7862/20803
My tour TV watch has become the first series of the new Quantum Leap. As you may know I was a fan of the original series in spite of it making no logical sense when it came to the impact of changing one thing in the past. Did it ever address who or what was choosing the lives that Sam Beckett was trying to change? I think maybe that last episode where they misspelled his name as they put up that final screen shot saying "Poochie died on his way to his home planet," or something, maybe implied God was involved. But God should have known the chaotic knock on of saving and changing lives and what effect that would quickly have on every subsequent event and would probably avoid it. After all it's highly likely that in saving someone who deserves another shot, you create a situation where harm inadvertently comes to someone else. Maybe that's why Sam could never make it home.
I watch Quantum Leap aware that the show has been cancelled and that Scott Bakula refused to reprise his role (so won't be saved) and also knowing that the new Sam Beckett (I think the character is called Harold Pinter) will not be able to return to his own time, or the whole series is fucked.
But it's diverting enough.
They've made some bold decisions. Firstly they don't have Harold Pinter saying "Oh Boy!" every time he appears somewhere. I'd love to have been in the meeting where they made that decision. Did anyone object? Did they suggest something else? I'd have gone for "Fuck me sideways".
They have ejected the much too long title sequence, though kept the essence of the voice over.
Also there's lots more going on in the future time as they team struggle to get Harold back. Which is OK I suppose, though none of the characters have particularly grabbed me.
And Harold is able to travel beyond his own lifetime. Which to be fair was a weird restriction to put in in the first place and made about as much logical sense as... well as anything in the show. It was never really important how it worked. It was just a way to get Bakula into lots of different bodies. My unmade sitcom Everything Happens For No Reason, gave a nod to this (it was heavily influenced by Quantum Leap, Sliding Doors and Goodnight Sweetheart and a bit of Doctor Who - but was still original enough when I came up with it, but now there's too many alternative universe shows and films for it to be worth doing), but in mine the main character ended up in various versions of herself.
Anyway, I guess we'll end with another playwright lost in time and with no acknowledgment of the mayhem he has caused in space time, but I am still enjoying it. Though might just watch the original from the beginning instead. I have a feeling it won't be very satisfying. Some things are best left to the memory.
I added another load of rarities to my ebay page including a Punani Self-playing snooker album with all the stickers and some vintage T shirts and kickstarter items. Plus Warming Up fans, there's copies of the compilation books of early Warming Up entries - the only ones in existence with one balled phallus signature!
Bid here. All the money goes towards making more podcasts. Win/win.
