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| (spoiler alert) |
I am a huge Quantum Leap fan, but I've found the new series pretty frustrating. There are a number of reasons, but the ones that seem important to me are the only ones worth talking about.
My first complaint is that it's supposed to be a continuation of the original series, right? Remember that when this originally aired in the 'Eighties, the modern day was the futuristic world of the 'Nineties? The new show's modern day is 2022, but shouldn't it be an extension of their version of the 'Nineties? I think it should, but we get a regular looking 2022 that we could just look out the window and see. Where are the Al Calavicci suits?
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| Like this one! |
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| And this one! |
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| And this glorious fuckin' thing! |
Quantum Leap 2022, you have greatly disappointed me.
My next complaint is the thing that made the original work is because a lot of it has nostalgia value to the viewers. Sam Becket is the same age as the demographic of the audience, and he can only Leap within his lifetime (with a few rare exceptions). That means that the audience gets to relive some of those older days. The important thing is, the focus of the show is on the past, not the present. The new show is focused on the present, and the past is almost incidental. The coolest parts, for me, of the original show were the ones from the present because they were so, so, so very rare, and when we got a glimpse of it, it was always awesome. Remember when Lee Harvey Oswald escaped into the world of the 'Nineties? That was fucking fantastic! I have no interest in the modern day 2022 portrayed on the new show.
My biggest complaint, though, is that it ruins the beauty of the ending of the original series. Here we have Sam, who has been Leaping for years, putting right what once went wrong. He always hopes the next Leap will bring him home, and it never does. The only help he has is from his best friend Al, who is a hologram to him. Without Al's help Sam probably doesn't know what he's supposed to do or how to Leap to the next story.
Let's talk about Al for a moment. He's been married, what, six times? He's miserable about the whole thing. His life has gone wrong, and he can trace it back to the moment he lost his first wife due to circumstances beyond his control. He missed out on his happily ever after because of this.
Sam suddenly finds himself in a position to give his best friend the greatest gift ever. He Leaps back to Al's first wife and makes sure that she sticks with Al this time. Sam knows that if he does this, he will never find his way home. Al would be taken out of the equation because if Al is happy, then he never meets Sam. As a result, Al never joins Project Quantum Leap. Sam would no longer have his best friend, and he's willing to make this sacrifice just to make Al happy.
So he does.
Sam not Leaping his way home is a downer of an ending, but it's actually a beautiful ending because of his sacrifice. It was perfect. We didn't need a continuation of the series. I felt bad for Sam, but I couldn't have asked for a better ending.
And here we are with a new Quantum Leap series, and they're refusing to acknowledge that Al's life changed. According to the new show he grew old, had a daughter and died, but he was definitely there. So did Sam sacrifice himself for nothing? The new series ruins the ending of the original. Kind of like The Rise of Skywalker renders Darth Vader's sacrifice at the end of Jedi pointless.
You can see my frustration, yes?
Argh. Just fucking . . . argh.
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