No spoilers. After watching the pilot episode all I can say is that the new format with the PQL team having story plots in the "present" makes sense. And, it's a nice nod to the original. Especially the last minute or so. Can't wait for the next episode.
Pilot Episode
- Thread starter bmcneely0
- Start date
Hi, new to the forum.
The series seems like it’s going to be pretty cool.
But I now have more questions about the original series like now Al has died who is now Sam’s guide if he’s still leaping? Does he need a guide now?
And that’s before I think of all the questions from the new series! My head hurts
The series seems like it’s going to be pretty cool.
But I now have more questions about the original series like now Al has died who is now Sam’s guide if he’s still leaping? Does he need a guide now?
And that’s before I think of all the questions from the new series! My head hurts
The scenes in the present are useful and needed but I hope they don't lose sight of the main aspect of the show, the investment into the character which Ben has leapt into. After reading most of the critical reviews most said they felt a detachment of who Ben leapt into and were disinterested in the outcome if he failed or not.
Something OG QL got right.
Something OG QL got right.
I really enjoyed it for the most part! I think things will flesh out as the series gets it's legs. I liked the throwbacks! It was fun 
and that's what I had hoped. It's back!!
and that's what I had hoped. It's back!!I really enjoyed it for the most part! I think things will flesh out as the series gets it's legs. I liked the throwbacks! It was fun
It was cool although felt little rushed, it was already 6 mins in and we were seeing a car chase and Addison hurriedly explaining the who what where of Leaping. It's a good start but I want more throwbacks specially to the legends of the original.
I thought it was a great start. It had so much information to convey. As many of us know this was not the Pilot that convinced NBC to pick up the show. NBC asked for an alternate. The original Leap was the 1989 San Francisco Earthquake. Which we still see as a later episode. It did not have the modern day scenes before Ben Leaped giving more setting up who the characters are.
I am hoping in upcoming episodes the characters in the past are more fully developed. Which should happen with more screen time. I suspect that this 1985 story was written to be simple to accommodate the additional setup scenes. While the Earthquake scenes are probably very elaborate. Which is why they needed to shot in Vancouver for location sequences. Not on the Universal Backlot.
Also it’s going to take a few episodes to see new show start to cover the full variety of QL as a premise has. Quantum Leap did action, drama, comedy, westerns, musicals, etc, etc. every week was something different in terms of genres it explored. There is no way one episode can show that. Also simple reality is modern tv almost never does full 2 hour TV pilots anymore. So hard to fully judge what this show will be on single a 1 hour episode.
Same goes the actors. We barely have seen the full range of their talent.
Only complaint I have is not with the show but Peacock, NBC app. I work nights and only way to watch was early today. I get home about 1:30am Central and usually up for hours after. Did not see it up until close to 4:30am.
I am hoping in upcoming episodes the characters in the past are more fully developed. Which should happen with more screen time. I suspect that this 1985 story was written to be simple to accommodate the additional setup scenes. While the Earthquake scenes are probably very elaborate. Which is why they needed to shot in Vancouver for location sequences. Not on the Universal Backlot.
Also it’s going to take a few episodes to see new show start to cover the full variety of QL as a premise has. Quantum Leap did action, drama, comedy, westerns, musicals, etc, etc. every week was something different in terms of genres it explored. There is no way one episode can show that. Also simple reality is modern tv almost never does full 2 hour TV pilots anymore. So hard to fully judge what this show will be on single a 1 hour episode.
Same goes the actors. We barely have seen the full range of their talent.
Only complaint I have is not with the show but Peacock, NBC app. I work nights and only way to watch was early today. I get home about 1:30am Central and usually up for hours after. Did not see it up until close to 4:30am.
The one concern I had going into this was why are they spending time with what's going on in the QL HQ. Why all these other people? But the way the pilot setup that story which didn't unfold unless you watched all the way through in the last minute or so was brilliant. Nice nod to Al and the original series finale. So now besides getting Ben back, they have another story line as well. Can't wait to see more.
I liked the scenes in the Lab/HQ. The new Gooshie is a little emo for my taste, but not so much that I’d skip ahead or anything.
Spoiler Alert! (highlight to read)
…where’s the waiting room, and was anyone in it?
Lack of waiting room is a good question. Also, I don't think the hologram ever told Ben that only he could see or hear her. It's like it was just assumed.
