#can confirm this is real as someone who is 16“ shorter than my husband

[douxreviews]

Quantum Leap - Season Two Review

"He works in mysterious ways."

While still formulaic, season two is much better than the brief leap-of-the-week season one. Scott Bakula and Dean Stockwell are a lot more comfortable with their roles, and many of the leaps are more interesting and complicated. There are also some intriguing additions to what we know about our main characters and some progress with the arc story — particularly in the premiere and the finale.

What works

Sam is enjoying leaping around and helping people. He doesn't seem to mind that he left his own life behind, although the continuing partial amnesia could be responsible for that.

Another issue they begin to address in season two is what became of Sam's physical body. In season one, the saga sell says that Sam "stepped into the quantum accelerator and vanished." In season two, we're told that Sam's physical body is in a "waiting room" back at the project, and that when he leaps, Al questions whoever just leaped into Sam's body so that he can locate where and when Sam went.

The best episodes of season two are the premiere and the finale.

2.1 "Honeymoon Express (April 27, 1960): I love this episode, mostly because of the cleverness of the twist ending. Al, whom we learn here is an admiral, is testifying before a hostile senate subcommittee responsible for further funding of the Quantum Leap Project, while Sam leaps into a cop who is on his honeymoon. Sam's bride, Diane, is a law student who is preparing for her bar exam.

Although it was mentioned in the season one pilot that God might be responsible for what is happening to Sam, here it is confirmed. Because Sam virtuously avoids hitting the sheets with Diane even though he is attracted to her, he keeps trying to help her study for the bar instead. At the very moment when Sam is ready to give in and make love with Diane, she has a breakthrough, finally grasping a key legal concept that would have made her fail the exam, and Sam leaps out. At that moment, the grumpy male head of the senate subcommittee turns into Diane, thirty years older, and she tells Al that the Quantum Leap funding has been approved. Only Al is aware that anything has changed.

Two of my other favorite shows had finales that centered on the existence of God, which didn't make me happy because it felt like a cop out. Not Quantum Leap though, because honestly, the only possible explanation for what is happening to Sam is divine intervention.

The only problem I have with this episode is the multitude of smoochfests. I did like that Sam and Al discussed the moral implications of Sam having sex with Diane, even though she wouldn't have known because she believed Sam was her husband. I also like the implied feminist message that Diane is no one's possession, and that she was destined for great things.

2.22 "M.I.A. (April 1, 1969)": Sam leaps into a San Diego cop. Al tells Sam that the purpose of the leap is to convince a Navy nurse named Beth Calavicci to not give up on her M.I.A. husband, who has been imprisoned in Vietnam for two years. But as it turns out, Sam is there to save the life of another cop, his partner, Roger Skaggs (Jason Beghe).

This episode features an exceptional and moving performance by Dean Stockwell, who ripped my heart out in the last ten minutes. Al is clearly signaling confusion and distress throughout the episode; he describes to Sam the torturous confinement that Beth's husband is experiencing without revealing that it is himself who is enduring it. When Sam guesses correctly that Skaggs is the reason for the leap, not Beth, Al confesses that Beth is his first wife and the love of his life, and when she had him declared dead and remarried, Al never recovered, and his other marriages never worked.

"God" allows Sam a few extra minutes before leaping so that Al can say goodbye to Beth, even though, of course, she can't see or hear him. He tells her how much he loves her, begs her to wait for him when we know she won't, and then they dance to Beth's favorite song. The thing is, what happens with Beth explains everything we need to know about Al, and it turns him from Sam's supportive friend and occasional comic relief into a tragic figure. Susan Diol as Beth Calavicci also does a wonderful job. We can believe she is the love of Al's life, that she is incredibly special to him, and her conflict is so well done. Sam's gentle treatment of Al, even though Al misled him and nearly caused Skaggs' death, is also touching. This episode never fails to make me cry.

The music replacement controversy, particularly regarding the episode "M.I.A."

