Finale Thoughts - Spoilers Ahead!

[WolfandStorm]

I still haven't quite processed just what my eyes saw last night. Whatever this show is, it is definitely NOT Quantum Leap. At least not the Quantum Leap I know. This time travel conspiracy/alternate future subplot wasn't resolved in any way that made sense. There were plot holes big enough to drive a TARDIS through - if Ben leaped to save Addison because she was the original leaper in that timeline, then if she never leaped because of Ben, would the government even have sent Martinez after her in the first place?

Are there now multiple time lines in play and alternate realities?

This is just too much.

How do you just input a 'cheat' code to have a do-over? Do they know how much that could corrupt the timeline? Especially if the old timeline doesn't vanish, simply becoming an alternate? This is some 12 Monkeys/Continuum type of crap that has no place in Quantum Leap.

If you want a sci-fi show about time travel and alternate time lines and conspiracies, then CREATE one. The show was never about this kind of stuff. It was never about conspiracies or governmental takeovers or altering major historical events.

This was a simple show, with tightly written well-crafted stories and characters that you empathized with and whose lives you wanted Sam to make better. These were simple stories with regular people who had bad turns in life. Sam wasn't there to irrevocably alter history. He was there to help people and make their lives better.

He sacrificed everything for it, and what this new team has done to his project and Ziggy utterly breaks my heart, What happened to Ziggy being the mole? Did they just drop that like a hot brick because they didn't know what to do with it?

I think Al would be turning over in his grave right now to see what they've done to his and Sam's life's work.

At this point, I feel like I'm hanging onto this show only because I still have hope that we'll see Sam again, even if it is just one last time.

Now that the Martinez storyline is over, thank god (though, I hoped Ben would have to sacrifice his relationship with Addison as a result, because it would've gotten her off the screen and Ben off her leash) what are they going to do. The entire first season was built around this conspiracy garbage, and now that that's over...what now? What is even the point?

If I may make a suggestion? Replace Addison with Ian as the observer. PLEASE. It was amazing to see how stronger Ben can be as a person and a character when Addison is not constantly on top of him and leading him around by the nose. Her younger self even comments that he seems unlike himself because this Ben is confident, assertive, passionate.

So...Ben is supposed to be a weak-willed nancy boy nerd?! She likes him because he doesn't stand up to her?

When he went against her in the restaurant, it was like fist in the air moment that he was finally able to just shut her up!

Ben and Ian (or anyone else, really) make a much better pair as leaper and observer. I would've given anything for him to forget his relationship with Addison so he could actually be more involved with the people on these leaps, but no...we're stuck with her. (This is nothing against the actress. She's lovely and really awesome, its just her character is beyond annoying.)

He and Ian have a more solid friendship and deeper understanding of each other that isn't colored by romance. When they're together, they remind me a lot of Sam and Al.

So...what now? Obviously, Ben is still leaping into season 2. Can these people maybe remember that this was the original mission in the first place? Leaping and changing lives is NOT an afterthought and is not to be used selfishly. I know Sam was a bit of a hypocrite when it came to his own personal history, and I even acknowledge that it may have been a very large part of his reasoning for creating the project in the first place, but he never acted as though the project 'owed' him something and wanted to bend it to his will.

He wanted to help people and change lives, which I feel this new team has completely lost sight of. Ben wanted the machine to bend to his will and do what he wanted it to do, to hell with the future as long as he could save Addison.

I just can't even...:censored

Can we just get back to basics and focus on the leaps again? You know, what this show was ACTUALLY supposed to be about? The accelerator is not leaping Ben around. Ben is leaping Ben around. This project was always so much bigger than just one person. Bigger than Ben. Bigger than Sam.

Sam understood that, and that is why he chose to continue leaping on his own and helping people. Hopefully, at some point, Ben will come to understand this as well and stop fighting it.

I still have a bad feeling that the promise they made to that Senator about saving her brother is going to come back to haunt them sooner rather than later...

 

[sna77]

“ This was a simple show, with tightly written well-crafted stories and characters that you empathized with and whose lives you wanted Sam to make better. These were simple stories with regular people who had bad turns in life. Sam wasn't there to irrevocably alter history. He was there to help people and make their lives better.”

