Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: You.
Hello, fellow travelers. Welcome to Fates Wide wheel. I am your host, Sam Fane, and I am joined by J. J. Lindell. And this time out, we are talking about off the cuff, episode 209 of Quantum Leap, the revival series. Very excited for numerous reasons, of course. Chief amongst them is the fact that Quantum Leap is back, and we are back for four straight weeks. We're going to get five episodes in four weeks. And it all kicks off with episode nine of season two, off the cuff, written by Alex Berger and directed by Joe Menendez.
And spoilers right up front, I really enjoyed the episode for a variety of reasons.
I love the momentum of the episode. I love the banter and the dialogue of the episode. I love what comes in the latter half of the episode, and I love the fact that an episode that risks feeling like two episodes smushed together in some ways instead feels like one narrative and works incredibly well. So I'm a fan. JJ, what's your short take on it?
[00:01:09] Speaker B: I think this episode hits that sweet spot for me of revival Quantum Leap, because it felt like an episode from the original series in terms of the Leap and the way it played out and the twists and the turns.
But at the same time, like you said, they were able to perfectly integrate what makes this new version of Quantum leap unique and build in some of that mythology and some of that character pathos and history and just have it all work together in this really charming, fun, sad, emotional smoothie of which I have one right here.
[00:02:01] Speaker A: Correction. You had one.
[00:02:04] Speaker B: It wasn't big enough.
I loved it. I thought it was great. I think they're hitting the season on all cylinders. And the fact that this is the episode that they come back with from hiatus, and this is a heck of a hiatus. This isn't just your normal, okay, we're going to be off for over the holidays. And, mean, this is writers going on strike, actors going on strike for months, and then finally they're back, and it just feels like they hit the ground running.
[00:02:35] Speaker A: Absolutely. Yeah. And that's something that I had the chance to talk with Alex Berger about when I had the wonderful opportunity to chat with him about this episode. But we also talked about the fact that there was this long break right between writing the episodes, that they had finished episode eight back in March.
And here we are, flash forward over seven months, basically to the return of shooting in late November after Thanksgiving. Now, the writers, of course, had been back a little bit longer than that, and they were certainly getting the scripts in order and breaking stories. But from what I've been told a lot of the stuff was actually kind of planned out and ready to go in. Thought at least, before the strike even started. So they hadn't written anything but that they had an idea of where they were going, which I think also shows because it doesn't feel separate, miraculously, from the first eight. This feels like it fits in perfectly. And I think if people were completely unaware that there had been a strike, if people were completely unaware of the time between filming nomads and the time between filming off the cuff, I don't think anybody would ever be the wiser.
Which is also a testament to the work that the writers room and the production staff and everybody has done on the show.
[00:04:09] Speaker B: Yeah, that's really cool. I'm looking forward to hearing that interview and hearing more about Alex's perspective in the writers room with that break.
And everybody's going to hear that soon. Stay tuned. In the video.
[00:04:23] Speaker A: That's right. In fact, they may actually have listened to that before they listen to this, because they will, of course, have dropped at the same time immediately following the episode.
[00:04:33] Speaker B: Time travel.
[00:04:34] Speaker A: Right.
And let me just tell you, if you hadn't been able to tell by what I'm wearing, all of the content related to this episode was filmed over one day.
[00:04:45] Speaker B: Just thought that was your favorite shirt, that's all.
[00:04:48] Speaker A: Well, it's funny you mentioned that because I realized that I was wearing this in the last episode as well.
[00:04:54] Speaker B: People trying to figure that out, like, wow, did they have that back then?
[00:04:59] Speaker A: Right? Unbelievable.
But there's some other stuff that I wanted to talk about real quick before we get into a little bit more depth about the episode itself. And I certainly don't want to belabor it because I feel like I had the good fortune again speaking to Alex and covering a lot of ground. So I try not to be too repetitive. However, one of the things that I do want to talk about is the question over the renewal of quantum leap and a season three for quantum leap.
I will just state it again. I've said it before. I feel optimistic.
Sure, there's a little caution there, but I feel very optimistic about the chances for a season three. I think that there are a number of factors that point to that being the case. There was an article interview released recently that gave some comments from Caitlin which may not have been fully in context.
Who would think? And they may have been. I don't know. I don't think that they were just the way that they were parsed out within the article itself. But that's besides the point that seems to have made people think that the show could be in danger.
And I'm curious, before I go any further, JJ, what you think about the notion of it being up to the fans to ensure that there's a season three, and if you do think that this is some sort of call to action, or if it's simply just like if people are watching the show and people are engaged with the show, then yes, we'll get a season three, as opposed to get out your stamps and start mailing those letters.
[00:06:39] Speaker B: Well, obviously, I don't know either way, but what I would say is there are five episodes left to air and there's been a long break. So I think the simplest read is it's up to the fans to watch because it's going to be the ratings that make the decision and the live ratings, the Nielsen ratings, but also those streaming numbers. And a lot of the streamers have been able to play things pretty close to the chess these days in terms of those numbers and also how much weight they carry in terms of renewals and cancellations. So I think the best bet everybody can do is watch the episode.
And if you enjoy the episode, stream it on Peacock again later in the know, I think that's the best way that you can show your support of the show is to watch the thing in terms of anything else. I know I saw stuff, know letter writing campaigns and things like that. I mean, that stuff is great, but I don't know that there's necessarily been a call on the production side to do that. I feel like there's some really engaged producers on this show that are really good at letting fans know what's going on.
And I would say if there's a call to arms, I think that they'll make the call.
And I would hope we're not at that point yet because we still have over a third of the season has yet to air.
[00:08:13] Speaker A: Right.
[00:08:14] Speaker B: If I'm the folks at NBC, I'm going to see what those ratings look like. So watch the show.
I mean, that's sort of my takeaway.
Watch the show, introduce it to friends to watch the show and keep talking about the show on social media. And I don't know, if you feel compelled to write a letter, go for it.
[00:08:39] Speaker A: Absolutely.
[00:08:40] Speaker B: That's how we got five seasons of the original series. That's how we got three seasons of Star Trek. These letter writing campaigns work.
