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513 Dr. Ruth

Dr. Ruth


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alsplacebartender

Al's Place Bartender - Brian Greene
Staff member
Dr. Ruth
April 25, 1985


New York City, New York


Sam leaps into his second famous person as he becomes the noted sex therapist Dr. Ruth Westheimer! While having a rough time dealing with the subject matter of Dr. Ruth's radio shows, he has to put two of his co-workers together in a relationship and at the same time help a young woman who is being sexually harrassed by her boss at work. Meanwhile, Al gets his own therapy from the real Dr. Ruth in the Waiting Room.


Written by: Robin Jill Bernheim
Directed by: Stuart Margolin


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BIG ERROR

I've found a big error in this ep.

At the end, both Dr Ruth's and the vampire's reflection is themselves in the WR. BUT IT SHOULD BE SAM'S!!! (Just as we see the Leapee when Sam looks into the mirror!)
 
Once again Sam leaps into a real person. It's an embarrassing leap for Sam, but it's very helpful for Al as he realizes his true feelings for Tina. I like all of the slang terms Al comes up with for breasts.
 
i think it was supposed to be a joke, you know because it's AL! hehe.

anyway, my best friend and i loved this episode, we laughed histerically at the part Tess is referring to above me. and i loved how Sam delt with Annie.

It also made me feel bad, although Sam was cute when he got embarrased to answer all the sex questions and to say the phrase Ejacuation, being a man and all. i wished i could have given him a hug.

i also loved when Sam hopped those cars to get to Annie the final time when Jonathon was trying to rape her. it was so funny, especially when they show Dr. Ruth in one of the car windows, and to imagine a little old woman car hopping, lol.

this was great epsiode.
 
I found this episode very funny,but no matter how funny it was i think the all plot and story was much too silly! there were several moments during this episode the only thought crossed my mind about this episode, actually was - "This is so Bad!" So i seriously considered voting this episode as "poor" in the poll,but i think this episode was too funny to be voted "poor".
In any case this episode would probably find a comfortable place in my last 10 of the series.
 
I dislike this episode profoundly. I do like the Waiting Room scenes, but not enough to save it. As in Stand Up, the banter seems very forced, and the "saving the woman from being assaulted" storyline is so obvious. That said, I got a kick out of how much Sam magnafluxed with Dr. Ruth, to the point of picking up her mannerisms and accent. That was cute. But the storyline of the leap itself could have been any early 90's drama or even serious sitcom Very Special Episode.
 
i liked this episode - i found it kool that he was playing Dr Ruth and at times when he would merge into her a little bit.

i found the storyline to be a bit weak though - maybe could have been a bit more stronger?

i did like watching Dr Ruth try and sort out Al!

kool episode.
 
Altho she is not really seen, she is mentioned as being with a group of former leapees who return to PQL in a Season 11 episode

Au Contraire, Greg, the mind's eye sees her as long as the reader imagines the virtual camera sweeping across the room looking at all or most of the leapees including Dr. Ruth, Nikos Stathatos(sp?), Eddie Ellroy, etc.

And in this episode is yet ANOTHER kiss with history(not sure if this was mentioned in this thread or anywhere) happened. I was at Borders Books today and was looking at the "Handy Supreme Court Answer Book" and I just happened to thumb to a page where Anita Hill was pictured and mentioned. She was a victim of sexual harrassment. Anita was one of the characters who, like Layne Beamer(Tom Stratton) had no lines whatsoever but the woman she was with had a line. After Scott [Bakula] said, "...because you've been sexually harrassing her on the job.", to Annie's ex-boss, Anita's attention was peaked and therefore did not get on the elevator.

~Steve B.
 
I was wondering, what does everyone think of the leap-out from the Waiting Room, i.e. when Dr Ruth leaps out and the vampire leaps in? It was interesting to watch, but didn't follow the rules that were established in the first episode, where Al says that time passes while Sam is mid-leap. However, it could have just been that they "sped up" the time between when the Leapee leaps back and the next leapee leaps in.
 
If I understand it correctly, the time that passes is variable. So it could in theory happen that the time passing happens to be only a second or so, however much it was :)
 
I think that is the only average episode of QL in my opinion.
I really hate people like Dr. Ruth, they are so :censored up and :censored.

I really laughed when I heard Sam sayin' that:
"That was the problem with the '80s.
You see we are living in a very difficult time in history."

Hey Sam, are you serious? What about the :censored 90's? Or these ******n times that we're livin' now?
The '80s are much better, pal!
Difficult time? :censored
 
This is slightly off-topic, but this (posted below) it made appreciate something that Al said at the beginning of the episode to Sam, that he had gotten off Dr Ruth, something along the lines of sex not being dirty but entirely natural, and that children need to be educated on being safe instead of sweeping it under the rug.