^ This x100

My review: I hate it. They ruined a great show about friendship. This show is just terrible. Blow up the entire thing and just start over.

 

[Spartan83]

Although they hyped up the finale being a bigger spectacle it felt very anti-climactic.

With various stories and plots running throughout the whole season it was no surprise to see the finale felt very rushed. I didn't like how they only gave us a brief glimpse of 2051 QL with Ian and Ben, it would have been nice to spend more time there before they had to use the excuse of the accelerator trying to pull Ben back to 2018 and had Ian spit all that backstory to Ben in 5 mins.

The whole series has felt rushed throughout, from telling a story act out a scene or spitting out dialogue. I found the finale rather predictable in the end since we knew the series had been picked up for another season, it jumped the shark and ended up affecting the feel of jeopardy in the episode and excitement since Ben was always going to save Addison. All in all the plot to save Addison was always going to be tied up in the end so in the end felt rather ........mehhhh. They need some major improvement in story telling and plot for season 2.

I'm not even going to mention the return of Sam because there has been NO indication from Scott Bakula or producers themselves that he is even needed lol. Sam who is now in total control of his leaps and who can return any time he wants doesn't need the Quantum accelerator to pull or spit him back into his timeline or complete a loop in the so-called paradox, Sam can return anytime he wants. I dont think Magic knows this little fact......Sam is in control of his own leaps.

Anyway I watched it in anticipation but I kinda felt I knew what to expect and the possible outcomes, finale left nothing to jeopardy.

 

[Spartan83]

Ben and Ian (or anyone else, really) make a much better pair as leaper and observer. I would've given anything for him to forget his relationship with Addison so he could actually be more involved with the people on these leaps, but no...we're stuck with her. (This is nothing against the actress. She's lovely and really awesome, its just her character is beyond annoying.)

He and Ian have a more solid friendship and deeper understanding of each other that isn't colored by romance. When they're together, they remind me a lot of Sam and Al.

This has been said countless times before regarding the leaper/hologram dynamic, the romantic gazing into eachothers eyes works for an episode or 2 but NOT throughout, it needs the banter of Sam-Al or Ben- Ian/Jenn.

And I have to say, what is the point of Magic?, I mean he as a character in the show has been sleep walking throughout the series with not really much to do, I mean yes he held back the questions and concerns of the committee in one episode by telling Senetor Adani it could work to bring back her brother lol.........there is no urgency and no energy from him as a character and just there as a nostalgic reminder to Sam/Al who they apparently knew off screen. It would work much better if Sam would return home take control of HIS project and invention and guiding this new team through the rigmaroles of leaping and filling in as a hologram here and there.

 

[McDuck]

Agreed. The finale had its moments, but overall I left the season feeling let down. We were told how important the Calaviccis were to this season and ultimately Janis was sidelined. Impactful heart moments were cut or not even considered. I want more from Magic, also. Ernie Hudson is a wonderful actor and hasn’t been given much to do. I was glad for the small moments mentioning Al and how his cigars solved a mystery again, but it would not hurt a new audience unfamiliar with the original to have had stronger heartfelt callbacks to it.

Hologram chemistry—So far Jenn has been the best hologram guide for Ben.

Final nitpick—And why doesn’t Ziggy talk????

 

[feldon30]

I'm not even going to mention the return of Sam because there has been NO indication from Scott Bakula or producers themselves that he is even needed lol. Sam who is now in total control of his leaps and who can return any time he wants doesn't need the Quantum accelerator to pull or spit him back into his timeline or complete a loop in the so-called paradox, Sam can return anytime he wants. I dont think Magic knows this little fact......Sam is in control of his own leaps.

Your interpretation is my interpretation. Every time someone says Sam is "trapped in time" after Mirror Image, I wonder if they watched the same episode.

As for QL2022, I'm happy there's a new show, and we have some seriously talented actors working very hard. But to me they've missed the point of Quantum Leap which was one person (Sam) fixing things and a single somewhat unreliable but heartfelt tether to reality/the present (Al). There weren't season-long conspiracies. In the entire run of the original show we spent a grand total of about 30 minutes in the future/present.

