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5x18 "The Beast Within"

Leap Date:
November 6, 1972

Teaser:

Mistaken for the creature Bigfoot, Sam leaps into a Vietnam veteran named Henry Adams who lives with another vet, Roy Brown, in the mountains away from civilization. Roy has seizures and hallucinations and needs medication to prevent them. But the town sheriff, who has an old war secret to hide, is preventing Sam and Roy from coming into town to get the medicine.

Audio from this episode:

Sam: He's gotta see a doctor.

TV Guide Teaser:

Sam steps into the life of a Vietnam vet with an ailing buddy, who both share a bitter past with another vet. Luke: Pat Skipper. Karen: Eileen Seeley. Roy: Sean Gregory Sullivan. Sam: Scott Bakula. Al: Dean Stockwell.

Commercial:

Place:

Washington State

Leap Date:

November 6, 1972

Name of the Person Leaped Into:

Henry Adams.

Broadcast Date:

March 16, 1993 - Tuesday

Synopsis & Review:

Leaping in to find himself sitting on a windowsill outside a dark room at night, wearing a furry long coat and holding a bottle of pills in his hand, Sam is startled into falling off the ledge by a teenage kid who screams, mistaking him for Bigfoot. Oh boy.

Stumbling away into the forest to avoid being captured by the homeowner who comes after him with a rifle, Sam soon runs into a scrawny, wild-haired young man named Roy, who is revealed to be his host's friend, coming to meet Sam - or Henry, as he learns his host is named – as they walk through the woods. Roy says, We better get out of here before Luke gets them dogs on us." Luke looks around but it's too dark to see them hiding.

Back in the house, the teen boy Daniel tells his mother, Karen, that he swears it was Bigfoot. Luke, his stepfather, comes in the room holding a rifle and says that's enough. Daniel says it was the same as when he and his dad saw Bigfoot. Karen asks where Daniel's glasses are, and the boy responds they are in the truck. "So you didn't see whoever you saw very clearly?" Luke says it was Henry Adams. He knows it because he dropped the bottle of pills after running into the woods. Luke says, "Daniel, I don't want to hear any more of this monster talk."

Sam's voice over: "Over the years, I've leaped into a lot of hairy situations, but this one was more than I expected. And even though I didn't know who I was, I did know who I wasn't. I wasn't Bigfoot. Although, from the look of things,I wasn't far off."

Home for Sam and Roy, as it turns out, is a secluded campsite in the forested mountains, away from the town where Sam found himself when he leaped in. Roy recalls his recent time in Vietnam, when he had to duck in a small crevice to avoid being caught by "Charlie," the Viet Cong. Roy is very shaken by his experience in the war. Roy then asks if Sam got the pills.

Al arrives through the Imaging Chamber door and Ziggy shows him that the pills must be phenytoin, a drug used to manage seizures. "I don't want to have any more of them fits, Henry," says Roy, quite nervously. Sam says when the kid started screaming out of the window, he must have dropped them. Al says Roy's name is Roy Brown. Sam says, "Listen, Roy, I'll get you some more pills, okay? Roy starts pacing, "When? I don't want them snakes in my head again."

Al tells Sam not to let Roy get upset because Ziggy says there's a 95% chance he'll have a seizure. Roy starts to become engulfed in the memories of snakes he saw in the tunnels of Vietnam. Sam holds onto Roy and tries to console him. He tells Roy to look and him and concentrate on just breathing. Roy calms a bit. Al says, "I think he's coming around, Sam." Roy says he's going to go down to the river and wash his face.

Al gives Sam the basics of who he is and says Henry and Roy live in the campsite in Washington state. He and Roy were in Vietnam together. Roy was a tunnel rat, someone who could burrow down in narrow tunnels to flush out the enemy because of his small size. "It was one of the most dangerous jobs we had over there." Apparently Roy caught a bullet in the head during one of the tunnel missions, which caused his condition.

