211 A Portrait for Troian

This was the first episode dealing with the supernatural. This is where you find out that Al is superstitous.

A Portrait for Troian

I’m rewatching series two at the moment and this particular episode, although not a personal favourite, threw up quite a few questions, highlighted others, showed possible future links, and some possible firsts.

The episode heavily features the possibility of paranormal activity (ghosts) in the QuantumLeap universe, much like future episodes featuring Bigfoot, aliens and vampires.
However it is only possible paranormal activity as most of the sound wave recording evidence is seismic activity and the brothers recordings, as well as people being able to hear Al when the equipment is turned on. However Priscilla Stoltz (Carolyn Seymour – later seen as the evil leaper Zoey) may be an actual ghost, as a woman looking identical to her is pulled out of the lake at the end, after being down there for… well, a very long time, and she then disappears at the end of the episode. Stoltz can also see Al, possibly like children, animals, and people with psychiatric disorders can see him, so can ghosts..?
Al - (after Stoltz possibly directed ‘strangers aren’t welcome here’) She gives me the shivers. I think she can see me.

Also Carolyn Seymour could be the first glimpse of the Evil Leapers, as at one point she locks Sam in Julian’s study, hindering his rescue of Troian. She also disappears at the end of the episode, possibly leaping when Sam succeeds and she fails… although it’s probably just the case of the same actress being used and my overactive imagination.

I don’t know if I’m right but is this the first episode to feature Gooshie centring Al on someone other than Sam? It’s the first one I really noticed so I'm probably wrong.

Like Leonii’s ‘A Leapee Question’ thread on general discussion, this episode mentions what the Leapee experiences.
Al – I just came from the Waiting Room and even though Mintz thinks he was abducted by aliens, all he can think about is Troian.

Cast trivia
Dr. Timothy Mintz, Sam’s mirror image was played by Donald P. Bellisario.
Troian Claridge was played by Deborah Pratt, Bellisario’s wife at the time and the voice of Ziggy (according to IMDB).

Favourite quote from the episode
Al – I don’t know and I don’t care. All I know is I don’t want anyone other than you hearing me… unless its women.
Sam – You mean like that cute blonde.
Al – Blonde? *turns around*
Skeleton with blond hair still on
Al - *huff* I’m not into necrophilia
Sam – At last, something sexual he’s not into
Al – Not funny Sam

So Deborah Pratt is no longer merried to D.Bellisario’s? well i guess it's means she wasn't his Beth...

Anyway in my opinion it was only an average episode. one of my last 10 in the series. Tried to be creepy,but really wasn't. gave Deborah her first role in QL but she did an average job.
One thing i can say - Mr.Fusion brought up some interesting questions...

I liked this episode. First of all I love Sam's sweet side and this episode greatly shows it and DPB and Pratt both making an appearence is a nice treat. This is really really great mystery episode in my opinion. It would make a great mystery novel. I was confused the whole episode through as to what was going on with Julian's voice.

Now I know I made a thread about this but I thought I would stress the idea here as well as this is an appropriate area to discuss anything partaining to this ep. Ms. Stoltz, I noticed seemed to desply some strange behavior towards Sam. It's my theory that she actually wanted Troian dead. Which would make sense seeing as her husband killed her and she feels that what was hers was taken from her which is the Claridge mansion and fortune. There are many clues that support this:

• When Troian invites Sam(Mintz) into the house, Stoltz offered to make tea for everyone to which Sam being a gentlemen politely responds "If its not too much trouble" to which Stoltz answers "If you wanted to save me trouble Dr. you wouldn't be here." This suggests that sense we find out at the end that she is a ghost she must see Sam for who he is and knows that he is there to wreck something that she doesn't want wrecked.

• A few minutes after the above when she hands Sam his drink that she was preparing and she tells him that Mrs. Little was looking for him as she has some newspaper clippings that he requested and she says at one point in that scene "Strangers are not welcomed here"

• When Troian is standing on the docks just staring out at the lake Stoltz watches her from the window with a smile on her face almost like something she is up to is working.

