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"S.O.S." Leap Date: May 2, 1989
Synopsis: When Ben leaps onto a naval battleship during war games in 1989, he must not only navigate a dangerous rescue mission but also contend with his commanding officer, XO Alexander Augustine, otherwise known as Addison’s father.
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Guide Synopsis: Broadcast Date: Monday, March 6, 2023 @ 10pm on NBC Leap Date: May 2, 1989 Leap Location: USS Montana Battleship in the East China Sea Name of Leapee: Commander Rossi Project Trivia: When Ben Leaps in, his ears are ringing from a blast heard prior to arrival. Due to the new process of Quantum Entanglement, the host and Ben are merged thus allowing him to feel the effects. Martinez (Leaper X) guesses that Ben's team found a younger version of himself and tells Ben that he can't imagine his younger self had any intel to give.This refers to the events in "What A Disaster" when Magic and Jenn question Martinez as a younger man. Another Project upgrade involves Ben and Martinez to see each other as themselves without touching first. In the original series, two Leapers must make physical contact to achieve this as Sam and Alia did in "Deliver Us From Evil" and Sam and Zoey in "Revenge." Ian admits that they don't know everything about the Quantum Accelerator. Ben Trivia: None. Addison Trivia: Alexander Augustine is Addison's father. Addison was likely born in late 1986 or early 1987 as Alexander also tells Ben she is two and a half years old during the Leap. This makes her approximately 36 years old in the present time of 2023. Alexander left Addison and her mother in the original timeline. Addisons Grandfather on Alexander's side drank heavily and beat Alexander and Addison's Grandmother. Alexander calls Addison "Addie." Ian's Outfits Worn in the Episode: Brown sleeveless shirt. We never see Ian below the waist in this epsiode. Kiss With History: None. Miscellaneous Trivia: The closest real Naval ship bearing the number 77 is the USS O'Kane (DDG-77). It is an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer in the United States Navy. The ship was built by Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine, starting on 8 May 1997. The ship was commissioned on 23 October 1999. She is named for Medal of Honor recipient Rear Admiral Richard O'Kane. The production was not allowed to use the name of any real Naval ship. The movie "Crimson Tide" was inspired by real-life events in the 1960's. This episode is also based around those same events. Some of the battleship action scenes were footage from the movie "Battleship." Color correction and darkening for the night shots was utilized to blend in with the episode. The nuclear reactor set from "Leap. Die. Repeat." was used here with alterations for some of the scenes shot inside the ship. From the Quantum Leap Writers Room: Behind the scenes fact: this episode was shot aboard the USS Iowa, which made for an epic set! From Caitlin Bassett's Instagram:  QUANTUM
LEAP – SERIES REGULARS
Addison Augustine (Portrayed
by
Caitlin Bassett) –
Addison is a smart, witty, fearless ex-military operative who now
serves as Project Observer at Quantum Leap HQ. She’s in charge of the
technology they use to communicate with the past, and tries to rescue
her fiancee, Ben, from his time-flung existence.
Ian Wright (Portrayed
by Mason Alexander
Park) –
Quantum Leap’s nonbinary chief architect of the AI program.
Herbert “Magic” Williams (Portrayed by Ernie Hudson) – A Vietnam vet and current head of the time travel project at Quantum Leap. Herbert “Magic” Williams tries to keep the Pentagon at bay while the team tries to rescue Ben. Doctor Sam Beckett leaped into Magic during his Vietnam tour.