As I mentioned in my review of season one, when Quantum Leap was initially released on DVD way back when, Universal had neglected to get the rights to a number of the songs featured on the series, simply because it was prohibitively expensive. Changing the music changes the series, and the fans were, to put it mildly, livid about it. Although the music replacement had a serious detrimental effect on "Good Morning, Peoria," the worst offender was "M.I.A." because that final scene where Al says goodbye to Beth is framed by the Righteous Brothers' "Unchained Melody" and Ray Charles' "Georgia," two memorable songs that truly cannot be replaced.

Netflix and Amazon have the original version of "M.I.A." Hulu does not. For what it's worth.

Other episodes of note

2.2 "Disco Inferno (April 1, 1976)": Not really notable, but if you're watching Quantum Leap on Hulu or Netflix, you've probably noticed that this episode is missing. I went to the trouble of buying it on Amazon because I'm hung up on that completion thing, and it's not worth it. "Disco Inferno" is about a stuntman who helps his younger brother defy their stuntman father and become a musician. The only important piece of it is that Sam remembers that he has an older brother named Tom who died fighting in Vietnam.

2.4 "What Price Gloria? (October 16, 1961)": This episode is notable because it is the first time that Sam leaps into a woman, so of course it goes the preachy route and is all about sexism. Al is hot for Sam in a woman's body, which I just found uncomfortable. What I liked most was Scott Bakula wearing women's clothing without making too much of a thing about it. It feels like for Bakula, it's just another costume and he's such a good actor that playing a woman doesn't throw him.

2.6 "Good Morning, Peoria (September 9, 1959)": I loved this episode; it was a lot of fun. Maybe it because the stakes were less life and death and more personal. Patricia Richardson does such a great job as Sam's love interest, and the romance actually works this time. It also features a lot of great old music, and Sam pretty much channeling Robin Williams in Good Morning, Vietnam.

Like "Honeymoon Express," the question of Sam having a physical relationship while he is in someone else's body is again addressed. Sam is uncomfortable about romancing Patricia Richardson's character, but he does it anyway and it turns out that it was the right thing to do.

2.8 "Jimmy (October 14, 1964)": Sam leaps into a young, developmentally disabled man who is trying to hold down his first job while encountering bullying and prejudice. The most interesting thing about this one is Sam starts acting differently, clumsily, because he is being treated that way. Possibly a little preachy, but very well done.

2.10 "Catch a Falling Star (May 21, 1979)": Quantum Leap does Man of La Mancha, with the great actor and singer John Cullum as a guest star. This episode is pretty much an excuse to have Scott Bakula sing show tunes onstage and romance his teenage crush music teacher, but there's nothing wrong with that. There was also a deeper meaning when you think about it, because Sam really is like Don Quixote, spending his life rescuing others. Wonderful episode.

2.18 "Pool Hall Blues (September 4, 1954)": Loved this one. Maybe because Sam is so convincing as an adult woman's grandfather (loved the costume). I also loved the laser lines that allowed Sam to be a brilliant pool player.

What doesn't work

I don't usually point out the badness of bad episodes, but these three are truly awful.

2.11 "A Portrait for Troian (February 7, 1971)": We have a haunting, a mysterious lake full of bodies, a vanishing housekeeper and a pointless romance, none of which work. Which is too bad, since it stars Deborah Pratt, who was a writer/producer of the series, the saga sell narrator, and later the voice of Ziggy.

2.16 "Freedom (November 22, 1970)": Another poorly written stinker about an elderly Native American who wants to go home to die. See rule five.

2.17 "Good Night, Dear Heart (November 9, 1957)": This time Sam is a mortician who solves a murder instead of preventing one, which makes absolutely no sense to me. The circumstances of the victim's life and demise are depressing, and it all seems incredibly pointless.

Bits and pieces:

-- "Sea Bride" featured the Queen Mary, which is a tourist attraction in Long Beach, California. I toured it twice and I always enjoy stumbling over stuff that was filmed there.

-- I particularly liked that his second leap into a woman's body ("Another Mother") had nothing to do with sexism; he was there to save his host's son.

