305 The Boogiem*n

The Boogiem*n

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alsplacebartender

alsplacebartender

Al's Place Bartender - Brian Greene
Staff member
Jul 10, 2002
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Mount Airy, North Carolina
www.quantumleap-alsplace.com
The Boogiem*n
October 31, 1964

Coventry, Maine


Sam leaps into a horror novelist surrounded by death and mystery. Al and Ziggy don't seem to be able to predict what will happen and Sam is running out of suspects. Is this part of someone's book...or someone's nightmare?


Written by: Chris Ruppenthal
Directed by: Joe Napolitano


Rate and comment on this Halloween episode!
 
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Hands down, the best Halloween episode of the TV series Quantum Leap. Wait, it's the only Halloween ep of the TV series! :lol
If I remember correctly, Chris Rupenthal(forgive the spelling;not certain) wrote this episode. He was supposedly given the nickname "Rupenb**gie" because he sort of has an evil laugh but he is a good person. Eerie! :lol
Great episode Chris!

~Steve(aka RossBeckett)
 
This was a very spooky episode. It's been known to cause strange events, like VCR's and cable stations to fail. People who mention the name have had bad luck. That's why the title is censored here. I also like how Sam inspires Stephen King.
 
This ep was very spooky:hair :help but funny to, :roflmao: because at the end u realise that Stevie is Stephen King:lol ! My kids were scared at Al being the devl*l!:hair
 
This ep genuinely scared the crap out of me, esp the Al/devil thing...though I couldn't help but burst out laughing when i saw the goat's head on Devil-Al's body.

I'm also scared of this episode for the following reasons:
*The first time it was on sci-fi, i had to record it...and halfway thru the tape died for no reason. I tried to record on that same tape the next night over that ep, it worked just fine.
*The second time i actually got to watch it when it was on, and literally 2-3 minutes after it was over, our power went out.
*In that chatroom here, we talk about the "forbidden episode" or even use the censored word for it, one of us gets booted off.

IT'S CRAZY!!:hair

Samantha Beckett
 
yeah i loved this episode, but as i have mentioned, my friend Nathen ruined mine and kristen's fun by telling her little sister about it who told us. and then since the secret was out anyway, Kristen showed me the page for it here on Al's. i still loved the episode however, although i new the ending.

Sam: i saw a goat!
Ben: could you decribe it?
Sam: It was a goat!

lolololol. i just love that line.

and i loved Dean's great acting as the Devil, and that creepy evil laugh that sounded as if he were choking to death. Dean must have had a lot of fun with this episode. :)

ah and i loved the whole Stevie King thing as well although Nathen also gave that away too.
 
I first saw this episode in 1999, a friend sent it to me when I was ill. I watched it and loved it!...even though it scared me.

When my twin got home from college I got her to watch it with me while we had tea. It almost scared her to death. She won't even watch it at night. I think it has something with the red eyes.

My little sisters didn't like the bit when you find out who "Al" is. It scared them when he baahed!

My twin mentioned to Dean, when we met him last year that , that episode scares her. I quickly added "She won't watch at night!" :)

I'd love to see this episode on Halloween. I used to have it on video, I taped it off UKGold but because of the time it was put on it was cut to pieces. I'm not sure if it was when it was recently (give or take a few months) on ITV3 but I'd love to watch it uncut......on Halloween......I think I might go and price the season 3 boxset :)
 
I LOVE this epsiode! I really do, though I'm not sure why...Maybe because it's so out there. Like I said, I don't know, but Dean does a great job, the whole gurgling in his throat creeped me out, but that scene is my favorite, when we find out it's not Al, (and before midnight when everything goes even more weird.)

Haha, I just noticed the date, what a time to reply to a supposedly cursed episode thread. Friday the 13th. Gotta love it!

~Quantum Leaper07


Edited to add: Jeeze, look at the number of Votes for Excellent, at least at this time, 13...Creepy.
 
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Oh yeah, perfect day to comment on this episode... I think. It was really unnerving finding out that it was possible for Al not to be Al. I felt like Sam would have to run his hand through Al every time after this just to make sure he's really Al. (I'm sure Al would find that very annoying.) This is one of my favorites!
 
I've just watched the episode UNCUT!!!! (yippy! :) ) I got the season 3 boxset today :)

Well, something occured to me while I was watching it. The thing I've found most weird about was saying that "evil Al" was the "devil" I don't think he was.

I'm don't know who or what he was but I was thinking maybe it could of been Lothos? I mean, he's much more than what Ziggy is. He could pull a leaper out at will.

But it was this one line that made me think of this..."What give you the right to go bungling around in time putting right what I made wrong??!!!"