Jenn Chu (Portrayed by Nanrisa Lee) – Head of security at Quantum Leap HQ. Quirky but formidable, she makes it her mission to figure out why Ben erased all evidence of why he Leaped. Guest Cast: Walter Perez as Leaper X / Richard Martinez, who has leaped into Lieutenant Walker Brandon Routh as XO Alexander Augustine Alex Carter as Captain Bill Drake Emerson Brooks as Master Chief Nash Rocky Myers as Shaw Kelvin Han Yee as Liu Wei Rich Paul as Navigation Officer Murray Justin Dean as Chief Engineer Lopez David Ginlet as Officer of the Deck Chris Carney as Surface Warfare Officer Max Pescherine as Turret Specialist Sean Samuels as Lieutenant Walker Guest Cast Notes: Walter Perez (Leaper X / Richard Martinez / Walker) was raised in South Gate, California, just 20 miles southeast of Hollywood. He was always eager to express himself artistically. In his earlier years, he often directed and played the lead character in several homemade movies where he mimicked his movie idols such as Charlie Chaplin. His working-class parents were unable to afford him the resources he needed to gain access to the industry. It wasn't until he heard about Colors United, a performing arts group aimed at inner-city high school students that he really got the chance to show others his talents. For three years he honed his acting, singing and dancing skills with the group. Since high school, Walter has juggled auditions and a full-time schedule at Cal State Fullerton. During college, he has booked several commercials and various guest star spots on prime time television shows. Most recently, Walter's guest appearances include "CSI: Miami", "The Closer" and "Free Radio" as well as a five episode arc on "Friday Night Lights". His feature film credits include HBO's "Walkout" and winner of the John Cassavetes award "August Evening". He just completed the title role in "Emilio" and worked on "Run For Your Life" alongside Dermot Mulroney and Diane Kruger. Brandon Routh (XO Alexander Augustine) - (pronounced like "south") was born in Des Moines, Iowa, and grew up in nearby Norwalk. He is the son of Catherine (Lear), a teacher, and Ronald Routh, a carpenter. He has English, Scottish, and German ancestry. Brandon attended the University of Iowa and starred in many productions at the Norwalk Theater of Performing Arts. His first professional acting role was in the ABC television series Odd Man Out (1999), and he went on to guest star in the series Chuck (2010-2011), Gilmore Girls (2000) and Undressed (1999). He came to fame with Superman Returns (2006) and DC's Legends of Tomorrow (2016). In his spare time, Routh enjoys playing soccer and basketball, swimming, biking and reading. Alex Carter (Captain Bill Drake) was born on November 12, 1964 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He is an actor, known for The Island (2005), Veritas: The Quest (2003) and Out of Time (2003). Emerson Brooks (Master Chief Nash) stars in the Netflix comedy Uncoupled alongside Neil Patrick Harris. Emerson recently starred in the Off-Broadway NY Times Critics' Pick drama "...What the End Will Be" at with the Roundabout Theatre Company in New York City. Best known for his series regular role in TNT's long-running series, The Last Ship, Emerson has also appeared in numerous TV shows and films including The Lincoln Lawyer, Blue Bloods, Queens, Arrested Development, and The Office. His film credits include Marvel's Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Terminator: Salvation and Super 8. Emerson has lent his voice and movements to over 50 video games including Fallout: New Vegas, several Call of Duty, and Grand Theft Auto. He is a recipient of an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Daytime Drama for his critically acclaimed performance in All My Children. Emerson is also a United States Army veteran. Rocky Myers (Shaw) is the son of educators and the youngest of four brothers. As an undergraduate, Rocky attended Wesley College (Dover, DE), where he maintained a 4.0 GPA in Biology while also playing intercollegiate football. He was a two-time All-America selection at defensive back and, as a senior, was one of fifteen college football players from across the nation to be named a National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame Scholar-Athlete. Following his senior season, Rocky was also the recipient of The Gagliardi Trophy, awarded to the National Player of the Year for DIII College Football. He was the first defensive player to ever receive that honor. After Rocky graduated Summa cum Laude from Wesley College, he attended Widener University School of Law. While at Widener Law, Rocky secured internships with the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Delaware, as well as the Delaware Attorney General's Office. He graduated from Widener Law School with Honors and, upon receiving his Juris Doctor, moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career. Kelvin Han Yee (Liu Wei) is an American actor of Asian descent whose career spans over 30 years of film, television and theater. He was discovered by the American Conservatory Theatre working as a bouncer but then went on to act at