-- Famous people: The Beatles and Chubby Checker. In fact, it's the real Chubby Checker, who did a cameo in "Good Morning, Peoria."

-- Notable actors: Lorne Greene (Bonanza), a teenage Kelli Williams (Lie to Me), Robert Duncan MacNeill, Marcia Cross, and Troian Bellisario when she was still a very little girl in "Another Mother."

-- Sam's hair is way too long at first, and is later a good bit shorter. But if he's in someone else's body, can he even get his hair cut? Maybe someone cut Sam's hair in the Waiting Room.

-- Small children and animals can see Al, and genuine psychics can sense his presence. Al's presence affects EMF.

-- Sam creates the Heimlich maneuver.

-- More about Sam: he was a child prodigy, not a surprise, and a concert pianist.

-- More about Al: he was an astronaut. His mother abandoned him when he was a child and his sister was disabled. Al also looks better in red than in green.

-- The cliffhanger endings referencing Sam's next leap still bother me. Especially when we get one that relates to a rerun.

To conclude

I haven't finished my rewatch yet, but "M.I.A." and the two-parter that starts season three are my favorite episodes of the series,

Billie Doux loves good television and spends way too much time writing about it.

[bubblegumbi-tch]

GET TO KNOW ME!

I was tagged by the lovely @otsukaresope thank you!(and yes, I copied and pasted yours and changed my answers too)

Rules: Answer these 92 statements and tag 20 people. (lol you know i’m not tagging that many people)

THE LAST: 1. Drink: Mango Juice 2. Phone call: My dad 3. Text message: My dad again 4. Song you listened to: There Was A Rapper by Dizraeli & the Small Gods 5. Time you cried: looooord I have no idea, I cry all the time.. i think it was like two or three days ago..

HAVE YOU: 6. Dated someone twice: No 7. Kissed someone and regretted it: No 8. Been cheated on: Not that I know of 9. Lost someone special: Hasn’t everyone? 10. Been depressed: I guess 11. Gotten drunk and thrown up: Yes, only once, I learned my lesson.

LIST 3 FAVORITE COLORS: 12. Blue or any variation on it 13. Yellow/Orange 14. Very dark pink/red/purple kinda colour if you know what I mean

IN THE LAST YEAR HAVE YOU: 15. Made new friends: Yes, surprisingly 16. Fallen out of love: lol i’ve never even been IN love 17. Laughed until you cried: Probably yeah, i used to do it a lot more than i do now though sadly 18. Found out someone was talking about you: I found out a guy wouldn’t shut up about me because he liked me if that counts.. 19. Met someone who changed you: I don’t think so, no 20. Found out who your friends are: I already knew who my friends are 21. Kissed someone on your Facebook list: Yes

GENERAL: 22. How many of your Facebook friends do you know in real life: All of them I’m pretty sure 23. Do you have any pets: Omg, yes! I have two cats, a dog, two budgies, a bearded dragon, a tortoise and two chickens! 24. Do you want to change your name: When I was little me and my best friend went through a phase of wanting to change our names, but of course we never did. 25. What did you do for your last Birthday: My family all came to see me and then my parents took me out for a meal in the evening. 26. What time did you wake up: Ugh 7am to pack up from camping and come home, it’s the earliest I’ve been up in ages! 27. What were you doing at midnight last night: Messaging my friends and trying to sleep. 28. Name something you can’t wait for: Hixtape of course and also to get my flipping uni accommodation confirmation so I can start planning my room! 29. When was the last time you saw your mom: About 30 seconds ago, she’s in the kitchen 30. What is one thing you wish you could change in your life: I wish I was more confident and sociable (I’m a lot better than I used to be but it’s still something I’m working on!) 31. What are you listening to right now: Nothing, although I’ve been recently rediscovering Yoongi’s mixtape, specifically The Last... It’s making me emo af. 32. Have you ever talked to a person named Tom: Yeah I know of so many Tom’s 33. Something that is getting on your nerves: My menopausal mother (sorry mum) and my over helpful, dithering grandmother (put them both together like now and i want to take a long walk off a short pier)  34. Most visited website: I guess here or youtube

