Interesting Observations/Facts/Questions about Quantum Leap

Lightning McQueenie said:

Hi all, this is a thread where we can post miscellaneous Quantum Leap observations/facts/questions that pop into your head.

A few things I noticed:

- Angelita and Stawpah are both dead and help out the living. When Angelita succeeds, we see her walk away from Sam and he forgets everything, while Stawpah simply leaps immediately. Imagine what we all would have thought if instead of Angelita walking off, she leapt...

- We have seen in the Wrong Stuff that because Bobo is incapable of human speech, his aura prevents Sam from being able to be understood. Does this mean that if Sam leaps into someone who doesn't speak English, if he tried to speak in English, the aura would not be able to?

- Sam has leapt into women on numerous occasions. What would him peeing look like if someone walked in on him? Would it look like the leapee is aiming without anything to aim with? Or would it just look like the pee is coming out of nowhere? Perhaps Sam should just pee sitting down during these leaps

- We know that Sam is not dead, but his project enabled him to do what some dead people (angels) do, try to put right what once went wrong. Do you think when he eventually dies, he will continue to do what the angels do? Or do you think he'll finally decide to rest?

- We know that it is not really GFTW leaping Sam around (even though it has been known to intervene if it looks like Sam is going to fail), but rather Sam is leaping himself. Does this mean that his Swiss-cheesed brain is really himself subconsciously blocking out anything that could prevent him from doing his life's work? I think it is, considering we have seen numerous occasions when the Swiss-cheese effect can be at least partially overcome if the leaper has a specific task in mind when leaping (e.g. Sam leaping into Al and preventing his murder, Bingo leaping into himself in the past to prevent Chip from murdering Commander Ricker's wife, Zoe leaping to kill Alia). This would explain why even though he does start remembering portions of his life, he continually remains oblivious to his marriage to Donna, as remembering he is married could prevent him from doing the job, which Al so eloquently put "is a dirty job, but someone has to do it"


Any thoughts on the points I have raised? Or does anyone have any other tidbits they'd like to contribute?

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Oops. I had some very long insight into this and for some reason I couldn't submit it. How fool I was because I didn't save it!! I'll try to post it tomorrow again if I can remember it all. I'm tired now.

Lightning McQueenie said:

Does this mean that if Sam leaps into someone who doesn't speak English, if he tried to speak in English, the aura would not be able to?

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My take is that everyone around the leapee will see and hear the aura. So even if Sam speaks English they will hear what they are supposed to hear, in the language they're supposed to hear it in. Don't ask me how that works, it just does, lol.

Lightning McQueenie said:

We know that Sam is not dead, but his project enabled him to do what some dead people (angels) do, try to put right what once went wrong. Do you think when he eventually dies, he will continue to do what the angels do? Or do you think he'll finally decide to rest?

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Knowing Sam I think he would continue on.

Lightning McQueenie said:

We know that it is not really GFTW leaping Sam around (even though it has been known to intervene if it looks like Sam is going to fail), but rather Sam is leaping himself. Does this mean that his Swiss-cheesed brain is really himself subconsciously blocking out anything that could prevent him from doing his life's work? I think it is, considering we have seen numerous occasions when the Swiss-cheese effect can be at least partially overcome if the leaper has a specific task in mind when leaping (e.g. Sam leaping into Al and preventing his murder, Bingo leaping into himself in the past to prevent Chip from murdering Commander Ricker's wife, Zoe leaping to kill Alia). This would explain why even though he does start remembering portions of his life, he continually remains oblivious to his marriage to Donna, as remembering he is married could prevent him from doing the job, which Al so eloquently put "is a dirty job, but someone has to do it"

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Yes, in my opinion Sam's mind is unconsciously blocking out Donna because if he remembered her it would make him want to go home instead of continuing his mission that he wants to keep doing. Donna is a key person on the project and his wife. There really isn't any other way to reconcile why he remembers every other key person on the project but not his own wife -- and it's the one explanation that doesn't make Sam seem like a complete jerk.

Lightning McQueenie said:

- We have seen in the Wrong Stuff that because Bobo is incapable of human speech, his aura prevents Sam from being able to be understood. Does this mean that if Sam leaps into someone who doesn't speak English, if he tried to speak in English, the aura would not be able to?

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Actually the season 1 episode Double Identity answers this. He leaps into a man who while able to speak English is well known for utilizing it very little. Sam is responded to with concern a few times when it is being noticed that he is not been speaking in Italian. Which unfortunately is not in Sam's wide collection of languages. In addition in the salon scene he requires translator assistance from Al when expected to answer to Don Gino in Italian.

Lightning McQueenie said:

- We know that it is not really GFTW leaping Sam around (even though it has been known to intervene if it looks like Sam is going to fail), but rather Sam is leaping himself. Does this mean that his Swiss-cheesed brain is really himself subconsciously blocking out anything that could prevent him from doing his life's work? I think it is, considering we have seen numerous occasions when the Swiss-cheese effect can be at least partially overcome if the leaper has a specific task in mind when leaping (e.g. Sam leaping into Al and preventing his murder, Bingo leaping into himself in the past to prevent Chip from murdering Commander Ricker's wife, Zoe leaping to kill Alia). This would explain why even though he does start remembering portions of his life, he continually remains oblivious to his marriage to Donna, as remembering he is married could prevent him from doing the job, which Al so eloquently put "is a dirty job, but someone has to do it"

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His inability to regain his memory of Donna actually makes no sense however is explained in terms of the writing. Deborah Pratt who was more intrigued by the idea of putting Sam in an in-leap serious relationship (Abigail) regretted reintroducing Donna in The Leap Back. Sad in my opinion as I am a Sam/Donna fan, but his never remembering her is most likely a failed attempt to erase the idea that Sam is married back in his present.

