Quantum Leap (s01e01–02)

Genesis

by Donald P. Bellisario, directed by David Hemmings

Physicist and all-around good guy Sam Beckett rushes his time machine into production—funding is about to be cut!—and as a consequence, he leaps into the life of a USAF test pilot, where Sam and his holographic cohort Al have a moral mission. And after setting things right in that pilot’s life, Sam—“oh, boy”—takes a few moments to win the big baseball game in 1968.

— Inmate Jan

One end of this string represents your birth, the other end your death. You tie the ends together, and your life is a loop. Ball the loop, and the days of your life touch each other out of sequence, therefore leaping to one point in the string to another. . .

Quantum Leap (s01e01–02), “Genesis” by Donald P. Bellisario, directed by David Hemmings (26 March 1989) [double-length broadcast].

Quantum Leap (s01e03)

Star-Crossed

by Deborah Pratt, directed by Mark Sobel

Why would anybody leap into English Professor Gerald Bryant during June 1972? Sam is certain that his mission is to he can reconcile his own future quantum physicist girlfriend with her father so that her fear of commitment won’t cause her to leave Sam at the alter in another twelve years.

— Michael Main

Don’t ya see, Al? I’m here to give Donna and I a second chance.

Quantum Leap (s01e03), “Star-Crossed” by Deborah Pratt, directed by Mark Sobel (NBC-TV, USA, 31 March 1989).

Quantum Leap (s01e04)

The Right Hand of God

by John Hill, directed by Gilbert Shilton

Sam leaps into professional boxer Clarence “Kid”Cody in 1974, where he must win his first legitimate fight in a year to save the sisters of St. Mary’s, start a new life with Dixie, and also—if things work out as expected in the Rumble in the Jungle—escape the mob.

— Michael Main

That surprise punch in the last inning . . . it was inspired.

Quantum Leap (s01e04), “The Right Hand of God” by John Hill, directed by Gilbert Shilton (NBC-TV, USA, 7 April 1989).

Quantum Leap (s01e05)

How the Tess Was Won

by Deborah Arakelian, directed by Ivan Dixon

Sam leaps into Doc Young, DVM, back in 1956 Lubbock, Texas, where it seems his purpose is to out-rope, out-ride, and out-posthole-dig cowgirl Tess McGill in an effort to win her heart.

— Michael Main

You can’t expect me to do this and not get involved. So if Tess falls in love with Doc, I’d appreciate it if you just leap me outta here as soon as possible.

Quantum Leap (s01e05), “How the Tess Was Won” by Deborah Arakelian, directed by Ivan Dixon (NBC-TV, USA, 14 April 1989).

Quantum Leap (s01e06)

Double Identity

by Donald P. Bellisario, directed by Aaron Lipstadt

Sam does a double leap at one location: First into hitman Frankie LaPalma at the moment when he and Don Geno’s former girlfriend are in the sack together, and then as Don Geno himself.

— Michael Main

Who ever heard of one lousy hairdryer blacking out all of the East Coast?

Quantum Leap (s01e06), “Double Identity” by Donald P. Bellisario, directed by Aaron Lipstadt (NBC-TV, USA, 21 April 1989).

Quantum Leap (s01e07)

The Color of Truth

by Deborah Pratt, directed by Michael Vejar

Upon arriving in an Alabama diner in 1955, Sam sits at the counter and sees an elderly Black man looking back at him from the mirror.

— Michael Main

You’re hear to save her tomorrow, not to initiate the civil rights activity in the South.

Quantum Leap (s01e07), “The Color of Truth” by Deborah Pratt, directed by Michael Vejar (NBC-TV, USA, 3 May 1989).

Quantum Leap (s01e08)

Camikazi Kid

by Paul Brown, directed by Alan J. Levi

It seeems that the only way Sam can fulfill his mission of stopping 17-year-old Cam Wilson’s older sister from marrying shithead Bob is to race Bob “for pinks” in hopes that Bob will lose his cool and show his true self, but that’ll only work if Sam (as Cam) and his buddy Jill can soup up Cam’s pink mommobile with a blast of nitrous oxide at exactly the right moment of the race.

— Michael Main

Older Brother: Come on, Mikey, we gotta rehearse.

Mikey: [waving] Bye-bye!

Quantum Leap (s01e08), “Camikazi Kid” by Paul Brown, directed by Alan J. Levi (NBC-TV, USA, 10 May 1989).

Quantum Leap (s01e09)

Play It Again, Seymour

by Donald P. Bellisario and Scott Shepard , directed by Aaron Lipstadt

Sam arrives in 1953 as a private eye who looks like Humphrey Bogart and has to solve the mystery of his partner’s murder while trying to figure out his relationship with his partner’s wife and the eager kid at the newsstand.

— Michael Main

Kid, if I’m lucky I’m gonna spend the rest of my life leaping around from one place to another instead of face down in a pool of blood.

Quantum Leap (s01e09), “Play It Again, Seymour” by Donald P. Bellisario and Scott Shepard , directed by Aaron Lipstadt (NBC-TV, USA, 17 May 1989).

