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1x08 "Stand By Ben"



















































































































































































Leap Date:
July 10, 1996

Synopsis: Ben leaps into a 16-year-old boy’s body and finds himself among a group of outcast teens on the run.

Audio from this episode:

Why I leapt in the first place
Leap Effect



Episode Menu
TV Guide Synopsis
Broadcast Date
Leap Date
Leap Location
Name of Leapee
Synopsis & Personal Review
Project Trivia
Ben Trivia
Addison Trivia

Ian's Outfit Worn in the Episode
Kiss With History

Miscellaneous Trivia
Guest Cast
Guest Cast Notes
Guests who appeared in other Quantum Leap episodes
Characters who appeared in Classic Series episodes

Songs & Music
Say What?
Quotable Quotes

Production Photos
Production Videos
Production Credits
Podcasts

Poster by J.J. Lendl



Commercial for this episode:



TV Guide Synopsis:

Ben leaps into a 16-year-old boy’s body and finds himself among a group of outcast teens on the run.


Broadcast Date:

Monday, November 7, 2022 @ 10pm on NBC (Fall Finale)

Leap Date:

July 10, 1996

Leap Location:

Somewhere between Sierra, Nevada and Susanville, CA


Name of Leapee:

Benjamin Winters

Detailed Synopsis:

This episode we see Ben leap to a 16yr old teenager, in the midsts of a foot chase, who we find out is named Ben as well.

Ben starts to run with some other young people, and instinctively gets into a car, that speeds off from Sierra Youth Academy in the year 1996.

As the gaggle of youth speed off and the adrenaline still flowing, we learn just a bit more about the youth. They are excited that they “escaped” that “school”.

They all had a part in the escape, tires slashed, stolen keys, distraction, driving… all in on this. But what was that school? (We won’t find out till later on).

The discussion continues on what their future plans are: Vegas as a Blackjack dealer, deep woods of Alaska, going back to family (which was heavily argued as they don’t accept you). But as we get into it…. BOOM, a blown tire and now an out of control vehicle goes off the road into the woods.

We find that all the youth are not harmed from the crash, physically, but now in a panic mode as their get-away has been interrupted and they have to figure something out quick. Addison appears just at that time, to see what is going on. Addison informs Ben that he is a youth named Ben aka Klepto. (Because apparently he is really good at swiping things), and these kids were reported lost/dead from hiking in the woods. Ben surmises that this doesn’t look to be a causal hiking accident.

We start to learn just a bit more about the youth, and that this was not your standard school for the gifted, this was a school for kids that had “issues” and problems. And they start to show. Anger and distrust and a lack of experience is showing. Stacy is the defect leader, mostly because of her age, but she also comes across as the one that had the full plan to get out. Leia is the youngest of the bunch, but we will find out soon she is really really smart. Roy is very smart as well, but has flunked out of school, and turned to drugs and possible suicide attempt.

Ben tries to get the group focused a bit, to get them on the go and moving…. But with Addison’s help, not the original direction from history, Stacy then talks about a cabin, a place they go and sleep for the night, before a long hike to the next close city. Tempers flare a bit, but the group does ultimate figure out their supplies, and get on the move. As Addison returns she confirms that this was an apparent cover-up by the school, they didn’t just get lost Hiking, but we still don’t know why.

Ben is “busted” earlier in the episode for talking to his imaginary girlfriend, and the entire group is now in on it. So him chatting with Addison really doesn’t draw much attention other than the occasional comment like “is she hot?”. Ben learns more about the youth, and is still trying to figure out why the leap, it can’t be as simple as just saving their lives, he and Addison both agree there is more too it.

As the hot day burns on them, the hike is slower than they thought it would be. The single bottle of water is running out. Out of frustration and pestering, Stacy relents and agrees it is time to camp for the night. A small fire is started, and they sit around, only to be approached by a group of wolves. Leia comes up quickly with the plan to be bigger and louder than the wolves, and as a group, they scare them off, and it is a bonding moment for the group. They take shifts sleeping, and Ben seems to be the first up to watch out for the group. Roy can’t sleep, and we find more about his drug addiction, and Ben really gets to him about the pills. We find out more about the school and its techniques to keep kids in line, physical abuse aka “the box”.

