S01.E12: Let Them Play

[secnarf]

Quote

Ben finds himself in 2012 in the midst of the Méndez family as they help their transgender daughter who dreams of playing on her high school basketball team. Magic and Jenn discover another piece of the puzzle of why Ben leapt in the first place.

Original air date: Feb 6 2023

[AnimeMania]

Shakina Nayfack as Dottie
Brigitte Kali Canales as Miriam

Collette Wolfe as Margie
Josielyn Aguilera as Gia

Anita Kalathara as Shruti

Next New Episode: February 20, 2023      

[libgirl2]

Wow. Not what I expected.  

[KaveDweller]

I liked this episode and thought they did a good job fleshing out the characters, but it also felt a bit like they solved everything way too easily.

Although it did seem like they are setting up that other people could be the hologram, since Ian could jump in the imaging chamber to watch the game.

[libgirl2]

1 minute ago, KaveDweller said:

I liked this episode and thought they did a good job fleshing out the characters, but it also felt a bit like they solved everything way too easily.

Although it did seem like they are setting up that other people could be the hologram, since Ian could jump in the imaging chamber to watch the game.

I do think it was resolved rather quickly but at least it was still showing people who weren't coming around. 

[possibilities]

I agree it was a little too easy but I'll take it. Sometimes it's nice to see something that represents decency rather than despair. Andthe business where Magic interviewed the person who got leaped into? That was a very interesting surprise and makes the home storysuddenly a lot more interesting. Fromthe drawing, it looked like Ian leaped into them! So... whoa! Everybody on the same team, indeed!!

Edited February 7, 2023 by possibilities
fix typo

[Irlandesa]

Yeah, the Ian reveal was the biggest point of interest for me.  I wonder if they know they are leaping.  Now they just need them to interact with Ben in the image chamber.

As for the main story, it felt a little bit simplistic in that storytelling for trans men and women has gotten more sophisticated in recent years whereas this episode felt very much like an expose on the threats facing trans teens.  So it's not  irrelevant but I wish they could have done a bit more. 

[PurpleTentacle]

I think the issue is often a bit more complicated than this episode made it out to be. Women who went through puberty as a male do have a massive advantage in sports compared to women who went through it as females. Then again most top atheletes have genetic mutations that make them predisposed to be good at that sport. Just look at people like Michael Phelps or those atheletes who have a mutation that keeps their skeletal musculature grow way beyong normal, even without any training. So then where do you draw the line? Genetic testing for everybody and if you aren't in the norm you get disqualified?

But that wasn't even any concern here. That girl clearly went through puberty with estrogen and thus functionally as a female. She wouldn't have any advantages over the other girls there and thus should be allowed to play. So overall I'm going with this episode being in the right by the stance it took. The scope was just very narrow and maybe shouldn't be applied to all trans women in sport.

3 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

Yeah, the Ian reveal was the biggest point of interest for me.  I wonder if they know they are leaping.  Now they just need them to interact with Ben in the image chamber.

I'm sure it's future-Ian. This episode showed how close they are to Addison and Addison is going to die in the future, which Ben is trying to prevent with his leaps. So how would Ben even know about it? Well, clearly future-Ian told him.

[libgirl2]

4 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

Yeah, the Ian reveal was the biggest point of interest for me.  I wonder if they know they are leaping.  Now they just need them to interact with Ben in the image chamber.

As for the main story, it felt a little bit simplistic in that storytelling for trans men and women has gotten more sophisticated in recent years whereas this episode felt very much like an expose on the threats facing trans teens.  So it's not  irrelevant but I wish they could have done a bit more. 

So many questions with that reveal of Ian. Of course, it is a future Ian but how far? Did they give Ben the knowledge to leap? And did future Ian come to let Ben know Addison dies? 

[bybrandy]

The Ian reveal was cool   I also liked them getting to go to the game with Addison.  I liked them getting to tell their story   Basically In makes everything better including How Ian starts leaping is he first thin that has interested me in he non Ben mythos of he show.   

[Brian Cronin]

Has the writer of the episode ever seen a basketball game? Calling a timeout after going down 4-0 is basically insane. 

[iMonrey]

I'm of two minds about this episode. On the one hand, this is the most time they have ever devoted to the leap story versus the HQ story, so that much I appreciate. This was probably the most I was ever invested in the leap story characters. The acting was good all the way around.

