Old vs. New: Comparing Leapers

[Meredith Quill]

Compare Here!

[Trini]

So the revival is going to have more supporting characters; and I think that's a good idea, so that everything doesn't have to be carried by two actors. I just hope that the A-plots of the leaper 'righting a wrong in the past' is still the main focus. I don't really need several concurrent mysteries/etc. going on.

[CeeBeeGee]

On 8/7/2022 at 6:15 PM, Trini said:

So the revival is going to have more supporting characters; and I think that's a good idea, so that everything doesn't have to be carried by two actors. I just hope that the A-plots of the leaper 'righting a wrong in the past' is still the main focus. I don't really need several concurrent mysteries/etc. going on.

I know that the original deliberately chose to avoid a lot of set up and exposition about PQL in favor of its anthology style. But IMO the episodes where we actually saw behind the scenes were some of the best. The Leap Back? Killin' Time? Fantastic episodes. And A Leap for Lisa was genuinely terrifying.

[Maverick]

 I'm the opposite and like that aspect of the original.   I thought it was much more interesting learning about the project through Al's POV (much like Sam was due to his swiss cheese memory).  Their view of the future was slightly cartoonish and bound to be dated.   Killin' Time was pretty good but I didn't like The Leap Back.   Part of the was because I despised future Donna.   I get she loved Sam, but like seriously--she knows what Al meant to Sam, knows he saved Sam multiple times, saved Sam's brother by staying a POW for years and yet she's whining about Sam leaving her to save him?  Just awful.   My other problem is you generally only get one episode to explore the life he leaps into and now they'll be taking up a good chunk of that with some ongoing mystery plot in the future.    To me what made the show was first and foremost the relationship between Sam and Al (and the performances of their actors) and the stories of the wrongs that Sam was righting.  Time travel was just the MacGuffin that allowed the show to work.   It sounds like the new version is going to be much more of a sci-fi-y show with the lives of the people being helped taking a backseat.

 By the end of the original series they had made it pretty clear there were some sort of "good" and "evil" forces that had co-opted time travels into some sort of conflict.  I always wondered how/if they would have continued that in a season 5 and if the new show will continue that element. 

[DoctorAtomic]

15 hours ago, Maverick said:

To me what made the show was first and foremost the relationship between Sam and Al (and the performances of their actors) and the stories of the wrongs that Sam was righting. 

I don't think you can catch that lightning again, so you're going to have to expand the show somewhat. I mean, you obviously need strong chemistry with the two leads.

15 hours ago, Maverick said:

By the end of the original series they had made it pretty clear there were some sort of "good" and "evil" forces that had co-opted time travels into some sort of conflict.

I didn't like this at all. I didn't like Sam leaping into famous people either. I could buy he went past his lifetime into relatives once and a while. I wouldn't mind 'future' leapers running around, if say, the technology is stolen at a future date. So maybe that's a plot 'in the present'. (I'm totally unspoiled). 

Sam leaped into ladies a couple of times, but it was played a little for laughs. I'd like to see if they take a more serious angle.

[Chaos Theory]

Quantum Leap was one of my favorite shows.  It hit all the buttons for me.  I have a soft spot for “time travel” shows and this mimicked one nicely.  It had clear rules which it mostly followed.    It was amusing, thought provoking and heartfelt when it needed to be.    And Sam and Al had great chemistry.   I was disappointed that the finale wasn’t very good but I honestly didn’t hate it like a lot of people did.    Sam chose to untether himself so he could bounce around in time and help people forever.   
 

That being said I am willing to give this…..uhhhh whatever it is a chance.    If done right it could be fun.   A bigger cast and a bigger budget.   From what I read I am not hating the idea.   And just because Scott Bakula isn’t in it at this point doesn’t mean that if the show is actually….,good Sam Beckett’s story won’t be given an ending at some point.

Edited September 18, 2022 by Chaos Theory

[Chaos Theory]

I know I posted last but I just thought of something:

One of the interesting things about the original was that it was an early 90s view of the 60s and 70s.        The new version is likely going  to be a 2020 view of the 90s and 2000s.  

Did we really think the world was gonna end at the crack of 000

Didnt it kinda?