'What I made wrong" was the part that got me thinking.

As was said in "Mirror Image"......'You don't really think I'm God do you?' which I never believed.

It's wrong to think that this "being" was The Devil, if Al The Bartender isn't God. That's just too easy.

Unless we're told by TPTB, I doubt we'll ever know what "he" was.
 
My first thought after reading your post Janna, was that 'he' was a nightmare brought on by a blow to the head.

If that was true though, then how did Sam know to save Tully?

I haven't seen the Evil Leaper episodes yet, I working on it though, maybe I'll have more to say after I've seen them.
 
i adore this episode, i got season 2 and 3 for xmas, i watched it with my little brother, he loves QL as well but he had nightmares about Al being the devil :S
 
I love this episode. I made the mistake of watching it at night, and I'm skittish anyway!

Calavicci's Girl, I was just thinking of that quote as a fun signature today on my commute home! How funny!
 
At the end when Sam was choking "Al" and then when it got to the goat, I laughed a little and said 'Yeah, it I were Sam I'd want to choke that goat too.'

I had already read about this episode so I knew that Al wasn't Al until the confrontation at the house and Al stepped out of the IC door, but I was looking for the little things that the fake Al was doing wrong, such as coughing on the cigar.
 
The episode really caught me off guard. That police-man was really making me very nervous indeed.
 
The first thing I noticed that was out of place was when "Al" and Sam are on the sidewalk outside the spook house. "Al" pulled out the handlink and punched a couple of buttons, but the handlink didn't make a sound. I noticed it the first time I saw this episode.
 
QuantumLeaper07 said:
My first thought after reading your post Janna, was that 'he' was a nightmare brought on by a blow to the head.

If that was true though, then how did Sam know to save Tully?

I haven't seen the Evil Leaper episodes yet, I working on it though, maybe I'll have more to say after I've seen them.
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I've never believed it was a dream. :D
 
Janna Galaxy said:
I've never believed it was a dream. :D
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Me niether, I believe God saved Sam's life and sent him back to the beginning so that he could achive what needed to be done, because it wasn't his fault the leap got screwed up.
 
But, a leap as started at the begining when the EVIL LEAPERS were first in! :)

Kinda, helps my theory doesn't it! ;)

I think that Sam was "pulled out" during his fall. I still think it is cool to think it was Lothos, who did this. Maybe he made a clone of Al or something, because it was when he touched the shiref and he turned in to "Al" like a leaper would when they would touch.

But it could of been some advanced holographic technique. As the shrief was dead.

I think this entity was trying to scare Sam. Because he could of killed Sam at anytime he wanted, but he was enjoying putting Sam through all those trumas of the deaths of those people. I mean the final one just sent Sam over the edge. You could tell by that scream! (which BTW was cut on either UKGold or ITV3 when it was on)

I think that the "Evil Al" was a leaper. But it's just a theory. It's just I believe that it is Sam that's leaping himself around. But that's a discussion for "Mirror Image"

:) - Janna Galaxy /Janine
PS, that bit where they (Sam and Evil Al) are touching, I think Sam is in shock because he thinks he's touching his best friend....actually, that freaked me out the first time I saw it!
 
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Janna Galaxy said:
PS, that bit where they (Sam and Evil Al) are touching, I think Sam is in shock because he thinks he's touching his best friend.
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I think he's in shock because touching him confirms that this isn't Al. I thought it was a terrific moment, even stunning. In any other show, it would be a huge shock if you went to grab someone's wrist and your hand passed through. In Quantum Leap, quite the opposite! :) Just another thing to love about this show.
 
Janna Galaxy said:
But, a leap as started at the begining when the EVIL LEAPERS were first in! :)

Kinda, helps my theory doesn't it! ;)

I think that Sam was "pulled out" during his fall. I still think it is cool to think it was Lothos, who did this. Maybe he made a clone of Al or something, because it was when he touched the shiref and he turned in to "Al" like a leaper would when they would touch.

But it could of been some advanced holographic technique. As the shrief was dead.

I think this entity was trying to scare Sam. Because he could of killed Sam at anytime he wanted, but he was enjoying putting Sam through all those trumas of the deaths of those people. I mean the final one just sent Sam over the edge. You could tell by that scream! (which BTW was cut on either UKGold or ITV3 when it was on)

I think that the "Evil Al" was a leaper. But it's just a theory. It's just I believe that it is Sam that's leaping himself around. But that's a discussion for "Mirror Image"

:) - Janna Galaxy /Janine
PS, that bit where they (Sam and Evil Al) are touching, I think Sam is in shock because he thinks he's touching his best friend....actually, that freaked me out the first time I saw it!
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Very interesting and well thought out theory. But sorry I am going to have to disagree. I believe the Evil leapers was the Devil's second try at trying to overthrow Sam.
"Who gave you the right to go bungling around in time putting right what I made wrong!"
Putting things wrong in the world is not something an evil hologram could do. But another person could the same way Sam is putting things right...hmmm? perhaps our hero gave Satin an idea of how he could get rid of Sam another, and more indirect way. Seening as his attempt to strangle Sam to death was interrupted by God turning back time.
 