We then fade into sometime the next day, and you can tell the group has been hiking for a while.. heat exhaustion is starting to set in, but Stacy is focused on finding this cabin. No more water, anger is setting in… and then Leia steps into a snake hole, and really messes up her ankle, breaking it. Addison helps navigate Ben to make a splint for this ankle out of what they have, Roy offers his pain medication to Leia, and the group comes up with a new plan.. Water is most important, and there is a stream. That is where they are headed.

They find the stream, but it is totally dried up, nothing left. Ben looses it, he starts to yell out “this can’t be the leap”, and the group just thinks he has snapped. He then sees a pipe, an unnatural item… and that leads them to the cabin they had been looking for. This is not just run of the mill cabin, this is someone’s home. Big, full of food and water, and just what the group needed to survive. Leia uses the phone to try to call her Uncle who is near by and on TV. They let themselves in, setup some candles, eat, drink, and rest… but then a van shows up. It is the school.

As the group panics to put out all the candles, the two men get out of the van and figure out the kids are there (or were there). They start to search the cabin, as they are outside… Leia sacrifices herself for the group, because of her Ankle being broken the two adults buy it, and take her away. The group can’t leave her alone, they come up with a plan. Leia’s uncle. As we see the two adults ready to put Leia (who still hasn’t been treated for her injury) into the box.. a news van shows up, and cameras start to role… it’s her uncle, and the three other youth are there…. Leia is saved, history has been changed, and the school ultimately is shutdown. Her Uncle finds more schools like it, and gets them shut down. The 4 youth go on to healthy lives, and stay friend for ever.

Ben has a flashback, he knows why he leapt…. It was to save Addison, and we fade off into the leap before we learn more….

Back in Project QL HQ:

Addison reports to the team, that Ben saw Janice when they lost contact with him in the last leap. The team concludes that Janice must have her own imaging chamber, and using the stolen hand link that belonged to her Dad. But why? All that Ben reported was that Janis was trying to warn Ben of something, but they don’t know what.

Jenn figures out how to find Janis, by looking at the power grid and the draw. They located her. Jenn and Magic head off to get Janis, but as they are leaving: Full lock down of the facility, Janis triggered it remotely. Locks everything down. We get a panicked Ian who is the only team lead out on the floor, trying to reverse what Janis did, and get Jenn and Magic out of the elevator. Addison has to stay focused on Ben and the leap.

We learn a bit more about Jenn and her situation, that her Dad was a con-artist and that she is really mad at him still, and has been blocking him out for years. Magic talks to her, and gets her to think about it. And about herself, and the trust that magic has in her. Ultimately Jenn does reach out to her dad by the end of the episode to get some dim sum.

Addison after the leap, comes to help, gets Magic and Jen out of the elevator, and the system lock down is over, but Janis is gone in the wind again.



Personal Review by Earl Bonovich:

We find out that we won’t get another episode for about 6 weeks (January 2nd).
but the previews look intense, and we know that is just from the original 5 episodes filmed, not the 6 more that were green lit recently.

We see Janice being arrested and brought into Project QL.
We see Ben get seriously injured.
We see Addison in trouble, and the team rushing around.
A lot to unpack there, but with out much context… where is the story going to go…. We have at least 11 more episodes to find out.

Overall, this was not my favorite episode of the season so far. Just way too many head scratching things. I did like the progress in the story, Ben remembering more. Figuring out that he is there to save Addison (not Sam, at least not yet). I think the story with Youth, was very important for the time in 1996, I personally would have been just a few years older then Stacy, so I felt like I could understand some of the things they were struggling with.

What I didn’t like:

The car flip, and not a single significant injury? Not a chance. Especially since I don’t think any of them had a seatbelt on.

The cabin, that was off the grid… was WAY TOO NICE and decked out, for 1996. That is more of an off-the grid in 2022, not 1996.

And the fact that NO ONE ELSE thought of helping Jenn and Magic out of the elevator by the emergency door, until Addison showed up? Come-on.

For the episode: This was a 5 out of 10. Not great, not terrible, just there. I found the last 1 minute of the show and the previews for the 2nd half of the season to be more exciting than the rest of it.

Overall opinion of the first portion of the season.I do really enjoy the series so far, it is entertaining and something fun to watch.

I am intrigued that the writers are going a very different direction than most of us thought going in, this isn’t just a save Sam story.

So we get the rest of the original 13 episodes, and then hopefully that gets right into the extension of 6 more. I think if NBC promotes this more, and Peacock viewing numbers over the next 6 weeks, the ratings will go up for the 2nd half. (no competition from MNF, more buzz about the show, and having the Night Court series starting as a lead in, may just help more people tune in).


