S01.E08: Stand by Ben

[secnarf]

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Ben leaps into a 16-year-old boy's body and finds himself among a group of outcast teens on the run. Ben relies on determination to guide himself and Addison to safety, leading to a shocking revelation as a significant piece of his memory returns.

Original air date: Nov 7 2022

[AnimeMania]

Eric Lee Huffman as Sullivan
Ciara Riley Wilson as Leah
Kurt Yaeger as Ringer
Anthony Turpel as Roy
Raquel Elena Justice as Stacy
Andrew Hwang as George

Quantum Leap will be on hiatus until January 2.

[Maverick]

 The writing is just so...not good.   The kids and some of their conversations actually could have fit in with the original show.   But Ben and Addision just connect to the people in the leap.  They keep saying they do but it just doesn't land for me.  The scenes in the present were a particular waste this time.  Jen and her father adds nothing.   We see Ian flip out.  And we learn Janice slipped away from the Scooby Gang...should I have spoilered that?   And the whole thing with Addison not leaving the imaging chamber to help but then she just randomly shows up in the elevator.  WTF?   Bad writing or editing or both. 

Was I the only one thinking the kids were gay and the "school" was reeducation camp?   Hurting themselves, bright but lashing out, being told their weird, embarrassing their family, the uncle being "different" (i.e. accepting), Addison hanging a lampshade on something else going on.  I was like, "you're geniuses running a super secret time travel program..can't you figure out they're trying to beat the gay out of them."   But despite the one girl having a girlfriend the other two start showing an attraction to the other.  So, apparently not an extreme pray the gay away camp.  

 Pf course Ben wants to save Addision.  Sam who?   So what, did Leaper X become part of  a team sent to take over PQL and he killed Addison in the process?  Will the next big reveal he killed the whole team?  

[Trini]

Wow, so this whole season 1 arc is hingeing on Ben & Addison's relationship....

I'm still here, though.

But okay, now we have the reason for Ben's unauthorized leap, so progress there. But now the question is how did he or Janice know the future? I assume that Marine(?) from a few episodes comes into play again?

So not much happened at HQ this week, but we learn that Jen has family issues. Sure.

I thought the main plot with Ben was good; but it was interesting that they made Ben talking to a hologram that only he can see a part of the plot -- they can't get away with that all the time. I need Ben to at least try to be more discreet in other leaps.

[Irlandesa]

2 hours ago, Maverick said:

And the whole thing with Addison not leaving the imaging chamber to help but then she just randomly shows up in the elevator.  WTF?   Bad writing or editing or both. 

She said she couldn't do it while she was walking.  I thought it was strange she didn't head back once they reached the cabin.  She stuck around to dance and then she came back to help Ian out.

I did think this was the second episode in a row with a pretty strong leap.  Maybe not as good as last week but the kids were good performers.  But yeah, the present stuff was messier than usual.  If this gets a second season, they're going to have to make some tough choices and some of those tough choices might mean paring down the present day crew or switching out who acts as the hologram.

[Skooma]

3 hours ago, Maverick said:

 The writing is just so...not good.

Yeah I loved the bit where Ben finds out the reason that the creek is bone dry is because of the "off the grid" cabin stealing the water via the metal pipe so no more water for a long time cause bone BONE dry.  But as soon as they run up the small incline to the cabin it still has plenty of RUNNING water to drink. 

Also who would leave a fancy "cabin" like that unlocked?  It wasn't so "off the grid" that anyone couldn't just drive up and break in.

So the BIG REVEAL is that the whole thing is about saving the stupid hologram woman from dying?  The same character I want dead?  Bummer.

No saving the world.  No rescuing Sam.  No following "Leaper X."  Just saving the dumb, boring, corny soap opera crap. 

Yep I most likely won't tune in after this silly 2 month long wait because I have absolutely no reason to now.

Edited November 8, 2022 by Skooma

[libgirl2]

2 hours ago, Skooma said:

Yeah I loved the bit where Ben finds out the reason that the creek is bone dry is because of the "off the grid" cabin stealing the water via the metal pipe so no more water for a long time cause bone BONE dry.  But as soon as they run up the small incline to the cabin it still has plenty of RUNNING water to drink. 