Quantum Leap (s02e01)

Honeymoon Express

by Donald P. Bellisario, directed by Aaron Lipstadt

Sam pops into newly married Tom McBride (a New York policeman), who is headed to Niagara Falls with his new bride (a budding lawyer and the daughter of a senator). The two of them engage in the usual honeymoon activities—fighting off ex-boyfriend thugs, rolling underneath moving trains, studying for the bar exam—while unbeknownst to Sam, Al is at a Senate committee meeting in Washington, D.C., fighting for the life of Project Quantum Leap. Oh, yes, and it’s now official: Sam and Al believe that God has taken control of the project, although Al refuses to be pinned down as to which god she is.

— Michael Main

This committee has decided that your 2.4 billion dollar funding request for Project Quantum Leap . . .

Quantum Leap (s02e01), “Honeymoon Express” by Donald P. Bellisario, directed by Aaron Lipstadt (NBC-TV, USA, 20 September 1989).

Quantum Leap (s02e02)

Disco Inferno

by Paul Brown, directed by Gilbert Shilton

Sam finds out what it’s like to be a stuntman in a family with broken dynamics and (to him but not Al) in an era with broken music.

— Michael Main

Disco’s not gonna last forever. I got a feeling it’s probably gonna die in a couple of years.

Quantum Leap (s02e02), “Disco Inferno” by Paul Brown, directed by Gilbert Shilton (NBC-TV, USA, 27 September 1989).

Quantum Leap (s02e03)

The Americanization of Machiko

by Charlie Coffey, directed by Gilbert Shilton

In 1953, Sam steps off a bus as a sailor returning home from Japan with—surprise! to Sam and everyone else—a new bride named Machiko.

— Michael Main

“I try to find a husband . . . to find my husband”

Quantum Leap (s02e03), “The Americanization of Machiko” by Charlie Coffey, directed by Gilbert Shilton (NBC-TV, USA, 11 October 1989).

Quantum Leap (s02e04)

What Price Gloria?

by Deborah Pratt, directed by Alan J. Levi

Sam leaps into the body of executive secretary Samantha Stormer during a time rife with sexual harrassment that hadn’t yet been challenged or even given a name.

— Michael Main

You know, this is degrading. First he chases me around the office, then he says I gotta wear lipstick

Quantum Leap (s02e04), “What Price Gloria?” by Deborah Pratt, directed by Alan J. Levi (NBC-TV, USA, 25 October 1989).

Quantum Leap (s02e05)

Blind Faith

by Scott Shepard, directed by David G. Phinney

Who knew that if Sam leaped into a blind pianist’s body that he’d be able to see with his own eyes and stop a Central Park killer?

— Michael Main

He says he wants to play.

Quantum Leap (s02e05), “Blind Faith” by Scott Shepard, directed by David G. Phinney (NBC-TV, USA, 1 November 1989).

Quantum Leap (s02e06)

Good Morning, Peoria

by Chris Ruppenthal, directed by Michael Zinberg

Somewhat disoriented Sam—as Howlin’ Chic Howell at a 50’s radio station—must help station owner Rachel Powell defend rock’n’roll from the town elders and mobs of pitchfork-carrying, record-burning hayseeds.

— Michael Main

Fred, I appreciate your opinion, but no matter how many editorials you publish, I am not gonna stop playing rock’n’roll.

Quantum Leap (s02e06), “Good Morning, Peoria” by Chris Ruppenthal, directed by Michael Zinberg (NBC-TV, USA, 8 November 1989).

Second Chances 1

Come Home to Me

by Peggy L. Henderson

Jake doesn't believe in time travel, or that he’s been sent back in time to act as scout for a wagon train along the Oregon Trail. He's also been given the added burden of keeping one emigrant woman safe during the journey. He and Rachel are confused by their attraction to each other. Jake’s ill-mannered, unconventional ways are overshadowed only by his notorious reputation. Rachel’s traditional values and quiet, responsible character are the complete opposite of what attracts Jake to a woman. When their forbidden attraction turns to love, what will happen at the end of the trail?

— from publicity material

Jake stared from one man to the other. A horse neighed behind him, and shuffled through the thick straw bedding. His eyes narrowed. Where the hell was he? He’d fallen asleep on the uncomfortable mattress in his jail cell last night, thinking about his strange encounter with his new lawyer. He glanced around. He stood inside an old wooden barn, in a horse stall to be precise. The familiar pungent smell of horse sweat, manure, and hay permeated the air. The equine occupant of the stall chose that moment to blow hot air down Jake’s neck. He swatted an impatient hand at the horse’s nose to make the animal move away from him. He thought he’d seen the last of horses since leaving Montana. How did he get here?

Come Home to Me by Peggy L. Henderson (CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, October 2012).

Second Chances 2

Ain’t No Angel

by Peggy L. Henderson

Delaney Goodman has been running from her painful past all her life. Dreams of working with horses have long been replaced with the reality of doing anything to make ends meet. About to hit rock bottom, she accepts a stranger’s proposition, even if it sounds too good to be true. She figures she has nothing, not even her dignity, to lose. She awakens in an unfamiliar Montana ranch - and an unfamiliar century - and quickly discovers that she will need more than her charm to complete the task assigned to her while navigating her new relationship with ranch owner Tyler Monroe.