Another way it can be seen from the storyline angle is that the possibility that Sam's success in Star Crossed had somehow been reversed by a timeline changing action of Sam's after The Leap Back could be entertained.

Lightning McQueenie said:

- Sam has leapt into women on numerous occasions. What would him peeing look like if someone walked in on him? Would it look like the leapee is aiming without anything to aim with? Or would it just look like the pee is coming out of nowhere? Perhaps Sam should just pee sitting down during these leaps

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ROTFL! I have pondered this myself. I think it can be assumed though that as a female he sits especially when using a public restroom which is specific to females.

Lightning McQueenie said:

Hi all, this is a thread where we can post miscellaneous Quantum Leap observations/facts/questions that pop into your head.

A few things I noticed:

- Angelita and Stawpah are both dead and help out the living. When Angelita succeeds, we see her walk away from Sam and he forgets everything, while Stawpah simply leaps immediately. Imagine what we all would have thought if instead of Angelita walking off, she leapt...

- We have seen in the Wrong Stuff that because Bobo is incapable of human speech, his aura prevents Sam from being able to be understood. Does this mean that if Sam leaps into someone who doesn't speak English, if he tried to speak in English, the aura would not be able to?

- Sam has leapt into women on numerous occasions. What would him peeing look like if someone walked in on him? Would it look like the leapee is aiming without anything to aim with? Or would it just look like the pee is coming out of nowhere? Perhaps Sam should just pee sitting down during these leaps

- We know that Sam is not dead, but his project enabled him to do what some dead people (angels) do, try to put right what once went wrong. Do you think when he eventually dies, he will continue to do what the angels do? Or do you think he'll finally decide to rest?

- We know that it is not really GFTW leaping Sam around (even though it has been known to intervene if it looks like Sam is going to fail), but rather Sam is leaping himself. Does this mean that his Swiss-cheesed brain is really himself subconsciously blocking out anything that could prevent him from doing his life's work? I think it is, considering we have seen numerous occasions when the Swiss-cheese effect can be at least partially overcome if the leaper has a specific task in mind when leaping (e.g. Sam leaping into Al and preventing his murder, Bingo leaping into himself in the past to prevent Chip from murdering Commander Ricker's wife, Zoe leaping to kill Alia). This would explain why even though he does start remembering portions of his life, he continually remains oblivious to his marriage to Donna, as remembering he is married could prevent him from doing the job, which Al so eloquently put "is a dirty job, but someone has to do it"


Any thoughts on the points I have raised? Or does anyone have any other tidbits they'd like to contribute?

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OK, here it goes...

On Sam and the aura: It wouldn't matter if the leapee didn't speak English. The aura would speak the English that Sam knows. In order for Sam to be understood, either he would have to know the language of the leapee, or the people around the leapee's life would have to know the English of Sam. This in itself would cause some problems and issues as well. For example, what if the leapee was known to not speak any other language and he suddenly starts speaking English? They would even try to put him on a loony bin or to study him, etc. With Bobo was different because he was an animal, a chimpanzee, and so it would be the same, for example, as if he leapt into a lion, a cow, a dog or a cat. It only applies for animals but not for human auras... With an exception: If he leapt into a baby. The aura would still babble while Sam would still speak clearly. Why? Probably because of the stage of the brain, being still under-developed.

On Sam being caught peeing while being a woman: It would be something quite scary for the person who saw him, I believe. Like something along the lines of "Nowhere To Run". We saw the reflection on the mirror of the leapee without legs still walking on thin air, so in this case I think there would be no "aimer".

On Sam "doing what Angels do". I believe he would do it. Resting in peace for him is continuing with his mission.

On the swiss-cheese blocking effect, you're absolutely right. And let me add that I think that, as time progressed, Sam learned to be OK with it. With "Mirror Image" the learning was complete. He decided to give up the life of a common man and, instead of being just a reluctant hero, he became a very conscious one. Saving Al's life was the key on this. I believe that, even if he remembered Donna, he would still go on. It's probably a contradiction, following "Star-Crossed" and a big price to pay, but there's also an old saying: "sometimes we have to kill... but our real job is to save lives."

On Angelita and Stawpah. I think Stawpah is on the same vein as Angelita. Everybody else forgot him on the bar, but why not Sam? I'd like to believe that it's probably because Al The Bartender didn't want him to. He served as a device so Sam could understand his position one step further. This raises another mystery: The Gooshie at the bar. Was he actually another leaper or an "Angel"? I think he may have been, and he was just a way from The Bartender to tell Sam: "Yeah, so you are goodness, but not ALL of it because you're not alone in this mission and there are other people doing what you do." It's interesting that he shows up exactly every time Stawpah is not there. If he had been there at the time Stawpah disappeared, he would have remembered him as well. At least that's what I think. I see the whole "Mirror Image" episode as a sort of a break for Sam so he could acquire the correct knowledge and the preparation to continue with his mission but with tougher leaps. The Bartender is really GTFW, but he's not leaping Sam. Sam is leaping himself, and he had to make a choice. To quit or to keep going. After he saved Al, he decided to continue, even though he had told The Bartender that he wanted to go home. That didn't matter anymore. His task with the Universe was not over, and he finally understood that clearly.

Having needed to step out earlier I was unable to include in my previous post, the Stawpah thing never made complete sense to me but nor does most of that episode. Though I find it can not be a coincidence that Stawpah is suggested to have been Al's uncle.

