Quantum Leap (season 5)

Season five of Quantum Leap ran on NBC from September 22, 1992 to May 5, 1993. It consists of twenty-two episodes.

Quantum Leap
Season 5
DVD cover
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	22
Release
Original network	NBC
Original release	September 22, 1992 (1992-09-22) – May 5, 1993 (1993-05-05)
Season chronology

Episodes

Main article: List of Quantum Leap episodes

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Leap location & date	Original air date	Prod. code
76	1	"Lee Harvey Oswald (Part 1) – Leaping on a String"	James Whitmore, Jr.	Donald P. Bellisario	Dallas, Texas March 21, 1963 / Atsugi, Kanagawa, Japan October 5–7, 1957 / Tustin, California January 6, 1959	September 22, 1992 (1992-09-22)	68102A
Sam leaps into various points in the life of Lee Harvey Oswald (played by Willie Garson) in an effort to seemingly prevent him from killing President John F. Kennedy or find the truth about the events that day. However, the objective is made more complex by the fact that their minds are merging. Sam starts to believe he is Oswald. Note: Originally shown as a two-hour episode. Series creator Donald P. Bellisario, who actually met the real Oswald in 1959 when they both served in the Marine Corps, wrote this episode as a rebuttal to the 1991 film JFK, and believed that there was no assassination conspiracy and that Oswald was perfectly capable of acting alone in killing Kennedy.[1]
77	2	"Lee Harvey Oswald (Part 2) – Leap to Judgement"	James Whitmore, Jr.	Donald P. Bellisario	Lubyanka in Moscow, USSR October 21, 1959 / Dallas, Texas April 10, 1963 / New Orleans, Louisiana August 9, 1963 / Dallas, Texas November 21–22, 1963	September 22, 1992 (1992-09-22)	68102B
As the date for Dallas draws nearer, Oswald's personality is getting harder to control. Al is finding it harder to connect with Sam. Is Sam supposed to save the President, or unearth the conspiracy? In the end, Oswald is revealed to be the lone assassin of JFK (Al speculating that people made up the idea of a conspiracy rather than face the idea that we are all still so vulnerable that one man could kill the President that easily). Sam makes a final leap into U.S. Secret Service agent Clint Hill who climbed on the back of the President's limousine during the assassination. In the episode dénouement, Al reveals that Sam has changed history: originally, Jackie Kennedy (played by Karen Ingram) in an alternate history was killed along with her husband, but Sam's actual mission was to save her, and he succeeded.
78	3	"Leaping of the Shrew"	Alan J. Levi	Robin Jill Bernheim & Richard C. Okie	Aegean Sea September 27, 1956	September 29, 1992 (1992-09-29)	68104
Sam finds his patience tested when he leaps into Nikos Stathatos (played by Socrates Alafouzos) in a lifeboat with a bratty, self-obsessed heiress Vanessa Foster (played by Brooke Shields) and end up stuck on an island from which they will not be rescued for nine years. The episode refers to Swept Away (1974).
79	4	"Nowhere to Run"	Alan J. Levi	Tommy Thompson	San Diego, California August 10, 1968	October 6, 1992 (1992-10-06)	68103
Sam leaps into Ronald Miller (played by Michael Carpenter), a legless Vietnam vet in a veterans' hospital who must save the life of a quadriplegic soldier while still keeping his wife from leaving him so that his eldest son can save a tank troop in the Gulf War. Note: A pre-Friends Jennifer Aniston and pre-Spin City Michael Boatman (who coincidentally played a doctor called Sam Beckett in China Beach) guest star. Judith Hoag (known for the role of April O'Neil in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles The Movie) also guest stars.
80	5	"Killin' Time"	Michael Watkins	Tommy Thompson	Pine County, Oklahoma June 18, 1958	October 20, 1992 (1992-10-20)	68106
Sam leaps into Leon Stiles (played by Cameron Dye), a dangerous criminal who has taken a mother and her young daughter hostage. Meanwhile, Al must find the homicidal Stiles, who has escaped from the project waiting room, leaving Gushie to act as a temporary Observer. Note: This episode provides a rare glimpse of the present world outside Project Quantum Leap.
81	6	"Star Light, Star Bright"	Christopher Hibler	Richard C. Okie	Charlemont, Massachusetts May 21, 1966	October 27, 1992 (1992-10-27)	68101
Sam is Maxwell Stoddard (played by Douglas Stark), an eccentric grandfather living with his son and his family. He must prevent his teenage grandson from running away and getting caught up in the drug culture while also preventing the grandfather from being sent to a mental institution for his wild stories about UFOs. Guest stars: Anne Lockhart and Guy Boyd