Also, finding out Ian leaped into someone was a jaw dropper, and pumped new interest into the show for this viewer.

On the other hand, I'm not sure a time travel show is the right vehicle to proselytize about this particular issue. It felt way too current, political, and very didactic. It also underscores the problem with this reboot. The Leaper is supposed to "right what once went wrong" because of the significance of the person in question. We never found out what great thing Gia went off to become or do that made saving her so important. 

And that's been a problem overall with the leap stories. They are just random, saving people for the sake of saving them, not because they became important historically. And the point of the show isn't just to right those wrongs anymore either. It's to hopscotch through a bunch of random leaps until Ben reaches whatever destination he set out for. It makes the actual leap stories irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. And it shows.

[libgirl2]

10 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

Also, finding out Ian leaped into someone was a jaw dropper, and pumped new interest into the show for this viewer.

On the other hand, I'm not sure a time travel show is the right vehicle to proselytize about this particular issue. It felt way too current, political, and very didactic. It also underscores the problem with this reboot. The Leaper is supposed to "right what once went wrong" because of the significance of the person in question. We never found out what great thing Gia went off to become or do that made saving her so important. 

 

My jaw dropped when we saw the drawings and I'm excited to find out more. I love Ian. For me, they are one of the bright spots on this show. I still want them to be the new "Al". I wonder if they are working with Janice. I'm assuming so. 

I think the point of this leap was to prevent Gia from dying but I was waiting to find out something "big" that she did after this. 

[edhopper]

I am as woke as they come, and proud of it. I believe trans people deserve the same rights and respect as anyone else. That said, this felt a little too "Afterschool Special" to me. The happy ending too pat. Here we are 10 years later and Trans people are more under attack than ever.  Not that I wanted a sad end for Gia, just maybe it's the wrong type of show for this. I did not buy the horrible mother coming around at the end. I thought the other Trans actors discussing their lives was the most effective parts. 

[libgirl2]

15 minutes ago, edhopper said:

I am as woke as they come, and proud of it. I believe trans people deserve the same rights and respect as anyone else. That said, this felt a little too "Afterschool Special" to me. The happy ending too pat. Here we are 10 years later and Trans people are more under attack than ever.  Not that I wanted a sad end for Gia, just maybe it's the wrong type of show for this. I did not buy the horrible mother coming around at the end. I thought the other Trans actors discussing their lives was the most effective parts. 

That part did not ring true for me at all. Not saying she wouldn't have eventually, but not so fast. Her daughter was more understandable, kids are a bit less stubborn on things like that. 

Yes, it was a bit to predictable but there were some high moments in it. I liked Gia's message that her parents have to let her go and not protect her so much. I loved Ian talking about their past (and being able to go "watch" the game). I agree the Trans actors were quite effective. Maybe it was that it wrapped up too easy and things like this don't necessarily do, that gave it a bit of an Afternoon Special air, but the message was good. 

Edited February 7, 2023 by libgirl2

[ajsnaves]

I enjoyed this greatly.  And am OK not knowing what was “significant” about Gia to the world as a whole.  She was clearly significant to Ian though.  And I am guessing to the Trans community as a whole.  I also liked that we saw the effects of one change immediately, with Ian not realizing that her winning the first game was a change.  I also liked that Ben tried to relate his own experience to Gia and was quickly shut down.  I grew up a closeted gay kid in the 90s. While I have my own life experiences there, I would not dream of being able to understand what it’s like being trans.  But I did appreciate Ben trying.  Sometime all we can do is try the best we can.  Even if it fails miserably.

Did anyone else think the drawings of “Leaper” Ian made them look significantly older than present day Ian?  There seemed to be some some wrinkles added, especially around the eyes.

[libgirl2]

16 minutes ago, ajsnaves said:

Did anyone else think the drawings of “Leaper” Ian made them look significantly older than present day Ian?  There seemed to be some some wrinkles added, especially around the eyes.

Yes, they did look different. Their hair seemed longer and like you say, they looked older, not old just older, a future Ian. 

Edited February 7, 2023 by libgirl2

[possibilities]

Ian said Gia was an icon to the community. I take it that was her contribution. It's like saving MLK or some other person who grew up to become a major force for change or a beacon of hope to others.

