tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5788875373841955612.post4001348861576937969..comments2024-03-27T00:26:22.316-05:00Comments on The MacGyver Project: Quantum Leap -- Episode 26: Pool Hall BluesNicholas Sweedohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00437092592253460266noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5788875373841955612.post-82771029507916894912020-11-30T15:34:28.852-06:002020-11-30T15:34:28.852-06:00Hi, If you like an accurate piano sheet of the due...Hi, If you like an accurate piano sheet of the duet: https://musescore.com/user/3660571/scores/6462753. Please let me know what you think.powermikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09564188446286923702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5788875373841955612.post-60887860655598406752017-02-18T22:54:46.194-06:002017-02-18T22:54:46.194-06:00Glad you and Dad were able to watch this one toget...Glad you and Dad were able to watch this one together. I haven't seen Coming to America but I will add that to my list. Nicholas Sweedohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00437092592253460266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5788875373841955612.post-87738734330386007342017-02-18T15:38:16.039-06:002017-02-18T15:38:16.039-06:00QL Mom here. I know that this is Nick's favor...QL Mom here. I know that this is Nick's favorite episode. It is a beautifully choreographed story. I am always drawn to episodes that develop the friendship and history of Sam and Al. Dad watched this with me and he recognized the actress who played Violet. She was in Coming to America with Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall. If you have not see it, consider renting it. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02342174424018623586noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5788875373841955612.post-28743563337604971632016-07-07T10:16:37.141-05:002016-07-07T10:16:37.141-05:00After I posted that I recalled Sam's fighting ...After I posted that I recalled Sam's fighting skills came up in "Another Mother". My folks used to have a really crappy pool table in their basement but it was uneven so you'd break the triangle of balls, they'd separate, and often come rolling back to the center. Needless to say, I never used it much. Didn't realize Colbert was a rerun last night but it was a fun skit.Markhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04953380288384883179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5788875373841955612.post-57689460953358475112016-07-06T23:29:29.753-05:002016-07-06T23:29:29.753-05:00And I had seen that Colbert/Bakula skit a few week...And I had seen that Colbert/Bakula skit a few weeks ago (if it was on tonight it must have been a rerun). I liked Colbert's handheld computer that looked like it was made out of legos.Nicholas Sweedohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00437092592253460266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5788875373841955612.post-16335471866015217392016-07-06T23:26:41.842-05:002016-07-06T23:26:41.842-05:00Glad both you and H2 enjoyed my #1 episode! As fo...Glad both you and H2 enjoyed my #1 episode! As for Sam's martial arts skills, Al tells him at the end of Another Mother that he is skilled in several different disciplines, and his fighting ability often comes into play later in the series.<br /><br />I like your point about Sam's idealism -- hadn't thought of it that way before.<br /><br />As for that shot, it's probably not as hard as it might look (there are a lot harder shots out there). Once you figure out where to aim, you're just aiming at a particular spot on the first rail and then physics takes over. Like Highlander, I made it several times but certainly missed it way more than I made it.<br /><br />In some ways 9 ball is unfair in that one player can make the first 8 balls but then the other player can sink the 9 and win -- in fact they mention this in the episode and how it's a "lucky man's game." But I like it because I like the concept of being made to hit one particular ball, and it forces you to have to hit some tough and creative shots instead of 8 ball where early on you can just pick the easiest shot you have.<br /><br />Nicholas Sweedohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00437092592253460266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5788875373841955612.post-63855620953879668802016-07-06T23:03:55.674-05:002016-07-06T23:03:55.674-05:00Nah - we just set it up and shot it. It's not... Nah - we just set it up and shot it. It's not a shot that I've seen come up in billiards that often. We just saw it in the episode and set it up on the table to see if they were full of crap with the layout of the lasers or not. Turns out, nope, it was legit and you can ttly do it that way.Highlander_IIhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12390532917085374247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5788875373841955612.post-47631188784902701452016-07-06T23:01:04.741-05:002016-07-06T23:01:04.741-05:00Were you a really prolific pool player since you&#...Were you a really prolific pool player since you've made that shot so many times? Is it considered the hardest shot in the game? Thanks for clarifying about 9-ball. I liked 8-ball the best but getting the balls in the pockets in order sounds fair.Markhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04953380288384883179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5788875373841955612.post-13244921512744446022016-07-06T22:58:04.136-05:002016-07-06T22:58:04.136-05:00I know you were asking Nick... but I did make that...I know you were asking Nick... but I did make that shot - several times. =) But I missed a lot too.