by Kay Curry
Northwest Asia Weekly
Quantum Leap – Pictured: Key Art of ‘Quantum Leap’ – (Photo: NBC)
On September 19, 2022, a new “Quantum Leap” TV series “leaps” to NBC’s time-traveler platform with a new Asian hero. Instead of claiming that it’s a completely different show, they transition seamlessly from where the previous show left off to today.
The original show ran for five seasons from 1989 to 1993 and had a fairly solid fan base. Scott Bakula starred at the time, “Dr. Sam Beckett” (the author of “Waiting for Godot” every time I hear that name), the physicist when the government threatened to stop funding Scientists mess around without permission and jump into ‘accelerators’.
In this reboot and the original, Beckett is now “Dr. Song Ben, played by Raymond Lee, who is indeed able to traverse, but each time he “jumps,” he is put into a different body, partially amnesia. And, In order to leave, or jump again, or whatever he’s doing, he has to solve some historical dilemma in order to get to a “better” outcome – he has to help someone.
Come to think of it, rebooting is exactly the same. The now definitely more diverse team — with at least two major Asian actors, one black, one non-binary — are still trying to hide their unorthodox activities in case the show stops. They are still part of government and military operations. There’s still a hologram following Ben and helping him, only now he doesn’t remember being his fiancée, “Addison”, played by Caitlin Bassett. Yes, 30 years later, the creators tie the two series together, explaining that the new team is trying to figure out how to get back into the accelerator and successfully time travel again in order to bring Beckett back from where he disappeared. . 1993.
Similar to the original, Ben takes an unauthorized leap and gets stuck, while his friends back in the “now” scramble to get the AI system “Ziggy” (same name) back up and running fully, with some gain in control The process of time travel.great acting
QUANTUM LEAP — “July 13, 1985” Episode 101 — Pictured: Raymond Lee as Ben — (Photo by Ron Batzdorff/NBC)
Lee, an actor and producer best known for playing “Sam” on the TV show “Here and Now” and most recently “Top Gun: The Maverick,” is charming and funny. He does a good job of conveying to the audience that Song is a caring and intelligent person, and he is quick to judge all the connotations of his past existence, even apologizing to Addison for leaving her and everyone without any explanation— Although he didn’t know who she was.
The story, well, I mean, I was never part of that fanbase. I used to watch this show as a kid because it was on when I was in the room. Someone in my family loves it and I find it a bit drab and fun. There’s nothing wrong with acting, as today. The design and photography of the reboot reminds me a lot of the NCIS and CSI franchises. You’re in a rhythm between outside the lab and inside the lab, and the way they’re framed is similar, with one character, usually Ben, in front, and the other, like Eddie, behind him.
I guess I expected something bigger in the first episode, like Ben had to step in and stop Hitler or what have you. There were some signs at the end of the first episode that the next episode might be more along those lines. But for the pilot, it’s a small scene involving heists and the “End-Proofing Means”/”Breaking Bad” plotline, in which Ben must stop a “well-meaning but desperate” sidekick from escaping an unfortunate fate. I do not feel good. Yes, life sucks, but being a criminal is not the answer. I think what bothers me more is that this is Ben’s benevolent mission – to be a good Samaritan for someone who chooses illegal activity as the only option. This card is overused.
There are other nasty aspects, like Ben asking Addison a question and she gets a Wikipedia page from her futuristic hologram gadget in a second, looking up too quickly, regurgitating her Something impossible to read. 1980s nostalgia (the first episode is set in 1985) is lovely, but also a little over the top. As expected, there are many secrets. They had to leave something to be discovered later in the series. We don’t know why Ben has to be as rogue as Sam, but he promises, it’s “bigger than anything you can imagine. I do it because I think it’s worth it. Because I think it has to.”
The show has that kind of thrilling TV rhythm, but it does it really well in the finale. The humor comes with it, and I really enjoyed the last few minutes. “Can I dance?” Ben asked Eddie. “You think you can,” she replied dryly. There is rapport there, and the timing bodes well for the future. The same goes for the emotions shown between the characters. Before he jumps, Ben gives a speech that Addison says to him at the end of the episode, but now, it makes more sense because he and Addison are separated by time and space.
“Science is romance… Take a love entanglement as an example. Once two particles experience a shared state, they are no longer separate entities. They exist as one, even if they are far apart.”
Kay can reach info@nwasianweekly.com.