• Sam runs up to the attic room and sees the painting of her and Julian in the lake and is alerted that something is wrong. He immiedialy turnd to run back out of the room to go after Troian but the door is shut and locked in front of him before he can get out and the scene then switchs so that we see Stoltz walking down the steps. It seems as if she waited for Sam enter the room so that she could lock him in and keep him from saving Troian.

• Lastly but certianly not least at the end when Stoltz's body is descovered and Sam and Troian realize that her name was a coincidence to a dead Claridge Sam takes a look at the body identified with her name and then we see Stoltz looking out the window at them and then disappearing with what seems like defeat.

It just struck me as strange and coincidental and it makes sense consitering what happened to her over 100 years ago. It makes sense that she would believe that she was rightful head of the house because it had been stolen from her all those years ago.
I also had another thought. She could be a dead leaper like Stawpah only the evil kind like Alia was to Sam. That also makes sense consitering Stawpah.

Ferther more, I also loved the Al humor in this episode about how he is so freaked out about being in the Claridge tomb and how Sam actually would tease him about it. And I liked the kiss with history where Mintz's Ghost equipment actually gave birth to the first rictor scale after the earthquake in the episode which is also historical. I loved all the twists and turns in this episode like I said great Mystery novel material.

Sam Beckett Fan said:

And I liked the kiss with history where Mintz's Ghost equipment actually gave birth to the first rictor scale after the earthquake in the episode which is also historical.

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Charles Richter developed the Richter Scale for measuring earthquakes in 1935 - long before this episode takes place.

Oh ok, my bad. Sorry that was the impression the reference in the show gave me History has always been my worst subject since the beginning of my time.

I really enjoyed this episode athough it really creeped me out coz i watched it for the first time at midight. I loved the ending twist and that also creeped me out, but i love the humour between sam and al

I enjoyed this episode. It reminds me of something that a friend of mine is going through right now.

This episode was all right to me. I really didn't like the brother's acting. I think this episode was on a tight budget as it had DPB and Debra Pratt filling in roles. I do, however, like the little tribute to DPB and Debra's marriage, at the time. It was evident in the fact that Al said, "I think he is crazy about her." It was also a treat to see Caroline Seymour pre Zoe days.

Not one of my favorite horror/supernatural/creepy/whatever-you-call-it QL episodes. I never really thought it was so creepy... until the last scene, when it's revealed who/what Ms. Stoltz really was all along. That was actually very well played out. I never liked the final confrontation with the brother. Like, oh yeah, he just drawned without even trying to swim or anything, and then the reaction: Like "Oh yeah, it's okay he died 'cause, you know, he was nuts." Maybe that part was written by Scott Shepherd because it was very hilarious (like all his suspense bits with the killer in "Blind Faith").

Loved the acting from Carolyn Seymour and the guy who played the brother... but Deborah's acting was almost unbearable to me. She's a very good writer, but a very bad actress, at least in this particular QL episode, in my opinion (haven't seen her in anything else outside QL yet). Her Ziggy voice in the series is something else. She excelled at that, but as Troian I could never believe her and was so annoying. That's what almost ruined the entire episode for me.

My rating: Average.

I also think that Stoltz knew that Sam was not the parapsychologist and did not want Sam meddling in the "curse". I think Al was right on the money as well when he said (in his cowardly way) that he thought she could see him and was giving him the creeps. According to canon, since she is a ghost, she MUST be able to see Sam and Al (just like Angelita was able to), but it also goes to show that not all supernatural forces are good...

Lightning McQueenie said:

I also think that Stoltz knew that Sam was not the parapsychologist and did not want Sam meddling in the "curse". I think Al was right on the money as well when he said (in his cowardly way) that he thought she could see him and was giving him the creeps. According to canon, since she is a ghost, she MUST be able to see Sam and Al (just like Angelita was able to), but it also goes to show that not all supernatural forces are good...

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Well there is a difference between an angel and a ghost. I don't know what it is, but...

