S01.E05: Salvation or Bust

[secnarf]

Quote

Ben is transported back to 1898 and the rustic, frontier town of Salvation, where he must take on a deadly outlaw. Magic, Jenn and Ian face a new threat when a curious senator shows up at headquarters asking questions about the Quantum Leap program.

Original air date: Oct 17 2022

[nilyank]

Evil Leaper?

[Irlandesa]

Possibly, although I guess they want us to think it's Sam.

I thought the ep was kind of boring. 

[MarquisDeCarabas]

9 minutes ago, Irlandesa said:

Possibly, although I guess they want us to think it's Sam.

I thought the ep was kind of boring. 

It never occurred to me that it might be Sam 

[Skooma]

Well that was a MAJOR step back.  It seemed that well over half the episode was all soap opera luvey dovey angst junk between the boring hologram woman and Ben.  Please get rid of this woman.  She is killing the show.

One funny moment though unintentional (by the writers no doubt) was when Ben asked the outlaw dude to "please" talk one on one.  I guess saying the magic word prevented outlaw dude from blowing Ben's head off immediately.  The unwritten code of the west we never heard of before.  Always ask the bad guy "please" and he will relent.

Sam in someone's body or the evil leaper at end?  You know I don't really care at this point.  We got 2 seconds of this and what seemed like years of "As the Lovers Turn."  Between that and the endless talk to the Congresswoman stuff this whole episode was terrible. 

I mean we heard the town prospered but didn't even hear whether the old guy stayed there with his granddaughter or returned to SF to die a drunk.  Not enough time cause we have to watch more of these star-crossed lovers that we all care so very very much about ... NOT!

This show needs some humor -- any humor -- and no more angsty albatross hologram woman.

Edited October 18, 2022 by Skooma

[libgirl2]

6 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

Possibly, although I guess they want us to think it's Sam.

I thought the ep was kind of boring. 

I hope its not Sam. Could it be Janice? 

Yea, overall a dull episode. I'm tried of the love story angle. 

[stonehaven]

I actually liked this episode. The love story stuff didn't bother me as least it wasn't "I love him but can't tell him" type stuff. That bothers me. I thought the leap stuff was good but maybe I'm easy to please.

I'm sure it's Sam that we saw but unless we get Scott Bakula, why bother showing Sam? Scott is so identifiable as Sam that anyone else would be a laugh....

[Rose Quartz]

This episode fell flat for me too.  There was so much emphasis on how special and important Salvation was that it was obvious Ben would have to save it.  The only question was how and that removed a lot of tension from the episode.  It was also dragged down by all the relationship angst between Ben and Addison.  I thought they made a mistake in having Ben remember her so quickly and this episode shows why.  All they can do is exchange longing glances while being unable to touch because she's a hologram, so where do they go from here?

The scenes back at the project weren't any better.  I can't believe there wasn't a contingency plan in case a member of the committee showed up unexpectedly.  Instead, when the senator arrived everyone acted either guilty or antagonistic.  That's not suspicious at all.  🙄  Even my buddy Ian couldn't rise above the situation and just sat there tongue-tied when she called them out for trying to baffle her with BS.

This is a little thing but it bugs - I don't think the writers thought through the timeline on the senator's backstory.  You have to be at least 30 to serve as a senator and she said she'd been on the project oversight committee for several terms, so she's got to be in her mid-30s at least.  Since the accident was 10 years ago, she was in her mid-20s when it happened.  That means it wasn't a teenage indiscretion.  She was an adult who drove drunk, lied, and committed felony insurance fraud by saying her brother was the driver.  That isn't the kind of person I'd want as my representative in Congress.

The only thing I found interesting was the other leaper at the end.  I never even considered it could be Sam so I'll be curious to see where they go with this.

[libgirl2]

1 hour ago, Rose Quartz said:

This episode fell flat for me too.  There was so much emphasis on how special and important Salvation was that it was obvious Ben would have to save it.  The only question was how and that removed a lot of tension from the episode.  It was also dragged down by all the relationship angst between Ben and Addison.  I thought they made a mistake in having Ben remember her so quickly and this episode shows why.  All they can do is exchange longing glances while being unable to touch because she's a hologram, so where do they go from here?

The only thing I found interesting was the other leaper at the end.  I never even considered it could be Sam so I'll be curious to see where they go with this.

The longing glances were too much. I get it but I don't really care about it. 

Now that ending was a surprise. 

