Mirror Image: Discussions - Trivia - Questions

S

SueJBakula

Guest
Post 2
Thread Heading: Mirror Image Thoughts

Date: 07/05/1999
From: Maverick3

Mirror Image is coming up, so I figured I would create a discussion topic where people could talk about their views of Mirror Image, and what it means for Sam, Al, and the show.

Reply 1: mirror image
Date: 07/09/1999
From: virex

it is my personal opinion that mirror image is not just one the best, most moving, thought provoking, and poignant leaps ever; but also by far the most confusing. i love the episode. but i have no idea where sam was. the only logical idea would be Heaven. but "bartender al" said he wasn't God. i can't remember is he said it wasn't Heaven. if anyone has any thoughts on this episode please reply.

Reply 3: I think....
Date: 09/15/2000
From: SamBeckettLover

Hi Maverick3,

I am a new user of this fantastic cite to talk about Quantum Leap. I jsut want to say that the last episode disturbed me. Yes it was good, but it made me so angry that he didn't go back home that I was in tears and yelling at the tv. And to make it worse, the whole thing was filmed in Pittsburgh, which is my hometown, and at the time I was too young to even know what the show was. Thinking that I missed such a great opportunity to meet my main man Sam and Al dissappoints me everytime I see it. I really don't know if he is suppossed to be in heaven or not, but if so I think it is wierd and stupid that they based it around the steel industry of Pittsburgh. It just didn't seem like an appropriate ending to such a great show. Okay, that's all I have to say so bye. Feel free to comment

Reply 4: to philosophical
Date: 07/18/2002
From: MonicaBeckett

I think the ep is too philosophical. I hate it. The only part i like is the end where Sam tells Beth that her husband is alive. I like how Al ended up married to Beth with kids. He deserves her, since she is his true love. But couldnt they get them together another way, like another MIA-eque episode. Maybe Sam could still leap into himself, but in San Franisco to get Al and Beth back together, while Sam wrestles with the holes filling up in his Swiss Cheesed mind.
monica
 
Post 7
Thread Heading: NO FAIR!!

Date: 07/08/1999
From: CallieSkye

Yeah yeah it's wonderful that Al gets his wife back and everything, but what about SAM?!?! He's got a wife and a daughter floating somewhere in the future. What would it hurt if they actually let Sam go home??? Nothing. It would hurt nothing. And I'm sure a lot more people would be a lot happier. *grins* Sam included.
~*Callie*~

Reply 1: You have to see it this way.......
Date: 07/08/1999
From: Fish_Bone

Every day people are geting spearated from there family. some die, some get lost, but at least Sam is doing good wile he is gone.
And if Sam wanted to, he could go home, but he want's to help people. And i would understand if i was a son or brother or anything of sam, and i would be proud.

Reply 2: reply to fishbone
Date: 07/08/1999
From: GoblinGirl

Fishbone, I liked your reply.

I agree, they really played out that Don Quixote metaphore. Sam has the demented need to help everyone, solve every problem. He's a great man and sacraficed a lot in the name of helping others. We should admire his commitment.

Kristi

Reply 4: reply to Fishbone and CallieSkye
Date: 09/15/2000
From: SamBeckettLover

I so agree with CallieSkye!!! Don't you guys think Sam has done enough good. He's been leaping around for basically five years and has helped everyone but himself. He deserves a break, and with all the good he has done, God or whoever is leaping him should at least do some good for him. It's only fair, and I don't want to hear that life isn't fair. For someone who has done so much good it darn well should be!!! (Sorry I'm just really emotional about all this!!)

Reply 5: Maybe some day
Date: 07/18/2002
From: MonicaBeckett

Sam might come back in the movie, you never know
monica
 
Post 8
Thread Heading: I didn't understand MI

Date: 07/08/1999
From: dantessoul

I just saw MI and I was more than a lil confused at the end of it. Any one who understood this better maybe you can explain it to me, who was Al the bartender, and why did Al's uncle leap inn as someone who's been dead for 20years. If Sam could go back whenever he chose after he set things right with Al how come he never did?

Reply 1: Every one was confused when it aired....
Date: 07/08/1999
From: Fish_Bone

Thats why every one want's the show to continue.
Some think the bartender Al was Sam, some a future Al, and some God himself!

Reply 2: You're supposed to be confused
Date: 07/08/1999
From: GoblinGirl

I like how the writers wanted the viewers to think it over themselves and try to figure out what was going on. I don't really understand it either, but I think it has a lot to do with quantum physics theories and god/fate/time, and how they relate to each other. Read my post "virgin viewing of Mirror Image" and you'll see my opinions on most of what you asked about.

Fishbone said:
>>Some think the bartender Al was Sam, some a future Al, and some >>God himself!

Hey, I didn't think of that, that Al the Bartender was Sam. How very Michael Crichton's "Sphere." Cool idea . . . that Future-Sam somehow created a little pocket of existance for Past-Sam, in order to tell Past-Sam some stuff that Future-Sam wished he had known before the leaps had gotten really difficult. Interesting.

Kristi

Reply 3: Sam or Al the bartender?
Date: 07/09/1999
From: Fish_Bone

Sam:
Notice how Al the bartender gave a nick name to every one in the bar
after PQL. And If he was the one leaping Sam, then it's safe to say
Sam is leaping himself around.

