Quantum Leap (2022) - Episode 1x00 - Original Pilot Script Review

In which I lament the way Things Could Have Been, while still enjoying What We Have

Welcome to Off-Season Content, a series of posts about whatever catches my TV attention, coming to you live from my apartment whenever I find time to write about Things! Over the next few months, with House of the Dragon off for probably years and Quantum Leap on midseason hiatus, I am hoping to provide you all with a solid combination of regular (and irregular) writing. I’ve floated the idea of a Leap Back: Retro Review series that would explore favourite or ‘important’ episodes of the original Quantum Leap (1989). I also need to decide on one (or more?) replacement shows for HotD; maybe there are even opportunities to engage with made-to-binge TV (1899, perhaps), or broader posts reflecting on television as a medium (like my first ever TV writing from 2010, way back in the early years of TV Twitter). It’s all on the table!

Before I get to any of that, I wanted to post a review on Wednesday—my Quantum Leap (2022) Review Day—to transition out of the Fall Season into Winter Break given the unexpected void an early midseason finale has left in my schedule (and my heart).

Recently, on Reddit, a user posted a link to the original pilot script¹ sold to NBC—a script written before actors were cast (Dr. Ben Song was Dr. Ben Prassad), a pilot was filmed (original or what aired), and before this original pilot was (with reshoots) re-contextualized as Episode 6. I won’t provide a summary (beyond the link to my review of 1x06), since much of the Leap remained the same; instead, I’ll focus on changes.

And friends, I am frustrated. I adored this draft, which has me annoyed we didn’t get to see this version of the show. And my frustration has little to do with Scott Bakula.

While I have grown to love the 2022 series, I was not blown away by the pilot that actually aired, with its one-dimensional characterization, high-octane car chases and explosions, and nonsensical resolutions—including its unearned ‘happily-ever-after’ expositional infodump. From what I have read,² it seems like the original pilot as filmed was deemed insufficiently “buzzy” by the Network—which sounds like code for ‘more car chases and explosions, please,’ except that the 1985 earthquake offered (and contained!) plenty of opportunities for '“buzzy”ness. As many fans noted, in the pilot that aired, there was a lack of intimacy, meaningful connection, and smaller moving moments. Which is too bad, since the original pilot script had that in spades.

On Social Media as a Storytelling Device in the Modern TV Era

In my review of Episode 6, I discussed how much I loved the characterization:

I’m a sucker for a bittersweet time travel story and was delighted to see how well the writers connected the emotional dots between Ben and his Leap-of-the-week. When Ben and Addison realized saving Jason wasn’t enough—he also had to repair a familial bond—Ben was able to use his own pain to help Jason (‘his’ son). Ben's monologue came from somewhere personal; it wasn't just a performed pep talk with the goal of "putting right what once went wrong"—it was also super heartfelt.

That still holds true, but there was one creative decision (cut from Episode 6) that, I think, would have enhanced characterization and emotional connection: Having the present-day ensemble monitor social media to catch changes to the timeline. In the pilot script, we see two distinct Instagram posts on Jason’s 47th birthday. In a first post, Jason has died, his parents split up, and Naomi (his mom) posts about her loss.

ADDISON (reads the caption): Happy 47th birthday, my beautiful boy. I think about the life you should've had. How amazing it would've been. Missing you today. And every day. Love, Mom. (then, to Ian --) What happened to her and John?

IAN: They got divorced. She moved out of San Fran. He stayed. Neither remarried. No happy ending there.

Then, in a first timeline shift, Jason lives but never reconciles with his mom:

ADDISON: Ziggy checked all of [Jason’s] social media posts, Naomi's not in… them.

In a second shift, Jason lives, reconciles with his mom, but the ending is bittersweet:

Ian pulls up an INSTAGRAM post... On it we SEE Naomi's account -- the post that was once a memorial is now a celebration. In the PHOTO we SEE [Jason] (47) standing with his WIFE and TWO KIDS -- surround by Naomi (70's) and her second husband -- and John (70's) and his second wife. Everyone smiling. One big happy family.

