As the title of this episode implies, Ben does die—more than once. For the first time in Quantum Leap history, our leaper’s life ends, and he is reborn four times in “Leap. Die. Repeat.” There are some great moments in this episode that highlight the best of what the revival series has done so far and promises a wealth of good story, acting and directing to come.
Addison (Caitlin Bassett) and Magic (Ernie Hudson) share a private and powerful conversation about grief. Addison recognizes that she has been mourning Ben all along, that he feels like a ghost to her. But it’s when he physically dies the first time that the grief hits her hard. Magic counsels her to let herself experience the grief but to not allow it to consume her—to always hold onto hope. Addison then asks Magic if that’s how he thinks of Dr. Sam Beckett (Scott Bakula). While Magic refuses to admit that his commitment to the Quantum Leap project is about Sam, he recognizes that he isn’t ready for Sam to go into that final white light of the afterlife. Magic holds onto the hope that Sam is still out there and may be found again.
A real tongue-in-cheek moment in the episode is worth noting, perhaps as an homage to all the commentary on social media about how Ben talks so openly to Addison in his leaps and no one else seems to notice it all that much. On Ben’s fourth leap, he sits with Addison in the main control room and carries on a long, in-depth conversation with her and shows complete disregard for the other people sharing their close quarters. When the camera pans quickly to the rest of the people listening to him apparently talking to himself, their reactions are priceless. Ben is only saved from their chagrin by one final bang that resets the leap and erases their memories.
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Meanwhile, Janis juggles whiplash between the project team’s evaluation of her as super-villain or savior and, in that tussle, they all begin to trust each other just a little bit more. Magic put his faith in Janis in “Leap. Die. Repeat.” and forces everyone else on the team, Addison and Jenn (Nanrisa Lee) especially, to do the same.
Janis doesn’t let their trust in her go unrewarded. She makes a promise at the end of this episode that has the potential to unfold the truth and bring a new player into the project. Or could it be an old player? Like Magic, none of us are letting Sam go into that final goodbye anytime soon.