"Why are they living up here, Al?" The observer replies that a lot of vets decided they would stay away from people when they got back home. "No people, no war." Ziggy is still working on the data, so Al doesn't know why Sam is there yet. "Well, why don't you go back and see if you can speed her along."

In the sheriff's office, the deputy suggests to Luke, who we now discover is the sheriff, they maybe they should deputize a few more men and split into teams to find Henry. Luke says no, he wants to find Henry himself and they will get a fresh start first thing in the morning. Luke sits at his desk and pulls out a high school yearbook and locates a photo of his wrestling team. The photo reveals that he, Roy, and Henry (Sam) were teammates and friends. Luke flashes on a memory of an explosion.

Sam looks through the same yearbook at the campsite and notices that the image of Luke was the same man that had chased him with a shotgun. Sam reads from Henry's journal. In a flashback as Sam reads Luke's words, four soldiers (Luke, Roy, Henry, and John) approach a potential enemy hut in Vietnam. The man in charge of the platoon, John, orders the men to secure the hut. Luke disagrees, saying it's just an old man in there and he doesn't want to kill any more people like that. John says they have orders to secure the place because he was told it was a VC supply point. Luke says he won't do it. John gives him an order. Luke tells John to do it himself. John walks into the hut and a moment later, it explodes, killing John.Sam reads more. "We just stood there and watched it burn. We never talked about it again."

Roy comes to the door of the shed and asks if Sam is writing in his books again. Sam invites him inside, but Roy says he can't do that. Al arrives and says he spent too much time underground and is claustrophobic. Roy thanks Sam for helping him through the episode. Roy says goodnight. Sam comments to Al that he must have seen some terrible things out there. Ziggy says there isn a 97.6% chance that if Sam doesn't get Roy his medication, tomorrow night he will have another seizure and die.

Back at the home of Daniel and his parents, Daniel sits eating dinner quietly. Karen, his mother asks him how long he's going to give her the silent treatment. "You don't believe me." Karen says it's just time to give up the fantasies. Daneil says Bigfoot is real and that even the old man who lives up by the dam has seen it. Daniel asks why she always treats him like a baby. "Just because Dad died, doesn't mean I will too."

Luke returns holding his rifle. Daniel asks Luke, "Did you see him?" Luke scoffs, "No, I didn't see the Loch Ness Monster or little green men from Mars either." He tells Daniel he can't go around telling people he saw something that doesn't exist. He saw Henry Adams, a very disturbed man and it's time for Daniel to grow up. Karen asks Luke to stop, but he says someone has to be the father around here. Daniel says he's not his father, and that he died in Vietnam. Daniel gets up from the table and leaves, upset.

Karen doesn't think Luke should have spoken to Daniel like that. "He's just a boy." Luke says, "But not mine, right?" Karen says he can't expect Daniel to forget his father. She continues, "John may be dead, but his memory isn't." Luke responds, "Do you think I don't remember him? You think I don't see his face every time I look at that kid?"

Sam reads more from Henry's journal as Al joins him. Sam says he doesn't like the picture he's starting to see as he pieces the puzzle together. Al says, "Why do I get the feeling that this story does not have a happy ending?"

Karen talks to Daniel, who is looking at a photo of John, his father, who we saw in the journal reading flashback. Daniel asks his mom if she still loves him. She says she will always love John. Daniel asks why she married Luke. She tells the boy that when his father died, she was scared. She reveals that Luke was his father's best friend and they shared the same pain. Daniel asks if she believes he saw Bigfoot. She says she believes he should get some sleep and says that Luke needs their support and hopes Daniel will be there for him.

Karen asks Luke what he's going to do about Henry and Roy. He responds that he's going to do his job. She says that if Roy's doctor hadn't dies, he would not have had to break in to get those pills. Luke is surprised to learn the doctor was giving Henry drugs. Karen says he just needs to medication to control Roy's seizures. Luke says he should just come into down and see the doctor like everybody else. Karen advises that Roy knows Luke will just arrest him if he does. Luke says yes because he's a thief! "He stole a couple of chickens because he was hungry. Why can't you just let this go?" Luke gets up from the table and says, "I don't make the law. I just enforce it."