Edited February 7, 2023 by possibilities

[libgirl2]

25 minutes ago, possibilities said:

Ian said Gia was an icon to the community. I take it that was her contribution. It's like saving MLK or some other person who grew up to become a major force for change or a beacon of hope to others.

So maybe we already got our answer as to what she accomplished. 

[Catfi9ht]

16 hours ago, possibilities said:

I agree it was a little too easy but I'll take it. Sometimes it's nice to see something that represents decency rather than despair.

I agree completely. Using this episode to "be the change you wish to see in the world." It's the same reason why Dan Levy didn't write homophobia into Schitt's Creek. 

4 hours ago, iMonrey said:

The Leaper is supposed to "right what once went wrong" because of the significance of the person in question.

Well, the "right what once went wrong" was saving Gia's life. Not everyone had historical significance even in the original. In fact, most of the folks Sam saved weren't famous until they started writing that in season 5. There were releaps in season 4, but the original folks he kept into weren't historically significant either.

[ajsnaves]

28 minutes ago, possibilities said:

Ian said Gia was an icon to the community. I take it that was her contribution. It's like saving MLK or some other person who grew up to become a major force for change or a beacon of hope to others.

They also said that before Ben was successful in stopping her runaway.  So maybe her disappearance and death is comparable to Matthew Shepherd’s murder.  A major national story at the time.  But one that had lasting effect in the LGBTQ community to this day.

[Brian Cronin]

5 hours ago, iMonrey said:

The Leaper is supposed to "right what once went wrong" because of the significance of the person in question. We never found out what great thing Gia went off to become or do that made saving her so important. 

The very first leap was just about saving a baby's life for the sake of saving a baby's life (and the second leap was about winning a baseball game because...uhmmm... it made the guys who won the game feel better? I really don't know what the deal was there). So I don't think "just" saving Gia's life is an atypical mission. 

[bybrandy]

4 hours ago, iMonrey said:

The Leaper is supposed to "right what once went wrong" because of the significance of the person in question. We never found out what great thing Gia went off to become or do that made saving her so important. 

And that's been a problem overall with the leap stories. They are just random, saving people for the sake of saving them, not because they became important historically. And the point of the show isn't just to right those wrongs anymore either. It's to hopscotch through a bunch of random leaps until Ben reaches whatever destination he set out for. It makes the actual leap stories irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. And it shows.

But this is mostly a romanticization of the Sam era.   We didn't most of the time get updates on how the stories turned out.   We did sometimes but less often than not.   We've gotten updates a couple of times on this show but in this particular episode we assume Ia does not go on to commit suicide (in fact we'd know that but a scene was cut because of Covid) but she's also out there as an example as an out trans kid living their best life for 20 minutes.   Ian knew about Gia as soon as the change happened because she was being iconic before Iconic was a thing and so she's out there for other trans kids.   Her dad has the support of he union rep so he is a dad and a coach not being punished for supporting a trans kid and athlete.   Gia's just getting to live out loud is a change and it ripples or else Ian wouldn't know her story.   

All of Ben's leaps are to get him to he event where he can save Addison.  That's his goal on these leaps.  It isn't saving the world.   

But most of Sam's leaps weren't either.   
1) fighter pilot... everybody lives, yay! - baseball player ends career less sadly than before Sam talks to dad.   
2) Prof- Sam doesn't marry a co-ed and breaks quantum leap prime directive to give himsel a shot with Donna...   Sam is at the watergate when that geos down but Sam wasn't a part of watergate.

3)Boxer- Kid helps the nun get the funding for the church and was it a donut shop the girlfriend wanted?   Presumably the church helped people but we don't know.  
4)How The Tess was won- Sam saves pig.   Teaches kid he correct words to a sog Sam wouldn't know had Sam not helped that kid with the lyrics to that song..... this is my least favorite leap.   
5)Mafia- Sam isn't murdered.   Neither is the girl.... mob boss calls bingo?
6) Driving Miss Daisy- nobody dies. Racism still exists.    
7) Sam convinces his "sister" not to marry arse.   Sam thinks of own sister... is this the episode with the moonwalk?  Sister helps people with habitat..... super problematic sub plot with girl mechanic friend.  
8) Pulp Fiction and Willie Garson--- Sam influences Mozzie to write   

Season 2
9) Honeymmoon express - San makes an actual change here that impacts quantum leap...   

10) Stuntmen and singers---  baby brother doesn't have too jump off burnng builings anmoer.     

