‘Quantum Leap’ 2×12 & 2×13 Review “As The World Burns” & “Against Time”

Quantum Leap‘s second season finale – a two-parter called “As the World Burns” and “Against Time” – aired back-to-back this week. Which is probably a good thing, since that cliffhanger would have made me stressed if I had to wait a full week to figure out how it was resolved. That said, twice the episode means twice the amount of plot progression for me to process in a very short period of time. I have many thoughts (and feelings!), and I suspect I’ll still be processing them long after this review is done.

Enough lead-in. Let’s get to the good stuff.

Baby Did a Bad, Bad Thing

Finally. Finally. I can finally proudly proclaim that I predicted something accurately on Quantum Leap. Well…partly. I mean, I got the motivation mostly wrong. As well as his purpose now. And also…okay, look. Let’s focus on what I got right. Gideon Rydge (James Frain) is, in fact, Jeffrey Nally all grown up.

In my theory, I wasn’t sure why he had changed his name or what he was after. Although I assumed it had something to do with his dad’s death. To an extent, I was right. Though it was more than just the fact that Ben (Raymond Lee) failed to save Josh (Josh Dean). It was also that Ben kinda-sorta accidentally and inadvertently had a part to play in his dad’s death. And now, after decades of bitterness and anger, Jeffrey/Gideon wants to take Ben’s place as a Leaper, to serve his own ends. Which may include more than a small dose of revenge.

I’ll be honest. At first, I was like, “You want to do what now? How does that make sense?” But then again…that’s revenge. Unless your name is Inigo Montoya, revenge usually doesn’t end well. And things like anger and bitterness? There really isn’t logic behind them. You hurt, and you want the rest of the world to hurt, and you really aren’t thinking about how logical your actions are. Even if you’ve had decades to dwell on them. If you haven’t actually processed them, you’re no better off.

On the assumption that Gideon was Jeffrey, I had hoped that the writers would resolve this plot differently than they did the Evil Leaper plot from the first season. Ben just isn’t a natural killer, so murdering every Big Bad just isn’t his style. Particularly if it’s the son of someone he loves.

In true Quantum Leap style, Ben found another way. He didn’t do it by destroying Jeffrey’s invention (causing a paradox and a loss of a child’s self-confidence) but by relating to him and helping him see the good that comes from helping people. Even if sadly not everyone can be saved.

As an aside, adult Gideon watching Ben inspire his younger self towards kindness gave me “Doctor Who 2010 special ‘A Christmas Carol'” vibes. All that was missing was the flying sharks. And, sure, this may not be that kind of show. But…come on. Flying sharks. Any show can be that kind of show if it dreams hard enough.

Towering Inferno

The writers may have met my expectations in the Gideon plot (which is really just my roundabout way of saying “I was right for once; I was right; I was riiiiiight!”), but they subverted them elsewhere. Most notably in the resolution to Hannah’s (Eliza Taylor) arc.

As it happens, fans were right when they speculated that she had written the code that might bring Ben home. However, it was looking suspiciously like she wasn’t going to make it out of the apartment tower alive. And for a bit, I thought that might actually be the cause for Gideon’s hatred of Ben. A little misplaced rage and guilt, since she only went back into the building to get Jeffrey, who had returned for his dad’s things.

Of course, Quantum Leap isn’t the kind of show that would normally end in Ben tragically losing someone he loves. But Ben and Hannah’s relationship was always destined to end in something of a tragedy. There’s a reason I’ve been referring to them as an “impossible ship.” And even if she didn’t die in the fire itself, it looked like she might die from smoke inhalation. In a sort of parallel to her husband; Ben saved her from one tragic end, but he couldn’t save her forever.

As an(other) aside, has Hannah never learned to burn a letter? It was bad enough when Josh found it and stormed out (to his own death) because he didn’t believe her “time traveler” explanation. (Who would?) But then she kept the letter for Jeffrey to find! Girl. GIRL. Channel your inner Eliza Hamilton, will you?

Anyway, it looked for a moment like they were going to end this impossible ship by killing Hannah off. And sure, they probably technically have (since, again, she’d be in her 90s or something today). But they didn’t do it on-screen, and I’m glad for that. I may not have wanted her and Ben to end up together, but I did like her. I wanted her to have a happy ending.

On that note, any chance we get confirmation Tom (Peter Gadiot) got a happy ending? Yes, I still feel bad for him. Darn it.

Death in the Family

What’s that saying? “When you seek revenge, dig two graves?” Although Ben managed to save Jeffrey from himself, it didn’t come easily. Or without consequences in the interim.

They killed Jenn (Nanrisa Lee). This show actually killed Jenn. I mean, it was undone before the end. But that doesn’t change the fact that, for a few minutes, she was dead. (And that’s sadly a memory Addison and Ben will both have to carry, even if they carry it alone.) I mean this with all love, writers, but how absolute dare you?

