In this weeks episode of The Quantum Leap Revival, Cory and Tom unlock the hidden room in their hearts as they discuss season 2 episode 6, Secret History.
Secret History:
Written by: Drew Lindo
Directed by: Pamela Romanowsky
Airdate: November 15, 2023
Synopsis:
Ben leaps in as Professor Henry McCoy, and is approached by a bleeding man named Professor Lawrence. The man falls and tells Ben that he was attacked because he was thought to have a formula with him, mentioning the word “pathfinder” before succumbing to his wounds.
The Project team discusses who is next up for hologram duty, noting that Magic has taken a rare personal day off, and Jenn winning in rock-paper-scissors. Ben’s signal suddenly comes through but just as quickly it disappears, with Ian receiving a text message from a woman who works for the people that gave them the secret quantum chip. She reminds Ian of the deal to collect data or they will continue to lock the chip.
Jenn jumps into the imaging chamber and meets up with Ben who is being questioned by the police. Jenn tells him he is in Princeton and it’s 1955. Ben realizes his personal hero Einstein is there, but Jenn tells him that he actually died earlier that year, but that it may be related to his reason for leaping in. The deceased Professor Lawrence seemingly wrote to Professor McCoy asking for his help in finding a missing secret formula that Einstein wrote, and Ben is shocked because he knows nothing about. Ben is approached by members of the Atomic Energy Commission, one of which is Hannah Carson, the waitress he met in a previous leap, asking for his help and explaining that Professor Lawrence said that he could be trusted.
Project head, Carl Donovan, explains how Einstein tried to solve the problems of nuclear fusion, which he apparently did, but his formula was thought to have died with him until Lawrence found a clue. Citing Soviet spies that are aware of their research, Donovan asks Ben for his help to which he agrees. Ben sees Hannah showing off her brilliance to a group of male researchers, working for Project Matterhorn, who don’t appreciate her talents due to her simply being a woman, and she tells Ben about a paper she is writing, which Donovan will help publish. Jenn explains that Hannah’s name doesn’t get published on anything, with Donovan taking the credit for her work instead. Ben asks her to help him, promising to share credit with her so that she can get the recognition and respect she deserves. She is taken aback by his generous offer, but suddenly sensing something, asks Ben if they’ve met before.
As the team discusses the possible butterfly effect from Ben solving nuclear fusion, Tom gets them on track by looking for the Soviet spies that could be at Princeton.
Ben and Hannah go to search Lawrence’s house, and they discover that someone else already did. Ben remembers the word “pathfinder" and finds a sketched clue hidden behind a picture, with the German word for solitude written on it. The picture tells Hannah where to look next, but Jenn tells Ben that because of that clue, Hanna dies later that night in a freak accident. Jenn suddenly leaves the imaging chamber, telling Addison and Tom that she has a mild security issue to attend to.
Tom, having gone to Princeton, suggests they search the second floor, but Addison won’t go in to tell him, trying to respect Ben’s wishes. With Ian and Jenn out of commission for the moment, Tom has to go in and meet Ben. Ben is acutely aware of who Tom is and refuses his help, but he explains that he knows of a secret room that could be the location of the formula. As Tom has trouble remembering the exact location, Ben suggests he and Hannah split up, leaving him and Tom to trade barbs. Hannah finds the source of the sketch, and after realizing the clock is running fast, they move the hands backwards to the correct time and the secret entrance is revealed.
As the two explore the room, finding Einstein’s notes, Tom reveals someone is coming up the stairs with a knife. Tom tells Ben how to deflect the knife but Ben responds that he isn’t a soldier and tries instead to close the door. The man makes it inside, knocking Hannah over and causing a lamp to fall and start a fire. Ben fights the man but he is overcome until Hannah knocks him out. As Ben checks his ID, naming him as Klaus Erikson, Tom says he isn’t sure that he is dealing with Russian spies. Returning to the project, they discover Klaus was eventually found guilty of Lawrence’s murder, and also had a nazi symbol tattooed on him. Tom tells them to research Operation Paperclip, where the US government recruited Nazi engineers and scientists to work for them.
Addison, having witnessed Ben and Tom’s discourse, most notably the mention of Tom’s late wife Kate, takes a moment to tell Tom he can talk about her. She says that he helped her with her grieving process about Ben, and she is glad to listen if he wants to talk now.
As Ben and Hannah study the journal, they find a passage in Greek that Hannah starts to decode. Tom quickly reveals that if she finishes the decoding, it will create a bomb capable of great destruction. Ben tells Hannah to stop but she is confused and suspicious. She starts to leave, but Ben stops her by calling out the name Agent Robert Cook, the man he previously leapt into and told her to come to Princeton. He explains how they met and how she said to say “see you later,” before revealing that he is a time traveler.