Sam Beckett Fan said:

Ms. Stoltz, I noticed seemed to desply some strange behavior towards Sam. It's my theory that she actually wanted Troian dead. Which would make sense seeing as her husband killed her and she feels that what was hers was taken from her which is the Claridge mansion and fortune. There are many clues that support this:

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Do you think she had something to do with Julian's death? The implication by Al seemed to say that Julian's death was not just an accident.

servo75 said:

Well there is a difference between an angel and a ghost. I don't know what it is, but...

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An angel is a spirit who serves God. A ghost is a spirit who hasn't moved on.

servo75 said:

Do you think she had something to do with Julian's death? The implication by Al seemed to say that Julian's death was not just an accident.

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Actually, I think that Ms Stoltz is a good character, haunting the Claridge manor to protect the female mistresses of the manor.

Sam Beckett Fan said:

I was confused the whole episode through as to what was going on with Julian's voice.

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I've just watched this and was distracted all the way through due to that reason. It appears that the actor was dubbed throughout? Or just did all his dialogue on post-dub?

I was also curious as to how DP could be his sister, something that goes unreferenced. Overall, this was okay entertainment, but a little bland as far as QL goes.

Sam joking that Seymour was a fan of the Twilight Zone was quite a neat bit, I guess, as she'd just been in the revival series a few years earlier, but I guess this was just coincidental.

Anorak said:

I've just watched this and was distracted all the way through due to that reason. It appears that the actor was dubbed throughout? Or just did all his dialogue on post-dub?

I was also curious as to how DP could be his sister, something that goes unreferenced. Overall, this was okay entertainment, but a little bland as far as QL goes.

Sam joking that Seymour was a fan of the Twilight Zone was quite a neat bit, I guess, as she'd just been in the revival series a few years earlier, but I guess this was just coincidental.

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Julian's voice was recorded onto a tape by Jimmy, and broadcast in a frequency that was so high that only dogs and some women (like Troian) could hear it. An interesting side note - Julian's voice was recorded by Dean Stockwell

Lightning McQueenie said:

Julian's voice was recorded onto a tape by Jimmy, and broadcast in a frequency that was so high that only dogs and some women (like Troian) could hear it. An interesting side note - Julian's voice was recorded by Dean Stockwell

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Ah, sorry, my mistake - I'd misread the post I was replying to as "Jimmy".

I actually meant the brother's voice (Robert Torti) appeared to be dubbed throughout.

I enjoyed this episode. As Halloween is right around the corner, the spook factor is kind of cranked up a notch. This is where we get to see the tough Admiral's superstitious side. It added an aire of comedy throughout what would otherwise be a really serious, really creepy episode. (Killing your sister for money?) But I gotta say, the bit at the end with Miss Stoltz was - wow. Heebie jeebie time.

The acting by a couple of the principle players isn't stellar, so that drops my rating a notch to Good.

There are still elements of the deception that don't add up; the paintings and the brother's death.

The lake was described as deep, I suspect enough that even a strong swimmer couldn't get to the bottom alive, let alone back.
How then was the painting that Troian chucked into the lake recovered and how did the second painting of her in the lake beside her husband even come to be? The first painting was said to be the last one she did so the second one was suggestively not hers.
The brother was highlighted as being gifted in technology but I suppose he could have been skilled in art as well.

Now let's examine the brother's death.
There is no sense to his dropping into the lake like a rock.
It's not clarified whether or not he could swim but regardless, a survival instinct will manifest when in water.
Either, fail powerfully like a fish out of water and scream or tread water for as long as the individual's upper body strength will allow if paddling to safety wasn't an option.

Then again the husband's drowning was just as mysterious. He was specified to be a strong swimmer (Troian assumed at first that he was messing around).

It also doesn't sit right with me that the brother got a hero's death as Troian allowed the official report to state that he died in an attempt to save her.
This was her brother, all she had left both flesh and blood and period and when she found out what he was doing to her she felt the need to help him but when he died it felt swept under the rug. There was an absence of guilt even on Sam's part which was OOC and the hero story brushes off that he was deeply disturbed.

servo75 said:

Well there is a difference between an angel and a ghost. I don't know what it is, but...