— based on publicity material

Laney’s brows scrunched together. She glanced at her surroundings. She was inside a cramped old-fashioned coach of some sort, and the windows were wide open, sending in thick clouds of dust. She stared out at the passing landscape. Evergreens and prairieland as far as she could see. Not a hint of a skyscraper of road anywhere.

Ain’t No Angel by Peggy L. Henderson (CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, December 2013).

Second Chances 3

Diamond in the Dust

by Peggy L. Henderson

Down to earth and level-headed, Morgan Bartlett isn’t afraid to wear her heart on her sleeve. All she wants is independence from her overbearing mother, and the freedom to shape her own destiny. When she aids a badly beaten man along the side of the road, she may have found more than a dusty cowboy down on his luck.

Morgan’s unshakable belief that Gabe is a good man slowly chisels away the walls he’s built around himself. As he comes to terms with living in the future, he must decide if losing his heart is worth more than holding on to the life he’s led in the past.

— from publicity material

He glanced around at his unfamiliar surroundings. He was in a parlor of sorts. A short table stood a few feet away from the sofa on which he sat. An oddly-shaped lamp hung from the pastered ceiling, and Gabe squinted his good eye. It was a rather plain-looking, milky-colored dome attached to a wooden support, along with what looked like blades that reminded him of a windmill that was hung on its side. He’d never seen an oil or kerosene lamp like it. Perhaps it wasn’t even a lamp, but some ornate decoration.

Diamond in the Dust by Peggy L. Henderson (CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, October 2014).

Second Chances 3.1

An Old-Fashioned Christmas

by Peggy L. Henderson

Gabe McFarlain is adjusting to life in the twenty-first century, and looking forward to his first modern Christmas with his wife Morgan, and his adopted son. Sometimes, however, a little old-fashioned cowboy spirit can add sparkle to the magic of the holidays.

— from publicity material

“An Old-Fashioned Christmas” by Peggy L. Henderson, serialized in Peggy L. Henderson’s newsletter, circa December 2015.

Found Things #1

The Little Shop of Found Things

by Paula Brackston

Xanthe Westlake and her mother are looking for a fresh start as owners of an antique shop in the village of Marlborough when a 17th century silver chanelaine calls to Xanthe’s psychic powers and eventually takes her on a quest to save a young servant girl in 1605 (and maybe, in the process, meet a handsome young architect with oddly modern views on women).

— Michael Main

Had she somehow crucially alterted her own present by changing Alice’s future? The thought that she might have started some terrible chain of events that she could not possibly have foreseen, nor known about, worried her more and more. It was only in the small hours of Wednesday night that an answer came to her that seemed to make sense. The present that she knew, the way things were in her time, could only have come about if she had traveled back to the past. Her finding the chatelaine, her answering Alice’s call for help, those things were necessary to shape the past and bring about the future as it was. She had to believe this. It did work. She was a part of how things had turned out, not an alternative version, but the one she was meant to live in. If she hadn’t gone back, hadn’t taken the decision to help Alice, well, that wouldhave resulted in a different future from the one she knew.

The Little Shop of Found Things by Paula Brackston (St. Martin’s Press, October 2018).

Again, but Better

by Christine Riccio

Shy Shane Primaveri heads to London for a semester abroad for a semester abroad program in creative writing where she hopes to become more outgoing, kiss a boy that she likes, and convince her parents after-the-fact that her decision to explore paths outside of a pre-med major was the right one. But things don’t go exactly as planned the first time through the semester.

— Michael Main

Could the elevator have been, like, a time machine?

Again, but Better by Christine Riccio (Wednesday Books, May 2019).

Second Chances 3.2

A Second Chance Christmas

by Peggy L. Henderson

Gabe and Morgan McFarlain are looking forward to spending Christmas Eve with their close friends, Jake and Rachel Owens. When the Reverend Johnson makes an unexpected visit, it is Gabe who holds the key to his friends' family secret. When he's asked to go back in time to save Jake's ancestor, the past and the future may be changed forever.

— from publicity material

He chuckled and shook his head. To think that he’d wanted to ruin his brother and the ranch at one time. Because of his misguided need for revenge, he’d ended up in the future. Meeting Morgan and her son had been the best thing that could have happened to him. Although he missed his simple life in 1872, there was much to like about modern times, too.

“A Second Chance Christmas” by Peggy L. Henderson, serialized in Peggy L. Henderson’s newsletter, circa December 2019.

Second Chances 4

Riches of the Heart

by Peggy L. Henderson

Hunter and Sherri come from completely different upbringings. . . and different centuries. Traveling together on a wagon train makes it difficult to avoid each other. Hunter’s reluctance to let go of past hurts, and Sherri’s reason for making the journey in the first place, leave no room for love to blossom.

— from publicity material

Riches of the Heart by Peggy L. Henderson, unknown publisher, February 2020.