“I Know, Ziggy’s Running Slow. If I Ever Start a Band, That’s What I Am
Going to Name It.”
I was leery when I heard about the Quantum Leap reboot. We’ve been getting so many of them, and they are more miss than hit. But I was curious enough to give the show a try, and I’m glad I did.
Really, this is more of a requel than a pure reboot. Set 30 years after the original Quantum Leap TV series, a new team has started up the project again. Days before they are planning to officially launch it, Dr. Ben Song (Raymond Lee) steps into the quantum accelerator and vanishes. The problem is, he wasn’t the team member they were planning to send back in time. It was his finacee, Dr. Addison Augustine (Caitlin Bassett). Now, Addison is left to use holographic technology to guide Ben as he leaps from time to time on a mission to correct what went wrong. The problem is, Ben has forgotten almost everything, including who Addison is and why he leapt early. He mostly leaps within his own life time, leaping into San Francisco right after the 1989 earthquake or into the body of a bounty hunter. However, he does leap outside of that upon occasion, like when he leaps into the old west of the 1870’s.
While Ben, with Addison’s help, attempts to survive each leap, the rest of the team, made up of Ian (Mason Alexander Park), Jenn (Nanrisa Lee), and Magic (Ernie Hudson) begin to suspect that there is something more to Ben’ leaps. Can they figure out what it is in time to help?
I’ll admit, it took a couple of episodes to fully invest in the new characters and for the show to find its rhythm, but once everything clicked, I was hooked. Yes, there is an ongoing mythology to the show, but it has what for me is the perfect mix. The majority of each episode involves Ben’s leap and the challenge’s he’s facing. But about a quarter to a third of each episode involve the rest of the team in the “present” trying to figure out why Ben leapt and trying to keep the fact that the project is running again a secret. It’s a mix that works well for me. It means that the twists in the story in the past come quick, and, while there is something to keep you coming back each week, there isn’t so much ongoing storyline that you get lost if you’ve forgotten something from week to week.
And make no mistake, the pace is fast. I hadn’t realized how much I’d gotten used to the faster pace until I sat down to watch season 3 of the original and found it much slower than I remembered.
It’s obvious the team behind this show are fans of the original. There are plenty of references to Sam (who is still leaping), and Susan Diol reprises her role as one of Al’s wives in a few episodes. Meanwhile, Georgina Reilly recurs as Al’s daughter. Sadly, Dean Stockwell, who played Al, has passed away, and Scott Bakula hasn’t agreed to come back as Sam. Yet. I’m still holding out hope.
Another reason I was nervous going into this show is that they touted the cast as having no straight white men in the main cast. I was afraid we were in for a lecture show. We weren’t. In fact, an early episode where they could have gone for the lecture, they kept it to two lines, and those lines were understated. The show is about entertaining. Even when Ian’s personal life as a non-binary individual comes into play, it is presented as part of who they are.
Unfortunately, there is one notable exception to that. “Let Them Play” takes on transgender athletes and the controversies surrounding them as Ben leaps into a coach of a girl’s high school basketball team and must deal with the fact that his trans daughter is on the team and not allowed to play. And it falls into every single stereotype the left has on this issue. I was rolling my eyes as the episode went along, including the magical ending. Really, it had the weakest writing of the entire season. I’d say skip it completely, except it does have some major advances in the season long storyline, so feel free to skip the parts in the past – just watch the contemporary storyline and you’ll be fine.
But that’s one episode out of eighteen.
I enjoy the cast each week as they work to bring these characters to life. The wardrobe is great as Ben spends time in different time periods. There are some special effects that work as well.
I know audiences seem to be split on this show, with plenty of fans of the original hating this one. Obviously, I’ve been enjoying the new Quantum Leap. If you are on the fence, I say give season 1 a shot and see what you think for yourself.
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