[iMonrey]

Two things I liked - I like that they dropped the concept of only being able to travel within one's lifetime. Ben is pretty young (to me) so having him bounce around between now and the 1980s doesn't seem particularly compelling. I'm also intrigued by the other leaper, assuming that's who threatened him at the end. I wouldn't think it's Sam unless he's turned into a total dick. I can't picture Sam threatening to kill someone for following him, and potentially trying to bring him home.

That said, the present day storyline back at HQ is quickly becoming tedious and repetitive. There are only so many iterations of them running around trying to figure out why Ben changed the code and leaped in secret they can do. It can't really go anywhere else and it's just disruptive to the main story.

Quote

This is a little thing but it bugs - I don't think the writers thought through the timeline on the senator's backstory.  You have to be at least 30 to serve as a senator and she said she'd been on the project oversight committee for several terms, so she's got to be in her mid-30s at least. 

Did they say she was a Senator? I know she was on the oversight committee, I assumed she was a House representative. They said she was a "rising star" in Congress - unless they said Senator specifically and I missed it.

[Rose Quartz]

19 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

Did they say she was a Senator? I know she was on the oversight committee, I assumed she was a House representative. They said she was a "rising star" in Congress - unless they said Senator specifically and I missed it.

That's what the official summary says.

On 10/15/2022 at 9:54 PM, secnarf said:

Magic, Jenn and Ian face a new threat when a curious senator shows up at headquarters asking questions about the Quantum Leap program.

[Cobb Salad]

13 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

Did they say she was a Senator? I know she was on the oversight committee, I assumed she was a House representative. They said she was a "rising star" in Congress - unless they said Senator specifically and I missed it.

I think they did - or maybe it’s because on these types of shows (Stargate SG-1 comes to mind here) always seem to have the antagonist with evil intentions be a Senator threatening to shut the entire project down.  

About the other leaper - I don’t think it’s Sam either, given the number of leaps Ben has done so far (assuming we as the audience are seeing them all and there aren’t any we don’t see) how quickly did this other person pick up Ben is a leaper too. 

Having watched the original when it first aired I wish they’d spend more time on Ben’s leap than the dealings going on “back home/office”.  The stories don’t seem to be as well fleshed out because we’re forced to watch this ongoing intrigue while watching a story that has to have a beginning/middle/end by the end of the episode.  

[Sarah 103]

12 hours ago, nilyank said:

Evil Leaper?

I hope not. That was one of the worst parts of the original series. If they bring back Evil Leapers this early in the series, I am totally over this  new series.

11 hours ago, Skooma said:

I mean we heard the town prospered but didn't even hear whether the old guy stayed there with his granddaughter or returned to SF to die a drunk.  Not enough time cause we have to watch more of these star-crossed lovers that we all care so very very much about ... NOT!

I was just thinking similar last night. I miss the mini-epilogue hearing what happened to the people impacted by the leap and how the future (at least for the lives of those involved) was changed for the better because of the leap. 

11 hours ago, Skooma said:

This show needs some humor -- any humor -- and no more angsty albatross hologram woman.

When Ian made the remark about the Old West being overly romantized, it pained me they weren't the hologram, because I would have traded the lovey-dovey mush stuff for Ian making comments/doing a running commentary about the West in heatbeat. 

33 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

That said, the present day storyline back at HQ is quickly becoming tedious and repetitive. There are only so many iterations of them running around trying to figure out why Ben changed the code and leaped in secret they can do. It can't really go anywhere else and it's just disruptive to the main story.

YES! It doesn't really seem like they are making progress or getting anywhere. 

I liked that they are starting to develop Ben and Addison's worldview and differentiate the two (Ben is a pacifist and Addison is former military). 

I loved the Western Street. I saw it and I instantly recognized it. It was absolutely perfect. When they did the pre-shoot out montage, I thought "It's like an A-Team build" and then Ben said "I love it when a plans comes together," so that was awesome. Still, I couldn't help but think in the old series, we would have had a moment or two of Ben trying to figure out what he needed and what the hologram telling him what he had access to in order to save the day at the end. 

Edited October 18, 2022 by Sarah 103

[iMonrey]

Quote

I miss the mini-epilogue hearing what happened to the people impacted by the leap and how the future (at least for the lives of those involved) was changed for the better because of the leap. 

I know, that's kind of the whole point of the show! All Addison said was "Well, that put Salvation on the map!" Nothing about what became of Valentina or her grandfather. 

More and more, I feel like the writers just don't get what the original show was about/for.

[libgirl2]

57 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

I know, that's kind of the whole point of the show! All Addison said was "Well, that put Salvation on the map!" Nothing about what became of Valentina or her grandfather. 

