In this weeks episode of the Quantum Leap Rewatch, Cory and Tom take a long, hard look at themselves as they discuss the series finale, “Mirror Image.”

Mirror Image:

Sam leaps into himself on his exact birth date at his exact birth time in the town of Cokeburg, Pennsylvania. As he talks with the Bartender, Al, he begins seeing the townspeople who look like people he has encountered during previous leaps, albeit with different names. When an accident threatens two of the miners’ lives, Sam is promoted by a miner named Stawpah to help them, which he does, resulting in Stawpah leaping, with no one having any memory of him, except for a miner named Gooshie who says Stawpah died years prior.

Meanwhile, Al and Gooshie are desperately trying to locate Sam by scanning all of history. Eventually Al has a feeling Sam is somewhere on his birthday, and after a few tries they manage to reach Sam. Sam tells Al about the strange coincidences going on but Al is a bit freaked out as he leaves, promising to get Sam out of there.

Bartender Al, who has been very cagey with answers to Sam’s questions, tells Sam he can stop leaping and go home whenever he wants because he himself is in control of his leaping. Sam however, feels that he has a right to out wrong that he neglected: that of saving Al’s marriage to his first wife, Beth. With that on his mind, Sam leaps to the moment after he leapt out of Beth’s life originally, and tells her that he is there to let her know that Al is alive and is coming home. As the scene fades, we are told that Al and Beth stayed married and eventually had a family full of daughter’s, and that Sam Beckett never did return home.

Ziggy’s Data Retrieval:

Find more about Mirror Image on Al’s Place info page.

Guest Stars that appear in the finale:
Bruce McGill as Al the Bartender; he was also Weird Ernie in the pilot episode Genesis.

Tonchi and Pete are John D’Aquino and Brad Silverman; Frank and Jimmy from the episode Jimmy and Deliver Us From Evil.

Ziggy was played by Richard Herd. He also played Moe “Captain Galaxy” Stein in the episode Future Boy.

The mine boss, Mr Collins, was Mike Genovese who was also Don Geno in the episode Double Identity.

Mutta was Dan Butler, he also played Jake Dorleac in Southern Comforts.

The kids outside “Al’s Place” were Michael Bellisario and JD Daniels from the episode A Tale of Two Sweeties.

Susan Diol returns in this episode as Beth, as does Dennis Wolfberg as Gooshie.

Stawpah was Stephen McHattie, who is often mistaken for Lance Henriksen. He was in “Watchmen” as Hollis Mason, the original and remake of the “Beauty and the Beast” TV series, and will soon appear in Netflix’s “October Faction”.

William Morgan Sheppard was the miner named Gooshie. He just recently passed away on January 6th, 2019. He’s done lots of voice and character work. He was in the Doctor Who episode “The Impossible Astronaut” (with son Mark) and he appeared in “Star Trek: The Next Generation” as Dr. Ira Graves, “Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country” as the Klingon Commander, “Star Trek: Voyager” as Qatai and the 2009 movie “Star Trek” as a Vulcan Science Minister (uncredited).

Director/actor James Whitmore was the police captain and Don Bellisario was one of the miners, as well.

Ferdinand Carangelo played Ghee. He also played the Foreman in Sliders episode The Fire Within.

Al says he doesn’t know what Sam looks like when he leaps, but in Good Morning, Peoria he recognised when Sam was going to leap.

Al the Bartender was modeled after Donald P. Bellisario’s father Albert Bellisario. The photographs in the bar are of Al Bellisario, and the photograph under the end credits is of Al Bellisario holding a young Donald at an air show in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
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“Al’s Place” was also modeled after his father’s bar. The bar is possibly “The Foster House” in Belle Vernon, Pa, near Cokeburg.
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Kiss With History:

“Captain Z-Ro” is on TV in this episode. Although unlikely that it would be airing during this time period.

Whats Next?

This was the end of the Quantum Leap Rewatch. Next we’ll be discussing the single season of an 80’s time travel series, “Voyagers!”

Thanks:

We give thanks to some dedicated fan sights. For more information on Quantum Leap, please take the time to check out The Quantum Leap Wiki and Al’s Place.

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