As I wrote last week, I do feel like the shortened season has led to some unfortunate shortchanging in some character arcs this season. In particular, I feel like we didn’t get as much from Magic (Ernie Hudson) and Jenn as I would have liked.

There was some promising material for Jenn in the finale, as Magic appointed her his successor as head of the project. Her promotion was somewhat short-lived, since Gideon swept in and fired everyone shortly thereafter. But it did suggest a future path Jenn could take. Of course, I’m glad Magic is back where he belongs. But I would love to see Jenn take on more leadership responsibility next year, even if as Magic’s right-hand woman. She’s great at her job … Actually, strike that. Is she that good as a security specialist? For the second year in a row, we have seen some very significant flaws in her security. Maybe she needs to go to a refresher course or something. Is there a continuing education program for top secret security techs?

I’m joking. (Mostly.) I do love Jenn. But security isn’t really a plot for most of the season, leaving Jenn somewhat at loose ends (until the inevitable dramatic takeover in the finale). Leveraging her into a sort of second-in-command position would open the possibilities for how to utilize her character. And that, I’d love to see.

I’m sure Magic could swing getting her a promotion. He is the GOAT, after all. He’d just need to convince the higher-ups to get over her felonious past first. No big deal, right?

Butterfly Effect

One of my favorite minor moments from the two-part finale was Jenn’s reaction to everyone deciding to commit a minor act of treason to try to help Ben. For the rest of the team, this is a Very Big Deal. But for Jenn? She regularly commits three felonies before breakfast. I loved her little “oh, this is your first time? That’s cute,” attitude. This woman has a colorful past, and I want to know more of it.

There were actually several small moments that I really loved in this finale. Another was Ian having a mental breakdown, trying to crack Addison’s code. (And Jenn’s so used to their antics, she barely batted an eye.) But I also really loved the touching scene with Janis (Georgina Reilly) and Beth (Susan Diol) Calavicci.

In the original Quantum Leap series, it was established that Al (Dean Stockwell) was once a POW who was presumed dead, until Sam (Scott Bakula)…well, couldn’t exactly “save” him, but provided proof to the higher-ups that he was still alive so he could be saved. Because he saved Al (indirectly), Beth waited for Al to return home. They then got married and had daughters. Including Janis.

It’s why Beth (and Janis) is so protective of the project. Why are the two Calaviccis willing to risk it all to save Ben? Because someone once saved them. It also reinforces the idea that Leapers impact people’s lives beyond the scope of what we see on screen.

It’s a powerful moment in the episode. There’s a beautiful message there, about the impact Sam – and now Ben – is having, beyond the life they’re immediately saving. Their kindness doesn’t just impact the person they directly help. It can impact every person that person interacts with thereafter. Quantum Leap is a series about hope and kindness, and the idea that kindness causes ripples that spread outward. That’s a message we desperately need to hear. One we need to believe. Particularly today, it sometimes seems.

Also, can I say how absolutely hysterical it is that the computer notified the team that they’d achieved a butterfly effect? Someone had to program that in. I don’t know why I found that hilarious in a just-the-right-amount-of-cheesiness way.

And now, for the stuff you know I’ve been dying to get to…

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

Admit it. You’re impressed I waited this long to talk about Ben and Addison (Caitlin Bassett). All I can say is, I’m glad my reviews are transcribed and not presented through live reaction videos. Otherwise, this part of the review would be presented through a series of high-pitched squeaks and whistles. Dolphins would appreciate it, but probably nobody else.

Okay. Okay. Okay. I can do this. Okay.

First. Before I get into the squeaking and squealing. Let me talk about my…mild…reservations about the finale.

I wrote above about the ending to Hannah’s arc. And I really do think I like it. For the most part. I guess where I’m not sure how I feel comes down to, strangely, the intersection with Addison and Ben. I’m going to need to take some time to process my feelings on this one.

In one of my earliest reviews of the season, I commented that the biggest problem with the setup for Addison and Ben’s plot this year would be establishing that they still belong together. If they could withstand Tom and Hannah, how could we believe that they’ll withstand everything that comes after?

To a certain extent, that’s a question that can be revisited in the next season. (And we better get a next season.) It’s going to take some time to fully rebuild the Addison and Ben relationship, and that’s okay. I’d much rather see them work for it than to have a Band-Aid slapped on top and call it okay.

However, as much as I appreciate the reminder that Ben and Addison’s love carries on and withstands the flow of time, the way they used Hannah to drive that point home – to inspire both Ben and Addison to understand that their love for each other is unchangeable felt…well…maybe a little bit like a Band-Aid.