The difference I hypothesize between him and Angela is that perhaps Stawpah never left the earthly plain making him a wondering spirit as opposed to an angel. This is the only way I can make sense of their different exits.

Lightning McQueenie said:

I believe that if he ever did remember Donna, he'd realise how badly he's hurt her by making her make peace with her father and get over her abandonment issues, only to abandon her himself. I expect that he would leap to try to prevent marrying her, maybe even trying to convince her to marry her first fiance instead

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I agree with this. Sam can choose to make a sacrifice for himself but it's not up to him to choose that for someone else. I think he would at least want to try to make it right once he realized he'd done wrong by her. I have no doubt that he loves her, he didn't want to hurt her and would feel terrible to know that he had. Though it still doesn't make sense to me why she didn't marry her first fiance in the first place. If making peace with her father helped her get over her abandonment issues she shouldn't have been afraid of commitment that first time.

Lightning McQueenie said:

First of all, Al the Bartender is NOT GFTW, he says so himself.

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There's a theory that Al the Bartender is actually a physical manifestation of Ziggy and that it's Ziggy who has been in control all along, which is an interesting idea. But I like the Wizard of Oz analogy, too, and the idea that Sam is dreaming the leap, putting different names to familiar faces and vice versa -- it works really well for the episode and I like the idea that it's Sam who subconsciously chooses to continue leaping because of his desire to make the world a better place.

blue enigma said:

I have no doubt that he loves her, he didn't want to hurt her and would feel terrible to know that he had. Though it still doesn't make sense to me why she didn't marry her first fiance in the first place. If making peace with her father helped her get over her abandonment issues she shouldn't have been afraid of commitment that first time.

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It's Scott's belief that Donna was aware of what she married into, that she understands that Sam is fulfilling a great purpose and therefore not hurt by his actions. He also seemed to disagree with Sam's being unable to act freely with the memory of her. That he would know that she understood and this that he wasn't hurting her.
Watch the 2012 Wizard World comic con Quantum Leap panel on youtube where Scott explains this to a questioner.
(NOTE: turn up your volume, the sound system at this panel was poor).

As for why she did not marry her first fiancee, there are a few possible reasons which all come down to there being no love there. Such as the explanation that the novel Mirror's Edge offered of it being someone her mother had set her up with.

Lightning McQueenie said:

First of all, Al the Bartender is NOT GFTW, he says so himself. To understand this episode, we need to understand that this leap is different to any other. He has not leapt into a person, rather, he has leapt into his own subconscious to try to make sense of his life.

It helps if you think about this episode like the Wizard of Oz, there are in fact a number of parallels - both Sam's leap and Dorothy's trip to Oz are implied to happen in their own heads, everyone they meet reminds them of someone they've met before, and they both want to go home. The major difference of course is the lesson that they each learn, Dorothy learning that if she wants to find happiness, there's no place like home, while Sam learns that he created Project Quantum Leap to make the world a better place, it's his life's work, and so he can't go home because there are always more wrongs that need to be put right.

So if Al the Bartender isn't GFTW, then what is he? Like everything else in this leap, he's a creation of Sam. I see three parts of Sam's psyche appearing in this episode. The Sam we see as Sam in this leap is really Sam's Id, his true self, all his wants and needs. Al the Bartender is Sam's Ego. He's the one who tries to get the Id to come to his senses and realise what really needs to be done. But it's not until Al the Observer appears that Sam realises how he can do what he needs to do. Al the Observer represesnts Sam's Superego, the one who provides the means to do what is needed and wanted, that is to save Al's marriage and then to keep on leaping.

Back on the Wizard of Oz analogy, I may have just answered my own question regarding Stawpah and Angelita. Stawpah is in fact Sam's recollection of an angel having helped him and knowledge of their existence, but it's more like a feeling in his heart rather than a proper memory. This is why Stawpah looks nothing like Angelita and leaps away rather than walking off. Why he chose to have Al's uncle be the manifestation of an angel I don't know, maybe he had become so codependent on Al the Observer that he needed someone Al-like to be there...

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This is a pretty amazing theory and I believe some part of me in a way also saw the finale leap as some part of his subconscious. How it is possible for Sam to leap into his own subconscious is still a question at least for me. Unless he was in fact, as had just come to mind the other day, in between leaps. Continuing the Wizard of Oz comparison, Dorothy had turned out to have been unconscious/comatose and it can be assumed that in between leaps Sam is in a way comatose which would explain how from his perspective the transfer from one leap to the next is instantaneous.

My mind is now putting together a new theory to explain Stawpah. He's been stuck in a time loop as he several times over fails and retries the same task and of all those familiar to Sam in this environment, the lives he needs to save are those of the Frank and Jimmy look-alikes who'd been trapped in a mine and drowned. In the end it was Sam who did it. Later after his final departure it is then suggested that Stawpah is Al's uncle.
So what does everything about Stawpah seem to be centered around? Al right? Jimmy had meant the most to Al and in this case would represent his sister Trudy.
So my new theory is that Stawpah is Al's damaged soul which would account for his crippled appearance (don't forget that after The Leap Back he actually has some of Al's mind) or perhaps Sam's regret from turning his back on the opportunity to restore Al's first marriage. Or a little of both. We see in one scene Sam is even brought to tears thinking back on the attempt he could have made with Beth and then remedies it at the end.