I don't know if we're living in such strange times right now, is what I would say is that we have more access than we ever have in the past when they did the campaign to keep the original quantum leap on the air, literally writing letters. And the only information that you had back then in the early ninety s was what you'd read in the trades and very early sort of Internet to figure out what's going on with your favorite shows. Now we have all this information out. We have even more media and interviews, and we also have networks and corporations that, especially right now, they just really seem to be focused on the bottom line. So there's so many elements, like how much does your show cost to produce, what's the ad revenue for the show? And things like that. So I don't know, there's just so many elements now to keep in mind at this point. Again, I'm just like, I think ratings are where it's at, so watch the show.
[00:10:06] Speaker A: Yeah.
I would start off by saying, much like you said, that if you feel in any way compelled to write a letter or send an email or post on social media, by all means do it. Of course, support the show any way that you see fit. And I certainly don't think that there's harm in that act at all.
I think it's wonderful to see people moved to do that.
I do think, if I'm being completely honest, that to attempt to start any sort of campaign, a save quantum leap hashtag, for instance, or anything like that, it's extremely premature.
And to be equally frank, it concerns me because I wonder what message that sends to any casual viewers or anyone that might not have picked up on the show yet.
Because it would be very easy, I think, for someone to see that and say, like, oh, the show is already in trouble. I don't know, maybe I won't watch it or maybe I'm not going to tune in and it could have a different effect on some folks. Sure.
I also fear, quite frankly, the fodder that it might provide certain outlets that have never liked or appreciated the show. Your giant freaking robots and scumbag sites like that. Yeah, that's right. I went hard.
I worry that it provides them fodder to create an article and throw some shade and talk about the fact that, oh, look what they're already having to do over there or whatever.
Because like I said, it feels premature, and especially with it only being January. That's the other thing. It's January. There are not a lot of shows out there that have been renewed, period. Right, right.
And I just think that anything we can do to show our passion and support for the show, I am 100% behind. Absolutely.
But my honest response to it, and if anyone is wondering why they haven't seen me brandishing the hashtag or talking about the campaign or anything like that, is because I just don't feel like it's time for that. And I guarantee you, if it does come to that, I will write a letter every single day until my fingers bleed.
No doubt about that.
I will have my full support. But at this particular point in time, I just look at the time of the year that it is. I look at the fact that we know four more episodes to air.
There could be a lot of time between now and when we find out. However, I also recognize that it certainly can't hurt to let NBC know how much we love the show. So go for it. Do it. Yes, I'm not there yet, but when I get there, I promise you, you'll know. And I can only hope that based off of some of the things that I have heard and based off of some of the things that I have been able to gather, that the show's chances for renewal are good.
Is it a sure thing? No. But it's also not a sure thing the other way.
And that's why I feel like there's no signs that the show is in trouble. In fact, one thing that I may or may not be able or allowed to say, but I'm going to say it anyway, and if I get my hand slapped, so be it. But one thing I can even tell people right now that is not out there is the fact that the set was left standing and they finished shooting on the headquarters set over a week ago, like ten days ago. Now, that doesn't mean that NBC won't put an order in to dismantle the set next week, but it's usually a pretty good sign when they don't start taking your set apart as soon as you're done with it, because time and money goes into keeping those things up and you're taking up space for something else you could be getting in. So the fact that the set is still standing, the fact that reception and buzz, even inside, seems to be positive all around, I just think that let's pump the brakes and see what happens over the next couple of weeks and see what the ratings are like. And watch the show. Watch the show, stream the show. And by all means, if you're going to write your letter, send in your letter, send in your postcard, do whatever you want. I would never speak against that because it is showing support for the show. I just don't necessarily think we're there yet, as far as needing to all steam ahead?
[00:14:44] Speaker B: Yeah, I think that's a pretty even keeled thought process, even with the scumbag stuff. Pretty even keeled.
And I would point out, one last thing I'd point out is that the season two renewal took place in very unique circumstances.
[00:15:06] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:15:06] Speaker B: You had a network that saw a strike on the horizon. They wanted to create as much content, as much episodes prior to a strike taking place that they could. There really wasn't a hiatus between seasons one and two. They pretty much went right into writing and shooting the second season after they wrapped the first. And so from the cast and crew perspective, this is sort of their first traditional break that they've had. You could almost think of season one and season two as two halves of one very long production block.
And so that's going to make circumstances very different this time around for the fans who got kind of used to the idea of, oh, wow, season one isn't even done shooting and we have already got the renewal. And then also for the cast. And know I can't speak for Caitlin, of course, but they've wrapped, they're stepping away. They know they're stepping away for a little while regardless of whether they're going to go back for season three. And so that's a different feeling, too. So of course, they're hoping that there's going to be another season and they could be optimistic. But you're still going to step away. There's still going to be this little break here. So a break is just that. It's just a break. Every show does it. Every network show has a break in production between seasons.
It's not a cause for alarm, just because there hasn't been.
[00:16:44] Speaker A: Speaking of breaks, I will throw this out there, too. One of the things that's so fascinating not only about, of course, the transition from season one directly into season two. Alex mentioned earlier that they had some people, not everybody, but some people got like a week or two between season one wrapping and season two starting. But most people were working on season two as season one was. Still know that is normal. No judgment day is being filmed, and they are already working on season two.
That kind of pace and just keeping the wheels going in that manner is pretty remarkable.
What's even more remarkable is that now that they've come back from the strikes and they are filming these episodes well, they've wrapped, they're done. They finished filming on Friday or Thursday.
It's been a long week, y'all. So anyway, now that they've wrapped season two. The thing that's incredible, JJ, I think we can both speak to this. Having access to the screeners, is that the 209 screener, I believe, was ready to go a couple of weeks ago, but the screener itself didn't drop until last. Was it Tuesday or Wednesday?
[00:17:57] Speaker B: I think it was Tuesday night.
[00:17:58] Speaker A: Okay. Yeah, Tuesday night, which is great. And then the thing that I found out, apparently they were still mixing 210 last week.
[00:18:10] Speaker B: Wow.