11) Americanization of Mitchko... racism again.... helps ne person fit into one family

And that is the first 12 episodes (the first episode was a double) and that is as many episodes as we've had so far.   Sam has more brushes with history but there aren't a lot of and this person cures cancer moments in these episodes.... are there?

[KaveDweller]

12 hours ago, PurpleTentacle said:

I'm sure it's future-Ian. This episode showed how close they are to Addison and Addison is going to die in the future, which Ben is trying to prevent with his leaps. So how would Ben even know about it? Well, clearly future-Ian told him.

Yes, maybe future Addison dies and Ian is so upset they leap back to an earlier point to tell Current Ben to warn him. But they must warn him not to tell anyone else for some reason, hence bringing in Janice. 

The question is why did Ian leap into that person. A waiter/poet? Wouldn't there have been a better option for making sure to connect with Ben and get him to believe them?

6 hours ago, iMonrey said:

And that's been a problem overall with the leap stories. They are just random, saving people for the sake of saving them, not because they became important historically. And the point of the show isn't just to right those wrongs anymore either. It's to hopscotch through a bunch of random leaps until Ben reaches whatever destination he set out for. It makes the actual leap stories irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. And it shows.

In the finale of the original, Sam met this bartender who may have been God, and complained about how he wasn't saving the world like he wanted. And the bartender told him he'd impacted thousands of people with all his leaps and it didn't matter that each one was small. So it makes sense that the new series would follow that.

[iMonrey]

Quote

In the finale of the original, Sam met this bartender who may have been God, and complained about how he wasn't saving the world like he wanted. And the bartender told him he'd impacted thousands of people with all his leaps and it didn't matter that each one was small. So it makes sense that the new series would follow that.

But, it isn't following that. The point of the leaps in the original was the leaps themselves. The point of these leaps is for Ben to hopscotch is way to an ultimate destination for . . . reasons we don't know. That makes the leaps themselves far less relevant. They're just a means to get to an end point, like a video game. Puzzles he has to solve to get to the next level.

Edited February 7, 2023 by iMonrey

[Keywestclubkid]

21 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

But, it isn't following that. The point of the leaps in the original was the leaps themselves. The point of these leaps is for Ben to hopscotch is way to an ultimate destination for . . . reasons we don't know. That makes the leaps themselves far less relevant. They're just a means to get to an end point, like a video game. Puzzles he has to solve to get to the next level.

Both must leap to achieve a particular goal… basically they have the same point using the leaps to reach a specific destination ..IE Home for Sam in the original and stoping Addisons death here  .. point of the leaps for both shows pretty much line up leaping in doing what you need to do to leap out hoping the next will be the leap to what you want  

Edited February 8, 2023 by Keywestclubkid

[marketdoctor]

I liked it a lot.  Sure, it had some quick resolution, though I gave that partly to how we were seeing less than half an hour out of several days...still fast, but enough for me to suspend disbelief. 

That Ian starts leaping could have wild implications for their present.

Thanks to whomever put the graphic at the end with who to call in an emergency.

 

[KaveDweller]

19 minutes ago, Keywestclubkid said:

Both must leap to achieve a particular goal… basically they have the same point using the leaps to reach a specific destination ..IE Home for Sam in the original and stoping Addisons death here  .. point of the leaps for both shows pretty much line up leaping in doing what you need to do to leap out hoping the next will be the leap to what you want  

Exactly, he still has to help accomplish something to leap to the next person. Addison is still telling him what he's there to do.

[Keywestclubkid]

In the original show wasn’t it implied Al interacted with some of the people that Sam had leapt into in “present day”? Like there was a “manifestation” of their consciousness at HQ in a room.. I remember Al telling Sam about asking them questions and mentions one is confused 

Edited February 8, 2023 by Keywestclubkid

[bybrandy]

9 minutes ago, Keywestclubkid said:

In the original show didn’t Al interact with the people that Sam had leapt into in “present day”? Like weren’t they in some “white room”  and he implied they question them about things … if they are following cannon maybe Ian isn’t the leaper but maybe helping someone that is leaping like Addison is with Ben and Al did with Sam 

They aren't.   No white room this time.  

[kirkola]

2 hours ago, KaveDweller said:

In the finale of the original, Sam met this bartender who may have been God, and complained about how he wasn't saving the world like he wanted. And the bartender told him he'd impacted thousands of people with all his leaps and it didn't matter that each one was small. So it makes sense that the new series would follow that.

