octor Sam Beckett creates the ultimate identity crisis when he steps into his untested time-travel machine and ends up lost in the 1950s with no memory. Everyone Sam meets seems to think he is Tom Stratton, a U.S. Air Force test pilot. His confusion intensifies when an outlandishly dressed ghost turns up—a cigar-smoking Lothario whom nobody else can see. This ghost, Al, claims to be a hologram from the future, and he thinks Sam might return home if he can prevent Stratton's tragic death. All Sam has to do is fly an experimental aircraft at three times the speed of sound. There's only one hitch—Sam is no pilot, and Al cannot touch anything!
Quantum Leap's two-hour pilot, "Genesis," slips the underlying structure of one of SF's most complex TV shows into a suspenseful drama about the unfortunate pilot and his family. Two stories run simultaneously: Sam goes through the motions of living Tom Stratton's life, while struggling to reclaim his memory. Ultimately, he both succeeds and fails—he flies the X2, only to find himself leaping into the life of a ballplayer whose fortunes are about to take a turn for the worse.
Over the eight episodes of its first season (Quantum Leap was a 1989 midseason replacement, so season one is short), Sam becomes a drag racer, a black chauffeur in the deep South, a down-and-out boxer and a Mafia hit man. He brings together several pairs of lovers, convinces a woman not to marry her abusive boyfriend and helps a nun rediscover her faith. Moving forward and back along the timeline of his own life, he brings assistance and wisdom to those who would otherwise be doomed, risking his life again and again and always hoping the next leap might bring him home.
Humor, history and heartache
Viewers can see the influence of Quantum Leap on later shows from Sliders to Tru Calling, but no imitator has achieved the same mix of inventiveness, lighthearted adventure and tragic undercurrents. Sam Beckett is an undeniably virtuous human being, but he isn't in the do-gooder business by choice. Instead, he is essentially a slave to an unknown altruistic force that drives him from one heroic act to another. Every success is rewarded with another jump into peril, into a life on the edge of ruin. Scott Bakula as Sam and Dean Stockwell as Al have unbelievable chemistry and never deliver less-than-brilliant performances.
In the first season, the program's writers are clearly working to get comfortable with the series concept. The all-important rapport between Sam and Al gels slowly, and episodes open with a short recap—a voice-over that reminds viewers Sam is traveling through time, putting right what once went wrong. Once this concept was more firmly entrenched in the minds of audiences, later seasons could show more confidence. Aside from this slight caution in its approach, season one has few flaws ... and some standout episodes. The hilarious "Double Identity" gives viewers a first chance to see Sam singing, while episodes like "The Color of Truth" and "Camikazi Kid" establish the highly political tone of the series by tackling topics like racism and domestic violence.
The extras in this season of Quantum Leap are sparse. Scott Bakula introduces each episode with an enjoyable morsel of insider information on how it was made, and there is a short documentary that features interviews with Bakula, Stockwell and series creator Donald P. Bellisario. Hopefully later seasons will feature commentary tracks and other must-have features; until then, dedicated Leapers will have to be content with the delicious prospect of savoring these first terrific hours of Sam's adventure at their leisure.