Edited September 19, 2022 by Chaos Theory

[Sarah 103]

I don't like the new Ziggy. It reminds me of the pagers Cheesecake Factory used to give out to let you know when your table was ready. 

[DoctorAtomic]

As long as it goes on the fritz, and Addison has to kept banging on it. 

[SoMuchTV]

13 minutes ago, DoctorAtomic said:

There's another thread of old v new where I'm sure everyone would be happy to answer questions. I certainly have fond memories of the show, and it seems to be the prevailing sentiment. 

Sam and Al were mentioned in this episode. Addison explained this to Ben when he was in the bathroom 'talking to himself'. They mentioned Al at the end and showed his picture. It was quick, but he was the original 'hologram'. 

Magic is the guy in charge right now played by Ernie Hudson. That's kind of a plot point. I alluded to him in my above post, but maybe the other thread is better to get into detail in case people want to be surprised. 

Bringing this over from the first episode thread... I was just an occasional watcher of the original show and I don't really remember anything about Magic.  I do remember seeing in the runup to this version that he was a (the only?) character from the original.  Can anyone fill me in on a little more of his role in the original?

[DoctorAtomic]

Sam leaped into him in Vietnam in the two parter where him and Al thought they were there to save Sam's brother's life.

I'm hazy, but I think Sam was supposed to save POWs, but Al told him to save the brother. Al was one of the POWs. 

So the question is whether Magic remembers. 

Edited September 21, 2022 by DoctorAtomic

[Sarah 103]

@possibilities was asking about who the original series characters were in another thread, so I thought I'd post this here for anyone who has never seen the original series, but wants to know a bit more about who Sam and Al are. Reading two wikipedia articles is not the same time commitment as watching multiple seasons of an older series. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Beckett

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Calavicci

Edited September 21, 2022 by Sarah 103

[Rose Quartz]

For anyone who's interested in the essential episodes from the original series that give the background of Sam/Al/Magic, here are the ones that I remember of the top of my head.

• Genesis (pilot) - gives the background of the project and Sam's family
• Disco Inferno (season 2) - Sam remembers what happened to Tom
• MIA (season 2) - Al's background
• Leap Home pt 1 (season 3) - more about Sam's family
• Leap Home pt 2 (season 3) - Sam leaps into Magic
• Mirror Image (season 5) - series finale, ends with Sam deciding not to leap home

These are just the episodes that focus on the Vietnam storyline since that's where we know Magic from.  There are other episodes that give more info about other characters like Sam's wife, his sister, and Al's sister if anyone is interested in them.

[Notwisconsin]

On 9/21/2022 at 7:49 PM, Rose Quartz said:

Mirror Image (season 5) - series finale, ends with Sam deciding not to leap home

He leaps as himself to tell Al's widow she's not a widow. I thought that presumably, he would never join the project in the first place. The original ending was a quickie made shortly after they were told they were cancelled.

[Rose Quartz]

1 hour ago, Notwisconsin said:

He leaps as himself to tell Al's widow she's not a widow. I thought that presumably, he would never join the project in the first place. The original ending was a quickie made shortly after they were told they were cancelled.

The episode itself is definitely open-ended, but the original plan was for Sam to continue leaping as himself in the next season.  In fact, a few years back someone dug up some footage from a scene where Al and Beth are discussing how to find Sam, so it seems pretty clear that the showrunner's intention was to still have Sam and Al be part of the project.

Here's a link to an article about the missing footage:  https://screenrant.com/quantum-leap-lost-alternate-ending-footage/

[DoctorAtomic]

I actually don't think Al leaping would have worked. 

I know the finale wasn't great, but the hindsight is that Sam should have come home. He didn't want to. Sam made the choice to keep going because he knew he could tell Beth to wait. Knowing that, he kept going. 

[KaveDweller]

20 hours ago, DoctorAtomic said:

I actually don't think Al leaping would have worked. 

I know the finale wasn't great, but the hindsight is that Sam should have come home. He didn't want to. Sam made the choice to keep going because he knew he could tell Beth to wait. Knowing that, he kept going. 

I think the message was Sam didn't really want to stop. But, I saw the final episode recently. Sam is talking to this bartender who it was implied was God, who tells him he has the power to go home if he wants. He also tells him he has helped a lot of people but that it is okay to take breaks. Sam says he wants to go home, but can't because he needs to help Al.

