DVD Sets with all the music?

G4 is showing ALL THE EPISODES with only minor cuts for time--AND THE MUSIC IS COMPLETELY INTACT!!!!!!!!!! I have no idea how much longer they will be showing them as the network is changing from G4 to Esquire this month but I have been recording it and am very proud to say I do not own the Region 1 (us) set as I sold it years ago. I have a dvd player that plays the British PAL set so I have them uncut at my fingertips -- what we need to do is convince Universal (sigh) to put 'em out HD like G4 is showing them. YES HD. It's remarkable.

samnal said:

G4 is showing ALL THE EPISODES with only minor cuts for time--AND THE MUSIC IS COMPLETELY INTACT!!!!!!!!!! I have no idea how much longer they will be showing them as the network is changing from G4 to Esquire this month but I have been recording it and am very proud to say I do not own the Region 1 (us) set as I sold it years ago. I have a dvd player that plays the British PAL set so I have them uncut at my fingertips -- what we need to do is convince Universal (sigh) to put 'em out HD like G4 is showing them. YES HD. It's remarkable.

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Unfortunately it looks like G4 won't be showing Quantum Leap anymore, at least for now. Apparently Airwolf is being slotted in its place starting this Monday. Hopefully they will bring it back -- they have replaced it before and then started showing it again, so maybe they're just rotating shows right now.

Yep, it's not on anymore. I have my British set and actually took some from G4 like Dreams and Temptation Eyes. For some reason 4th season is very difficult..they called it QL Lite on the set--they are very DARK and some, when transf to High def are grainy and not pretty at all. It's a shame. My original vhs were terrible to watch and I was enjoying seeing them in pretty good shape on G4 - and my British DVD's are good, too. There was some talk of Universal re-releasing them in HD but I doubt that was more than a rumor.

Sam Beckett Fan said:

The British set has all the original music in tact I assume? I'd gladly purchase a set if I didn't already have my region 1 set. Back then I had no idea so I wasn't able to consider it.
Perhaps however my missing disc in season 4 provides the excuse for a replacement set via the British release. It certainly is the season I would choose if only one due to Temptation Eyes.

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No. Only seasons 2 and 3 of the British set differ from the US version. Seasons 2 and 3 of the UK version have all the original music. Seasons 1 and 5 of both the US and the UK versions contain all of the original music. Season 4 has the music replaced in both versions (including Temptation Eyes, believe me, I checked). So it would do you no good to purchase season 4 of the UK version if you were looking for that one intact. Only the episodes which aired on television have season 4 with the original music.

Sam Beckett Fan said:

Bummer!
Good to know thank you for the clarification.

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Yeah, I actually became a member of this forum back in 2004 when the DVDs were being released. This is where I learned about the music replacements and I'm so glad that I did because after season 1, I went right out and bought seasons 2 and 3 from the UK.

I debated a long time before getting season 4 since there was no difference, other than the fact that all of the UK versions were single discs and not double sided. 6 discs per set instead of 3, so less chance to get damaged. I finally bought the US version brand new on amazon, but after having several problems with the manufacture quality (disc rot- discs becoming cloudy and not playing) on two different season 4 purchases, I eventually bought the UK version and have had no problems playing those.

I guess my account from 2004 got deleted due to inactivity, but if you do a search for my username, "wakkanne", you'll find some of my original posts about the DVD releases.

Sam Beckett Fan said:

I am only a year behind you having joined in 2005 the same year I had discovered the series. Thus being a first time watcher all I cared about was finding out what the heck happened after the Shock Theater cliffhanger. In addition I was not as knowledgeable about this type of thing back then, I didn't even know the term 'Bootleg' until after making the purchase of my bootleg set.

Is this your first time as a member of the vbulletin version of the forum? Since being a 2004 member you'll like myself have registered on the ezboard and the name you are using now is apparently the exact same as the 2004 one which is suggestive that the current account has not previous existed here. If so than you needed to have Brian merge your old ezboard account with the new one you made here. I am not sure if it's still possible now as ezboard ceased existence years ago but you might try PMing him.

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That must have been what happened. I was on ezboard before. Funny thing is though, I was able to find my old posts before I rejoined, but now I can't seem to find them through the search option on here. Maybe I found them through google... Ah, here we go:

http://quantumleap-alsplace.com/forum/showthread.php?t=193

Thanks for the clarification--I have a good copy -- all of my old eps from the first run, well I taped them on a VHS machine that was dying. I did not know this until at the end of 4th when I decided to sit and watch everything and they were a mess. (Not to mention the light was dim on all of them). 5th season--I never watch LHO, Tale of 2 Sweeties, all the Dark Leapers, Taming of the Shrew and Dr. Ruth, Blood Moon, Liberation, Beast Within, Norma Jean, Nowhere to Run...so season 5 I can put on about 2 dvd's and I'm set. I have the British set because 2nd season is amazing looking and the lighting in 3rd and 4th is somewhat better.

(Quote) In season 4 there are a few I and my best friend don't watch as well including The Last Gunslinger unless we are in the mood to see Sam's drunk/hangover scenes. Those are worth watching it for sometimes.
Well "The Last Gunfighter" actually is a very good episode because it harkens back to a time when we had a lot of westerns on the air, seeing the old 'ranch" where they shot a LOT of westerns I dearly love, and the entire struggle of Sam and Al and the issue at hand. I like the wizened old cowboy (can't recall the actor but I like him) and some of the sweetness between Al and Sam and realizing was there ever a time before the leaps where Sam got a 'little' loaded and Al was the one pouring him into a nice warm bed to sober up? :cheers
Certainly, Sam had done that for Al. It's just a sweet episode and has more than enough moments. There are so many in 4th season I could care less about because when the show was actually ON Nbc there was this up and down effect, one good ep, a really lousy one, some apparently written on the fly, and confusing endings, like "Leap For Lisa" which I do love, just felt the ending was contrived to close the show NOW, when the hour was up. I always want to cry when they show the leap in to LHO (which I HATE, abominate, ect) and think of the little glimpse I saw at IndyLeap that Rich Whiteside showed where Sam leaped into Tom Magnum. For casting reasons they couldn't do it, but it would have been so much better than the nonsense of LHO.