Al is learning what Sam told him from the journal. "So, he thinks he was responsible for the death of his best friend, but then he marries his friend's wife?" Sam explains the situation that happened in Vietnam. Al says that Luke disobeying orders could have brought him up on charges. Sam says there were only two witnesses. Al realizes, "Henry and Roy. Well no wonder Luke wanted to keep them out of the picture. They're the only ones that know what really happened!" Sam says it's crazy how a man refuses to kill and then feels the rest of his life feeling guilty.

Suddenly there is a commotion outside the shed and Sam runs to investigate. Roy is having a seizure. Sam takes a wooden spoon and hold it to Roy's tongue to keep him from swallowing it. Sam tells Al he will take Roy to town to see a doctor, but Al advises that Ziggy says the doctor died and a replacement won't be arriving until the day after tomorrow. Plus, "If you take him into town, Luke will arrest him... for stealing chickens." Al also adds that there is now a warrant out for Henry too for the incident at Luke's house. He says Sam just needs to buy some time before the doctor arrives, and not go into town himself because then Roy will "be a dead man."

Sam and Al venture out into the forest to look for a specific plant called Lobelia which has blue and white flowers, which, when boiled down into a drink, can be used as a medication to buy the time they need until the doctor arrives in town. A twig snaps nearby, causing a shudder from Al. Sam says it was probably a squirrel. Al says, "You don't think there's anything to this Bigfoot stuff, do you?" Sam responds firmly, "No, I don't, Al." Sam heads back to get started making the medication. Al looks into the darkness and says, "Yeah you're probably right. It's probably just a tiny little squirrel."

The next morning, Sam wakes to th smell of cooking bacon and a deer looking at him in the shed. The deer walks away and Sam finds Henry cooking him breakfast outside. Roy tells Sam he had the dream about Wanda, a girl that sat behind them in history class. Sam laughs and Roy says he wouldn't be laughing if he knew how she and Roy were carrying on in the dream. They laugh again, but hear something behind Roy in the bushes and Roy instantly draws his gun. Daniel stands up from the bushes and puts his hands up. "Don't shoot."

At the sheriff's station, Luke and Deputy Curtis prepare to look for Henry and Roy. Curtis comments that the to guys were friends of his. Luke ignores the comment and says to get ready. Karen enters, frantic, saying Daniel was gone from the house and apparently took his camera and gear with him to prove them wrong about Bigfoot. Luke says he will find Daniel and for her to go home in case someone finds him and tries to call. She agrees.

Sam asks the boy how long he's been wandering around up here, to which Daniel replies, "All night." Daniel asks if he is Henry Adams. Sam say Daniel is John's son. Daniel says, "Luke says you two are crazy." Roy looks surprised saying, "Luke said that?" Sam lightens the mood bu saying that Daniel scared him last night in the woods. Daniel says he thought Sam was Bigfoot. Roy jokes that he could see why, but that Sam smells worse and is a couple feet shorter. Daniel asks Roy, "Have you seen him" to which Roy replies, "Yeah we seen him." Al says "Great now he's hallucinating." Daniel says he saw him too out at Willamette Peak. Roy says that's where they saw him! Roy then begins to seize again, but quickly subsides.

Sam goes inside to make more tea. He is upset that the Lobelia is not working to control the seizures. He tells Al he is going into town to try and get the right pills. Daniel wants to stay and try to get a picture of Bigfoot to prove to Luke that he and his dad were telling the truth. Al says it's not a good idea to leave Roy up here alone, so Sam agrees to let Daniel stay with Roy.