And then, he leaps as himself and tells Beth that Al is alive. So after he helped Al, he could have taken a break before continuing to leap. But maybe he subconsciously knew if he went home he'd never want to leave again.

[DoctorAtomic]

That's what I got out of the finale. He could have leaped home, but when the bartender said, sure, go ahead, Sam immediately when to Beth. There was also another leaper in that episode and no idea where he came from.

[KaveDweller]

1 hour ago, DoctorAtomic said:

That's what I got out of the finale. He could have leaped home, but when the bartender said, sure, go ahead, Sam immediately when to Beth. There was also another leaper in that episode and no idea where he came from.

We never really learned where the evil leaper came from either.

A cooler explanation would have been that way into the future Project Quantum Leap became really big and lots of people started leaping (some good, some evil who stole the technology). Then it makes sense that some travelled to the same time/place as Sam, but it all traced back to his work. And the existence of the new show could have helped build that idea.

Instead they just kind of implied it was an act of God.

[DoctorAtomic]

I think the new show should just discount the 'evil leaper'. Taking that the technology could have rediscovered at some point in the future, that's fine; however, the opening card of the original was 'theorizing that he could time travel within his own lifetime', so you couldn't have the evil leapers be from the future. It was a bad idea and this show I hope will just ignore it. Plus, it's dumb. Someone decided to 'put wrong what was once right'. It's a false equivalence, and the finale basically discounts it. 

Edited September 24, 2022 by DoctorAtomic

[gail56]

Yes. I hope they stay away from the evil leaper concept. I never liked it. They also did that with Sliders and it ruined the show for me when evil Sliders were taking over all the different earths.

[Maverick]

 There was an lot of ambiguity in the original as to who was driving the leaps but it was basically s given that some intelligence had a hand in the leaps.  The oft used phrase in universe was "God or Time or Whoever".    Certainly the introduction of the evil leapers implies that Devil and therefore God as the driving force behind Sam's leaps (although the much earlier Bogeyman episode more directly points the Devil) it's never specifically stated it's God or that there is any actual religious figures at work.   In fact, if it were they should, as were interpret them, be omnipotent beings and not need to nudge a time time traveling scientist around with little to no information.   There were definitely two opposing forces at work but they both had limits (and/or rules) and were using time travelers as their proxies.  The new show has explicitly taken the position that the random leaping was a problem with the code which is kind of lame. 

[DoctorAtomic]

What I got from the bartender was that Sam was in control the whole time. Because when Sam says 'he knows what he has to do' he leaps directly to Beth as himself. Sam and Al thought there might have been higher powers at work, and there is obviously the halloween episode, but I don't think they were controlling anything. 

I don't think you can take much from the evil leapers. 

[Sarah 103]

This is my opinion. Not everyone enjoys every show or has the same likes/dislikes. I'm not enjoying the new show. I am willing to give it a few more weeks, but it may not be for me. It lacks the fun and humor of the original series. Not only does the show have 10 minutes less of story than it did in the 1980s (In the 1980s an hour long show had 52 minutes of story, and today it is 42 minutes), but there is even less because the episode is split between the leap mission and the story back at HQ. Instead of little moments of Ben learning to adjust to his new reality and having a bit of fun or being surprised about what does and does not exist, we only get the big dramatic moments needed to have the big mission story play out. 

[DoctorAtomic]

I'm not being sarcastic, but wow 10 minutes is totally a lot of show. That's at least two good scenes. 

[chitowngirl]

3 hours ago, DoctorAtomic said:

I'm not being sarcastic, but wow 10 minutes is totally a lot of show. That's at least two good scenes. 

A half hour comedy has 18 minutes of content these days…..

[peachmangosteen]

2 hours ago, chitowngirl said:

A half hour comedy has 18 minutes of content these days…..

I think it's more like 23 minutes. At least that's what the ones I watch have.

I remember that shows used to have less ads but damn 10 minutes more is insane.

[Sarah 103]

4 hours ago, chitowngirl said:

A half hour comedy has 18 minutes of content these days…..