Great episode,probably my number one in all of the series. This episode is the main reason why i think Chris Ruppenthal is one of the top 2 writers(DPB is number one,of course) QL had. They both did an amazing job,during the show.
Now i gotta say, that the second(or the 3rd or the 4th or the 10th) time you see this episode is not as good as the first time ,because you already know what is going to happend,but still...no matter what that a great episode. There are some inconsistency in the scripts like the fact that I believethe phrase "who's dancin with the devil..." is a well known phrase so it's no clue that "Devil Al" was no Al. or the fact, that only sam's knew Stevie first name but Al didn't(If we're agreeing that the all "Devil Al" was a dream or somethink like this to Sam) so in the end if someone can realize Stevie is Stephen king,it's only sam. And if it really was a dream Sam told stevie about "christine" only in his "dream" so the only idea stevie might use from his conversation with Sam is for "Carrie". And there've been a few other inconsistencies,but the bottom line is - An Excellent episode.

BTW - It seem "Devil Al" knew that Sam will never go back home,ah?!
("Devill Al":"Who gave you the right to go bungling around in time putting right what I made wrong?!"
Sam: "I'm just trying to get home."
"Devil Al":"Well...You're not going to make it!"
)
 
I think what he meant by that was "Because I am going to kill you right now Sam!" Notice he grabbed Sam's neck and started strangling him after he said it. ;)
 
Never the less... Sam didn't die and he still found himself in the end of "Mirror Image" with the subtitle - "Sam Becktt never came back home..." so maybe it was more then that for this dialogue on this episode. ;)
 
This episode achieves the creepy vibe that Portrait for Troian was going for but missed. It really felt like I was watching the type of suspense/horror movie that was big when I was a teenager (around the time that they started making movies out of Stephen King novels, like Cujo and Carrie). I watch it periodically to see if I can identify any more King novels - there are several referenced and I still don't think I've caught them all.

Aside from the cheesy FX at the end, I think this is a strong episode, with really good acting. Sam's slide into panic is nicely understated, which, for me, makes it hold up to repeated watching (even though I know the plot).
 
Janna Galaxy said:
I just watched this episode the other day and I went totally cold when Sam gave that blood curdling scream when he found Ben dead.

Has it got chily in here or is it just me?
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Yup, that made my blood curdle, too, especially the first time around. I remember thinking that a little scream like that was quite unusual for Quantum Leap. I think it's still effective, but not as creepy as Ben coming out of the kitchen and giving Sam that little evil smile with his wooden match in his mouth. "Well," he says, and his voice changes to Al's, "it's about time." That's what real horror's all about, not that cheap gore-and-guts stuff.
 
I've seen this episode only once and I don't really remember. I noted it in my calendar for this halloween. I'll watch it again then. :)
 
It's near to Halloween and I'm looking forward to watch this ep again. I could watch it at once, but I'll wait patiently until Halloween. :nut
 
This episode is one of my favourites. The first time I watched this episode I had no idea who the killer was. It loses some of its impact second time viewing, but this is still a great episode. Dean is fantastic in this one. Now one of the main unanswered questions we're left with at the end of the episode is, did it really happen, or was it just a dream. I personally think that the events really did happen, but when it got to midnight the Devil lost his power, and God turned back time, similar to the end of the evil leaper episode Deliver us from Evil.

Oh one other thing. The Devil was right when he said Sam wasn't going to make it home, how would he know that? Maybe he just meant you're not going to make it because I'm going to kill you right now, because just after he says that line he grabs Sams throat.
 
chris-oates said:
This episode is one of my favourites. The first time I watched this episode I had no idea who the killer was. It loses some of its impact second time viewing, but this is still a great episode. Dean is fantastic in this one. Now one of the main unanswered questions we're left with at the end of the episode is, did it really happen, or was it just a dream. I personally think that the events really did happen, but when it got to midnight the Devil lost his power, and God turned back time, similar to the end of the evil leaper episode Deliver us from Evil.

