#574111
"Deliver Us From Evil"
Original Air Date: November 10, 1992
Written by: Deborah Pratt & Robin Jill Bernheim & Tommy Thompson
Directed by: Bob Hulme
Leap date: March 19, 1966
This time: Sam leaps into a forklift raging out of control. A man comes to help whom Sam recognizes as Frank LaMotta. A mirror confirms he is leapt back into Jimmy LaMotta. In the interim, Frank has gotten some sort of promotion that includes an office and an assistant. Also, Jimmy got Employee of the Month recently.
At home, Connie is hanging up the laundry while chatting with a redhead named Zoe. She bemoans rote household chores when Frank and Sam come home. Dinner does not go well as Connie and Frank get into an argument about gender roles in the late sixties. Privately, Corey asks Jimmy if they can run away together. As of late, Connie and Frank have been arguing and Connie has been ignoring Corey. Sam talks him out of it.
Al arrives and begs Sam to stop changing history. What was once a fairy tale ending is now a divorce for the couple, a life as a runaway for Corey and spending the rest of his days in an institution for Jimmy. They do not know what happened, but they do know that Frank leaves Connie for his assistant, Shirley. Sam intercedes in a move to make sure that sparks do not fly too much between the two. It works, but Frank decides to go for a ride afterwards.
Not making headway with Frank, Sam talks to Connie trying to get her to work on the marriage. She is not receptive, and things escalate when they touch arms, she shimmers and morphs into an entirely different person. Her name is Alia, and she is from the future. A different imaging chamber door opens, and Zoe comes out of it. At first eager to get the gorgeous eye candy that is Sam, she charges Alia with being quiet and goes back through the door to someone or something called Lothos.
Al appears and realizes that there is someone else leaping, which Ziggy can confirm for some reason left as an exercise for the viewer. Sam talks with Alia but while he is open, she is less sure about sharing information, though she is able to feign a foggy memory of which Sam is all too familiar with. She perks up quite a bit at learning that Sam was there before and says that her mission is to make Jimmy more independent.
Through Al, Sam finds out that Frank is about to break his sacred marriage vow with Shirley. Unable to convince Frank to stay faithful, Sam confers with Alia. She seduces him but when things escalate, Frank comes home. As Sam rushes to get dressed, Alia rips her dress and cries rape.
Frank is furious and it is only Al’s urging that prevents Sam from fighting back. He tries telling Frank the truth (about being seduced, not about leaping) but to no avail. Sam is locked in the room leaving him and Al to speculate. Meanwhile, Alia asks Frank to call a doctor and get Jimmy revaluated. Alia wonders why she has not leaped and through Zoe, Lothos tasks her with killing Sam. Al realizes that she is his counterpart, and evil leaper. Sam talks her out of shooting him as they bond over leaping. She gives the gun to Sam, starts to distort, and leaps out …
… and Sam leaps in. Connie is visiting her sister and Frank is ready to take Jimmy to work. It is two days later (give or take a few hours; it was night when everything changed but is the morning now) and there is no trace of Alia though Sam is sure he will see her again. Sam leaps …
… into a man in a swamp holding an oar. He quickly notices that body in the swamp which is starting to lose color.
Fact check: Gemini 8’s emergency landing gives Sam an idea of how long it has been since he first leapt into Jimmy.
Stop talking to yourself: Sam is beyond thrilled to be back in familiar territory, apparently forgetting he went home a couple seasons ago. He is also a fan of tv dinners, wolfing it down while his brother, nephew and sister-in-law are trying hard not to play with it.
Only Sam can see and hear: Al is enamored by Shirley’s profile, being a young woman and former gymnast. He also knows that when you help someone move, you get sweaty and might need to take a shower leading us to question how many times he has helped women move.
Mirror images that were not his own: Two leapers, two mirror effects. All right, more like four but Sam and Alia face the reflections of their leapees.
Brush with history: Sam introduces the term ‘junk food’ into the vernacular, after learning how Corey has been in the dumps as of late. Al even calls him out on it.
Something or someone: Sam talks about how he does not leap until he makes things better. Alia agrees while lying through her teeth. Their leaping does come into play in the end when they realize that they need each other.