Luke is on the phone in his office when he turns to see Sam standing in the doorway. Sam says he knows Luke has had a lot of things happen that he would like to forget, but this is a good time to just deal with it. Luke asks what he wants and Sam says he just wants to get medicine for Roy. Luke says he should just come into town himself to get it. Sam advises him that Roy is too sick, to which Luke says "He wasn't too sick to steal those chickens." Sam says Luke knows it has nothing to do with that and he knows it. Sam tells him that he knows things happened in Vietnam that were terrible, but it's no excuse for what he is doing right now. Sam asks for his word as a friend that if he brings Roy in for treatment, that he won't be taken into custody. "What do you say?", asks Sam. The deputy enters behind Sam and cocks his shotgun. Luke says, "I'd say you're under arrest."

Back at the campsite, Roy and Daniel wait and talk. Daniel asks if Roy was with his dad when he died and how it happened. Roy flashes on the explosion. He asks Daniel if Luke ever told him. Daniel says Luke doesn't like to talk about the war. Roy asks if he can hold the camera. Daniel asks again if Roy really saw Bigfoot. Roy says yes, and points to a ridge off-camera. "I sure did. I was climbing down that ridge, right there, past the crooked pine. I jumped down on a rock and there he was." Daniel asks if he was afraid. Roy says, "No. There was something about the way he looked at me, like he knew I wasn't there to hurt him. Then he just turned and walked away. There was something about him. Something peaceful." Daniel asks Roy to help him find Bigfoot, and that he owes it to his father.

Luke shuts Sam into a jail cell. Sam says he is making a mistake asks what he is going to do next. Luke says he is going to go find Roy and end this thing. Luke comments, "Why couldn't you have just stayed up there?" Luke leaves and Al pops in, a little too close to Sam, causing him to jump back! He advises Sam that he checked on Roy and Daniel at the campsite but they are now gone. Ziggy says they are on their way to Willamette Peak and are found tomorrow... both dead. "What do you mean they're both dead?" Al says Danny fell into a crevice or something and Roy had a seizure. Sam tells Al to go be with them as Karen enters. Sam tells her Daniel is with Roy and they are off looking for Bigfoot. Karen asks if he knows where they are and if Roy would hurt Daniel. Sam says not intentionally. He explains to Karen that if Roy doesn't get his medication, he'll die, and Daniel might too. Karen asks what he wants and Sam says to get the medication and he will tell her anything she wants and even take her there. Karens runs to get the key to the cell and lets Sam out.

In the mountains by a rushing river, Roy and Daniel sit on some rocks and wait for Bigfoot. Al pops in and observes them. Daniel says, "My mom would probably be mad at me now." Al says to Roy, "Why don't you tell him to go home?" Roy answers Daniel, "Sometimes a boy gotta break away from his mama." Al says, "On second thought, don't say anything!" Daneil asks if Roy thinks Bigfoot could be there and Roy smiles, saying "he could be 1,000 miles away, or he could be watching us right now." Al looks around and comments, "I hope that hairy devil can't see holograms."

Daniel asks to take a picture of Roy. He stands up on the rocks and loses hit footing, falling back into a crevice in the rocks. Al punches keys on the handlink and projects himself sliding down the rocks into the crevice. Then he pops back up to his original location. "Gooshie! Center me on Sam!"

Down the road, Sam and Karen have run off the road onto some rocks after getting Roy's pills and driving out to the peak. A deer ran out in front of them and she swerved. Sam can't get the truck off the rocks, and Al pops in to warn him about the situation with Daniel and Roy. Sam grabs Karen's hand and they run up the ridge.

They make it to Roy and Sam gives him the pills. Al says Daniel must have hit his head and is out cold. Luke shows up behind them and cocks his rifle, telling Karen to come back up. She cries and says Daniel is hurt and stuck. Luke looks at Roy and asks, "What did he do to him?" Sam interjects, "He didn't do anything. He slipped and he fell and why don't you put the gun down and give us a hand?" Luke stares at Sam, an angry and disturbed look on his face. Sam says, "Look, John's death wasn't your fault. It was a war. Things happen in war."

