Just got the complete series on Tuesday.
Always loved this show but didn't purchase it before because the US DVD releases have all the licensed music removed, which totally destroys the ambient feel of so many of the time periods Sam leaps to.
With this set they specifically said in the marketing that "the vast majority" of licensed music has been restored. Didn't know exactly what that meant, but I figured after all this time, this is as close as I'll probably get to a 100% restoration. And speaking of restoration, the original film looks fantastic as restored for blu-ray!
The future stuff, which I always wanted to see more of when the show aired, HORRIBLY dates the show the more of it I saw. The pilot is slooooooooow... Could have been 1 hour long instead of a two parter. But the last 15 minutes were totally worth it, as Sam realizes in his current time period his father (who died in '74) is still alive. So he calls him on the phone, posing as a distant relative, and spends time just talking to him about life and the difficulties of father/son relationships. With tears streaming down his face he whispers "I love you dad" just before hanging up the phone. (And I'm welling up right now!)
I'm such a sucker for father/son stories, and in that short 5-10 minute sequence I was reminded and reassured of why I love this series. The drama. Over the years I've really begun gravitating toward geek genre settings with a dramatic character focus in their stories. The Incredible Hulk, Farscape (well, roll the dice for drama each episode), Battlestar, The Walking Dead... all shows that I think will age well because of their dramatic character stories. And so far the same is true of Quantum Leap.
I can still see them finding their footing in these early season 1 eps. But I remember a bit of what's coming and can't wait to get there!
Always loved this show but didn't purchase it before because the US DVD releases have all the licensed music removed, which totally destroys the ambient feel of so many of the time periods Sam leaps to.
With this set they specifically said in the marketing that "the vast majority" of licensed music has been restored. Didn't know exactly what that meant, but I figured after all this time, this is as close as I'll probably get to a 100% restoration. And speaking of restoration, the original film looks fantastic as restored for blu-ray!
The future stuff, which I always wanted to see more of when the show aired, HORRIBLY dates the show the more of it I saw. The pilot is slooooooooow... Could have been 1 hour long instead of a two parter. But the last 15 minutes were totally worth it, as Sam realizes in his current time period his father (who died in '74) is still alive. So he calls him on the phone, posing as a distant relative, and spends time just talking to him about life and the difficulties of father/son relationships. With tears streaming down his face he whispers "I love you dad" just before hanging up the phone. (And I'm welling up right now!)
I'm such a sucker for father/son stories, and in that short 5-10 minute sequence I was reminded and reassured of why I love this series. The drama. Over the years I've really begun gravitating toward geek genre settings with a dramatic character focus in their stories. The Incredible Hulk, Farscape (well, roll the dice for drama each episode), Battlestar, The Walking Dead... all shows that I think will age well because of their dramatic character stories. And so far the same is true of Quantum Leap.
I can still see them finding their footing in these early season 1 eps. But I remember a bit of what's coming and can't wait to get there!