2 hours ago, peachmangosteen said:

I think it's more like 23 minutes. At least that's what the ones I watch have.

I remember that shows used to have less ads but damn 10 minutes more is insane.

I was focusing on the length of dramas/hour long shows because that's what Quantum Leap is. You are both right. Some half hour shows have a running time of 22 minutes but others do have a running time of 18 minutes. 

[peachmangosteen]

This is completely off topic but what half hour shows are only having running times of 18 minutes? Are they actually airing on TV? That's an insane amount of commercials lol. 

[Guest]

39 minutes ago, peachmangosteen said:

This is completely off topic but what half hour shows are only having running times of 18 minutes? Are they actually airing on TV? That's an insane amount of commercials lol. 

Young Sheldon is one. Their episodes fluctuate but frequently are only 18 minutes including the previouslies and credits. Big Bang Theory was the same way. So few shows bring in big ratings numbers and the networks are cramming them with more and more commercials. 

[Chaos Theory]

I was watching OG Quantum Leap  on SYFY and I am not sure Ben leaping into a woman will hit the same as when Sam did but one thing I am looking forward  to is if young children will be able to see Addison like they did Al.  That could very well hit the same.

[DoctorAtomic]

Dogs too!

[Sarah 103]

I didn't realize it until "Somebody Up There Likes Ben" (1.3) that we don't have a voice-over and how much I missed that. We don't get to hear Ben's thoughts about who he leaped into and his thoughts on the era (whether or not he remembers it). If I remember correctly, Sam always had a strong hatred of the 1970s.  

I guess they didn't have time for it because they only have 42 minutes and they are splitting the show between the leap and the team back at project HQ. 

[Skooma]

On 10/4/2022 at 6:16 PM, Sarah 103 said:

I didn't realize it until "Somebody Up There Likes Ben" (1.3) that we don't have a voice-over and how much I missed that. We don't get to hear Ben's thoughts about who he leaped into and his thoughts on the era (whether or not he remembers it). If I remember correctly, Sam always had a strong hatred of the 1970s.  

I guess they didn't have time for it because they only have 42 minutes and they are splitting the show between the leap and the team back at project HQ. 

The narration in the original was golden.  It helped you feel like you fit into the show as Sam brought you into his world and shared his pov with you.  The new one seems sterile and distant without it. 

Or the opening theme music, even in a very truncated form (time problems), would have helped too.  Modern production doesn't know the psychology of viewers very well.

And, again, the fiance who is the new hologram totally sucks so there is that too.

[Rebecca berkowit]

There are too many scenes in the lab in the present, and too many lab workers.  These people have zero personality (except maybe the blond guy with the makeup).  I like the time travel weekly stories better.  I don’t care about the people back home.  It was better when we only got a glimpse of the present occasionally.  And it was better when the present was supposed to be the future.  (It was supposed to be 1999, but the show aired in the early 90’s).  There were always cool futuristic gadgets,  and Al’s funny clothes.  The technology in this one is not futuristic and does not inspire a sense of wonder or impossibility like the original.    And I don’t think they should’ve made the hologram his fiancée.  Al was sooooo much better!  Al was funny! This show isn’t funny or lighthearted at all.  Also, the original had this sense of hope and progress, and the stories spoke about social issues, and how things had changed from the past. Women’s lib!  Civil rights!  Etc.   But, really, today, what could you say has changed socially in 30 years?  What progress have we made as a society since the 2000’s?  Social media?  Phones?  I guess that’s why they felt they had to cheat by making it so the guy could go beyond his own lifetime.   Now they can show different clothes and hairstyles and attitudes.  That stuff changed a lot from the 50’s to the 80’s.  From 2000 to today you can’t tell the difference.  So this is going to have to be a different show, one more focused on present-day sci fi and espionage and less on the anthologies and weekly morality plays.

Edited October 9, 2022 by Rebecca berkowit

[yanksno1]

I went into the show with pretty low expectations after the initial TV spots for it. I LOVE the original (except for not bringing Sam home) so it's pretty well hit the mark for me so far. The one thing that's not doing it for me and they need to re-write it is the introduction speech. I can still say the original's word for word after not seeing it in years. Hell, just use the original's haha. Hope they do that. Her handheld kinda sucks too, no life to it like Al's had.

