302 The Leap Home Part II: Vietnam

[alsplacebartender]

The Leap Home Part II : Vietnam
April 7, 1970

Somewhere in Vietnam (along the Mekong River)


In Part 2 of "The Leap Home," Sam ends up in Vietnam with his brother Tom and gets a second chance to save him from being killed. But because the event happened over twenty-five years before Al's present time, Ziggy is having a hard time interfacing with the Pentagon computers to find out exactly how Tom was killed. This episode ends with a shocker that can not be missed!


Written by: Donald P. Bellisario
Directed by: Michael Zinberg


Rate and comment on Part Two of the third season premiere!

This one blew me away at the end.I mean Al never told Sam
he was one of the prisonors.I really did like a whole lot how
it was just great.

[mstalanon]

DEFINATELY one of the best episodes of the entire series!!

While I didn't like the whole Maggie Dawson angle of the story, Al's background really was excellent! And the ending STILL gets me in tears!!

Yeah, I love how they show you a whole new side to Al, I mean from other eps u know he has a deep sensitive side, like Jimmy and MIA, but this really hits you!

Ruthie

[RossBeckett]

I really enjoyed this episode and would love to hear exec. commentary(Donald P. Bellisario) on the 3rd season collection! My favorite part of the whole episode probably was at the end when Sam discovers the picture of Al as he was taken prisoner of war and Maggie who died(the unfortunate side of the changed history) actually did win a pulitzer posthumously! Kudos to everyone who worked on and behind the scenes! And I agree BakFan!

~Steve(aka RossBeckett)

[jmsp51d]

I thought the ending was just great.How Sam looked at pictures and the one P.O.W looking back was Al.I seen it so many times,but can still remember the first time I seen it.

[Vince Beckett]

I love how Sam gets a second chance to save his brother and Al sacrifices his freedom for Sam's brother.

[TessCrazy]

jus a quick question - at the end, Tom says to sam "all thanks to you little brother"... never quite understood how tom knew sam was ... sam, or was it jus a biig coincidence? OH and what did Maggie say to Al before she died?

over'n'out
- Tess

[alsplacebartender]

It's kind of left open as to the little brother remark. But Maggie says "Pulitzer" to Al, seeing the man in the photo she took.

[bluedana]

I think part of it was acknowledging that "Magic" was as insistent about Tom crawling into a hole and waiting out the day as Sam had been when Tom was home. It was like he was calling "Magic" Sam as a joke, without even knowing that they were in fact the same person at that moment.

It was also pretty typical of the late 60's and early 70's for people to refer to each other as "brother" or "bro'". So, I agree with Brian, it's got a couple of meanings.

[TessCrazy]

Originally Posted by alsplacebartender

Maggie says "Pulitzer" to Al, seeing the man in the photo she took.

Ahh thats clever init! thats the prize she wins for the picture right?

.. thats quite cool [chuckles to self]

[isz]

Well, seeing the 2 parts of "the leap home", i'll have to say i found part 1 better. the reason is...i didn't find something really unforgetable during most of this episode. Don't get me wrong The Ending was great,unforgetable and deserve all the compliments you can think of, but great ending to an episode is not enough ,in my opinion, to make the episode Excellent.There must be more.
One thing i can say is, that if it wasn't clear enough during the series,'till this point- after "Vietnam" is completely clear -Don's favorite Character in QL is Al. I guess it's not surprising if you already knows Al's Character based on DPB(So i read somewhere in one of the forums here).

[Snish]

Originally Posted by isz

One thing i can say is, that if it wasn't clear enough during the series,'till this point- after "Vietnam" is completely clear -Don's favorite Character in QL is Al. I guess it's not surprising if you already knows Al's Character based on DPB(So i read somewhere in one of the forums here).

DBP denies it (In "A Kiss with History"), but both Scott and Dean have said that Al is based on DPB. I'm inclined to believe that Scott and Dean know what they're talking about.

I wouldn't say that Al is DPB's favorite. I think he loves Sam best. Sam is his ideal. Throughout five seasons, he kept the series focused on Sam as the hero. Even in episodes that strongly feature Al, such as Killin' Time or The Leap Back, Sam remains the hero. The format for nearly all the episodes remains the same: Sam carries the episode, he's in nearly every scene, and Al makes several appearances.

I would say that DPB understands Al extremely well, better than anyone else. Of course he loves the character too--to be a writer, you have to love your characters. At least I think so. He gave Al some magnificent moments, and the one at the end of this episode is one of the best.