regional theaters like Oregon Shakespeare Festival at Ashland, Berkeley Repertory Theater and The Huntington Theater. in 1985 he was cast in the first American movie shot in the People's Republic of China, as the all-American-Chinese teenager in A Great Wall, and has appeared in many films including Milk, Lucky You, The Island, Copycat, True Crime. On television he continues to demonstrate a great range of characters on shows like Chicago PD, Hawaii Five 0, The Mentalist, Lie To Me, Criminal Minds, Prison Break, 24, Chuck, Entourage, Accidentally On Purpose, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Nash Bridges and in Soap Operas. He has used his background to help others by mentoring incarcerated youths, bringing arts education to public schools and youth advocacy. He plays the guitar loudly and badly. He is passionate about food and enjoys cooking for his wife and his best friend; a rescued 60lb English Bulldog named Louie who is also an actor. Rich Paul (Navigation Officer Murray) was born on January 15, 1981 in the USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Godzilla (2014). Justin Dean (Chief Engineer Lopez) is known for The Watcher (2022), The Equalizer (2021) and Games People Play (2019). David Ginlet (Officer of the Deck) is known for Billions (2016), Power Book II: Ghost (2020) and Those Who Came Before (2018). Chris Carney (Surface Warfare Officer) was born on August 19, 1980 in Ohio, USA. He was previously married to Tiffany Thornton. He died on December 4, 2015 in Hot Springs, Arkansas, USA. Max Pescherine (Turret Specialist) is known for Gaslit (2022), Fatal Attraction (2023) and Over There (Dodge College Thesis Film) (2021). Sean Samuels (Lieutenant Walker) is known for bringing eclectic points of views to his characters. With a background in music theater performance he is not afraid of taking on a challenge when it comes to developing grounded and interesting characters. In his career thus far he has performed on broadway in ; Tarzan the musical, Curtains, and Spiderman-Turn off the dark. He'a also played a variety of characters on screen ranging from an abandoned football player lost amongst vengeful transients in DTLA in 'Parasites' written and directed by Chad Ferrin, to a vulnerable dance teacher who is drowning in unrequited love in 'Giants' the hit youtube series executive produced by Issa Ray and Jussie Smollett. When Sean gets a chance to break away from performing he travels internationally and domestically to recruit talent for his alma matter, The American Musical and Dramatics Academy. For a deeper look into Sean Samuels you can follow him on Instagram @MrsSeanSamuels, on Twitter@Sean_Samuels or on Facebook. www.SeanSamuelsla.com Guests Who Appeared in Other Quantum Leap Episodes: Walter Perez returns as Leaper X / Richard Martinez, who has leaped into Captain Walker. Characters who appeared in Classic Series episodes: None. Songs & Music: Score music by Daniel James Chan Say What? Ben's reflection does not mimic his hand movements during the brief scene. An XO would probably not call a subordinate by their first name as Alexander does to Carl. A detained officer would not be taken directly to the bridge - Ben would have been taken to a separate holding area. Magic quotes Matin Luther King slightly wrong. The real quote was "The arc of the moral universe..." Magic says "The moral arc of the universe..." Military belts are dressed metal to metal where the metal end of the belt is aligned to the buckle. This seems relaxed here as belts seen are adjusted sloppily compared to normal military standards. A special effects counter that should have been removed can be briefly seen in a shot of the USS Montana. What was Martinez's mission on his Leap? It's unclear how Ben helped him. Quotable Quotes: "Holy Ship." -Ben "Ok, ok, easy, McFly." -Ian Magic: "I don't believe the Leaps are random. I don't believe it's all just a roll of the dice. The moral arc of the universe is long... but it bends toward justice." Jenn: "Martin Luther King." Magic: "That's what I think we are... what Quantum Leap is. Part of whatever mysterious force, bends that arc... for the better." "There's an old hymn. Set the walls around your heart. Build them strong with stone. Do what must be done." -Alexander "You have done nothing but love me and make me the person I am today." -Addison Personal Review & Detailed Synopsis by Brian Greene: Ben leaps onto the Naval Battleship USS Montana in 1989 in the midst of battle! He soon discovers it was a readiness drill. A Chinese sub has been shadowing them, wanting a front row seat to exercises with the South Koreans and Australians. As captain Bill Drake makes a speech to the crew over the loudspeaker system, Addison arrives and realizes they are about a ship that her own father served on, and rushes out to see him (XO Alexander Augustine, played by Brandon Routh). At
PQL, Magic and Jenn are astounded that Ben has Leaped so close to a
family member of Addison. Ian tells them that they have no way of
targeting a specific place in time, but perhaps Ben figured it out. Addison
tells Ben that he is the Operations Officer and is third in command.