Karen has tears in her eyes. Luke says, "I wanted to tell you. I just didn't know how." Karen consoles, "It's all right." Luke says, "No let me finish. It was my fault that John died." She asks, "Why? Because you wouldn't kill an old man?" Luke looks up, "You knew? You didn't say anything?" Karen shakes her head. "I said, "I do" I figured that was enough. Please." Luke lowers his weapon and Sam tries to get to Daniel but the hole is too small. He looks up at Roy.

Roy asks while rocking nervously, "You want me to get in that hole, don't you?" Sam says it's the only way they are going to save Daniel. Moments later, Daniel and Roy emerge from the crevice. "Hey Henry, I don't think I'm gonna see those snakes no more!" Sam hugs Roy and they check on Daniel. He needs a doctor but the closest hospital is 30 miles. Karen says, "Damn it! The truck is up on some rocks!"

They run as fast as they can back down the road carrying Daniel, who is still out cold. As they round a curve, they discover the truck is now off the rocks and turned around. Karen says she doesn't understand how that could be and Sam says not to worry about it now, as they load Daniel into the bed of the truck, wrapped in Sam's heavy coat. Roy wants to ride with Daniel to make sure he's okay. Luke says Sam is welcome to ride with them also, but Sam says he wants to walk down. Luke looks at Sam as if to apologize, but Sam fills in the words. "It's okay. Get him to a hospital." Sam tells Roy he will see him in town and they smile.

Al reveals the new history to Sam as they stand by the road with the river in the background. Ziggy reports through Al, "Well, Sam, Daniel isn't hurt bad, he's okay. Luke and Karen go on to have a couple kids and Roy gets a job as a fire watcher with the forest service. Henry takes that journal and he turns it into a best-selling book." Sam says, "Well, that only leaves one unanswered question then, Al. How did the truck get off the rocks, and back on the road and turned around?" Al look off the road nearby in the trees. "I think I'm lookin' at it." Sam asks what he's talking about. Al points with an amazed and slightly frightened look on his face and says, "I'm talking about... that!"

Sam looks up to see a tall, gray, and furry figure walking by. It turns to face them briefly, then walks on. Al, slightly smiling, says, "Oh, Boy," as Sam leaps.

Personal Review by Brinsley:

A nice and at times touching thematic episode, dealing with the ravages of war over not only people's lives, their rights or their way of life (issues dealt with in previous QL episodes such as "Nuclear Family" or "The Leap Home, Part II"), but also over relationships, and most importantly, friendships, here represented in the four classmates' long friendship that is broken between the three of them that have survived, due to an incident they are keeping a secret among themselves, in which one of them directly caused his friend's death by disobeying that friend's order to him to kill an old man. As Sam so precisely states it, this is an irony of human morality: how can Luke, having refused to kill, now be forced to spend the rest of his life feeling guilty for causing his friend's death by that very refusal? In the present, Luke initially seems to us to be quite worthy of the title of "nozzle" applied by Al to many of the villains Sam encounters. He hounds Henry and Roy for petty crimes and has made it impossible for them to come into town in broad daylight to seek help for Roy's critical condition. However, when Henry's diary takes Sam, and us, to the past of four years before that time, we have to come to terms with the fact that Luke was the good and moral guy back then, and can still be seen to be so in the present as well. He is ridden by guilt for having caused John's death by his disobedience, and that is clearly the reason behind many of his actions – on the one hand, his preventing of Henry and Roy from coming to town, but on the other hand, his decision to marry Karen and become a father for Daniel, replacing his late friend and providing for his family as a way of compensating for his deed and easing his secret guilt. All in all, Luke certainly turns out to be the victim of a strange twist of fate, and thanks to Sam's presence and his wise words, a better man for it.

Worst Thing about the Episode:

Nothing really bad about the episode… except perhaps having Sam and Al spot Bigfoot at the very end, which constitutes another one of Sam's somewhat frequent "kisses with the paranormal" (such as his respective encounters with the devil, angels, vampires, curses, ghostly people, ghostly ships and other unexplained phenomena). It seems quite a few episodes end with Sam and Al confronted with decisive "proof" – that of their eyesight, or other senses - of the actual existence of these phenomena. In my opinion, after having been used even once or twice, this resolution seems to have become quite predictable and tiresome.