[00:18:11] Speaker A: So that tells you about this kind of breakneck pace and the amount of work to be done and how it was picture locked for a while. 210 was, but apparently the mix was not complete until last week. And that's going to hold true for the rest of the season to the point where I am genuinely questioning if we're going to get a screener for the finale. We might get one for 212, which airs immediately before the finale because it's the two episode night. But I wonder if we're going to actually get a screener for the finale. And if we do, if it's going to be the finished product, I wouldn't be surprised if we get something that has some differences from what airs, which has happened, I believe, at least twice before. I believe that happened with the premiere episode, the first episode of the series, and I believe it also happened with Ben interrupted. Both of those episodes had some incomplete stuff in them or some changes between what we got and then what was aired. So it's not out of the question that that would happen. But, yeah, just thinking about the window of time that they have to finish everything up to get the press screeners out there to then get the episode to air, to do any press for these episodes, et cetera.
It is.
No breaks. Just no breaks to be had.
[00:19:29] Speaker B: Yeah. Network television.
It's amazing.
[00:19:34] Speaker A: It is.
[00:19:38] Speaker B: If we don't get to see the episodes a couple of days early, as we sometimes do with the screeners, that's okay. I'll be making posters either way, either having not seen the episodes or maybe just releasing them right after air, which is what I'll often do.
Yeah, it's exciting.
[00:19:57] Speaker A: It's very exciting.
I am so thrilled. And I think that off the cuff does such a wonderful job of drawing us back in, just syncing up perfectly with what's come before in season two and really opening doors to what I can only imagine are going to be a jampacked thrill ride, I suppose quite a phrase for these following four episodes, because there's some big stuff that happens, especially at the tail end of this episode, that just busts things, I think, wide open for storytelling possibilities, especially with the ongoing narrative that we've been getting. So let's talk a little bit more in depth about off the cuff, actually.
The episode, of course, starts off with Ben leaping in and he's handcuffed somebody else behind the wheel of a car. Ben's behind the wheel of a car, that is. And it doesn't take us very long to figure out that we're getting that kind of like bounty hutter on the run buddy kind of movie, akin to something like a midnight run or whatnot.
And a lot of this has to do with David Rogers, who plays Kevin, kind of our main guest star.
And of course, ray being superb as always. But right away, I just feel like the tone is set so perfectly, the dialogue sparkles so well, and there's such a wonderful pace to everything.
It's hard to not be engaged and drawn in. What were your thoughts on the beginning of the episode?
[00:21:38] Speaker B: I thought of a hunting we will go totally from the start, which is a fun, classic episode from the original series. Yeah, I loved the repartee again. It just felt really effortless. And something that, like a hunting we will go. And those types of episodes from the original series had going for it is that they had that pace and they had.
I guess it's kind of like a sing song quality to the dialogue, and it carries you from scene to scene between the bombastity of the characters that we're meeting on the leap.
And the leapers need to put together information quickly and deal with a lot of adversity very fast. And that's what I really liked about the opening of this episode, is that things just keep hitting Ben and he's trying to pick up this information. And, like, I put on the tag of the poster, he's left into this bounty hunter.
He's been shot at, he's been trapped in a car, he's thrown from a bus. Like, all of these things happen to him mostly before the title card comes up.
[00:23:08] Speaker A: Right.
[00:23:08] Speaker B: And so I love the pacing, and I really loved the performance of the actor who plays Kevin.
And I just thought that scoundrel with maybe a heart of gold or at least bronze, he played that pitch perfect. And, yeah, everything was there. The writing was there, the directing was great. There was a lot of action heavy scenes early on in the episode, and I was watching it again, just another classic quantum leap connection.
It's always the person on the other side of the.
Yeah, it's always.
Um. But I like that. That almost felt like an homage to me. Like, how many times? It's like, well, Sam is doing.
He's on his mission. It's like, oh, well, this is the person. This is my person. I trust. This is my person. Wait a second. You're the one. You're the one that I can't trust.
And so I like that. I like that that was weaved into the story as well. But the other thing I really liked Sam about the episode is that that stuff almost starts to feel like a MacGuffin because they pull the rug out from under.
[00:24:35] Speaker A: Yep.
[00:24:35] Speaker B: And they reintroduce Hannah in the second.
[00:24:41] Speaker A: Half of the episode at almost literally the midway point of the episode. Like, if you look at the length of the episode, she walks in the door at almost exactly halfway through the episode.
Yeah. I love so much of what, you know, two things. One, because it's so beautiful, and I gave you all the praise on the Patreon exclusive video. So I want to make sure I do it on the one that everyone gets a chance to see. But seriously, the tagline is so perfect. Since Ben leaped into a bounty hunter, he's been harassed, chased, shot at, trapped in a burning car, thrown from a moving vehicle. But don't worry. Things are about to get really interesting. It's just so perfect. It really, for, for the nature of this, you also mentioned the dialogue, and immediately, the thing that popped into my head as you were talking about it was that sort of Ben Heck toward hawks, kind of like just rapid fire delivery. Just get the words out. And so much of the humor of the episode is derived from that as well, because one of the things that I love about the episode is that it does have this incredible sense of humor. And a lot of that comes in the first half, but in no way is it lacking in the second half. We just kind of, again, the gears shift a little bit, but there are some incredibly fun moments.
There's the one point where Kevin, for instance, is trying to convince Ben to let him go, that he didn't do it. He's innocent. He's an innocent man. And then immediately follows that line of dialogue up with offering him some of his spoils from thefts that he's committed. And Ben's like, I thought you said you were innocent. And Kevin's response is, I'm a criminal. I lie.
It's just lovely the amount of fun that can be derived from everything while not losing sight of the fact that there are killers chasing.
Know, being able to marry that together is always essential, I think, to creating something that is as engaging as this episode is.
But of course, you mentioned know, we see Hannah now before Hannah walks in the door. We arrive at Kevin's brother's house, played by Josh Dean.
And Josh, of course, is an alum of blind spot, which is where Alex and Martin obviously would know him from having worked on that show, of course. And it's interesting because when we meet Josh, we also meet his son Jeffrey with his red Rider BB gun that he saved his cereal box tops for.