If they wanted my opinion about the new Quantum Leap, the first thing I would do is make Ian the observer. Ian has those life experiences and raw emotion and kneejerk reactions that Al had and had to constantly learn from. Ben and Ian would be a very interesting Leaper/Observer matchup. Then I would add literally any special effects, add some thematic music (theme music and overarching musical scores aren't dead -- Severance won an emmy for it THIS YEAR), make entire Future episodes rather than trying to divide the time, and make each episode a Morality Play where Ben feels uncomfortable or unprepared for the situation he's in instead of being immediately comfortable and assertive in every situation which makes for rather boring TV.

 

[feldon30]

Final nitpick—And why doesn’t Ziggy talk????

Deborah Pratt is literally ON SET every week and they're not using her voice.

 

[Spartan83]

Your interpretation is my interpretation. Every time someone says Sam is "trapped in time" after Mirror Image, I wonder if they watched the same episode.

As for QL2022, I'm happy there's a new show, and we have some seriously talented actors working very hard. But to me they've missed the point of Quantum Leap which was one person (Sam) fixing things and a single somewhat unreliable but heartfelt tether to reality/the present (Al). There weren't season-long conspiracies. In the entire run of the original show we spent a grand total of about 30 minutes in the future/present.

They tried the global impact storyline of leaping in the original series with episode Honeymoon Express and the shooting down of the U2 spy plane, even Sam back then knew better than to leave Global impact alone as he felt his leaps were meant to change individual lives and not global consequences. This whole seasons conspiracy storyline and affecting the future governments paranoia about Leaping just seemed out of place. The only justification for it was the original premise of the revival which stated Magic had to keep at bay the pressure from the committee which he hardly EVER did.

make entire Future episodes rather than trying to divide the time, and make each episode a Morality Play where Ben feels uncomfortable or unprepared for the situation he's in instead of being immediately comfortable and assertive in every situation which makes for rather boring TV.

I was always intrigued with the OG project and the team behind it i.e Gooshie, Donna etc but the revival 2022 splits the time show and takes away from Bens leaps as has been said, I agree with you. It looks to be an even 50/50 split in most episodes. After reading Martin Geros interview it's good to hear they'll be focusing more on Bens leaps and with minimal showing of HQ.

 

[NewFederalist]

I have to agree with much of what WolfandStorm said so eloquently. I also agree with what Spartan83 had to say about Magic. All in all the first season of the reboot has been quite disappointing. Perhaps in episode one of season two we can finally get Sam back in the chamber and as Billy Idol might sing/say/scream "START AGAIN!"

 

[sna77]

I have to agree with much of what WolfandStorm said so eloquently. I also agree with what Spartan83 had to say about Magic. All in all the first season of the reboot has been quite disappointing. Perhaps in episode one of season two we can finally get Sam back in the chamber and as Billy Idol might sing/say/scream "START AGAIN!"

let’s face it, Ben’s character, is not strong. They should replace him as the leaper

 

[WolfandStorm]

Changes in Season 2 (Semi-Spoilers)

Gero just did an interview where he said that season two would be focusing more on the leaps and that they'd be utilizing more observers. (basically, people can take turns now :banghead)

If they want to get back to basics and focus more on the leaps, that would be fantastic, but it still doesn't solve the Addison problem. The very fact that she thought of Ben as weak-willed and not confident before they started dating is just terrible and absolutely explains why she seems to take over everything when she's in the imaging chamber with him. This is cuckolding Ben as a character and not allowing him to develop as a person and a leaper. This plainly shows that she does not see him as an equal, nor does she have confidence in his abilities.

This is why I want her gone. She completely takes over every scene she is in, and the few times that Ben has been left on his own in leaps are a breath of fresh air for him in terms of character development and independence. It's like she believes that he can't think for himself or make his own decisions. She doesn't trust his intuition, which has so far been pretty good. Ben has excellent instincts, but he never gets to use them as long as Addison is calling the shots.

All. The. Freaking. Time.

The romance aspect is the worst part of it. It gets in the way of everything and is detrimental to the pacing. Her long-winded pep talks can literally stop a scene flat. Think about it like this: take any OG episode when Sam had to be in a relationship with someone - Black and White on Fire, How the Tess Was Won, A Hunting We Will Go, The Great Spontini, Honeymoon Express, Temptation Eyes, FREAKING TRILOGY, etc. Now put Ben as the leaper in those episodes.