Sam Beckett Fan said:

Hmm this is a scrapped leap then? This is the first I have heard of it.
Who is Tom Magnum? A famous figure I assume.

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Thomas Magnum... Magnum P.I., another Bellisario production, of course.

Sam Beckett Fan said:

By the way, Goodbye Norma Jean could have been worse. Supposedly it was intended to be Madonna but because she's living her permission was required which she denied them. I'm a fan of some of her music but why would Quantum Leap need an episode revolved around her?

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The best part of Goodbye Norma Jean was when Al told Sam to come quickly before it was too late and Sam ran out to see Marilyn skinny dipping. Sam's reaction to the entire scene is priceless!

Sam Beckett Fan said:

The annoying thing about The Last Gunslinger is the grandson who'd rather see the only father figure he's ever had be killed rather than to taint his reputation. Then his thinking he could face the guy himself! Come on!

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Yeah, that kid annoyed me no end.

In general I wasn't a fan of the real person/celebrity episodes but I didn't find 'Goodbye Norma Jean' as terrible as other people do. It's by no means a favorite, and I don't really rewatch it much, but I thought the actress who played her did a terrific job and I enjoyed her performance. It also gave us another nice glimpse of Sam's character that he didn't take advantage of her even though he was attracted to her and could have done so easily.

Sam Beckett Fan said:

Honestly I'd watch it over a few episodes such as the Abigail story line, I can't stand her but actually I have lately been getting the desire to give her a second chance. I am sure the time will come during my best friend's and my rewatch marathons...whenever she next visits from Grad School.

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I gave Abigail a second chance about a year ago. Nope. I was still just as mortified as I was when I saw it at age fifteen. I actually had nightmares and was physically and emotionally shaken for days after seeing those episodes in high school. From the "Children of the Corn" young Abby to Sam's completely out of character actions throughout, I found myself crying and screaming for Sam to get the heck out of there at the end of part one and it just went downhill from there. Maybe it's just me.... But it turns out that 20 years didn't change my feelings about it.

wakkanne said:

I gave Abigail a second chance about a year ago. Nope. I was still just as mortified as I was when I saw it at age fifteen. I actually had nightmares and was physically and emotionally shaken for days after seeing those episodes in high school. From the "Children of the Corn" young Abby to Sam's completely out of character actions throughout, I found myself crying and screaming for Sam to get the heck out of there at the end of part one and it just went downhill from there. Maybe it's just me.... But it turns out that 20 years didn't change my feelings about it.

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I'm not a fan of the Trilogy either. It's true that Sam can become obsessed about both things and people, and we've seen that in episodes like 'Dear Heart' and 'The Curse of Ptah Ho-tep'. So I didn't find the obsessiveness to be too far out of character. But the rest of it, yeah. Frankly I thought young Abigail was guilty of something in the first episode. I realize they were trying to build suspense and make us wonder, but it wasn't done well and she just came across as creepy and mean to me. I couldn't understand how Sam could be so gullible when it came to her.

I also strongly dislike his breakdown scene in the home with her mother in part two -- I know a lot of people love this scene, and I respect that and completely get why they love it. But it's way too over the top for my taste. I prefer storytelling that's more subtle. 'Catch a Falling Star' explored a lot of the same themes but did it better in my opinion.

blue enigma said:

I'm not a fan of the Trilogy either. It's true that Sam can become obsessed about both things and people, and we've seen that in episodes like 'Dear Heart' and 'The Curse of Ptah Ho-tep'. So I didn't find the obsessiveness to be too far out of character. But the rest of it, yeah. Frankly I thought young Abigail was guilty of something in the first episode. I realize they were trying to build suspense and make us wonder, but it wasn't done well and she just came across as creepy and mean to me. I couldn't understand how Sam could be so gullible when it came to her.

I also strongly dislike his breakdown scene in the home with her mother in part two -- I know a lot of people love this scene, and I respect that and completely get why they love it. But it's way too over the top for my taste. I prefer storytelling that's more subtle. 'Catch a Falling Star' explored a lot of the same themes but did it better in my opinion.

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I completely agree. Catch A Falling Star was amazing compared to this drek. I never understood how both Sam and Al thought she was so sweet and innocent in part 1. The scene where she just appears in the hallway and the "good night daddy!" line was like something out of The Shining. Sweet and innocent? Poor girl? Uh-huh, okay.

I understand your point about Sam's obsessions, but I don't see this as the same thing. Goodnight Dear Heart, a little, as that was a kinda creepy one, too, but not this creepy. I'm not going to argue Sam's motives here, so as not to re-upset myself over something I've managed to push back into the furthest corner of my mind, but I still think it was completely out of character for him. And even when Sam begged Al to help him. To say something to stop him, Al just stared at him and said nothing. Al could have knocked some sense into Sam like he did in Catch a Falling Star, but he didn't even try.