Al:
Notice how Al said he always wanted a bar!

Reply 4: Al the bartender?
Date: 07/09/1999
From: Fish_Bone

Al:
Notice how Al said he always wanted a bar!
And the bartender called himself Al!

Reply 5: I hate to say it, but...
Date: 07/19/1999
From: Bingo

...you are just plain wrong! Sam is not a "do-gooder" - he is the proverbial mad scientist whose experiment "went a little bit ca-ca"! Don't believe ME - Admiral Albert Calavicci is the one who said it in the first episode! Sam is trying to get home by changing history & then leaping, hoping that Ziggy can then "grab" him. Hardly the work of some benevolent hero - I just don't buy all this altruistic superhero stuff - I'm sorry! Also, I can't believe that Admiral Calavicci was a middle-aged bartender in 1953 Pennsylvania! Just remember this: "...Dr. Sam Beckett stepped into the Quantum Leap Accelerator and VANISHED..." He is gone & likely will not return - history & PQL are twisted beyond recognition & there are gaping holes in them both - like Swiss cheese! LOTHOS is the only hope! Ironic, huh?
 
Post 9:

Thread Heading: Post MI: Would they still meet?

Date: 07/08/1999
From: Mancha


Okay now that most people have seen MI.

I STILL think Sam and Al would still meet one way or another. Don't you think that when Al returned as a POW that Beth would ask him about the friend who told her he was alive? I also think Sam told Beth about QL "Only if you believe me" he tells her.
Then Al might remember a time when "Bingo" was in the future and saw his "uncle" who claimed to be a future Al. In comparing stories they might get to wonder. Then when they read about some Wizkid getting a noble prize...

Well what do you all think?

I know QL *could* go on with out AL, but it would be boring.

St. John had little personality.

Reply 1: oh, they'll meet
Date: 07/08/1999
From: GoblinGirl

Sam and Al will still meet, somehow. They're fated to. Anyway, if they don't meet, there would be no reason for Sam to leap back and save Al's marriage, so Sam would never have talked to Beth the second time, and things would just reset themselves!

You know the theory that every decision we make, an alternate universe is created in which we made the decision differently? So there's an infinate number of alternate universes? I have a feeling that the incident with the hammer and the vending machine, when Sam and Al first met, occurs in every universe where a Project Quantum Leap exists.

The real question is, why doesn't Al remember seeing another Sam suddenly leap into Beth's living room and start talking to her? I just watched MIA again, and there is almost one minute that should have overlappped when Sam leaps in the second time and Al "leaped out" (lost the image of Beth in the imaging chamber because Sam leaped out) in MIA. I know that because the part of Georgia (the bridge, which plays only once) that is playing when, in MIA, the show ends is same part in MI when Beth and Sam sit down.

Kristi
Reply 2: Fascinating discussion, folks!
Date: 07/19/1999
From: Bingo

It is great that you are thinking so well through these anomalies! Just remember that Al was working on the Starbright Project with Donna Alessi before Quantum Leap. It was inevitable that Sam & Al would meet, but not necessarily at the Coke machine! If Al was married to Beth & had 4 daughters, he is less likely to beat the machine with the hammer - unless he & Beth were having marital problems - which was probably likely! Now, it is possible that Al would decline to work on PQL - in which case Roddy McDowell would be the hologram!...
Reply 4: Book
Date: 07/18/2002
From: MonicaBeckett

Theres a QL book about post-MI universe. I dont know what its called, but i just got it in the mail a few days ago. I didnt read it yet, but judging from the cover Sam and Al do meet and work together at PQL. Al also gets his memories slowly about his new life, and has trouble believing everything. Well, this is what the cover says. Ill tell you more once i read it. I know the books arent cannon, but sometimes they are true for QL universe.
monica
 
Post 10:

Thread Heading: they better....

Date: 07/08/1999
From: Johncool

Well...After seeing MI, they should make a QL movie! All the people needs to know what happens to Sam and Al after that episode, forget the statement at the end. Sam could return home! So, if anyone out there have read the QL book "Pultizer"? If did, please tell me what ya think about it. I just finished read it, and I don't think it was after MI. Please comment....

Reply 1: Not Post-MI
Date: 07/09/1999
From: biostud

Any professionally submitted novel can not take place after Mirror Image. Berkley's QL editor, Ginjer Buchanan, won't accept ideas that break this rule (among others).

Besides, MI leads us to believe that Sam is indeed has a lot more control than Pulitzer lends him.

Pulitzer will rank #3 on my novel rankings (coming out on the web in August). It's definitely a fan favorite.