That was always my favorite part of the show--those small changes.   And honestly, I love it about both versions.  All these small changes eventually add up to a better world.  A world better than Sam/Ben found it.  It was a concept my late teen/early 20s brain was just beginning to realize.  Episodes like this weeks helped me see the world outside my own small bubble. 

Now there are definitely things I wish were a little tighter here...mostly stuff in "present day" and not Ben's leaps.  And it still drives me nuts that Ben just talks to Addison in public and very few people call him out on this weirdness.  But, as long as the show keeps giving Ben the chance to make small impacts in these character's lives, I'm all in.

[DoctorAtomic]

After poor Ben put in Gia with zero idea of what was going on, and then was shredded by everyone, if any time the show needed an 'oh boy!' that was then. I certainly said it. Even the wife. 

Interesting that Ian remembered both timelines. Not interesting that Ian stole the scene with "I've been bested by my own technology!" Because the line was brilliant and that's exactly what I expected. 

I know the point of the car wash was merely an excuse, but was it on school grounds? I don't know how they could hold Ben/Carlos liable as to cost his job? I did like how the union rep had zero lines until the end and basically was a mic drop. 

Hudson again brings it with his reaction to the poem. I was hoping the sketches were going to be Sam. I was thoroughly surprised. 

So know we have four people out there leaping in the current show canon. 

I don't remember if Ben remembers he wrote the new code with Janis yet? 

4 hours ago, Catfi9ht said:

Well, the "right what once went wrong" was saving Gia's life. Not everyone had historical significance even in the original.

I would say this is quite in line with the original. I would concede it would have been nice to just hear she was a social worker in 2022 or something. However, as it's been correctly said, this issue is far from resolved, so the entire mission being one trans kid didn't run away and end up dead is all right with me. Also it was pointed out that Ian 'remembered'. So if Ian did, plenty others must have. That's also good enough. The point of the show for me was always walking in someone else's shoes. This was just as much about being parents to a trans kid as being a trans kid. We didn't really see it, but Gia said that they basically were just locking her away. So now they're better parents too. 

4 hours ago, bybrandy said:

Sam saves pig

This was my garage band in 8th grade. 

I'd also add to the list - there was one where a guy got his taxi medallion/hack license. Sam helps guy drive a cab in New York City. 

 

[bybrandy]

Did Ian remember both timelines. I thought Gia ran away in both timelines so that Ian remembering meant Gis was going to run away. 

[DoctorAtomic]

I thought he did, but maybe not. Ian remembered Gia playing in the game, which had just happened, but also said she ran away. I was thinking Ian remembered both, but Addison didn't confirm with Ziggy to Ben until after that which was after Ian updated Ziggy. 

 

[Cthulhudrew]

22 hours ago, KaveDweller said:

Although it did seem like they are setting up that other people could be the hologram, since Ian could jump in the imaging chamber to watch the game.

Didn't on one occasion Al bring someone else with him as a hologram, but that person couldn't speak to Sam because he didn't have the neurolink? Am I just imaginging that happened?

Also, to me the first page of illustrations was clearly Ian, but the last one looked more like a combination of Ian and Janice's faces. 

EDIT: Just doublechecked. I was half right; Al was replaced as hologram by Gooshie from the original project QL on a few occasions, but Gooshie was able to speak/interact with Sam without any problems.

Edited February 8, 2023 by Cthulhudrew

[Cthulhudrew]

2 hours ago, Keywestclubkid said:

In the original show wasn’t it implied Al interacted with some of the people that Sam had leapt into in “present day”?

Not implied. In the original, Sam was actually physically switching places with people. He just looked like them to others because he took on their "aura" or something. They appeared in the White Room (as someone else mentioned). We see Al interact with a few of them directly, including his younger self (played by How Do You Talk To An Angel singer Jamie Walters.]

In the new QL, Ben seems to be somehow merging with their bodies or just taking over their brains (I'm not sure if we know whether his real body is still in present-day Project QL or he's a disembodied consciousness).

 

Edited February 8, 2023 by Cthulhudrew

[PurpleTentacle]

9 hours ago, Cthulhudrew said:

Not implied. In the original, Sam was actually physically switching places with people. He just looked like them to others because he took on their "aura" or something. They appeared in the White Room (as someone else mentioned). We see Al interact with a few of them directly, including his younger self (played by How Do You Talk To An Angel singer Jamie Walters.]

