#525515
Star-Crossed
Original air date: March 31, 1989
Written by: Deborah Pratt
Directed By: Mark Sobel
Leap Date: June 15, 1972
This Time: Sam into a professor teaching a class with an awful lot of coeds. He is Dr. Gerald Bryant and after fumbling through the last few minutes of class, the bell grants him mercy. Unfortunately, one of his students, Jamie-Lee is very enamored with him. They’ve consummated their relationship at least twice and she has told her dad of their love. She’s also told Oscar, who goes to a nearby college and is interested in Jamie-Lee. Sam sends Jamie-Lee off to tell her father and Oscar that there’s nothing between them.
Al arrives and tells Sam that the two are married soon, shotgun style. There’s a big chance that if they don’t get married, they don’t ruin their lives. Sam has other ideas. On his way home, he saw Donna, an ex-flame of his. He believes that he’s there to put her on the path to staying with Sam. Originally, Donna broke off their engagement though Sam believes he can change that.
Sam goes to an on-campus hangout to rekindle (prekindle?) things with Donna. It doesn’t go well with him leaping into a boozed out fraternizing professor. Also, Oscar shows up. Sam gives him some advice on how to patch things up with Jamie-Lee. During this time, Donna takes off.
Sam figures out that Donna’s estranged relationship with her father would lead to her not committing to their relationship. A little hint from Al tells him to go to Washington D.C. to patch things up on that front. Sam gets a hold of Donna’s father, a Colonel who is ready to ship out to Vietnam. The Colonel is unwilling to reach out to his daughter, meaning that Sam must go to D.C.
The four take Oscar’s car out (after Oscar punches Sam in the face) but Sam and Donna cannot get past security. They sneak around and find a door with the lock taped off. Father and daughter reconcile. Security sees a strange car in the lot and investigates, calling local police to the Watergate Hotel. Sam leaps …
… into the boxing ring and is clobbered.
Fact Check: While the Watergate security did notice that a door was taped open, they didn’t notice a car in the lot prompting them to check the perimeter.
Stop talking to yourself: Sam laments how once he gets a feel for things, he has to leap, which is an odd statement for his third leap. Also, he wonders why so many of his students are looking at him like he’s Tom Cruise. As he wanders the familiar halls of the science building, he wonders why he leaped into an English professor.
Only Sam can see and hear: Al reminds Sam that the most important rule they established is that a time traveler may not interfere with their own life. Plus, UV lights make Al look like a ghost.
He also goes out of his way to covertly tell Sam where Donna’s dad is stationed, a deed serious enough to get him fired.
Mirror images that were not his own: Sam looks at Dr. Bryant in the mirror and does not see someone resembling Tom Cruise. At all.
Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow: There’s a committee that has approval over Project Quantum Leap chaired by Weitzman.
Let’s up the rating: Jamie-Lee and Dr. Bryant have been busy. They’ve consummated their relationship in his house, and the belltower. Plus, there’s all sorts of … ‘marital aids’ in a cabinet.
One more time: “Isn’t Jamie-Lee in your thoughts night and day?” “Except for wrestling practice.”
Sam to Oscar and back again.
The Rainbow Treknection: Teri Hatcher has a very featured role in this episode as Donna. This is very early in her career, before Desperate Housewives and Lois and Clark..
Trivial Matters: Sam gives an opening Saga Sell starting with this episode to fill in the audience. He will continue to do so into the second season.
Put Right what Once Went Wrong: “Dr. Bryant, I’m perfectly capable of getting an A in your class by simply doing the work.” It’s rough to do a second episode. You’ve established they groundwork in the pilot, but then have to get into business as usual. This can quickly get muddling as the show settles into a rhythm.
On paper, this shouldn’t work. The first two thirds of the episode are a melodramatic romantic comedy but gets into dramatic territory in the last third with a sprinkling on history.
The comedy works magnificently. Leslie Sachs is over the top as Jamie-Lee, but it’s what the role requires. Every line is delivered as simply smitten. Michael McGrady is great as a dumb jock, doing things to the letter but not quite getting the meaning.
The highlight is Teri Hatcher as Donna. You can see the chemistry she has with Bakula, The two have some great scenes together and they deliver what is asked of them several times. You get a sense that the two did hit it off and can see how they would be attracted to each other. The foursome are the core of this episode and they all do a great job working off each other.
The last third is weaker. Michael Gregory isn’t as successful as his guest stars, but he plays a doting father who might be shipping off to his death well. It’s no fault of his that he didn’t have enough time to develop a rapport, but it isn’t as necessary as he is supposed to be emotionally distant.
It gets a little worse when the show has to work in the Watergate scandal, which feels like it’s written as opposed to something that would naturally come up, but it is a neat twist. Plus, Al is still not working out with his womanizing ways, but there’s a lot to like here.
The show is off to a good start.