So far (though I've not yet read "Song and Dance"), ranks go:
1. Angels Unaware (Storm)
2. Foreknowledge (DeFilippis)
3. Pulitzer (Storm)
4. Odyssey (Walton)
5. Knights of the Morningstar (Rawn)

These are the only books that I could actually deem to be "good" in my opinion. Full reviews will be out soon, but I will have to a lot of thinking before I rank the remaining twelve. I will go on record as saying that several were quite poor.
Reply 3: I think...
Date: 09/15/2000
From: SamBeckettLover

I think that they should just forget about the whole last episode, since they really didn't plan it to air anyways. The movie should start at a new beginning of the ending. That way they can plan it out since they didn't get to the first time and it was basically thrown together. Please reply if you agree or disagree, or if I confused you!
Reply 4: Book & Al
Date: 07/18/2002
From: MonicaBeckett

Actually, the book Mirror's Edge (Carol Davis) is a post-MI book. It rare to find, but luckily i got a copy.

Also, I think that the series should take place after MI, because i want to know what Al's new life is and finally get Sam home and stop leaping around in time.

monica
 
Post 11:

Thread Heading: virgin viewing of Mirror Image

Date: 07/08/1999
From: GoblinGirl

These were my thoughts upon viewing Mirror Image for the first time.

I'm kind of surprised that so many people hated MI so much, but I guess I shouldn't be. Sam didn't go home, it was strange, and it was the last episode. People always expect magic from the last episode and are incredibly dissapointed when they don't get it.

Well, I guess I'll start at the beginning. I liked the whole concept, the bar, etc. People from past leaps showing up. That miner that was a leaper, he seemed *so* familier. Were we supposed to know who he was, or am I remembering him from a different show? I have a feeling that we were supposed to recognize every miner in that bar. BTW, i'm glad they picked Pittsburgh for the sole reason that it's close to where I live. Nice to see the forgotten miners of that area get some acknowledgement on a tv show.

Yes, it was definatly strange. But it was more like I wish television *could* be. More artsey, more "let the viewer decide what's going on." I hate when they dumb things down because they think people won't go for it if they don't. (Which is true-- most wouldn't.) I think it was supposed to be choppy and not make sense. Like the inexplicable ways Sam and the miners got to and from the mine. It's probably all symbolism (oy, will that take forever to figure out). Like, Sam was Out of Time, literly. He was in some other realm, some little pocket of the universe that can't be chartered on any maps. Like the Twilight Zone. (I watched the marathon last Monday, so that's what's got me thinking like this.)

Al the Bartender works for GFT or whatever who's been directing Sam's leaps. Yes, Sam controls whether or not he leaps (and maybe even when he leaps. You know how he doesn't always leap in directly? Maybe he decides how much time in limbo he can spend, recouperating from the last leap). But GFT or whatever decides who Sam should help, and how. Also, Al the Bartender controlled the Other Realm and what happened there. It was a stopping post for Sam, before the leaps got really hard.

BTW, IMO, the leaps become harder by, 1) PQL being cut by the govn't, or, 2) Sam starting to leap into the future and not having the assistance of Ziggy, Al, et al.

Ok, the big stuff: Why didn't Sam ever leap home? I think that over time, Sam does accept that he's been leaping himself around. And I think he decides that the desire to help other people outweighs his desire to leap home. He's Don Quixote, and there will always be more windmills to slaughter and Ducineas to assist. He's got the tragic hero flaw: undying selflessness.

So I think it's very fitting that Sam never leaps home. After I got over my hysterics, I watched those last five minutes again, to make sure that I had read it right. When I did, I started grinning. He's a hero. That's all there is to it, Sam's a hero.

Actually, there's this quote that I think fits MI very well: "I think that you appreciate that there are extraordinary moments when history leaps forward on the backs of [some] individuals. That what can be imagined can be achieved. That you must dare to dream, but there is no substitute for perserverence and hard work and teamwork. Because no one gets there alone. And while we commemorate the greatness of those events and the individuals who achieved them, we cannot forget the sacrifice of those who made these achievements possible."

Last thing: what about Beth? Wasn't that a kick in the butt? I think it showed a lot how much Sam has changed since MIA. He decided that his unchanging rule-abiding in regards to fixing Al's marriage was wrong. And he fixed it. (what a lucky man to be able to fix his mistakes so easily.) The one thing that nags me is the way that Al leaped out of the picture. What did that mean? It also really bothered me that they didn't use the orignal picture of Dean, the one that Roddy McDowell took. I guess they figured that it would be more of an offence to continuity to keep the old picture than to use a pic of the boy who played Al in Leap for Lisa. (I didn't like that actor as young Al, btw. He was practically blonde! Young Dean had the 50's dream boat thing going on. This kid looked like a refugee from 90210.) But the leaping . . . it makes even less sense than the leap at the end of MIA, which I almost understand.

On, one more last thing: the picture under the credits. Who was it of? I've thought it over and over and I really can't figure it out.

Kristi
PS: At least I can read all that post-MI fanfic

Reply 1: I need to point out someing.
Date: 07/09/1999
From: Fish_Bone

When the picture of young Al leaped out, It was supposed to show
The pic leaping into a pic of old Al.....with his wife and fore
girls :)(-: I guess they thought the black background was better.

I' am not sure, but i think that some of the minners were leapers!
Just like Sam. Why was Jimmy and Frank there? cus there leapers.
And so was the other Gooshie who was old. seem like they are some
leapers, and it was all a test for Sam.....but i could be wrong,
and i probly am.

I think every one should look at the alternate ending. And tell me
what they think.
Reply 2: Wow
Date: 07/09/1999
From: Winja

You spent a lot of time on that!