IAN: It's his 47th birthday. (off Addison's look) John and Naomi got divorced, but they stayed together as a family.

I was moved simply reading these moments in the script; I’m sure they would have been powerful moments onscreen. Okay, like I said, I’m a sucker for bittersweet endings, but witnessing these moments across time, in photos online, would have been the perfect way to help the audience understand and feel the stakes of Leaping.

I’m just not clear on why a bank-turned-diamond heist with cars / guns / sewer explosions would retain an audience better than these smaller character moments. Moments that could have become the norm for how these stories get told on Quantum Leap—so we don’t just watch Addison’s expository recountings of future events—with images and posts celebrating what Ben was able to do. Moments showing us (in a way even the original series couldn’t) what putting right what once went wrong looks like.

On Hooks, Cliffhangers, and Pilot Episode Twists

In the original script, the Ben/Addison relationship remained subtly hidden from viewers until the very end, where it served as an excellent twist/hook. In the pilot that aired, the very first scene was all about celebrating Ben and Addison’s engagement with the ensemble cast. Again, it seems like the party scene was added specifically so viewers could meet the full cast right away (at the expense of what could have been more interesting mystery-driven storytelling, introducing the cast slowly). Saving this reveal for the end of the pilot would have (IMO) been a much stronger creative choice.

On Opaque Motivations

The fact that Scott Bakula at Sam Beckett was in the original script (very briefly mind you) likely caused more problems for long-term plotting than for the pilot. Bakula’s absence from this episode wouldn't have done much to change the story significantly, except that it would have helped me root more for Janis right away (instead of framing her as a potential villain). Knowing Sam thinks Al would have been proud of her lets viewers know that Janis is someone we can trust, whose motivations are likely good. She’s been endorsed by the OG Quantum Leap Team! Great news! But instead, I’ve spent the last eight reviews trying to sort out both why Ben might have leapt (revealed in the midseason finale) and why Janis might be working with (or against?) him. The latter mystery wasn’t even that compelling, just confusing more than anything.

On Where to Leap From Here

So far, my reviews have focused on the challenges of balancing episodic storytelling across so many characters and eras against serial developments, all while juggling the promise and baggage of what being a sequel series means. In my view, this original draft script had that balance. The pilot that aired (and, honestly, to a degree even the Episode 6 version of this script) struggled to find that balance. Of course, Scott Bakula choosing not to appear is part of what made the legacyquel baggage that much harder to incorporate, but, as I hope I’ve highlighted above, it’s so much more than just that.

I am crushed that we didn’t get to see this episode, but I think Leaping forward means letting go of the show that could have been in favour of the show we have. There are still plenty of opportunities for Quantum Leap to find that balance, to connect themes more meaningfully between the Leap, the cast, and the present-day plot, and to show (rather than tell us) the impact of Ben’s changes to the timeline. After Episode 8 (the midseason finale), I have a lot of hope we can still get there, eventually.

Thanks for reading! Hopefully I’ll have more to share about what I’ll be covering next soon. Otherwise, Quantum Leap returns in the New Year, on January 2nd.

1. You should click on this link if you want to read the script before reading this review.

2. From the showrunner: “So, to clarify the timeline, we shot a pilot in March, and that pilot was finished in April and submitted for approval from the network. For a bunch of reasons, that pilot wasn’t right. And so, we had a big conversation. People give network TV a lot of shit, but one of the things that it does really right is make pilots. Pilots are very expensive, but they really do teach you an enormous amount about the show. So, after watching the original pilot, which will be a fantastic episode six, it just didn’t feel buzzy enough to be the first episode of the show.”

I… don’t know how to feel about the ‘Networks make good pilots’ comment here, since the draft pilot seems to me to be a lot more interesting, creatively, than the generic pilot we got.