting appears showing two spirits in the lake. So Ms. Stoltz could have been messing with her head at the same time Jimmy was.

Actually the impression I got was that it WAS Jimmy's work. After all, he took responsibility for adding Troian dead at the bottom to it. So I assume he was every bit as good an artist as Troian, and recreated the original painting to mess with Troian's head. And it worked...

There are some holes in this theory however, that she didn't seem to show interest in also offing Jimmy wouldn't add up and I would have suggested that perhaps she was using Jimmy for her dirty work but that isn't supported by his revelation that he needed the Claridge fortune to pay off someone in Los Angeles. Gamblers I assume.

Well again, Jimmy wasn't a Claridge. That's why he isn't entitled to any of the Claridge fortune until Troian dies...

There's nothing wrong with your theory, it's just as plausible as any other, but I think that Ms Stoltz actually wasn't an evil spirit, she was just stuck to the Earthly plane from not wanting to be forgotten, and wanted to protect the current master or mistress of the house from suffering her fate. Her locking Sam in the study makes more sense if she thinks Tim/Sam is the one driving Troian insane and wanting to kill her. She would then have been trying to protect Troian, just having come to the wrong conclusion. I just think that if she really wanted to cause trouble, then she would have done more to do so during the episode. She really didn't do anything aside from act rudely to Sam and lock him in the study, so I find it hard to believe she actually did have any ulterior motives...

Another thing one could argue is the connection between her body being found and her vanishing act at the end moment of the episode. It could be said that she was able to move on upon her body being found and/or her death being revealed but the stronger connection is that Ms. Little had just blown her cover. This might have been what ultimately saved Troian's life because as I've suggested it might not have just been Jimmy making an attempt on her life but Stoltz as well. Interestingly it WAS the moment she vanished that Sam leaped.

Or perhaps simply another wrong that GTFW wanted put right was for Ms Stoltz's body to be found so she could move on...
 
That's a very valid observation. It does make sense that Stoltz would feel she needed to act as a guardian spirit of all women who marry into the Claridges after what had happened to her as a result. Though she'd kinda brought that on herself by having an affair. Perhaps however she'd also known Nathaniel to be a cruel, abusive man and considering her time period it could have been an arranged marriage.

I'd never considered the possibility that Jimmy re-created the painting Troian had thrown into the lake, that's interesting.
 
but on the other hand what if she saw sam and not tim,she was a ghost and so she could see sams identity.its like in that episode temptation eyes when the woman who was psycic could see sam and he had to tell her about the experiment.
so if a psycic could see sam then why not a ghost.maybe just maybe wondered now who the heck is this guy where did he come from ?what if he is another ghost who possesed the poor bastard lol.so she made sure to couse sam some problems meaning lock him in that room so she could fingure out what to do next
 
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but on the other hand what if she saw sam and not tim,she was a ghost and so she could see sams identity.its like in that episode temptation eyes when the woman who was psycic could see sam and he had to tell her about the experiment.
so if a psycic could see sam then why not a ghost.maybe just maybe wondered now who is the heck is this guy where did he come from ?what if he is another ghost who possesed the poor bastard lol.so she made sure to couse sam some problems meaning lock him in that room so she could fingure out what to do next

Exactly, we are speaking in terms of Ms. Stoltz responding to Sam not Tim.
I too am pretty sure she should have been able to see him as Lightning McQueenie pointed out the implication that she saw Al's first arrival when she said "Strangers aren't welcome here."