Quantum Leap (2022) s02e11 Episode Script
The Outsider
1
Previously on "Quantum Leap"
I was looking into our code,
and I found something wrong
with the quantum processing chip
that your boss built for me.
Gideon knows that there's a mole.
No, no, no. That's literally impossible.
Once he finds me, he finds you.
He finds everything.
Ian, it's good to see you.
Wow. Look at this place.
This is something.
"Dear Hannah, Josh has
a defect in his heart,
but they can fix it
before anything happens."
I just need some time.
The more time you spent in the past,
the farther apart things fell here.
This isn't about Ben.
When you take that time,
I think you'll come
to a different conclusion.
[CAR HORNS HONKING]
[PHONE RINGING]
Hello?
[DISTORTED VOICE] They know.
- They do?
- Of course, they do.
You talked to a suit
at Kaplan, didn't you?
Look, I told you
to keep your mouth shut.
I'm sorry, I-I
It's too late to be sorry, okay?
- People are gonna die now.
- Who?
- Who's going to die?
- I'm out.
Their blood is on your hands.
- [LINE CLICKS]
- Wait.
[FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING]
[KNOCKING]
We're gonna be late.
[SOFT DRAMATIC MUSIC]
- You checked the battery, right?
- The battery?
The camera battery.
God, where do I find you people?
Uh
The press. News.
- You're a reporter!
- You're not drunk, are you?
Because I had to fire my last producer
for drinking on the job.
No, no.
Uh, I'm still trying
to connect the dots here.
I think I just got off
the phone with a source.
It sounded important.
They said people are going to die.
Look, kid, everybody's got a tip,
and they all want me to report on it,
because they think I'm Connie Davis.
So you're not Connie Davis?
You know what I mean.
I'm not who I was in New York.
[SIGHS]
Don't mess this up for me. [SIGHS]
This is the biggest story
I've had in months.
I'm here at Rustic Roots Farm
with the winner
of this year's Denver
County Fair pumpkin contest.
Steve, exactly how big is your pumpkin?
Almost 1,000 pounds.
Good gourd, that's big. [LAUGHTER]
You could make 200 pumpkin pies.
Well, it sounds
like you two are gonna have
a lot of leftovers this Thanksgiving.
- That's true.
- [LAUGHS, COUGHS]
Now, now, Steve, I know our viewers
are dying to know, what can they do
to get results like yours?
I call it the three Ws:
a lot of working, a lot of waiting,
and a little weed killer.
Uh, let's take five.
The battery is low, so
sorry.
[SIGHS]
- That is a big pumpkin.
- Did it work?
- Did Hannah get my letter?
- She did.
Uh, they were able to catch
Josh's heart disease in time.
Oh, thank God.
I know I wasn't supposed to send it,
but I had to help.
I know that face.
Ben, I'm sorry.
Josh died in a car accident
a year later.
He died anyway?
You tried. These things, they
I need to call her.
Can you give me her number?
Uh
Please.
[HANDLINK CHIMES]
Uh, 415-174-5683.
- Thank you.
- Okay.
Can we please focus on the leap?
[CLAPS] Right. Connie Davis.
Okay, at the height of her career,
she was a trailblazing
journalist in New York City.
I mean, she was a legend.
Think Barbara Walters.
Until she was fired.
- Why?
- I don't know.
I mean, I guess it had
something to do with a source.
But whatever happened,
it basically ended her career.
- And now she does
- Pumpkins.
[LAUGHTER]
Okay, so all I have to do
is get Connie's career back on track.
- Shouldn't be too hard.
- A plump-kin?
[LAUGHS] You're killing me!
[LAUGHING] What?
[STONES CLACKING]
[CHUCKLES]
All I'm saying is that I developed
an advanced microprocessor.
That is my technology,
and I let Ian borrow it.
Now they won't give it back.
I mean, how would you like it
if someone just took your stuff?
I can tell you who doesn't like it
the Pentagon.
They think that my tech
is very valuable.
More valuable than, um,
all of you, I'm sorry to say.
You'll have to excuse me, Mr. Rydge,
but I'm playing catch-up here.
Oh.
Well, your employee, Ian Wright here,
stole my quantum chip,
threatened my representative,
turned a trusted
member of my team against me,
and then continued to use
my chip without my knowledge.
Or yours, it turns out.
Did I leave anything out, Ian?
[TENSE MUSIC]
No.
Great.
Well, now that we're all
on the same page
[GROANS]
I have meetings and lunches,
blah, blah, blah.