Also who would leave a fancy "cabin" like that unlocked?  It wasn't so "off the grid" that anyone couldn't just drive up and break in.

So the BIG REVEAL is that the whole thing is about saving the stupid hologram woman from dying?  The same character I want dead?  Bummer.

No saving the world.  No rescuing Sam.  No following "Leaper X."  Just saving the dumb, boring, corny soap opera crap. 

Yep I most likely won't tune in after this silly 2 month long wait because I have absolutely no reason to now.

I have to admit the reason for all of this was a let down. 

[Lisa418722]

I enjoyed last week's episode.  This week...  it was definitely not the way to end before the mid-season break. I know some people were expecting to see Sam and I wasn't, so that didn't bother me. The leap itself didn't bother me. I did like the way they did the history of the kids. On the negative side - I didn't care for Jenn and her father or the way the lab went into lockdown mode. Ben leaped to save Addison???  I DON'T CARE!!! Give me a reason why I should care that Ben leaped early in order to help save Addison.  This show doesn't really feel like a continuation of Quantum Leap; it feels like the main story is Ben and Addison's [love] story.  I say it that way because personally, for me, I don't see anything showing me that they are in love. 

[libgirl2]

5 minutes ago, Lisa418722 said:

I enjoyed last week's episode.  This week...  it was definitely not the way to end before the mid-season break. I know some people were expecting to see Sam and I wasn't, so that didn't bother me. The leap itself didn't bother me. I did like the way they did the history of the kids. On the negative side - I didn't care for Jenn and her father or the way the lab went into lockdown mode. Ben leaped to save Addison???  I DON'T CARE!!! Give me a reason why I should care that Ben leaped early in order to help save Addison.  This show doesn't really feel like a continuation of Quantum Leap; it feels like the main story is Ben and Addison's [love] story.  I say it that way because personally, for me, I don't see anything showing me that they are in love. 

I did think Ian had some good lines yet again this week..... the missed opportunity. But yea, I agree... this is all about Ben and Addison? Huh? 

Edited November 8, 2022 by libgirl2

[iMonrey]

This was a really bad episode to leave us with for a long break. The leap itself just wasn't that interesting and way too much time was spent on a character I don't even care about.

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Jenn and her father adds nothing.

I didn't even know what her name was without looking it up. That's how poorly they have developed this character. The show is spending so much time on the QL HQ characters and it simply isn't working, it's just competing with the leap story and ruining both.

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Was I the only one thinking the kids were gay and the "school" was reeducation camp? 

That's what I thought at first, but no. They weren't even "troubled" enough for their parents to ship them off to some reform camp. They were all geniuses by some measure who acted out. I suppose the point was to show how nefarious the camp really was since the kids weren't even that bad, but this was just weak sauce, as a story. 

If you were on the fence about this show and this was the episode where you left off, what would compel you to come back for more? It feels like they are counting on Ben and Addison's romance/relationship as the driving force behind the show and it simply isn't working. They have zero chemistry and Addison just isn't an interesting character. 

At this point I don't have any hope they will fix this. They would have to tear the whole thing down and start all over, little tweaks here and there won't cut it. They're not going to dump Addison and give Sam a different hologram guide, it would be like rebooting the reboot.

[libgirl2]

10 hours ago, Maverick said:

 Was I the only one thinking the kids were gay and the "school" was reeducation camp?  

Nope, same thing I thought right away. 

[bybrandy]

I’d seen some speculation it was about saving Addison so I wasn’t surprised but seriously I can’t tell you how little I care about saving Addison so meh whatever. 
 

also it feels like the whole team would want to save Addison so I’m not sure why all the subterfuge from Janice if her secret mission is to do something they’d all support.  
 

alternately I didn’t think it was weird that Addison turned up out of the project. She got them someplace safe and then she went to manage the next crisis. Why she had time to stick around for a dance party will s a whole other question. 
 

And where was the survivalist who built that cabin?  Who knows?  And where was the water coming from if the creek being drained was dry? Other questions. 
 