More and more, I feel like the writers just don't get what the original show was about/for.

You're right, we didn't get an update on either one of them. 

[possibilities]

7 hours ago, Rose Quartz said:

You have to be at least 30 to serve as a senator and she said she'd been on the project oversight committee for several terms, so she's got to be in her mid-30s at least. 

Each Senate term is 6 years long. So several terms would be what? At least 24 years

5 hours ago, iMonrey said:

Did they say she was a Senator? I know she was on the oversight committee, I assumed she was a House representative. They said she was a "rising star" in Congress - unless they said Senator specifically and I missed it.

House terms are 2 years, so that would be more possible. If the summary says she's a Senator, it has to be wrong. I don't recall hearing them say "Senator" in the episode itself.

4 hours ago, Sarah 103 said:

When Ian made the remark about the Old West being overly romantized, it pained me they weren't the hologram, because I would have traded the lovey-dovey mush stuff for Ian making comments/doing a running commentary about the West in heatbeat. 

YES!!

Maybe the "evil leaper" is Janice. Maybe Ben leapt to chase Janice because he knew she's up to no good? Are we sure they're working together?

[Trini]

I thought this episode was okay. The HQ plot gave the rest of the cast something to do, but it didn't really progress anything. I mean, I guess one other person knows shenanigans are afoot; however, the team eventually have to disclose the situation to the higher-ups, right?

The Salvation plot: I was annoyed at how everyone was pretty much speaking present day (American) English. I realize TV shows, etc., are never going to be 100% accurate with historical dialects, but it was like they didn't even try.

Well, obviously pacifist Ben would find another way after *everyone* insisted he had to shoot that outlaw; but I did get a kick out of him (and, OK, Addison helped) 'science-ing' their way out of the situation.

6 hours ago, Rose Quartz said:

That's what the official summary says.

The official summary also says Ben leapt to 1898 -- but in the actual episode, they said it was 1879.

Oh, I forgot: an evil leaper?? I don't know what to think about that, but is an intriguing twist. (Do we really need a twist like that now, though?)

[KaveDweller]

18 hours ago, MarquisDeCarabas said:

It never occurred to me that it might be Sam 

Me neither. I figured it was another leaper, but why would Sam be so angry at a person trying to help him?

2 hours ago, possibilities said:

Maybe the "evil leaper" is Janice. Maybe Ben leapt to chase Janice because he knew she's up to no good? Are we sure they're working together?

We know Ben was working with someone before he leaped, and Janice has said it was her. And we know she was in the present until a couple episodes ago.

[Thalia]

Young Chinese man:  Ancient Chinese secret.

Thalia:  Calgon?

[cuppasun]

11 hours ago, Rose Quartz said:

You have to be at least 30 to serve as a senator and she said she'd been on the project oversight committee for several terms, so she's got to be in her mid-30s at least. 

3 hours ago, possibilities said:

House terms are 2 years, so that would be more possible. If the summary says she's a Senator, it has to be wrong. I don't recall hearing them say "Senator" in the episode itself.

While I'm not going to search out the pre-airing description (which isn't always identical depending on source, anyway, and can be inaccurate if it's based on earlier provided summaries that change), I can say definitively the surprise visitor was referred to as "Congresswoman" in the show. I noticed it in part because it's a pet peeve of mine--at this point, the gendered version of the term is antiquated, and it should just be "Representative," just as all senators are "Senator." House of Reps minimum age requirement is 25, and as noted, House terms are only two years, so the reference to "several terms" could mean six+ years and she would still be quite young. I would assume she was in her 30s, though I don't bother trying to guess from looks in tv and movies exactly where along the age spectrum someone is (I'm really terrible at it!).

Hope this helps!

[Irlandesa]

2 hours ago, KaveDweller said:

Me neither. I figured it was another leaper, but why would Sam be so angry at a person trying to help him?

Maybe there's something dangerous Sam is trying to fight.  Or he doesn't want to go home.  I can't shake what I think the original's finale was trying to say about Sam's future leaps.  And that's why I hope it isn't Sam.  Maybe it's not.  But the leaper did says "stop following me" and the only person Ben might be trying to find would be Sam unless this leaper is mistaken about who Ben is looking for.

The romance actually worked better for me in this ep now that Ben knows.  There was more chemistry and connection and it was nice seeing Ben light up.  The meh part about the ep for me was not connecting to Salvation of the people in the town.

