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"Oh, boy!" Perhaps not a defining quote, but certainly the trademark of the series: Sam's recurring comment on being thrown into yet another life in each and every episode of Quantum Leap. The nice pic is a capture from the pilot episode.
The straits of funding revolutionary science programs are a wonderful source for oddball tales, as scientists that play with fire tend to get burned. With rugged good looks, a strong frame and above all, clear and kind eyes capable of making you forget all else, one of those accident prone geniuses is quantum physicist Samuel 'Sam' Beckett, a true modern Renaissance man capable of everything– except cooking–, a bright star of science and Time cover material.
Until the day that, being under pressure to obtain results, he did trust his own genius a little too much and prematurely stepped into the "accelerator chamber" of his time travel secret machine. The revolutionary invention backfired tremendously and Sam vanished into the past, being, it seems, co-opted by a higher power to be a force of good, making the world better one lifetime at a time as, mostly within the time margin of his own life, he ghostly possesses the bodies of those about to wreck their lives.
Sam was a cross between time detective and likable action hero, being dealt with all sorts of simultaneous problems: he had to fit into all kind of circumstances and get the mission done, "putting things right that once went wrong", always getting that last minute save out of sheer personal effort, and the timely help of pal from the present Albert "Al" Calavicci, officer and hologram –who provided much needed facts offered by super computer Ziggy and, above all, offered moral support. Al also had the thankless task of keeping the project open in the present end by convincing the patrons of Sam's continuous existence...
A real man of a thousand faces, it was sometimes hard to pin Sam's character down. He was a genius –a seven degree one–, which carries his own crosses in the form of aloofness and self-centerness, but he was obviously a charming man and a people's person, so this was not, for him, much of a problem. He was a "never give up, never surrender" kind of man, and he had one of those unerring moral compasses that are custom built into true heroes, and that are better summarized by saying he was compassionate. If Sam has a flaw, it's not easily seen, except by the overconfidence that lead to his original mistake –if mistake it was and ha was not just... abducted. He had his own past and personal disasters to overcome, from family troubles to love issues –but then, who doesn't?
I think his main problem was the peculiar conditions of his "accident". One thing Dr. Beckett was not used to was that out of control aspect of his dilemma: paradox troubles, memory troubles, as he had partial amnesia due to magnafluxing (happens every day), the many roles he had to play, the certain knowledge that he had to succeed at all costs, lest someone else pay the consequences. After living and suffering in so many lives, after confronting not just his fair share but every conceivable disaster of the human condition, and every triumph, Sam became sort of the quintessential human being and, as such, suffered from the ultimate case of existential angst. He had to deal, at last, with the possibility of not having a way back, and so the last time anyone saw Dr. Beckett, he was crying about his destiny. He achieved an incredibly fate, but it was not the kind that leaves a smile in your face.
Sam was a cross between time detective and likable action hero, being dealt with all sorts of simultaneous problems: he had to fit into all kind of circumstances and get the mission done, "putting things right that once went wrong", always getting that last minute save out of sheer personal effort, and the timely help of pal from the present Albert "Al" Calavicci, officer and hologram –who provided much needed facts offered by super computer Ziggy and, above all, offered moral support. Al also had the thankless task of keeping the project open in the present end by convincing the patrons of Sam's continuous existence...
A real man of a thousand faces, it was sometimes hard to pin Sam's character down. He was a genius –a seven degree one–, which carries his own crosses in the form of aloofness and self-centerness, but he was obviously a charming man and a people's person, so this was not, for him, much of a problem. He was a "never give up, never surrender" kind of man, and he had one of those unerring moral compasses that are custom built into true heroes, and that are better summarized by saying he was compassionate. If Sam has a flaw, it's not easily seen, except by the overconfidence that lead to his original mistake –if mistake it was and ha was not just... abducted. He had his own past and personal disasters to overcome, from family troubles to love issues –but then, who doesn't?
I think his main problem was the peculiar conditions of his "accident". One thing Dr. Beckett was not used to was that out of control aspect of his dilemma: paradox troubles, memory troubles, as he had partial amnesia due to magnafluxing (happens every day), the many roles he had to play, the certain knowledge that he had to succeed at all costs, lest someone else pay the consequences. After living and suffering in so many lives, after confronting not just his fair share but every conceivable disaster of the human condition, and every triumph, Sam became sort of the quintessential human being and, as such, suffered from the ultimate case of existential angst. He had to deal, at last, with the possibility of not having a way back, and so the last time anyone saw Dr. Beckett, he was crying about his destiny. He achieved an incredibly fate, but it was not the kind that leaves a smile in your face.
- Where to find him? The Quantum Leap TV series, that ran for five years and 95 episodes from 1989 to 1993. I have not seen every last one of them, but I have revisited it and guess what: as most of its actions happens in the past anyway, it ages surprisingly well. One cannot expect better clothes in those decades! Not all of QL is good, but much is entertaining. Quantum Leap worked on the sheer charisma of his two leads. TV.com gives as 10 best The Leap Home (3x1-2), M.I.A. (2x22) and A Leap for Lisa (4x22); not surprisingly, those deal with the leading pair personal problems. Add Goodnight, Dear Heart (that got an MWA for the story), add the pilot and the last episode, plus a good laugh with some other episodes chosen at random –avoid the chimpanzee–, and save some time.
- Where to find another side of him? Go no farther than Als Place. That site lacks in window dressing, but absolutely delivers on content.
- If you insist... Oh yeah, the hologram and the every-week-a-different-body guy... what author can resist? Very few, it seems, because the obvious chemistry of this unlikely pair. Go get some at TWWoMB, or at the Quantum Leap Slash Archive.
- The guy who looks like him... Is extremely nice Scott Bakula. Accept no substitutes. Accept also no substitutes for Dean Stockwell. Both landed Golden Globes for their respective roles, and both were astounding.
sympathetic
Actually, neither Scott nor Dean won Emmys for their work in Quantum Leap - though they were both deserving.
Scott was nominated for the Best Actor in a Drama Series Emmy four times (1990 - 1993). He was also nominated for the Golden Globes three times (1991 - 1993), winning in 1992.
He was also the recipient of the Viewers For Quality Television Award four times for his work ing Quantum Leap (1990 - 1993)
Dean was nominated for the Emmy for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series four times (1990 - 1993). He also received 4 Golden Globe nominations as well (1990 - 1993), winning in 1990 and in 1991 he won the Viewer's For Quality Television Award.
Anyway, after some browsing I found Scott and Stockwell were nominated four times running (1990-93), and won no Emmys (shame!) and yes, both won the Golden Globe (1992 and 1990).
And that what Goodnight, Dear Heart writer Paul Brown got was an Edgard Allan Poe award in 1991.
Ahem. And that Heroes won none of the above this year… (Shame!).
In my defense, I did not question it because it seemed so… plausible. I’ve corrected the entry, and I thank you for pointing it out. One should check one’s facts, yes?