I trust you'll, uh, sort this out.
I will.
Oh, and, um, someone
from the Department of Defense
will be here tomorrow morning
just to, you know,
make sure that you do.
Magic.
Magic, I'm really sorry.
Go home.
Log out of every terminal
on your way out,
and don't say a word
to me or anyone else
until you speak to the DoD
representative tomorrow.
♪
I get that you're mad, but
Do you understand
what you two have done?
I do.
This time, there'll be consequences
that I can't protect you from.
Magic, I'm sorry, but we were just
Get out!
♪
[SIGHS]
[ORNAMENT CLATTERS]
You were really great out there.
Oh, save it.
I know you probably didn't sign up
to cover breaking pumpkin news.
To be honest, you are
so much better than that.
- I used to be.
- So get a better story.
What about the source that called me?
I told you to leave that source alone.
But this is your chance to remind people
who you really are.
This is who I am now.
Small stories, local news.
[SOFT DRAMATIC MUSIC]
Did you leave the tape in the van?
Sorry. Yeah, I'll grab it.
I know you're still new,
but you're gonna have to get it together
if you're gonna last around here.
♪
[EERIE RATTLING]
♪
Addison?
♪
[COINS JANGLING]
[LINE TRILLING]
[SIGHS]
- Hi.
- Hannah.
You've reached
the Nally residence.
Please leave a message
after the tone.
[LINE BEEPS]
[SOMBER MUSIC]
♪
She wasn't home, Addison.
Even if she was,
I wouldn't know what to say
hey.
What do you want, my wallet?
I want you to leave the story alone.
Honestly, I don't even know that much
[GUN CLICKS] About it!
[TENSE MUSIC]
- [GASPS]
- Next time, it won't be empty.
[GRUNTS]
[BODY THUDS]
♪
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
I told you to drop the story.
Believe me, I would if I could.
I get it.
You feel like you have
a calling to help people.
I used to think that way.
But trust me on this one,
no story is worth it.
- Ow!
- Ugh.
- Think I'll need stitches?
- You're fine.
What you need is whiskey.
Didn't you fire your last guy
for drinking on the job?
Eh, we're clocking out.
What are you two still doing here?
Nothing.
What the hell happened to you?
- I think we have a story
- A concussion.
He thinks he might have
a concussion, Davidson.
Yeah. He hit his head on a pumpkin.
And how the hell do you hit
your head on a pumpkin?
He tripped.
Mm-hmm, needs to be more careful,
or next time, it could be worse.
Okay, well, watch where you're walking.
Don't get any blood on the carpet.
That'll be my head.
Sorry, but that was for your own good.
Good for me or good for you?
What happened in New York, anyway?
Why'd you get fired?
Never mind about what happened.
[SOFT DRAMATIC MUSIC]
Look, after New York,
Davidson was the only one
who was willing to give me a job,
and I don't want to lose it.
But what if this is the next Watergate?
Every cub reporter wants a Watergate.
You want all the glory,
and you don't want
to do any of the work.
Well, rule number one
of journalism: do the work.
And in a few years, I don't know,
maybe you'll get your big story.
♪
See you tomorrow.
[ETHEREAL WHOOSH]
Why are you always covered in blood?
I don't know.
Okay, this is gonna be harder
than I thought.
Yeah, I know I'm here
to get her career back,
- but she doesn't want it.
- No, I meant you.
- Me?
- Mm-hmm.
I know that face,
and you are distracted.
[SIGHS] I'm doing my best, but
You're still thinking
about what happened to Josh.
Connie thinks this story isn't worth it.
Maybe this is the universe
telling me to stop trying.
Okay, I don't know about the universe,
but I am telling you
that you can't do that.
Come on. You're the best leaper I know.
- [SCOFFS]
- And it's your job
to remind Connie that she is
a damn good journalist.
Okay, Woodward, what do you
know about journalism?
First of all, I'm absolutely Bernstein.
And second of all,
if I wasn't doing this,
I'd totally be a journalist.
- Really?
- Absolutely.
I mean, putting it all
on the line to expose the truth
and fight for what's right?
Okay, you just need to get into it.
What did Connie say was rule number one?
- Do the work.
- Then let's get to work.
[ENERGETIC MUSIC]
All right.
[CLEARS THROAT] What do we know?
Not much,
but your mysterious source said
- you met with someone.
- A suit at Kaplan.
A suit works at a company, obviously.