[gail56]

6 hours ago, iMonrey said:

I know, that's kind of the whole point of the show! All Addison said was "Well, that put Salvation on the map!" Nothing about what became of Valentina or her grandfather. 

More and more, I feel like the writers just don't get what the original show was about/for.

Maybe that is why Scott Bakula said he wasn't going to appear in it. He said he read the script and wasn't interested.

[AnimeMania]

Ben should have given the town some science knowledge to purify the water, it was pretty grungy and told the "doctor" to wash his hands with soap before working on patients.

[DoctorAtomic]

12 hours ago, iMonrey said:

Two things I liked - I like that they dropped the concept of only being able to travel within one's lifetime. Ben is pretty young (to me) so having him bounce around between now and the 1980s doesn't seem particularly compelling. I'm also intrigued by the other leaper, assuming that's who threatened him at the end. I wouldn't think it's Sam unless he's turned into a total dick. I can't picture Sam threatening to kill someone for following him, and potentially trying to bring him home.

Two things I liked about this - the laboratory crew is always like 'whoa' when Ben does leap beyond his lifetime. I don't care if they techno babble that it's the new code. They recognize that it's a big deal. Second, same. Sam wouldn't be so abrasive. Also why would he know 'Ben from 2022'? That's too specific. 

I'm fine with a western and the snide comments about it. Magic's take to the congresswoman was a gamble, but I think the right call. 

Again, I think they found the sweet spot on present v past. And it was real. Oh, just gunning this guy down will solve it problems. Well, no, but if you all actually stop to think, you can collect 10 large. 

I'm surprised they went with Ancient Chinese Secret. That's a deep cut. 

I did like when Addison whacked her handheld and it was on the fritz. Her whole 'yes ma'am' scene was top inflection and timing. 

[bybrandy]

I don’t think it is Sam but devils advocate Sam has been leaping for a quarter of a century at this point him not wanting Ben to follow him down a road that will never end isn’t implausible. 
 

but I don’t think he’d know Bens details like that so…

[bybrandy]

13 hours ago, Sarah 103 said:

I was just thinking similar last night. I miss the mini-epilogue hearing what happened to the people impacted by the leap and how the future (at least for the lives of those involved) was changed for the better because of the leap. 

I’ve been rewatching the original on peacock and maybe the episodes are slightly truncated and that is what was cut but the updates didn’t happen very often at least not in the first two seasons.  I mean there were some but mostly not. 

[KowachiCave]

This episode is almost a deal breaker for me. I think they went for the romance way to early and spend too much time on the doe eyed stares. The pacing was too fast and overly dramatic. One of the worst western sets I have seen on tv. 45 minutes wasted to get 3 seconds of “who is the guy who knows who Ben is?” I hope they turn it around, I do want to see it so well. Is Bellisario reading these scripts before filming?

[QuantumMechanic]

6 hours ago, KaveDweller said:

Me neither. I figured it was another leaper, but why would Sam be so angry at a person trying to help him?

We know Ben was working with someone before he leaped, and Janice has said it was her. And we know she was in the present until a couple episodes ago.

There's no way Janice has access to "terawatts of power" to leap herself.

I think it's pretty clear she's trying to build herself her own imaging chamber (one of the reason she got the OG Ziggy handheld from her mom's place).  I assume to contact Ben so she can work with him on whatever scheme they cooked up together.

On another topic, I could have sworn some pieces of that set were literal Westworld sets.  Some major deja vu.

Edited October 19, 2022 by QuantumMechanic

[possibilities]

Why do they say in the intro that Ben keeps hoping his next leap will bring him home, when the entire premise of the show is that he went rogue and leapt because of a very important secret mission? Shouldn't he be hoping that the next leap will jog his memory of why the hell he did this in the first place? 

Also, I think it's beyond absurd that they've developed this technology but it doens't give them any ability to choose where they are going. So what is it? A random generator chooses where they go? What govt agency would fund something like that?

[peachmangosteen]

UO apparently but I really liked this episode.

I actually gasped at the other guy knowing Ben. I noticed him watching Ben talk to Allison so I figured something would happen with him but I did not see that coming. I thought evil leaper at first and then Sam and then Janice. Sam and Janice don't make a ton of sense based on how hostile he was so it's probably an evil leaper.

Allison grows on me each episode but this episode was another reminder of why Ian would be a better hologram. 

[DoctorAtomic]

What if this Abrasive Leaper is one of the Laboratory staff from the future that leaped? 

Maybe Ben figured it out and leaped early to head them off. 

