Quantum Leap
Season 5, Episode 12:
A Tale Of Two Sweeties
Written by Robin Jill Bernheim
Directed by Christopher Hibler
Airdate: January 5, 1993
February 25, 1958
Sam Leaps into a bigamist named Martin "Marty" Elroy in Florida. According to Ziggy, Sam must decide which family he is going to keep.
Tropes
- All or Nothing: This is effectively how Sam settles Marty's gambling debt with Vic: Upon realizing there's a horse race on, he bets $2000 on Lead Balloon. And, luckily for Sam, that's the horse that wins.
- An Odd Place to Sleep: Per Sam's narration, he winds up having to sleep on a park bench outside after inadvertently ditching both of his families at the movies as a result of accidentally running into a very unhappy bookie.
- Anti-Role Model: Sam scolds Josh for stealing items from the maid's cart, only to learn that Marty explicitly taught him how to do it.
- Ask a Stupid Question...: "What's wrong?" "'What's wrong?!' Al, I'm a bigamist!"
- The Cavalry Arrives Late: When Sam gets the idea of asking Ziggy for the result of the horse race on TV, Al shoots that down by reminding him of his own rule about using the Project for personal gain. It's only after he manages to talk Jessica out of running away that Al decides to get Sam the winning horse after all... only to show up after Sam had picked the horse in question basically on a lark.
- Convenience Store Gift Shopping: A good indicator how how crappy Marty is as a father is when Sam is informed he had gotten Martin and Mary gifts... only to discover, as he roots through his bag, that he just knicked stuff from a hotel: A shoehorn from the Fiesta Hotelnote , and a disposable shower cap.
- Cutting the Knot: The second it becomes clear Jessica can see Sam and Al, Al quickly explains that her "dad" is actually in disguise, and he's his imaginary friend.
- Didn't See That Coming:
- Sam gets hit hard with this, as he is greeted by one family and then greeted by a second one immediately afterwards.
- In the end, Sam tells both wives the truth, with both of them dumping him and the mission a success. As Al tells Sam about how history has changed, they are gobsmacked to see a third family show up.
- Dramatic Irony:
- When Sam calls up "Big Al", and floats the idea of asking Ziggy for assistance betting on a horse race, Al bluntly shoots that down, pointing out that the Project has established rules against using future knowledge for personal gain.Sam: (hushed; annoyed) Well, what idiot made up that rule?!
- Purely on a lark, Sam decides to bet $2000 on a horse named "Lead Balloon". No points for guessing how that bet pans out.
- When Sam calls up "Big Al", and floats the idea of asking Ziggy for assistance betting on a horse race, Al bluntly shoots that down, pointing out that the Project has established rules against using future knowledge for personal gain.
- Exact Words: Early on, Al says Ziggy calculates a 75% chance of this leap ending with Marty having one wife and only one wife. Sam's ultimate solution is to get both wives to dump Marty, but the original calculation ends up being exactly right because of the aforementioned third wife that the group didn't know about.
- Faux Affably Evil: Vic makes a point of mentioning to Sam that he's a real sensitive guy while also all but threatening his life if he doesn't pay off "his" $2000 debt with him. He even gives Sam some popcorn money before he leaves.
- Fingore: Discussed: Vic's lackey, Gus, has penchant of breaking thumbs. Vic brings this up to Sam when he talks about how sensitive he is.
- The Gambling Addict: Marty's "hobby" is betting on the dog tracks. He even bought a greyhound, Tinkerbell, as "an investment".
- Gender Bender: The leap-in that closes out the episode sees Sam once again leap into a woman. The difference this time? He's taking part in a bra burning.
- Godzilla Threshold: Besides bigamy headaches, Sam also has to contend with Marty being in deep to a violent bookie. When his back's against the wall, he has to make a prediction about a horse race without concrete future knowledge and just hope it pans out. Luckily for him, it does.