You would think that in three parts, they could have gotten something right, but the story still seemed rushed and wholly unrealistic. They turned a wonderful fun show into something dark and soap operatic. Maybe Deborah was pushing too hard to make this happen. Again, I'm sure there are those who will beg to disagree, but you're not going to change my mind on this. Funny how I feel the need to apologize for abhorring an an episode that, from what I gather, as a whole, the fandom enjoyed? Or am I wrong in assuming this? I just think I was exposed to this at too young an age and I've never fully recovered. Although, I'm not sure I would have approved had I seen it for the first time at age 35, either. :/

wakkanne said:

I completely agree. Catch A Falling Star was amazing compared to this drek. I never understood how both Sam and Al thought she was so sweet and innocent in part 1. The scene where she just appears in the hallway and the "good night daddy!" line was like something out of The Shining. Sweet and innocent? Poor girl? Uh-huh, okay.

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I love 'Catch a Falling Star'. Yeah, they were being obvious about the Don Quixote/Sancho comparison to Sam/Al in that but I liked it and felt they stayed just this side of it being too much. And the viewer comes away from that episode knowing that yes, Sam is a hero who always does the right thing even at his own expense, without it being hammered home by Al or anyone else. Frankly I think Al acts out of character in the Trilogy as well, especially during the breakdown scene.

wakkanne said:

I understand your point about Sam's obsessions, but I don't see this as the same thing. Goodnight Dear Heart, a little, as that was a kinda creepy one, too, but not this creepy. I'm not going to argue Sam's motives here, so as not to re-upset myself over something I've managed to push back into the furthest corner of my mind, but I still think it was completely out of character for him. And even when Sam begged Al to help him. To say something to stop him, Al just stared at him and said nothing. Al could have knocked some sense into Sam like he did in Catch a Falling Star, but he didn't even try.

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Oh, I agree with you that Sam's obsessiveness is over the top here. I guess for me I could kind of see that he could become obsessed with someone, but it is definitely off the charts here. And as I said above, I think Al's behavior is bizarre. Why didn't he try to knock sense into him? He's just way too indulgent of Sam, and that seemed very out of character to me.

wakkanne said:

You would think that in three parts, they could have gotten something right, but the story still seemed rushed and wholly unrealistic. They turned a wonderful fun show into something dark and soap operatic. Maybe Deborah was pushing too hard to make this happen. Again, I'm sure there are those who will beg to disagree, but you're not going to change my mind on this. Funny how I feel the need to apologize for abhorring an an episode that, from what I gather, as a whole, the fandom enjoyed? Or am I wrong in assuming this? I just think I was exposed to this at too young an age and I've never fully recovered. Although, I'm not sure I would have approved had I seen it for the first time at age 35, either. :/

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I think the fandom is split down the middle on this one. There are people who adore the Trilogy and Abigail and Sammie Jo, and then there are people who loathe it as much as you and me. From what I can tell it's about 50/50. I did watch the 'Trilogy' more than once at different times, just to give it a chance and see if maybe I just wasn't seeing it at the right time in my life and would appreciate it better on a second or third viewing. Nope. In another thread someone said the 'Trilogy' felt to them like a Mary Sue fic and I agree with that assessment. Deborah Pratt is a good writer, so it was a little bit better quality Mary Sue but still a Mary Sue.

Sam Beckett Fan said:

Personally I kinda theorize that Sam leaped into Abigail's life not so much for her as for himself. To produce the child who would provide the project with exactly what they needed to set the stepping stone for his path home, a version of his own mind, the mind which created the project.

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This is a great theory and I actually thought that was the whole point, their intentional reason for introducing Sammie Jo into the series at all. At the end of part three Al tells Sam that Sammie Jo has a theory on how to get him home. Then he never returns home. Which is an absolutely in character choice. But it bothers me in the context of his (1) abandoning Donna forever and (2) adding insult to injury by having this love child Sammie Jo somewhere in time with Abigail who is maybe going to get him home, which then doesn't even pay off.

Sam Beckett Fan said:

Those aspects bothered me as well. The fact that it's implied that Sam chose never to return home (and personally I don't wish to buy that he never did) is not totally believable. Though he doesn't remember Donna, Sammy Jo or Tom and of course feels drawn to those in pain I have a hard time believing that he would forever give up his identity and the family he does remember back home, his mother and Katie. That he would allow his staff to have given five years of their lives to his project in somewhat vein.
In fact Knights of the Morningstar suggests to Sam that wanting to return home is contrary to Sam's belief unselfish and that he needed to believe that to be able to.

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That's actually one of my favorite things in Knights of the Morningstar and I really like that Rawn brought out this point. I would argue that not only is Sam's desire to return home unselfish, but there's an aspect to his choosing to keep leaping that is actually extremely selfish, even while it's also selfless at the same time. In the Sam Beckett character thread wakkanne made the excellent point that Sam got so involved with school and his work that he didn't go home when the family lost the farm, or when his father died, or when Katie was in an abusive marriage. Those were times when his family needed him and he wasn't there. And here he is, how many years later, leaping and even talking to Al about how much he regrets not being there those times, and still making the same mistake now of not being there in the present for his family and friends.

Sam Beckett Fan said:

That's something else that has come to bug me. I could have sworn that Sam had snuck a mention to Irene in Future Boy that he had not attended his father's funeral as Moe Stein had not attended his wife's but when my best friend and I recently watched it, it was not there. But I could swear he mentions it and was responded to with "I am sure your father forgave you." Maybe I'm losing my mind haha. XD

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Is this maybe a syndi-cut thing? It might be on the DVD but not in the version they aired on G4. Or maybe you're thinking of 'Promised Land'? There's definitely a part in that episode where Sam in not so many words says or implies at least that he wasn't there when his father died.

Sam Beckett Fan, blue enigma, I LOVE you guys!

Oh my gosh, yes, the, "Daddy, tell me all the ways that you love me" line... I actually made a taped "radio" play with my brother back then where she says that line and then Sam says, "Abigail, I love you so much that I want to have sex with you..." I called it "Bumpkin Love". hehehehe....