Project Trivia:

Al mentions that Henry told him the story of Roy's tragic injury in Vietnam while in the Waiting Room.

Sam Trivia:

Sam recalls one bit of info out of his knowledge of medicinal herbs, in remembering the medicinal qualities of the lobelia plant, allowing him to identify the plant and to make a broth out of it to temporarily repress Roy's seizures.

Al Trivia:

Even though Al doesn't comment on it in relation to himself, Sam's inquiry into the four friends' stories of Vietnam (Roy's injury, and Luke's disobedience that led to John's death) clearly brings up in Al's mind the memories of his own life in Vietnam and his years-long POW ordeal.

Al's Outfits:

1. White long overcoat with gold pin in the lapel, dark brown shirt with pin buttoning the neck. (in the campsite at night)

2. Dark yellow long overcoat with gold pin in the lapel, dark yellow scarf, black shirt, black pants, black shoes. (in the campsite the next morning, town jail, the riverbank)

Miscellaneous Trivia:

This episode was written by John D'Aquino, who has appeared in a guest role in the show as Frank LaMotta, brother of Sam's leapee Jimmy in the episodes "Jimmy" and "Deliver Us from Evil", as well as in the role of young miner Tonchi Palermo in the series finale "Mirror Image". John (and Scott Bakula) didn't like Bigfoot being added into the episode. Dean didn't like it either and you can tell by the look on his face in the final moment of the episode that he thought it was ridiculous!

This episode has the same name as a horror movie released in 1982.

The script for this episode is the only one writen by a guest star from the series (John D'Aquino), who played Frank LaMotta in "Jimmy."

During the original broadcast, this episode leaped Sam into "Memphis Melody", but was changed to "The Leap Between the States" instead the following week.

Schedule Shift:

The spot below aired immediately following the end of this episode. Sam and Al explain that QL will return to the NBC schedule on March 30th, 1993 but one hour later. Notice that they are on the set of "Mirror Image" nearly two months before the final episode aired.

Bloopers:

Regular Cast:

Scott Bakula as Dr. Sam Beckett
Dean Stockwell as Al Calavicci

Guest Cast Notes:

Pat Skipper as Lucas "Luke" Marlet: Pat Skipper was born on September 23, 1958 in Lakeland, Florida, USA. He is an actor, known for The X-Files (1993), Bosch (2014) and Yellowstone (2018). He is married to Jennifer Hammond. They have two children. Appeared in such movies as "Wall Street", "Lethal Weapon 2", "Predator 2", "Femme Fatale", "Independence Day" and "Erin Brockovich". He has also appeared in such TV-movies as "Dancing with Danger", "Trade Off" and "Dying to Live". Among his TV guest credentials are such shows as "Paradise", "The X-Files", "Frasier", "That 70's Show" and "NYPD Blue".

Eileen Seeley as Karen Marlet: Eileen Seeley was born on December 23, 1959. She is an actress, known for Batman Forever (1995), Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987) and Quantum Leap (1989). She is married to Sterling William Seamans. They have two children. Appeared in such movies as "Creature", "Molly and Gina", "The Killers Within", "Batman Forever" and more recently in "Jack Frost" and the sequel "Jack Frost 2". She has also appeared in such TV-movies as "A Dangerous Affair", "In the Shadows, Someone's Watching" and "Ruby Jean and Joe". Her TV guest credentials include appearances in "Who's the Boss?", "Family Ties", "The Facts of Life", "Murder She Wrote" and "ER".

Sean Gregory Sullivan as Roy Brown: Sean Sullivan is known for Back to the Future Part III (1990), Wayne's World (1992) and 54 (1998). He has been married to Lynne Griffin since December 3, 1995. Appeared in such movies as "Back to the Future 3", "Who's that Girl?" and "Wayne's World". He has also appeared in the TV-movies "Melanie Darrow" and "RFK". His TV credentials include a recurring role in "Roomies", as well as guest appearances in "The Bronx Zoo", "Caroline in the City", "Babylon 5" and "Fame".