It’s not completely out of the blue. It builds from the point Hannah made earlier in the season, that love isn’t finite. It isn’t an either/or. It doesn’t have to be that Ben loves either Addison or Hannah. He could legitimately love both. And, to be frank, it’s not that different than Tom nudging Addison toward Ben when ending things with her. It’s also in line with Quantum Leap‘s premise that Hannah and Tom are both fundamentally good people, who want what’s best for the people they love.

Still. I don’t know. I’m trying to figure out how I feel about it. I think this may be one of those things that works better for me as we get into season 3 and we see that, in fact, everything isn’t “back to normal” for Ben and Addison, romantically speaking. They both made some necessary apologies, but there are things they need to work through.

On the other hand, if we don’t get a season 3, this was still a big step toward getting my OTP back together. And it would have killed me to end the series with them still emotionally distanced from each other. Although I’m not even putting that into the universe.

We’re getting a third season. We’re getting a third season. We’re getting a third season.

So I suppose it’s less how I feel about this particular development in this episode, and more that I’m deeply invested in what happens next. I don’t want Hannah’s sacrifice (or Tom’s sacrifice, for that matter) to be a Band-Aid. But I’d be okay with it if it were a bridge. Reminding Ben and Addison of their love for each other – and how important and unchangeable that is – doesn’t solve their problems. It just gets them back on the same page, so they can move forward together. They can heal together.

Yeah. I’d be okay with that.

I Am Not Okay

Now that I’ve done my duty and talked about my mild reservations… deep breath…

OMG SO ADDISON AND BEN ARE KINDA SORTA BACK TOGETHER I MEAN THEY HAVEN’T NECESSARILY PATCHED EVERYTHING UP AND THAT’S OKAY BUT THEY ARE ACTUALLY JUMPING TOGETHER AND THEY CAN TOUCH AND THAT’S REALLY, REALLY HUGE AND EVERYTHING I REALLY WANTED FROM THIS SEASON AND I’M NOT SURE MY HEART CAN TAKE IT BUT DID YOU SEE THE WAY THEY WERE LOOKING AT EACH OTHER AT THE END AND DID I MENTION THEY CAN TOUCH AND IT’S THE TWO OF THEM AGAINST THE WORLD AND THE COSMIC FORCES COULD HAVE BROUGHT BEN BACK BUT REALLY IT DECIDED THAT THESE TWO NEEDED TO JUMP TOGETHER AND AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!

Okay. I just had to get that out of my system. You don’t know how long I’ve been holding that in. But you also have no idea how close I was to having an aneurism before I had the chance to enjoy it.

If you’ve read my reviews, you know I love Addison. So when I tell you I was ready to jump through the screen and shake her…you have no. idea. I love that she’s so brave and selfless. (And also? Let’s not forget KICK ASS this episode!) That she was willing to trade places with Ben to get him home. Because he deserves to come home. He deserves his life back. And she would do that for him.

My heeeeeeeeart!

That said, you know she’s one of the biggest things he’s wanting to get home to. Possibly the single biggest thing. So when she was trying to get Magic to let her Leap? I was practically screaming, “Addison, I love you girl, but if you don’t sit down and zip it…! Jenn, come collect your friend before I hurt her feelings!”

All season, I’ve been like “I want to know where Addison’s head is at. I want to know where her heart is at.” And for something like three minutes, I desperately wanted her to shut up. Thankfully for my heart…and my blood pressure…and my sanity, it all worked out.

To be fair, it really is a great moment for Addison. Not just because the gesture selfless and loving and brave. But as I’ve written before (and as Bassett herself discussed in our interview), Addison has been in a very reactionary mode throughout the series to-date. Reacting to Ben Leaping. To Ben dying. To everything else. This is the first moment where she’s been allowed to take control of her entire future. Whatever happens next, it’s her choice. I love that. Now that my blood pressure has normalized, I love that.

But for a few minutes, I thought there was a chance next season would leave Ben and Addison in opposite positions (for a couple episodes – I have no illusions that Ben would be a non-Leaper for long). After an entire season of keeping these two “together forever, eternally apart” so to speak (gotta love a Ladyhawke reference)…I thought they were going to do it again. And my heart could. not. take. it.

But it’s fine. It’s, in fact, better than fine. And I’m going to restrain myself and not do another bold font, all-caps rant. But just know that it’s in there, and it’s probably good that I have no personal contact with anybody on the show or they would be hearing my very, very, very impassioned thoughts right now. In explicit – if high-pitched and remarkably devoid of pauses for breath – detail.

Ben has been leaping through time (and space) all alone. With the thought that he may never make it home. Addison has been living like a widow and having to deal with a future without Ben. And now, whatever happens? They’re together. Ben isn’t alone anymore. Addison isn’t alone anymore. These two people with such big hearts and such compassion for everyone around them? They’re going to get through this together from now on. Whatever wrongs they’re tasked with righting in the future? They’ll be doing it as a team.

