S01.E15: Ben Song for the Defense

[secnarf]

Quote

When Ben leaps into a harried public defender, he must keep an innocent teenager accused of murder out of prison for life. In an unexpected turn of events, Jenn puts her legal expertise to the test as she steps in as the hologram on this complicated leap.

Original air date: March 13 2023

[AnimeMania]

Nate Walker as Tyler Hamlin

Edward Gelhaus as Biker Stuart
Diandra Lyle as ADA Vicky Davis
Isaac Arellanes as Leo Diaz
Tina D'Marco as Grandma Layla
Michael Garza as Camilo

Megan Robinson as Ada

[iMonrey]

This was a pretty good episode. Watching Ben stumble around in high heels and a skirt was a hoot. Reminiscent of the OG when Sam leaped into a woman.

I actually preferred Jen as the holo helper. She was funnier, edgier, and we were spared the schmoopines of Ben and Addison. It sort of underscores the problem with the hologram being Ben's love interest. The show would be better served if they revolved who went into the imaging chamber depending on the expertise required for that leap.

[AnimeMania]

My favorite part of the show is the speeches that Ben gives, they are so good.

[Irlandesa]

2 hours ago, iMonrey said:

The show would be better served if they revolved who went into the imaging chamber depending on the expertise required for that leap.

I agree.  I think having Jenn there helped the leap and helped make Jenn more interesting. 

[Lisa418722]

6 hours ago, iMonrey said:

This was a pretty good episode. Watching Ben stumble around in high heels and a skirt was a hoot. Reminiscent of the OG when Sam leaped into a woman.

I actually preferred Jen as the holo helper. She was funnier, edgier, and we were spared the schmoopines of Ben and Addison. It sort of underscores the problem with the hologram being Ben's love interest. The show would be better served if they revolved who went into the imaging chamber depending on the expertise required for that leap.

I also preferred Jenn.  Addison is Project Quantum Leap's weak link in my opinion.  I have tried to like her, but...  I like Ian and Magic.  This episode helped me to realize I like Jenn. Before this episode, I didn't not like her, but she was just there. I didn't feel like I knew her well enough to like her or not like her.  But Addison, I'm not sure if it is the actress or the character, but whatever it is, the character does not work for me and I have tried, believe me, I have tried to like her. In last week's episode when she was talking to her dad seemed like they were paying homage to Al dancing and talking to Beth, but it fell flat to me.  

Seeing Ben stumble in the heels also brought back memories of Sam.  The last couple of episodes seems like they are trying to be more OG QL. 

[bybrandy]

10 hours ago, iMonrey said:

This was a pretty good episode. Watching Ben stumble around in high heels and a skirt was a hoot. Reminiscent of the OG when Sam leaped into a woman.

I actually preferred Jen as the holo helper. She was funnier, edgier, and we were spared the schmoopines of Ben and Addison. It sort of underscores the problem with the hologram being Ben's love interest. The show would be better served if they revolved who went into the imaging chamber depending on the expertise required for that leap.

I was so groaning when I realized she was going to be the hologram because she is the person who feels unnecessary to me but I loved her as the hologram. Still team Ian as hologram but legit Jen was fun. And I think having new people in the chamber upon occasion has some real merit. 
 

and they showed a wrap up of what happened to the people!  

[iMonrey]

Quote

I also preferred Jenn.  Addison is Project Quantum Leap's weak link in my opinion.  I have tried to like her, but...  I like Ian and Magic.  This episode helped me to realize I like Jenn.

I thought it was funny when she gave Ben the horse racing results so the kid could get bail money. That seems like something Addison wouldn't have done. She seemed less concerned about rule breaking or the butterfly effect. It was more of a "let's just get this done" attitude.

[Nerfect Drifty]

It's nice to see that they have improved the imaging chamber technology so that they can switch holographic observers around.  I remember one episode of the original series, Al had important stuff to do in the present (hunt down and recapture the visitor who had escaped the waiting room) so Gooshie had to sub in as observer.  Only making the brain wave connection wasn't easy so he kept flickering in and out.

Seems like maybe they should have people taking shifts doing the observer thing.  There's no reason Addison needs to be on it full time.

