105 Double Identity

[jg1981]

My husband and I started watching QL together, this is the episode where by the end he'd thrown up his hands and said Nuh!! This is crap I'm not watching it... This is such a shame because there have been so many episodes since then that I think he'd have loved. I wasn't overly fussed on the whole series either even at this point but it grew and grew on me and now I love it. (of course or I wouldn't be here) I did love the "If I'm lyin' I'm dyin'" I have an italian friend and I she talks exactly the same way, I could imagine her say 'If I'm lyin' I'm dyin'" and it just cracked me up every time.

I can understand this ... I found the episode a bit of a struggle to get through. I just don't think the genre is my cup of tea.

Another thing I've noticed about season one - it almost seems like they've thought up the type of story before the actual story itself. Like - let's make Sam a boxer, let's make Sam a gangster, let's put Sam on a farm! Which I guess is understandable, given they were establishing the show and a big variety like that was one way of drawing people's attention. Later seasons from memory are a bit more plot orientated, and character orientated, rather than situation orientated.

 

[MO]

I've always loved this one. The Italian scene in the salon is my favorite. The Italian phrases interspersed throughout the episode, the accents, the sons' names (First and Second), and the likabilty of all the characters - including Don Geno - really sold this episode for me. I enjoy watching this one so much, it's in my "Favorites" list on my profile. This one earns an "Excellent" rating from me.

P.S. Someday I'll learn Italian, so I can understand everything Al is saying when he runs off on a tangent in the salon!

 

[chris-oates]

Fun fact. This is the first episode of Quantum Leap I ever saw. It is also one of the very best episodes in the series, in my opinion. It could very well be the best episode Bellisario wrote. I know it's a high bar, but I really think it is that good. First of all, I have to admit that it being the first episode of QL I ever saw does give it an extra special place in my heart. I was only a kid at the time, in the early noughties. It was unlike anything I'd seen before. I immediately fell in love with the series as a whole, and I largely have this episode to thank for that.

There are so many things I love about this episode. First of all, it's an all around fun episode (these kind are usually my favourites). Yes, some of the characters are stereotypes (Don Geno, Teresa, etc), but it's all in good fun. The Volare scene is hilarious, as too is Sam accidentally telling Geno to fly away. Primo and Segundo work as good comic relief, too.

Another one of my favourite aspects of this particular episode is because it's the only one that gives us a glimpse of what happens when the leapee leaps back in. Frankie has literally no memory of anything at all. That's interesting to me. I think later on people start remembering the future (as Sam implies in Roberto). Personally, I think in most cases the leapee thinks they've done all the things that Sam did during the leap. But it's interesting to see Frankie having no memory.

Another good aspect to this leap is that we get to see the project try and retrieve Sam once again. Of course, the effort is a failure and results in Sam leaping into the Don! I wonder if Geno had not interrupted if it would have been a successful attempt? Ziggy did seem certain, and they did succeed in leaping Sam out of Frankie even though his mission had not been completed... And that segue's me into my least favourite part of this episode. The reason for the leap.

A game of bingo? Seriously? Lol. Again, another jokey reason for a leap. I know these are meant to be funny, but ultimately it just seems to cheapen the idea of leaping.

My rating. Excellent. It's hard to choose a best ever episode of Quantum Leap (because I love so many episodes), but this one is definite top 5 material. A fantastic episode.