Quantum Leap Recap: An Emotional Argument Leads to a Major Change — Plus, Is [Spoiler] Evil?
Quantum Leap’s Ben and Addison have been fighting like a separated couple in mediation this season, and Wednesday’s episode saw them finally divorce.
Ben’s newest leap placed him in the body of Summer, an assistant to the agent of Hollywood actor Neal Russell (played by guest star Tim Matheson) in the year 2000.
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Neal was supposed to appear on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno, but he instead hopped on a boat sailing to Catalina and died. According to Ziggy, the mission was to ensure Neal made it to the show so that it would revive his failing career and ultimately save his life.
With Neal desperate to win back his ex-wife Laura, who was marrying his co-star Michael, Ben convinced the actor to make his Tonight Show appearance, where he’d also get to publicly declare his love for his ex as a grand romantic gesture. While Ben was overly supportive of Neal’s efforts to win Laura back, Addison saw it as a huge mistake.
At headquarters, Tom — whose job was to oversee and audit the Quantum Leap program — questioned Ian about massive energy spikes (which Ian explained was the result of tracking Ben every time he leaps) that were costing them a lot of money. Tom observed that the spikes were significantly higher now than they were three years ago and asked Ian for an energy-efficient solution.
Ian soon realized that the quantum processing chip their romantic partner Rachel’s boss built for them was leaking code outside of HQ, and they worried the unnamed boss might find out that Quantum Leap was involved with time travel. Ian then brought up the issue with Jenn, and the pair mulled over their options. They could either let the chip continue hemorrhaging code or ditch it and risk losing Ben forever.
When the team at headquarters uncovered that Neal had a secret daughter named Caroline that he never publicly acknowledged, everyone concluded that this leap was really about mending their relationship.
Addison then let it slip to Ben that her current beau Tom was the one who pieced that together, and Ben figured out that Tom was somehow involved in the Quantum Leap project and had been watching his leaps. This spurred an emotional argument, with Ben asking if the reason Addison was so against helping Neal get back with Laura was because she worried that he would do the same.
“I jumped through time and space to save you. You couldn’t wait three years,” he spat. “I would have waited forever for you, Addison. I would have never stopped looking.”
But Addison pushed back against his narrative. “When they told me that they were going to shut Quantum Leap down, I tried to jump in the accelerator hoping that it would send me to you,” she shared, adding that she also gave the eulogy at his funeral. “So do not tell me how hard it has been for you because I waited, I grieved, and then I buried you along with the life that we were supposed to have together — a life that you left me in alone.”
Ben then helped Neal sneak into Laura’s wedding to declare his love, but it didn’t go the way either of them anticipated. Laura expressed concern for Neal’s well-being and encouraged him to find a new dream. That moment shook Ben out of his obsession with reuniting the ex-lovers, and he conceded that Addison was right.
At HQ, Tom asked Magic about the accelerater given what happened with Sam Beckett (played in the original Quantum Leap series by Scott Bakula) and now Ben. Previously, the assumption was that something went wrong and if they fixed it, one or both time travelers could return home. But Tom wondered if, instead, leaping was a one-way trip built on sacrifice. Wait, is Tom… this season’s Big Bad?
Meanwhile, Ben drove Neal to his estranged daughter’s house, urging the actor to make amends. In the wrap-up, Addison revealed that Neal made it to Leno’s show in time and that the appearance revived his career. She also noted that “we” — as in she and Tom — now had seven new movies to watch. This revelation prompted Ben to ask for time apart.
“I have to give up the fantasy. I have to give up the happy ending,” he told her. “I need time, and I can’t get over you if you’re always… You can’t be my hologram anymore, Addison. Goodbye.”
What did you think of this week’s episode? Did Ben and Addison’s breakup leave you up in your feelings? And what’s the deal with Tom? Do we think he’s evil? Sound off below!
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