Project Trivia:

Janis's makeshift Imaging Chamber is located in a warehouse just three miles from Project Quantum Leap. It apparently took her less than six months to build, since that's the time stated the warehouse was rented by her shell corp.

Jenn's father was a con man with a gambling problem who left her to raise herself.

Ben Trivia:

Ben states in his first visit with Addison that he lept, instead of Leaped.

Leah asks Ben is he has an imaginary friend after seeing him talking to Addison, one of the first times we see others notice Ben "talking to himself."

Ben's mom used to say, "The more scared you are, the more fear you have as fuel to fix things."

Addison Trivia:

Addison was in the military with people who were sent to places like the teens in the episode. They always said that the worst part was that nobody cared and nobody listened.

Ian's Outfits Worn in the Episode:

Tan suit coat, green halter top, rope necklace with large white hollowed-out charm and fringe, glasses, black and blue jeweled ring.

Kiss With History:

Issues at youth wilderness camps have been going on for quite some time. Here is an except from The Atlantic:

There are dozens of institutions...across America, and they promise therapeutic treatment for teenagers who are engaging in drug use or other behavior frowned upon by their families or schools. Parents often hire transport agencies, which are charged with delivering the teens to their programs, forcibly or otherwise. This industry, which has only reached mainstream popularity in the last couple of decades, is still controversial. Its proponents maintain that this type of isolation, away from the temptations and perils of society, can benefit youth who are straying down the path of addiction and dysfunction. They present a multitude of success stories and insist this type of therapy can be life-changing.
Programs differ in intensity and duration, although typically, they involve activities such as hiking and learning wilderness skills. At Redcliff, staff teaches students how to make fire using only materials gathered from the wild, a seemingly simple task that actually takes weeks to master. Most teens admitted to wilderness programs are there for a few months, although some stay as long as two years.

Miscellaneous Trivia:

This episode is the Fall finale. Quantum Leap will return for the second half of this first season in early 2023!

The title of the episode refers to the 1986 film "Stand By Me."

In the opening segment, we see in large type "1996." This style hadn't been seen since episode 2, "Atlantis."

Susanville, CA is a real town located near Honey Lake and Horse Lake, just like on the map the teens have in the episode. Elbow's Bend does not appear to actually exist.

You can learn how to make a splint by watching the segment in the episode.

The wolves were actually a husky mix.

According to the QL Writers Room, "
Originally, Episode 8 was written with our group freezing to death in original history. But the SoCal heat wave inspired us to change it up!"

Also, "
We shot almost all of our story at the Disney Ranch up in Santa Clarita where we had a snake wrangler on set with us every day to keep us safe from rattlesnakes." The original series episode, "The Last Gunfighter" was also filmed here.



QUANTUM LEAP – SERIES REGULARS


Dr. Ben Song
(Portrayed by Raymond Lee)
– Ben is a first-generation American, a world-renowned physicist, and a man of faith. He’s also working on Quantum Leap, a time travel project. But when he uses the project on himself, he’s transported back in time with a bout of amnesia – forgetting what made him time travel in the first place.

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:
Georgina Reilly as Janis Calavicci
Anthony Turpel as Roy Bacall

Raquel Justice as Stacy Thompson
Ciara Riley Wilson as Leah Valencia

Eric Lee Huffman as Director Adam Sullivan
Kurt Yaeger as Ringer
Andrew Hwang as George
Manny Spero as 16 Year Old Boy (Benjamin Winters
- Mirror image)

Guest Cast Notes:

Anthony Turpel (Roy) came to this world on January 26, 2000. He originally hails from Los Angeles, California, USA. At present, he is 21 years old and his birth sign is Aquarius. He has not shared detailed information regarding his family background. However, he has an older sister but her name is not mentioned. Also, the information related to his educational journey is missing. As of his age, he might be a high school graduate or might be attending one. He stated that his mother has been the biggest influence on his career, always having supported him through thick and thin and having encouraged him to work hard to fulfill his dream of becoming an actor. Moreover, when he was 5 years old, he had performed in The Wizard of Oz as one of the Lollipop Guild and had fallen in love with acting and discovered his passion for the art form. Anthony had wanted to do more and so he began to do more plays and started to take classes. He even accidentally had got an agent. Anthony is an actor who is famous for his role as R.J. Forrester on the series 'The Bold and the Beautiful' since September 2016, and his role as Will on 'No Good Nick'. He also stars as Felix on 'Love, Victor'. Moreover, his first acting job was a commercial for 'Trivial Pursuit'. He has also guest-starred on 'Life in Pieces', 'Comedy Bang! Bang!', and 'Henry Danger'. Further, he gained further popularity by starring in several other programs on the small screen including '9-1-1' (2018), 'Future Shock' (2015), 'Nick's Secret' (2019), and 'This Is Us' (2016). Likewise, in the year 2017, he received a Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series for his work on 'The Bold and the Beautiful.' In 'The Bold and the Beautiful,' he portrayed the main role from 2016 to 2018 in 93 episodes of the show. In 'Life in Pieces', he acted for a small part as Max. There, he appeared in the episode called 'Babe Secret Phone Germs'.