Yeah I didn't like that either, I mean Ben leaps into the character so in this version of QL where does that body go??
Maybe they are foreshadowing this to explain how Sam is now leaping as himself with no leap in and body out.
This is it exactly. The first episode of most shows are over 2 episodes. Not much is seen of Al's world, which is in the present. Only a few times did they ever go there. The main appeal of QL was not the mechanics of it or Ziggy or whatever, it was invested in the character that Sam leapt into.
They also left out part of the original QL that the person being leapt into goes back to the main headquarters or whatever in some kind of holding tank.
The original show much much slower, and in the end you got a peak at the next leap, and the "Oh boy!"
The way they have it now just seems like a new kind of version of Scorpion. Involving the Pentagon and all of that. But half the time was spent at HQ and not in the 1980's with Ben and the person he leapt into. If they spent two episodes doing this, it would likely have more hooks for the next episode. I think they thought there was enough interest, they did not need a hook, but then they did not have enough real time to develop the story - the main story took precedence over the character story. I am hoping further episodes do this.
I think it is interesting they bring in one of Al's 4 daughters, which would not have happened if Sam did not intervene. And the Ernie Hudson was also a cool addition.
It also looks like from the preview promo after the show, there is a western, which Sam also did, which is outside of Ben's lifetime.
And lastly, the odd tension between Addison and Ben I feel as kind of unnecessary. Al and Sam did well because they were different than one another. Sam was more reserved and Al was more wild - they had great banter, and now that is traded in for some weird past sexual tension, like seeing an ex after a long period of time.
Still looking forward to more episodes and turns more introspective instead of like a action/thriller/sci-fi.
I could have written a better first episode than that. My biggest thing is that Addison, the hologram, appeared way too quickly. She was helping right away. Sam went through half an episode of being a test pilot going mach speeds before seeing a man over by the jukebox that no one else in the bar saw. It makes me want to go back and watch the first episode again...with Sam and Al.
I thought that was pretty good. (Can I be a total nerd and ask for a rate poll, please?)
It wasn't perfect, but it was probably above my expectations. I think all of the criticisms that others have raised are legitimate, but it must be hard to fit it all in to 42 minutes.
Like most modern television, it is a bit... whatever the word I'm looking for is. Fast paced, but in an insubstantial way.
But it was a lot better than I thought it might be. The exposition was a bit creaky, but then... 42 minutes.
Nice to see them getting him to do a Sam by getting his chest out in the first episode. What I also really liked - and I hope this continues, I've no reason to suspect it won't - is the fact that there was no bad language in it, it remained the "show your gran could enjoy too". I remember there was the odd swear, ISTR Al having the occasional b***ard and what have you, but it's not like the new Star Trek where you've got Picard "effing and jeffing" every five minutes. No need for that, though when they cut off his "Oh..." at the end, I don't think it was going to end in "... boy."
It looked quite good, too, I thought, apart from some occasional poor SFX work. That's not new to this version, of course, as it was always blatantly obvious when Al would be about to become intangible in the original. But I had to pretend I didn't notice her showing the image of Sam, moving the watch around and the projection not moving with it. Or the mirror image's lips not synching well with the dialogue. Or the obvious green screen in a car scene.
I'd definitely like to see more. Having it in the present is a little strange, as I never felt that the future of QL was OUR future, it was more of a divergent prediction, but now this is just our regular time. Mind you, that talking about the year being "1999" did always confuse my gran...
It wasn't perfect, but it was probably above my expectations. I think all of the criticisms that others have raised are legitimate, but it must be hard to fit it all in to 42 minutes.
Like most modern television, it is a bit... whatever the word I'm looking for is. Fast paced, but in an insubstantial way.
But it was a lot better than I thought it might be. The exposition was a bit creaky, but then... 42 minutes.
Nice to see them getting him to do a Sam by getting his chest out in the first episode. What I also really liked - and I hope this continues, I've no reason to suspect it won't - is the fact that there was no bad language in it, it remained the "show your gran could enjoy too". I remember there was the odd swear, ISTR Al having the occasional b***ard and what have you, but it's not like the new Star Trek where you've got Picard "effing and jeffing" every five minutes. No need for that, though when they cut off his "Oh..." at the end, I don't think it was going to end in "... boy."