She begins to tell Ben why he is there. The scene passes back and forth
between Addison telling it, and Magic recounting the same events from
back at PQL. The ship picked up a distress signal, but her father
decided not to pursue it. The distress signal was from the USS Tampa
and no one knew the sub was there. Because the signal was ignored, the
entire crew of the Tampa perished. Addison's father's reputation was
destroyed in the process. Addison adds that her father left her and her
mother and she harbors ill feelings towards her father due to this. Following this revelation, Captain Drake discovers that the Chinese sub is still following them, and orders the crew to train the fire control radar on the sub. This is considered hostile, and Commander Augustine convinces Drake to drop the order. The Master Chief lets on that Drake is becoming worse, but Augustine puts him off. The distress call Addison warned Ben about earlier comes in. Her father immediately tells the crew that they will answer the distress call. This surprises Addison, because in the original history, she understood that he was the one who ignored it. We quickly find out that it was actually Drake who forced the ship to ignore the call, believing it to be a fake from the Chinese, and Augustine covered it up out of respect for his long-time commander. At PQL, Ian has tasked Ziggy with finding a way to prove that the distress call was authentic. Jenn suggests that the explosion that happened on the Tampa was caused by something, so in order to find the truth, she asks Magic to meet with his old friend who was with the Chinese Navy at the time of Ben's Leap. Ben calls Lieutenant Walker via radio, who is in charge of communications. He asks Walker to compare the wavelength of the distress signal with that of the Chinese. Doing this could prove the distress call authentic. Walker radios back that is was indeed one of our ships and the Captain agrees to speed to their location. At the same time, however, the Captain has fired a warning shot at the Chinese sub, causing the rest of the crew to panic and doubt the rational motives of Drake. The Chinese sub leaves, avoiding war, for now. Magic visits with Liu Wei, a friend from the Chinese Navy. He asks Wei to offer any information. Wei explains that they came close to something very bad. Ben and XO Augustine speak about Addison briefly, as Ben and Addison notice toddler photos of her on Alexander's wall. Augustine warns Ben that he will not tolerate insubordinate talk about Drake's mental status, as he is a great man who the XO had served under Drake for 20 years. Addison's father then tells Ben about his own family and speaks about how his father beat his mother and him. As a younger man, Augustine nearly killed his own father one night due to the drinking and beating of his mother. He enlisted in the Navy the next day and it was Drake who got him into the Naval Academy and taught him how to be something other than angry. He vows to keep Drake in check and dismisses Ben. On the desk, Addison wonders why her father was so cold to him. She then gets a message from Ziggy saying that the crew of the Tampa still perishes. Immediately, there is an explosion from a detonation on the port side of the ship! Drake suspects that the Chinese sub fired a torpedo at them. Augustine secretly enlists Ben to find out what really happened before Drake starts a war with the Chinese. Liu
Wei tells Magic that a mine sunk the Tampa submarine in 1989. He
explains that the Chinese knew the Americans were testing the
territorial limits of the waters, so they laid mines along the
coast. However, a bad storm released about 50 mines into the
ocean towards the US war games. One of the mines sunk the Tampa and
luckily no other ships were around. Magic calls Jenn and tells her that
Ben is sailing into a minefield. Hearing of the mine situation, Ben asks Addison to help him locate other mines to prove what really happened with the explosion. Ben calls Walker via radio again and asks him to use sonar to find the other mines. This plan works and mines appear all around them on the sonar screen. Augustine calls Drake and informs them that it wasn't the Chinese after all. However, Drake suspects the worst and orders the crew to fire at the Chinese sub anyway, thinking the sub must have laid the mines. Augustine runs out and says he has to stop Drake. He drops the anchor to stop the ship from moving further. Drake then confines Augustine to his quarters and threatens to send him to Leavenworth prison. Ziggy says that if Drake fires on the Chinese, they will go to war. At PQL, Jenn warns Magic that these events are about to have global impact. Magic gives a great short speech here: "I don't believe the Leaps are random. I don't believe it's all just a roll of the dice. The moral arc of the universe is long... but it bends toward justice. That's what I think we are... what Quantum Leap is. Part of whatever mysterious force, bends that arc... for the better." A clear distress call comes in from the Tampa. The helicopter rescue can only hold 10 men at a time, but Drake won't give up hunting the Chinese sub. Addison tells Ben that there is only one man on the ship that may be able to talk sense into Drake. Ben goes to Addison's father and reveals that he believes if he leaves his wife and daughter, that they will be happier in their own lives. Ben tells Augustine that he must do what needs to be done and save Drake from himself. Ben helps Augustine escape from his holding quarters to get to Drake in time to prevent the mistake. On the bridge, Augustine and the rest of the officers help Drake understand that he is making a severe error. Drake catches a glimpse of himself in a reflection during the height of his rage and stands down. He gives Augustine command of the rescue mission and retires to his quarters. Addison gets the detonation codes of the mines from Ziggy and they safely make it to the distressed sub and complete the mission, saving the entire crew. Addison gets to share a moment with her father alone and tells him that whatever problems his dad had, it stops with Alexander. She tells him everything is going to be okay, and although he can't hear his holographic future daughter, he says to himself, "Everything's gonna be okay." Back on the main deck of the ship, Walker approaches Ben and thanks him for saving them. We then realize Walker is actually Richard Martinez... Leaper X! Martinez says he isn't sure he could have "pulled this off" from where he was sitting today without Ben's help. Ben tells Martinez that he doesn't understand. Martinez replies, "I know. And that's why I'm going to win." Martinez then Leaps and is replaced by the real Walker, who is very confused about how he got there. Ben tells Walker that he is confused too, and then Leaps. This
episode was action-packed from start to finish and the appearance from
Martinez at the end was a big surprise! A re-watch of the episode
reveals that it is indeed Martinez's voice on the radio three times.