Raquel Justice (Stacy) is known for One Day at a Time (2017), Andi Mack (2017) and Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn (2014).



Ciara Riley Wilson (Leah) is an actor, dancer, and fashion designer born and raised in Portland, Oregon. After growing up in competitive dance, Ciara realized she also had a deep passion for acting, and decided to come to LA at the age of eleven in pursuit of it. Since then, Ciara has been in a variety of shows such as season one and two of LA's Finest (Netflix & Fox), Speechless (ABC), and Bizaardvark (Disney). Early in her career, Ciara also worked on music videos for Chris Brown and Fifth Harmony as a hip-hop dancer. Her favorite acting endeavor is a lead role in the live action feature film "Kim Possible" (Disney), where she had to perform stunt work while playing the character, Athena, who changes from innocent to evil throughout the course of the film. Outside of acting, Ciara is passionate about fashion and design, where she has taught herself to sew and embroider hand-crafted pieces. Influenced by the 70's and sustainability, she has designed a number of pieces that feel vintage and modern at the same time, all while using reclaimed materials. Along with this, she has documented her life of acting and fashion on Instagram and Tiktok, both with the username @ciararileywilson. Ciara looks forward to creating her own brand one day to wear on the red carpets of her future projects.



Eric Lee Huffman (Sullivan) was born in Carmel, California and raised on the Monterey Peninsula. He is known for his work on NBC's Quantum Leap (2022), Grimm (2015), The Family Business on BET, and the Eric Andre Show on Adult Swim (2014). Eric is also a screenwriter and award-winning published songwriter. Eric began his acting career performing live theatre before moving to Hollywood and studying under William Alderson, a protege of legendary New York acting teacher Sanford Meisner.



Kurt Yaeger (Ringer) is an actor who ripped his leg off becoming an amputee, broke his pelvis in half, bladder torn in half, broke seven vertebra, and a number of other injuries in a motorcycle accident. After two years of recovery he shot multiple films and tv shows then landed Greg the Peg on the hit series Sons of Anarchy (2008) which helped solidify his return as an actor, who just happens to be missing a leg. He's currently filming the feature The Beanie Bubble, with Zach Galifianakis and Elizabeth Banks. Kurt recently shot a hyper-athletic portrayal of Dylan Conner, the Ship's Engineer on Netflix's Another Life (2019) 2021, followed up by roles in SEAL Team (2017) , The Good Doctor (2017), & an Apple show yet to be listed.. CBS All Access brought Kurt into the new series Tell Me a Story (2018) right after he starred in the UK hit comedy film The Festival (2018). He's also known for roles in [link= Quarry (2016), Pure Genius (2016), NCIS: Los Angeles (2009), Shooter (2016), and Shameless (2011).
Yaeger is a highly respected member of the SAG/AFTRA committee Performers with Disabilities, and advocates for the inclusion of actors with disabilities in roles not specified for disabled characters. Yaeger is an amputee and speaks with network executives, show runners, writers, and casting agents about ways to increase inclusion though representation in the creative process, from the beginning of all projects. Yaeger is also a former professional X Games athlete. Kurt came back, was the first amputee in the X Games, and the first amputee to successfully pull a backflip, and still rides to this day. Remaining athletic after losing his leg is important so he can play any character at anytime. He ran up the Empire State Building, 86 floors in 20 minutes and 19 seconds; completed multiple 55-mile triathlons; and won several adventure challenges where he's pitting against able body athletes. Motorcycles are Yaeger's second passion. As an amputee, he hosted the BMW GS Trophy Challenge for several years, and rides motorcycles off-road all around the world: Thailand, Madagascar, the Canadian Rockies, South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Europe, and the United States. He works with several motorcycle manufactures and companies to create motorcycle-related content.