I agree with pretty much everything you said, but especially the part that said, "But it was more like I wish television *could* be."

I think that maybe one of the reasons it was so symbolic was so that we could have discussions like this. We get to come up with our own ideas and debate them. Besides, if he answered every question, too many people wouldn't have liked the answers and gotten mad. (Hmm, like when it says that he never returned home? <g> )

Discussing things like this is one of the main things that keeps the bboard going (and the other QL boards).

Well, those are my opinions, anyway.
Reply 3: Thx, Fishbone!
Date: 07/10/1999
From: GoblinGirl

NOTE: You can obtain the Alternate Ending to Mirror Image at www.geocities.com/area51/8974/. Get the transcript too, because the .avi file isn't the whole thing.

Hey, Fishbone. Thanks a lot for telling us that we were supposed to see young Al leap out and old Al w/ his family leap into the picture. Was that syndicut or just plain cut? I completely forgot about the alternate ending. I downloaded it months ago and have been waiting to view it. I'll do that right now and tell you what I think . . . .

Back. Ok, that wasn't long. Ohhhh..... Georgia on my Mind always makes me cry! Actually, the .avi file that I have ends with the leap out/leap in of the picture. I have a text file of the rest of it . . . which I'll have to look over later, because I'm majorly confused.

BIG SPOILER!

I think it's a pretty dumb idea on the part of the writers to make Al leap. Too . . . obvious. Maybe that's because I've read scores of fanfic where just that happens, but I really think they could have come up with a better idea.

I'll write more once I examine the text file. <g>

Kristi
Reply 4: sam's family
Date: 07/11/1999
From: hmc71

why didn't Sam also leap back to his family. Didn't his sister die because of an abusive boyfriend/husband or something? it's been a while since i've seen QL. (My cable provider just picked up Scifi last month)
 
Post 13:

Thread Heading: Pondering Mirror Image

Date: 07/09/1999
From: biostud

Mirror Image was not meant to be analyzed, it was created merely to screw with our heads a little. The writers themselves yielded several instances of contradictory canon (see my post--Al's age) over the years, but the novels have dispelled much of it (different authors in different ways). Confusion is the goal. Let's take a brief look at several theories:

Al is God: Most people reject this notion because Al himself denied it.

Al is a Future Sam: I'll buy it with some thought, but a leading hypothesis is that the bar is where Sam hangs out between leaps before deciding what needs to be fixed next. The way timelines run on the show, Sam can't see future versions of himself, but the theory as to why is dense (read Foreknowledge). Beware of the clause brought about by "Timecop" (he he).

Al is a minion of GFT: This is the simplest explanation and common to people who don't try to analyze QL theory (which was clearly the intent of the producers). Problem is that the date is Sam-specific, and the names of the characters are specific to Sam's memory. If this bartender is controlling all of the "leapers" in the bar, then they shouldn't all have names out of Sam's brain; unless of course everybody has their own unique prospective of the bar.

Al is Sam's subconscious: This is the most popular theory for hard-core leapheads like myself. Here, Al and Gooshie aren't really looking for Sam--that part of the episode isn't really happening. This explains why Al states that he doesn't know what happens when Sam leaps; which clearly contradicts two other episodes (see an FAQ). The bar is where Sam goes between leaps, and the characters have names that correspond to Sam's memories. The bartender (which is part of Sam himself) confirms that Sam is indeed in control. This explains why he knows so much. This theory was developed a long time ago after the first run of MI (well before many users of this bb saw one episode of QL), and does have plenty of holes (i.e. where would the name Staupaw come from--Sam had never heard it before). In any case, the script of the ending that's floating (the ending that would have bridged into a 6th season) around on the web would clearly negate the theory.

Who knows what the real answer is? Nobody. Not even the writers. Like I said, it was made to play with our minds; nothing else. Even Bellasario refuses to answer the question.

Reply 1: What about Al is the future Al?
Date: 07/09/1999
From: Fish_Bone

The bartender is the future Al:
1. He called him self Al
2. He nick name every one in the bar after PQL.
3. Al told Sam, "I always wanted a bar"
4. Could be Al's Son?
5. Al said that frase that Al said in the pilot "A little ca ca"

Sam is Al:
1. same reason as to number 2. in Al is the bartender.
2. If Al is leaping Sam around, then you can really say Sam is leaping him self around.
3. He know's so much about Sam, stuff Al would not know.

I might be vary wrong, but it makes ya think.
Reply 2: reply to Fish_Bone
Date: 07/09/1999
From: Winja

I like those ideas, even though I don't agree with them. (Sorry!)