[00:27:14] Speaker B: Shoot your eye with that thing.
[00:27:16] Speaker A: Yeah.
And Josh is an interesting character. And there's this really lovely scene that we have between Ben and Josh as Ben is getting fixed up because obviously he's been banged up with the car wreck, the jumping from the bus and everything, and needs some things. I want to insert one quick thing about that that's really cool that we learn about is the fact that Addison has the line to Ben that if he doesn't get the shoulder attended to, Nick will lose the arm due to an infection. And I thought that that was a really wonderful way to kind know, reinforce the idea that it's not know, like, yeah, of course Ben's going to feel the pain because he's there and whatnot, but at the end of the day, he's taking care of somebody else's body. So it's like when he gets out of there, they're going to have to deal with whatever fallout might be left behind from Ben's activities during the leap.
But anyway, he and Josh. Josh is a doctor, of course. And he and Josh have this wonderful dialogue that tells you just as much about Josh as it does about, you know, they're growing up in foster know, in high school together, and they even kind of name check the Eddie Haskell and the beaver analogy between their personalities growing up and how it was fun, but eventually everybody gets tired of Eddie Haskell. It's like Eddie Haskell doesn't play as well when you're in your late 20s, early 30s, for instance.
[00:28:45] Speaker B: Right.
[00:28:48] Speaker A: And so I just love the dynamic that's set up, and it further deepens, I think, our appreciation of the character of Kevin, which is always something that I love. Anytime you get the opportunity to learn more about a character and appreciate a character even more when they're not even in the scene or on stage or whatever.
[00:29:05] Speaker B: Yeah, definitely.
[00:29:06] Speaker A: Which was great. There's a lovely Easter egg in here if you pay attention to the diploma on the wall. After they mention the fact that Josh was valedictorian and not Kevin, and that is that he went to Alexander Berger High School, which, of course, is the name of our lovely writer and Ep for the episode.
And I enjoyed that a great deal. There's some other stuff in there as well that Alex talks about his interview, but I'll leave that for that.
But when Hannah walks through the door, obviously the gears shift. We get that lovely music, which I could listen to all day. And the thing that, again, is kind of miraculous is that the episode doesn't lose sight of what it set up. It doesn't lose sight of the Macguffin in a way.
[00:29:50] Speaker B: Right.
[00:29:50] Speaker A: Like, yes, it becomes about.
[00:29:52] Speaker B: I hesitate to call it a.
It's just. It adds this new layer to the.
[00:30:00] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah. And so, of course, the huge reveal is not necessarily just that Hannah's in the episode. It's that Hannah's married and has a son.
[00:30:09] Speaker B: Wow.
[00:30:11] Speaker A: And I love this. I love it. So in. In the interview I did with Dean and drew for secret history, I specifically asked about Hannah living her life outside of the confines of when she meets Ben and specifically asked about getting married and having a family. And they, of course, played it very close to the.
[00:30:38] Speaker B: Oh, I never thought about.
[00:30:41] Speaker A: But now here we are seeing it, and I just do. I think it's a wonderful choice.
It deepens her character a great deal. And the other thing that's fascinating is those first few leaps. There was a span of about six years between each of those first few leaps when he saw Hannah. And now it's been nine years.
[00:31:01] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:31:01] Speaker A: So no need to get out your calculators or anything. There is no way possible that Jeffrey could Ben's son. So let's step back from those theories right away.
But I do think that. I don't know, it just says a lot about the types of stories that they want to tell.
And again, the character of Hannah, and it makes me happy, in a way that she's still living her life and doing her thing. What were your thoughts on all this, JJ?
[00:31:31] Speaker B: It's heartbreaking for Ben, and we've watched his heartbreak a lot this season.
They're really putting him through the wringer, and it creates this very interesting moral quandary, which Hannah sort of pretty explicitly states. Do you believe it's possible to be in love with two people at the same time?
And she's like, good to go.
[00:32:11] Speaker A: Right.
[00:32:11] Speaker B: But of course, from her perspective. And, yeah, you sort of have to have this kind of, if you're in Hannah's situation, this cognitive dissidence, because you've got your life, you've got your husband who you love, you've got your son, who you love. You've got your work. You've got all these things. But then there has been this traveler, this unbelievably heroic, lovely, almost spirit that has entered your life a number of times from when you were a very young waitress who inspired you to follow your dreams in that episode, really set her on this path and just these steps along the way, just having such influence on the course of her life and just building this bond and this love. And so, you know, it puts Ben in this awkward situation where he's literally walked into this house. This man has fixed up his shoulder, and he's married to the woman that he's in love with, and then he's in a room alone with her, and she's getting a little handsy, and he's like, I'm not sure what the etiquette is here.
I am unclear how I'm supposed to react.
There's a right or wrong thing. So I thought that that was a really interesting choice because there is a lot of sort of ambiguity in that situation.
I always appreciate when you're watching a show like this, and you're like, I'm not sure what the right thing to do here is.
[00:34:12] Speaker A: Totally. Yes, I completely agree with also, even to add to that, I don't know how I'm supposed to or how I want to not supposed to. That's the wrong way. But I don't even know how I want to feel about Hannah in this particular moment.
And I love that it kind of does that because you're just sort of like, what does this mean for her? And what does this say about who she is and the choices that she would make?
And one of the things that, of course, is so lovely and powerful about the episode is that Hannah has that wonderful line about love being infinite, and any parent knows when they see their child that their heart can grow, space, et cetera. And I think that something that's kind of incredible about this season as a whole is you look at Addison, there's no doubt in, I think, anyone's mind that Addison loves Ben, but she loves Tom, too.
And there's nothing wrong with.
And. And you look at Ben, at the position that he was in, certainly in nomads. Ben still loves Addison. Right. But he also loves Hannah.
I'll take it a couple of steps further. Look at Tom. Tom loves, you know, wants to marry her.
Tom also still clearly loves his dead.
[00:35:47] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:35:48] Speaker A: And I think that in some ways, that Tom is really the clearest picture of this. Right. Like, his love for Addison in no way negates the love that he has for his former wife. Right.