If I remember correctly the show flip-floped on how the leaps worked a bunch of times and the writers said in interviews they didn't really know nor care how it worked.

I think just the conciousness leaping is the better option, but then I think Ben's body should really be in a coma in the present day. That would make the most amount of sense.

10 hours ago, DoctorAtomic said:

I thought he did, but maybe not. Ian remembered Gia playing in the game, which had just happened, but also said she ran away.

He only remembered the timeline where the game had happened but she also ran away. Had she not played that game, Ian likely would have never even learned about her. That was the main reason she was known in his circles, because she was allowed to play and turned that game around.

[Keywestclubkid]

52 minutes ago, PurpleTentacle said:

 

I think just the conciousness leaping is the better option, but then I think Ben's body should really be in a coma in the present day. That would make the most amount of sense.

 

It would make sense that the person they leaped into consciousness would then inhabit Bens body if his body was still there .. they really need to explain and explore that 

[meet trouble]

Wait just a minute. Bitchy mom whined in the post-windshield meeting with the principal that when she was in high school, "We didn't even have girls' sports?" How old is she???

This story was set in 2012 and they're in California. Gia is 17, so born in 1995. If we give the parents college and being older than 22 when their kids were born, Bitchy mom would be around my age (graduated HS in the mid-80s), and my small-town HS certainly had girls' sports. Our Girls' Basketball team regularly made it to State.

That was a sloppy line.

[DoctorAtomic]

I think our Karen character was exaggerating. If we stretch, there may not have been every single sport for girls when she was in high school, but also being in around in the 80s, mine had a lot. Although there wasn't girls soccer iirc until the 90s. "Not having any" isn't accurate though. 

 

 

[libgirl2]

4 hours ago, DoctorAtomic said:

I think our Karen character was exaggerating. If we stretch, there may not have been every single sport for girls when she was in high school, but also being in around in the 80s, mine had a lot. Although there wasn't girls soccer iirc until the 90s. "Not having any" isn't accurate though. 

 

 

I went to HS in the early 80s. While I had little interest in sports, we did have a girls basketball team. I also remember softball. Soccer wasn't quite there yet for the girls but it was for the guys. 

[possibilities]

We had volleyball for girls in my high school in the late 1970s. I am not sure about others. Cheerleading, I guess. There was definitely not parity until Title IX was passed, and I can't remember what year that was, but even after it was passed, there was a lot of resistance to it in many places.

[DoctorAtomic]

By the 80s, I would think at least basketball and volleyball would be the norm because you'd already have a court. Maybe softball? 

I mean, the Karen here was putting herself up on the cross, so I was taking what she was saying with a grain of salt. Because she churched it up right after that. She was going full press on getting Carlos fired and Gia run off the team and probably out of the school. 

[KaveDweller]

21 hours ago, DoctorAtomic said:

I thought he did, but maybe not. Ian remembered Gia playing in the game, which had just happened, but also said she ran away. I was thinking Ian remembered both, but Addison didn't confirm with Ziggy to Ben until after that which was after Ian updated Ziggy. 

 

At first I thought Ian remembered both timelines, but then I realized saying he remembered Gia running way meant she still ran away in the new timeline.

11 hours ago, PurpleTentacle said:

If I remember correctly the show flip-floped on how the leaps worked a bunch of times and the writers said in interviews they didn't really know nor care how it worked.

I think just the conciousness leaping is the better option, but then I think Ben's body should really be in a coma in the present day. That would make the most amount of sense.

They were definitely vague about it in the original, but they were pretty consistent about Sam's body being the one to leap and the other person going to the waiting room. The writers probably could never explain how that could be possible though, since they aren't quantum physicists (and it didn't matter).

The new writers have definitely said the waiting room is gone and made it clear on the show that Ben's body is not leaping (for now). It does seem like an easier concept to explain. And maybe with so much story spent on QL staff they didn't want to also have to show the person in the waiting room. 

[DoctorAtomic]

The OG show didn't regularly show the leapee in the Waiting Room. As much as I like sci-fi, neither OG or now is a sci-fi show fundamentally. As long as whatever internal logic there is, is consistent, I think it's fine. 

