(Pre-planned holiday cover post)
'Quantum Leap' is a series with very mixed associations in my mind. On the one hand, it was definitely one of the prime shows of its era, and one of the rare time travel shows to actually work on any level, but this is counterbalanced by it essentially being an anthology of domestic dramas. Domestic dramas are the curse of television, but they work here, with just the correct amount of genre tweaks to be interesting, or perhaps it's the combination of Scott Bakula and Dean Stockwell that does it. They are dynamite when written correctly.
'The Colour Of Truth' is the first episode which lets Dean Stockwell out of the comedic box he had been originally placed in, and confronts one of the greater social crimes of the United States, both while running a much smaller story about Sam's current leapee. This time, he leaps into the guise of an elderly black chauffeur, and the story revolves his relationship with his employer, the wife of the former governor of the state, in the deep South of the 1950s. Racism was rife, and slavery a barely forgotten crime of the ages.
This is really the first episode that completely clicks, and it's largely down to the subject matter and the reimplementation of Al's character, which boosts the dynamic to a whole new level. Yes, he may be a hologram, but he's also the heart of the series, and the reason why we kept on watching. Sam Beckett rarely changed, but Al Calavicci had level after level of character, being slowly peeled away, and always explaining his normal behaviour as a cover...
This is the template for future seasons of the series, and it's where many things begin. An excellent show, and one for the ages. There will be more about 'Quantum Leap'...
O.
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