Can you honestly tell me that he could pull any of that off with a romance in the way and Addison up his a$$? There is no way in any reality that Ben could do what Sam did in those episodes with any kind of emotional impact or effectiveness.

The problem is that I think the showrunners are too afraid of coming off as 'problematic' for today's audience. They have gone out of their way to not only keep Ben out of typical, period women's clothing and have him feel uncomfortable about it as Sam did (using pantsuits, scrubs, etc.). He just jumps right in no problem. They won't let him charm a woman or even mildly flirt, constantly writing him out of compromising situations (Let Them Play he was married, but had a fight with the wife, so had to sleep on the couch; Ben Song For the Defense, he had a fight with the leapee's girlfriend and she went to stay in a hotel.) so that the audience won't complain.

Doing stuff like this compromises the emotional authenticity of the show and makes it very hard for the audience to care about the characters that get barely any screen time in lieu of present day crap that literally amounts to nothing. Most of the present day cast, except Ian, have become almost useless. Ernie Hudson is an award winning actor and he's practically standing around doing nothing and looking bored, only trotted out when they need him to talk to Beth or Janice because 'member berries.'

The show doesn't NEED to focus on the present AT ALL. As another poster said, in the OG show, we got a grand total of maybe 30 mins in present day, and that was mostly in The Leap Back and stuff in season 5. Seeing anything from the present day was a surprise and kind of exciting, but only to be used in the most dire of situations (Shock Theater, Leap Back, Rape, Killing Time, Oswald).

Time travel was never the focus of the show, it was simply the device by which Sam was able to do what he did. It honestly wasn't even that important. That's why it was never really elaborated on until the end.

It really didn't matter.

The show wasn't about the time travel or the machine. It was about the people. The lives Sam changed, the good he did. I'm honestly really tired of this team treating these leaps as a means to an end. Yes, they like helping people. I can see that, but its only so Ben can keep leaping and get home. That's why the waiting room was essential in the original. Again, a connection to the leapee and the people Ben is interacting with on the leap.

Imagine the episode Rape, if it was with Ben instead of Sam. With Ben sharing Katie McBain's body instead of the team having to find a way to bring Katie not only into the imaging chamber so Sam could see her, but also find the power to make him hear her so she could testify in court. That scene was one of the strongest and most powerful in the show's history because it wasn't about Sam. It was about Katie finding her voice and speaking her truth in the face of her attacker. It was tense and emotional and you were terrified the entire time that they would lose power and she wouldn't be able to finish.

It was so damn good, it was unforgettable.

With quantum entanglement, the emotional power of that scene isn't just diminished. It's destroyed. Ben would be telling her story. Not Katie. The tension and raw emotion, gone.

People might think that the waiting room is insignificant, but its not.

I know Gero wants the show to stand on its own two feet, but in doing so, he's gone so far beyond what Quantum Leap was and what was at the show's core, that they've completely missed the point.

I know this is only my opinion, but as someone who has loved this show for 30 years, I just feel it deserves so, so much better.

 

[feldon30]

let’s face it, Ben’s character, is not strong. They should replace him as the leaper

Ben's character isn't as strong as it could be because the character is infinitely adaptable and seemingly comfortable in every situation or Addison is always there to shore him up. And I really think it was a mistake to make a lavishly-funded, fully staffed, COMFORTABLE Project Quantum Leap the backdrop for so many stories.

Where's the tension?

I want them to keep Ben, but he needs to flap his own wings and try things AND FAIL. He needs to experience uncomfortable things and the negative realities of the times he is inhabiting. Steven Moffat absolutely tortures his characters. The PQL writers seem afraid to even give their characters a nosebleed.

 

[Spartan83]

I'm not going to say the finale or season was a total disaster, they had to conclude and tie up the mess they themselves created.

I get what they are trying to do with the show, trying to stand on their own two feet and intro a modern take on the leaping formula but like most people have said throughout its S1 run they are trying too too hard to bring a story together with the show being let down by a convoluted plot in which it gets muddled and confusing.