And his love for his former wife in no way negates the love that he has for Addison. And the idea is it's like, yes, of course we can love more than one.
Mean, what a shame if we couldn't, right? What a shame if somebody was married to someone and they passed away when they were young and now you went the rest of your life without ever loving anyone else. Like, that was your one shot. And that's it. It's the same thing with Beth. Right. And it's the reason why when people were upset, and it was a very small, small yet vocal crowd, but when people were upset that she was dating magic, it's just like, how awful. How awful did you think Beth was supposed to stop living and loving when Al died?
It's not the way that things should be.
[00:36:46] Speaker B: Yeah. We don't entomb our widows with their dead husbands.
[00:36:53] Speaker A: Exactly.
[00:36:54] Speaker B: We have to move on. It's till death do us part and then life continues.
But I'll push back a little because I think you're absolutely right when it comes to Tom, and obviously he's a widower. He still loves his wife who passed, but that shouldn't stop him from falling in love again. Here we have a situation, of course, with Addison. Like, literally, the love of her life died, came back from the now and again in this episode with Hannah, the love of her life has been gone for nine years and suddenly ends up sitting next to her across her dining room table with her husband and her.
Mean, these are not easy situations to navigate. And love might be infinite, but you make commitments to people. Other people's feelings are at stake. Like, what do you.
[00:38:00] Speaker A: Here's. So here's where we get into theories and such.
Let's just jump right to it, right?
Because I started to wonder on my second watch of the episode, how much does Josh know if Josh is the person Hannah has decided to spend her life with, have a family with, is in love with and loves.
I would think. I would hope, especially the Hannah that we see prior to this, that at some point Hannah would have sat Josh down and been know. I know this is going to sound insane, right? But there is someone out there, and I know he's out know, and I've met him. And when I was in Cairo, this happened. And when I was going to Princeton, this happened without necessarily getting too specific, maybe about the time travel aspect or whatever, because to me, that feels like the type of thing that Hannah would have done. And maybe, maybe, maybe instead it's rose from Titanic. Right. And it's like a woman's heart is whatever she says and has secrets from the people that.
Yeah, exactly.
So maybe not. Maybe I could be reading that wrong, but at least as of right now, let me put it this way. As of right now, without having confirmation one way or another, it exists in my mind that there is the possibility that she has shared some of this with that, again, with the type of person that Hannah is, that maybe Josh was just sort of like, okay, let's get still. I love you, and that sounds incredible and amazing, and I have no idea what to make of it all, but I want to spend my life with you, and if you want to spend your life with me, then let's do this.
So who knows? But, mean, I get where you're coming from with that. And again, it's the reason why that scene where know tried to kiss Ben and Ben stopped her. It does make me kind of go like, oh, God. Yeah. Okay. How do I feel about still. I'm still processing how I feel about that moment, to be honest with you. But I'm so glad they did.
[00:40:15] Speaker B: You know, and to say nothing of the fact that every time that she's met Ben, he's been in another host body, which is a whole other layer to. I mean, you're right. I just feel like if her husband was aware at all of that history, that it would have come out during the course of the events. She had a lot of opportunities to say, hey, this is the guy. Even if she doesn't want to get into the time travel aspect of know, she could say, this is the guy.
[00:40:52] Speaker A: That's a great point.
[00:40:54] Speaker B: And she, you know, the thing that tipped her off that it was Ben sitting in front of her because she didn't realize was the.
He had shared. If she had shared something about Cairo with him and saw how they were acting, I think that probably would have tipped him off, too. So, yeah, I think there's a possibility.
[00:41:11] Speaker A: Fine, you've blown my theory off.
[00:41:13] Speaker B: Well, I'm not trying to do that, and I'm not saying this to throw the character of Hannah under the bus. I think that's a tough. Ask for someone. And remember, this is not a conversation that you're having in 2020.
This is a conversation that you would be having with a man in the early 1960s.
[00:41:36] Speaker A: Yeah, no, that's a great point.
[00:41:38] Speaker B: So it's a completely different landscape, regardless of how advanced a person is in their feelings. This is still 60 years ago.
[00:41:50] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:41:52] Speaker B: So give her a pass.
[00:41:54] Speaker A: Right.
I do think, regardless of whether or not she had yet told Josh, I do think that the notion of her telling Josh is in play.
[00:42:06] Speaker B: Sure. Yeah.
[00:42:07] Speaker A: You know what I mean?
And it'll be interesting to see how it develops.
So just briefly touch on a couple of other elements of the episode, because I do want to talk a little bit more about potential directions that they could go following this episode. Of course, like you said earlier, the woman on the other end of the phone is, of course, our big bad, and she's coming with her goons to get.
[00:42:31] Speaker B: Don't believe them. Don't keep giving her your location.
[00:42:34] Speaker A: Right now. One of the spectacular things that happens here, of course, is, first of all, we learn that Jeffrey and Hannah are building, like, a hydroelectric fusion device, basically in their spare time, which is awesome. That Jeffrey, naturally, with his parents being who they are, the dean of the medical school at Rutgers, and, of course, the chair of the physics department at Princeton, which is Hannah, he's probably going to have the aptitude to know a bright boy. And it certainly seems to be the know. At seven years old, he's already picking up on some complex scientific principles. And one of the things that's lovely is that we get this kind of MacGyver moment as Hannah and Ben figure out, hatch their plot to hopefully stop the bad guys. And I just love the fact that they're using their scientific genius here to come up with something and that it's not just guns blazing from the get go. We still get some fisticuffs, obviously, but that it's about more than that, and I really enjoyed that. What do you think of the way that they kind of hatched their home alone advanced project?
[00:43:57] Speaker B: My favorite aspect of that scene was Kevin, who the whole time is you. Do you guys know each other?
Are you sure you don't know each other from before? Because you're seeming very familiar with each.
[00:44:13] Speaker A: Yes. Yes.
[00:44:15] Speaker B: So, again, this aspect of the episode where they can be doing these serious things, they're in the serious situation, but they can still find a way to weave in that humor and that charm.
It just knocked it out of the park for me, and I love the science behind it, because, again, that's something that I think the original series brought in spades, where you would have Sam in these situations where he had to science himself out of a situation.
