Quantum Leap S01E03 Review!!

Published: October 4, 2022, 6:57 PM CST by HouseOfMacleod

Hello fellow jumpers and welcome to what has now become a weekly review of the sequel to the popular Quantum Leap series. Today we take a look at episode 3 of the new series and explore not only Ben's jump but also any subplots or references that come with the episode. As usual, here's a huge spoiler barrier, if you read past this point and complain that you messed it up, that's more your problem now than mine. So if you're comfortable, I'll start…

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SEASON 1, EPISODE THREE "SOMEBODY OVER THERE LOVES BEN"

This episode sees the team jump to Las Vegas 1977 where Ben jumped into the body of heavyweight boxer Danny "Youngblood" Hill, the day before frankly the biggest fight of his life, a championship title match. heavyweight world against current champion Roy Gordon.

Ben soon learns that this particular match isn't just a title fight, it's a fight for the life of his brother Daryl. You see, like many other men who returned from the war in Vietnam, Daryl suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and grapples with visions of the atrocities he faced fighting for his country. To add to that, he's indebted to the sharks and stands to lose the family gym if Danny doesn't win the upcoming fight. Addison realizes that unfortunately Daryl is committing suicide because of his difficulties and that whether or not Danny wins the fight doesn't change Daryl's problems. Ben then makes it his mission to not only win the fight, but also to keep Daryl alive and show him that there is not just love for him, but a bright future if he wants it.

The jump touches on many topics, but the most important for me was self-care. Not only is PTSD a topic close to my heart, but having struggled with it in my own past, I know exactly how difficult and horrific it can be. I felt it was not only well portrayed but well handled. There was no quick fix like most shows would, but Ben made Daryl promise not just to go see a doctor for help, but to keep going to that doctor, to to be a fighter like his little brother. Believe me, PTSD is not just the fight of your life, but a fight for your life. The self-care theme also extended to Addison, who pushed herself far too hard to try and bring Ben home. Combined with not feeding herself properly and dealing with the psychological stress of effectively losing her partner, this causes her to pass out. This episode is the first to really show an emotional core. Where the opening and the second episode were fun, this one is the first to make you happy, and I think it does a lot. It hits all the right notes at the right time and left me cheering not just when Ben wins the fight, but when his jump works and you realize the effect it had on both brothers.

There were also some cool little QL references in the jump. With Ziggy having slowed down, Addison tapped his link just like Al did in the original series, which had me grinning from ear to ear. I loved how writer Drew Lindo used the idea that they had all the footage from the fight in the future so the team could use it in tandem with Ben's eidetic memory to help to train. Very clever writing indeed.

Meanwhile, in 2022, Ziggy has been a bit slow and the team is struggling to find out why, so Magic is doing a bit of digging into Beth's background to see if there's a connection to Janis. Turns out the original QL project didn't really do much in terms of inventory and they let Al bring a bunch of tech home. Ouch! Janis ends the episode with the sting that she is making her own imaging chamber and will probably try to contact Ben. It had some really cool original series references, not only from the original theme melody beats in the soundtrack, but also seeing Al's original link. It was the first time the show made me say "whaaaaat?" And I loved it. I think it's a great idea to introduce what might just be a series villain. What are Janis' motivations? What is her relationship with Ben? What is the fixed point in time that they are both trying to reach? Is that where Sam is? I loved that this episode asked even more questions and not only raised the stakes a bit, but introduced an element that Sam and Al's adventures never had (I'm not counting The Evil L...