Quantum Leap
Season 3, Episode 22:
Shock Theater
Nurse Chapman: Butch... What are you doing?
Butch: (while prepping Sam for the shock) Dr. Masters wanted me to calm him down. So I'm gonna calm him down.
Written by Deborah Pratt
Directed by Joe Napolitano
Airdate: May 22, 1991
October 3, 1954
Moments after Sam leaps into a mental hospital, he is subjected to severe electroshock by a disgruntled orderly. With his memories scrambled, Sam’s personality begins to merge with people he has previously been during his journey through time. With his psyche mind fractured, Sam’s connection to Al begins to fade and Al must find a way to complete the leap's objective and restore Sam’s mind before he is lost forever.
Tropes:
- 20 Minutes into the Future: From the perspective of the doctors at the hospital, all of Sam's alternate personas are from the future. The closest Sam gets to acting like it's 1954 is when he's Jesse Tyler, and even then he's under the impression it's 1955.
- Ain't Too Proud to Beg: Right at the climax of the episode, Al is practically screaming for Sam to get the second shock.Al: (near tears; clasping the handlink tightly) DO IT!
- Ambiguous Situation: Downplayed: When Doctor Masters orders a second electroshock treatment for Sam, it's unsure if it's purely because Sam himself demanded to have one, or if it was fueled in part by Sam attacking him prior. He was noticeably on edge when he made the order.
- Arc Words: "No more shocks." While Sam’s mind keeps shifting through different personalities, he still recalls the trauma of his ECT session.
- Bedlam House: Averted – By the standards of the 1950s, Havenwell Hospital appears good. If not for an abusive orderly and a doctor with (somewhat) questionable motives, it would probably be above standard.
- Book Ends:
- The episode begins and ends with Sam getting an extreme dose of electroshock during a thunderstorm.
- To the season as a whole: the Cliffhanger at the end of the episode calls to mind a comment Al made back during the start of the season:Al: I'd give anything to have what you have, Sam. Anything.
- The Bus Came Back / The Cameo: Via Sam's reflections, Samantha Stormer, Jesse Tyler, and Jimmy LaMotta make return appearances in this episode.
- Call-Back: Sam takes on the personalities of several prior leapees and recounts some of the events of the related episodes.
- Cliffhanger: Lightning strikes just as Sam leaps, causing him and Al to switch places. Sam is now a hologram, while Al is in the past and wearing a World War II-era uniform.
- Continuity Snarl: While in the persona of Herbert "Magic" Williams, Sam rattles off his name, rank and serial number. The problem is that he says he’s a signalman first class, even though Al had told Sam that Magic was second class.
- Controllable Helplessness: Al is put through a particularly hard time in this episode as he sees Sam progressively deteriorate mentally following his electroshock, which is made worse when the Project begins to lose contact with Sam.
- Disproportionate Retribution: Why does Butch attempt to murder Sam Beederman with an unauthorized electroshock session at 200 volts? He took a swing at him.
- Double Take: While under the impression he's Jesse Tyler, Sam is subjected to some ink blot tests. When given the third one:Sam: (literally holds the paper up to his face) Well, this here is the subatomic structure of a quark. (incredulous) What the hell is a quark?!
- Educational Song: Al sets Tibby on the road to learning to read by teaching him his A-B-Cs, with an electronica/hip-hop jam.
- Electroconvulsive Therapy Is Torture: Zigzagged – While the process is not ordinarily torturous, Butch deliberately uses a lethal voltage amount in order to punish a patient that hit him.
- Everyone Has Standards: While Dr. Masters may seem a bit too enthusiastic over studying Sam's fractured mind, he's appalled to learn what Butch had done to Beederman.
- Failed a Spot Check: Averted in one respect during the observations. Dr. Masters notices that Al is a constant presence, despite the many different personalities. It's one of the things he finds fascinating about all this.
- Faux Affably Evil: The first act proper starts with Butch cheerfully wheeling Sam into the main holding area, whistling along the way... when just moments prior, he fried Sam's brain with 200 volts. He even displays a jovial attitude when threatening the other patients:Butch: See, everybody? Mr. Beederman's back. He's feeling much better now... Any more of you lunatics take a swing at me, you better believe I'll make sure you feel much better, too.
- Five-Second Foreshadowing: When Sam gets shocked for the second time, you see a bolt of lightning strike at the exact same moment. And when Sam leaps out, so does Al.
- Foreshadowing:
- Right after Sam wakes up from getting shocked at the start, he speaks in a higher tone of voice than normal.
- To the series as a whole – Sam merges minds with former leapees after receiving electroshock. This never happened prior in the series, though it happens again in Season 4 and more even often in Season 5. Some in the fandom have speculated that the Sam actually suffered brain damage from the ECT that allows mind merging to continue happening.
- Friendship Moment: Due to Sam's current state of mind, he has to be reminded who Al is.Sam: Who are you?