Andrew Hwang (George) is known for The Circle (2017), Fists of Righteous Harmony (2008) and The Last Ship (2014).

Manny Spero (Benjamin Winters - Mirror Image) is known for Thor: Love and Thunder (2022), Station 19 (2018) and Bolt from the Blue.

Guests Who Appeared in Other Quantum Leap Episodes:

Georgina Reilly returns as Janis Calavicci (in flashbacks pre-Leap)

Characters who appeared in Classic Series episodes:

None.

Songs & Music:

"Song 2" by Blur - plays as Ben leaps in as the kids escape from school

"Just A Girl" by No Doubt - plays as the teens dance in the cabin

"Don't Speak" by No Doubt - plays as Roy and Stacy talk on the sofa in the cabin

Say What?

Ian asks Addison if she can come out of the Imaging Chamber to help free Magic and Jenn from the elevator lock down, but Addison responds that she can't right now. Does Addison know how to reverse a lock down?

When we see Leah's test grades in the flashback sequence, it's the same paper shot from different angles three times.

Why doesn't Addison go ahead of the group to help find the cabin? She could even float above the area to locate it faster.

When Ben sees the pipe in the dry creek, he tells Addison it's a perfect circle and it's not natural. Why exactly does he seem to not recognize immediately what a pipe looks like?

Ben says there's a generator outside the cabin and asks the kids if he should power it up. Why would he not just do it and give them all lights/power?

The sun is still shining when they arrive at the cabin, but after they check for food and candles, etc., it's dark. How long were they looking though the cabin contents?

If the cabin is "off the grid", why does it have a working phone line?

How did Ringer and Sullivan find the cabin so quickly when Ziggy had no record of it?

The Reno news van arrived on the scene very quickly. How close to Reno were they?


Quotable Quotes:

"Vegas is a really good place to start over."
-Stacy

"I just want to go home."
-Leah

"No wonder people yell at teenagers."
-Addison

Magic: "Sounds like admiration."
Jenn: "It's one shark recognizing another."

"I don't think this is just about saving their lives. I think there might be more to this."
-Addison

Magic: "It's better to risk disappointment than to give up."
Jenn: "That sounds great for a greeting card, but it's not always the case in real life."

Roy: "Nice job, imaginary hottie."
Addison: "It is nice to be acknowledged."

"God, it feels good to be real!"
-Addison, back at PQL

"You like my hat?"
-Roy





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
Produced by:
Marc Bienstock
Executive Producers: Steven Lilien & Bryan Wyndrandt
Executive Producer: Chris Grismer
Executive Producer: Deborah Pratt
Executive Producer: Donald P. Bellisario
Executive Producer: Dean Georgaris
Executive Producer:
Martin Gero
Created by:
Donald P. Bellisario

Written by: Emily Kim
Directed by: Avi Youabian

Associate Producer: Ethan Henderson
Story Editor:
Margarita Matthews
Casting by:
Jennifer Cooper, CSA
Casting Director: Kamala A. Thomas

Director of Photography: Ana Amortegui
Production Designer: Mayling Cheng
Edited by: Ian Mayberry
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: Athena Pesante
Costume Designer:
Genevieve Tyrrell

A Camera Operator: Dave Hirschman
B Camera/Steadycam Operator: Josh Harrison
Production Sound Mixer: Kevin Bellante
Chief Lighting Technician: Donna Vega
Key Grip: Peter Chrimes
Art Directors: Danny Cistone & Liz Looczkowski

Set Director: Tim Stepeck
Costume Supervisor: Heather Sladinski
Property Master: Erik Grasteit
Construction Coordinator: Matt Sazzman
Casting Associate: Melanie J. Brown
Department Head Hair: Amy Marie Wilson
Department Head Makeup: Julia Lallas
Leadman: David Napoli
Stunt Coordinator: Jeff Barnett
Location Manager: Dan Milner
Transportation Coordinator: Sandra Ninham-Gallardo
Production Office Coordinator: Sofie Johanna "Bubbles" Dejus
Assistant Production Office Coordinator: Will Potenberg
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 Assistant Editor: Michael Defilio
Supervising Sound Editor: Kelly Cabral
Re-Recording Mixer: Yuri Reese &
Sean Madsen
1st Assistant Accountants: April Opoczynski & Cesar Diego
1st Assistant Accountants: Mariah Roystar & Kendy Lai
Payroll Accountant: Jeff Waddell

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