Click to expand...

An Angel can be one of two things:
1. Divine beings that pre-dated humans.
2. Human spirits that have ascended to Heaven that tend to return to earth as guardians or to in some other form represent God.
In QL, it's the latter as demonstrated by Angela.

A ghost is an earthbound human spirit that is unable to rest due to the need for some type of closure.

Lightning McQueenie said:

Actually, I think that Ms Stoltz is a good character, haunting the Claridge manor to protect the female mistresses of the manor.

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I respectfully disagree.
If she'd wanted to protect Troian, she should've welcomed Sam's presence and very much did not.
The effort she made seemed exclusively targeted at Sam, suggestively to prevent him from interfering with the brother's scheme.
Remember Troian died originally, hence Sam's presence.

The fact that she vanishes after her corpse is identified suggests that she haunted the Claridge home needing that acknowledgment, as a Claridge.

Lightning McQueenie said:

An interesting side note - Julian's voice was recorded by Dean Stockwell

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Son of a *bleep*. I've noticed how Al sounds eerily exactly like the recording when he messes with the brother in the climax in an attempt to distract him.

Sam Beckett Fan said:

There are still elements of the deception that don't add up; the paintings and the brother's death.

The lake was described as deep, I suspect enough that even a strong swimmer couldn't get to the bottom alive, let alone back.
How then was the painting that Troian chucked into the lake recovered and how did the second painting of her in the lake beside her husband even come to be? The first painting was said to be the last one she did so the second one was suggestively not hers.
The brother was highlighted as being gifted in technology but I suppose he could have been skilled in art as well.

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I'd assumed that this painting was a forgery that Jimmy had created in an attempt to unhinge her...

It also doesn't sit right with me that the brother got a hero's death as Troian allowed the official report to state that he died in an attempt to save her.
This was her brother, all she had left both flesh and blood and period and when she found out what he was doing to her she felt the need to help him but when he died it felt swept under the rug. There was an absence of guilt even on Sam's part which was OOC and the hero story brushes off that he was deeply disturbed.

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I think Troian must have been so ashamed of her brother's actions that she would have preferred them not to be public knowledge.

I respectfully disagree.
If she'd wanted to protect Troian, she should've welcomed Sam's presence and very much did not.
The effort she made seemed exclusively targeted at Sam, suggestively to prevent him from interfering with the brother's scheme.
Remember Troian died originally, hence Sam's presence.

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Ms Stoltz doesn't exist outside of time, she had no way of knowing what Sam was there for. Her distrust of Sam (and probably Al) is definitely justified.

This is the first supernatural themed episode, and it certainly won't be the last... Now, the truth is...I'm a sucker for these kind of episodes. I just love the spooky ones. Partly because Al is always hilarious in these kind of episodes and here he's no different. The part in the crypt cracks me up every time.

Deborah Pratt is one of the best things about this episode, in my opinion. I think her acting here was really good. And it's neat that we get a cameo from Mr Bellisario himself here as Sam's mirror image.

The only thing that puzzled me about the episode is Ms Stoltz. We find out at the end that she's a ghost, but...that doesn't explain why she helped Jimmy. I mean, why did she lock Sam in the room? She must have knew what was going on. Did she resent Troian for taking her place as lady of the house? Did she just want her body to be discovered? Is that why she disappeared? I do love this episode, but I do think her character was left without any real motivation for why she'd choose to remain at the house.

My rating. Excellent. A great episode. Maybe not the best supernaturally themed one, but still a great episode nevertheless.

Lightning McQueenie said:

Julian's voice was recorded onto a tape by Jimmy, and broadcast in a frequency that was so high that only dogs and some women (like Troian) could hear it. An interesting side note - Julian's voice was recorded by Dean Stockwell

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That makes sense, but it doesn't explain how Jimmy could hear (but not see) Al, especially in the last scene on the dock, Jimmy was clearly able to hear Al through the same equipment he was using to gaslight Troian.