I think Ben’s attachment to Addison keeps him from getting as invested with the people on his leaps. His big moments are with her rather than with the people he leaps into.  
 

the facility being in general evil for kids with parents who had Money/insurance and all sorts of diagnosis felt real to me because I ended up in a place like that when I was a kid. I mean they weren’t putting kids in boxes but they were a giant insurance fraud scheme where kids were handed bogus diagnosis and put inpatient treatment facilities by doctors who were financial stakeholders in the facility. I was so traumatized my mom brought me home after two weeks at this amazing world class facility to learn I had never had any classes and I had one singular therapy session which was a get to know you session. Money well spent. I know all about the insurance fraud because they were eventually sued and it was widely covered.   
 

I am curious how kid Ben who barely knew them and will have no memories of their grand adventure fits in. “Hey, remember when…”. um… uh….   And when they tease him about his imaginary girlfriend..
 

[marketdoctor]

10 hours ago, Maverick said:

Was I the only one thinking the kids were gay and the "school" was reeducation camp?

I thought this too.  I thought the setting might have been stronger in the '70s or '80s, when mental health was less understood (even though today, it's still not.)  That's especially true because it wasn't a technology-dependent plot.

At least they didn't lean too heavily on their weaknesses making them stronger; a very smart teen knowing how to scare off wolves was good, but they didn't have the AS spectrum teen use the angle of the sun to triangulate how to find water, or some equally implausible twist. 

Speaking of implausible, the pipe could have been running to a well or pond, but that part was still dubious at best.  I was pleasantly surprised the kids were rescued, and not just returned.

ETA:  glad you got out, bybrandy.  I hope in a re-run they add a chryon about where to report abusive treatment centers.

Edited November 8, 2022 by marketdoctor
More real than I realized.

[libgirl2]

38 minutes ago, bybrandy said:

And where was the survivalist who built that cabin?  Who knows?  And where was the water coming from if the creek being drained was dry? Other questions. 

the facility being in general evil for kids with parents who had Money/insurance and all sorts of diagnosis felt real to me because I ended up in a place like that when I was a kid. I mean they weren’t putting kids in boxes but they were a giant insurance fraud scheme where kids were handed bogus diagnosis and put inpatient treatment facilities by doctors who were financial stakeholders in the facility. I was so traumatized my mom brought me home after two weeks at this amazing world class facility to learn I had never had any classes and I had one singular therapy session which was a get to know you session. Money well spent. I know all about the insurance fraud because they were eventually sued and it was widely covered.   
 

 

I kept waiting for them to show up. The cabin looked nice and well kept, why wasn't it locked? Did the person just step away? 

I am so sorry what you had to go through. 

[possibilities]

6 hours ago, marketdoctor said:

I hope in a re-run they add a chryon about where to report abusive treatment centers.

Yes! Bad places still exist.

[Sarah 103]

8 hours ago, iMonrey said:

The show is spending so much time on the QL HQ characters and it simply isn't working, it's just competing with the leap story and ruining both.

I totally agree. They don't have enough to develop either story well.  

7 hours ago, bybrandy said:

I think Ben’s attachment to Addison keeps him from getting as invested with the people on his leaps. His big moments are with her rather than with the people he leaps into.  

I hadn't thought about it, but you are correct. Instead of focusing on the leap and the people in the past, he is too busy focused on his relationship with Addison. 

7 hours ago, bybrandy said:

I am curious how kid Ben who barely knew them and will have no memories of their grand adventure fits in. “Hey, remember when…”. um… uh….   And when they tease him about his imaginary girlfriend..

I think they sort of explained this in episode. Ben had only arrived at the "school" a few weeks earlier and the others had been there for much longer. I did like the teasing about the imaginary girlfriend. 

7 hours ago, marketdoctor said:

I thought this too.  I thought the setting might have been stronger in the '70s or '80s, when mental health was less understood (even though today, it's still not.)  That's especially true because it wasn't a technology-dependent plot.

It needs to be 1990s because so many of them were diagnosed as what we today would call neurodivergant, and those diagnoses became more common in the 1990s.