I just wanted to point out that it couldn't be Al's son, because he didn't have a son. That is another good idea, though, and it would be fun to think about.
Reply 3: Help
Date: 09/15/2000
From: SamBeckettLover

Dear Biostud,

I think i am missing something in your explanation. I probably know, but just can't think of it at the moment. What exactly is GFT? I feel stupid for not knowing but I would appreciate it if you replied with an answer! Thanks!
Reply 4: son
Date: 07/18/2002
From: MonicaBeckett

Maybe Al and Beth adopt a son after MI. They might be old, but their not ancient. So that would be 4 bio daughter, and one adopted son. Remember Al grew up in a ophranage, so adoption would be a stong opition to get a kid for him.
monica
 
Post 14:

Thread Heading: One Theory

Date: 07/09/1999
From: Johncool

Ok, here is my possible theory on MI:what if Sam leaped into the bartender Al, and he stayed there for a long time. When he saw Sam leap at the door, he knew where Sam will leap next, so he wanted to change that. So he keep giving Sam hints about the Leap, so if Al(Sam) the bartender wants to go back home, so he told Sam that he has been controlling his own leaps. If Sam continuing to believe that, then he could leap back home. I think after he told Beth that Al was alive, and he leaped out and his next leap, he couldn't remember what Al the bartender had told him, that's why he didn't leap back home. Is any of this make a sense?

Post 15:

Thread Heading: MI Credits

Date: 07/09/1999
From: Quantumcool

In the credits you see a picyure of a man and a little boy near a plane. I think the older man was John Beckett ( Sam's Father). I think the little boy was Sam. Also, did anybody notice that the older man was wearing the same slothes that Sam was wearing in the bar. Please tell me what you think

Reply 1: Credits were
Date: 07/09/1999
From: Mancha

I belive it was Don Bellarsario's father. Check out the interview on with him on a QL Web page

Post 16:

Thread Heading: Trivial MI question

Date: 07/09/1999
From: proofreader

In Mirror Image, who are the 2 boys with the bicycle near the beginning? Sam thinks they look familiar, but I don't recall them from any previous episodes. Are they supposed to be himself and Tom as children? Or is it an in-joke, and are they really Scott's or Bellasario's kids in real life?
I love the discussions that episode provoked. I agree with the 'intelligent TV' comments, and think the existential nature of MI was intentional. I noticed a facial resemblance between Al the Bartender and Sam, and I accept the idea that he's an older Sam testing the younger one's--what?--commitment to the cause? As I noted in a post when the episode ran before, the actor playing Al the Bartender is the same one who was Sam's commander (or leader) in the first episode. I refuse to believe Don B. did not intend the casting to be significant!

Reply 1: I know who those little boys are....
Date: 07/09/1999
From: Fish_Bone

There the Sons of Sam in the episode "A Tale Of Two Sweeties"
I cannot remember what there names are. But i know for a fact it's
them.
Reply 2: cast
Date: 07/10/1999
From: lazy21

Also in the episode, "Good Night, Dear Heart," the sheriff was the Dr. Burger in the Pilot. I don't know if anyone else noticed this. I wonder if Bellasario put him there for a reason.
 
Post 18:

Thread Heading: Maybe the bartender is...

Date: 07/09/1999
From: Mancha

Hah! Made you look at my post to see who I would say.
Sorry in a weird mood due to a lack of sleep.

I thought of a few things I will bring up...

1. Some people are now saying that Al (observer) is the bartender.
Hmmm... I never thought of that. So I re-watched it, and now that I think of it the bartender did have a personality closer to Al C's
So maybe after they (project QL) couldnt locate Sam in the future. Al leaped himself and found himself as the bartender. He did offer Staphoff some beer, and Staphoff never drinks beer. He drinks pepsi. Both Als gave Ziggy the nickname.

2. Maybe Staphoff is an Angel. In Its a Wonderful Leap, Angelita tells Al that only He will remember her cause he is not from that time. So Since Sam is not from that time maybe the bartender is not either

3. THis is off the subject but this is the only eps I have seen Pepsi in Staphoff is drinking it. In a lot of other eps, you can see a Coke sign in the background. Just something I noticed my friends and I have a cola debate going.

Reply 1: reply
Date: 07/13/1999
From: GoblinGirl

re: Staphoff is an angel

Ooo, good idea. I don't go much for the idea of angels amung us, but it was good thinking drawing in other canon ideas like that. In other words, linking Angelita to Staphoff.

I think I noticed a lot of Coca Cola in other eps. Shows and movies do that a lot, put their sponsers' products in the show. I guess Pepsi sponsered Mirror Image.

Kristi
Reply 2: Fitting
Date: 03/02/2001
From: Arutay01

Fitting that pepsi would sponser that wang episode.
Reply 3: Fitting
Date: 03/02/2001
From: Arutay01

Fitting that pepsi would sponser that wang episode.
 
Post 19:

Thread Heading: Diffrent Ending to "Mirror Image"

Date: 07/09/1999
From: Fish_Bone

So how did every like the video clip of the diffrent ending to
Mirror Image? I think this was a better ending then the one they aired! If ya still have gottin this clip e-mail me.

Reply 1: what differnet ending?
Date: 02/07/2000
From: jimmy_15

please it is very important if who ever reads this
please email me at jwiz76@yahoo.com to tell me where yo get
the different end or ask for my addres if you have it a copy that is of the clip
Post 20:

Thread Heading: Straupaw, canon

Date: 07/09/1999
From: biostud

I really like the idea that Straupaw is an angel (like Angelita). It certainly fits well with everything that went on around him--he's a dead person, he was there to help, and memories of him dissipated once he left. That had never come across my mind.