The original show call-out's in the first ep were pretty nice, and held it on it's own without needing Bakula in the pilot (in my opinion). I do really hope he's still open to some cameo's here and there and then last long enough to bring Sam home. The second ep has to be Sam right? I'm gonna guess Al made a promise to his daughter while he was dying to do whatever it takes to bring Sam home. She was secretly working with Ben and didn't trust anyone else in the Quantum Leap project. That's why he took the leap and not Addison. The third ep was pretty good too for the most part and is keeping my interest. A win for the show there.

Edited October 9, 2022 by yanksno1
bringing*

[Sarah 103]

17 hours ago, Rebecca berkowit said:

There are too many scenes in the lab in the present, and too many lab workers.  These people have zero personality (except maybe the blond guy with the makeup).  I like the time travel weekly stories better.  I don’t care about the people back home.  It was better when we only got a glimpse of the present occasionally.  And it was better when the present was supposed to be the future.  (It was supposed to be 1999, but the show aired in the early 90’s).  There were always cool futuristic gadgets,  and Al’s funny clothes.  The technology in this one is not futuristic and does not inspire a sense of wonder or impossibility like the original.    And I don’t think they should’ve made the hologram his fiancée.  Al was sooooo much better!  Al was funny! This show isn’t funny or lighthearted at all.  

Those are some of my big problems with the new series as well. The older series dealt with serious issues, but overall it was a light drama, not a super serious show. This show completely lacks the humor and the light touch of the original series. I always thought Al's funny clothes were his wn form of personal revenge for having to wear uniforms at different points in his life. Once he could wear whatever he wanted, it was going to be the loudest most outrageous stuff out there. Sam and Al had very different personalities and world-views. Granted, it's still early for the new series, but we haven't really seen much of that yet. 

The scenes in the present day lab are killing the show. They only have 40 minutes to tell the story, and if they are spending 20 minutes of it in the lab, that means they only have 20 for the time travel storyline, which limits the kind of story they can tell and how they tell it. You are only going to get the big dramatic moments, when what was great about the original show were the fun little moments that were enjoyable but did not necessarily directly relate to moving the action of the week forward. 

17 hours ago, Rebecca berkowit said:

 Also, the original had this sense of hope and progress, and the stories spoke about social issues, and how things had changed from the past. Women’s lib!  Civil rights!  Etc.   But, really, today, what could you say has changed socially in 30 years?  What progress have we made as a society since the 2000’s?  Social media?  Phones?  I guess that’s why they felt they had to cheat by making it so the guy could go beyond his own lifetime.   Now they can show different clothes and hairstyles and attitudes.  That stuff changed a lot from the 50’s to the 80’s.  From 2000 to today you can’t tell the difference.  So this is going to have to be a different show, one more focused on present-day sci fi and espionage and less on the anthologies and weekly morality plays.

Fashionwise, I would agree you. The 1950s looks different from the 1970s which also looks different from the 1990s, but I'm not sure the average person who isn't super into fashion and following trends would be able to tell the difference between everday fashion in 2000 and in 2020. 

Technology has changed dramatically (desktops, latops, the rise of cellphones and then smartphones, and tablets). There are issues that are more openly disccussed and conversations we are having now that we were not having 20 years ago, which is a form of progress. 

Based on the current climate, I do not think a network show would be willing to tackle serious issues in the way the original series did. It is much safer and more profitable for a new series to do something that will appeal to a broader group and sidestep the risk of getting the internet angry. 

[Rebecca berkowit]

2 hours ago, Sarah 103 said:

Those are some of my big problems with the new series as well. The older series dealt with serious issues, but overall it was a light drama, not a super serious show. This show completely lacks the humor and the light touch of the original series. I always thought Al's funny clothes were his wn form of personal revenge for having to wear uniforms at different points in his life. Once he could wear whatever he wanted, it was going to be the loudest most outrageous stuff out there. Sam and Al had very different personalities and world-views. Granted, it's still early for the new series, but we haven't really seen much of that yet. 