[Trini]

This was another solid episode; again, helped by the fact that it concentrated on one story. However, it reminded me why I don't really watch 'lawyer shows'! But it was fine for this one episode.

So Ben hasn't kissed (or been kissed by) a man on the lips yet, right?

I liked that while Camilo was the main person Ben had to help, he had several 'missions' in this leap.

I can't exactly put my finger on what it is that Addison or the actress lacks, but yes, I really liked Jenn as the hologram over Addison. Addison might technically be a better helper for Ben, but I think Jenn had a better chemistry, or at least more interesting interactions with Ben.

Speaking of Jenn -- am I understanding correctly? She went to prison, and she got her law degree in prison, but she wasn't actually really a practicing, licensed lawyer?

[linda61]

Watching a recording now, I'm betting that once the trial is over, Ben will not be able to leap until he gets Stuart's motorcycle back.

 

ETA: Looks like I was wrong about that, but Stuart and his motorcycle did play into the main story. 

Edited March 14, 2023 by linda61

[Aliconehead]

4 hours ago, Trini said:

This was another solid episode; again, helped by the fact that it concentrated on one story. However, it reminded me why I don't really watch 'lawyer shows'! But it was fine for this one episode.

So Ben hasn't kissed (or been kissed by) a man on the lips yet, right?

I liked that while Camilo was the main person Ben had to help, he had several 'missions' in this leap.

I can't exactly put my finger on what it is that Addison or the actress lacks, but yes, I really liked Jenn as the hologram over Addison. Addison might technically be a better helper for Ben, but I think Jenn had a better chemistry, or at least more interesting interactions with Ben.

Speaking of Jenn -- am I understanding correctly? She went to prison, and she got her law degree in prison, but she wasn't actually really a practicing, licensed lawyer?

Was he kissed my Justin Hartley in the bounty Hunter episode?  I can not remember for sure but I seem to have a vague recollection of a kiss. 

[Trini]

1 hour ago, Aliconehead said:

Was he kissed my Justin Hartley in the bounty Hunter episode?  I can not remember for sure but I seem to have a vague recollection of a kiss. 

He was, but he just kissed him on the forehead.

Edited March 14, 2023 by Trini

[marketdoctor]

Quote

Speaking of Jenn -- am I understanding correctly? She went to prison, and she got her law degree in prison, but she wasn't actually really a practicing, licensed lawyer?

My memory, and I could just watch it again, was that she knew she'd get in trouble with the law, so she studied enough to get a law degree, but she's "not a lawyer".  Whether that means she never took the bar, or didn't pass it (and the way she's written, probably the former) fits.  About half of people with law degrees don't practice law.

I didn't remember her saying she went to prison, but that might be accurate.

[Trini]

26 minutes ago, marketdoctor said:

I didn't remember her saying she went to prison, but that might be accurate.

It wasn't outright stated, but implied; I think. I also have to re-watch. Jenn said something like, she was 'a hacker that got caught', and that apparently led to her studying law. Well, that's my understanding at least.

Edited March 14, 2023 by Trini

[iMonrey]

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I can't exactly put my finger on what it is that Addison or the actress lacks,

She has a very low-key personality and just isn't that interesting or compelling. Not as a character in her own right and not as Ben's love interest. Ben himself is sort of low-key and lacks the charisma of Scott Bakula, so here it's even more important for him to have a counterpart that balances him out, a proverbial yin to his yang. 

I think it's also a big mistake to have that counterpart be his love interest because they're too focused on their relationship rather than the mission at hand. Someone who isn't invested emotionally in Ben (at least not to the extent that Addison is) works better because they don't have the patience to put up with his crap and can urge him to do what needs to be done.

Having someone like Jenn be the hologram really underscored what isn't working with Addison in that role.

[Cthulhudrew]

Ah, the miracles of the television legal system. If this had been the real world, Ben would have been stuck in that leap for months (if not years) instead of just a couple days.

[possibilities]

I like that this show can have same sex couples and that is NOT the story.

Edited March 15, 2023 by possibilities

[DoctorAtomic]

Did Sam ever leap into two women consecutively? I know he leapt into the women's prison, but not where he was before. 

Having the side bets in HQ is a nice touch too. I like the slice of things going on while Ben is leaping around. 