The "school" seemed to be for those with a history of trauma and had developed poor coping mechanisms, as well as students who were neurodivergant and for whatever the public school system didn't work for them, they couldn't afford private school, and this is were thier parents decided to send them. 

I have many problems with this episode. Jen is barely a character I care about. I don't need her tragic backstory. She is taking valuable screentime away from the leap. During the leap, Addison told Ben to listen, but Ben didn't really listen. He lectured instead of listening to them and learning more about who they were. Because there was such limited time in the episode, he didn't have time to get to know them and really talk to them before turning into Yoda. Ian as the hologram this episode would have been more amazing than usual. With a full 40 minutes on Ben and the teenagers, this episode could have been great. We could have had scenes at the "school" when they found out about the break. We could have Ian going back and forth between the adults and the teenagers with Ian giving Ben advice about where to go and how far away the adults were. 

I will not be returning after the new year. I wanted to like this show. I kept hoping it would get better, but this is the show, and I'm not enjoying it. 

[nx74defiant]

15 hours ago, Skooma said:

Yeah I loved the bit where Ben finds out the reason that the creek is bone dry is because of the "off the grid" cabin stealing the water via the metal pipe so no more water for a long time cause bone BONE dry.  But as soon as they run up the small incline to the cabin it still has plenty of RUNNING water to drink. 

Also who would leave a fancy "cabin" like that unlocked?  It wasn't so "off the grid" that anyone couldn't just drive up and break in.

So the BIG REVEAL is that the whole thing is about saving the stupid hologram woman from dying?  The same character I want dead?  Bummer.

No saving the world.  No rescuing Sam.  No following "Leaper X."  Just saving the dumb, boring, corny soap opera crap. 

Yep I most likely won't tune in after this silly 2 month long wait because I have absolutely no reason to now.

Why does an "off the grid" cabin have a phone?

[Trini]

8 hours ago, bybrandy said:

also it feels like the whole team would want to save Addison so I’m not sure why all the subterfuge from Janice if her secret mission is to do something they’d all support.  

Yes, exactly! If it's about one of the team members, and Ben's fianceé in particular, why the secrecy?? Like I'm sure everyone would have been on board to save Addison.

1 hour ago, Sarah 103 said:

Jen is barely a character I care about. I don't need her tragic backstory.

If they had connected or paralleled it to one of the kids in the leap story, that might have been something.

It's not a bad thing that they want to flesh out the characters, but the backstory needed to be connected to Ben, the Lab, the leap story, anything else the audience cares about.

[KaveDweller]

16 hours ago, Skooma said:

Also who would leave a fancy "cabin" like that unlocked?  It wasn't so "off the grid" that anyone couldn't just drive up and break in.

I assumed it was locked and they just broke a window or something. I would think a cabin in the middle of nowhere wouldn't have 

10 hours ago, iMonrey said:

That's what I thought at first, but no. They weren't even "troubled" enough for their parents to ship them off to some reform camp. They were all geniuses by some measure who acted out. I suppose the point was to show how nefarious the camp really was since the kids weren't even that bad, but this was just weak sauce, as a story. 

The one girl was gay and sent there to try and "shape her up."

But they probably wanted a mix of kids, and didn't want to make them seem too bad so it would make the school seem worse. Although didn't one of them try to burn down their school?

[secnarf]

Was kind of disappointed with the ending. It would have been fine if we had another episode in a week or two, but given the lengthy hiatus, they needed something more to make me really invested - not this vague "I was trying to save you" thing that doesn't actually explain anything. I wish they had actually explained what was at stake and shifted the focus of the story arc from "what is Ben up to" to "we need to help Ben accomplish this mission". I think that would have provided a more satisfying mid-season finale while also setting up the next half of the season.

[possibilities]

I know someone who was sent to what used to be called "Reform School"-- any kids whose parents were not liking their behavior could be sent there (if the parents had enough money). Gay kids with parents who didn't like that, rebellious kids, kids with actual problems... the ones I've ever heard about were all abusive, so I thought that part of the story was perfectly reasonable.