It’s a science project: Even without looking at the directions, Sam knows the importance of leaving the foil on the TV dinners for the best results.
Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow: Ziggy is freaking out as to why Sam leapt not only in close proximity to a prior leap but someone that things went so well, he leaped out. Dr. Beeks is tasked with calming the supercomputer.
Let’s up the rating: Zoe is every bit as interested in the wild amore of the opposite gender as Al, particularly is sizing up Sam. Also, Sam does a great job of making sure things do not get too heated between Frank and Shirley.
One more time: “She’s insisting that history is changing, so whatever you’re doing, you better stop it.” “I ate a TV dinner, now is that changing history?”
Al giving a warning and Sam wondering how fickle history can be.
Trivial Matters: Sam does not utter his catchphrase at the start of this episode. Frank gets that honor.
We also have another instance of more than one leap per episode giving us five, after Genesis, Double Identity, The Leap Back and Lee Harvey Oswald.
Put right what once went wrong: “Are you talking to a hologram?” By the very nature of the program, Quantum Leap has a lot of flexibility in the stories it can tell. With that flexibility comes limitations as direct sequels are almost entirely off the table. Maybe a prequal or a meeting someone he knew from a prior leap indirectly, but if Sam fixes things, why would he ever go back?
It is a genius premise to start with. Sam revels in being back with the LaMottas. He gets to talk with Connie, loves being with his brother Frank and has time to spend with Corey. The three main actors from Jimmy returned and Sam picks up right where he left off. He does his best to keep the family together and keep Frank on the straight and narrow. The writers did an excellent job of giving us scenes with Sam and Frank, Sam and Corey, Sam and Connie to show that things were starting to slip but these are very much the same characters we saw on screen two years ago.
Of course, ‘things going well’ is not a compelling story, so we have Frank straying from Connie. We see Corey being pushed out and Connie promoting Jimmy’s independence for some reason. Things will become clear down the road, but initially it is a good mystery. As Connie, Alia is trying to push Jimmy out and there are references in the end of the episode to her being a homewrecker. Making things worse by making them better for someone is great. There are clues laid in as the episode progresses, little things like Connie ‘forgetting’ Frank’s lunch, making crappy TV dinners, and being rude to Corey but only as of late. It does raise questions why she is pushing the family apart when she claims to be trying to bring them together and Sam does not realize at all. The writing is strong particularly with Corey. Ryan McWhorlter grew a bit since we last saw him, but he can still have an emotional scene with an adult.
Having someone going around time being evil is an intriguing concept, one played around with in the Boogeyman. There, it was in the face of Al and at the very end of the episode. Here, we have someone who is Sam’s counterpart, even with a hologram and supercomputer of her own. The revelation is only in the last ten minutes of the episode, but Carolyn Seymour as Zoe and Renee Coleman as Alia talk about their history. It is not outright said how long they have been doing their actions, but it stated out small and got bigger as time went on. There is a serious question as to whether or not one can exist without the other. It is a fun thought experiment, but things can go wrong easily enough without someone helping history get crappy.
The effects team gets to have some fun in it all as well. The effect for the door, the leap out effect, even Zoe’s handlink are all different. Alia leaps out red because of course that is how science works. This brings up all sorts of questions since we see history changed each week, but it never requires a leap, certainly not an effect, along with missing two days, to resolve. Did Frank not sleep with Shirley? Did Connie start making meals from scratch again?
In between the two plots above we have Sam meeting another leaper. There is the requisite wondering why Sam has not leaped out whenAlia is there to help out but their scenes where they realize who the other is has a lot of fun moments. Al is thrilled and Zoe is interested in someone who looks like Scott Bakula but quickly turns venomous. The hints are there, and Alia plays off not being able to remember. For once Sam can talk to someone empathetically. There are times when Al does not do the trick and Alia is someone he can talk to and relate to. Today we would call this a mythology episode but if this series is to grow and expand, this is the first step towards doing so.
The acting is great all around as is the writing. There are only a few new actors and both old and new do their jobs well. Thankfully, the writers left the door open for another episode for the Evil Leaper to return.