Sawpah is played by Stephan McHattie who is not said to be related to Dean Stockwell. He in fact is about ten years younger than Dean.
In addition I had forgotten but was reminded by IMDB that Stawpah was Russian which would put him on Al's mother's side if in fact he was his uncle. His mother who ran off with the Encyclopedia salesmen when he was a young child.

Sam Beckett Fan said:

Sawpah is played by Stephan McHattie who is not said to be related to Dean Stockwell. He in fact is about ten years younger than Dean.

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Really? 10 years younger? Wow! I never would've thought so. I'm not saying that he looked that old, but he certainly didn't look 10 years younger than Dean.

Anyway, something I will always love from "Mirror Image" is the fact that all the theories about it are valid and there's not an absolute right one. It means DPB succeeded at making us play with our varied imagination a lil' bit. Shame there were no more eps. after MI to confirm all these theories.

Sam Beckett Fan said:

It's Scott's belief that Donna was aware of what she married into, that she understands that Sam is fulfilling a great purpose and therefore not hurt by his actions. He also seemed to disagree with Sam's being unable to act freely with the memory of her. That he would know that she understood and this that he wasn't hurting her.

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Yes, I've heard that explanation and Scott talk about it. Nevertheless, I respectfully disagree with it. I won't get into the nitty gritty of why because I don't want to turn this into a Donna thread either. I haven't read Mirror's Edge yet [I don't have that one]. I've enjoyed the few novels I've read and some of those authors dealt with the Donna story line -- they had some interesting theories about her and about the marriage. They aren't canon though -- they're basically published fanfics. The canon itself unfortunately didn't really do a good job with this arc and left it as a loose thread.

Lightning McQueenie said:

I didn't mean for this to become a Mirror Image Thread, sorry for it going off on a tangent like that.

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Well, I like 'Mirror Image' so I don't mind discussing it.

I like your theory about Stawpah too. I've always thought that Jimmy was a very special leapee for not just Al but Sam, too, because of Al. So it makes sense that Jimmy would be one of the leapees that would appear in this bar.

Lightning McQueenie said:

On the subject of auras, it seems kind of silly that the leapee's clothes always fit Sam perfectly. I think they must reshape around his body while the aura still looks normal. This could prove comical if someone was seeing Sam as Sam, ala Shallow Hal (watch this trailer at about 1:30 )

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That's the explanation I had heard. Re the second part, In 'Another Mother' for example Teresa sees Sam as Sam, a man wearing a dress, but she says nothing about how it's too small for him. I'm sure the woman's dress would be too tight and short on him, he's six feet. Teresa would be able to see that.

Donofrio_QLTD said:

Anyway, something I will always love from "Mirror Image" is the fact that all the theories about it are valid and there's not an absolute right one. It means DPB succeeded at making us play with our varied imagination a lil' bit. Shame there were no more eps. after MI to confirm all these theories.

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That's how I feel about it and why I never get tired of discussion about this episode. I would've loved to have seen what DPB would have done had the show gone beyond this episode.

blue enigma said:

Yes, I've heard that explanation and Scott talk about it. Nevertheless, I respectfully disagree with it. I won't get into the nitty gritty of why because I don't want to turn this into a Donna thread either. I haven't read Mirror's Edge yet [I don't have that one]. I've enjoyed the few novels I've read and some of those authors dealt with the Donna story line -- they had some interesting theories about her and about the marriage. They aren't canon though -- they're basically published fanfics. The canon itself unfortunately didn't really do a good job with this arc and left it as a loose thread.

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I am aware that the novels are not cannon which is why I am careful to reference their content with proceeding terms such as "the explanation the novel Mirror's Edge offers". I highly recommend it by the way, it's one of my favorites and in my opinion very well written.
Knights Of the Morningstar is another which portrays Donna very well and has a good over all storyline.

*****

The issue with the clothing is an interesting one, for example Raped is one the more puzzling situations because Katie McBane was a teenager so by default smaller than the average woman, smaller then say Linda Bruckner of Another Mother but also seemingly decently slim. So Sam being able to fit into her clothes was certainly a riddle. I am not sure I have a theory to offer for that other than what has already been suggested, that they expand for him though that doesn't make a whole lot of sense either.

Another question has nagged at me. Though Sam is of course not one who frequently had sexual relationships with the people he was involved with in leaps, hypothetically for a moment lets say that he were to give in to his urges with another woman while in a woman aura. Would his partner be able to feel his 'thing' inside her? My guess is that she would since really it's no different than if he were to have sex with her with a male aura. His body is there no matter what. It's still interesting to think about though. What this really questions is how strong is the aura? How much does it actually effect?

Sam Beckett Fan said:

I am aware that the novels are not cannon which is why I am careful to reference their content with proceeding terms such as "the explanation the novel Mirror's Edge offers". I highly recommend it by the way, it's one of my favorites and in my opinion very well written.
Knights Of the Morningstar is another which portrays Donna very well and has a good over all storyline.

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Knights of the Morningstar is a good one. I'm not a big fan of the evil leapers but Rawn handled them well, as well as the rest of the QL universe, and she's a very good writer.

Sam Beckett Fan said:

Another question has nagged at me. Though Sam is of course not one who frequently had sexual relationships with the people he was involved with in leaps, hypothetically for a moment lets say that he were to give in to his urges with another woman while in a woman aura. Would his partner be able to feel his 'thing' inside her? My guess is that she would since really it's no different than if he were to have sex with her with a male aura. His body is there no matter what. It's still interesting to think about though. What this really questions is how strong is the aura? How much does it actually effect?