But what kind of company?
It could be anything.
Could be a big corporation, a bank, a
A lawyer?
In 1982, Lloyd Kaplan was
a partner at Kaplan & Meyer.
He's one of the top
corporate lawyers in Denver.
Here, it says a couple
of days ago in my planner
that I met with someone
for lunch named Lloyd.
[SNAPS] That's it.
[LAUGHS]
♪
Okay.
What else do we know?
♪
Can't Ziggy do this part for us?
Mm, Ziggy has been scouring the Internet
for the lawyer's client list,
but it's spotty.
We're gonna have
to check the records manually.
Did you bring coffee
into the Imaging Chamber?
Yeah. It could be an all-nighter.
How come I never knew
you wanted to be a journalist?
It's before I met you.
I'm allowed to have secrets.
You still surprise me.
[TENDER MUSIC]
♪
Okay, uh, so how many news years
do we have on record?
- 35.
And how many do we have left
to go through?
[TIN CLATTERS]
It's gonna be an all-nighter.
Yeah.
[UPBEAT MUSIC]
Okay, I found three names
that come up alongside Kaplan
repeatedly over the past 35 years.
A marketing firm named Vivvid,
an electronics company called Allcom,
and an individual named Chet Barlowe.
Okay, I will look
into Vivvid and Allcom.
- Okay. I'll look up Chet.
- [LAUGHS]
Mm. Mm. I need more coffee.
Okay, but hurry back.
We've still got a lot of work to do
if we're gonna convince Connie
to get on board.
You got it, Woodward.
[CHUCKLES]
[COMPUTER BEEPING]
Hey, are you okay?
Ian?
They can't talk to you.
[SIGHS] Tom.
Hey, are you here to see me?
This is not a good time.
Ben is in the middle of a leap,
and Ian is about to get interrogated
by a representative from the DoD.
I'm the representative from the DoD.
[TENSE MUSIC]
Gideon Rydge sent you?
I'm sorry, isn't that some sort
of conflict of interest?
Is it?
I don't think he knows
where you and I stand.
Frankly, I don't think I do, either.
What I do know is that I got
a call at 3:00 in the morning
asking me to burn Quantum Leap
to the ground.
Tom, you have to help us.
[HANDLINK CHIMING]
[SIGHS] Sorry, Ben needs me.
I
[SOFT DRAMATIC MUSIC]
Go easy on Ian.
♪
Sorry, I ran into
Ben?
- Ben!
- [GASPS] Hey! Hey.
Hey, what happened?
- We were going over suspects.
- Oh. Right, right.
[CLEARS THROAT] So, uh,
our lawyer mostly
represents corporations,
so I figured this guy Chet
must be pretty important.
So it turns out he's a CEO
of a local company
called Herbicore, but I can't
find anything else on it.
Herbicore. I've never heard of it.
Ah, I've never heard of it
because in a few years,
they change their name to Agra United.
Agra United.
Why does that sound familiar?
They manufacture
agricultural pesticides.
They're just getting started in 1982,
but they are huge in the present.
Uh, do you know RootOut?
- The weed killer?
- Yeah, that's them.
Oh, my God.
What?
- Connie!
- Brian, did you sleep here?
I need to talk to you about the story.
You can't seriously still be
A few days ago, I met with
a lawyer from Kaplan & Meyer.
They represent Chet Barlowe,
CEO at Herbicore,
and they're about to go
to market with a weed killer
that's gonna kill a lot more
than just weeds.
You said rule number one
is to do the work.
I did the work.
Now I need your help to save
the lives of a lot of people.
Well, how many people
are we talking here?
Thousands.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
This is the Denver you know.
[BRIGHT MUSIC]
But this is the Denver I know.
Hi, I'm Chet Barlowe, CEO of Herbicore,
and this is my brother Robbie.
Nearly half of Denver is farmland,
so we started our company to make sure
that farmers like Joe
are well taken care of.
Because at Herbicore, we herbi-care.
Herbicore, we herbi-care ♪
This guy's never met
a camera he doesn't love.
Do you think Chet knows
his weed killer is dangerous?
Only one way to find out.
Does that mean you're in?
Don't get ahead of yourself.
I'm just asking some questions,
like how do you know all these
people are gonna get sick?
My, uh, source told me so.
It's just an estimate, but
my source is fairly confident
that over the next several decades,
this pesticide could cause
thousands of cancer cases.
Okay, who's your source?
Um, well, that's kind of a dead end.
