Warning: This article contains spoilers for Quantum Leap episode 6, "Like an Earthquake"
The cliffhanger ending to Quantum Leap season 1, episode 6 suggests that the 2022 revival is about to bring back Evil Al (Dean Stockwell) from the original show. Having successfully completed another leap, Dr. Ben Song (Raymond Lee) finds himself on the doorstep of a house on Halloween night, dressed like Max Von Sydow's character in The Exorcist. It quickly becomes clear that this isn't a Halloween costume, as a concerned nurse opens the door and welcomes the priest indoors to conduct an exorcism. As the door closes behind them, the number 9 on the door falls off its hook, changing the house number from 669 to 666 - the number associated with the Devil.
The original Quantum Leap previously introduced the Devil in season 3, episode 5, "The Boogieman". In that Halloween themed episode, Sam Beckett leaped into the body of a horror novelist and attempted to avert a series of fatal accidents. In the course of his investigations into the deaths, Sam came face to face with the Devil, masquerading as Al. The end of the episode suggests that his interaction with the Devil/Evil Al and the strange goings-on were just a dream. However, later episodes suggest that there was more to Sam's encounter, and it looks like Quantum Leap's new Halloween episode may further explore the questions raised by "The Boogieman".
Is Ben Song About To Dance With The Devil?
Quantum Leap's latest spooky episode will air on NBC on Halloween night, which is the perfect time for Ben's horror-tinged leap. The 2022 revival of Quantum Leap has demonstrated its literacy in the original show, so it wouldn't be surprising if Al's 2022 replacement, Addison also becomes one of the Devil's disguises over the course of the episode. The synopsis for the Halloween episode says that, like Sam's horror novelist, Ben's priest "delves into mysterious and inexplicable events." It's set to be a clash of science and the supernatural as Ben deploys his scientific knowledge to figure out a rational explanation for the spooky events.
It was suggested that the Devil and the strange events that Sam experienced in "The Boogieman" were a dream, but certain elements disprove this explanation. Most notably, Sam averts the first accident, saving a life. If the rest of the episode was all a dream, then it raises many questions about how Sam had precognition of the accident. Furthermore, the red flash of light that signifies the arrival of the Devil is later used to signify the arrival of Quantum Leap villains, the Evil Leapers. It might be that Ben's scientific findings may be similarly ambiguous and could impact upon the revival's larger mystery.
Is Quantum Leap About To Confirm Its Evil Leaper Link?
It's been theorized that the Evil Leapers were doing the work of the Devil during their appearances across three episodes of Quantum Leap's final season. The finale heavily implied that Sam Beckett's leaps were directed by God, which suggests that the Evil Leapers, who had malevolent reasons for their time travel, were being directed by the Devil. The 2022 revival revealed a mysterious quantum leaper, who Ben is apparently chasing through time in episode 5.
In "Like an Earthquake", the team back in the present-day discover more information about Richard Martinez, a US Marine and the mystery quantum leaper from episode 5. However, his employers and reasons for leaping still remain a mystery. This, combined with Ben's Halloween exorcism opens up the potential for the Evil Leapers to be re-introduced to Quantum Leap, finally confirming their links to the Devil himself.
Episodes of Quantum Leap release on NBC on Mondays at 10 PM ET. Episodes are available for exclusive streaming on Peacock the next day.