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Yeah, a lot of things really don't work if you look too closely, or you have to just assume that the rules of leaping constantly change. This quandry has occurred to me as well. In Liberation Sam couldn't get himself to kiss the leapee's husband. But if the situation had been two women then being a straight guy he'd probably have had no problem with it. Further complicating things: we know Sam can actually conceive a child in the body of a male leapee. My guess is he could still do so while leaping into a woman, since it is his body there, depending on the logistics though, which I won't get detailed about since this is a general audience forum. It could be an unexpected surprise for the leapee's partner all depending.

blue enigma said:

Knights of the Morningstar is a good one. I'm not a big fan of the evil leapers but Rawn handled them well, as well as the rest of the QL universe, and she's a very good writer.

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Couldn't agree more. There was flaw with her portrayal but overall it's obvious her theories are well thought out and attempt to follow the TV series.

blue enigma said:

In Liberation Sam couldn't get himself to kiss the leapee's husband. But if the situation had been two women then being a straight guy he'd probably have had no problem with it.

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This is why I think a lesbian woman would have made for an interesting and unique leap.

blue enigma said:

Further complicating things: we know Sam can actually conceive a child in the body of a male leapee. My guess is he could still do so while leaping into a woman, since it is his body there

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This is a good point, and remember not only could he conceive a child with a male aura but pass on his own genes not the leapee's. Hence Sammy Jo's IQ. This is one of the most significant ways in which we can tell that it's his body that leaps as opposed to his soul as some of the novels portray which I find distasteful.
This also suggests what even through a woman aura he could still conceive.

Sam Beckett Fan said:

This is why I think a lesbian woman would have made for an interesting and unique leap.

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Agreed, but I don't think they were quite ready to go there yet. The series did deal with many controversial issues but this might have been a little too risky for the time.

I think technically he could conceive with a woman, since it's his body. The issue is the logistics of the method. Sam as a straight man would naturally be inclined to act like a straight man with a woman.

You're right, for the time in which the show was made it wouldn't have been appropriate to have leaped Sam into a lesbian woman. I wish the show had gone on for a couple more seasons, the subject matter that could have been introduced is intriguing.

You are correct Dreams is the episode in which "Mind-merging" was first introduced as an effect on the memory but it has been suggested earlier such as in 8 1/2 Months and possibly in Private Dancer when Sam starts shakin' it on the dance floor and gets an expression that seems to ask "What the hell am I doing?" and then after telling the professional dance instructor that he doesn't dance.
Most of the time however it seems to occur when the situation is traumatic.

The question of whether he can lucidly tap into a leapee's memory/mindset is a fascinating one. We know hypnosis is one way, as you said.
In particular it would have been fascinating to explore if hypnosis could have solved the dilemma in Raped. To quote the magic 8 ball: "all signs point to yes". We actually see it almost fatally succeed in Dreams when the psychiatrist tried to get Sam to put a bullet into his own head. He had completely fallen into the mindset of 9 year old Jack Stone.
I must say however that the testimony scene in Raped is amazing. Dreams is a few leaps after so hypnosis wasn't yet introduced. Then there is the flaw with this angle that Sam would probably lose his connection with Al so there would be no one to say to password. Though perhaps the leap process would clear it mind of it.
But to lucidly conjure something from the leapee's mind whether it be a language or a memory is more in Medium/Psychic territory. For example if Tamlyn were a leap she may be able to. If it's even possible for Sam to have that kind of an ability he would probably have to train his mind to open up to plains beyond earth and sense.


The Oswald episode while extremely well written and amazingly performed by Scott made little sense to me other than being one of the leaps involving a public figure which was forced upon them by the network. Why would he have leaped throughout different periods of a guy's life who couldn't even have accomplished the task of saving Jackie Kennedy(which is proven when he leaps from Oswald into a secret service agent)?
There wasn't even really an explanation as to why the mind merging was at it's most powerful here. Or was there? It's not a favorite so I've only seen it the once.

Lightning McQueenie said:

Towards the beginning of the episode they stated that Oswald wasn't in his right mind, and his loose-neurons were affecting Sam because they were crossing with his own. To try to remedy this, they put Oswald in the accelerator and tried to leap Sam's neurons back to him, but that backfired and ended up sending even more of Oswald to Sam.

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Right, I remember that now. Seems like a sloppy attempt however, first of all how could the accelerator leap only neurons without taking the body with it and of course it would go awry as Oswald's mind wouldn't contain only Sam. So even if they had managed to send Sam's neurons Oswald's would still have gone with them and thus adding to the Oswald Sam already had. So that kind of seems like crappy logic.

Interesting thought though, if the leapee having an emotionally mental instability causes such a short circuiting mind merge than had shock treatment not interfered with Shock Theater being a typical leap, would Beaterman's disorder have effected Sam in much the same way? Al had described Beaterman in the waiting room as total mess.

Lightning McQueenie said:

Also, it appears that the LHO episode breaks the QL-Universe rules, because when Sam leaps out of Oswald to the Secret Service Agent, Al stays where he is and watches the assassination. We know from Genesis that Sam's leaping takes time, and we also find out in Mirror Image that when Sam leaps, Al just ends up back in the Imaging Chamber (or rather, the hologram around him in the Imaging Chamber fades and it looks like he's in the Imaging Chamber). So Al should not have been able to watch it.

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Actually while this is a valid thought, I believe this situation was acceptable as Sam hadn't actually leaped out per say as he didn't leave that point in time, just transferred his position. Therefore the lock would be able to be held. It's like if I were to walk from one side of a room to the other. That's not leaving the room thus any company I have with me would not lose sight of me.