I certainly agree that there COULD have been this wonderful Sam love story involving an in-leap romance that resulted in a child, but this was NOT it. And I also agree, that for story telling purposes, if they decided to give Sam a child with the express intent of bringing him home, when they never intended to bring him home, is just misleading and frivolous.

And can I just mention Al's comment at the end of part 3 where he basically says, that the curse is broken because Sam and Sammy Jo share DNA... WHAT? WHAT? I mean, I know that Al is superstitious and all, but he is also a scientist. How can you even connect the two? I mean, WHAT?

And I know I shouldn't have to apologize for my opinions. I think about that every time I hear someone say, "Oh I HATED that episode" referring to one that I enjoyed. I just have to remind myself, "remember Trilogy". Or as I like to call it, "The Episodes Thrice That Shall Not Be Named". Quantum Leap had something for everyone, I suppose.


Based upon your comments here, you are probably going to LOVE my fanfiction, even though my writing, since it was originally based off of the QL novels, supports the mental leaping aspect. Reading these comments have given me a renewed confidence that the fandom may not reject it, but actually embrace it. I in fact, two years prior to seeing The Episodes Thrice, created a couple of characters that knock the socks off of Abigail or Sammy Jo. Maybe that's also part of why I hate Trilogy. When I saw finally saw it, it felt to me like an insult. It was like, how could I so effectively create this wonderful story out of a somewhat similar concept, while my inspiration, the show I loved so much, could have failed so miserably, not capturing the characters at all?

I really need to finish story #1, so that you guys can read it. And at the end of my series, I DO bring Sam home... although, it's only the beginning of yet another adventure...

blue enigma said:

That's actually one of my favorite things in Knights of the Morningstar and I really like that Rawn brought out this point. I would argue that not only is Sam's desire to return home unselfish, but there's an aspect to his choosing to keep leaping that is actually extremely selfish, even while it's also selfless at the same time. In the Sam Beckett character thread wakkanne made the excellent point that Sam got so involved with school and his work that he didn't go home when the family lost the farm, or when his father died, or when Katie was in an abusive marriage. Those were times when his family needed him and he wasn't there. And here he is, how many years later, leaping and even talking to Al about how much he regrets not being there those times, and still making the same mistake now of not being there in the present for his family and friends.

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I love this, especially that last sentence, and thank you for quoting me. Without giving anything away, the entire subplot of my novella, Love's Young Dream, deals with this issue.

Sam Beckett Fan said:

Speaking of which Mirror's Edge brilliantly uses Tom in the present day to express how even when Sam was around his family he still actually wasn't as he was up in his head working on his theories. Something Donna admitted to noticing as well (there is even a flashback where she's straight up asks him for sex while he's working late but he denies her) but knew what she married into and expressed more than once that she could never want another. Her love for him was unbreakable.

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Haha! I must have been subconsciously (or maybe consciously 20 years ago) referencing the "Mirror's Edge" novel in my writing. I had totally forgotten about that, but it rings true in my book, Love's Young Dream, which I began 20 years ago and just finished last year.

wakkanne said:

Oh my gosh, yes, the, "Daddy, tell me all the ways that you love me" line... I actually made a taped "radio" play with my brother back then where she says that line and then Sam says, "Abigail, I love you so much that I want to have sex with you..." I called it "Bumpkin Love". hehehehe....

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ROFL. That line of Sam's is completely accurate though, since that's what actually happens anyway, it just takes place in another leap and as Will in the show itself.

wakkanne said:

And can I just mention Al's comment at the end of part 3 where he basically says, that the curse is broken because Sam and Sammy Jo share DNA... WHAT? WHAT? I mean, I know that Al is superstitious and all, but he is also a scientist. How can you even connect the two? I mean, WHAT?

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Yeah, Al can be superstitious and all, but I don't know what Sam's DNA has to do with breaking a curse. The whole thing is pretty eyerolling for me.

Sam Beckett Fan said:

21 years to finish a fanfiction!? That makes me sound less like an undedicated person for never finishing a fic I begin. Even if it takes me a while I do plan on finishing Go Figure. in which Sam leaps into the 1976 Olympics. The climax is decided but deals with a concept that I haven't been able to grasp so I will be needing some advice once I get far enough however it would require me to spoil it so the person will be chosen delicately.

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Well, to be fair, I had so many Quantum Leap stories running through my head that I wanted to write them all at once! I put "Love's Young Dream" on pause in 1996 because I wanted to write a story to actually try to submit as an official QL novel. The story took place in 1967 with Sam was a firefighter. I did a lot of research, even interviewing several firefighters to make the story realistic. Unfortunately, I was halfway through when they stopped making the novels.

I was in college at the time and got back into another love of mine from 1993, Animaniacs and began drawing and writing fanfics for that fandom. Then I got into Xena: Warrior Princess and began writing fanfiction for that as well. Almost all of those were short stories and I finished most of them. "Love's Young Dream" was close to novel length.

When I got back into Quantum Leap last summer, I reread all my old QL fanfiction. My first attempt was complete, but godawful and will take a lot of work to bring it up to the quality of my other writing. "Love's Young Dream" was half written and actually had a lot of potential, so I decided to finish it. It took about two months to to write a completed rough draft and it has since gone through several revisions. In the end when I finished, it was 130 pages. I immediately followed up with a short story called, "Christmas with the Becketts" that I completed in only a month, actually finishing it on Christmas Eve 2012. That one I'm quite proud of.

Now I'm going back and writing "Remember Always", the story that came before "Love's Young Dream" as well as the story that came before THAT, "Leap to the Future", which is actually story #1. If I'm feeling particularly ambitious, I'll rewrite the story that was awful, "A Second Chance" as it's still part of the series (#2). Then I still have a few mini stories, I'm thinking about, to bridge some of the other gaps. Then there's the story that brings Sam home, which starts a whole new adventure. I'm kinda addicted to writing again, which is fun, but it does take a lot of my time. I have plenty more Quantum Leap stories to keep me busy for a long while.

