In this weeks episode of The Quantum Leap Revival, Cory and Tom spy on their loved ones as they discuss season 2 episode 8, Nomad.
Nomad:
Written by: Dean Georgaris
Directed by: Chris Grismer
Airdate: December 12, 2023
Synopsis:
Ben finds himself as Michael Allison, a rookie spy traveling by camel near the pyramid of Giza in 1961. When asking his chauffeur to return to Cairo, he is told the direction to go and leaves on foot before getting a ride on a motorcycle. Upon arriving he meets with Shepard Barnes, Station Chief and CIA agent, they discuss his recent recon in Giza and upcoming covert meeting, leaving Ben to continue the espionage.
Meanwhile, Addison and Tom cook at home when Tom gets a call on the secure line, leaving Addison to search for spices and accidentally stumble across an engagement ring. Tom reports he has to head back to DC, but isn’t quite sure of the reason.
Addison meets with Ben in the past and gives him the details. In the original timeline, Michael never made contact with his source, and Addison warns Ben that this work is extremely serious and he should be prepared to deal with people who lie for a living.
She coaches Ben to follow a man, cautioning him to be careful as he is obviously being led away from people. Ben finds himself face to face with the man, but is caught unaware by someone from behind. Ben turns to see a woman who introduces herself as Layla Adelle, an egyptologist and guide to the hard to reach places of the area. She offers her knowledge of traitors in the US Embassy, and German and Soviet operations across the Middle East in exchange for getting safe passage out of the country to the United States.
Addison and Jenn investigate Layla, cross referencing her with a spy known as Nomad that was never caught, and they find a perfect match in their activity around the country.
Ben asks Barnes about Nomad but he immediately dismisses the spy as just being a myth, and refuses to believe it could be a woman as well. He tells Ben to bug her upcoming meeting so they can have hard, irrefutable evidence of their traitor. Ben and Addison discuss what to do next, but their attention is drawn away when they see Hannah walking across the lobby, there as part of the hotel’s International Convention of Applied Sciences. Hannah catches Ben staring at her and approaches him. She knows who he is and the two retire to her room to catch up.
Addison consults with Ian and Jenn to figure out why the accelerator keeps having Ben and Hannah meet, and Jenn reasons it may just be a two person leap.
Ben and Hannah reveal how much they missed each other, but Ben remembers he has a job to do and Hannah asks to help. Addison returns to explain how Hannah may be able to help, providing Ben with cover as a couple on their honeymoon. Ben bugs the shop and proceeds to a nearby cafe with Hannah, but Layla is directed to a different shop as safety for her contact. Addison finds a back entrance to the new location, but warns Ben not to be seen, and Hannah reveals she has a plan.
Ben sneaks in to see Layla with the embassy traitor, Palmer. Hannah barges in through the shop’s front door and makes a scene as a cheated tourist, giving Ben time to hand the bug off to Layla and leave without being seen. However, after returning back to the hotel, Layla shows up and demands he call it all off, thinking that Ben isn’t honorable because he didn’t follow her instructions to just photograph the meeting. Hannah comes to his defense and convinces Layla to continue with the operation.
Addison leaves, distressed, and tells Jenn that the accelerator keeps putting Ben and Hannah together because they’re in love.
Ben and Hannah kiss and they contemplate their situation and what will happen after Ben leaps. Hannah tells him that he’s a nomad, his only home is people and they keep meeting for a reason. Ben refuses to get more physically involved with her at that moment, not knowing when they will meet again, but it only makes Hannah love him more.
Addison talks with Magic about how she is happy, but still misses Ben and can’t understand how to deal with the situation. Magic tells her they have to live the life in front of them, not the hope of what may or may not happen. Addison tells Ben that she wants him to be happy and Ben says the same, admitting he likes Tom.
As they wait for Layla to make her getaway, she suddenly turns and leaves. Addison realizes her cover must have been blown, spotting some East German spies, and knows Barnes must have arrested Palmer, and blown Layla’s cover. Ben is angry and says he is going to find Layla, but Barnes says it’s too late as it’s been reported that she is dead. Ben reprimands Barnes, calling him a coward, then goes to Hannah to confess that he failed.