LOST QUESTIONS. I JUST PUT IN RANDOM INFO ABOUT ME 35. Mole/s: A few like flat big freckle ones but none that i would really call moles because they aren’t raised?? How do you even know what’s a mole and what isn’t? 36. Mark/s: oh man my knees are basically made of childhood scars, I also have a big scar on my arm from when i broke it, and various other tiny scars across my body, and a few bits of discolouration on my back from when i got sunburned really badly once 37. Chilhood dream: I wanted to be a vet 38. Hair color: My natural hair colour is like a light mousey brown, but at the moment it’s henna red 39. Long or short hair: uhh short i guess, it’s in a bob that’s grown out a lil 40. Do you have a crush on someone: Not really 41. What do you like about yourself: I like my long, naturally curled eyelashes, and that I am quite an accepting person (at least i like to think i am) 42. Piercings: One in each ear, and my nose 43. Blood type: I have no idea, i tried to find this out before i went to korea as they believe the blood type=personality traits thing, but it seems to be actually quite hard to find out if you don’t already know.. 44. Nickname: Meg, v occasionally Meggie or (if you’re my mother and trying to annoy me) Meggie Moo 45. Relationship status: Single 46. Zodiac: Aries 47. Pronouns: she/her 48. Favorite TV show: Gosh I don’t know anymore, I don’t watch as much tv as i used to. I recently finished binging Skins (uk) though because i never got into it when i was a teenager 49. Tattoos: No, but i would like to get one one day 50. Right or left hand: left handed! (fun fact a lady i used to work with told me this is a sign of the devil and looked at me reproachfully lol) 51. Surgery: No cosmetic surgery, but i broke my arm pretty badly when i was 9 and had to have two surgeries to fix it and i still have a numb section down my right arm to this day from nerve damage! 52. Hair dyed in different colors: I have only ever dyed it red/coppery either with henna or proper dye 53. Sport: man i am the least sporty person you will ever meet! I was pretty good a hockey in school though and i enjoyed tennis and badminton too. 54. There’s no question here so fun fact: I currently have diamond shaped sunburn patches all down my arms from a lace-up armed top i was wearing yesterday, i’m such a fool. 55. Vacation: I would literally love to go anywhere and everywhere in the world, but right now I’m kinda feeling either Hawai’i (blame bts) or Florida 56. Pair of trainers: Do converse count as trainers? Because I live in my converse.

MORE GENERAL:

57. Eating: Nothing Right now, but i need to go make myself some lunch.       58. Drinking: Again nothing, someone get me some tea!

59. I’m about to: Go say hi to my grandma who has just turned up, then maybe go over to my dad’s and watch game of thrones with him 60. No question here either so another fun fact: I have hypermobility in some of my limbs, just like Jin does (his wiggly fingers) so my knees bend backwards (i think Jin’s knees do this too actually), which freaks some people out! The downside is apparently it’s awful for my joints, I’m such an old lady! 61. Waiting for: My uni accommodation! 62. Want: So many things, love, money, a job, MY UNI ACCOMMODATION 63. Get married: Eh, maybe if the right person comes along, although i think it will be v different from a traditional type of wedding eg i hate how traditionally the bride is given from man to man and takes the husbands name, I would like to mash our names together to make a cool new name for us both... idk i guess i would just have a more feminist/egalitarian version of a marriage/wedding if i get married. 64. Career: Uuugh I don’t even have a job at the moment, and i doubt i will even when i finish my degree lol oh the hopelessness of adulthood