The one thing that I'm conscious of as I write is that I make plenty of reference to the previous stories as the series progresses, so even if you didn't start with #1, or if you skipped around, you could still catch up with what was going on. (But starting in the beginning is more fun ) I also write from the perspective of someone who has never seen the show, so that they could pick up any story and still get the gist of what was going on. It's not enough to bore the hardcore fans, but the casual reader will appreciate the descriptions.

I know what you mean about needing help and the unavoidable "spoiling the story". Luckily, I have two dedicated "editors" of my work and they don't mind being spoiled!

Sam Beckett Fan said:

What a shame that you so narrowly missed being able to publish an official QL novel.
Though I have no idea what your writing is like I am quite sure you would have far surpassed Ashley McConnel. If not for her decent leap concepts I would not read her, even so it's a struggle to stand her writing. Her character portrayals can be off, she's inaccurate (the one who does most of the novels that have Sam's soul leaping instead of his body) and at times inconsistent. It's kind of a wonder she was published. Anyway sorry for that mini rant.

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Well, the only thing I can say about Ashely McConnell is that she did inspire me to attempt writing my own Quantum Leap fanfiction, and I had certainly grown as a writer because of it. Like I said, I did stick with the mental Leaping aspect, but aside from the initial story of the series, you'll quickly see that it doesn't much matter.

Sam Beckett Fan said:

So with the exception of the story you were wishing to submit as a novel, all of your fanfictions are a series? What are they about?
Thinking of Sam as a firefighter makes me think of Scott's film Blue Smoke in which he is a firefigher/arsine investigator. It's one of my favorites I highly recommend it.

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When I was five years old my kindergarten teacher asked the class to draw a picture of what we'd like to be when we grew up. The boys all wanted to be police officers or astronauts. The girls all wanted to be teachers or nurses. I said I wanted to be a fireman. The kids laughed and a boy said, "You can't be a fireman! You're a girl!" and my teacher said, "She can be anything she wants to be."

So, I have always been fascinated with firefighters. They are true heroes and I always thought it would be fitting having Sam Leap into one. I liked the idea of dealing with his fear of "what if I have to actually fight a fire?" Having always wished for a full length Quantum Leap episode where Sam was a firefighter made Blue Smoke a dream come true for me.

Hm, perhaps I should send you few "oh boys" to give you an idea of my writing and what my stories are about...



Leap to the Future
Wednesday, April 29, 1992
By: Suzanne Smiley
Conceptualized: 10/1992, Written: ‎9/13/‎2012-

“Jonathan, you’re next.”
He was staring up at a blackboard. He looked down and realized he was seated in a small student desk, similar to ones he remembered from grade school. As his eyes came into focus and he took in his surroundings, it became clear that he was in a classroom.
“Jonathan Ramsey…”
Colorful posters and artwork lined the walls. The “Hang in There” kitten clinging to the tree branch. A “Reading is Fundamental” poster with smiling kids holding up books.
“Earth to Jonathan!”
The sound of children laughing? He looked away from the wall and realized that seated in rows of desks, identical to his, were at least twenty other kids, who looked to be about middle school age… And they were all staring at him. His focus shifted to the front of the classroom, where a young female teacher, with long blonde hair, was standing up from her desk chair, staring at him as well.
“M—me?” he asked the teacher, aiming a finger at his chest.
The teacher smirked. “I don’t have any other students in my class named Jonathan.”
The kids laughed again.
“Uhhh… I’m sorry.” He raised his eyebrows innocently. “Did you want something?”
“Yes. I want you to come up here and present your report to the class.”
He looked down at his desk and sighed, “Ohhh, boy.”
Sam Beckett always hated this part. After four years of this, he was certain that God or Fate or Time or Whatever it was that kept Leaping him around through time, definitely had a sense of humor. Why else would he always Leap in at the most inappropriate moments?
“You did complete the assignment, didn’t you, Jonathan?”
“Uhhh… umm…” Sam scrambled through the items on the desk in front of him and pulled out a green paper portfolio filled with loose-leaf paper. “Yeah! I—found it.” Sam laughed, mostly in relief, and tried to smile, holding up the portfolio to show the teacher. “It—it’s right here!” He then muttered under his breath, “I hope…”
“Well?” The teacher raised an eyebrow at him.
“Uh, right.” Sam squeezed out of his desk and reluctantly made his way to the front of the class. He was well aware that all eyes in the room where focused on him. He walked up to the teacher, looked at her, then at the desk, and carefully placed the report on top of the stack that was already there. He then turned and quickly headed back to his seat. There. Handled that one, he thought to himself.
“What are you doing?” the teacher asked.
Sam froze and clamped his eyes shut. Why can’t it ever be easy? He turned, meeting her perplexed expression. “I’m uhh…turning in my report?”
“Aren’t you going to read it first?”
The kids laughed again.
“Oh.” Sam nodded and chucked. “Right.” He sighed and returned to the teacher’s desk and retrieved his report. Sam turned to the class, opened the portfolio to the first page, and began to read. “‘Time Travel’—Time travel?” He stared at the words on the page in surprise. “I mean, ‘Time Travel. By Jonathan Ramsey.’” Sam grinned. Maybe this wasn’t going to be as bad as he thought. He turned the next page and began to read Jonathan’s handwritten scrawl.
“‘Time travel is a topic that has captured our imaginations for as long as we can remember. From H.G. Wells’ The Time Machine, to the Dr. Who television series to Back to the Future and even the Terminator movies. But those are just works of fiction. Time travel isn’t really possible…’” Sam lifted his head and smiled. “‘Or is it?’”