Ben and Hannah talk about what they should do now, with Hannah telling him he can still help people without traveling through time. She blames herself for messing up his leap, but he tells her to not think that way, explaining that he didn’t think of his leaping as a great adventure but more of a trial or curse.
The QL Team brainstorm ideas and Magic says they need to redouble their efforts to find a way to bring Ben home. Addison says maybe they should be happy for him instead, reasoning that 1961 is just Ben’s new life with Hannah. An Alarm from Ziggy signals otherwise.
Barnes calls Ben and tells him that new intel suggests that Layla is actually still alive and in hiding. Addison returns to say that Ben’s speech to Barnes changed the timeline, and with help from the project team they find a mosque where Layla is likely hiding.
Ben leads the enemy agents around the mosque, even defeating one of them with skills that Addison helped him with during earlier leaps. He finds Layla, and while she says she will be safe with friends, Ben tells her she’s not going to be safe now. Ben uses misdirection involving Hannah, and Layla gets away safely with Barnes in one of the agent’s cars.
Ben and Hannah share a moment, saying how they will miss each other. Ben tells her “see you later” and they kiss. Hannah makes him promise to find her next time, telling him she loves him, and he leaps.
Addison returns home to Tom, and he begins talking about their future together as he hands her a folder of documents he received in DC, saying it may be a way to bring Ben home.
Ziggy’s Data Retrieval:
Who is Ben?
Michael Allison
Where is Ben?
Cairo, Egypt
When is Ben?
1961 (269 year leap forward - new record)
Closest Previous Leaps-
S01E11 "Leap. Die. Repeat." September 12, 1962
In the episode, Addison remarks that Ben has never leaped outside of the country (USA) before, and he reminds her of:
S02E01 "This Took Too Long!" Russia
Ben has, in fact, leaped outside of the country on 2 other occasions:
S01E02 "Atlantis" Aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis
S01E14 "S.O.S." South China Sea
Closet location to Sam Beckett-
S04E20 "The Curse of Ptah-Hotep" Saqqara, Egypt
Closet time to Sam Beckett-
S01E08 "Camikazi Kid" June 6, 1961
S02E04 "What Price Gloria?" October 16, 1961
S03E16 "Southern Comforts" August 4, 1961
S04E02 "Play Ball" August 6, 1961
S04E07 "The Wrong Stuff" January 24, 1961
Azita Ghanizada played Layla. She was a political refugee and asylum seeker, now living in the USA. She founded the MENA Arts Advocacy Coalition (MAAC) to advocate on behalf of Middle Eastern North African (MENA) performers. Previously she had considered a career in politics, as well as international journalism. She was a lead in a 24 episode series called Alphas (Alphas is a science fiction drama focusing on a team that investigates people with supernatural abilities). Summer Glau guest stars in 4 episodes.
Barnes was played by Lou Diamond Phillips. Best known for his breakout role of Ritchie Valens in La Bamba, he’s had a long history of successful roles, including Stand and Deliver (the story of Jaime Escalante, a high school teacher who successfully inspired his dropout-prone students to learn calculus), Young Guns (a group of young gunmen, led by Billy the Kid, become deputies to avenge the murder of the rancher who became their benefactor. But when Billy takes their authority too far, they become the hunted), Stargate Universe (trapped on an Ancient spaceship billions of light-years from home, a group of soldiers and civilians struggle to survive and find their way back to Earth). More recently, he starred in Netflix’s Longmire series (based on the books), and Prodigal Son (Malcolm Bright, one of the best criminal psychologists around, uses his twisted genius to help the NYPD solve crimes). He’s also done a lot of voice work for children’s cartoons like Firebuds and Elena of Avalor, as well as the voice of Forge in several X-Men video games.
Unsung Hero: Damon Preston! Most of his credits are minor roles, however, this year he was the lead in a movie called A Date (desperate to make some fast cash, Tracy turns to becoming an escort. The money starts to come in as his life takes a dangerous turn. Inspired by true events). He was also in the final episode of Seaquest as a very minor uncredited character named “Lost Boy.”
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