'Ben from 2022' is too specific. It's like you're identifying a different Ben. 

I thought Magic might have said Sam saved his life and Ben could save her brother's. 

[yanksno1]

I thought this ep was pretty good, but not great. I liked them swerving outside the "his own lifetime" rule so there should be some pretty interesting leaps in the future! That was one thing I didn't like about the original, but got over it pretty quickly since the show was so great. At first I thought it was going to be a TV set, so I was glad it ended up being the real Wild West. I don't mind the romance plot, and glad he remembered when he did. But would like to see some of the other characters as holograms too. I liked seeing Ben rally the town together and having the phrase "love it when a plan comes together" heh. At first I thought it was a Evil Leaper, but didn't think it might be Sam! Overall the show is doing enough to keep me interested and hoping we get the payoff we all want in the end. Would like to see the waiting room, but it's not like we saw that a ton in the original show either. They're doing a great job teasing it all and keeping my interest in it so far.

[Sarah 103]

9 hours ago, possibilities said:

Also, I think it's beyond absurd that they've developed this technology but it doens't give them any ability to choose where they are going. So what is it? A random generator chooses where they go? What govt agency would fund something like that?

Ben leaped before he was supposed to and things were not yet working correctly. He uploaded some new code, was testing it by leaping, and it didn't quite work the way it was supposed to. 

[Cobb Salad]

1 hour ago, DoctorAtomic said:

I thought Magic might have said Sam saved his life and Ben could save her brother's. 

I took it as an example of how the project could be a benefit and the Senator seemed to be on board after that.  I’ve been wondering if there will be an episode sometime down the road where Ben is in a position to keep her brother from dying in the car crash then the challenge in the episode will be it’ll introduce another set of problems.  

[DoctorAtomic]

Yes, but I was just saying that Magic was directly affected by Sam, and might have brought that personal story. She seemed on board without it. 

My take on the 'new uploaded code' is that these leaps are actually planned to generate the 'time momentum' that gets Ben to that endpoint on the map, which many of us think is the bar. So I don't think these are random leaps. Look at me with the techno babble. 

This Abrasive Leaper didn't really take any actions that we saw, good or bad. The whole 'stop following me' seems out of sequence too. We haven't seen anyone in the background from the prior episodes like noted here. 

[libgirl2]

3 hours ago, Cobb Salad said:

I took it as an example of how the project could be a benefit and the Senator seemed to be on board after that.  I’ve been wondering if there will be an episode sometime down the road where Ben is in a position to keep her brother from dying in the car crash then the challenge in the episode will be it’ll introduce another set of problems.  

I have watched too much Doctor Who the last 40+ years. You can't go back and change a fixed point in time by saving the brother. It could be catastrophic.  I wonder why things like this didn't bother me as much in the original show. 

Edited October 19, 2022 by libgirl2

[DoctorAtomic]

Quantum Leap is tenuously a time travel show. There's no fixed points rules. Doctor Who is barely a time travel show either. Sam saved plenty of lives. Even here, Magic said that Tom and the platoon would have died. 

Ben saved the astronaut in the second episode. 

Now, the question would be is if saving the brother leads to something worse. There's your trolley problem. 

[libgirl2]

Just now, DoctorAtomic said:

Quantum Leap is tenuously a time travel show. There's no fixed points rules. Doctor Who is barely a time travel show either. Sam saved plenty of lives. Even here, Magic said that Tom and the platoon would have died. 

Ben saved the astronaut in the second episode. 

Now, the question would be is if saving the brother leads to something worse. There's your trolley problem. 

Yes, two different shows, and no fixed points. Plus a lot of that went out the door with the new DW series. 

[peachmangosteen]

4 hours ago, DoctorAtomic said:

This Abrasive Leaper didn't really take any actions that we saw, good or bad. The whole 'stop following me' seems out of sequence too. We haven't seen anyone in the background from the prior episodes like noted here. 

This kinda makes me want to rewatch the other eps to see if there were any suspicious shots of background people lol.

[Sarah 103]

1 hour ago, DoctorAtomic said:

Now, the question would be is if saving the brother leads to something worse. There's your trolley problem. 

No, because than that wouldn't be the leaper's mission. The purpose of the leaps is to change history for the better, and the hologram can tell based on the information available to the hologram in the future whether or not the leaper is helping or hurting. 

[DoctorAtomic]

That's not technically correct. Ben leaped in to save the astronaut's life, but once completing that, then they all would die, so there was work to do. Which I take the point is the same mission, but you know what I mean here. 

