Quantum Leap/Lee Harvey Oswald

Lee Harvey Oswald
Season 5, Episode 1 & 2
Airdate	September 22, 1992
Production Number	68102
Written by	Donald P. Bellisario
Directed by	James Whitmore, Jr.
← 4x22 A Leap for Lisa	5x03 → Leaping of the Shrew
Quantum Leap — Season Five

Lee Harvey Oswald is the first and second episodes of the fifth season of Quantum Leap, and the seventy-sixth and seventy-seventh episodes overall.

Starring: Scott Bakula (Sam Beckett)

Starring: Dean Stockwell (The Observer)

Guest Starring: Reni Santoni (Sgt. Lopez), Willie Garson (Lee Harvey Oswald), Natasha Pavlova (Marina Oswald), Elya Baskin (Major Yuri Kosenko), Donna Magnani (Mariska), Dennis Wolfberg (Gushie)

Co-Starring: Michael Rich (Corp. McBride), Philip McNiven (PFC Briggs), Ward C. Boland (Lt. Obrigowitz), Rodney Kageyama (Joda), Patty Toy (Bar Girl), James Medina (Carlos), Chris Kinkade (New Orleans Policeman)

with Matthew Charles Nelson (Sgt. Bellisario), Erika Amato (Lt. Guri), Lazar (Guard), Nathan Lisle (Frazier), Becky London (Ruth Paine), Karen Ingram (Jackie Kennedy)

Uncredited: Deborah Pratt (Narrator)

Plot Overview

Sam is in an unusual circumstance when he finds himself leaping into various points of the life of Lee Harvey Oswald. To make the situation more complicated is that Sam finds his mind being taken over by Oswald as he leaps closer to the assassination of John F. Kennedy.

Notes

Leap Dates

• March 21st, 1963

• October 5th, 1957

• January 6th, 1959

• October 21st, 1959

• April 10th, 1963

• August 9th, 1963

• November 21st, 1963

• November 22nd, 1963

Locations

• Dallas, Texas (x4)

• Atsugi, Japan

• Tustin, California

• Moscow, Russia

• New Orleans, Louisiana

Arc Advancement

Happenings

• Sam's mind is sometimes fully consumed by Lee Harvey Oswald's and often at times has no control, leading Al to trying to tap into Sam's scientific knowledge (and later his own memory) to bring him back. Likewise, Oswald sometimes is fully consumed by Sam's mind. This mix up in minds is likely the reason for Sam's frequent leaps into his life, as they were trying to reunite.

• For only the second time, Sam leaps out of someone and into someone else at the next consecutive moment. However, Oswald seems to have no recollection and simply proceeds with his assassination without hesitation or confusion.

Referbacks

• Al recalls to Sam the time they were struck by lightning (Shock Theater) and switched places (The Leap Back).

Trivia

The Show

• This episode goes from the opening narration and into the main title theme. The opening credits then play over pictures of John F. Kennedy and Lee Harvey Oswald leading to the assassination. The closing credits then play over images of the subsequent funeral.

• First time Sam leaps into a real person. It's also the first time he alters a major historic event, as it's revealed that Jackie Kennedy was also killed in the JFK assassination.

• When Sam leaps in at January 6th, 1959, a soldier with a name tag reading Bellisario approaches him. This isn't a cute reference to series creator Donald P. Bellisario, but actual historically accurate, as Bellisario actually served with Lee Harvey Oswald while in the Marines.

• We see Sam leap out at the end of the episode, but there is no tag and therefore we never see who he leaps into after the secret service agent.

Behind the Scenes

• Bellisario was inspired to write this episode after his son saw the Oliver Stone film JFK, which carried the popular conspiracy theory that Oswald was a scapegoat. Having known Oswald, Bellisario says that he believes he could have easily conceived and executed the assassination by himself.

• While this episode picks up from the previous episode's tag, the scene plays out significantly different as it was reshot, including with a different actor playing Marina.

• Due to the number of leaps throughout, the production team chose to use flashes of negative exposures instead of the usual moray effect used for the leaps.