Oh, brother, we're dealing
with a Deep Throat?
He called you on that pay phone, right?
Yeah, why?
Hmm.
[PHONE CLICKING]
Rule number two: there's
no such thing as a dead end.
Hi, Bill. It's Connie.
I need you to pull a number
from a pay phone.
Yesterday, in front
of the news station, 4:00.
And before you say you need a warrant,
I want you to know that
this isn't for a fluff piece.
It's important, Bill.
You're gonna help
to save a lot of lives.
That's why you became a cop, isn't it?
[SOFT DRAMATIC MUSIC]
I'll hold.
- She's good.
- Yep. 233.
Thank you, Bill.
You're an actual lifesaver.
- That was awesome.
- This is exciting.
Anyone could be on the other end.
[LINE TRILLING]
Thank you for calling Herbicore,
office of Robbie Barlowe.
How can I help you?
Okay, I was expecting anyone but him.
Can I speak with Robbie Barlowe?
Oh, I'm sorry.
He just stepped out to lunch.
- Can I take a message?
- Never mind. Thank you.
Wait, so our source is
the CEO's brother?
Didn't they found Herbicore together?
- Why all the secrecy?
- A whistleblower.
Knows their weed killer is no good,
but he's too scared to talk,
so he reaches out to a news station.
The only problem is,
if our source isn't willing
to go public, we don't have a story.
- We?
- Okay, slow down.
I'm just I'm talking about
one teensy little interview.
Well, we should go straight
to Herbicore.
So you can get pistol-whipped again?
Grab the phone book.
Let's get Herbicore's address.
There's only so many
lunch places nearby.
Good idea. I will pull all the
restaurants in a 2-mile radius.
How's the head?
Yeah, much better.
Does he speak?
He prefers to stay behind the camera.
♪
Okay. What are you two up to?
Nothing.
♪
Okay.
Uh, best we keep this between
the two of us until it's real.
- In case, you know
- New York. Got it.
Yeah.
Hey, Robbie Barlowe?
Do I know you?
Connie Davis, KXYC News.
♪
How did you find out it was me?
We have our ways.
You have a minute to talk?
- Strictly off the record.
- Why is that?
Who are you so afraid of?
[SIGHS] Who says I'm afraid?
Is it your brother?
- What do you want from me?
- Just the truth.
The truth is that we tested
a weed killer with glyphosate
on some local farmers
even though it produced
lung tumors in our lab mice.
Off the record.
Why didn't you pull
the product after you found out
about the tumors?
There was a memo that did the math,
and apparently pulling
the product is expensive.
It's cheaper to settle
with any potential victims.
Even if there are thousands of victims?
Look, this whole thing is killing me.
Oh, well, not literally though, right?
Because it might literally
be killing those farmers.
I tried to help you, okay?
But you went to the lawyer.
He tipped off my brother,
and now Chet knows
what you look like, which means
I can't be seen with you, or
Or what?
He has his ways.
Oh, Ski Mask. Yeah.
- Yeah, we met.
- I've seen people disappear.
Look, we tried, okay?
But you need a smoking gun.
Otherwise, Herbicrop gets EPA approval
on the first of the month,
and we go to market.
♪
I'm sorry.
No dead ends, right?
He's right. We need evidence.
Wait. Did he say "Herbicrop"?
They renamed the weed killer
to RootOut later. Why?
I know where we can get our evidence.
[TENSE MUSIC]
I knew I'd seen the name somewhere.
But this means
The farmer you interviewed is one
of the people who tested
Herbicore's weed killer.
We need to warn him.
Well, here's your chance.
- Hey!
- Oh, hey, you're back.
Yeah, to warn you
about your weed killer.
Herbicrop? I love that stuff.
How do you think I get
my pumpkins so big?
- [CHUCKLES]
- Is everything okay?
[COUGHING]
You need to get her lungs checked.
- Her lungs?
- Yeah, and yours.
Your weed killer has chemicals
in it that cause cancer.
So if you'd let us get a soil sample
Okay, hold on, you come here,
you start making wild accusations.
- We're not interested.
- Okay, Steve,
I'm gonna give you the number
to the best doctor in Denver,
so you can get Nancy checked out.
Can you do that?
♪
Yeah. I-I can yeah.
And we're gonna need a soil sample
for my friends at the police station,
so that this doesn't happen
to anyone else.
Is that all right?
Yeah.
Good.
Hey, everything's gonna be all right.
- Thanks.
- Thank you.