(Unless the writers mess with me next season, and they better not mess with me next season).

Deep breaths. Deeeeeep breaths.

Pulling Some Strings

A show like Quantum Leap can’t help but inspire questions about free will versus destiny. Or, as Tom put it, fate. Throughout the season, as I was writing in ship-inspired pain, I was told (several times, in fact), that I just needed to wait to see how the ultimate story would play out and I’d see the method to the madness. We live in an “instant gratification” world when it comes to a lot of our television consumption, where entire seasons drop at once and we don’t have to wait to see how the seeds planted in the premiere will pay off in the finale.

While I completely understand that point of view, fans also get emotionally invested in the stories they’re watching. It makes it hard to be patient. I could go into the benefits and drawbacks of that kind of investment, and what that means for writers, actors, and everyone else involved in making the stories resonate so strongly with audiences. But at some point, this review has to end, right?

So I’ll set aside that discussion and instead focus on one final fundamental concept, as it’s been presented over the season: Fate. Because, really, what I see most clearly when I step back and look at the season as a whole, is that Tom was right. Not just that fate pushed him and Addison together and then pushed them apart. But that getting Addison and Ben Leaping together was the grand cosmic plan all along.

I mean, okay, meta-textually, it was obviously the master plan of the writers and producers. Who have probably wanted to scream at me while I’m screaming at the screen every week, “Would you please be patient? We’re working toward something here!” And I deserve that. (In my defense, I’m only this emotionally invested because they made me this way.) But within the world of the show, this is what the cosmic force behind the Leaps was after all along.

In my mind all season, I kept going back to one thing. Why the three year gap? Within the world of the show, why did the cosmic force (and I really wish I could think of a better term for it) put Ben on “pause” for three years? It couldn’t be because there was nobody it needed him to help in that time. He’s a time traveler. There will always be someone in need of his help.

So what was the purpose behind it? Well, think about what happened because Ben disappeared and was presumed dead for three years. And think of what wouldn’t have happened if he hadn’t. If he hadn’t disappeared for three years, Addison wouldn’t have tried to move on. Ben wouldn’t have connected so strongly with Hannah. Hannah wouldn’t have created the formula to try to get him home. Addison wouldn’t have dated Tom, and Tom wouldn’t have found the formula and brought it with the team. Jeffrey wouldn’t have indulged his inner Kylo Ren. Ian wouldn’t have tried to use Hannah’s formula to bring Ben home, and Addison wouldn’t have volunteered to take his place as Leaper. Which was all really just a cosmic setup to get Addison and Ben Leaping together.

The cosmic force behind the Leaps put Ben on ice for three years because that was the first step toward getting Ben and Addison back together. Basically, the cosmic force was like the “now kiss” meme. These two adorable idiots weren’t going to figure out how to get back together on their own, so it took things into its own hands.

Whether you call that “fate” or “cosmic intervention,” at the end of the day, this whole season comes down to some great cosmic force getting Ben and Addison back together.

THIS IS HOW MY OTP DOES IT, FOLKS! I’m sorry for ever doubting these two are endgame. It will never happen again.

Look to the Future

What does this mean for the future and whether the team will ever be able to bring Ben (and Addison) home? I have no idea. Other than the fact that the cosmic force has been playing the long game to get Ben and Addison back together, in the same physical space. And they can actually touch. They can actually touch. (Holding it together…holding it together…practically vibrating from the effort, but holding it together…)

As for what it means for the third season? Well, for one thing, any time Ben and Addison kiss, they’re going to be in other people’s bodies. And as I’ve written before, I’m not really okay with that. But I’m going to have to get myself into a headspace where I can at least deal (or ignore it) because I am not snatching defeat from the jaws of victory so fast.

Otherwise, there are so many questions. Who will be the new hologram? Jenn? Will Ben and Addison have one hologram? Or will they each have a hologram? Will Ian have a nervous breakdown that they once again didn’t bring Ben home (and now, in fact, have double the problems on their hands)?

As I wrote above, the fact that Ben and Addison are back together in the same physical space where they cAN TOUCH EACH OTHER AND THEY DON’T HAVE TO BE ALONE ANYMORE AND THE COSMIC FORCE DID ALL OF THIS TO PUT THEM IN THE SAME SPACE BECAUSE IT RECOGNIZES HOW IMPORTANT THEY ARE TO EACH OTHER AND HOW IMPORTANT THEIR LOVE IS AND AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!

Hey. I tried. I don’t know what will happen next. I have an entire summer hiatus (at least) to think about all the possibilities Quantum Leap “As the World Burns” and “Against Time” opened up. But the important thing is, I’m here for it. And I really, really hope the show is, too.