Another thing I wanted to point out is that a few of the novels try to explain whether Al sees Sam or the host when he is a hologram in the past. Storm purports that Al sees both of them in sort of a "double vision" effect (Sam with one eye and the host with the other). I liked Defilippis's explanation a little better, though.

Here is the reasoning (mixed with a little of my own): Early in the project, the workers were wary of the Waiting Room visitors and didn't interact much with them. Al was enthralled by what he saw in "What Price Gloria." Later on, they became more comfortable with the visitors; and Al actually shook hands with one of them. As is the case with the Evil Leapers, the "real" person appeared before Al; and it was possible for him to see Sam in the past. In episodes where Al saw Sam in the past, he must have had physical contact with the visitor in the Waiting Room. In those where he saw the host, no physical contact was made.

Now, if we could only reconcile that whole Al's age thing.....

Reply 1: !!!
Date: 07/10/1999
From: lazy21

Yeah, i noticed that too in the novels. I think that early on in the project that Ziggy was able to take a "photo" of Sam and intermix it into the Imaging Chamber. So whenever Sam leaped into a person, it would look like Sam to Al. As for the hosts, I think Al could see the person for who they really are after the simo-leap since Al and Sam swapped some marbles.
 
Article 24:
Thread heading: Straupoff is not an angel

Date: 07/10/1999
From: Quantumcool

If you remember, Sam couldn't remember the angel (even though he wasn't from that time). This time Sam did remember. I think that disproves the angel theory.

Reply 1:
I'm still buying the angel theory


Date: 07/10/1999
From: biostud

True, but "It's a Wonderful Leap" took place in an actual time and place (though fictionally speaking). If one is to believe that this is Sam's mind (at least it's full of people who bear the names of from his memories), then perhaps Sam is able to keep his memory of Straupaw. Al remembered Angelita, so it seems as though angels aren't erased from everybody's memory.

Reply 2:
He is an Angel


Date: 07/10/1999
From: Mancha

the more i think about it the more I think Stap. is and angel.
When Sam pulled his drivers license it says it expires in 1998. Proving he is not from that time unless the State of New Mexico
gives licenses for 45 years at a time. So since Sam shouldnt be there (time wise) and the Bartender is clearly not just a bartender that is why they remembered Stap.

And just another question, why cant an noble-prize winning quantuam physicist with 7 doctorates afford more than a vynal, velcro wallet?

Reply 3:
sam's wallet
Date: 07/11/1999
From: hmc71
He spent all his money on college?

Reply 4:
Sometimes....
Date: 07/11/1999
From: Fish_Bone

A velcro wallet is all you need. I knew a person who had a lot of
money, and had a velcro wallet.
 
Post 21:

Thread Heading: Missed MI. can i have detailed descrip.

Date: 07/09/1999
From: Vivitar

I missed the last episode... (boo hoo). I have never seen it before either and it looks like i'm gonna have to wait 95 episodes to see it. Could some one please give me, in detail, everything that happened this episode. From what I heard, Sam changes Al's history and Al is never involved with Quantum Leap. That's a sad ending. Please help me find out more.

Reply 1: Good news.
Date: 07/09/1999
From: Fish_Bone
Some one a long time ago made a good point. That Al would still be
drunk from Veitnam, and would still would have meet Sam. Now as for
Mirror Image, I don't feel like telling you every thing, maybe some
one eles will tell you but i think you need to see Mirror Image.
And you are in luck! I have it on tape! No need to pay me money!
Just get a blank tape, and send it to me. E-mail me if you want a
copy. Anything for a fellow Quantum Leap fan!
Reply 2: You heard wrong
Date: 07/10/1999
From: biostud

There is much dispute over the final episode. If I describe it to you, I'd wind up giving you MY version of the story which would be wrong.

Most people do agree, however, that Al was not removed from the history that generated project Quantum Leap.

Post 22:

Thread Heading: From a QL newbie...

Date: 07/09/1999
From: buffyboy

Now lemme get this straight...Sam Beckett has this experimant that goes awry and he is sent back in time, only in someone else's body. He has to set things right. He does this for approx. 5 years. Finally he ends up in abar w/ God and then leaps into someone who is somehow in Al's wife's room and then a picture of Al leaps?
Could some one please clue me in?
BB=:~)

Reply 1: picture of Al leaps
Date: 07/09/1999
From: Fish_Bone
The ending was not really how it should be. It was suppose to have
The picture of Al leaping into a picture of the old Al and his wife,
and kids. I have a video clip of that ending. If you want to see it,
E-mail me. I think this was a better ending.
Reply 2: Not entirely true
Date: 07/10/1999
From: biostud
Sam doesn't leap into bodies, his whole body actually leaps (as evidenced the most strongly in Trilogy II).

The bartender is probably not God because he denies it himself. Making him God is too easy of an answer. (Read previous posts.)

In order to understand the wife thing, you have to have seen M.I.A. That's about all I can say.

It appears that you've unfortunately seen the end before the beginning. I'd recommend reading the Quantum Leap book.
 
Article 544:

Final Episode?

