Trivia / Quantum Leap S 3 E 22 Shock Theater

• The Cast Showoff:
  • With Sam's personality shifting to former leapees, Scott Bakula essentially plays seven different characters in this episode.
  • Dean Stockwell shows off his rapping skills.
• What Could Have Been:
  • A version of the script posted online has some very noticeable differences compared to the filmed episode.
    • There's a mention of a previous patient of the asylum, one Tom Black, who Nurse Chatam had attempted to help on her own... only to wind up (apparently) causing him to slice his own throat. Butch uses this to keep her from informing Doctor Masters about Beederman getting shocked.
    • The Alphabet Rap scene is moved up in the plot, taking place before Sam wakes up as Jesse Tyler. This in turn means the "Tom Stratton" scene is non-existent.
    • For some unknown reason, when assuming the persona of Herbert "Magic" Williams, instead of being from 1970, Sam assumes he's in 1971, when he's been captured by the Vietcong as a POW (where, according to Ziggy, he is held until 1974). This is a major contradiction to how the rest of Sam's personas worked, as they appear to be from during the leaps Sam was involved in.
    • There's a different version of the scene with Verbina Beeks. Not only is she able to speak to Sam and be heard, but instead of Sam assuming Jimmy's persona on his own, Beeks and Al decide to hypnotize Sam into assuming the Jimmy persona, as he would be the most susceptible to the shock therapy Sam needed to fix his brain. In addition, we actually get to know what happens to Tibby after he gets out (thanks to Al teaching him how to read): he starts some of the first halfway houses in the state.
    • Not only that, but the ending is different: instead of leaping into a suburban town in 1945, Sam and Al leap into a nondescript home, where their situation is made apparent when Sam falls through a couch trying to sit on it, and Al walks into a wall when trying to go through it.