The scenes in the present day lab are killing the show. They only have 40 minutes to tell the story, and if they are spending 20 minutes of it in the lab, that means they only have 20 for the time travel storyline, which limits the kind of story they can tell and how they tell it. You are only going to get the big dramatic moments, when what was great about the original show were the fun little moments that were enjoyable but did not necessarily directly relate to moving the action of the week forward. 

Fashionwise, I would agree you. The 1950s looks different from the 1970s which also looks different from the 1990s, but I'm not sure the average person who isn't super into fashion and following trends would be able to tell the difference between everday fashion in 2000 and in 2020. 

Technology has changed dramatically (desktops, latops, the rise of cellphones and then smartphones, and tablets). There are issues that are more openly disccussed and conversations we are having now that we were not having 20 years ago, which is a form of progress. 

Based on the current climate, I do not think a network show would be willing to tackle serious issues in the way the original series did. It is much safer and more profitable for a new series to do something that will appeal to a broader group and sidestep the risk of getting the internet angry. 

You’re right.  Ironically, some of the conversations we are now having surround issues presented by the original Al’s behavior.  But in its defense, the original series did a pretty good job of addressing that.  Al was older, and represented a more traditional (and sometimes less enlightened) take on things, and Sam was a boomer and more progressive.  Each sometimes educated the other about what they were missing about the time period in question.  Al was effective in that way.  Here, they would be too afraid of offending anyone to show someone saying anything offensive, even just to point out how offensive it was.  That’s one of the things about our modern culture that can make it hard to create interesting characters or conflicts.   I did think they were going to go beyond the original show a little bit when they showed the leap in the third episode, where he landed in the bar.  I thought it was a gay bar, just because there seemed to be a lot of men in there, and I thought they were going to have him be an out gay man (the original series would never do that).  But, alas, he was actually a woman.    As for technology, it would be so funny if they had a running gag during the time travel segments where Sam would suggest to someone “why don’t we just call/text and find out where they are?  Check their Instagram? Why don’t you Google it?”  only to realize he can’t.  That would be hilarious.  Just showing how much he would be hindered by the lack of modern technology.  (I know, the Observer would have it, but the people in the leap wouldn’t.). One of the cool things about the original show when you watch it later is that Ziggy basically was just an iPhone with a search engine, waaaay before it’s time.  It doesn’t seem revolutionary at all when you watch it now, but I remember thinking it was so cool then that they had all this info at their fingertips!  I wish the current show would try to be more imaginative with predicting the future like that.  What the Observer does, even what the lab does, doesn’t seem new or revolutionary at all. They’re still just googling stuff, this time on a round iPhone.

[DoctorAtomic]

I thought it was a gay bar too. However, I can buy that the show wanted to show the new viewers that Ben can leap into anyone sooner than later. tbh, leaping into a gay guy in a 2022 show really isn't that big a deal from the pov of this modern audience v when the OG show was on. I mean, when Sam leaped into the housewife to fix the marriage, the husband was trying to kiss him before the leap and even Sam was recoiling. I'm doubtful a 2022 Ben is going to have too much of an issue. 

Ben and Addison should know Sam leaped into women; I think there's more at this point to mine from Ben leaping into a woman. 

[Sarah 103]

59 minutes ago, Rebecca berkowit said:

Ironically, some of the conversations we are now having surround issues presented by the original Al’s behavior.  But in its defense, the original series did a pretty good job of addressing that.  Al was older, and represented a more traditional (and sometimes less enlightened) take on things, and Sam was a boomer and more progressive.  Each sometimes educated the other about what they were missing about the time period in question.  Al was effective in that way.  

I hadn't even thought of the generational difference between Sam and Al and the layer that added to the show. Al knew things from lived experience that he could tell Sam, but you do not have that at all in the current show. 

59 minutes ago, Rebecca berkowit said:

 I did think they were going to go beyond the original show a little bit when they showed the leap in the third episode, where he landed in the bar.  I thought it was a gay bar, just because there seemed to be a lot of men in there, and I thought they were going to have him be an out gay man (the original series would never do that).  But, alas, he was actually a woman.    

