Diksha Sundriyal
NBC’s ‘Quantum Leap’ further complicates its plot with its latest episode with a crucial revelation at the end. In the previous episode, Janice had given the name of the person who convinced Ben to leap in the first place. This time, the team figures out the identity of that person. In the meantime, Ben finds himself in a leap that is closest to his timeline as of yet. Here, as well, it is the question of identity and Ben’s mission is very different from his previous leaps. It also turns out to be a very personal thing for one of the team members, which is what makes the impact of the ending so much more important to the storyline. Here’s what it means for Ben and his future leaps. SPOILERS AHEAD
Quantum Leap Episode 12 Recap
Ben leaps to 2012 into the body of a man named Carlos Mendez, who is the coach of a high school basketball team. The trouble is that the school administration and a lot of other people have a problem with his daughter, Gia, playing with the team. They believe that because she is trans, she shouldn’t be a part of the girls’ team. While Ben tries to understand how to handle these people and make them understand the point of view of Carlos and his family, he realizes that his main focus should be Gia.
Back at the headquarters, Jenn tracks down a woman named Dottie. This was the name that Janice gave to Addison in the hopes of helping the team understand why Ben decided to leap into the past, leaving his whole life behind. They discover that sometime before his leap, Ben had met with Dottie at a bar. They have CCTV footage to prove their meeting. However, when they ask Dottie about it, she claims not to remember a single thing about meeting Ben, or even anything that happened during that week.
Quantum Leap Episode 12 Ending: How did Ben Save Gia?
In all his previous missions, Ben’s task was to save the lives of the people in imminent danger. With Gia, things are a little more complex. The imminent danger this time is not to her life but to her dreams. If she runs away from home, there is a greater chance of her dying somewhere down the line. Ben needs to stop her from running away, but his mission this time around is so much more than that. He has to stop her dreams from dying because once she loses faith in them, no one can reverse the impact that will have on her.
It takes a little time for Ben but he understands that the problems that Gia faces cannot be resolved with his leap. These are the challenges that she will continue to face in the future, because there are many haters out there in the world, just like there will be many people who support her too. He tries to change the mindset of the school management and the parents of other children and struggles to make them understand why it’s important for Gia to be on the basketball team. Eventually, however, it becomes clear that his priority is Gia, how she feels, and what she wants from her life.
Her dream is to play basketball for her school team and take it to regionals. It’s a small thing, but this is what will encourage her to pursue her future dreams. For this, she needs the love, support, and understanding of her parents and her friends. That’s what Ben needs to do. So, in the end, he goes against the authorities and lets Gia play with her team which also supports her with all their hearts. On the day of the game, Gia finds that there are more people supporting her as compared to the ones still advocating against her. This motivates her to do her best in the game. Just when the team wins, Ben’s leap is finished and he moves on, having done his part.
Did Ian Leap Into Dottie?
The idea of time travel comes with its own possibilities of complicating the plot. ‘Quantum Leap’ previously teased this plot device with the introduction of Richard Martinez, aka Leaper X. The team tried to understand how and when he leaped. That mystery remains unresolved even now, and the revelation of another leaper through Dottie has further complicated the matters. What’s worse is that this time, the leaper is from the team itself. It’s Ian.
When Jenn and Magic meet Dottie and ask her about the meeting she had with Ben on March 12, Dottie is surprised and shocked. She asks them to meet with her later, after the poetry slam, where she performs an act that gives Magic the hint about her situation. He realizes that Dottie’s poem is about her being in her body, but also being someone else. This is a feeling that he is all too familiar with, which is why, it is he who picks up on this clue, not Jenn.
What happened is this. On the day that Dottie met Ben, someone had leaped into her body. So, the conversation didn’t actually take place between Ben and Dottie. It was her body, but someone else was possessing it and doing the talking on her behalf, which is why she neither remembers the conversation nor the meeting with Ben. She tells Magic that she has been dreaming about the person that had leaped into her (though she doesn’t quite understand or even know about the concept of leaping yet). She has been drawing their picture, and when she shows it to Magic, it turns out to be Ian.
Here’s what most probably happened. Sometime in the future, Ian leaped into Dottie and met with Ben. By then, many things must have become clear about why Ben leaped and what danger he needed to save Addison from. It can be assumed that the team, or at least Ian, must have understood why Ben needed to leap and why there is no other option besides this. So, Ian did their part and told Ben everything, even when they knew just how everything would play out with the team questioning and wondering about Ben’s decision. In any case, one thing is clear. Ian is going to leap sometime in the future, maybe even around the same time as Leaper X. We can also assume that by this time, Ben still hasn’t found his way home, or it would have been him leaping and warning himself of the impending future.
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