History Recap / QuantumLeapS3E02TheLeapHomePart2Vietnam

** [[invoked]] After Al explains he found out about the snapper attack from a story Maggie published after coming home from Vietnam, Sam decides to have her tag along on Operation Lazarus. His reasoning? Since he nor Al actually know how Tom dies on the mission, they can just pull from the story Maggie [[ForWantOfANail would inevitably write about]] ''[[ForWantOfANail that]]'' after she gets home. And just as the mission starts getting underway, Al informs Sam that he wasn't able to get any information... [[AuthorExistenceFailure because Maggie now dies before she could file such a story.]]

* AmbiguousSituation: It's not made ''exactly'' clear if Operation Lazarus was successful or not in the original timeline.

* FamousLastWords: "Pulitzer..."

** Maggie's FamousLastWords are spoken ''right'' when [[YouCanSeeMe she sees Al in her dying moment]]. Right as she does this, she drops her camera into Sam's hand...

* RetroactiveRecognition: Tia Carerra (Titi) and Patrick Warburton (Blaster).

* SpiritualSuccessor: While both parts of "The Leap Home" share themes with "M.I.A", this episode (out of the two) is the most a direct sequel to that episode. This episode sees someone flaunting the Project's rules in order to change one's personal history, someone being put at risk of dying in the line of fire, Al's history with Vietnam being a major plot point, and in turn [[SadisticChoice ultimately being forced to choose between getting Sam to change his future for the better, or helping him save someone else.]]

* SpiritualSuccessor: While both parts of "The Leap Home" share themes with "M.I.A", this episode (out of the two) is more a direct sequel to that episode. This episode sees someone flaunting the Project's rules in order to change one's personal history, someone being put at risk of dying in the line of fire, Al's history with Vietnam being a major plot point, and in turn [[SadisticChoice ultimately being forced to choose between getting Sam to change his future for the better, or helping him save someone else.]]

* SpiritualSuccessor: While both parts of "The Leap Home" share themes with "M.I.A", this episode is the most like a direct sequel to that episode. This episode sees someone flaunting the Project's rules in order to change one's personal history, someone being put at risk of dying in the line of fire, Al's history with Vietnam being a major plot point, and in turn [[SadisticChoice ultimately being forced to choose between getting Sam to change his future for the better, or helping him save someone else.]]

* DrowningMySorrows: After Operation Lazarus, Tom lived but Maggie died. Sam takes hit hard.

* MagicalNegro: Invoked - Tom’s unit started calling Herbert Walker “Magic” since the unit had not taken a single casualty since his arrival.

** While Maggie winds up being the only casualty, the mission going haywire because of the ambush ultimately means the POWs aren't able to be rescued... which means Al now doesn't get home from Vietnam until 1975.

** After Al explains he found out about the snapper attack from a story Maggie published after coming home from Vietnam, Sam decides to have her tag along on Operation Lazarus. His reasoning? Since he nor Al actually know how Tom dies on the mission, they can just pull from the story Maggie [[ForWantOfANail would inevitably write about]] ''[[ForWantOfANail that]]'' after she gets home. And just as the mission starts getting underway, Al informs Sam that he wasn't able to get any information... [[AuthorExistenceFailure because Maggie now dies before she could file such a story.]]

->'''Sam''': It was happening again, but not like it did the first time. Then, only Tom was killed. Now Maggie was joining him and only God know how many others. Maybe everyone on the chopper. Maybe I’d killed them all.

* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: Maggie says she’d sell her soul for a Pulitzer. While maybe not her soul, she does sell her body and ultimately pays for it with her life.

* ForWantOfANail: Originally, as he explained in "M.I.A.", Al got home from Vietnam by 1973. After Tom's death was prevented (at the cost of Maggie's life), and Sam realizes Al was in Maggie's last photo, Al remarks that "[he gets] repatriated in five years".[[note]]If you still don't get it, Al's rescue from Vietnam now gets delayed by two years.[[/note]]

* SequelGoesForeign: For the second half of the two-parter, Sam leaps into Vietnam.

* {{Foreshadowing}}: Maggie's FamousLastWords are spoken ''right'' when [[YouCanSeeMe she sees Al in her dying moment]]. Right as she does this, she drops her camera into Sam's hand...

* ForWantOfANail: Originally, Al got home from Vietnam by 1973. After Tom's death was prevented (at the cost of Maggie's life), and Sam realizes Al was in Maggie's last photo, Al remarks that "[he gets] repatriated in five years".[[note]]If you still don't get it, Al's rescue from Vietnam now gets delayed by two years.[[/note]]

Written by Donald P. Bellisario

Directed by Michael Zinberg

-->'''Tom''': (as Sam slams down a beer) ''You'' didn't kill her, Magic.

* ForWantOfANail: Originally, Al got home from Vietnam by 1973. After Sam realizes Al was in Maggie's last photo, Al remarks that "[he gets] repatriated in five years".[[note]]If you still don't get it, Al's rescue from Vietnam now gets delayed by two years.[[/note]]

* WhamLine: "It's April the 9th, and I'm still alive. Thanks to you, Little Brother."

-->'''Sam''': (plants bottle down) Well, she sure as hell didn't die the ''first time'' April 8, 1970 rolled around.

* InVinoVeritas: It's hard to tell if it was more the beer or his own grief, but when at the bar with the rest of Tom's squad following Maggie's death, Sam isn't really bothering sticking to TheMasquerade.

->'''Sam:''' I traded a life for a life.