Take for example how many curve balls they threw and red herrings during the series to throw fans off when simple story telling would have sufficed.

Senator Adani Committee - No resolution :wacko

Evil Leapers - just a mere mention/ falsely implying Leaper X :wacko

Ziggy Mole - turning red and switching Ziggy off :wacko

Janis imaging chamber - what happend with it? :wacko

These being perfect examples of what happens when you split the episode between the leap and present time QL HQ. Seemed like just a cheap tactic by producers to add them as false cliffhangers and only there as filler.

They need to make huge improvements in PRODUCTION and SFX, they came across very cheap.

The ACTING which in some episodes were terrible Addison being guilty of many and in the finale i.e when 2018 ian and Jen break out Ben from the cell hug it out and Ben says coldly and deadpan "its ok its in the past..........we're running out of time".

SETS looked cheap as hell because even in scenes supposedly set outside they still looked like a site at the studios.

Simple PLOTS next season, we don't need the 50/50 split between the leap and present time HQ, just make them predominantly Bens leap with a sprinkling of behind the scenes time at QL 2023, like the original show.

Season 1 was a good attempt, I enjoyed a handful of episodes others were average at best but I'm a little pi$$ed off they used a treasured cult show like Quantum Leap to tamper with and trial new concepts in story telling and straying away from the O.G.

 

[Starbright]

I absolutely *love* the original series, as in top 5 series ever - but I'm glad we are getting a continuation rather then a remake of the original even if it isn't with Scott as Sam and Dean as Al. I wanted that too. Dean Stockwell was an absolutely incredible actor who gave a very very layered performance as Al. A man who had gone through so much tragedy that it was no surprise that he had flaws the wonder was that there *was* still a good man who cared deeply for his friend Sam and for the cause of helping people. We will never know exactly what Sam was like before he leaped, not fully - but Sam is also a good man, again played by a very talented actor with so much versatility and his own nuance. A charactor that very easily could have been a total Gary stu came alive and showed us so much heart and courage.

The original Ql is many ways a charactor study of the incredible friendship between these two men sharing an equally incredible journey. Yet I don't know if I personally would have even tried the show if not for the element of time travel - I *am* a sci-fi girl and I absolutely love time travel. I think some of you loved the original inspite of it being a time travel show rather then it being a fusion of different genres. I watched A-team, Incredible hulk, Highway to Heaven and more- I get it it fell in that sub-genre as well. The road show, the woobie. But that is only part of what QL is and I welcome seeing it in a large world-becoming a universe of its own.

I am very interested in the leaps and putting right what once went wrong but I also like most of this new cast at HQ - had kinda been hoping they'd lose the shiny high tech headquarters and end up working off Janis's makeshift imaging chamber in season 2 but still interested in what is going to happen.

The new show was wise in nor trying to replicate Al and Sam - I doubt anyone would have accepted the substitution off the bat - instead they spread Al's traits around the new members. I agree with you Ian and Jen give a better dynamic as holograms to the Sam-like sweetness and determination of Ben.

But I also think people would have just gripped if it had been either of them from the get go - an Asian woman or a Non-binary as hologram - now we can see them as people instead of just labels. I don't know what is going to change in next season - I don't dislike Addison and the actress is doing a good job, especially for her first role.

Ian feels like Al because he has also been through a lot of pain and come out the other side as a sensitive and caring person who deeply values his friends. Thier stories are different and thier reasons are different but the resonance is there. Jen has also come through her own reckoning. I really want to see Ernie Hudson give us more as Magic - I want to see the famous intuition he supposedly has, more of his connection with Al, Beth, and thier kids - and I want Tom Beckett - where is he it makes no sense unless he is somehow with Sam and Donna, and maybe others elsewhere in time.

Not every plot thread needs to be wrapped up at the end of the season as long as they are addressed. Just like we did not need all the legacy stuff at once - but I want Janis to really matter.