Parents in Dietrich, Idaho, say the word "vagina" has no place in a 10th grade science class, according to news website MagicValley.com.

A small group from Dietrich, population 332, complained to the Idaho State Department of Education, which launched an official investigation of science teacher Tim McDaniel. He is accused of teaching "sex education material" in a science class, describing "inappropriate" forms of birth control, telling "inappropriate" jokes in class and showing a video clip that depicted a genital herpes infection.

McDaniel said the parents even objected to his use of the word "vagina" in the lesson on human reproduction, according to MagicValley.com.

At a school board meeting, Katie Norman, one of the parents who objected, reportedly demanded prior warning of sensitive topics like birth control so that she could excuse her child from the class.

But McDaniel told MagicValley.com that none of the 10th graders are required to attend that day's class and that he only handles sex education because the school's health teacher won't.

The teacher said he is cooperating with the investigation but denies any wrongdoing. "I've done nothing wrong," he told the website.

Locals who have joined a Facebook page called "Save The Science Teacher!!" contend that conservative parents are attempting to censor topics considered controversial in the political arena but commonplace in the classroom. They promise to defend McDaniels in written letters to the state’s education department.

Dietrich Superintendent Neil Hollingshead told MagicValley.com that the school board is more likely to send McDaniel a letter of reprimand than to dismiss him -- a move Hollingshead considers "highly unlikely." But McDaniel has said he will refuse to sign the letter if it arrives, and it seems that some parents will back him up.

Stacy La, a member of the Facebook group, outlined the reasons for her support on the page's timeline, noting that McDaniel taught from the textbook and offered students uncomfortable with the material a chance to opt out of the lesson entirely. She offered squeamish parents their own exit strategy.

La wrote, "Mr. McDaniel showed a video and let the children form their opinions. He did not push anything. If you want to be in full control of what your child learns, homeschool them. Period."

The Facebook page is also bringing McDaniel support from outside his school district:

I am actually pretty mortified for this poor teacher who was just doing his job, I am embarrassed for the parents who have a problem with these things being taught in a school, and I am concerned for the children whose parents object. -- Brandy Farlow from Moscow, Idaho

I used to be a high school science teacher. This is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. Why is the school system not supporting this teacher for doing his job? I'm disgusted. Things like this are why I'm glad I'm not teaching any more. -- Lisa Sharktopus Harless from Morgantown, W.Va.

Parental and political clashes are not uncommon when hot-button issues surface in school lessons -- from evolution to Mexican American studies. Sex education is a particularly sensitive topic, however, and parents often complain that it's too explicit or conflicts with their religious beliefs.

When NPR's "Talk of the Nation" profiled New York City's sex ed curriculum, the segment explained how outside experts consider local politics to find the delicate balance between what's acceptable, what's taboo and what students need to hear.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/28/tim-mcdaniel-vagina-sex-education_n_2971710.html
 
While watching this episode tonight for my screen capture collection some thoughts went through my mind through the laughter.
The first of which is how this is the only of the leaps concerning famous figures that actually still fits with original focus of the series with the Annie portion of the story. Not only for the subject matter but for how it brings out Sam's warm must-help-everyone character. His determination to help this person whom he is not primarily there to paired with the humor of the persona he's in can kind of make one forget that this leap is based around a real person. I know it does me but then again I am not familiar with Dr. Ruth's real work.

It's because of this that this episode is also the only of it's kind that is watchable for more than just the acting (In my humble opinion one should only turn on LHO for an amazing Scott performance).

One negative aspect I will point out is that while Sam's embarrassment to discuss the subject matter is quite adorable and induces quite a bit of laughs when complimented by Al, his discomfort was slightly ridiculous for a grown man nearly 50, particularly in the promo scene. Especially considering that he discussed such topics in season 2's What Price Gloria and Another Mother without seeming quite as uncomfortable. Though in those instances it was with a single other person and male, I suppose through the radio to thousands of both genders is quite a bit different and I'm doubtless the humor of it was the intention. So it's forgivable. And it was an interesting position to put Sam in.