And so it was nice to see that. And with the added benefit of having a partner in crime, that's in the know that is not a hologram was pretty cool. Right?
And, yeah, I thought that whole sequence was great. And the fact that you get the scoundrel to play the hero in the end, it's up to him to sort of save them and save his own skin. So I just really loved how that climax played out and I thought it was well shot.
Yeah, I've got no notes. It's not that I'm one to pick apart anyway, but I really enjoyed it. It was one of those episodes where I was happy how it ended, but I was sad that it ended when it did because I wanted more.
[00:45:35] Speaker A: Yeah, it is. It's such a highly enjoyable episode, and I felt like by the time we kind of wrapped up sort of our main story, if you know, and the bad guys are taken care of and the bb gun has come into play, we get the awesome fight sequence with Hannah and Ben kind of almost shades of secret history in a know, working together in the fight scene. And everything was great, the way that they're in sync as they hatch the know, and then everything kind of wraps up from there and it seems like we're all kind of hunky dory and. Ok, that's that. It'll be interesting to figure out what might happen to Hannah after this and when we might see her next. And as Addison provides the wrap up, we get the very heavy news that Josh is going to die suddenly in a few years.
And Ben's initial response is like, there's a surgery that could save him. It's a simple, like, it's fine. It's just if they don't know about it. And he turns around to go to Warren Hannah, and as he does so, he leaps.
Yeah.
[00:46:44] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:46:47] Speaker A: You know, I'll address, I think, something that I'm sure, you know, QLP will talk about a bit as well.
I think there had been a gentle warning from some folks to some of those of us that are kind of hooked into the show, and certainly that knew Matt, that there would be something coming that could know kind of eerily familiar and difficult.
And so the thought has definitely crossed the minds of multiple people. So if you're listening to this or and you watch the episode and you had that thought, that is something to kind of gird yourself for a bit, I suppose, because the storyline is in play, to say the very least.
And the sudden passing of someone, especially that was so close to a lot of us and now kind of paralleling in some ways what's. What's happening in the show.
So take care of yourselves.
But speaking to the show specifically, the way that this opens up the narrative going forward and our ongoing narrative, specifically, everything has been set up so well to tell a truly incredible story.
And when you look back at kind of just the tapestry of season two anyway, from the beginning with the time jump, the relationship difficulties between Ben and Addison, the introduction of Hannah, I mean, everything, the way that all of the pieces have been put into play.
[00:48:40] Speaker B: It.
[00:48:40] Speaker A: Feels like a monumental moment for the show. And it creates such an interesting dilemma for am just.
I am on the edge of my seat to find out where the story goes from here.
I have some.
Yeah. Specifically about the possibility of Jeffrey being Rachel's boss in the current time, if you will, or technically future time, and Jeffrey being Rachel's boss for the very specific purpose in spying on this time travel project, because he knows enough about Ben and knows enough about Project Quantum leap to want to do something about his dad and the DARPA file, which we didn't really get a chance to talk about that they're going to hopefully use to try to get Ben home was likely written by Hannah or Jeffrey. I think.
I have this wild, wild, wild theory that Ben wrote it himself, but I definitely don't think that's the way it's going to go. But I love this. I just had this kind of thought experiment almost that occurred to me earlier today where I was just sort of like, what if Ben wrote it? What if Ben was just stuck in DC for, like, five years and just couldn't leap because he couldn't figure out what his mission was or whatever, and so he just kind of went about living a life, having a life, and worked for DARPA and ended up writing this string of code in the hopes that maybe one day somebody would find it. It's like, well, nobody else is going to be able to bring me home. Maybe I can figure it out. I've got all the time in the world now because he thinks he's never going to leap, and then something happens and he gets his mission and he. I was just like, that would be kind of neat. That's not what it is. But to be fair, that was just where my brain went for a while.
[00:50:31] Speaker B: Yeah. And that's kind of the original premise of quantum leap, which was the fact that I think they say it in the pilot. It's like, ironically, sam, the person that's most likely to figure out a way to bring you home is you. And your brain is with cheesed. So what do we do?
I think those are very credible theories.
I will add a little bit on to one of your theories, if you don't mind. Just something to think about, please.
So the idea of Hannah's son being involved or being Rachel's boss, trying to get info from quantum leap, maybe with the intent to change history, like you were alluding to his father, passes suddenly.
I was thinking, if that were to happen, if Ben or whoever else managed to change history to save his life, what other repercussions could that have with the timeline? Let me ask you this question. Do we know how Tom's wife passed away?
[00:51:54] Speaker A: She had cancer.
[00:51:56] Speaker B: Wouldn't it be interesting if a medical doctor in that area had been alive around that time who had passed heart attack, that possibly could have created some treatment that would prevent that death? Just a thought.
[00:52:19] Speaker A: God damn, that's great.
[00:52:23] Speaker B: I don't know.
[00:52:24] Speaker A: Yes, I'll throw this out here kind of in connection to that. One of the things that I know a lot of people were kind of murmuring about when Hannah was initially introduced was the idea that Hannah would in some way would either be Rachel's boss or would influence the project in the future or something like that. But of course, the thing that I would kind of, like, sensitively point out on occasion, and I even did it on the show a couple of times, is like, she'd be, like, a hundred years old. So I don't really think she's going to have a whole lot. But then, of course, the idea was, it's like, well, now we have someone, though, that wouldn't be 100 years old right now. We have somebody who's going to be, like, 60, obviously in a position to own his own scientific research company of some fashion or something.
Again, the addition of Jeffrey is just such a wonderful idea, and I think opens things up and possibilities up. And regardless of any of these theories are right, like, that doesn't matter. What matters to me is the fact that they have got us talking. Right? They have got us talking and thinking and engaged with this storyline. And that is due because of the way that everything has been set up and all these pieces that have been put on the board since the very beginning of season two. And I have a feeling, if I may be so bold, to say that. I have a feeling that once we wrap things up, it is going to be worth our time to go back and rewatch this season from the beginning, because I have a feeling that there's going to be stuff that we didn't even know we missed until it's over.
