NWOhiogal
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jun 21, 2018
- Messages
- 347
So, anybody watching NBC's new "Quantum Leap" series?
I was a HUGE fan of the original, so I checked it out, and it isn't bad.
SPOILERS AHEAD!
The best news is that it isn't a reboot - it's a continuation of the original series and references Sam Beckett and Al, and that Sam never made it home in the original series. There's a lot of speculation that Scott Bakula is going to show up at some point, indeed the plot seems to be pointing in that direction.
The pilot episode that aired last week was, like most pilots, somewhere between OK and not too bad. It did the setup and introduced us to the characters.
Raymond Lee stars as Dr. Ben Song, who like Sam steps into the quantum accelerator prematurely and vanishes. His "Al" is his fiancee Addison Augustine, played by Caitlin Bassett. Ernie Hudson is on board as a military scientist (I think) and Mason Alexander Park plays Ian, a technical whiz who oversees the Ziggy computer that will hopefully guide Ben home.
The pilot episode was dated July 13, 1985 - which as anybody who lived through or loves the 1980s knows is the day Live Aid happened. The event is referenced in the plot, although for some reason it doesn't factor in any part of the actual proceedings which makes me wonder why they picked that date. Also, the plot includes a black tie dinner being held in Philadelphia on the same night Live Aid was happening - which I honestly don't think would have happened since it was a HUGE event and having another event the same night would not be a good idea.
The casting is OK. Lee is appealing and earnest as Ben, just like Scott Bakula was as Sam, although it's too early to tell if the same 'corn-fed Boy Scout wholesomeness' that made Sam so endearing is going to be echoed in Ben who seems more of a city guy.
And of course nobody could top Dean Stockwell's antic, bawdy Al so the writers didn't even try, making Addison a fairly straight-arrow character who dresses conservatively and has a very practical, no-nonsense demeanor. I get why they did this - nobody wanted to be compared to Stockwell and found wanting - but much of the fun of the original QL was watching the upright, do-the-right-thing-at-all-costs, 'averts his eyes when a lady raises her skirt to step over a puddle' Sam sparred with the often lecherous and hung-over Al. Their personality differences made for great viewing and a fast, believable friendship. Of course Addison and Ben are supposed to be in love with each other and they have chemistry, but he doesn't remember who she is and before he leaped their relationship didn't seem to have any deep flaws in it so beyond the normal bickering there isn't a lot of conflict. So are the writers going to be able to keep this team-up interesting? Only time will tell.
To be honest I thought the most interesting character was Ian, who dresses flamboyantly much like Al did and has an edgy, brittle nature. The actor has a very interesting look and personality, kind of a Duran Duran's Nick Rhodes in 1983 vibe.
Unlike the original series this one spends as much time in the lab as it does following Ben's adventures, which does kind of pull the focus; the original series was totally about Sam's journey whereas this one can't seem to decide whether it wants to be about Ben, or Addison, or the project. Of course, it's only the pilot so we'll see where it goes.
The show is on Mondays at 10 p.m. on NBC.
I was a HUGE fan of the original, so I checked it out, and it isn't bad.
SPOILERS AHEAD!
The best news is that it isn't a reboot - it's a continuation of the original series and references Sam Beckett and Al, and that Sam never made it home in the original series. There's a lot of speculation that Scott Bakula is going to show up at some point, indeed the plot seems to be pointing in that direction.
The pilot episode that aired last week was, like most pilots, somewhere between OK and not too bad. It did the setup and introduced us to the characters.
Raymond Lee stars as Dr. Ben Song, who like Sam steps into the quantum accelerator prematurely and vanishes. His "Al" is his fiancee Addison Augustine, played by Caitlin Bassett. Ernie Hudson is on board as a military scientist (I think) and Mason Alexander Park plays Ian, a technical whiz who oversees the Ziggy computer that will hopefully guide Ben home.
The pilot episode was dated July 13, 1985 - which as anybody who lived through or loves the 1980s knows is the day Live Aid happened. The event is referenced in the plot, although for some reason it doesn't factor in any part of the actual proceedings which makes me wonder why they picked that date. Also, the plot includes a black tie dinner being held in Philadelphia on the same night Live Aid was happening - which I honestly don't think would have happened since it was a HUGE event and having another event the same night would not be a good idea.
The casting is OK. Lee is appealing and earnest as Ben, just like Scott Bakula was as Sam, although it's too early to tell if the same 'corn-fed Boy Scout wholesomeness' that made Sam so endearing is going to be echoed in Ben who seems more of a city guy.
And of course nobody could top Dean Stockwell's antic, bawdy Al so the writers didn't even try, making Addison a fairly straight-arrow character who dresses conservatively and has a very practical, no-nonsense demeanor. I get why they did this - nobody wanted to be compared to Stockwell and found wanting - but much of the fun of the original QL was watching the upright, do-the-right-thing-at-all-costs, 'averts his eyes when a lady raises her skirt to step over a puddle' Sam sparred with the often lecherous and hung-over Al. Their personality differences made for great viewing and a fast, believable friendship. Of course Addison and Ben are supposed to be in love with each other and they have chemistry, but he doesn't remember who she is and before he leaped their relationship didn't seem to have any deep flaws in it so beyond the normal bickering there isn't a lot of conflict. So are the writers going to be able to keep this team-up interesting? Only time will tell.
To be honest I thought the most interesting character was Ian, who dresses flamboyantly much like Al did and has an edgy, brittle nature. The actor has a very interesting look and personality, kind of a Duran Duran's Nick Rhodes in 1983 vibe.
Unlike the original series this one spends as much time in the lab as it does following Ben's adventures, which does kind of pull the focus; the original series was totally about Sam's journey whereas this one can't seem to decide whether it wants to be about Ben, or Addison, or the project. Of course, it's only the pilot so we'll see where it goes.
The show is on Mondays at 10 p.m. on NBC.