Good call on trying to track Leaper X; uh, I mean Martinez. It would be even better if they knew where he was. And we got Jenn in the Imaging Chamber. Surely, Ian has to be next! I'm not as down on Bassett as the general opinion here; I do agree with some of the criticisms though. However, I also agree that Jenn was a good change of pace, and it opens TPTB up for a wider narrative direction, in getting Ian, Magic, *Janis* in there when it is the right choice for the leap. 

I liked Ben's subtle 'oh hello' to Jenn because he didn't know who she was. 

I did like some of the suspense with Ben catching up on everything and the minutiae like the missing page. I also enjoyed Ben actually fumbling around and not suddenly remember he used to be a lawyer. I mean, I loved the OG show as much as anyone here, but Sam had *seven* PhDs. Come on. There's no way even the public defender in real life could have managed that case without a team and the best computer in history. 

Well, I suppose our discussion last week about not playing the lottery was torpedoed. Or Ziggy being prevented from doing so. Jenn is way fast and loose. She also yelled a lot. I do have to slightly disagree with Addison not being helpful to Ben. She wasn't supposed to be the hologram, so there is an adjustment. Ben wasn't supposed to be the leaper. It's taken time for both of them to get squared away. He's clearly relied on her. To her credit, Addison backed off and didn't argue about Jenn stepping in. 

The back half of this season has been really good. It's a broadcast show, so there's limitations, but within that, it's fine. I hope they can knock these final three out of the park. 

The ending scene reminded me of when Sam leaped into the guy that got electroshock!

 

 

[Starchild]

16 hours ago, Cthulhudrew said:

Ah, the miracles of the television legal system. If this had been the real world, Ben would have been stuck in that leap for months (if not years) instead of just a couple days.

They had the show cut from night to the next morning. Ben finally got some sleep!

[Irlandesa]

17 hours ago, possibilities said:

I like that this show can have same sex couples and that is NOT the story.

While I agree, I thought it was a little out of place for 1985 to have two women kissing in the courthouse breakroom. 

[DoctorAtomic]

I do wonder if perhaps the point of the leap could have been to get the girlfriend on the right track by Ben working the case. Without Ben there, we know that the 10 year deal was taken, so the missing page would never had been an issue. You could see her going down the same 'win at all costs' path as the DA. By taking the case, she ends up at the Innocence Project. That one case actually had wider repercussions. I don't know if that was deliberate on the writers, but it's really what the show can be about. 

Even in the NASA episode we see the effect of Sam's efforts from his very first leap. 

[Nerfect Drifty]

19 hours ago, Cthulhudrew said:

Ah, the miracles of the television legal system. If this had been the real world, Ben would have been stuck in that leap for months (if not years) instead of just a couple days.

Wasn't all the pre-trial work done already?  He was about to take a deal.

Remember that episode from the original series where Sam leaped into the woman who had just been raped?  In less than a week is the crime, arrest, trial, and verdict.  That one was really nuts.

[DoctorAtomic]

Everything was done, but when Ben changed the plea at the last minute, the trial was set for the afternoon. Then Ben had to go through all the evidence box. 

The judge said something like, "You're going to throw away four weeks of negotiations." 

[TheOtherOne]

On 3/14/2023 at 10:04 PM, DoctorAtomic said:

Did Sam ever leap into two women consecutively? I know he leapt into the women's prison, but not where he was before.

If this hasn't been answered yet--yes. In the final season he went from "Liberation," where he was the housewife in the women's lib movement (which ended with him getting kissed by his/her husband) to "Dr. Ruth," where he was...well, you know.

[Trini]

2 hours ago, TheOtherOne said:

... to "Dr. Ruth," where he was...well, you know.

I ... don't?

[TheOtherOne]

He was Dr. Ruth, the person (and real-life celebrity, who appeared as herself) named in the title of the episode.

[Funfoody]

My husband, who is director of cybersecurity education at his college, which has a cybersecurity degree, feels that Jenn should be fired, or at least demoted and they should get somebody way more competant to lead cybersecurity for a project of this size and importance.  But for Addison and Ben, he's kind of like, all soap operas have meh characters like that to strech the plot. As a former physicist who now teaches software engineering, I kind of enjoy Ben's plotlines. He's okay, but Addison is a bit annoying. Both me and my husband love Ian, though.