My best friend and I were once cracking up over how if this had taken place now that scene he made jumping cars in rush hour to get to Annie would have been all over Facebook, Twitter and Youtube. You dodged a bullet growing up before the age of technology Sam. XD

The Al side story though playing off of the famous leapee was unique and interesting. Not only do we get to see the waiting room which is unfortunate was only slightly introduced in season 4 and mostly only occurs in season 5 but we also get to see a professional, and a real one at that, tackle Al's relationship issues. His respect for Dr. Ruth and her knowledge was astounding and his affectionately addressing her as what his third wife went by, 'Ruthie', was meaningful. We learned earlier in the series that aside from Beth she was the wife who'd meant the most to him, taught him about family. She's developed quite interestingly in the novel 'Odyssey' as she'd even given him a step-son who had been pretty young at the time of their marriage. The idea that he'd accepted a child in a relationship is pretty powerful considering how he denied Beth, the love of his life a child. Perhaps though Ruthie's son was his correcting a mistake. So much can be done with that concept.

The revealing concept that the leap had been intended for Al's session with Dr. Ruth was an interesting supportive detail to my theory that the experiences of the leaps are also intended for Sam and Al to learn something. Another example for Al being Running for Honor. This was actually not my theory originally, my best friend informed me of it being brought up at a panel, that in addition to helping strangers each leap also has something for either Sam or Al to take away from the experience. According to her Scott and Dean had been very fascinated by the idea.
One example in regard to Sam is Good Morning Peoria where he learned how to let loose and have a bit of nonsense fun. This episode could in fact be another. He even acknowledges this when he suddenly suggests that he could use Dr. Ruth's show to effect a lot of our societies issues such as teen pregnancy.

The scene where Al's throwing out all these words for 'breasts' is hilarious. Reminds me of when Sam couldn't get the word out in Miss Deep South.
"I just don't see why the size of a persons b...body has anything to do with who they are."

Honestly I'd have like to see what Dr. Ruth made of Sam's embarrassment of discussing the subject of sex. There is a lot she could have analyzed about his character despite his not being there. For example bringing Donna into it even as some background of their marriage could have been explored. Dr. Ruth could have had a field day with the pre-leap Sam in the novel Mirror's Edge who was a workaholic and even once denied Donna sex when she'd directly requested it(though it was obvious he wanted to which makes sense).

Overall an enjoyable episode (But come on how is Sam as a woman NOT enjoyable? hehe) with a good story and use of the lead characters.


Interesting Tidbit:
*This is one of few episodes where Scott remains in the same outfit from start to finish. Others include season 2's Thou Shalt Not and Season 4's The Wrong Stuff.
 
It's because of this that this episode is also the only of it's kind that is watchable for more than just the acting (In my humble opinion one should only turn on LHO for an amazing Scott performance).

The Al side story though playing off of the famous leapee was unique and interesting. Not only do we get to see the waiting room which is unfortunate was only slightly introduced in season 4 and mostly only occurs in season 5 but we also get to see a professional, and a real one at that, tackle Al's relationship issues.

The revealing concept that the leap had been intended for Al's session with Dr. Ruth was an interesting supportive detail to my theory that the experiences of the leaps are also intended for Sam and Al to learn something. Another example for Al being Running for Honor. This was actually not my theory originally, my best friend informed me of it being brought up at a panel, that in addition to helping strangers each leap also has something for either Sam or Al to take away from the experience. According to her Scott and Dean had been very fascinated by the idea.
One example in regard to Sam is Good Morning Peoria where he learned how to let loose and have a bit of nonsense fun. This episode could in fact be another. He even acknowledges this when he suddenly suggests that he could use Dr. Ruth's show to effect a lot of our societies issues such as teen pregnancy.

So you like the theory that along with the mission to put right a mistake, that a side-mission should be that Sam and/or Al should learn something or get something out of the leap, but you continually criticise the Lee Harvey Oswald episode for the main mission in the episode being to solve the conspiracy (i.e. to learn something new), rather than actually changing history (even though we find that he does put right a wrong anyway, in saving Jackie O's life)?

I'm not personally attacking you btw, it's just that this seems a bit of an oxymoron...
 
So you like the theory that along with the mission to put right a mistake, that a side-mission should be that Sam and/or Al should learn something or get something out of the leap, but you continually criticise the Lee Harvey Oswald episode for the main mission in the episode being to solve the conspiracy (i.e. to learn something new), rather than actually changing history (even though we find that he does put right a wrong anyway, in saving Jackie O's life)?

I'm not personally attacking you btw, it's just that this seems a bit of an oxymoron...

Significant difference between helping a woman escape a stalker and having any kind of direct involvement in major history. It goes against the rules of the series to have Sam's objective be to alter/solve an event in major history and it's suggested by Honeymoon Express that whatever is steering him pre-Mirror Image whether one elects to believe it's GTF or his own subconscious wouldn't allow that.
As fans we all know that the leaps involving famous figures were gimmicks insisted by NBC. Thus why I dismiss the logic in the 5th season particularly in the leaps which break the rules.

This is something I mentioned in my first post, that the objective in this leap more embraced the aim of the series.