[00:53:53] Speaker B: Definitely, without a doubt. And I look forward to doing that. And hopefully on physical media as well. Hopefully we'll get another. That's right, season release on Blu ray.
[00:54:09] Speaker A: Yeah, I would love that opportunity, obviously, to revisit on physical media. But the way that 209 leaves us is so strong, such a strong choice, and it draws us in on an emotional level on this mental engagement of trying to kind of figure out where things are going to go, but not in the same way that season one did. And this isn't a knock on season one. I've kind of joked around a little bit about the mystery box element and how this season has been better because it doesn't necessarily have that or whatever, and I don't know that that's true at all. But for me, the mystery here to kind of figure out it involves the stakes that are in front of our characters as opposed know, oh, well, where is Martinez from? Know, what does he represent? Or how are we going to catch up with Martinez? Instead, it's more about my emotional investment and engagement with these characters that I'm asking these questions. And when I get to ask the questions from that perspective, to me, it's always more powerful than, well, what's the smoke monster? You know what I mean?
[00:55:23] Speaker B: Yeah. Why are there polar bears on the island?
[00:55:25] Speaker A: Right.
[00:55:27] Speaker B: Yeah. Because when you ask enough crazy questions, and again, just speculating about what's going to happen in the next four, don't get trapped in the speculation, Quagmire, where you're writing the rest of the season in your head, and if the writers don't write the same season that you did, you're somehow disappointed or it's not as good because that's not really the expectation of a show. Shouldn't be for it to play out exactly like you thought it would. I mean, it sort of should be the opposite, right?
[00:56:07] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:56:09] Speaker B: So I always tell people, don't get too obsessive over theorizing about where the series is going next on any television series. Enjoy the ride.
[00:56:22] Speaker A: Absolutely.
[00:56:23] Speaker B: And I think that feeling is like, I don't love the idea of binging television, but I think the advantage of the binge is that you get to experience a story all in one breath, so it is like watching a really long movie or a miniseries.
That being said, there's something really fun about water cooler talk.
[00:56:51] Speaker A: Oh, totally.
[00:56:52] Speaker B: Favorite shows.
[00:56:53] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:56:54] Speaker B: And so it's just a matter of fan theories are one thing. Water cooler talk is one thing. Enjoying something should be the point.
Not getting obsessive and disappointed when it doesn't work out exactly the way that you had set out in your mind.
[00:57:17] Speaker A: Yeah, I agree completely. And I think that for me, the difference is don't be concerned with being right.
It's like all the water cooler talk you want, all the theorizing, daydreaming, or whatever that you want.
It's not about being right. It's about enjoying the ride, like you say, and allowing the show to unfold itself to you as opposed to placing all these expectations on it. Because I think that that is definitely a recipe for know, and that's if Rachel's boss is somebody that we've not met yet at all, don't even know or whatever, I'm not going to be disappointed. I'm going to be.
[00:58:00] Speaker B: Scumbags over in the writer's room.
[00:58:04] Speaker A: I'm going to be intrigued. Honestly, I'm going to be intrigued because it's going to be like, ooh, where does this come from? Why? And I think that's the thing, too, is that for me, the writers have more than earned my trust along for this ride, especially in season two.
The actors have just been doing such a remarkable job.
Know Raymond is so wonderful in the episode. Caitlin is superb in the episode, gets some really wonderful moments. There's something that I talked about with Alex, her scene with magic. I just love the fact that that scene is so much about this character, about know damn. Know what about me. In the midst of all these curveballs that the universe is throwing. What. What the hell am I supposed to do with all of this? And I love that she gets to have that moment that it's not about Tom, that it's not about Ben, it's not about the project. It's a very human, relatable, connectable moment where it's like, damn, know what do I do in the face of this? And of course, magic has his amazing sage advice.
And we didn't even mention the fact that of know by the end of the episode, Addison and Tom are mean. So many big things. So many big things. And in a way, it's funny because in a way, it's like, oh, we got four more episodes. And in another way, it's like there's only four more episodes.
There's a lot of ground to cover, and it pays off. What I have been alluding to for a while, not by any stroke of genius of mine own, but because of its stuff that's been told to me and stuff that I've been trying to tell others, these episodes are all going to feel big and all feel connected and all be telling, paying off this narrative. And it is definitely a case of, like, do not miss a single episode, because in some ways, this is almost like one big five part story.
I cannot wait to go on that ride.
[01:00:05] Speaker B: Yeah, it's going to be a heck of a ride. From now until end of February, thankfully, we're going to get a double sized episodes, twelve and 13, airing on the same night, so that's going to be great. So I'm looking forward to that, too.
[01:00:30] Speaker A: It is. Yeah.
I am also very much looking forward to that, and I just think that it's a unique opportunity. On one hand, I completely understand the point of view for some folks, the notion that if we would have been able to space it out, could we have generated maybe more buzz?
Could there have been more conversation between 212 and 213 because of the way 212 ends or whatever? But I tend to fall on the side of, like, it feels epic and it feels big because it's two episodes in one night. So I just think it's a really great opportunity for the show, and I think it's going to be a special night for Quantum leap fans.
I'm really looking forward to seeing what we're going to get.
[01:01:22] Speaker B: Speaking of, I'm not looking forward to designing posters.
[01:01:26] Speaker A: The information is out there.
[01:01:28] Speaker B: Other than that, this was in the.
[01:01:29] Speaker A: Official press release from NBC. If you want to, you'll have already seen the teaser for next week's episode, which JJ and I have not seen as time we're recording this, so I'm going to go ahead and throw this out there and see what JJ thinks. Next week's episode is entitled the Family Treasure. It takes place in 1953. And again, one of the things that's fascinating to me is in 1953, Ben cannot really warn Hannah about Josh, so it's going to create a fascinating dilemma for him, even compounding the dilemma that already is in front of him. The synopsis of the episode, or really the log line for the episode, is a cursed treasure hunt draws Ben to Mexico in 1953, putting him between two estranged siblings struggling with their late father's legacy. As they navigate a series of lethal obstacles, Ben finds the real challenge lies in repairing this broken family's bond.