Al: I'm Al. I'm your buddy. I gave you your first break. And you're the only person that believed in me when I gave up believing in myself. You brought me on this project. - The Ghost: Due to the circumstances of the episode, we never see what Sam Beederman looks like.
- He's Back!: Subdued: The thing that confirms that Sam's brain was fixed at the end once leaping out of Havenwell? Sam recognizing Al.Al: (as Sam wakes up) Sam? (wipes away a tear) Sam, you okay?Sam: (quietly) Al?Al: (ecstatic) You okay?! Huh!Sam: (gets up) You must've leaped with me!Al: (relieved) Oh, we did it, Sam, we... (notices he's in a World War II uniform) Sam, what the hell am I doing in this uniform?
- Hiding the Handicap: After explaining that he was admitted to Havenwell as a child due to constant headachesnote , Tibby admits to Al that he still has those headaches. He just doesn't let anyone know anymore.
- Hope Spot:
- After Al does the Alphabet Rap, Sam (having been woken up by the commotion) comments "Rap music.", causing Al to assume that Sam's back to normal now. And then Sam calls himself "Tom Stratton".
- Implied: while Sam is asleep, he dreams of himself as a teenager, suggesting he's about to correct his identity problems... and then he abruptly dreams of being in the boxing ring, resulting in him waking up as Clarence "Kid" Cody.
- After Sam gets shocked for the second time, he and Al leap together, and when Sam stirs awake, it's clear the shock worked and Sam is fixed. Except, at the same time, Al is decked out in a World War II uniform... when that wasn't what he was wearing prior to the leap...
- Implausible Deniability: Right as Tibby is about to insist he sees Sam, Al makes a point of telling him to pretend he doesn't lest the hospital's staff does something to him. On a dime, Tibby proceeds to drop the matter entirely.Nurse Chatam: What is it, Tibby?Al: (quickly; cutting Tibby off) Don't you say anything! Or they're gonna put you in a hole so deep under this place, you'll never get out!Tibby: ... (cheerfully) Nothing, nevermind.
- Insistent Terminology: The doctors and nurses observing Sam question whether Al, who Sam keeps speaking to, is another personality. One of the doctors points out that an external personality would be a sign of schizophrenic, not someone with DPD.
- Jerkass Has a Point: After Nurse Chatham threatens to inform Dr. Masters about what Butch did if Sam's condition gets any worse, Butch points out that she had every opportunity to stop him from shocking Sam, but didn't (and even if she couldn't physically stop him, she still never told anyone what had happened despite having ample opportunity).Butch: It's too bad you didn't try to stop me...Nurse Chatham: I did try to stop you!Butch: But you didn't.Nurse Chatham: You could have killed him.Butch: We could have.
- Just in Time: Slight deconstruction: Sam managed to get his second shock right before the Project lost contact with him entirely, but as a result of the timing, he got shocked right as lightning struck the building, causing the Cliffhanger double-leap.
- Kick the Dog:
- It cannot be overstated: Sam picked the worst absolute moment to leap into a mental institution. And not only does Sam get 200 volts, he has to get a second bout of 200 volts in order to leap out.
- Not only does Butch tell Tibby that, because he hates him in particular, he keeps hurting Mr. Beederman, but outright states Tibby will be to blame if Beederman dies.
- Lightning Can Do Anything: A bolt of lighting hits just as Sam leaps, not only making Al leap with him, but swapping their places in time.
- Locked Out of the Loop: When Al catches up to Sam at the start of the episode, he has no idea that Sam went through electroshock until Sam himself says it. The closest Al got to realizing that on his own was noting how awful Sam looked in his bed.Al: I thought the guy in the Waiting Room looked bad, Sam, you look terrible...
- Loophole Abuse: While Sam normally only see Al when he's in the Imaging Chamber, Al demonstrates that he can have Sam see additional people merely by grabbing them. This is how we finally get introduced to Dr. Verbina Beeks.
- Loss of Identity: Combined with Continuity Cavalcade after Sam gets shocked: Throughout the episode, he cycles through the personalities of several people he had leapt into in the past, which causes massive problems back at the Project as they begin to lose contact with him.Dr. Masters: Who's Sam Beckett?Sam: (as Samantha) Oh... Just a boy I knew a long time ago...
- Mad Doctor: Greatly downplayed: Dr. Masters lets his interest in studying Sam's fracturing personality overshadow his duty to his patient, but never really crosses an ethical line. Averted completely when he finds out what Butch has been doing and comes down hard on him.
- Mood Whiplash:
- Right in the middle of doing ink blot tests as Jesse Tyler, seeing Butch again causes Sam to shift to Herbert Williams and begin freaking out under the assumption he's in a Vietcong ambush.