I had the same thought. I have a great episode idea for how it would work: The episode is set in the 1980s and have the guy living a double life. He has a job that requires him to stay closeted (which would be most professions in the 1980s), as well as a wife and family, but also secretly goes to gay bars (He tells his wife he is working late). There is some type of crime and he is the prime suspect. The problem is that his rock solid alibi (I was at a gay bar) gets him into potentially more trouble. And I just realized this plotline would probably take way too much time to do well in the current format. 

59 minutes ago, Rebecca berkowit said:

As for technology, it would be so funny if they had a running gag during the time travel segments where Sam would suggest to someone “why don’t we just call/text and find out where they are?  Check their Instagram? Why don’t you Google it?”  only to realize he can’t.  That would be hilarious.  Just showing how much he would be hindered by the lack of modern technology. 

YES! This is one of the times where not having as much time in the past is a bit of a drag. Showing Ben struggling to complete his mission or adapt to daily life without the technology he has grown up or takes for granted as a modern adult would be fantastic. It's almost painful to think about the fact that we are not going to get those kinds of scenes. 

[kirkola]

I too thought it was a gay bar, then was disappointed to see Ben was a girl.  OG Quantum Leap didn't have the freedom to do something that scandalous (for the late 80s/early90s).  But leaping into a woman has been done and I don't know what else can be explored there.  It's not like Ben needs to learn something about the plight of women in society.  

But I also know that they are still trying to find their footing.  And Ben may yet end up in some awesome situations.

[DoctorAtomic]

You could almost say the same about Ben leaping into a gay guy. A 2022 Ben wouldn't need to learn about the plight of women or gay guys. Obviously, actually being those people in that time period is quite different and there still would be something to learn. I do hope Ben eventually does leap into a gay guy, but I think, like I said before, leaping into a woman early on than later shows new viewers he can leap into anyone. I think the choice was more show-structural. They dumped a lot of exposition in the first episode, fairly organically, but any show needs 3,4 episodes to do some world building. 

Also, iirc, when they showed the 'time map', my take is the code Ben and Janis made specifically targeted these leaps. 

[Guest]

4 hours ago, kirkola said:

But leaping into a woman has been done and I don't know what else can be explored there.  It's not like Ben needs to learn something about the plight of women in society.  

It’s definitely been done but I do think there is a lot to be explored there. The original did a good job in that area but it was limited by the time and by the writers who thought Al staring at boobs was a good joke. I’d love to see it actually written from a woman’s perspective this time. Current news tells me there is still a lot people need to learn about the plight of women in society. 

I absolutely hope they will have him leap into a LGTBQ+ individual. 

[Rebecca berkowit]

Another thing that I think is missing from this version, and that may be because more time is spent in the lab than in the leaps, is a real sense of the leaps being about the time period itself as much as the individual.  In the three leaps we’ve seen so far, other than some fashion trappings, they could’ve easily taken place in the present day.  There was nothing particularly ABOUT life or what was going on in the ‘70s in the story of the boxer, other than the hairstyles and music.  Similarly, there was really nothing about the 80’s in the diamond heist plot.  And the spaceship?  Well, it’s a spaceship, and it could’ve taken place at any time during the three decades of the shuttle program.  The earlier show always managed to show how the past was not as good as today, and how the people there could learn from Sam and his modern attitudes.   Sam always seemed to be sort of winking and laughing at what he knew now that they didn’t know then.    I guess with the boxer, they did go into PTSD, but that’s not a uniquely 1970’s issue.  Sam would’ve known about it even when he was leaping.  I keep coming back to the sense of progress in the original series, the sense of looking back at how far we’ve come, and that’s what I miss.  My own opinion remains that we haven’t come nearly as far in the past three decades as we did from the end of WWII through the 1980’s except in the area of technology/media.  They should go into that more.  

[DoctorAtomic]

There's also the take on Addison actually being a woman there with Ben v Al being Bingo as pointed out. 

1 minute ago, Rebecca berkowit said:

There was nothing particularly ABOUT life or what was going on in the ‘70s in the story of the boxer, other than the hairstyles and music.

At the time, ptsd was a real issue because it wasn't talked about. The whole plot was the key to the leap imo so it was a commentary on the times for me. There wasn't a name for it yet iirc, so that's what Ben brought to the leap because he did know about it. I barely remember myself, but returning Vietnam veterans in the 70s and their overall struggle to reassimilate back into society in what was objectively a very unpopular war was covered well for me in this episode and was what was going on back then. The reason they went to jail was because someone called the brother a 'baby killer'. 