It looked quite good, too, I thought, apart from some occasional poor SFX work. That's not new to this version, of course, as it was always blatantly obvious when Al would be about to become intangible in the original. But I had to pretend I didn't notice her showing the image of Sam, moving the watch around and the projection not moving with it. Or the mirror image's lips not synching well with the dialogue. Or the obvious green screen in a car scene.
I'd definitely like to see more. Having it in the present is a little strange, as I never felt that the future of QL was OUR future, it was more of a divergent prediction, but now this is just our regular time. Mind you, that talking about the year being "1999" did always confuse my gran...
I liked the new pilot episode, which apparently wasn't the actual pilot episode when they proposed the series. It was developed afterwards, so maybe it's just growing pains. If I weren't a fan of the original show, I don't know that I'd watch more than two episodes, though. Hopefully, the next episode will be more riveting.
My 60+ yo big brother thought that the pilot was boring, but he has said the same thing about every new fantasty/scifi show for the last ten years. CBS's Ghosts, which I love, does nothing for him. He really only likes blood-and-guts science fiction. Thoughtful, fun shows like this are too tame.
I really hope they abandon the NBC formula where they next introduce counter agents and then create a full-out war between the supers. Then, they'll cancel it with no conclusion episode. They're so stupid.
My 60+ yo big brother thought that the pilot was boring, but he has said the same thing about every new fantasty/scifi show for the last ten years. CBS's Ghosts, which I love, does nothing for him. He really only likes blood-and-guts science fiction. Thoughtful, fun shows like this are too tame.
I really hope they abandon the NBC formula where they next introduce counter agents and then create a full-out war between the supers. Then, they'll cancel it with no conclusion episode. They're so stupid.
I liked it on first viewing but thought it worked much better second. I had the disadvantage of having to wait until early next day because of work. So I read most descriptions and knew what was going to happen. This time I could just watch.
I really wish NBC had aired the first 2 episodes on one night. It just feels too short. The original show had the main story be about the test pilot and his family and the quick baseball leap. Having the first night ending with the Space Shuttle would have been the opposite. Clearly that leap is a bigger story in scope and would have been nice built up in excitement in one night.
Also I will not give spoilers, though it’s in press for next week already, the next episode has some characters that would have helped sell the show to skeptics about whether this is a true sequel or not.
I really wish NBC had aired the first 2 episodes on one night. It just feels too short. The original show had the main story be about the test pilot and his family and the quick baseball leap. Having the first night ending with the Space Shuttle would have been the opposite. Clearly that leap is a bigger story in scope and would have been nice built up in excitement in one night.
Also I will not give spoilers, though it’s in press for next week already, the next episode has some characters that would have helped sell the show to skeptics about whether this is a true sequel or not.
I enjoyed it. Good story. I like most of the actors.
My only issue is Al died trying to get Sam home while Sam continued leaping for 30 years. This despite swearing to his wife he would come back to her. It just made me hate that finale all over again.
My only issue is Al died trying to get Sam home while Sam continued leaping for 30 years. This despite swearing to his wife he would come back to her. It just made me hate that finale all over again.
Its been a long time since I've posted anything, of course the new series has me all excited about getting more QL. I have watched the pilot episode several times since it premiered of course for me the best parts were the times Sam and Al were mentioned. I like that they are making the leap effects similar. If they add sounds from Ziggy ill be loving it more. My thoughts on the rest of the pilot. It was good, definitely got some of that old Quantum Leap feeling back. However, like most everyone else has been saying it did seem rushed. I know they had to fit a lot of exposition in, and introduce the new cast and characters so it does make sense as to why it seemed rushed but it did a great job setting up basic expectations one would be expected to get from the premise of the show. I think it did a good job of connecting the older fans of the original series to the new one and at the same time making it a good introduction to new viewers. I am sure now that the exposition and new character introductions are, for the most part, through the first stage, the following episodes will get better. I'm really looking forward to seeing how things connect with the original series and how some of the plot lines from the original will develop and expand on things and finally get Sam back home. It would have been amazing to have Al there to greet Sam and that reunion will forever me missed. RIP Dean.
I've enjoyed every episode so far; there hasn't been a bad one yet in my book. The pilot did an excellent job of setting things up for the revival, and each additional story has naturally progressed from one point to the next.