I find Martinez interesting, I said he felt like a soldier not someone evil. I did like him and it is kinda a shame to loose him - the storyline wasn't perfect but as a general sci-fi and time travel fan what we now know is that he seems to have tried more then once and whoever he kills as future leaper someone always rises to fight back - is that why Janis was taken off the team - and just how long has future Ian been fighting to help. There are plot holes galore and flaws but it was good - especially for a first year. So many freshmen series die before the second year. It's building its own fan base trying to balance bringing in new fans and keep us older ones happy - it isn't easy but they are trying and as long as the are trying to honor the original, try to honor Al as best they can and Sam does appear with all the respect Scott deserves I will be happy. I want to love the new show - liking it is okay to - its a lot better then mere tolerating. It's a good show and I'm here for the long haul.

I can be patient for Sam and the rest of the connections - as far as I'm concerned I have over 20 ideas for how Sam could be a recurring charactor some of which involve him being brought home and some of which involve finding him happily living in another time. And lots of options in between - including a situation where either Sam *or* Ben can be home but not both. For all we know that is what is going to be in season 2 - we get Sam home and he stays for awhile and we learn that there must always be someone willing to be a leaper. Maybe we have groups of leapers who go out now in teams as well as people at home.

There are plenty of options and having brought up evil leapers and shown Ziggy red - I don't think that is over. They stopped terminator style Martinez but there could be a friendly Martinez also.

I remember at the end of mirror image I wondered if Al even knew Sam now - they may have been destined to be friends but we also know quantum leap would have still happened I'd Al wasn't there - Edward St. John and computer Alpha when Bingo died.

I am so glad we have the lost footage and we know he does remember but we are all true fans of the original series - the newer fans are being enticed to watch the original through this one and they don't yet know just how much Sam did for Al - does Janis even know she owes her very existance to Sam? The answer is maybe. Honestly I want to hear Beth or Janis tell us about her encounter with Sam. But I also get that the casual viewer needs to be led gently toward all this history.

I was a girl when Star Trek: TNG came out. Here is to Quantom Leap - the next generation- may it rise while fully honoring the original series but also as a worthy succesor series. Season 1 of TNG had a fair number of flaws - I'm glad I kept watching and I'm really hoping to see this show hit its stride and go from a like to a love. My two cents (okay way more then 2 cents)

 

[tina_als_girl]

Starbright just about covered it all.

I personally am LOVING QL22. There are two eps in QL89 Season 1 that if asked for thumbs up or down, I'd put down (Star-Crossed; How The Tess Was Won). I don't have a single episode in QL22 I'd give a thumbs down to.

Shoot, my ratings for QL22 season 1 eps are two 7's, five 8's, eight 9's, and three 10's, on IMDb. Gave the show overall a 10/10. (QL89 season 1 gets two 4's, four 7's, one 8, one 9, one 10)

I love every single character and actor on the show. Caitlin Bassett particularly blew me away in "Leap. Die. Repeat." with Addison's reaction to Ben dying... I've never seen a more genuine portrayal of grief in tv or movies.

Jenn is hilarious and I particularly loved her in "Ben Song For The Defense" and "Judgment Day."

Magic is such a wonderful calming presence, and is totally the dad-friend of the found family that is Team PQL.

Ian is, as I always expected, my absolute favorite. They are definitely this show's Al.

Janis is just brilliant, and I can't wait for more of her (I hope they make her a series lead). And I really, really wanna know why we've had zero indication within the show that there are more daughters than just Janis. Could something hinky be going on with Time? Could Janis' motivations include trying to save the sisters she learned she had in another timeline? Does Janis know what Sam did for Al? (I have suspicions that she does)

And then there's Ben. Lovable, goofy, smart, empathetic Ben. I love him so so much. I identify with him heavily (I see him and Ian both as AuDHD-coded - I see so much of myself in both of them). I can't wait to see what happens next for him!

Anyway, I love the show and I am so glad it has turned out the way it has and I'm so grateful to have people like Martin Gero, Dean Georgaris, DEBORAH PRATT, and more steering this ship in all the right directions!

 

[Sam Beckett Fan]

"Whatever this show is, it is definitely NOT Quantum Leap. At least not the Quantum Leap I know."

With respect, judging this series as inadequate because it's not a perfect recreation of the original is not fair and if I might be blunt, a bit closed-minded.