Lightning McQueenie said:

From what I gather, his leaps into Oswald weren't actually to put right a wrong (although we're expected to believe that Oswald didn't kill the guy who insulted him in the bar because of Sam), they were merely to gain information to try to solve the conspiracy. I think it's Gooshie who tells Al if he can't get through to Sam, just watch what happens, because then they can at least document it. It wasn't until Sam leapt into the Secret Service Agent that he was put in a position where he could save John and Jackie (though ultimately only Jackie).

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Alright I see what you are saying but in this logic again the rules of the show were broken in addition to it revolving around a public figure. Because it makes little sense that Sam would actually end up leaping as initially intended, to simply analyze a significant event in history. Though I can see his needing to follow the process that led Oswald there in order to accomplish saving Jackie Kennedy.

Lightning McQueenie said:

Some more interesting trivia about LHO - we see in that episode that at the Project they have fixed the handlink that Al killed in the Great Spontini, because we see Gooshie using it.

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huh, I never noticed that. Why had Gooshi needed to use a handlink in this episode?
Another bit of LHO trivia: There is a scene between Sam and a random solider which seems unnecessary but was a kiss with history (within a kiss from history since the entire episode is one haha). That random solider was Don Bellisario. If you look closely at his uniform you can actually see 'Bellisario' across the breast.

Another thought concerning the aura has occurred to me.
Once again I must hypothetically put Sam in a woman's aura and she has long hair, down to her shoulder blades lets say. If Sam were to get a hair cut with this aura what would happen if the barber tried to cut past where Sam's hair stops?

That makes sense, great explanation.
So then the leapee would return with the aura restored to how they left it?

That would certainly be weird.
Something occurred to me, going back to what you said about how Al didn't lose his connection when Sam leaped from Oswald to the secret service agent. That would make Al wrong in Mirror Image when he told Sam that he didn't know what Sam looked like leaping. Unless that leap truly was Sam's subconscious than that wasn't really Al who said that but Sam himself.

This begs the question, if Sam were to leap out of one host in front of a mirror would he be able to see it at least for a moment?

Lightning McQueenie said:

The only times we ever see a leap from Sam's point of view is in Genesis, the first times he sees clouds, and then later it appears instantaneous. So I don't think Sam sees anything at all during the leaps and so wouldn't be able to see the leaping effect. If this is the case, then it's also quite possible that the image Al sees projected onto the Imaging Chamber also just disappears, so probably wouldn't see anything either. To him during LHO, maybe he just saw Oswald instantaneously replace Sam, or else it's possible he just wasn't looking and was concentrating more on the president...

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True, if Al could watch Sam leap all he'd probably see is his connection/the holographic image around him shut down.
In the case of Oswald (and I might be remembering this wrong since it's been so long) If memory serves Al had given the real one a perplexed look as though he might not have recognized Sam's leap out mixed with panic because the assumed task was to sop Oswald from taking the shot but now Sam was missing from the post.

So you are likely right that from Al's perspective the real Oswald's appearance seemed to come from nowhere.

Lightning McQueenie said:

Here's a small problem with the mechanics of leaping - we are told in Genesis that Quantum Leaping takes time, in fact a full week passed between his leap from Tom Stratten to Fox. Yet in Dr Ruth, we see the leap from the point of view of the Waiting Room, with Dr Ruth leaping out and instantly replaced with the vampire.

I suppose the viewers could just be given a time-dilated version of the leap, where the time in between is sped up/removed, but that got me thinking, what would the aura in the waiting room be like in the time between leaps? Would there be an aura there at all? Would it just look like a blank shell?

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It's possible that as Sam got more experienced at leaping it didn't take as long for him to go from one leap to the other. Or in cases where it was targeted, like in 'Double Identity' and the LHO episode, he just got there faster because he knew where he was going.

I always thought the waiting room was empty between leaps, since it's Sam's body leaping.

Though I see where you are coming from Lightning McQueenie, I believe blue enigma is correct that the room would technically be empty or appear to be while Sam is in between leaps due to the aura seeming to be an essence not a physical presence. Without a being to wrap around it can't be seen. Somewhat like a refrigerator light if you will, we know it turns off when the door is shut but we are never able to see inside with it off (unless you are a hologram and can stick your head through the closed door haha).
I believe we are shown the empty waiting room in Mirror Image.

This is how it differs from the cacamemie notion in Ashley McConnel's and a one maybe two other authors' installments in the novel series that his soul rather than his body is leaping and thus in between leaps the waiting room holds a comatose body. Personally on top of the inaccuracy I find this quite distasteful but am able to read her nonetheless because I do enjoy her leaps such as in Random Measures.

The shooting incident in Revenge of the Evil Leapers actually has me puzzled as well and is something I will be needing help looking into for a fanfic I have begun when I reach the climax of the leap. We however do not necessarily know the bullet had not gotten Alia. Al announced her untraceable but "Where ever she is, she's free." Death though a tragic means would in all honesty free her (the same can be said of Sam), something that is wonderfully explored in her character in the novel Knights of the Morningstar.
"To be dead and therefore free...to find some kind of peace...
'Would you do that for me Sam? Would you kill me if I told you it would set me free?'"
One of my favorite lines in the novel.

And what of Zoey who had also taken a bullet which if memory serves actually did hit but when she was leaped out also left in her place an uninjured leapee? Guess that merely proves wrong a theory commonly discussed by PQL in the novel series, that in the event of Sam terminating in a leap the leapee would be stuck in the waiting room forever.

The Leapees' survival makes sense given they were not present to receive the bullets but If Alia had survived that gunshot I too am stumped.