QUANTUM LEAP
REMEMBER ALWAYS
CHAPTER ONE
TUESDAY, JULY 2, 1985

He found himself staring at the drain of a ceramic sink. As sensation entered his body, he became aware that something tingly and minty filled his mouth. He opened his mouth and foamy toothpaste poured down his chin. “Ugh.” He spat the remaining toothpaste into the sink. It was then that he noticed the toothbrush clenched in his right hand and a bath towel wrapped around his waist. Judging by the positioning of the towel and the sound of his voice, he knew he was male this time, thank God. He slowly raised his head and caught his reflection in the bathroom mirror.
His eyes went wide. The freshly clean-shaven face was younger than he remembered, maybe by about ten or fifteen years. The brown hair was long, disheveled, and wet from a recent shower. A distinctive lock of white hair hung over his left eye. Toothpaste dripped off his chin and his jaw dropped. He was staring at his own reflection. Chills ran down his spine. He had Leaped into himself.
Sam Beckett swallowed hard and whispered, “Oh…boy…”
Sam could hardly believe his eyes—his very own brilliant green eyes. Putting the toothbrush down, he reached for a hand towel, hanging beside the sink, and wiped the toothpaste from his mouth. He stared at himself in the mirror again and laughed. He leaned in closer to his reflection, running his fingers through his damp hair, and a hand over his smooth cheeks and chin. He looked so young! Sam began grinning widely. He felt lightheaded and giddy.
There was no awkward Leap in this time. No making a fool of himself as he fumbled around strangers trying to fit in until he knew what he was there for. He was left alone, in familiar surroundings, right in front of a mirror, able to fully take in what had happened to him.
It was as if God or Fate or Time or Whatever it was that was Leaping him around was finally saying, “Surprise! Oh, and you’re welcome.” He may not be home, but this was the closest he had ever come to it and it felt good—damn good.
He opened the bathroom door and stepped out into a hallway. Across the hall from the bathroom was a small bedroom, he remembered. He slowly walked to the end of the hallway into a large room with a modest kitchen on the right and a living room on the left. Daylight coming through the sliding glass door in the living room lit the area well.
Sam wandered through the living room, with an astonished grin, looking at things that belonged to him. Books on the shelves that he had read. His old reclining easy chair positioned in front of his 15-inch color TV set. Photos on the walls of his own family members. His guitar, in its case, propped up against the wall beside the TV.
He was back in his old apartment in Albuquerque, New Mexico. That meant that he was still working at Project Star Bright, his place of employment before Quantum Leap. And that meant that it had to be somewhere during the five year period between 1984 and 1989.
Sam headed for the sliding glass door, at the far end of the living room, and pulled back the vertical blinds. Opening the door, he stepped out onto his balcony overlooking the courtyard of the apartment complex.
From the long slanted shadows formed by the low sun in the sky, he was able to determine that it was morning. And it was warm out, even at this early hour. It had to be summer. Sam leaned his arms on the railing, taking in the view, and grinned.

Sam Beckett Fan said:

Yikes, that is one of the biggest reasons I don't like her though perhaps you have found a more tasteful way of portraying it.

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The way I see it is that it was Bellisario's own fault for not writing the Quantum Leap Writer's Bible that spelled out specifically that Sam was physically Leaping. Why else would there be so much confusion and inconsistencies in the writing throughout? Bellisario should have been overseeing quality control and making sure the writers got it right. They were so obscure about it in the beginning of the series, it's no wonder so many people thought he was Leaping into people's bodies. Even Scott thought Sam was.

I got into the series when it was already in season 4. Even then, Sam was making comments about "leaping into the body of a chimp". My first full episode watched was Ghost Ship. Then I started watching the show from the beginning on the USA network. I was always confused as to whether Sam was physically or mentally Leaping. I know what the intention, by the end of the series, was now, but not then. The novels gave me a bit of insight, even if it was not the correct one. I took it and made it my own... But then again, if Sam is Leaping into himself, does it really matter?

Sam Beckett Fan said:

Well done on both samples, 'Remember Always' was especially intriguing. I want to know more! If you ever post it on Fanfiction.net I am so there and I am not huge on reading fanfics .

You are welcomed to see my 'Go Figure' "Oh Boy" if you'd like. Let me know and I shall post it.

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Thanks! I'll take that compliment! And I'd love to read your "Go Figure" 'Oh boy'!

I have the scripts for all 3 parts of Trilogy. There was SO much more that Deborah wanted to do with this--and some of it was badly cut. The end of part 1 Sam DIED.......when the ceiling fell Sam was buried under some of it, could not get up, and the last thing you read is "Al!!!!!" Sam's final scream echoes in a whirl of Quantum light .. This was shot and cut. In the script Abagail is spelled just that way. It is the way Deborah wanted it spelled in as much as Dennis himself told us the spelling of Gooshie was double o, not Gushie as it is in some stories/early stuff. I do love Triliogy and this odd obsession Sam has with Abagail and how it draws him back to this time and place 3x. There is little of 5th season I can stand, some just makes me sick. LHO for instance. Trilogy is a magic moment, it has a lot of love in it, and it was special for all who worked on it. I guess I'm seeing it from the perspective of having read the script BEFORE it was aired and falling in love with the story as written, not filmed. Scott was dear, as usual, and the kids were terrific. But that's me who thought "DearHeart" was true art and Paul Brown is really my favorite writer for the series.

Sam Beckett Fan said:

There may not have been a specification but it becomes obvious by season 2's Blind Faith that it's his body leaping. My entire list of direct evidence is in my review of Random Measures in it's thread here.
The most significant however is Sammy Jo. She can't be Sam's daughter if he conceived her in Will's body because it would have been Will's sperm which he ejaculated not his own.