- Right after the Alphabet Rap, we get a Hope Spot of Sam possibly regaining his personality... only for it to turn out he woke up as Tom Stratton, leading to another instance of Al losing contact with Sam.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Nurse Chatham was present when Butch administered the original electroshock that caused Sam's personality problems, and yet did nothing to stop him. Possibly out of fear of repercussion for not being able to stop him, she doesn't tell the doctors what happened either. The guilt starts really getting to her the worse Sam gets, and reaches its peak when Sam is being prepped for another round of electroshock, and screams that he needs the same voltage Butch gave him before.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: In a manner of speaking, and in a self-reflective way: the reasons Sam comes up with for being in the mental institution after getting shocked are punching Buddy Wright (when he believes he's Samantha) and sitting at a whites-only lunch counter (when he believes he's Jesse). Both of these are actions Sam himself did in those previous leaps.
- Not What It Looks Like:
- As Samantha Stormer, Sam is under the impression he's in the mental asylum because "she" punched Buddy in the face.
- As Jesse Tyler, Sam believes he was sent to the "loony bin" because he, a colored individual, sat at a lunch counter.
- Upon abruptly shifting to Herbert "Magic" Williams, Sam assumes he's caught in the middle of a Vietcong ambush.
- Oh, Crap!:
- While Al was already taken aback from learning Sam was shocked, seeing Sam assume the personality of Samantha Stormer practically horrifies him.Al: (quietly) My God, they've... pushed you over the line.
- The second Nurse Chatham reveals to Dr. Masters that Butch shocked Sam without permission, his eyes bug out in the background.
- While Al was already taken aback from learning Sam was shocked, seeing Sam assume the personality of Samantha Stormer practically horrifies him.
- Orderlies are Creeps: Even worse than usual as Butch routinely abuses the patients of the mental hospital, both physically and psychologically.
- Race Against the Clock: This gets established into the plot in the second half: unless they get Sam to leap out soon, his constant changing of personalities is going to cause the Project to lose contact with him, potentially forever. In fact, when it comes time to get Sam his second shock, Al's connection with him is all but shot.
- Shout-Out: When Dr. Masters concludes that Sam is suffering from multiple personality disorder, Al notes to his annoyance that they think he's Sybil.
- The Silent Bob: Not by choice, mind you: Al brings Dr. Verbina Beeks into the Imaging Chamber with him in order to try and fix Sam's mental state, only Sam can't hear her.
- Stumbled Into the Plot: Variation: Sam leaps into Havenwell at the exact moment Butch straps Sam Beederman down to shock him.
- Tempting Fate: Early on, Al states that they need to keep Sam as far away from Dr. Masters as possible lest he get shocked again. Towards the end, with Sam's personality problems getting worse and the Project starting to lose contact with him, Al reveals that the only way to get Sam to leap out... is getting him shocked again.
- Trauma Button: Seeing Butch bring him some water abruptly causes Sam to shift from Jesse Tyler to Herbert "Magic" Williams, making him freak out and assume he's caught in the middle of an ambush.
- Wham Line: After Sam stirs awake from getting shocked at the start of the episode, he begins panicking and is on the verge of a breakdown, wanting to get out of the mental asylum. Dr. Masters is trying to see if Sam remembers who he is, while Al is trying to feed him information about who he lept into, Sam Beederman. Sam proceeds to snap at Al, stating that's not his name.Sam: I'm Sam... mantha. Stormer. Samantha Stormer.
- Wham Shot: After Sam manages to get a second dose of electroshock Just in Time, it (seemingly combined with a flash of lightning) causes Sam and Al to leap. One transition later, Sam and Al are in the middle of a random town, none the worse for wear... except Sam is in scrubs, while Al is in a World War II officer's uniform. Sam managed to catch on quick to what has happened, and asks Al to come to him. He attempts to pass through the park's cannon... only to be physically stopped by it. And then Sam phases through it...Sam and Al: ...ohhh boy.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: While it can be inferred that he was able to leave the asylum due to learning how to read, we don't learn more about Tibby's fate beyond that due to the plot focusing more on the Project losing contact with Sam in the last third of the episode. Similarly, we don't know what becomes of Sam Beederman.
- What You Are in the Dark: While Butch and Dr. Masters argue about Butch shocking Sam without supervision, Sam (as Jimmy) pleads with Nurse Chapman to give him another shock at 200 in order to "save Sam". And while she is very apprehensive about doing so, she does.
- Wrong Genre Savvy: One of the doctors observing Sam at the hospital assumes that the reason why Sam keeps shifting through personalities is because the electroshock treatment triggered some repressed childhood trauma in "Mr. Beederman", causing a mental floodgate to open. One of the other doctors immediately calls this into question once it's brought up; there's nothing in Beederman's files that suggests childhood trauma.
- You Can See Me?: As Al discovers, the residents at Havenwell Hospital can see him, Tibby in particularnote .Al: Oh, great. I'm tuned into little kids, I'm tuned into dogs, and now I'm tuned into the mentally absent. Why not blondes?
- Your Princess Is in Another Castle!: At first, it seems like getting Tibby to learn how to read is the reason why Sam is here, and if this is accomplished, Sam can leap out, and his brain could potentially get fixed. However, after Al teaches Tibby the Alphabet Rap, Sam remains in Havenwell Hospital.
- Doctor, I can't tell if I'm not me—"The Mind Electric", Miracle Musical