Oh one other thing. The Devil was right when he said Sam wasn't going to make it home, how would he know that? Maybe he just meant you're not going to make it because I'm going to kill you right now, because just after he says that line he grabs Sams throat.
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I believe that it really did happen, and God reset the leap. It's been shown several times in the series that God will intervene to help Sam if it looks like he will fail :)
 
This was the episode that my mother was always trying to make me avoid as a kid because she thought it was too scary.

I can still clearly remember the day I saw it for the first time. I was about 13 and I had just come from school... It left me without words. That was a time when they kept showing re-runs of the entire series quite often, and here in Mexico it wasn't even a cable channel where they showed those re-runs, it was a normal one, Air-TV. I knew they were going to re-run the entire season 3 again pretty soon, so I kept waiting for this episode, and when it came I taped it. I showed it to both my parents, even to my mom who was a bit scared of it, and they were blown away as well, then when I bought the DVD's I showed it to my whole family, my brothers and everyone else, and they were shocked.

To this day this is one of the episodes I keep playing over and over again and I never get tired of it, even though I know all the lines from it and now I can't help to see it as something quite funny in a Stephen King-ish sort of way. Everything that revolves around it sometimes makes me think that maybe not only Chris Ruppenboogie is an avid Stephen King fan, but probably most of the writers and the crew from QL as well, probably even Donald himself.

As for me, this was the episode that marked my life as a reader, because it made me discover Stephen King, which was the weirdest thing, let me tell you, and while reading him I discovered a whole new world of other authors and styles. They used to air the mini-series "It" quite often as well. Another thing my mom didn't let me watch because it was known to traumatize kids around the world, but one day I sneaked around and saw it by myself and when I saw the name Stephen King at the beginning, I understood what they were talking about in The B episode. I had also seen "Christine" before. What Chris did with this screenplay was very iconic and it remains one of the best Halloween episodes ever made. Of course it's the only one from this series, but even from any series, generally speaking, it still is.

My favorite part: Devil Al, of course. Love the red glow near his eyes.

A very suspenseful, mysterious and intriguing episode. Never saw the ending coming the first time I watched it.

My rating: Excellent.
 
I just loved Stephen King references in this episode as being a huge fan of his work.

I hope I don't go OT by saying how much the book 11/22/63--the teacher goes back to prevent Kennedy assassination- gave Quantum Leap vibes while reading :D
 
The funny thing about this episode was that I interpreted the whole thing to be a dream. After Sam has his "dance with the devil" he wakes up and he's at the bottom of the staircase again, where he started out at the beginning. I just figured he blacked out and dreamed the whole thing.
 
iMonrey said:
The funny thing about this episode was that I interpreted the whole thing to be a dream. After Sam has his "dance with the devil" he wakes up and he's at the bottom of the staircase again, where he started out at the beginning. I just figured he blacked out and dreamed the whole thing.
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That's one interpretation and I think it works, too.
 
Despite that I missed out on the fun of the mystery because I was told before I saw it, the eeriness of this episode is just brilliant. May I begin by saying how I adore how this connects to a conversion between Sam and Al in M.I.A.

"That's if He's the only one at work here, but you're forgetting about Him." *jabs a finger downward*
"I don't believe in the devil Al."

"Who gave you the right to go bungling around in time, putting right what I made wrong!"

This seems to explain the Evil Leapers. I'm not going to get into it because this is not the proper thread but the first two leaps involving them seem to directly be aimed at opposing Sam though it's pretty directly implied that they don't realize it. See the 'Evil Leapers' thread within the character discussion forum for the full version of my Evil Project theory.
Their part of the connection wasn't intended since the Evil Leapers like the celebrity leaps were a ploy forced by the network which adopted the show for it's fifth season but it's there nonetheless.

It was an interesting revelation how Sam didn't seem to be as fooled as he seemed throughout the episode, having been able to name almost every flaw with the Al guise. A couple I'd add is his lack of Al's fashion sense and not briefly drooling over Mary before naming her a suspect. This is debatable but it also doesn't seem very Al to have suspected a woman in the first place. To me that seemed like part of the murder mystery set up which was meant to attack Sam's fear of failure (or at least that's my theory) thus rendering him vulnerable.

One of the most spine shivering things about the devil character was that damn wheeze of a laugh. Obviously those cigars of Dean's actually provided a service. Personally I would love to hear him talk about playing this role.

The angle with Stevie, which had also been ruined for me was clever and amusing. In a way it seems like the whole thing with Joshua Ray and his comment of "There were two of you and one of you tried to kill me" was rearranged into one of Stephan King's novels 'The Dark Half.' (Google it) Fictionally of course in the QL universe. I only saw the film and that is one creepy story.