God, she's good.
- Ziggy's feeling optimistic.
- Good.
All right, so I sent Steve
and Nancy off to the doctor's.
Let's show this sample to Robbie.
I have a feeling
he'll be ready to talk now,
and we can turn this into a real story.
[LAUGHS PLAYFULLY]
[CHUCKLES] Oh, stop it.
[PAGER BEEPS]
Oh, that'll be Davidson. Mm.
Hey, uh, while you have him
on the phone,
tell him you have a lead.
Look at her.
This is what she is meant to be doing.
Yeah, kind of makes me feel
like I'm doing what I'm meant
to be doing.
[TENSE MUSIC]
There was a big accident downtown.
It's a big story,
and Davidson wants me to cover it.
- That's great.
- Yeah!
He said he saw how hard
we've been working
and thought I'm ready
to get back on the horse.
What? That's amazing!
I know! [LAUGHS]
[GENTLE UPLIFTING MUSIC]
Okay, then.
[SIREN WAILS]
[INDISTINCT RADIO CHATTER]
They don't know
what caused the explosion,
but apparently someone died.
And they found the remains
of a wallet and watch,
but everything else burned.
You know, actually,
let's set up right here.
- Okay.
- Okay. Ready?
- Uh-huh.
- Okay.
We'll grab this, and then
we'll get some interviews
on the street, see
if there were any witnesses.
Okay. And rolling.
This is Connie Davis with KXYC News.
A person died in downtown Denver today
after a car exploded in front
of the Park Terrace Hotel.
[OMINOUS MUSIC]
I'm sorry.
♪
Ben.
I'm standing in front of
what?
That's Robbie's car.
[TENSE MUSIC]
He's dead.
♪
This is Connie Davis
with KXYC News.
I'm standing in front of
what?
[SOMBER MUSIC]
He's dead.
I'm sorry, I
I can't do this again.
♪
[SIGHS]
So that's it?
That's it.
Why didn't you tell him about Herbicore?
If Chet killed Robbie,
we can do something about it.
- I'm done with that.
- But
This is not the first time
a source has died
because of me.
I got overzealous,
and I forced a guy to talk
before he was ready.
Anyway, he killed himself.
- That's what happened
- In New York.
I'm sorry.
I imagine it's been really hard
feeling like you're responsible
for someone's death.
Yeah, well, that's where
I learned rule number three.
What's rule number three?
Know when to quit.
[CRIES]
I don't want you to have
to learn the hard way,
so you're fired.
♪
Take care of yourself, kid.
♪
That's my official statement.
Everything that I did to bring Ben back.
- The truth.
- All of it?
Mm-hmm. I'm really, really sorry.
I just don't get it.
When I came to you about
those energy spikes,
why didn't you tell me then?
Because they had already
shut down the program
once before, and I was afraid
of losing Ben again.
Look, I understand you did what you felt
you had to do for your friend.
But it doesn't change
what I have to do now.
Are you are you firing me?
I don't have that authority.
But Gideon wants his pound of flesh,
and I have to recommend
where it comes from.
Look, I know that things are complicated
between you and Addison right now
That has nothing to do with this.
If they fire me, then
then they will not have the
code to bring Ben back home.
I'm sorry.
My hands are tied.
You know what?
I did leave something out.
The the part where I don't
regret anything that I did.
- I don't think that's wise.
- I don't care, okay?
I don't care what Gideon Rydge thinks.
I am so, so tired of feeling ashamed
for doing the right thing.
When they shut this program down,
everyone quit on Ben.
Everyone except for me.
Because I kept thinking,
"What if that were me out there?"
- Ian
- What if that were you?
How would you feel if everyone
that you love just quit on you?
Make sure to include all that
in my statement.
[SOFT DRAMATIC MUSIC]
♪
- [SLURPS]
- [SIGHS]
I see you graduated from coffee.
Yup.
I really wish
I wasn't a hologram right now.
I could use a drink.
I know that face.
Things are pretty bad at HQ right now.
And by the way, uh,
Tom and I got engaged.
- Oh.
- And then I got unengaged.
Oh.
It wasn't about you or anything.
I didn't I wasn't thinking
Good. Okay.
What happened?
I've been in reaction mode
for a long time.
First you leaped,
and I had to become your hologram.
And then you died,
and I had to deal with that.
And then it turned out
that you were still alive,
and I just lost all sense of purpose.
Like, I didn't know who I was anymore.
♪
And then it was obvious.