One thing I neglected to mention in my Random Measures review however is how those who have seen Sam's true self; Little Teresa in Another Mother, Tamlyn in Temptation Eyes etc. it doesn't make sense to me for even those within the rules to see him through a body as opposed to an aura.

In conclusion I full believe it is his body that is leaping. The chimp reference was Sam getting his diaper in quite a tight bunch, HA! XD

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As we all know, Quantum Leap is a show that constantly tests our suspension of disbelief. Blind Faith was not an episode that proved to me back in 1992, when I saw it at age 14, that Sam was leaping physically. I thought they were going with the "mind's eye" theory. My logic was that in Star-Crossed, Sam tells Donna, "If you look into my eyes, you'll see another soul". And as they say, "The eyes are the windows to the soul." So if his soul was actually Leaping, maybe he really could see when he leaped into a blind man and maybe Donna really could see another soul if she looked into his eyes. At the time, that made as much sense to me as anything else.

And as I mentioned elsewhere, I didn't see "The Episodes Thrice" until at least a full year after the series had ended. That was when the USA network began airing season 5. I missed the beginning of season 5 when my family moved from PA to MD. It was on the Eastern Shore of Maryland in 1992 where we did not get NBC, even with an antenna. We moved in during the summer and to save money, we didn't get cable until the winter. I began watching season 5 starting with Promised Land. I narrowly missed seeing Trilogy, and as I said already, I kinda wish I had never seen it. So by 1994, I had already been writing my stories for two years. I wasn't about to give up then.

And as far as those who can see Sam as he really is, in Another Mother Al says that little kids "sense the truth". There is more to sensing than seeing with our eyes. Not saying that this is what they meant, but it did seem, aside from a chosen few episodes, that the writers were being intentionally vague.

Now, that being said, I am not arguing that it's *not* his body Leaping, I'm just saying that they should have made that clear from the start. If I had seen the show from the start, every episode, completely in order, I might feel the same way as you and wonder how people can be confused, but that's not how it happened for me. And I know this is technically not "cannon", but darnit, even the DVDs got it wrong. I cringe myself when reading the episode descriptions that say, "When Sam leaps into the body of so-in-so..." How is a new fan or casual viewer going to view that when they read the DVD for the first time? They're just perpetuating the misconception.

And now since my stories are part of an alternate timeline where Trilogy never happened, I'm not too worried about it. Sorry if that ticks you off, but like I said, with Sam Leaping into himself, it shouldn't affect your enjoyment of it that much. My bigger concern is that people might try to compare my series to Trilogy, when my stories were written with absolutely no knowledge of those episodes and were not inspired by them. But in its most basic sense, people might find some similarities.

Sam Beckett Fan said:

Even this small portion is a work in progress. I should probably have him know how to ice skate at least fairly well since realistically it takes a while to learn the figure skating moves. So beginning with more skill would cut the needed time some. This is one of quit a few things that is difficult for me to assess.

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I think that you could have Sam able to skate, but not be a skater. You could maybe make reference to how he and his brother and sister used to skate in the winter on the frozen pond near their family farm back in Indiana, but that it was the extent of his experience. Then you might add that Al once dated a figure skater and could teach Sam, some moves or something. Nice start, though!

Sam Beckett Fan said:

How could he be able to see with a body which contains blind eyes?
How about in Nowhere to Run, the scene where he got up and clocked the orderly. How else could he stand on legs that aren't supposed to be there?
And Sammy Jo still hasn't been answered, a soul doesn't contain genes. She can't have his genes if it weren't his body which produced her.
There is also the opening line of "Dr. Beckett stepped into the accelerator and vanished." not "...and collapsed." which is has been described in some of the novels.

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I am not trying to make an argument for mental verses physical Leaping, I'm not trying to prove that Sam is absolutely Leaping mentally in the show. I was simply trying to provide an explanation for why I thought what I thought back when I began writing. I did not see all the episodes that you are referencing at the time.

Sam Beckett Fan said:

Don't get me wrong I very much enjoy the way you are looking at it, it seems you have thought it out far more than McConnel who tends to write quite as inconsistently as you notice in the TV series. For example in 'The Novel' (Why the heck it doesn't have a proper title is strange to me)...

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I think we've all put in more thought than even Donald Bellisario gave it. If he read this discussion he would probably just shake his head and tell us that we're reading too much into it. And to just enjoy it, after all, it's "not a show grounded in reality!" (a quote of his that always annoyed me). It's like he didn't mind that so much of the show was left up to interpretation until people started interpreting it in ways he had not intended and then he felt the need to prove it to us that he had always intended to Sam to be leaping physically.

Ashley McConnell's first novel did have a title, "Carny Knowledge" and it was released in the UK under that title. As I understand it, it was the decision of the publisher to release it as "The Novel" to show that it was the first.

Sam Beckett Fan said:

Hmm, I am unsure what this is implying. Is your series an alternate way in which Sam produced a child in-leap? This was my first thought upon taking in your wording. I certainly am not ticked off by your refusal to acknowledge the Trilogy, why would I be?

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Okay, while trying to not give too much away, my stories involve an in-leap romance. And there is a character brought onto the project to work on a way to bring Sam home. And he eventually does, but Sam did not father him. Sam does become a father figure to him, though. Having not seen Trilogy nor The Leap Back by the end of the series, I wanted to combat the ending where Sam never Leaped home and reward him, to give him a love I felt he deserved. I had already come up with one story in the fall of 1992 (Leap to the Future) and decided to write more based on those same characters.

And I was saying sorry if I tick you off for writing Sam leaping mentally. Right or wrong, like it or not, it's just something I did for all the reasons I explained and I chose to keep it.