Sam Beckett Fan said:

His inability to regain his memory of Donna actually makes no sense however is explained in terms of the writing. Deborah Pratt who was more intrigued by the idea of putting Sam in an in-leap serious relationship (Abigail) regretted reintroducing Donna in The Leap Back. Sad in my opinion as I am a Sam/Donna fan, but his never remembering her is most likely a failed attempt to erase the idea that Sam is married back in his present.

Another way it can be seen from the storyline angle is that the possibility that Sam's success in Star Crossed had somehow been reversed by a timeline changing action of Sam's after The Leap Back could be entertained.

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Is that true that Deborah regretted having Sam married to Donna? It would explain a lot. They did an excellent job of covering it up. So much so that I went through the entire series never realizing that Sam had actually changed history as a result of his third Leap. I missed The Leap Back the first time around. Luckily, I had also missed Trilogy until about a year after the series was over (something I wish that once I saw I wish I could unsee--apologies to Abigail/Sammy Jo lovers out there). Given the choice, I would much rather see Sam with Donna.

And I did entertain the idea that Sam changed history again after the Roberto! Leap in my writing, once I realized that Donna was indeed married to Sam.

Sam Beckett Fan said:

It's Scott's belief that Donna was aware of what she married into, that she understands that Sam is fulfilling a great purpose and therefore not hurt by his actions. He also seemed to disagree with Sam's being unable to act freely with the memory of her. That he would know that she understood and this that he wasn't hurting her.
Watch the 2012 Wizard World comic con Quantum Leap panel on youtube where Scott explains this to a questioner.
(NOTE: turn up your volume, the sound system at this panel was poor).

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Which Wizard World Con QL panel was this? I watched the Philly one, but if that was a question on there, I must have missed it.

Wakkanne said:

Is that true that Deborah regretted having Sam married to Donna? It would explain a lot. They did an excellent job of covering it up. So much so that I went through the entire series never realizing that Sam had actually changed history as a result of his third Leap. I missed The Leap Back the first time around. Luckily, I had also missed Trilogy until about a year after the series was over (something I wish that once I saw I wish I could unsee--apologies to Abigail/Sammy Jo lovers out there). Given the choice, I would much rather see Sam with Donna.

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It's true I am afraid. I read it somewhere I know I did and I thought it was in my book 'Another Time, Another Place' which is a behind the scenes biography if you will about the thoughts behind the show. I can't find it there however. Which means I have no idea where I read it but I just know I did.

I did however come across something interesting, the concept intended for a season 6 that Al would step up and become Sam's leaping partner with possibly Sammy Jo as the hologram. Don't know how tasteful I find that though the idea of seeing Al in more leaps is intriguing. My best friend and I were discussing not long ago that the whole The Leap Back should have been the trilogy instead of Abigail consisting of Al being involved in one or two more leaps, so that the reversed angle could be explored a bit more.

I as well prefer Sam with Donna or with Tamlyn the psychic from Temptation Eyes. Now that was a love story, she knew who he was. It would have been far more touching if he'd conceived with her. Come on, a genius/psychic hybrid, how totally kickass would that be!?

Wakkanne said:

Which Wizard World Con QL panel was this? I watched the Philly one, but if that was a question on there, I must have missed it.

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San Diago, 2012.

Sam Beckett Fan said:

It's true I am afraid. I read it somewhere I know I did and I thought it was in my book 'Another Time, Another Place' which is a behind the scenes biography if you will about the thoughts behind the show. I can't find it there however. Which means I have no idea where I read it but I just know I did.

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I remember reading it in a thread here on this forum. I think it was Carol Davis who actually talked about this, but I can't find the discussion.

Sam Beckett Fan said:

I did however come across something interesting, the concept intended for a season 6 that Al would step up and become Sam's leaping partner with possibly Sammy Jo as the hologram. Don't know how tasteful I find that though the idea of seeing Al in more leaps is intriguing. My best friend and I were discussing not long ago that the whole The Leap Back should have been the trilogy instead of Abigail consisting of Al being involved in one or two more leaps, so that the reversed angle could be explored a bit more.

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I have to say, I don't know how much I would have stayed interested in the show if that was what they did with season 6, though I would have given it a shot of course.

Agree with you and many others about The Leap Back. One hour was too short for everything that was happening in the episode and it felt rushed. It really could've benefited from being a two-parter or even a trilogy. And I really would've liked to see Al do more leaps, have more of the role reversal and the differing dynamic that would have resulted. Plus, who didn't want to see Al leap into a woman and be on the receiving end of what he usually dishes out?

blue enigma said:

I remember reading it in a thread here on this forum. I think it was Carol Davis who actually talked about this, but I can't find the discussion.

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I'll take your word for that. Al's Place was next guess.

blue enigma said:

Plus, who didn't want to see Al leap into a woman and be on the receiving end of what he usually dishes out?

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Oh good Lord, all hell would break loose!
You know he'd be checking "himself" out in full length mirrors and thus receive groans of sickness from Sam. :roflmao:

Sam Beckett Fan said:

You know he'd be checking "himself" out in full length mirrors and thus receive groans of sickness from Sam. :roflmao:

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Maybe not. Remember, Sam had that part of Al's mind from the simo-leap, so he's the one who might've actually been checking out Al's reflection and saying yummola, lol.

Right if it's during the The Leap Back trilogy that's true. Oh that's even more hell breaking loose! Naughty Sam! XD
Sam totally needed in the diner scene to have a line to the effect of:
"Welcome to working with YOU."