Super interested in where this episode is going to think. It's written by Shakina, directed by Jud Wang. And, yeah, the other piece of information, of course, that is already out there is that they did a casting call for an actor assigned female at birth, trans mask, non binary actor. And, you know, obviously, for a right of reasons, interested to know the story, that's going to play out in that respect, but with where this episode leaves us as well, there's clearly going to be a lot going on, especially for Ben. So based off of all that, JJ, what are your thoughts maybe on next week's episode and the preview?
[01:03:04] Speaker B: For know, I see these summaries, and I'm like, all right, what kind of poster can I make for that?
But other than that, it sounds like a really fun, drama filled, action oriented episode. So I'm looking forward to that. Yeah, the casting call, that's super interesting. I wonder if that performer will be seen on the 1953 side of things or the 2020 side of things. And so that'll be cool to see.
[01:03:42] Speaker A: I do believe, just based off of the context from the casting call, that it will be the 1953 side of things. Because one of the things that the casting call included as well is that the character would come out to their sisters in the episode and that the character existed before all of those terms that I mentioned previously, like Afab and trans mask and non binary, ever even thought up. So that, to me, is also super exciting, because, of course, the truth of the matter is, I know that some of the rhetoric that's out there today is like, what's with all this new trans stuff, or blah, blah blah or whatever, but the fact of the matter is, trans people have been around for hundreds and thousands of years.
[01:04:21] Speaker B: We have always existed.
[01:04:23] Speaker A: Yeah, exactly.
The idea, getting to explore some of that from a historical perspective is exciting for me in a lot of.
So we'll see where that story, and.
[01:04:37] Speaker B: Again, like something that I really like and something that I loved about Shakina's episode last season, is that they're doing this on primetime network television, which is great, telling these kind of stories.
And again, because they're doing it from a perspective of history, again, like all good science fiction as well, you can have commentary on in a way that you can't if you're just telling a strictly of the present story. So that's really cool, too. So I'm looking forward to it.
[01:05:10] Speaker A: Yeah, absolutely. Anything else you want to add before we get out of here?
[01:05:15] Speaker B: Anything else I want to add? You and I have recorded three videos tonight, and you just want to say you did a great job. And I am looking forward to talking again next week and having some new quantum leap.
I'm traveling this week. I have signings in Florida. So I'll just say I will be making a poster for next week's episode. I don't know when, but I will figure that out.
[01:05:47] Speaker A: Well, look, all I could say is, nicole, if you're out there listening, which I doubt you are, the sooner you get that screener to us, the so anyway, just throw that out there to the universe. No, I am so grateful, genuinely so grateful for the opportunity to be able to get the early access so that we can do these videos and get the audio podcast out there in conjunction with the airing of the episode. I think it provides us with a really unique and amazing opportunity as fans of the show, as people that are a part of this fandom and this community and want to share all of this with that fandom and community. And I'm just grateful for the opportunity to do that. I'm grateful for the opportunity to have you on the show, JJ, and talk about the episode with you.
I am grateful for everyone out there that takes the time to listen, to download, subscribe hey, if you haven't done that yet, hit that like and subscribe button. Helps the show out for sure as we get closer and closer to that magic 500 number.
It's so close. I'm very excited about some of the things I might be able to do with the channel after we kind of kick it to the next level.
And of course, if you want to further support the show, there is the Patreon. Now, naturally, as I always say, there are so many worthy causes out there that are worthy of your time and your money. If you are capable and able to take a look around your community, see if there's something you can do. Help out a soup kitchen, donate some clothes, especially this time of year, organize a hat and gloves drive or something like that, to help out in any way you can, and to right some wrongs in your local community, in the world at large, of course, especially just talking about the subject matter that we just talked about in conjunction with next week's episode. The Trevor project is a charity near and dear to my heart. Support the Trevor project if you can, if you're able. Doctors Without Borders is another one incredibly important to me. There's also the epilepsy UK foundation, which was a cause that was incredibly close to Matt Dale's heart, and certainly we want to support them any way we can. In fact, if you do decide to support that foundation, do it in Matt's name.
That would be lovely and wonderful.
I miss Matt dearly. I think about him every day. I was talking with someone just yesterday about how much I missed him. I continue to miss him and it is a lonelier landscape, quite frankly, without him to converse with and share some of this stuff with which is why I'm doubly grateful to have people like you, JJ, to hang out with and chat with about all this stuff to all of the folks that make time for me and talk with me on the phone, through text message, emails, messenger, whatever it might be. You know who you are. I'm so grateful for you. You mean so much to me. You really, really do. I don't know if you have any idea. For everyone who works on the show creates this show. Thank you so much for everything that you do. I really appreciate it. And if you want to head over to Fateswide Wheel, you can support the show financially. That would be amazing. You'll get access to all the behind the scenes videos that JJ and I do describing in detail his process for all of those posters, you'll also get access to early access to upcoming interviews after the season finale airs. There will be some interviews that I'm going to kind of hold back to parse out for a couple of weeks, maybe, but you'll get access to those probably about 48 hours beforehand.
And yeah, it helps the show out, pays for the hosting services and everything else. And I really appreciate it. So thank you all so much for the patrons that I already do have. You guys rock. I appreciate it.
That's going to do it, though. It's been a long week. It was tech week last week for the show. The show opened.
I've not gotten a lot of sleep the past week. I caught a little bit of a cold, but you know what, JJ? We did it somehow on this day, I recorded, let's see, 4 hours, I think, 4 hours worth of fateswide wheel videos.
I literally produced and edited and uploaded one of the videos while we were actually recording one of those videos.
Yeah, exactly. So I am thrilled to be able to do this work. It is such a joy, and I appreciate you all so much for engaging with it and for engaging with the show. Support quantum leap. Watch quantum leap. Stream quantum leap. If you do feel compelled and moved to write a letter, by all means, do it. Let them know how much you love the show. I'll let you know when I do as well. I mean, I love the show now.
I'll let you know when I write.
On that note, it's definitely time to get out of here. I just want to say thank you all so very much. Take care of yourselves. Take care of one another. Stay safe out there, and remember to always leap responsibly. Bye.