- Heel–Face Turn: According Al, Marty eventually reforms his ways and writes a book about his experiences.
- Irony: A receptionist tells Rachel and Ellen they've got calls, with both of their last names being used. The two women find it amusing they share a last name and wonder if they're somehow related, all with Al quipping how close to the mark they are.
- Marry Them All: Sam has leaped into a bigamist, and his ultimate goal is to get his extra wives to leave him.
- "Not So Different" Remark: Once everything is out in the open, Rachel and Ellen find they have the exact same complaints about Marty (e.g. his behavior, money troubles).
- Not What It Looks Like: Upon seeing Josh getting upset about Jessica always getting her way, Sam tries to have a heart-to-heart with him about his frustrations. Josh just assumes his "dad" is trying to hit him up for cash yet again.Josh: Well, whenever we have a heart-to-heart, the next thing you do is you hit me up for cash.Sam: What?Josh: And you know I'm tapped out!
- Odd Friendship: Funnily enough, upon realizing Marty had been lying to the both of them, Ellen and Rachel get along like two peas in a pod.
- Oh, Crap!: It doesn't take long for Sam to realize the trouble he's gotten himself into this time: As soon as he leaps in, he's in an airport terminal, being greeted by his wife Ellen, and his kids Mary and Martin. He then gets called to the courtesy desk. And when he shows up, a blonde woman spins him around and kisses him. Specifically, this is Rachel... his other wife. Who has brought his other kids, Josh and Jessica.
- Phoning the Phantom:
- Inverted: Sam actually legitimately calls up the hair salon Rachel and Ellen are in to talk to Rachel, and he can still hear Al through the other end.
- When Sam finds himself trapped in a room with Vic and Gus, and with no other options, he decides to head over to a phone in the room and ring up "Big Al" for some help.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: It's suggested the real reason Sam leapt out at the end was because of the sudden discovery that Marty had a third family.
- Shout-Out: In-universe: Ellen's kids are revealed to be named Mary and Martin, because (per Al's explanation) "Peter Pan was big in the '50s".Al: That's your dog.
- Spanner in the Works: Opting to prioritize fixing Marty's marriage(s) before fixing his gambling debt, Sam independently arranges to have Ellen and Rachel meet him at a spot in the hotel at 6:00. However, what winds up being a hurdle in Sam's plan is that Vic decided he didn't want to wait the full 24 hours, and sequesters Sam off into a private room.
- Stealing from the Hotel: In addition to his "gifts" of a shoehorn and a shower cap, it turns out Marty had taken a bunch of towels and silverware from the Fiesta Hotel, and even a barf bag from the plane.
- Take a Third Option: Faced with choosing which family for Marty to stay with, Sam ultimately makes the decision to tell both of Marty's wives the truth. Naturally, they are both appalled and disgusted, and ultimately leave him. Then Sam learns that Marty had a third family, and he leaps out.
- Trapped by Gambling Debts: As it happens, Marty's in deep with a bookie, Vic, and needs to cough up $2000. Sam has the misfortune of learning this halfway through the episode, while at the movies with both families, and is told he has 24 hours to pay up.
- Two-Timer Date: For the entire episode. Sam must keep his leapee's two wives from meeting when they both show up to pick him up from the airport. It eventually turns into this trope literally when he winds up needing to take both of his families to the movies.
- Unspoken Plan Guarantee: As Al realizes to his annoyance, Sam independently realized he leapt in to blow apart Marty's bigamist lifestyle, and pointedly chose to not inform him. Sam's reasoning? "Would you have listened to me?"
- What the Hell, Hero?: Al is rather irritated that Sam didn't tell him about the Take a Third Option plan.
- You Can See Me?: Jessica is young enough to see Al. This ends up being important when she wants to run away because of her awful father and only Al can stop her.
- You Have GOT to Be Kidding Me!: According to Ziggy, Sam has to pick between Ellen and Rachel. And the odds for who he should pick? Exactly 50/50.