Al Leaping along with Sam would have been cool, but I'm afraid that I too would have lost interest after a while if they had gone on in some of the ways they were suggesting for a season 6. In that sense, I'm almost happy it ended when it did. While I would have loved to see the show go on for many more years, they were getting away from what made the show so popular towards the end, there. I'm afraid of instead of saying, "Oh, I wish it didn't end when it did. It could have easily gone on for another three years", I may have been saying, "Quantum Leap was great for the first four seasons, but then it started going downhill in season 5. Sure it went on for 8 years, but only the first four are really worth watching."

I know that a lot of season 5 was them being at the mercy of the network, and it's sad. Too bad they couldn't just leave the show alone.

Wakkanne said:

I may have been saying, "Quantum Leap was great for the first four seasons, but then it started going downhill in season 5. Sure it went on for 8 years, but only the first four are really worth watching."

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Agreed. Tragically the fifth season lost all of the show's intended direction and feeling; the celebrity leaps and though I enjoy them the evil leapers. Such story lines broke every rule and turned the show into a gimmick. The Evil Leapers in particular were a total Star Wars type of sci-fi stunt.
I do fear that if it had gone on it would have continued down that path, in fact having Al as a second leaper may have even made it worse. Not that he wouldn't make an entertaining leaper but that it's over the top and turns Al into exactly what Sam was to Donna (recall Sam corrected his failure in MIA and restored Al's marriage to Beth). And Sorry can't really say I am a Sammy Jo fan and having her as a hologram will probably just reinforce that rather than change my mind. Granted we only get to know her as a child and people can change greatly by adulthood. As a member of the project she probably became more serious and level headed however I can't help but also keep in mind that young adult Abigail was still a brat.

That and the young adult Sammy Jo portrayed in Loch Ness Leap while not canon is still stuck in my head. Good lord it was child Abigail all over again! I wanted so badly to slap her!

wakkanne said:

Al Leaping along with Sam would have been cool, but I'm afraid that I too would have lost interest after a while if they had gone on in some of the ways they were suggesting for a season 6. In that sense, I'm almost happy it ended when it did. While I would have loved to see the show go on for many more years, they were getting away from what made the show so popular towards the end, there. I'm afraid of instead of saying, "Oh, I wish it didn't end when it did. It could have easily gone on for another three years", I may have been saying, "Quantum Leap was great for the first four seasons, but then it started going downhill in season 5. Sure it went on for 8 years, but only the first four are really worth watching."

I know that a lot of season 5 was them being at the mercy of the network, and it's sad. Too bad they couldn't just leave the show alone.

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Agreed with all of this.

There's a proposed script with a teaser for a season 6 opener that's posted on this site, and if that's anything to go by Al and the project have actually lost contact with Sam a long time ago. I don't know exactly what they had planned beyond that scene but if it was Al leaping with Sammie Jo as his hologram searching for Sam who they have no contact with I would have definitely lost interest quickly. The chemistry and dynamic between Sam and Al is what made the show.

blue enigma said:

There's a proposed script with a teaser for a season 6 opener that's posted on this site, and if that's anything to go by Al and the project have actually lost contact with Sam a long time ago. I don't know exactly what they had planned beyond that scene but if it was Al leaping with Sammie Jo as his hologram searching for Sam who they have no contact with I would have definitely lost interest quickly. The chemistry and dynamic between Sam and Al is what made the show.

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Yeah, I read that and although intriguing, it made me wary. One can only hope that it was just going to be for a couple of episodes, then things might have gone back to normal, but who knows!

One more reason why I was never sure I wanted to see what they might have come up with for a Quantum Leap movie. That would have been fun, too, but Bellisario and Pratt would have had to be very careful and tread lightly on some of the Sammy Jo stuff they might have had, if any.

Sam Beckett Fan said:

That and the young adult Sammy Jo portrayed in Loch Ness Leap while not canon is still stuck in my head. Good lord it was child Abigail all over again! I wanted so badly to slap her!

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Haha! Love it!

Honestly I don't understand how Sam could have continued leaping as himself. He can't go around telling others that he's a time traveler from the future who knows something bad is going to happen in their lives. It's not believable. In the case of Beth, he had that he was a friend of Al's. He won't have such excuses elsewhere. It just doesn't make any sense.

Agreed, that Sam and Al's chemistry is what made the show.
Hypothetically if anyone should be enlisted to search for a lost Sam it should be the now freed Alia. In fact years ago I created a thread here on this forum suggesting an opening for such a storyline. It's still here and I dug it up recently.
http://www.quantumleap-alsplace.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3529

Please keep in mind that today the writing would be much better quality. I've improved since then.

Sam Beckett Fan said:

Honestly I don't understand how Sam could have continued leaping as himself. He can't go around telling others that he's a time traveler from the future who knows something bad is going to happen in their lives. It's not believable. In the case of Beth, he had that he was a friend of Al's. He won't have such excuses elsewhere. It just doesn't make any sense.

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If he did continue on this way he would have to find other methods for accomplishing his mission on each of the leaps. Maybe that's part of what the bartender meant when he said Sam was about to embark on a difficult new assignment.

Sam Beckett Fan said:

Hypothetically if anyone should be enlisted to search for a lost Sam it should be the now freed Alia.

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This is one plausible scenario. However, for all we know she's in the same boat as Sam and can't help herself either. I'm not a fan of the evil leaper story line and I really hate the last one in the trilogy so I don't rewatch. But I remember questioning how Ziggy could possibly know that Alia was free. It's possible she died and can help Sam in the same way Stawpah helped Pete and Tonchi and indirectly Sam in 'Mirror Image'.