Tom reminds Ben that he’s violating protocol, but he tells Tom to leave him alone. Ben explains more of how it works and she believes him, saying that she recognized something inside. As they talk, she realizes that Ben is there for her and that Donovan doesn’t publish her work. Ben says he’ll trust her with Einstein’s secret, and she memorizes his work before burning it, and Ben leaves to talk with Donovan.
Ian goes to see Rachel and asks for her help, explaining that her boss is holding the project hostage. Despite the consequences that will occur, she agrees to help rewrite the quantum chip, because she loves them.
Back at the project, the team discovers that Donovan is actually one of the scientists relocated to the US under Operation Paperclip. As Ben talks with Donovan, Tom reveals his true identity as a Nazi. Unfortunately, Donovan has already sent someone to retrieve Hannah, knowing about her photographic memory, and threatens to kill him unless she recreates the formula.
Tom tells Ben how to disarm the man and a fight breaks out, with Hannah taking on a thug and Ben facing off against Donovan with fencing swords. Ben loses his sword and is at Donovan’s mercy, but Hannah quickly turns on a device which magnetically pulls the sword from Donovan’s hands, enabling Ben to knock him out.
Tom tells Ben that the Atomic Energy Commission finally recognizes Hannah’s work and publishes it under her name. Donavan and his co-conspirators go to prison, and Professor McCoy gets another medal. It’s then that Tom gets upset, seeing a tree that he and his wife used to sit under, returning to Addison and admitting that he missed his wife today.
Ian faces off against the woman who tried to blackmail them, and they refuse to give her what she wants. Jenn approaches as well, saying they know who she is, that everything is being recorded, and they will take their chances without their assistance keeping the chip online.
As Ben prepares to leap, he and Hannah talk. She wants to know one thing, his name, and Ben is fascinated that she wants to know that instead of any other possible question about the future. He tells her and she says how inevitable it is that they’ll meet again, before they kiss and Ben leaps.
Ziggy’s Data Retrieval:
Who is Ben?
Professor Henry McCoy
Where is Ben?
Princeton, New Jersey
When is Ben?
May 15th, 1955 (37 year leap back)
Closest Previous leaps-
S01E16 “Ben, Interrupted” 1954
S01E15 “Ben Song for the Defence” Queens, New York
Closet location to Sam Beckett-
S01E06 “Double Identity” Brooklyn, New York
S01E09 “Play it Again Seymour” New York City, New York
S02E01 “Honeymoon Express” New York
S02E05 “Blind Faith” New York City, New York
S02E21 “Sea Bride” Upper New York Bay
S03E04 “One Strobe Over the Line” New York City, New York
S03E10 “A Little Miracle” New York
S03E14 “Private Dancer” New York City, New York
S04E11 “The Play’s the Thing” New York City, New York
S04E18 “It’s a Wonderful Leap” New York City, New York
S05E14 “Dr. Ruth” Manhattan, New York
Closet time to Sam Beckett-
S01E07 “The Color of Truth” August 8, 1955 - Red Dog, Alabama
S05E08 “Trilogy: Part 1 (One Little Heart)” August 8, 1955 - Pottersville, Louisiana
Henry “Hank” McCoy is a Marvel X-Men character, better known as Beast.
Floriana Lima played the Blackmailer. She had a minor recurring role in the series Lethal Weapon, and a bigger recurring role in The CW’s Supergirl as Maggie Sawyer. She was a lead in the series The Family (a community is rattled when a politician's son, who was presumed murdered years ago, returns home), Allegiance (a rookie CIA analyst doesn't know that members of his family are part of a Russian sleeper cell), Poor Paul (Justin is annoyingly smart. Clyde is a neat freak alcoholic. Bonnie is Clyde's sister who kinda likes Paul. And Paul creates outrageous fantasies in order to escape life), and The Mob Doctor (a young surgeon becomes indebted to the South Chicago mafia and is forced to moonlight as a mob doctor, while also working full time at Chicago's most prominent hospital). She had a main supporting role in Cloudy With A Chance of Love (an academic in meteorology must decide between her new job as a popular weather girl and her pursuit of her PhD and fellowship. Is her handsome boss interested in her true self or just as a ticket to a network job in New York?). Most recently she was in several seasons of A Million Little Things (a group of friends becomes motivated to live fuller lives after the unexpected death of a close friend), and featured in season 2 of Netflix’s The Punisher.
Cullen Douglas played Donovan. He is mainly a character actor, with such titles to his name as Star Trek: Enterprise, ER, Castle, Bones, CSI, Six Feet Under, PrisonBreak, True Blood, Grey’s Anatomy, Agents of Shield, Twin Peaks, Barry, and the new Magnum PI. His longest role was a voice in Big Bag (Chelli the dog and his magic friend, Bag, have adventures in between animated shorts Troubles the Cat, Koki, Slim Pig, and Ace and Avery).
Unsung Hero: Uncredited
Kiss with History:
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