As I see it, the formula; the tech, the motives, the complex situations etc. have been adapted to the natural advancement of the era, an era in which the capabilities of tech have expanded and gender is more fluid and less segregated in all aspects

"He and Ian have a more solid friendship and deeper understanding of each other that isn't colored by romance. When they're together, they remind me a lot of Sam and Al."

Ben IS NOT Sam. He is his own individual with his own morals, beliefs and experiences informing him. Same goes for Ian, Ian is NOT Al.

"He wanted to help people and change lives, which I feel this new team has completely lost sight of. Ben wanted the machine to bend to his will and do what he wanted it to do, to hell with the future as long as he could save Addison."

That's called life. Selfishness is a core human instinct and Sam wasn't above using leaps for his own agenda either. He saved his marriage and his brother even at Al's expense (he might have been unwitting to that fact but had he paid attention to the situation apart from just how it was affecting his own agenda, he could have figured it out) and refused to bend the rules for Al at his explicit request.

In fact, one of the novels suggests that in the original non-Donna timeline his motive for creating QL was to save his marriage to her and I find that plausible. There is no explicit discussion of Sam's reasoning for creating QL and I'd go as far as to argue that the selfish desperation to better our own lives is the foundation of the entire concept of time travel.

The fact that the Leaper/Observer match-up is between an engaged couple is in a sense a direct bird flip to Donna's secretiveness because I see no hindrance whatsoever. Similar to Al, Addison is Ben's rock, she believes in him with her whole heart and lifts him up when he is doubting himself.
The icing on the cake is when she watched a woman kiss him in the boxing ep and didn't show the least bit of discomfort. In fact, she seemed to enjoy the forbidden nature of the relationship.

"So...Ben is supposed to be a weak-willed nancy boy nerd?! She likes him because he doesn't stand up to her?"

That's not it at all.

You'll recall that in the Earthquake episode Addison was in awe of Ben's openness about his mother's death, something pre-leap Ben had not talked to her about and she expressed to Jen how endeared she was and that she was falling in love with him all over again.

First-date-Addison's protest wasn't about Ben not being what she wanted; it was about Ben's behavior being abnormal for the time and off putting. As she herself pointed out he was sitting there telling her she was Sarah Connor in her own Terminator plot. Who wouldn't walk out on that date?

Don't misunderstand, I have grievances, of course, the largest of which was that I thought Martinez was unneeded clutter and although I have not been convinced otherwise, I must admit that the reveal that he wanted to stop QL's selfish tampering in time was interesting and gave him minute validity. Had his character had a clearer build-up it might have worked better for me.

I concur that there are some loose ends and disconnected logistics such as how Future Ian's leap was the reason Ben replaced Addison as the leaper and the whole Ziggy mole reveal but it's been renewed for a second season so there is still time to further address those things and clear them up. Patience grasshoppers.

While I do believe there needs to be more leap situations Ben can empathize with on a personal level as with the 1989 Earthquake and Indian Restaurant episodes, I find the context of the leaps and his adaptiveness appropriate for his era and for someone with a non-binary colleague and friend who is a cross dressing bio male.

Sam, in contrast, was born and raised in a Christian family during a more conservative era in which the women's lib campaign was just beginning to combat gender roles and LGBT and gender fluidity were not accepted. While Sam was a supporter of both women's lib and LGBT, he didn't have the personal exposures Ben did and has different comfort zones.

Sam understood that, and that is why he chose to continue leaping on his own and helping people.

That's debatable. He was in literal tears begging to go home. Someone recently theorized that the bartender manipulated him into making that choice and I hate that I didn't see the suggestiveness sooner.

Hopefully, at some point, Ben will come to understand this as well and stop fighting it.

What does Ben need to stop fighting?
This wording suggests that Ben should not have a right to free will.
Sam did not submit either, he was the victim of a formula he nor the original project understood.

Once again Ben is not obligated to replicate Sam's experience nor is it rational in some senses such as how the 2022 project figured out how to take more control.

If this essay hasn't made it clear, I am enjoying QL2022 and believe it's doing a fantastic job with the ties in with the original.

My best friend made an interesting suggestion that at the end of the finale when the team is bracing as the accelerator appeared to be delivering Ben home, that it could be Sam who ends up being delivered.