Writing is all about choices. Sometimes those choices pay off sometimes they don't. The Quantum Leap writers made the choice to create this alternative Mystery Story-line which we have to visit in every episode. I don't think it's paying off.
Let's start with a summary of this episode.
Ben finds himself in a bar facing off a woman who wants a divorce. He suddenly remembers a disastrous earth quake is about to happen. Ben is able to warn his "wife" and the rest of the occupants of the bar of the impending doom. They are able to exit the building in the nick of time. Ben and his wife have a son who ran away, back to their old apartment. You see, his wife moved the family to San Francisco for a better job and to give their son a better opportunity. But her being a busy doctor takes its toll on the family, alienating their son. In the middle of the earth quake the son goes back to their old apartment where life was simpler. Unfortunately, he ends up dying when the building collapses. Ben changes the past.
In the mean time, in the Mystery story-line Magic and company chase down "leaper X". They find him, but he doesn't seem to know anything about quantum leap. They theorise that leaper X will leap back in time but in their future.
First, I'll start off by commending the writing for fleshing out Ben's background a bit more in this episode. We now know Ben's mother died after an argument he had with her. She died of a brain annurism. Can this be his fault? Or is it just a freak accident? Don't know.
He remembers his past while he tries to help the woman he's married to.
Again due to a quarter of the episode spent in the Mystery story-line, we don't get time to flesh the characters in the Leap story-line, which leads to a bunch of exposition.
For example, somehow Ben concludes that the man he leapt into isn't a great guy, because his wife wants to divorce him. Really? Why would he think that? There is zero evidence to put the man at fault. In fact as the story unfolds, the stress on the family seems to be due to the wife working too much and not spending time with her family. I mean, there is a bunch of dialogue at the beginning about how the wife tried her best to make things work, but it didn't help. Have to admit there is no emotional pay off.
The writers chose to use the leap as a vehicle to show Ben's past. They cooked up this storyline where the boy is mad at his mom cause he blames her for the coming divorce. This reminds Ben how he blamed his mom for pushing him too hard, when he wanted to just be a normal kid. And the rest of the episode is spent trying to find the boy and convinc him not to be mad at his mother.
Through out the episode Ben is dismissive to the idea he is there to make their marriage work? Why?
This reflects a world view where marriage isn't important. Where having a father and mother is viewed as old fashioned. Color me conservative, but I strongly disagree.
I think it would have been a lot more interesting if this leap reignites the romance between Ben and his wife. But the way it ends seemed strange to me. The wife thanks Ben for bringing her son back to her, as if she's thanking a stranger, not her husband. I would've thought this is a moment they both could bond over. Alas, not what the writers wanted. Choices.
In the mystery story-line, time is wasted in useless, boring dialogue between the other characters, as they try and find this other leaper. They find him, and go to his house, where we hear a lecture about how he joined the military because he loves the USA, which gave him an opportunity for a great life. I mean this is all good. I like the patriotism. I'm wondering though when the other shoe will fall. Will they turn him into a zealous guy who obeys order blindly and commits much evil for his country? While the people who are working in Quantum Leap, who are literally lying to congress about what's going on, turn out to be the righteous people. I have a bad feeling this is where the writers are going.
And the acting... oh man, I really don't like Addison. There is no chemistry between her and Ben.
And what the heck happened to Janice Calavichi? We haven't heard from her for a while. Is she still hacking in Ziggy?
Also a couple of questions, if Ben is leaping with his mind, then where is his body? And if he's leaping with his body, then where is the other dude he leapt into? I mean why are they not explaining this.
Anywho, that's all I got. Over and out.