David Tom as Daniel Burke: David Tom was born in Hinsdale, Illinois. At a young age, David began regular appearances in large national commercials as well as modeling projects. After moving to Los Angeles and appearing in several reoccurring television shows, David soon landed the role of Whitey in the hit film Pleasantville (1998). He then booked the role of Billy in The Young and the Restless (1973), where he worked alongside his sister, Heather and received an Emmy Award. Heather Tom. David continued his love of acting in work on many projects including Pleasantville, Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman, Party of 5, CSI, NCIS, One Life to Live and ALL My Children. Since this time, David has appeared in several additional film and network pieces. Appeared in such movies as "Stay Tuned", "Swing Kids", "Roommates" and "Pleasantville". He has also appeared in such TV-movies as "A Place to be Loved", "Summertime Switch", "The 60's" and "Holy Joe". Among his TV credentials are a recurring guest role in "The Young and the Restless", as well as guest appearances in such shows as "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman" and "Party of Five".

Mike Jolly as Henry Adams (Mirror Image): Mike Jolly was born on November 29, 1959 in the USA. He is an actor, known for Three O'Clock High (1987), Forrest Gump (1994) and Fatal Beauty (1987). Appeared in minor roles in such movies as "Creator", "Bad Guys", "Sister Act", "Clean Slate" and "Forrest Gump". He also appeared in recurring roles on the TV series "Fresno" and "Dirty Dozen". Among his TV guest appearances are Bellisario's "JAG", as well as "Murder She Wrote", "Beauty and the Beast" and "The Facts of Life".

David Denney as Deputy Curtis: David Denney is known for Don McKay (2009), Rolling Kansas (2003) and Quantum Leap (1989). Appeared in such movies as "Under Cover", "Rush Week" and "Shadow Force", as well as in such TV-movies as "Pointman", "A Mother's Gift" and "A Promise to Carolyn". His TV guest appearances include "Walker, Texas Ranger" and "Coach".

John Worful as John Burke: John Hillard was born on February 24, 1965 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for True Blood (2008), NCIS: Los Angeles (2009) and Quantum Leap (1989).

Guests Who Appeared in Other QL Episodes:

Pat Skipper (Luke) also appeared as "Tequila" in the second-season finale "M.I.A."

Say What?

Is it cold in the Waiting Room? Al has on multiple layers of clothing and we can see his breath when he speaks on occasion.

Putting an object in the mouth of a seizure victim is never a good idea.

Al asks Sam halfway through the episode if he thinks there could be anyting to this Bigfoot stuff, but Al wasn't around to hear any of the Bigfoot conversation before. Why did he think there was a possibility of Bigfoot being around?

Lobelia flowers are usually found in warmer and temparate climates. Finding them in Washington state in November would be unlikely, especially in bloom.

Daneil says he saw Bigfoot with his dad at Willamette Peak, which in Oregon. Roy says they saw him there too. However, the closest point in Washington state (where this episode is set) is Camas, which would be a 58 hour non-stop walk - probably much longer considering the mountainous terrain. Also, later in the episode Roy tells Daniel that when he saw Bigfoot, it was up on a ridge he points off to seemingly nearby. It would not be possible to see the peak he mentioned earlier from anywhere in Washington state. Furthermore, later in the episode Al says Roy and Daniel are headed to the peak and are found the next day dead. They could not walk to that peak in only one day.

It's a neat effect as Al repositions by "sliding" down the rock. However, after he checks on Daniel, he relocates out and then back in to Sam. Why?

Quotable Quotes:

(Sam awakens to find a wandering deer standing in the opening of the tent)
Sam: 'Morning. (the deer looks up, startled at the sound of his voice) Can I get you anything? (the deer turns its head and saunters away. Sam smiles) Guess not.

