106 The Color of Truth
 

The Color of Truth
August 8, 1955

Rigada, Alabama


As a black man named Jesse Tyler in the deep south, Sam must fight racial prejudice while preventing his boss Melony Trafford from being killed by a train.

Hints of Driving Miss Daisy abound in this leap as Sam tries to change "the way it is" with the elderly widow.

He also must find a way to save his granddaughter after she is forced off the road by two "good-ol' boys" who are trying to teach Jesse a lesson for sitting down at a whites-only lunch counter as Sam leaped in.


Written by: Deborah Pratt
Directed by: Michael Vejar


Rate and comment on this episode!

This really jumped out at me... hard. In many ways, it WAS like "Driving Miss Daisy", but not in too many. The general story of Jessie Tyler, and the racial bigotry that was so prevalent in the South... especially back then.

That and I wanted to brain that Biotch Nurse! LOL!

Matt

I voted "good" and for every other controversial episode except for "Lee Harvey Oswald" which I voted "excellent"!

~RayBeckett(Steve)
Global User

Great episode. It was Sam's first leap into a black man and it was the first episode dealing with discrimination.

This episode was a real eye-opener. Oh, I'd been aware of racism, of course, but I'm a northern girl born in the '70's, so I've never actually been exposed to the extremes. What Sam went through just floored me. Especially the part about the hospital refusing to take the girl because it was a 'white hospital.' I mean, separate hospitals? That's just... Ugh! I wanted Sam to hurt that nurse.

An excellent episode.

agree completely, i wanted Sam to punch that doctor and Nurse Pig Butt, as Al called her, lol. and the sheriff made me mad too, errrr.

this has to be one of my favorite episodes too, i especially love the part where Al saves Mrs. Melone.

A fantastic episode! I LOVE Driving Miss Daisy, so there is that initail attraction to it, but the message about it is what stays. The chitlins scene was GREAT!

Samantha Beckett

oh i forgot to mention, i also loved how everytime Sam was turned away they reminded him that he was black, by showing his reflection in windows and stuff.

One of my favs from the first season.Great performances all round.

Did anyone hear Sam's little laugh when Tyler's son said to him, while Sam was cooking..."You alright Papa Jessie, you're looking a little pale?"

On a personal note; I'm so glad my mum wasn't born there. She's mixed and she was born in the late 50's but here in North England. Would that mean she'd have to go to a separate hospital if she was born there. I mean it's kinda crazy to think how people act.

Well, things have gotten a little better.

Give us a little more credit than that!!!!!! The Jim Crow South is LONG GONE.

Prejudice, however, is not. At least most people know better than to be open bigots these days, though.

The best episode in season 1 in my opinion. A lot of great Drama and acting. a real eye-opener,as LadyKayoss put it. espacially for people that are not from the US or if they are from the US they are too young to remember or witness it in thier eyes.

:dreaming The Best Part: I felt proud the way Miss Melony stood up to her own "people" at the hospital. This was sweet and appropriate. People in her position SHOULD stand up against these kinds of injustices... otherwise, they go unchecked and continue. I live in South Carolina and see this kind of s**t all the time... the black jokes that makes me want to hurl... makes me so damn sick. You go girl!

:lol The Funniest Part: When Miss Melony seemed to hear Al and said something to the effect that "you don't have to yell" when thinking, I guess, she heard her dead husband.

:realmad The Worst Part: There was no worse part for this one: EXCELLENT EXCELLENT EXCELLENT!

This episode: AWESOME! :hurray:

I found this very funny, as well. Oh, and she told him he didn't have to swear, after Al said "_________". :lol

This was the episode when I really started getting into QL, Up until then I'd been enjoying it but not LOVING it. The acting was excellent and the story line was beautiful.

OMG I totally agree, and I everytime I watch I can almost feel the pride that Sam must have felt watching her. She was so scared to disobey the rules when Sam wanted to join her at the table for tea, but something Sam said finally shined a light for her. I was proud of both of them. :)

And as for the Al line Hologramiam, It was
"Thank you Charles. You didn't have to swear" because Al had shouted
"Pull into the cemetary dammit!"

Thanks for the correction. Been a while since I saw that episode, but at least I did say "something to the effect of..." :p

It's really disgusting how bad it was in 1950's America. This episode really openned my eyes to it. Thankfully, most of us are past that behavior toward fellow humans.

I did notice one 'production problem'. When Sam/Jesse is standing at the doors of the White Only Hospital (shortly before he is arrested), he turns around to see the squad car pull up. Notice the refelction in the doors is actually Sam and NOT Jesse. It's right when Sam/Jesse is turning. It's quick, but if you're looking at the window, you'll see it for sure.

This is my favourite episode from Season 1 and way up there in my favourite episodes of the entire series.

Of course, it would have been better if we'd had Sam speak in the Southern accent like he did in Shock Theatre...

Imagine if, for the sake of argument, Sam had to try to pretend to sound like the person he'd leapt into, so that no-one realises it's not really the leapee... I know that the voice is part of the aura, but still...

yeah, it's a fun concept - which is why {shameless plugosity} in my story "Run for their Lives" I have Sam 'inherit' the Irish nanny's broad Irish accent! I'd truly love to hear Scott try to tackle it!

:lol Yes, so would I. I think it would also have been fun if Sam had to tackle accents. I think the only episode that he really had to alter his voice was in the last episode in season 3, where he kept inheriting different personalities.

I agree that it would've been fun to see Sam try to tackle accents or voices. Especially when he would leap into the body of a woman. ...I just got a Monty Python mental image...

Roflmao... Sam as Mrs Doubtfire...

"Noowe listen to Mrs Dootfoyre deary, Mrs Dootfoyre knows... Pardon me deary... call of nature..."

Actually Mrs Doubtfire was Scottish..
but of course Sam is Swiss cheesed and doesn't remember that either,
Sooo....

I do have him looking in the mirror at the start of the leap when he finds out he's an Irish Nanny and saying "Dear Lord, now I'm Mrs. Doubtfire!":roflmao:

I also have the Nanny in the waiting room - Mary Macgillicuddy - taking one look at Al in a bright green suit and commenting "Oh boy, it's a leprechaun!"

Synergising Sam and the leapee can be such fun!

Actually she (?) was English, she says so in the movie...