<br /><br />9-Ball uses 9 of the 16 playable balls, racked in a diamond shape for the break; then the players have to pocket them in numerical order. There are other rules during play that determine if your shot is 'fair' or not, but I don't know all of them b/c I never played 9-ball. We always played 8-ball or straight pool.<br />(in the right place this time)Highlander_IIhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12390532917085374247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5788875373841955612.post-24686824330956155592016-07-06T22:50:38.146-05:002016-07-06T22:50:38.146-05:00I really liked this one too. It had a real energy...I really liked this one too. It had a real energy to it and plenty of good characters exchanging fun, well-acted banter. I didn't love it quite as much as you because the whole variation of the "Karate Kid/you can do it if you believe in yourself" meme is a bit trite, but that didn't take away from the enjoyment. I thought Ziggy's invisible laser was a cool way of turning Sam into a pool pro overnight, although when the light went out it seems pretty far-fetched that Sam would be able to stall for that long until he got Ziggy's energy back. The final shot was indeed incredible and it was fun to watch in the same way the "Karate Kid" is (sorry for that metaphor but that's the movie that always comes to mind whenever there's a trope about a sporting event where an amateur finds his inspiration to school the professionals after practicing for 11 minutes). You left us in suspense though...you said you practiced that shot as a kid but never said if you made it! And I don't know a ton about pool but have never heard of "9-ball" before.<br /><br />Some of the things I really liked about this episode was the blues club atmosphere you described, and the respect that the old-timers clearly had for "Black Magic". I also liked "Alberta" and was interested in finding out in your interview (great stuff as always) that the name was inspired by B.B. King's "Lucille". I really loved how Sam/Black Magic laid down the smack on Eddie's thug after he broke Alberta in half, even though I'm always a little dubious about Sam's ability to overpower people in fistfights because he doesn't seem like someone for whom that would come naturally. But am I right that he has some karate training in his background? What episode did that come up in before?<br /><br />But my favorite part of the episode and the character of Sam is his almost childlike naivete and idealism when it comes to overcoming the culture of his time on behalf of doing what's right. We saw it when he insisted on taking the injured black girl in "The Color of Truth" to the whites-only hospital....we saw a few times with "Jimmy"...and we saw it prominently again when he insisted on giving one more try to secure a loan for Violet from the bank for her club, unwilling to accept that racism will get in the way if he just explains himself right. His naivete and idealism makes MacGyver look like Jack Bauer by comparison, and it's an endearing character trait in that no matter how many times the real world teaches him a lesson, he never gets cynical. I'd probably rate this one #4.<br /><br />Not sure if you're aware but just as I'm writing this, Stephen Colbert did a skit in a taxicab with Scott Bakula reprising his role as Sam Beckett with a cigar-smoking Colbert playing Al in the passenger seat, trying to get Sam to change the past and put a young passenger named Donald Trump in the back of the cab on track. It was pretty clever.Markhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04953380288384883179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5788875373841955612.post-41591588527051926202016-07-06T22:30:44.349-05:002016-07-06T22:30:44.349-05:00We had a harder time playing 9-ball though b/c we ...We had a harder time playing 9-ball though b/c we didn't have the right rack. Also, pocketing the balls in numerical order is a pain in the butt. We played a lot of 8-ball though. And we had to shoot around obstacles such as bookcases, stereos and computers. =)Highlander_IIhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12390532917085374247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5788875373841955612.post-53689019810083277392016-07-06T22:02:19.144-05:002016-07-06T22:02:19.144-05:00That's awesome. I actually taught my nephews ...That's awesome. I actually taught my nephews that shot a few months ago -- it lives on.Nicholas Sweedohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00437092592253460266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5788875373841955612.post-30800525329323312142016-07-06T21:55:32.821-05:002016-07-06T21:55:32.821-05:00That shot at the end is my fave scene (or one of t...That shot at the end is my fave scene (or one of the Top 5 for sure). We had a billiard table in the basement of my parents' house (grandfather bought it from a pool hall that closed down), so we had lots of opportunities to practice that shot. Even years after the episode, I'd go in and set it up. Granted, making the shot got considerably harder when the rubber bumpers started falling off the edges of the table.<br /><br />Highlander_IIhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12390532917085374247noreply@blogger.com