WHICH IS BETTER 65. Hugs or kisses: Hugs 66. Lips or eyes: Both?? I guess lips if i HAD to choose. 67. Shorter or taller: It doesn’t make a difference to me bc im short as hell anyway so anyone i date it always gonna be taller than me no matter how short they are... 68. Older or younger: i would prefer older but i guess so long as it’s not too much younger i wouldn’t mind so long as they are mentally mature enough. 69. No question here: Then you’re gonna get no answer. 70. Nice arms or nice stomach: nice arms i guess 71. Sensitive or loud: Sensitive 72. Hook up or relationship: Relationship preferably, but all i ever seem to get are hook-ups! 73. Troublemaker or hesitant:  I guess troublemaker so long as it’s not damaging

HAVE YOU EVER: 74. Kissed a stranger: Yes 75. Drank hard liquour: Yes 76. Lost glasses/contact lenses: I lost a pair of sunglasses recently.. 77. Turned someone down: Yes 78. Sex in the first date: I haven’t actually properly dated anyone in ages.. 79. Broken someone’s heart: Not that i know of 80. Had your heart broken: Yes, but not by a romantic partner, just a best friend, they can do that too unfortunately.. 81. Been arrested: No although apparently i once when i was 16 i got blackout drunk and started hammering on a police car door (with the policemen inside) and they had to get out and tell my friends to take me home or they would arrest me (im so goddamn embarrassed about that)  82. Cried when someone died: Of course, who doesn’t? 83. Fallen for a friend: No

DO YOU BELIEVE IN: 84. Yourself: i have nothing else to believe in so, YES 85. Miracles: I don’t think so 86. Love at first sight: Again, I don’t think so 87. Santa Claus: Of course, what are you saying?!?!?! 88. Kiss in the first date: Yeah why not if i like them enough 89. Angels: No

OTHER: 90. Current best friend’s name: I don’t think i have just one, but i guess my oldest friend and friends i se the most are Jenny and Hannah 91. Eyecolor: Green/blue/turquoise, it depends on the light (yes im THAT white girl, fight me it’s a thing) 92. Favorite movie: Ah man i couldn’t tell you i just don’t know sorry!

Tagging: @aw-yeah-jimin @grandpa-yoongi @sopehope @seoulsistersopi and i guess anyone else that wants to do it!

[thequantumqueer]

I was tagged by @batpositivity

Rules: Answer some shit and tag people maybe

THE LAST:

1. Drink: milk 2. Phone call: uhhh my mom probably idk 3. Text message: @thenonbinaryspacegem 4. Song you listened to: idk it was awhile ago. the Neon Jungle cover of Take Me to Church i think? 5. Time you cried: this past saturday afternoon, thinking about CMH

HAVE YOU: 6. Dated someone twice: yes 7. Kissed someone and regretted it: nah 8. Been cheated on: no 9. Lost someone special: absofuckinglutely 10. Been depressed: this implies the past tense so no lmao 11. Gotten drunk and thrown up: hoo boy yes

LIST 3 FAVORITE COLORS: 12-14: purple, lavender, forest green

IN THE LAST YEAR HAVE YOU: 15. Made new friends: yes 16. Fallen out of love: nope :D 17. Laughed until you cried: probably 18. Found out someone was talking about you: i don’t matter enough for people to talk about me lmao 19. Met someone who changed you: idk. im really bad at keeping track of when i meet people 20. Found out who your friends are: a combination of a relatively low-stress year and already mostly knowing who i can count on makes this a no 21. Kissed someone on your Facebook list: well my husband is on there so...

GENERAL: 22. How many of your Facebook friends do you know in real life: no idea i dont use my facebook enough to even know who all is on there 23. Do you have any pets: sort of. @selkieblues has a dog and im moving in with her 24. Do you want to change your name: i already changed it. now it’s a question of making the paperwork happen to give the change legal weight 25. What did you do for your last Birthday: i don’t remember and i don’t think that’s because of alcohol i think it’s just my shitty brain 26. What time did you wake up: like 15 minutes ago so like. 1:30am 27. What were you doing at midnight last night: sitting off in the corner at a kink party, talking about the intricacies of consent and taboo  28. Name something you can’t wait for: the sweet release of death  29. When was the last time you saw your mom: like a week and a half ago, but the time before that was almost 4 years ago so dont get the wrong impression 30. What is one thing you wish you could change in your life? it would be nice to be healthy i think. idk im not sure i quite understand what that’d be like 31. What are you listening right now: the sound of the air conditioner and staticky radio signals that the speakers are picking up 32. Have you ever talked to a person named Tom: Yes 33. Something that is getting on your nerves: my nerves lmao 34. Most visited Website: tumblr