The poem at the slam probably is how the show is looking at how the leaps go. I'm slightly concerned as to where Ben's body actually is because that could affect whether he can 'come home' as Ben. On the other hand, in the finale, Sam leaped as 'himself' and there was no one in the Waiting Room. And that was the extent of that in terms of explanation. They showed that there were other leapers like Sam; i.e., as themselves in the finale. Then Sam leaped again as himself to Beth, and leaped out. As far as we know, he's still leaping as himself. So this could happen to Ben when it needs to. 

I tend to prefer it this way because I thought the poem and Hudson's ensuing scene were really well done. I don't know if he was directed to, but to me Hudson was playing Magic as if he was talking to a fellow veteran; an experience only they both could truly know. He can talk to Ian about 'letting the push in', but that could only go so far. 

 

[ripple596]

I graduated high school in 1982 and we had one girl on our boys football team and one boy on the girls field hockey team and he wore the the skirt that was the girls' uniform.

[Linderhill]

I graduated from high school in 1978 and my high school had a girls softball team, field hockey team, gymnastics team, basketball team, bowling team, track, volleyball, golf and tennis team.  There were girls on the cross country team too.  I don't remember whether there was a girls soccer team.  And it was not a super huge school or a rich one, just a high school in NJ with 6 sending districts.  I guess we were just more well rounded than other school systems.  I also remember when they made gym class co-ed and we girls were allowed to wear shorts and tee shirts like the boys instead of hideous gym suits (yes, that was a thing and they were awful) I do recall in the late '80's and 90's that there was big fights in college programs to get equal funding for women's sports versus men's sports.  That is when the whole equity in sports was being fought.  (I went to a women's college so that wasn't a factor there)

In relating to the show, I do like that we got to spend so much more time with Ben in his leap and that Magic was doing his own investigation.  Seeing that sketch of Ian was a surprise so it will be interesting to see how that works out.

I was a big fan of the original QL and I remember some of the quirkiest leaps.  When Sam switched places with Al and Al leapt into the past.  Sam was home but started taking on some of Al's mannerisms.  It was one of the first times Sam remembered his wife.  When Sam leapt into the rape victim and he had to testify for her, Al brought her thru the accelerator and relayed her words.  I don't remember which episode it is but there was a time Al brought Verbena thru to talk to Sam for some psychological help.  And then there was the infamous episode that Sam leapt into Dr. Ruth.  'nuff said on that one... 

[possibilities]

35 minutes ago, Linderhill said:

softball team, field hockey team, gymnastics team, basketball team, bowling team, track, volleyball, golf and tennis team

My school didn't have that many sports for males OR females!

Gym class was co-ed, though. And no uniforms.

I think schools vary a lot from district to district.

[PurpleTentacle]

On 2/8/2023 at 2:45 PM, Keywestclubkid said:

It would make sense that the person they leaped into consciousness would then inhabit Bens body if his body was still there .. they really need to explain and explore that 

I mean they established this episode that the original conciousness is still there, only surpressed and sometimes gets glimpses. That's how the bartender remembered Ian in the mirror and Magic said that he remembered Sam the same way. So conciousness swapping doesn't seem to be the case, but it would be a good explaination for the original show, how those people were in the waiting room, without bodies being swaped and auras and that kind of bullshit.

But for the new show it would be good if Ben's body was just in a coma and they retcon that old stuff. Otherwise they really need to come up with a good explaination on what happened with his body.

[DoctorAtomic]

iirc Magic said to Ian he didn't remember the 2 days Sam leaped into him and only had memories or glimpses. He didn't know he saved the platoon until later. This Ian leap sounded different to me, where the poet was there, but 'not driving'. It almost sounded like when the Tok'ra took over a host in Stargate, when Sam's dad was talking to Jack. I'm reaching way back there. 

On a tragic side, it could be that now when you leap; that's it. Your body is gone. That seems too dark for this kind of show though. I like talking about the show, but it's not a huge point for me. Like I said before, it seems that this QL is still operating under Sam leaping around as himself, and that Sam can control his leaps. 

It stands to reason that Ben is controlling the leaps in a way since he and Janis made the 'map' or whatever you want to call it. 

As far as Ian leaping, with no other context, Ian could have leaped out of desperation or no other option. If Ben is still out there leaping around, Ian would have to leap back to before Ben's first leap to communicate with him.