Quantum Leap: O Ye of Little Faith

Dr. Ben Song is a man of science, but he is about to leap into a man of faith: Father James Davenport, an exorcist, who failed to exorcise poor little Daisy Grey. At least that was what happened in the pre-Leap timeline. Fans will remember Dr. Sam Beckett maybe sort of had an encounter with Satan himself in the first classic Quantum Leap Halloween episode, “The Boogeyman—October 31, 1964.” Perhaps it will be Dr. Song turn in tonight’s episode of the Quantum Leap continuation series, “O Ye of Little Faith.”

As Dr. Song enters the Grey household, the nine in their address shifts, becoming an ominous “666,” which also happened at one point during “The Boogeyman.” Of course, Song does not believe in demons, so he is pretty darned shock to actually see the evil monster emerge from Daisy with his own eyes. Fortunately, he reads Latin, because he will have to navigate this leap almost entirely without the help of his fiancée and holographic guide, Addison Augustine, thanks to a mysterious “glitch” in the system.

Instead, Song (as Davenport) will rely on the assistance and counsel of Dr. Felix Watts. Naturally, the doctor scoffed at the notion of the supernatural—until he gets about fifteen minutes into this episode. However, he is rather impressed by the way Father Davenport tries to apply the scientific method.

“The Boogeyman” was a fan favorite episode, so it is cool to see the continuation series pay homage to it in little ways. However, it does not explore the same spiritual/metaphysical issues that episode raised. Of course, it has vastly superior special effects and it is still pretty creepy. It also leaves us with a bit of cliffhanger, but not one as significant as the one that ended “Salvationor Bust.”

Unfortunately, Ernie Hudson’s Magic Williams does not appear in this episode. Maybe it was nice for him to get a break, but the series always misses his hip, commanding presence. However, Chido Nwokocha is one of the continuation series’ best guest stars yet, as skeptical Dr. Watts. He and Song/Davenport work well together.

Leaping into the Depression-era offers the continuation series an opportunity to recreate more period sets and costumes, which look pretty good. Perhaps most importantly, it follows the original series’ tradition of Halloween episodes (“The Boogeyman” was so memorable, the horror-themed “Blood Moon—March 10, 1975” was later produced for the fifth and final season). Yet, “O Ye of Little Faith” is the first to both take place during and premiere on Halloween night. It definitely maintains the quality of the continuation series, so it is recommended for your post-trick-or-treating viewing tonight (10/31) on NBC.