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In this weeks episode of the Quantum Leap Rewatch, Cory and Tom stand in the face of evil and do the can-can as they discuss season 3 episodes 5 and 6, “Boogieman” and “Miss Deep South.”
Boogieman:
Sam leaps into horror novel writer Joshua Ray and immediately has a scare from his fiance Mary and their young friend Stevie that causes him to fall down the stairs, but does not sustain any serious injuries.
Sam fails to save Josh’s handyman Tully as he falls from a ladder, unbalanced by a goat that no one else seems to have seen. Adding to this terrible event is that the paper in Joshua’s typewriter which previously was a continuation of a book he was writing, now contains and extra paragraph detailing Tully’s death. The sheriff investigates, telling Sam that sometimes people die.
Al arrives to inform him that Sam is there to save Mary from being strangled later that night but Sam is distraught that he couldn’t save Tully and chastises Ziggy for not giving them that info.
Another local resident shows up to deliver some items but while alone in the kitchen she also ends up dead. After another new paragraph describing this new death appears on Josh’s typewriter, Al suggests Mary could be the killer. The two argue but Mary overhears Sam talking which leads to THEM arguing as a skull mysteriously flies off the shelf. Mary has an epileptic fit and is then hospitalized while she recovers.
As Sam is driving home a cat jumps up onto the front seat, freaking him out moments before he sees the goat appear yet again in the road, as does a costumed Stevie, resulting in Sam’s car crashing off the road.
Later at home he calls Mary’s room at the hospital but finds that she has already left with the sheriff. Sam rushes to intercept her but finds the sheriff’s car crashed with him dead inside it. He goes back home and Mary is there along with the supposedly dead sheriff. The sheriff suddenly changes form in a red flash to Al and the two square off as Sam realizes that this is not his best friend but the devil himself, angry that Sam has been putting right what HE put wrong. The two attack each other as they spin around ending with Sam falling to the ground and waking up just as he did at the start of the leap.
Surrounding him are Mary, Stevie, and Al who apologizes for not getting there sooner. He starts to tell Sam that he is there to save a man named Tully but Sam remembers this and rushes upstairs and manages to stop Tully from falling to his death, completing his mission and allowing him to leap.
Ziggy’s Data Retrieval:
Sheriff Ben Masters is played by Paul Linke. Is is from a previous episode of Quantum Leap, playing Lionel in Play it Again, Seymour. He was also the church Deacon in the Lois and Clark episodes Double Jeopardy and I Now Pronounce you… as well as Playing Ted Preminger in The Flash episode Honor Among Thieves.
The kind of vehicle Joshua Rey drives is a 1958 Plymouth Fury, just like in Stephen King’s novel “Christine”, which Joshua Rey mentions while talking to Stevie.
Joshua is the Hebrew form of Jesus and Rey means King in Spanish, so his name means “Jesus the King.”
This episode is the only time in the entire series that we see Scott Bakula and Dean Stockwell physically touch one another.
This episodes unsung hero (or perhaps, again, not-so unsung hero) is Chris Ruppenthal, the writer of this and 10 other episodes of Quantum Leap. He is also a producer on Quantum Leap and went on to produce Lois and Clark season 3, writing 6 episodes out of 22.
Kiss with History:
It is heavily implied that Stevie is in fact Stephen King with references to Cujo, Christine, Carrie and The Langoliers. Although Coventry doesn’t exist, King was born in Portland, Maine, and many of his books take place or reference the fictional town of Castle Rock, Maine.
If you’re a Stephen King fan, why not check out GSM’s new podcast Castle Rock Zone, an aftershow podcast for the upcoming series “Castle Rock”.
Miss Deep South:
Sam finds himself as Darlene Monte, a contestant in the Miss Deep South Beauty pageant, and he is tasked, according to Al, with winning 3rd place while also saving another contest named Connie from falling under the charms of a sleazy photographer and taking nude photos that will ruin her life.
Unfortunately Connie is desperate to make in Hollywood so when Clint suggests a private photo session she agrees, but soon finds herself in a tough situation as he suggests a little less clothing. Sam returned from pageant activities to find Connie feeling sorry and humiliated by the session.
Sam confronts Clint at the group photo session and convinces the pageant coordinator to check his film. Although she finds the nude photos, she suspends Connie and returns the film to Clint, due to her own similar experience with Clint from years before.
Meanwhile Clint has convinced Connie that he will return the pictures to her if she meets with him in his room for a different kind of private session but Sam intervenes and beats him up, reclaiming the photos and destroying them.
Sam however, can’t leap because he still needs to make sure that Darlene wins in the pageant. After an unexpected performance of Great Balls of Fire, Sam fails at winning third place but does in fact win first prize, allowing him to finally leap.
Ziggy’s Data Retrieval:
That episode of “Leave it to Beaver” hadn’t aired as of May 23rd, 1958.
Hugh Gillan plays the pageant judge. You may recognise him as Mayor Hubert from “Back to the Future III) but mostly he is typecast in sheriff, warden and police chief roles.
This episodes unsung hero is Teresa Ring. She was a spokesmodel on “Star Search”, but outside of that she only has 7 other acting credits on IMDb, including the movie “Dangerous Curves” starring Leslie Nielsen and Robert Stack. Check out the trailer below, but we also noticed how much the poster looks like the one for “License to Drive”.
Kiss with History:
Jerry Lee Lewis is set to play at the venue Sam is at, however, in May of 1958, Jerry Lee came under intense backlash from the public when it was revealed that his third wife was not only his cousin but she was also only 13 while he was 22.
Whats Next?
Next weeks episode discussions are “Black on White on Fire” and “The Great Spontini”.
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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