Sam Beckett Fan said:

Ha, it's true I can dissect something to death and I bet Bellisario would most certainly shake his head at my posts in particular and ask why on earth I care so much in what form Sam is leaping. But here's the thing, how much I think into concepts of a fandom is actually how you can tell how into it I am. It may sound strange but that's just how I roll.

The scientifics of the project were not what was important to him, he even says as much in 'Another Time, Another Place' in regards to Ziggy's gender in The Leap Back contradicting the prior references. That he didn't care but offered that if fans must have an in-story explanation let it be that Sam in his swiss-cheese state forgot that Ziggy is female and Al went along with that to prevent confusion. What he meant to project with the show is a man with a huge caring heart touching people's lives and changing them for them for the better. This is what made the first four seasons of the show so reaching.

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There is nothing wrong with being passionate about something, especially if it's something you love. But Quantum Leap is so full of vague generalities when it comes to the "science" behind it. Sometimes we have to take a page from Bellisario's book and just enjoy it for what it is. And what it is, is exactly what you described and what I was thinking this morning before I read your reply: Quantum Leap is a wonderful character-driven story about a sweet, kindhearted man who travels in time and helps people. And that is something we can all agree on.

It's funny you should mention Ziggy's "gender". That's another one where I feel it's up to the fanfiction writer to decide whether Ziggy is referred to as "he" or "she". Since Bellisario didn't mind either way, I'm not going to split hairs over it either. In fact, I like to poke fun and make light of all the show's inconsistencies... For example, in my story, Leap to the Future, Sam Leaps into a twelve year old boy named Jonathan. Towards the end of the story, back at the project, Al introduces Jonathan to Ziggy. After some dialogue is exchanged, Jonathan, says, as kids will do, "I have a question... Why do you call Ziggy a he when he sounds like a girl?" Al looks at him and shrugs, "Hm, good point." The story, conceived in the fall of 1992, has a Leap date in April 1992 and is supposed to take place between seasons 4 and 5. So, if you then look at the rest of the series, Ziggy is from then on referred to as a "she". Maybe Al took Jonathan's advice?

That made me think of something else... Because Bellisario liked to often change his mind like that, it would be just like him to shake things up. If there was ever a new series or a movie, he might decide, "Oh maybe Sam was Leaping mentally after all..." Just saying, I wouldn't put it past him.

Sam Beckett Fan said:

The Jonathan story sounds quite interesting. So Sam leaps into the child version of the boy he becomes a father figure to? The "Oh Boy" you allowed me to read for this leap reminded me some of the official novel 'Odyssey' which is one of my favorites.

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In short, yes. Sam Beckett was Jonathan's hero ever since Sam won the Nobel Prize in physics and hit the cover of TIME magazine. So, imagine Jonathan's surprise and delight once he realizes that he and Sam have switched places in time! Odyssey did remind me a bit of Leap to the Future as well, but I came up with my story in 1992 and that book came out in 1996.

Sam Beckett Fan said:

As for Ziggy's gender, and I pointed this out in Donofrio's thread there are actually two post- The Leap Back references to Ziggy as 'He', at least which I have caught. One is in Revenge of the Evil Leaper and the other I am drawing a blank on.

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Are you saying that you noticed a few times even in season five when they referred to Ziggy as a "he"? I seem to recall that. Because all through season 4--which was all post-The Leap Back--they referred to Ziggy as a "he", up until A Leap For Lisa, where there was that confusion over Ziggy's gender when Al was temporarily replaced by St. John. Heck, even in The Leap Back they called Ziggy "he"! "Why did I have to give HIM Barbara Streisand's ego?" (which the line originally was scripted as Warren Beatty).

Sam Beckett Fan said:

Nor would I, to at least begin to heavily imply it as it currently does that Sam is psychically leaping with leaps like Blind Faith, Nowhere to Run and Trilogy. I have to honestly say that the psychical leaping is much more appealing to me than the mental.

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And don't forget 8 1/2 Months, a story which I still swear Deborah Pratt wrote as Sam mentally Leaping but Bellisario finally put his foot down and they just changed some of the dialogue. I can imagine him reading the first rough draft of the script or her story notes and responding with something like, "I let you get away with it in What Price Gloria? but I can't have you making Sam actually pregnant!"

The story could have been told either way and been made to be just as funny, just as I believe that both the mental and physical leaping ideas each have their own merits and can be equally compelling in their own way.

Sam Beckett Fan said:

I am. In fact the exchange in Revenge seems to contain both references.
"Sam we've got problems. Get this, Ziggy says there's another leaper."
"Well she's just picking up Alia."
"No HE already counted her."

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YES! I DID catch that one the the last time I watched it. I had to rewind it to make sure I heard it right! Slip of the tongue on Dean's part after calling Ziggy a "he" all these years? Or was Al correcting Sam?

Sam Beckett Fan said:

That's actually the one episode in which the mental leaping would have made more sense.
There is quite some confusion concerning the context of the line near the end: "The baby has disappeared from Billy Jean's womb". Lightning McQueenie's theory is that this indicates the baby having been with Sam the entire time, that PQL had merely assumed it was in the future with the mother but I can't make sense of that nor it returning to the past before Billy Jean if it had in fact been in the future. The whereabouts of the baby during the leap needed to be better established.

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And YES, I completely agree! That is why I swear it was written as a mental Leap originally and then they changed it. It did make it more complicated for them having to explain that Sam had not Leaped into Billie Jean's body. Why would Sam even have to confirm with Al how he was Leaping? Wouldn't Sam, of all people, know the answer to that? If it were Sam Leaping mentally, you could just be like, "Sam Leaped into a pregnant woman... Just go with it."