Quantum Leap (TV Series) Lee Harvey Oswald - October 5, 1957 - November 22, 1963: Part 1 (1992) User Reviews

Well Done, but Definitely the Show's Jump the Shark Episode

[peacefrog-62091 · 7/10 · 28 September 2022]

The whole premise of Quantum Leap in the previous 4 seasons is that Sam would leap into normal, non-famous people with non-world altering problems.

Well this episode changes that, being the first of many season 5 episodes where he either leaps into a famous (or infamous in Oswald's case) or someone close to them. Elvis, Dr. Ruth and Marilyn Monroe will all be fair game after this.

Now don't get me wrong , this-two parter was well done and I appreciate Bellisario's rebuttal to Oliver Stone's JFK, which unfortunately many people took to be factual. And it is still good entertainment. But, it really was going too far, especially since the writers also added the aspect of Sam leaping uncontrollably between different times in Oswald's life, something that we were never made aware of was possible during the previous 4 seasons.

Much like the 3 part Happy Day's Episode "Hollywood" that gave birth to the Jump the Shark term, it definitely a must see, even if just to see where the show started to stray from it's original premise.

A response to Oliver Stone

[imdb-8160 · 9/10 · 5 April 2009]

This episode was essentially the producer's rebuttal to Oliver Stone's "JFK".

Where Stone pushed the idea that there was a conspiracy to kill JFK, Bellisario makes the argument that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone.

This is done by having Sam leap into Oswald's body in historical moments in Oswald's life. Unlike the usual premise of the show, where Sam is in control of the person he's lept into, here Oswald is still in control, and Sam is only along for the ride.

These historical moments, based on fact, including an encounter that Bellisario himself had with Oswald while both were in the Army, are depicted to show that Oswald's assassination of JFK was motivated by his long held political beliefs.

Going with. a. GRIM.FAIRY TALE

[jwpeel-1 · 4/10 · 25 May 2015]

This is the only Quantum Leap episode I absolutely hated. Keep in mind that I'm from Massachusetts, and someone who not only followed the history of the Kennedy family but a part of it. On four different occasions, I met Ted Kennedy, even worked on his presidential campaign and etc members of his family. In addition to that, I have been educating myself for years about the Kennedy assassination, and I know that Mr. Bellasario wrote this in answer to the movie JFK which has more facts than this one does.

The whole cartoonish picture of Lee Harvey Oswald is ridiculous and it is even likely that Oswald wasn't even in the Texas School Book Depository when the shots were fired.

But this is not about a history lesson or even rehashing that horrible day. This is just substandard writing and acting and direction for this series. It's best to pretend it never happened.

I felt that it was a waste of my time as it further backs up the Warren Commission's grim fairy tale of a lone assassin.

And the fact that Oswald was killed before the full truth could be told.says volumes here.