82	7	"Deliver Us From Evil"	Bob Hulme	Deborah Pratt & Robin Jill Bernheim & Tommy Thompson	Oakland, California March 19, 1966	November 10, 1992 (1992-11-10)	68109
Sam leaps back into Jimmy LaMotta (played by Brad Silverman), but is perplexed when he finds that the happy future he supposedly ensured in his previous leap is not taking place, and his brother's marriage is falling apart. Shortly thereafter, Sam finds something he never expected. A female quantum leaper named Alia (played by Renée Coleman) is apparently there to "put wrong what once went right".
83	8	"Trilogy (Part 1) – One Little Heart"	James Whitmore, Jr.	Deborah Pratt	Pottersville, Louisiana August 8, 1955	November 17, 1992 (1992-11-17)	68105
Sam leaps into a small Louisiana town as a sheriff named Clayton Fuller (played by James Whitmore, Jr.) who's also the father of young Abigail Fuller (played by Kimberly Cullum), a girl accused by a local townswoman named Leta Aider (played by Mary Gordon Murray) of killing her husband and daughter. Leta is the only surviving member of her deceased family and believes Abigail to be cursed. Note: Clayton Fuller (Sam's mirror image in this episode) is played by episode director James Whitmore, Jr. For the only time, this episode's leap date is the same as a previous one (season one's "The Color Of Truth"). (Although, Sam has leaped from one person to another person at the same time, within the same episode).
84	9	"Trilogy (Part 2) – For Your Love"	James Whitmore, Jr.	Deborah Pratt	Pottersville, Louisiana June 14, 1966	November 24, 1992 (1992-11-24)	68112
Sam again leaps into the life of Abigail Fuller (Melora Hardin)... this time as her soon-to-be husband William "Will" Kinman (played by Travis Fine). Sam begins to fall for her himself, but a lynch mob led by Leta Aider (played by Mary Gordon Murray) may hang her if Sam does not find the runaway child Abigail was babysitting.
85	10	"Trilogy (Part 3) – The Last Door"	James Whitmore, Jr.	Deborah Pratt	Baton Rouge, Louisiana July 28, 1978	November 24, 1992 (1992-11-24)	68113
Sam leaps into Larry Stanton III (played by W.K. Stratton), a lawyer who defends Abigail (played by Melora Hardin) on trial for the murder of Leta Aider, the woman who accused her of killing her husband and daughter twenty-three years earlier. Secrets are revealed, the family history comes unraveled, and surprises are in store for Sam as he discovers the heritage behind Abigail's daughter, Samantha Jo Fuller (played by Kimberly Cullum). Guest star: Parley Baer also guest stars
86	11	"Promised Land"	Scott Bakula	Gillian Horvath & Tommy Thompson	Elk Ridge, Indiana December 22, 1971	December 15, 1992 (1992-12-15)	68110
Sam leaps into his hometown as Willie Walters (played by Daniel Engstrom), one of three brothers who are robbing the town bank in order to pay off a loan. Sam must uncover the reason the bank lent money to these farmers who could not possibly pay it back, while trying to prevent the brothers from being killed when they try to escape. Note: Scott Bakula plays a dual role in this episode, also appearing as Sam's father, John Beckett.
87	12	"A Tale of Two Sweeties"	Christopher Hibler	Robin Jill Bernheim	Pompano Beach Airpark, Florida February 25, 1958	January 5, 1993 (1993-01-05)	68118
Sam finds himself between the proverbial rock and hard place when he leaps into a bigamist named Martin "Marty" Elroy, with a 50% chance of picking the right family to stay with.
88	13	"Liberation"	Bob Hulme	Chris Abbott & Deborah Pratt	Connecticut October 16, 1968	January 12, 1993 (1993-01-12)	68108
Sam leaps into Margaret Sanders, a housewife who must convince her husband that the family can survive and even thrive with feminism. He must also persuade the daughter that advances for women must come about through nonviolent means and persuade a woman working in the husband's firm to be more assertive about her ideas for the company.
89	14	"Dr. Ruth"	Stuart Margolin	Robin Jill Bernheim	Manhattan, New York April 25, 1985	January 19, 1993 (1993-01-19)	68114
As the famous sex doctor Ruth Westheimer, Sam must help a woman stand up to the sexual harassment of her boss and get his coworkers together, while the real Dr. Ruth helps Al deal with his fear of abandonment and his inability to tell a woman that he loves her. Note: This episode marks the only time that Sam has leaps into two women in a row and the only time the Leapee is seen being replaced in the waiting room at the conclusion of the episode.
