Quantum Leap: Closure Encounters

When you are a time-traveler, it is a little harder to automatically dismiss UFO reports. Suddenly, Dr. Ben Song finds himself investigating those claims, as a Special Agent attached to Project Blue Book’s predecessor program. Frankly, Dr. Song would rather chase flying saucers than deal with his ex-fiancée and designated holographic guide Addison Augustine in “Closure Encounters,” this week’s episode of Quantum Leap, which premieres tomorrow night on NBC.

For Song, no time passed since his season one finale jump. For Augustine and the rest of the team, it has been three years. During that elapsed time, Augustine grieved, had a funeral for Song, and started seeing Tom Westfall, from DOD, who is now jointly overseeing the Quantum Leap project with “Magic” Williams (who is still totally cool). Song has not met Westfall yet, but he quickly deduced Augustine had moved on.

Normally, he would be more Scully than Mulder, but Song rather recklessly charges into this leap. He sympathizes with Carrie Baker, who claims her car was driven off the road by a UFO. Unfortunately, she will be railroaded for the mysterious injuries that rendered her friend and passenger, Melanie Hunt, comatose. He also likes her grandfather, Sheriff Woodrow Morgan, whose hands are largely tied by Hunt’s wealthy land-owning father.

Raymond Lee and Caitlin Bassett always had solid chemistry throughout the first season, so it is sad to see Song and Augustine on the outs, but their drama is very believable, given the extraordinary circumstances. Frankly, it is nice to see the goody-two-shoes Song start to develop a few cowboy tendencies. Louis Hertham is also a terrific guest-star, appealingly balancing sensitivity and manliness as Sheriff Morgan.

“Closure Encounters” is a good sf story holds both time-travel and UFO-lore implications. There might also be long-term developments for the ongoing storyline, but those details are embargoed—and not at all obvious from the events of this episode.

So far, season two has been more consistent than season one, with the with three installments ranging from good to very good. Highly recommended, the “Closure Encounters” episode of Quantum Leap airs tomorrow night (10/18) on NBC and streams the next day on Peacock.