Magic was saying specifically leaping in to save the brother, which isn't how it works. So if they go that route, things could get wonky. I think Ben chose where to leap, but maybe not who. He would have had to know Swiss cheese memory was a risk, but he's been all right at figuring it out once he gets there. 

The only time something like a targeted leap for a specific predetermined action that happened was Sam's last leap. 

[Commando Cody]

This show is a train wreck, but I can't look away. Even though I dislike almost everyone in it and the terrible star-crossed lovers trying to reunite story. This was a very boring episode. Nobody was that concerned about the one girl being kidnapped. In the westerns I used to watch, these victims were usually raped. Good thing for TV 14 ratings. The evil dude in the cage could have shot some people. He shot the sheriff in cold blood and nobody seemed that concerned either. At the end the bad guy suddenly goes soft and gives up. This was not a well written story. The old series mostly centered around two main characters and we got reports about the other side from Al. Now we're dealing with extraneous, unimportant characters - especially Addison - who just drag the whole show down. 

[Sarah 103]

When the "new" sheriff showed up, did anyone else immediately think of Blazing Saddles or was that just me? 

[2much TV]

I actually though of "The Three Amigos" when the town got together and used their talents to set booby traps.

[Trini]

On 10/18/2022 at 9:15 PM, Irlandesa said:

...  The meh part about the ep for me was not connecting to Salvation of the people in the town.

They should have done more with Ben and the granddaughter at least.

[peachmangosteen]

I was glad there wasn't much with the granddaughter because I found it very distracting trying to pretend that actress looked 15 years old lol. Plus, she was just a terrible actress.

[Rebecca berkowit]

19 hours ago, 2much TV said:

I actually though of "The Three Amigos" when the town got together and used their talents to set booby traps.

Blazing saddles.  That also involved the town defeating a bad guy with explosives.  Led by a Black sheriff and a champion gunslinger who is just passing through.  The scenes where they are forming the plan and carrying it out are virtually identical.  Must be a common Wild West trope.  I liked this episode.  I think the decision to make the series not just about the time-travel but also a story of star-cross lovers was a mistake, as it locks them into a romance that can’t ever go anywhere,  (maybe that’s what they wanted, the ultimate will-They-or-won’t -they that never gets resolved).  It also distracts from the time-travel, which they barely have time for anyway, and it forecloses a lot of dramatic possibilities with Ben and romantic storylines in the leaps.  The old one had a lot of those.  I still don’t get why they didn’t read the notes from the past project and realize that Sam was not actually leaping into the other body, and that there was a waiting room with the leap-ee in it.  Sometimes the leap-ee would actually provide information.  Some of the scenes here, like when Ben, as a “woman,” punches someone out and they comment that she’s been lifting weights, would seem to suggest that Ben is NOT in the woman’s body, just like with Sam.   But then they keep saying he IS in the other body.  And Magic says he got a “nudge” to,leave his body and does not remember the waiting room.  Maybe they’re keeping their options open? But it’s funnier if it’s Ben’s body doing things the leap-ee wouldn’t be capable of doing.  They used that a lot with female leap-ees, and the chimp, and the disabled people.  Perhaps they thought it would be wrong to do that?  But if he leaps into a blind person now, will he actually be blind?  Mentally handicapped?  An animal without thumbs?   That might prevent him from being able to help change things.    They’re just shooting themselves in the foot.  Well, the original didn’t really specify that Sam was still Sam until later in the series.  But they did have the waiting room.  I agree with all of the Ian love!  The tattoo with Gender crossed out is amazing!  Such a funny and interesting character, and the actor is great!  Should’ve been the hologram!  And I like that we are all just calling the fiancée “that hologram woman.”  I do think their chemistry is better now.

Edited October 20, 2022 by Rebecca berkowit

[StaceyNotStacie]

I enjoyed this as I usually enjoy western themed stories. I agree with the others that the fiancé is a miss in this show. It’s a shame that they can’t recast her with the actress who played Gideon on LoT. 

[Cthulhudrew]

On 10/20/2022 at 1:17 PM, Rebecca berkowit said:

Must be a common Wild West trope.  

In short, yes. The heroes leading the townsfolk to fight back against their oppressors as Wild West trope goes back to at least The Magnificent Seven. 

(Which was itself a Westernized reimagining of Kurosawa's classic Seven Samurai.)

[QuantumMechanic]

16 hours ago, Cthulhudrew said:

(Which was itself a Westernized reimagining of Kurosawa's classic Seven Samurai.)

Which is well worth the watch.