Now, I would concede that they could have covered it more in depth and lessen up on the laboratory scenes, sure. I would prefer more time on the leap as well. That doesn't seem how they are structuring the show right now and is a different, though valid, criticism, than the actual show content. 
 

[Sarah 103]

5 hours ago, DoctorAtomic said:

At the time, ptsd was a real issue because it wasn't talked about. The whole plot was the key to the leap imo so it was a commentary on the times for me. There wasn't a name for it yet iirc, so that's what Ben brought to the leap because he did know about it.

The term PTSD existed and was in use during the late 1970s. The 1970s was when there was a big campaign to have the diagnosis officially recognized by mental health practictioners (especially having it included as an official diagnosis in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders also known as DSM, because then a whole bunch other things would be possible, (like the VA recognizing it as an official diagnosis/condition which would make it easier to get treatment covered or disability benefits).     

[DoctorAtomic]

That's good to know. Then I think my point about the plot being indicative about the times is even more apt. I'm sure someone like the brother wasn't one who was really going to be talking about it unless really confronted by Ben. 

[kirkola]

21 hours ago, Dani said:

Current news tells me there is still a lot people need to learn about the plight of women in society. 

I don't think an episode of Quantum Leap will help them.  Most of them had the option of watching the original & they didn't learn anything.  I cringe when politicians try to claim that a popular thing from when I was a kid wasn't "woke" or have an agenda.  It's like they missed the entire point.

I want this version to explore those original themes more indepth, but I know I have manage my expectations. 

22 hours ago, DoctorAtomic said:

You could almost say the same about Ben leaping into a gay guy. A 2022 Ben wouldn't need to learn about the plight of women or gay guys. Obviously, actually being those people in that time period is quite different and there still would be something to learn. I do hope Ben eventually does leap into a gay guy, but I think, like I said before, leaping into a woman early on than later shows new viewers he can leap into anyone. I think the choice was more show-structural. They dumped a lot of exposition in the first episode, fairly organically, but any show needs 3,4 episodes to do some world building. 

Also, iirc, when they showed the 'time map', my take is the code Ben and Janis made specifically targeted these leaps. 

There's what Ben learns, and then what the audience learns.  And I learned a lot about other people & how the world sees them from Quantum Leap.  Call it the earliest moments of realizing not everyone is treated equally.

[DoctorAtomic]

Yes, that's entirely true, and I hope that we do get that kind of content, but that wasn't quite my point. The original question was is it better for Ben to leap into a woman or gay guy *at this point in the show*. Show-wise for new viewers, leaping into a woman makes more sense from a world building standpoint. 

In terms of the direction of the content and leap plots, I certainly hope they take a page from the original. The last episode seemed to do so for me. Granted, the leap plots are shorter than the original but I think they hit the marks on what story they wanted to tell. 

You originally said that you didn't know what else could be explored by Ben leaping into a woman, but now seem to be on the other side of it in terms of the audience learning something. I'm with that all the way. I was saying whether it's a woman or gay guy, Ben probably is sensitive to unequal treatment, but actually being that person still will be an experience for him. That's a separate, though important point, from producing the tv show and drawing in an audience. Certainly anyone is allowed to change their mind, but it seems that this conversation has general agreement that whomever Ben leaps into has value. 

[Guest]

On 10/11/2022 at 8:18 AM, kirkola said:

I don't think an episode of Quantum Leap will help them. 

For many it won’t but most of them probably aren’t watching a show where the main characters are Asian, female, Black and non-binary. There will people watching who aren’t misogynistic but also aren’t used to seeing shows written from the female perspective just because that perspective is still far from the norm. 

On 10/11/2022 at 8:18 AM, kirkola said:

Most of them had the option of watching the original & they didn't learn anything.

I’m more talking about the people who did watch the original who did get something out of those episodes but who don’t realize the limitations and problems with the original. I love the original but it largely dealt with very overt forms of discrimination. There is still a lot the show can do. Plus there are plenty of potential audience members for were too young for the original as well as the benefits for women and girls of seeing more meaningful representation.