(Roy and Daniel have settled on the rocky ledge above the riverbank. Al pops in to watch over them until Sam arrives)
Daniel: My mom would probably be mad at me now.
Al (to Roy): Why don't you tell him to go home?
Roy (to Daniel): Sometimes a boy gotta break away from his mama.
Al (irritably): On second thought, don’t say anything!

Best Line:

Sam: You know, it's, it's… it's really crazy, Al. A man refuses to kill, and then… spends the rest of his life feeling guilty.

Best Scene:

The scene that was a critical turning point in the four friends' lives and relationship, it represents a moral crossroads and is the cause for most of the episode's events.

(The four young soldiers' sweep-and-destroy mission in Vietnam - August 6^th, 1968)
John: I'm gonna level this place. (Luke returns from having surveyed the hooch) What've you got?
Luke: Nothing. Just an old man, let's go.
John: Wait a second. Hey, we got orders to secure this village, that's what we're gonna do.
Luke: John, it's just an old man.
John: There's no young or old anymore. There's just us and them.
Luke (determinedly, half-challenging): Can't do it.
John (quiet, disbelieving): What did you say?!
Luke: You heard me. I can't kill any more people like that.
Roy: Look, John, maybe he's right. I mean, maybe we oughtta move it on outta here and let them flyboys just scorch the joint.
Henry: Yeah… I'm all for that. I got a bad feeling about this place.
(A moment of silence)
John: No. Command says this is a VC supply point, and we're to secure it.
Luke (bursts out): You still don't get it, man --
John: That's an order, sergeant!
Luke (shrugs it off dismissively): That doesn't matter.
John: It *does* matter!! (Silence. desperately) it has to matter!
Luke: Then you do it. (John stares at him. Luke stares back)
(Without a word, John shoulders his rifle and moves out towards the hooch. Luke, Henry and Roy step back to wait for him some distance away. The moment John passes through the doorway, the hooch explodes. Flames rise up to the night sky)
Luke (maddened by grief, makes to run towards the flaming hooch but is restrained by Henry and Roy): John!! John!!
(The remains of the hooch collapse into the flames)

Production Credits:

Theme by: Mike Post
Musical Score By: Velton Ray Bunch
Co-Executive Producer: Deborah Pratt
Co-Executive Producer: Chas. Floyd Johnson
Supervising Producers: Richard C. Okie, Harker Wade
Supervising Producer: Tommy Thompson
Producer: Robin Jill Bernheim
Created by: Donald P. Bellisario
Written by: John D'Aquino
Directed by: Gus Trikonis

Executive Producer: Donald P. Bellisario
Associate Producers: Scott Ejercito, Julie Bellisario
Coordinating Producer: David Bellisario
Director of Photography: Robert Primes, A.S.C.
Production Designer: Cameron Birnie
Edited by: Michael S. Stern
Unit Production Manager: Ron Grow
First Assistant Director: R. John Slosser
Second Assistant Director: Brian Faul
Casting by: Ellen Lubin Sanitsky, C.S.A.
Set Director: Robert L. Zilliox
Costume Designer: Jacqueline Saint Anne
Costume Supervisors: Glenn Bradley, Alice Daniels
Art Director: Ellen Dambros-Williams
Sound Mixer: Barry D. Thomas
Stunt Coordinator: Diamond Farnsworth
Make-up: Jeremy Swan
Hairstylist: Andrea Mizushima
Sound Editor: Greg Schorer
Music Editor: Bruce Frazier
Special Visual Effects: Roger Dorney, Denny Kelly

Panaflex ® Camera and Lenses by: Panavision ®

This motion picture is protected under laws of the United States and other countries. Unauthorized duplication, distribution or exhibition may result in civil liability and criminal prosecution.

Copyright © 1993 by Universal City Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Some of the characters portrayed in this motion picture are based upon actual persons. Although some of those events have been fictionalized for dramatic purposes, otherwise the characters and events depicted in this photoplay are fictitious. Any similarity to actual persons living or dead is purely coincidental.

Bellisarius Productions and Universal Television, an MCA Company

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