Original air date: March 31, 1989
Written by: Deborah Pratt
Directed By: Mark Sobel
Leap Date: June 15, 1972
This Time: Sam into a professor teaching a class with an awful lot of coeds. He is Dr. Gerald Bryant and after fumbling through the last few minutes of class, the bell grants him mercy. Unfortunately, one of his students, Jamie-Lee is very enamored with him. They’ve consummated their relationship at least twice and she has told her dad of their love. She’s also told Oscar, who goes to a nearby college and is interested in Jamie-Lee. Sam sends Jamie-Lee off to tell her father and Oscar that there’s nothing between them.
Al arrives and tells Sam that the two are married soon, shotgun style. There’s a big chance that if they don’t get married, they don’t ruin their lives. Sam has other ideas. On his way home, he saw Donna, an ex-flame of his. He believes that he’s there to put her on the path to staying with Sam. Originally, Donna broke off their engagement though Sam believes he can change that.
Sam goes to an on-campus hangout to rekindle (prekindle?) things with Donna. It doesn’t go well with him leaping into a boozed out fraternizing professor. Also, Oscar shows up. Sam gives him some advice on how to patch things up with Jamie-Lee. During this time, Donna takes off.
Sam figures out that Donna’s estranged relationship with her father would lead to her not committing to their relationship. A little hint from Al tells him to go to Washington D.C. to patch things up on that front. Sam gets a hold of Donna’s father, a Colonel who is ready to ship out to Vietnam. The Colonel is unwilling to reach out to his daughter, meaning that Sam must go to D.C.
The four take Oscar’s car out (after Oscar punches Sam in the face) but Sam and Donna cannot get past security. They sneak around and find a door with the lock taped off. Father and daughter reconcile. Security sees a strange car in the lot and investigates, calling local police to the Watergate Hotel. Sam leaps …
… into the boxing ring and is clobbered.
Fact Check: While the Watergate security did notice that a door was taped open, they didn’t notice a car in the lot prompting them to check the perimeter.
Stop talking to yourself: Sam laments how once he gets a feel for things, he has to leap, which is an odd statement for his third leap. Also, he wonders why so many of his students are looking at him like he’s Tom Cruise. As he wanders the familiar halls of the science building, he wonders why he leaped into an English professor.
Only Sam can see and hear: Al reminds Sam that the most important rule they established is that a time traveler may not interfere with their own life. Plus, UV lights make Al look like a ghost.
He also goes out of his way to covertly tell Sam where Donna’s dad is stationed, a deed serious enough to get him fired.
Mirror images that were not his own: Sam looks at Dr. Bryant in the mirror and does not see someone resembling Tom Cruise. At all.
Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow: There’s a committee that has approval over Project Quantum Leap chaired by Weitzman.
Let’s up the rating: Jamie-Lee and Dr. Bryant have been busy. They’ve consummated their relationship in his house, and the belltower. Plus, there’s all sorts of … ‘marital aids’ in a cabinet.
One more time: “Isn’t Jamie-Lee in your thoughts night and day?” “Except for wrestling practice.”
Sam to Oscar and back again.
The Rainbow Treknection: Teri Hatcher has a very featured role in this episode as Donna. This is very early in her career, before Desperate Housewives and Lois and Clark..
Trivial Matters: Sam gives an opening Saga Sell starting with this episode to fill in the audience. He will continue to do so into the second season.
Put Right what Once Went Wrong: “Dr. Bryant, I’m perfectly capable of getting an A in your class by simply doing the work.” It’s rough to do a second episode. You’ve established they groundwork in the pilot, but then have to get into business as usual. This can quickly get muddling as the show settles into a rhythm.
On paper, this shouldn’t work. The first two thirds of the episode are a melodramatic romantic comedy but gets into dramatic territory in the last third with a sprinkling on history.
The comedy works magnificently. Leslie Sachs is over the top as Jamie-Lee, but it’s what the role requires. Every line is delivered as simply smitten. Michael McGrady is great as a dumb jock, doing things to the letter but not quite getting the meaning.
The highlight is Teri Hatcher as Donna. You can see the chemistry she has with Bakula, The two have some great scenes together and they deliver what is asked of them several times. You get a sense that the two did hit it off and can see how they would be attracted to each other. The foursome are the core of this episode and they all do a great job working off each other.
The last third is weaker. Michael Gregory isn’t as successful as his guest stars, but he plays a doting father who might be shipping off to his death well. It’s no fault of his that he didn’t have enough time to develop a rapport, but it isn’t as necessary as he is supposed to be emotionally distant.
It gets a little worse when the show has to work in the Watergate scandal, which feels like it’s written as opposed to something that would naturally come up, but it is a neat twist. Plus, Al is still not working out with his womanizing ways, but there’s a lot to like here.
The show is off to a good start.
Last edited by Faithful Reader on Sun Aug 30, 2020 11:56 am, edited 1 time in total.
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