The opening is actually one of the most amusing moments when Sam reads that the book he was holding was published in 1879 and looking around at the surrounding decor and his outfit, that 's when he thinks he is for a moment. Oh dear sweet Sam, how he forgets his logic sometimes. XD Though we find out later that as long as the leapee is a Beckett ancestor/relative he can in fact leap prior to his lifetime.

Lightning McQueenie said:
I believe that it really did happen, and God reset the leap. It's been shown several times in the series that God will intervene to help Sam if it looks like he will fail :)
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Agreed. This is also supported by the tolling of the clock and the few shots we get of it's face while Sam and the devil are strangling each other. It actually doesn't make sense to me how Al didn't seem to remember the devil except that perhaps God wanted it that way.
 
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Sam Beckett Fan said:
The angle with Stevie, which had also been ruined for me was clever and amusing. In a way it seems like the whole thing with Joshua Ray and his comment of "There were two of you and one of you tried to kill me" was rearranged into one of Stephan King's novels 'The Other Side.' (Google it) Fictionally of course in the QL universe. I only saw the film and that is one creepy story.
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I thought it was "The Dark Half" while watching the episode.
 
Sam Beckett Fan said:
This is debatable but it also doesn't seem very Al to have suspected a woman in the first place.
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In 'Play It Again, Seymour' Al suspected that Alison was the killer and didn't hesitate to say so. I think Al has no problem suspecting women of anything. I think it would be more like Sam to not suspect a woman, and I'm not even so sure about that.
 
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ladystoneheart said:
I thought it was "The Dark Half" while watching the episode.
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Is that what it's called? It's been a while. :p

blue enigma said:
In 'Play It Again, Seymour' Al suspected that Alison was the killer and didn't hesitant to say so. I think Al has no problem suspecting women of anything.
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Alright, I didn't remember that. I Haven't re-watched that episode yet after all my years of absence from the show.
 
Donofrio_QLTD said:
Yup. "The Dark Half", indeed.

Interesting perspective. I saw the movie and read the book and never thought about the part you're referring in that way.
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Considering that almost everything Sam said or did seemed to get "What a neat idea" as a response from Stevie, I am sure he must have used that in some way. ;)
 
Donofrio_QLTD said:
Interesting perspective. I saw the movie and read the book and never thought about the part you're referring in that way.
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Oh,that was the first thing came to my mind when I saw evil!Al :roflmao:
Of course it was a great joy to spot on a Red Plymouth Fury and that dog! I am not going to lie,I expected to see something from Pet Sematary as well but I guess the references were enough for one episode.
 
A thought struck me. How exciting it would be if the devil's invasion had been performed the other way around.
While Sam appears to be acting on good intention, his thoughtful actions cause damage in other areas. Somewhat like Alia as Connie LaMatta who appeared to have Jimmy's interest at heart but was using him to drive a wedge between Connie and Frank.
Revelation: Sam is the devil in disguise trying to undo the real Sam's good deeds. Interference with Ziggy caused her to trace phony brainwaves that appeared to be Sam's.
While the real Sam is in a completely different leap.

There's probably flaws with this such as Sam's coming face to face with the devil being more meaningful but to quote Al (the real one, though I can't remember where he said it) "but it sounds good doesn't it?".
 
Sam Beckett Fan said:
A thought struck me. How exciting it would be if the devil's invasion had been performed the other way around.
While Sam appears to be acting on good intention, his thoughtful actions cause damage in other areas. Somewhat like Alia as Connie LaMatta who appeared to have Jimmy's interest at heart but was using him to drive a wedge between Connie and Frank.
Revelation: Sam is the devil in disguise trying to undo the real Sam's good deeds. Interference with Ziggy caused her to trace phony brainwaves that appeared to be Sam's.
While the real Sam is in a completely different leap.

There's probably flaws with this such as Sam's coming face to face with the devil being more meaningful but to quote Al (the real one, though I can't remember where he said it) "but it sounds good doesn't it?".
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I actually quite like this idea, but the trouble is that the Devil wanted to stop Sam, not the Project, as it's really only Sam who has the character required to fulfil this job...
 
Lightning McQueenie said:
I actually quite like this idea, but the trouble is that the Devil wanted to stop Sam, not the Project, as it's really only Sam who has the character required to fulfil this job...
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Right but in this version he's being more direct than stopping Sam, he's countering Sam's work. Like he does later with the Evil Leapers (or that's my Evil Leapers theory anyway).

Undoubtably however the way it did occur was more effective and brilliant. Not to mention Dean was perfectly creepy for the role, I am sorry but not sure Scott could have pulled that off. Especially not that wheeze laugh!
 
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