Date: 03/07/2000
From: Stargazer1955

Great place you Leapers have here! I have a question about the final episode of Quatum Leap. The hunchback man sitting in the bar, the one that turns out to be Al's great uncle, is he played by Dean Stockwell? I listened really close to his voice and he sure sounded like him. Dean Stockwell is such a good actor he could have pulled it off (perhaps with alot of make-up). I think the hunchback's name was Stavos?
 
Article 1674:
OK so what about this idea ...

Date: 03/28/2001
From: Vanished88

that even God(aka Al the Bartender) says that Sam has the ability to go home whenever he wants. Am I right or am I right? This is what I have always maintained. It's just like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz. He just needs a pair of ruby slippers.
And another little trick up Bellisario's sleeve was his signature send-off in making the picture of Al leap. I believe this was to offer some hope that...

the Leap would Go On...on and on and on...
especially in keeping with what I've heard of the alternate ending and the drafts for future eps(Al leaping and all).

Just a few juicy tidbits that I gleaned from this ep.

Reply:
That's what I thought...

Date: 03/28/2001
From: tina_als_girl

...that the pic of Al "Leaping" and--this is where the alternate ending comes in--changing to another pic of him, Beth and their daughters was supposed to be a foreshadow of things to come... especially since Al Leaps in the alternate ending, thus both Sam *and* Al Leaping around in *the future* for the sixth season, had the show not been cancelled.

And I think you're idea of ruby slippers is a great analogy!!! I never even thought of that! Maybe if we Leapers were to watch Wizard of Oz then MI again, perhaps we could understand the episode more... there might be some more interesting similarities...

For example, one person wrote an "essay" that compares MI to WOO. That MI was just a dream.

I believe that MI is a dream up to the part when Sam Leaps into Beth's house. This is why characters in the bar had familiar faces and names.... I read that dreams are fueled by events from the day before or recent/current events.

It seems as though while Sam was in-between Leaps, GTFW gave him a dream with familiar faces and names and such as symbols of the good he has done. And Al the Bartender *was* GTFW simply guiding Sam along in the dream...

And the point of the dream was that Sam *could* choose where he could go, and instead of choosing home, he chose to save Al's marriage. The ultimate self-sacrifice. So once Sam realized he could Leap himself (which I think he did by the end of the "dream"), GTFW had made his/her/its point in the dream and Leaped Sam to Beth's house.

Now, the only explanation needed is for the scenes with Al and Gooshie. I think that they were actually looking for Sam, and they were not a part of the dream until Al "locked on" to Sam. This is where it split off. The real Al was still watching images swirl around him, while Sam saw the "dream" Al lock onto him and arrive.

So, that's my explanation, which--by the way--I just came up with as I typed. What do you think?

Keep the Leap!!!!!

Joy C.

Reply:
my two cents....

Date: 03/28/2001
From: QuantumLeapLover

I shared some of my thoughts in my reply to 1673. Please read them and comment here. I also like the idea of the ruby slippers. I certainly don't understand this ep very well, but tina, you have some really good thoughts. Oh Boy, do we need some closure, or what?! QLL

Reply:
What Likely Will Happen...

Date: 03/28/2001
From: HologramIAm

The show comes back, Al is the Leaper searching for Sam. Sammy Jo has worked out the Retrieval Program, so he comes and goes as he pleases, searching for "Sam Leads" detected by Ziggy in the timeline. This could be the new premise, at least until Scott is finished with Star Trek, then Al brings him home. Something like that.

Reply:
EXCELLENT idea, Hologram!

Date: 03/28/2001
From: Vanished88

Write it in to Universal. They're probably scratching their heads over what to do for a script if Scott gets Star Trek.(ha-ha) I love it, love it, love it. I also enjoyed Tina's explanation of MI, being just a dream(like tha Bob Newhart show). Then they can pretend it never happened! Something we'd like to do as well!!
 
Article 1684:
A Dissection of Mirror Image

Date: 03/28/2001
From: tina_als_girl

Here is a more detailed breakdown of Mirror Image using the Wizard of Oz analogy... I find that it takes much of the confusion away, at least, for me...

First of all, WOO (Wizard of Oz) was all a dream. Well, most of it, that is. And this is what I believe Sam's Mirror Image Leap was from the beginning up until he Leaped into Beth's house.

My theory is this: After Sam Leaped out of Elvis, he was in the place he usually goes between Leaps. GTFW decides that it's time for Sam to know that he *can* choose to go home. So, he/she/it decides to do this by way of a dream. Through metaphors, symbols, and familiar people/names, GTFW gets the point across to Sam that he is Leaping himself around by not *truly* wanting to go home. Once Sam can accept that he has the power to return home, he will.

Now, let's discuss the major symbols/characters in the "dream".

AB (Al the Bartender) could be likened unto Glenda the Good Witch. As most know, the same actor who portrayed AB in Mirror Image played Weird Ernie in Genesis. Isn't it odd that they would choose to use the same actor in the beginning *and* the end... Also note that there was never anything mentioned in MI about the resemblance between AB and Ernie.

Like Glenda, AB is guiding Sam through the dream by giving him questions that will invoke thoughts of Leaping himself around. He gives vague and metaphorical answers so that by trying to figure them out, Sam finally realizes he can Leap himself home.