Original Air Date: November 10, 1992
Written by: Deborah Pratt & Robin Jill Bernheim & Tommy Thompson
Directed by: Bob Hulme
Leap date: March 19, 1966
This time: Sam leaps into a forklift raging out of control. A man comes to help whom Sam recognizes as Frank LaMotta. A mirror confirms he is leapt back into Jimmy LaMotta. In the interim, Frank has gotten some sort of promotion that includes an office and an assistant. Also, Jimmy got Employee of the Month recently.
At home, Connie is hanging up the laundry while chatting with a redhead named Zoe. She bemoans rote household chores when Frank and Sam come home. Dinner does not go well as Connie and Frank get into an argument about gender roles in the late sixties. Privately, Corey asks Jimmy if they can run away together. As of late, Connie and Frank have been arguing and Connie has been ignoring Corey. Sam talks him out of it.
Al arrives and begs Sam to stop changing history. What was once a fairy tale ending is now a divorce for the couple, a life as a runaway for Corey and spending the rest of his days in an institution for Jimmy. They do not know what happened, but they do know that Frank leaves Connie for his assistant, Shirley. Sam intercedes in a move to make sure that sparks do not fly too much between the two. It works, but Frank decides to go for a ride afterwards.
Not making headway with Frank, Sam talks to Connie trying to get her to work on the marriage. She is not receptive, and things escalate when they touch arms, she shimmers and morphs into an entirely different person. Her name is Alia, and she is from the future. A different imaging chamber door opens, and Zoe comes out of it. At first eager to get the gorgeous eye candy that is Sam, she charges Alia with being quiet and goes back through the door to someone or something called Lothos.
Al appears and realizes that there is someone else leaping, which Ziggy can confirm for some reason left as an exercise for the viewer. Sam talks with Alia but while he is open, she is less sure about sharing information, though she is able to feign a foggy memory of which Sam is all too familiar with. She perks up quite a bit at learning that Sam was there before and says that her mission is to make Jimmy more independent.
Through Al, Sam finds out that Frank is about to break his sacred marriage vow with Shirley. Unable to convince Frank to stay faithful, Sam confers with Alia. She seduces him but when things escalate, Frank comes home. As Sam rushes to get dressed, Alia rips her dress and cries rape.
Frank is furious and it is only Al’s urging that prevents Sam from fighting back. He tries telling Frank the truth (about being seduced, not about leaping) but to no avail. Sam is locked in the room leaving him and Al to speculate. Meanwhile, Alia asks Frank to call a doctor and get Jimmy revaluated. Alia wonders why she has not leaped and through Zoe, Lothos tasks her with killing Sam. Al realizes that she is his counterpart, and evil leaper. Sam talks her out of shooting him as they bond over leaping. She gives the gun to Sam, starts to distort, and leaps out …
… and Sam leaps in. Connie is visiting her sister and Frank is ready to take Jimmy to work. It is two days later (give or take a few hours; it was night when everything changed but is the morning now) and there is no trace of Alia though Sam is sure he will see her again. Sam leaps …
… into a man in a swamp holding an oar. He quickly notices that body in the swamp which is starting to lose color.
Fact check: Gemini 8’s emergency landing gives Sam an idea of how long it has been since he first leapt into Jimmy.
Stop talking to yourself: Sam is beyond thrilled to be back in familiar territory, apparently forgetting he went home a couple seasons ago. He is also a fan of tv dinners, wolfing it down while his brother, nephew and sister-in-law are trying hard not to play with it.
Only Sam can see and hear: Al is enamored by Shirley’s profile, being a young woman and former gymnast. He also knows that when you help someone move, you get sweaty and might need to take a shower leading us to question how many times he has helped women move.
Mirror images that were not his own: Two leapers, two mirror effects. All right, more like four but Sam and Alia face the reflections of their leapees.
Brush with history: Sam introduces the term ‘junk food’ into the vernacular, after learning how Corey has been in the dumps as of late. Al even calls him out on it.
Something or someone: Sam talks about how he does not leap until he makes things better. Alia agrees while lying through her teeth. Their leaping does come into play in the end when they realize that they need each other.
It’s a science project: Even without looking at the directions, Sam knows the importance of leaving the foil on the TV dinners for the best results.
Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow: Ziggy is freaking out as to why Sam leapt not only in close proximity to a prior leap but someone that things went so well, he leaped out. Dr. Beeks is tasked with calming the supercomputer.
Let’s up the rating: Zoe is every bit as interested in the wild amore of the opposite gender as Al, particularly is sizing up Sam. Also, Sam does a great job of making sure things do not get too heated between Frank and Shirley.
One more time: “She’s insisting that history is changing, so whatever you’re doing, you better stop it.” “I ate a TV dinner, now is that changing history?”
Al giving a warning and Sam wondering how fickle history can be.
Trivial Matters: Sam does not utter his catchphrase at the start of this episode. Frank gets that honor.
We also have another instance of more than one leap per episode giving us five, after Genesis, Double Identity, The Leap Back and Lee Harvey Oswald.
Put right what once went wrong: “Are you talking to a hologram?” By the very nature of the program, Quantum Leap has a lot of flexibility in the stories it can tell. With that flexibility comes limitations as direct sequels are almost entirely off the table. Maybe a prequal or a meeting someone he knew from a prior leap indirectly, but if Sam fixes things, why would he ever go back?
It is a genius premise to start with. Sam revels in being back with the LaMottas. He gets to talk with Connie, loves being with his brother Frank and has time to spend with Corey. The three main actors from Jimmy returned and Sam picks up right where he left off. He does his best to keep the family together and keep Frank on the straight and narrow. The writers did an excellent job of giving us scenes with Sam and Frank, Sam and Corey, Sam and Connie to show that things were starting to slip but these are very much the same characters we saw on screen two years ago.
Of course, ‘things going well’ is not a compelling story, so we have Frank straying from Connie. We see Corey being pushed out and Connie promoting Jimmy’s independence for some reason. Things will become clear down the road, but initially it is a good mystery. As Connie, Alia is trying to push Jimmy out and there are references in the end of the episode to her being a homewrecker. Making things worse by making them better for someone is great. There are clues laid in as the episode progresses, little things like Connie ‘forgetting’ Frank’s lunch, making crappy TV dinners, and being rude to Corey but only as of late. It does raise questions why she is pushing the family apart when she claims to be trying to bring them together and Sam does not realize at all. The writing is strong particularly with Corey. Ryan McWhorlter grew a bit since we last saw him, but he can still have an emotional scene with an adult.
Having someone going around time being evil is an intriguing concept, one played around with in the Boogeyman. There, it was in the face of Al and at the very end of the episode. Here, we have someone who is Sam’s counterpart, even with a hologram and supercomputer of her own. The revelation is only in the last ten minutes of the episode, but Carolyn Seymour as Zoe and Renee Coleman as Alia talk about their history. It is not outright said how long they have been doing their actions, but it stated out small and got bigger as time went on. There is a serious question as to whether or not one can exist without the other. It is a fun thought experiment, but things can go wrong easily enough without someone helping history get crappy.
The effects team gets to have some fun in it all as well. The effect for the door, the leap out effect, even Zoe’s handlink are all different. Alia leaps out red because of course that is how science works. This brings up all sorts of questions since we see history changed each week, but it never requires a leap, certainly not an effect, along with missing two days, to resolve. Did Frank not sleep with Shirley? Did Connie start making meals from scratch again?
In between the two plots above we have Sam meeting another leaper. There is the requisite wondering why Sam has not leaped out whenAlia is there to help out but their scenes where they realize who the other is has a lot of fun moments. Al is thrilled and Zoe is interested in someone who looks like Scott Bakula but quickly turns venomous. The hints are there, and Alia plays off not being able to remember. For once Sam can talk to someone empathetically. There are times when Al does not do the trick and Alia is someone he can talk to and relate to. Today we would call this a mythology episode but if this series is to grow and expand, this is the first step towards doing so.
The acting is great all around as is the writing. There are only a few new actors and both old and new do their jobs well. Thankfully, the writers left the door open for another episode for the Evil Leaper to return.
New places for old(er) keywords: Continuing Mission
Cardassians and Federation posturing it out: Showdown: Four Lights
Cardassians and Federation posturing it out: Showdown: Four Lights