LOST QUESTIONS. I JUST PUT IN RANDOM INFO ABOUT ME

35. Mole/s: lots, including 3 on my arm that form orion’s belt 36. Mark/s: freckles everywhere, parallel scars on the back of my left arm, a nasty scar on my right inner forearm, a scar on my right shin 37. Childhood dream: to be an astronaut 38. Haircolor: brown 39. Long or short hair: longish 40. Do you have a crush on someone: i am deeply and irrevocably in love with my husband. i also have a longstanding crush on at least one mutual 41. What do you like about yourself: im a talented writer (yes i mean talent, not skill. ive barely developed that shit at all) and a loyal friend 42. Piercings: industrial in my left ear, daith in my right, and my lobes are 1/2″ 43. Bloodtype: red, usually 44. Nickname: Quantum 45. Relationship status: married and polya 46. Zodiac: libra AND capricorn 47. Pronouns: xe/xem, but anything works 48. Favorite TV Show: dont have one atm 49. Tattoos: a potato above my right ankle, a dr seuss hat on my upper left back, and a black line around my wedding finger 50. Right or left hand: right 51. Surgery: one as an infant, and 6 teeth removed, including wisdom 52. Hair dyed in different color: i had it black once and liked that. i eventually want it purple long-term 53. Sport: no 55. Vacation: there are SO MANY PEOPLE i want to visit 56. Pair of trainers: i am a Clunky Boots Gay™ because ankle support

MORE GENERAL: 57. Eating: nothing but i probably should get something 58. Drinking: ditto the eating 59. I’m about to: do something probably? idk its 2am 61. Waiting for: the 15th, when i’ll finally be moving 62. Want: to see my husband 63. Get married: been there, done that, quite literally got the tshirt 64. Career: i want to support myself with my chain maille

WHICH IS BETTER 65. Hugs or kisses: doesn’t matter as long as there are concurrent cuddles 66. Lips or eyes: eyes 67. Shorter or taller: shorter is good but i have no basis for comparison 68. Older or younger: ive literally never been with someone older than me 70. Nice arms or nice stomach: wtf even is a “nice stomach” all stomachs are weird and gross regardless of size do you realize that’s where your body makes poop like what the fuck nice arms are so much better 71. Sensitive or loud: Sensitive 72. Hook up or relationship: ¿por qué no las dos? 73. Troublemaker or hesitant: i will hesitate enough for the both of us

HAVE YOU EVER: 74. Kissed a stranger: yes 75. Drank hard liquor: yes 76. Lost glasses/contact lenses: yes 77. Turned someone down: yes 78. Sex on the first date: yes 79. Broken someone’s heart: yes 80. Had your heart broken: yes 81. Been arrested: yes 82. Cried when someone died: yes 83. Fallen for a friend: yes

(fuck ive never said yes to literally all of them before holy shit)

DO YOU BELIEVE IN: 84. Yourself: no 85. Miracles: i believe in confirmation bias and the law of large numbers 86. Love at first sight: no 87. Santa Claus: yes (my religious philosophy is super cool ask me about it) 88. Kiss in the first date: yes 89. Angels: see “Santa Claus”

OTHER: 90. Current best friends name: Abby “@greenreticule“ [REDACTED] 91. Eye color: hazel 92. Favorite movie: my top 3 in no particular order are Wonder Woman, The Book of Life, and Wreck-It Ralph

ima tag @jcurnalism @sarcastic-clapping @eyeb0t @hopeandhandler @crpl-pnk @sailorsanghelios and everyone i tagged higher up in the post

and then ima be salty that it wont let me tag @qjusttheletter aka “the husband i keep talking about”