The various familiar faces and names are simply there to give Sam a sense of familiarity in a strange Leap... which is a dream all along. Remember in WOO that the Tinman, Scarecrow, and Lion all looked like people Dorothy knew and cared about.

If you'll notice, most of the names themselves were connected with Sam's life pre-QL, while their looks were that of people from various Leaps.

Al the Bartender: Name is Al, looks like Weird Ernie
Ziggy the Miner: Name is Ziggy, looks like Moe Stein
Stawpah (sp?): Well, doesn't look like anyone Sam knows, but he was Al's uncle and is a Leaper
Gooshie: Another exception. Name is Gooshie and has the same bad breath... He, likewise, is another Leaper
Tonchi: Okay, no familiar name, but he looks like Frankie La Motta
Pete: No fam. name, but looks like Jimmy La Motta
The two boys out front: no names at all, but look like the sons of the guy he Leaped into in "Tale of Two Sweeties"

These were the main characters in Sam's "dream".

Now, let's explain the scenes with Al (Al Calavicci). This is where it gets tricky. All the scenes with Al up to the time he locks onto Sam really happened, meaning, they weren't a part of the dream. When Al locks onto Sam, that's where it splits.

The real Al continues to search for Sam unsuccessfully. The scene showing him lock onto Sam is a part of the dream. So, as Sam talks to Al, and Al is telling him he'll get his friend out of there, this is all a part of the dream... It can be paralleled with the scene from WOO when Dorothy looks into the crystal ball and sees Auntie Em crying for her... The part of the dream when Al tells Sam that he'll get him out of there is simply a reassurance to Sam that Al *is* trying to find him and *is* worrying about him.

When Sam converses with AB outside "Al's Place" and tells AB that he wants to go home, but can't because he has "a right to put wrong for Al", this scene can compare to Dorothy's friends getting their wishes.... Sam knows he must save Al's marriage and will.

This is the moment that he realizes that he *can* choose to Leap home, but instead, he chooses not to so he can save Al and Beth's marriage. GTFW is satisfied that Sam knows what he needs to now and realizes what good he has done (parallel to Dorothy's realizations that she really *is* cared for and *has* done good for her family and friends), and so this entity ends the dream and Leaps Sam into Beth's house.

This is where I must tell you to forget the ending you normally see. The *real* ending to this episode does not end with Al's picture "leaping" into a black screen. It is also, for right now, not the end that shows Al Leaping into "Al's Place" and ending up Leaping into the future.

The real ending is as seen in a short video available on the 'Net:

When Sam tells Beth that Al is alive, we *do not* see Sam Leap. Instead, we zoom onto the picture of a young Al. This picture *seemingly* Leaps, but instead changes--using the Leap effect--into a picture of Al, Beth, and their four daughters.

This means that once a movie is made, it should show Sam receiving from GTFW the insight needed in order to Leap himself home. Much like Dorothy. She has had the power to go home from the beginning of the dream... but doesn't realize it until Glenda tells her that it is the ruby slippers. Dorothy was never allowed to know until now because she had lessons to learn and lives to change (the Tinman, Lion, and Scarecrow) first.

For Sam this is also true. His power has been with him since his first Leap, but he wasn't allowed to know because he had lessons to learn and lives to change (people in his Leaps) first. By Mirror Image, GTFW has decided that Sam is ready to know that he has the power. Sam eventually accepts this, but decides, instead, to use it to help AC instead of himself. In this selfless act, Sam has proven his worth. He should now be rewarded instantly by being Leaped home out of Beth's house.

So, this is my take on "Mirror Image". Your mileage may vary, just *my* two-cents, and all those other disclaimers...

Please post comments and add ideas and ask any questions you have!

Keep the Leap, Leapers of the world!!!

Joy C.

Reply:
Oooh goody, just my cup of tea!

Date: 03/28/2001
From: Vanished88

PERFECT Tina, juuussttt perfect.

That's all I can say except: Type up that episode into a screenplay, quick, and send it off to Universal so they can start FILMING NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Reply:
very deep points....

Date: 03/29/2001
From: QuantumLeapLover

You've got some great ideas. I really like the insights and parallels to WOO that you've brought out. Your version explains some things that I hadn't even thought about! I'm going to print this one out and add it to my QL file. Thanks! QLL

Reply:
Great anology!

Date: 03/29/2001
From: QuantumLeapAddict

I really liked your ideas and anologies. They make me feel better about the last eppy. I wish that I could have seen MI last tues., but I, too, thought it would be on again at 11 (central). Oh well, my friend gave me the tapes yesterday, so I can watch it. Most likely I will cry my heart out. Ok. Back on the subj. The reasonings you had were very good and very precise. The variations between WOO and MI were very . . . very . . . persuading. Well, they sure were to me. Oh, and thanks for all the info on your reply to my "To those of you . . ." post. As soon as I posted that post, I looked back on my first one, and there was another reply. As it turns out, it was yours. So we must have been online at the same time. Cool, huh? Sorry 'bout that. C ya on the bboard!

Leap on!!!
Kelsey
 
I believe that they would meet,Al being a Naval Officer and
a highly decorated one,an Admiral.Who meets Sam under different circumstances or the same with marital problems.I
remember an interview that I read that Don Bellisario said that
they still would meet.