[isz]

Sam is the main character so the series has to focus on him . Al's character is only a supporting role,so Al makes only a several appearances during each episode. However, can you think of names of shows that the supporting character there has so much depth Like the character of Al Calavicci in QL?!

[Snish]

Originally Posted by isz

Sam is the main character so the series has to focus on him . Al's character is only a supporting role,so Al makes only a several appearances during each episode.

But DPB is the show's creator. He could change that if he wanted to. The series could have become an ensemble show, in which we would see all of the PQL staff taking on larger roles, and stories could have centered on other characters. Or Sam and Al could have become equal partners, both portrayed as heroes who could carry an episode. There are moments where it approaches that, but generally Sam remains the hero throughout. (And I don't think I've ever seen a character wave the sidekick flag more proudly than Al Calavicci.)

However, can you think of names of shows that the supporting character there has so much depth Like the character of Al Calavicci in QL?!

No, and that's one of the reasons why I love QL!

[ris768]

Yummola! I forgot how HOT Scott looked in this ep. I wish there had been more episodes of Sam in short shorts.

The final scene is fantastic, Scott does an incredibly believable job of being drunk. I love the conversation between Sam and Al and how all the other characters just think "Magic" has lost it.

This is one of my favs, I've got to go watch it again.

[Bexter]

Originally Posted by ris768

Yummola! I forgot how HOT Scott looked in this ep. I wish there had been more episodes of Sam in short shorts.

I'll have to watch this again now

[Stakker]

I think this might be my favourite episode alongside The Leap Home Pt1.

[Lightning McQueenie]

How many people would agree with me when I say that this is the first leap where Sam "fails"?

[Al's the Best]

Was this episode anti-war? I ask because I know Dean never served and actually dodged the draft! He's a very impressive actor and just was amazed at how well he played this character so believably without having ever served!

[Samuel Beckett]

Originally Posted by Lightning McQueenie

How many people would agree with me when I say that this is the first leap where Sam "fails"?

Well, he did save his brother...

It would be more of a price he paid for altering someone's fate completely and somebody had to die in Tom's place, I think.

[blue enigma]

Originally Posted by Lightning McQueenie

How many people would agree with me when I say that this is the first leap where Sam "fails"?

Well, I wouldn't say he fails exactly. He does save Colonel Grimwald, who died in the original history, so that was actually a successful change.

Saving Tom was more ambiguous of course because it came at such a high price with Maggie dying in his place. On the other hand she also won the Pulitzer, which she didn't in the original history and it's very clear that it was something she wanted badly. If Maggie had been given the choice who knows what she might have chosen? But there was a lot of collateral damage from this part of the leap.

Another favorite episode.

[ChickenStu]

I like the fact that Sam getting what he wanted had it's costs. A very powerful statement in a show which at the time was at it's strongest.

That whole thing where his Tom calls him "little brother" at the end... here's my theory. Tom remembers how insistent that Sam was about him crawling into a hole on the 8th of April, and the whole thing about him saying he was from the future.

Maybe, he noticed a change in "Magic"'s behaviour which reminded him of Sam, and he thought it was very coincidental that it happened around the time that Sam told him he would die.

When Sam saves Tom's life and says "She was gonna kill you!" Tom realises that this is all happening on the date Sam warned him about, and then listens to him talk to Al (Sam makes no effort to conceal that he's doing it, cause he's quite drunk), having just listened to him moan for hours about "how he traded a life for a life".

Basically, I think Tom realised Sam was telling the truth the whole time, really is a time traveller and replaced Magic. You notice after Tom calls him little brother and Sam looks at him in astonishment, he's smiling as Sam begins to leap out. He knows it's him.

[iMonrey]

The thing that bugs me a little bit is there was never any follow up to this that would confirm Sam really did save Tom. He may not have died on April 8th but who's to say he didn't end up dying anyway some other time before the war ended. I was kind of surprised he did manage to save Tom, but we'll never know what happened to Tom afterwards.

[Lightning McQueenie]

Originally Posted by iMonrey

The thing that bugs me a little bit is there was never any follow up to this that would confirm Sam really did save Tom. He may not have died on April 8th but who's to say he didn't end up dying anyway some other time before the war ended. I was kind of surprised he did manage to save Tom, but we'll never know what happened to Tom afterwards.

Watch the Season 5 episode "Promised Land", Sam leaps into a bank robber in his home town of Elk Ridge Indiana. At one point Sam asks a bank patron about the Becketts. they say that Tom has recently returned home from Vietnam...