And the easter egg that he is from Mississippi also hints that it was
Martinez who Ben had spoken to throughout the entire episode. The
characters were fleshed out well and it was wonderful to see the
dynamic between Addison and her father. Giving Addison some closure to
years of misunderstanding between she and her father was appreciated.
The effects were done well although a few shots of the ship without
crew were lifted from the 2012 Universal film, "Battleship." An
enjoyable hour of Quantum Leap fun with a few revelations about one of
our heroes (Addison) and a continuation of the mysterious Leaper X
story arc. Production Photos:                      Production Videos: Coming Soon Production Credits: Consulting Producer: Moira Kirland Producer: Tim Scanlan Producer: Meg Fister Co-Executive Producers: Benjamin Raab & Deric A. Hughes Co-Executive Producer: Drew Lindo Co-Executive Producer: Aadrita Mukerji Co-Executive Producer: Marc Bienstock Executive Producers: Steven Lilien & Bryan Wyndrandt Executive Producer: Alex Berger Executive Producer: Chris Grismer Executive Producer: Deborah Pratt Executive Producer: Donald P. Bellisario Executive Producer: Dean Georgaris Executive Producer: Martin Gero Developed by: Steven Lilien & Bryan Wyndrandt Created by: Donald P. Bellisario Written by: Dean Georgaris Directed by: Chris Grismer Associate Producer: Ethan Henderson Story Editor: Margarita Matthews Casting by: Jennifer Cooper, CSA Original Casting By: Kamala A. Thomas Director of Photography: Ana M. Amortegui, ADFC Production Designer: Mayling Cheng Edited by: Christina Castro Music by: Daniel James Chan Unit Production Manager: Melanie J. Elin Unit Production Manager: Marc Bienstock First Assistant Director: M. Ryan Traylor Second Assistant Director: Yarden Levo Costume Designer: Genevieve Tyrrell A Camera Operator: Dave Hirschman B Camera/Steadycam Operator: Josh Harrison Production Sound Mixer: Beau Hodges Chief Lighting Technician: Donna Vega Key Grip: Peter Chrimes Art Directors: Raf Lydon & Adam Rowe Set Director: Tim Stepeck Costume Supervisor: Mark A. Summer Property Master: Erik Grasteit Construction Coordinator: Matt Sazzman Department Head Hair: Kaylie Klone Gross Department Head Makeup: Julia Lallas Leadman: David Napoli Stunt Coordinator: Jeff Barnett Location Manager: Kevin Funston Transportation Coordinator: Sandra Ninham-Gallardo Production Office Coordinator: Sofie Johanna "Bubbles" Dejus Assistant Production Office Coordinator: Brenden Hickey Production Accountant: Natalie Chiengkul Script Supervisor: Heather Pollock Script Coordinator: Sue Palmer Casting Accociates: Lindsay Jameyson & Mia Cascio Post Production Coordinator: Gabriella Scudieri Music Supervisor: Season Kent Music Co-Supervisor: Leah Harrison Music Editor: Zed Starkovich Assistant Editor: Clinton Steeds Online Editor: Richard Wells Colorist: Chris Boyer Visual Effects Supervisor: Trent Smith Visual Effects Editor: Aaron Merrill Supervising Sound Editor: Kelly Cabral Co-Supervising Sound Editor: Kevin Zimmerman Re-Recording Mixer: Yuri Reese & Sean Madsen VFX Artist: Matt Collorafice VFX Artist: Takashi Takeoka Assistant Art Director: Clayton Ford Set Designer: Andre Dassin Art Department Coordinator: Alexander Soto Graphic Designer: Sara Escamilla Assistant Property Masters: Mike Luce, Jose Chendo Jiminez, & Chris Prange Property Buyer: Mike Worister Food Stylist: Joanne Takahashi The State of California and the California Film Commision, California Soundstage Filming Tax Credit Program Copyright 2023 Universal Television LLC All Right Reserved Dean Georgaris Entertainment Quinn's House Universal Content Productions Universal Television Quantum Leap Podcast Aftershow: Podcast by Damon Sugameli with Mike Bloxam and Brian Greene: |
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