Quantum Leap -- Episode 81: Promised Land

Sam Leaps Into:

Willie Walters Jr., one of three brothers robbing a bank in order to get money for their farm. 

Objective:

Make sure the brothers get out of the bank alive.  Prove the duplicity of the bank manager in taking advantage of several of the town's landowners.

Date:

12-22-71

Location:

Elk Ridge, Indiana

Memorable Quote:
I don't mean to tell you how you do your bank robbin', but would you mind pointing that pea shooter you got in a different di-rection?  ~Mr. Pierce

Highlight:

You know by now I'm a sucker for the "Coming Home" theme (i.e. the Dvorak New World Symphony), and it's a heartwarming moment when Sam learns from Al that he's in his hometown as the theme gently plays in the background.

Lowlight:

I would have liked to see Sam's hometown play an even bigger role in the story, whether it was Sam visiting familiar places or seeing people he knew from the past.  There's a little bit of that, but I thought they could have done even more and focused less on the younger brother or the crooked banker.

Other thoughts, observations, and questions I didn’t ask when I was in fourth grade:

• Our third and final Scott Bakula directed episode (the other two were Permanent Wave and Roberto).  
• Elk Ridge is a very chill place -- look at how calmly the townsfolk applaud the robbers' mother after she calls the banker a crook in the diner.
• Great scene at the end where Sam gets to see his dad again.  I thought maybe he was going to see his younger self at some point too.
• It's episodes like this one and The Leap Home that make you realize how important Sam's hometown is to him and his character.  It made me think of the latest MacGyver reboot episode where the writers shockingly made his hometown in northern California instead of Minnesota despite the fact that in the original show his Minnesota upbringing is a major part of his character.  What if, in a supposed Quantum Leap reboot, they said that Sam Beckett was from Washington D.C.?  Might as well be a different character at that point.

Conversation:

Dwier Brown gives an excellent performance as Neil, the tempestuous but good-hearted older brother.  I know him from the famous final scene of Field of Dreams (one of the best movies of all time) where he plays Kevin Costner's father.  You can learn more about him and his book If You Build It at his website www.dwierbrown.com.

NS: Were you a Quantum Leap fan?

DB: Although I would not consider myself a "science fiction" fan, I loved the show Quantum Leap. Maybe because it is set in a "reality" that I am familiar with, it doesn't seem like "fiction" to me.  I have no issue with Sam "leaping" from body to body and period to period, or even dead ballplayers appearing magically out of a cornfield, but with science fiction, it is always the "science" that fails me.  It is either boring or it defies physical laws as I understand them.  It doesn't make sense, but I loved "Firefly", but I was never a Trek fan or a "Back to the Future" nut.

  

I was surprised to find out while researching my book that Field of Dreams is frequently categorized as a "fantasy" film. I just never thought of it that way.  Likewise with Quantum Leap.  Maybe it was the fascinating way Sam travelled or just Scott's charming acting in the role (and, of course, Dean Stockwell's droll demeanor as his foil).

NS: What was it like to get the role of Neil Walters?

DB: I remember being excited to get the role because the character was a farmer and I grew up on a farm in Ohio.  I knew farmers who were struggling at that time.  I like playing characters with an emotional edge.  It is why I got into acting in the first place -- to learn to understand and express my own pent-up feelings.

  

NS: What did you think of Scott Bakula?

DB: Scott was very nice and we became closer when he learned that we both lived in Ojai. He is a very talented and funny actor!  I like to hear him sing.  I remember him being a little exasperated that the writers seemed to enjoy putting Sam in silly situations sometimes to the detriment of the plot or story lines.

NS: Anything you remember about the set?

DB: I remember being holed up in the "bank" set with all of the other actors and extras, and between takes, it really felt a little like a police stand-off.  I guess film acting is a little like a hostage situation -- stuck in a room together, can't leave, kind of boring, but with flashes of excitement.

                                                

Final Analysis:

Solid episode.  The calm, holiday atmosphere in the sleepy town makes for a fun and pleasant setting, and there's the poignant backstory of Sam reconciling with leaving home long ago. Ranking it of 16 out of 81.