90	15	"Blood Moon"	Alan J. Levi	Tommy Thompson	Outside of London, England March 10, 1975	February 9, 1993 (1993-02-09)	68117
Sam leaps into an eccentric artist named Lord Nigel Corrington who lives a strange, Gothic lifestyle. He has only a few hours to save his wife from a grisly death, supposedly at the hands of a vampire (Ian Buchanan), while dealing with Al's own conviction that his host actually is the walking dead.
91	16	"Return of the Evil Leaper"	Harvey Laidman	Richard C. Okie	North Falls, New York October 8, 1956	February 23, 1993 (1993-02-23)	68124
As a nerdy college kid named Arnold Watkins (played by Tristan Tait) who dresses up as a superhero, Sam must stop a fraternity from holding chicken races as part of their initiation. While back in the waiting room, Al must convince Sam's host to give up his dangerous lifestyle and help him deal with the murder of his parents. However, the sudden return of the Evil Leaper Alia (played by Renée Coleman) makes the task significantly harder. Guest star: Neil Patrick Harris
92	17	"Revenge of the Evil Leaper"	Debbie Allen	Deborah Pratt	Mallard, Ohio September 16, 1987	February 23, 1993 (1993-02-23)	68125
Leaping into Elizabeth Tate (played by Cynthia Steele) in a women's prison (accompanied by Alia), Sam must keep the reformed Evil Leaper from being caught by her former Observer while also trying to keep his host from being executed for the murder of a fellow inmate.
93	18	"Goodbye Norma Jean"	Christopher Hibler	Richard C. Okie	Hollywood, California April 4, 1960	March 2, 1993 (1993-03-02)	68115
Sam is Dennis Boardman (played by Stephen Bowers), the chauffeur of Marilyn Monroe (played by Susan Griffiths) and must help the unhappy star stay alive to make one final movie. Guest star: Stephen Root
94	19	"The Beast Within"	Gus Trikonis	John D'Aquino	Washington state November 6, 1972	March 16, 1993 (1993-03-16)	68122
Sam is Henry Adams (played by Mike Jolly), a Vietnam War veteran living in the forest with an epileptic fellow veteran who will die unless he gets his medicine. However, he is opposed in this task by the sheriff living in town, who served in the same unit and doesn't want to face his past.
95	20	"The Leap Between The States"	David Hemmings	Richard C. Okie	Mansfield County, Virginia September 20, 1862	March 30, 1993 (1993-03-30)	68121
Breaking all the rules of Quantum Leaping, Sam leaps along his genetic line and finds himself in the American Civil War as his great-grandfather, Captain John Beckett (played by Rob Hyland), of the Union Army. While helping the underground railroad smuggle a family to freedom, Sam must also win the heart of his great-grandmother, or he may be erased from existence. Note: Michael D. Roberts & Kate McNeil both guest star.
96	21	"Memphis Melody"	James Whitmore, Jr.	Robin Jill Bernheim	Memphis, Tennessee July 3, 1954	April 20, 1993 (1993-04-20)	68123
As Elvis Presley (played by Michael St. Gerard), Sam must help a struggling female musician named Sue Anne Winters (played by Mary Elizabeth McGlynn), but at the same time must ensure that he does not prevent the king of rock 'n' roll from being discovered. Guest star: Gregory Itzin
97	22	"Mirror Image"	James Whitmore, Jr.	Donald P. Bellisario	Cokeburg, Pennsylvania August 8, 1953 / San Diego, California April 3, 1969	May 5, 1993 (1993-05-05)	68126
In the series finale, Sam arrives at a mining town as himself on the date and exact hour he was born. Patrons of the town bar look familiar from past leaps, but with different names, other patrons seem to be leapers, and Al the bartender (played by Bruce McGill) implies that he might be God, Fate, or Time. While trying to figure things out, Sam has to help save some trapped miners and learns that he controls his leaps and could return home whenever he wants. As much as he wants to go home, Sam decides to continue leaping and go back to when he met Al's wife on a previous leap and tell her that Al is still alive. In the end, Al and his wife remain together and have four daughters. Guest stars: Richard Herd, Stephen McHattie, and W. Morgan Sheppard

References

1. "'Quantum' Leaps Into the J.F.K. Assassination : Television: On the season premiere tonight, Sam jumps into a script supporting the lone gunman theory". Los Angeles Times. September 22, 1992. Retrieved July 24, 2016.