[DoctorAtomic]

I didn't think I was going to like this one because the teens started out a bit stock, but the recovering addict pulled me in with the monologue about being put in the cage. 

I also liked Ben thinking more on his feet based off last week. There's not much Addison could say if the cabin wasn't on any future maps. I was hoping the wolves would have seen her though. Really, Ziggy didn't help much at all. Ben came up with the point of the leap being to expose the school. I liked the ending too how everyone was all right. This was again had a classic feel to it. 

Like most here, I didn't think Janis was bad either. I can buy Ben leaping prematurely *and* Addison supposed to be the actual leaper but somehow in the future (I'm guessing) got killed or something with Janis helping. Or course, it's a little too 'tv manufactured drama' for her just to not tell Magic, but I'm going to roll with her thinking future Quantum Leap is compromised. That's all right with me. 

1 hour ago, KaveDweller said:

Although didn't one of them try to burn down their school?

I think they said her house. 

[possibilities]

Speaking of wolves: that is not how wolves behave. That was total wolf slander.

[peachmangosteen]

I loved this episode but as soon as Ben revealed he was trying to save Allison I knew it would not be well received lol. And now there's a long break. Such horrible scheduling and it's gonna kill any chance this show had of surviving. Boo!

[iMonrey]

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I hadn't thought about it, but you are correct. Instead of focusing on the leap and the people in the past, he is too busy focused on his relationship with Addison. 

And trying to remember his past, why he leaped, etc. The leap story itself just feels like a tacked-on gimmick we have to get through to move Ben one more step on the chess board. It's supposed to be the whole point of the show.

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I can buy Ben leaping prematurely *and* Addison supposed to be the actual leaper but somehow in the future (I'm guessing) got killed or something with Janis helping. 

If Janice found out Addision was going to die why not just tell her and the rest of the crew? Why get Ben to do this clandestine leap on his own? This makes zero sense.

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I assumed it was locked and they just broke a window or something.

Nope, they showed them just walking right in through the front door. I wondered if maybe it belonged to that one kid's uncle - she said she had an uncle living somewhere nearby. He's the one who turned up at the school with the camera crew at the end.

[DoctorAtomic]

Well, that's what I said. Unless Janis thought Magic et al. were compromised in some way as to why she didn't say anything. We know there's a future leaper, but not who actually is in charge of Quantum Leap at that time. 

[North of Eden]

Yep, just when things start cooking and the ratings are up what do we have?

A Mid-Season finale and the dreaded Mid-Season break....also known as The Great Momentum Killer.

I don't subsribe to the idea that people are too involved with the holidays to watch programming in November and December.

I suppose it could have been worse...instead of January it could stay off the air until Feb or March like some shows do but when you're on a bubble like this show killing the momentum isn't going to help things.

Look at LaBrea...a big hit last year but an entire year off the air and now its ratings are down.

I miss the days of 26+episode orders and only re-runs in the summer time.

[Starchild]

On 11/8/2022 at 3:12 AM, Irlandesa said:

She said she couldn't do it while she was walking.  I thought it was strange she didn't head back once they reached the cabin.  She stuck around to dance and then she came back to help Ian out.

Wouldn't she have been stuck inside the chamber during the lockdown though? If the system locks elevators and offices, I can't believe it wouldn't also lock the imaging chamber.

On 11/8/2022 at 10:10 AM, iMonrey said:

If you were on the fence about this show and this was the episode where you left off, what would compel you to come back for more?

Well, I can't speak for anyone else, but at this point I'm pretty much here only for Ian. They are young enough to be my child, but apparently genderblending is my thing. Don't judge me.

[Clanstarling]

1 hour ago, Starchild said:

Well, I can't speak for anyone else, but at this point I'm pretty much here only for Ian. They are young enough to be my child, but apparently genderblending is my thing. Don't judge me.

For me it's just that they are the most interesting and fully realized character so far (though I always love Ernie Hudson in whatever he does). We get told a lot that Ben and Addison are soulmates, but I don't think they really show it. Ian is just Ian, and they've imbued a lot of character in the small bits they're in.