I came to Quantum Leap to help people.
That's who I am.
That's my purpose.
♪
Yeah, I thought that was my purpose too.
But in the end, I couldn't help Josh,
and I got Robbie killed, so
So you know,
you didn't get Robbie killed.
He died in the original timeline.
- What?
- Yeah.
According to Ziggy, uh,
Ski Mask scared your leap host
off the Herbicore story,
but Robbie still died
in a car explosion.
- [SIGHS]
- What?
It's, um, got me thinking
about something Robbie said.
He said he's seen people disappear.
After the explosion,
what did Connie say was left in his car?
A watch, a wallet.
Everything else burned.
- Why?
- It's almost as if Robbie
Disappeared.
[DEVICE BEEPING]
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
[DEVICE BEEPING]
[DEVICE BEEPING RAPIDLY]
Ben, that means
Our source is alive.
[LAUGHS]
I'm sorry.
I-I can't do this again.
- Hey.
- I thought I fired you.
That was when you thought
Robbie was dead.
He faked it to get away from Chet.
We still have a story.
Doesn't change anything.
Even if Robbie's still out there,
we don't know where he is.
We have nothing.
We have all that information
in the future.
We have you.
Connie, what happened in
New York was a terrible thing.
No, you don't understand.
I understand.
I know you want to give up on yourself,
but I can't let you do that.
Because this is your purpose.
[GENTLE STIRRING MUSIC]
Sometimes things don't go
the way we want them to.
People leave us.
People die.
But that doesn't mean you stop
trying to do the right thing.
This story is worth it, Connie.
You're worth it.
♪
Who taught you how to talk
to a source like that?
Connie Davis.
- Ever heard of her?
- Mm.
She was big in New York.
♪
Think she could make a comeback?
I hear she needs a producer.
So is this the end of Quantum Leap?
No.
I convinced Rydge
the program is worth saving.
- But
- Someone still has to go.
- Ah.
- The obvious choice is Ian.
They broke several federal laws,
lied to everyone, including you and me.
But
It can't be Ian.
We need them here
to work on the DARPA code
to bring Ben home.
But if it's not Ian, then
You're asking me to fire Jenn?
I'm asking you to do
what you think is right.
- I'm at a loss here.
- Ian and Jenn,
they stood by me
through my darkest days.
They're family to me, Tom.
There's no Quantum Leap without them.
I wish there were another way.
[KNOCKING]
How do you know that Robbie's here?
A B.R. Lowe is staying in room three,
flying out of Pueblo Memorial tomorrow.
I figured it's a pseudonym.
I have a hunch. [KNOCKING]
[QUIRKY MUSIC]
[FOOTSTEPS RUSTLING]
Aw, crap.
Okay, you're good.
You're good,
and if your cop friend proves
the soil sample is positive
for the compounds
that caused the tumors in our lab mice,
you might have something.
But, oh, it's risky.
He's right.
We still need undeniable proof
that Chet knows Herbicrop is dangerous
and plans to sell it anyway.
- We need a smoking gun.
- What?
At the café,
you said we need a smoking gun.
You have it, don't you?
I can't give it to you.
The memo.
The memo that says
it was cheaper to settle
with the victims than pull the product.
I can't give it to you.
I don't have a copy.
- But Chet does, doesn't he?
- You don't get it.
It doesn't just have
Chet's signature on it.
It has mine too.
He's gonna go down with Chet.
[SOFT DRAMATIC MUSIC]
♪
Robbie.
Look, I'm not gonna push you
to do anything
that you don't want to do.
But I have a feeling
that no matter how far you run,
you're never gonna be able
to run away from yourself.
♪
It's in the safe in his office.
♪
Davidson, I have a story.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
How long can you keep him talking?
Chet loves the spotlight
15, 20 minutes.
Is that enough time?
You do your job, I'll do mine.
Any last-minute advice?
Rule number four:
get the hell out of there alive.
♪
- Connie Davis?
- Chet.
Hi, big fan of your work in New York.
I was sad to hear they let you go.
- Well, I'm here now.
- [CHUCKLES]
My condolences about your brother.
You must be heartbroken.
Yeah, it was a tragedy.
Completely unexpected.
Well, life can be that way.
Just the other day,
my producer Brian suddenly quit.
Really?
Says he doesn't have the stomach for it.
Something must have spooked him.
- Hmm.
- Well, not to worry.
You're in good hands with Davidson.
- Please.
- Oh, yeah.
[LOCK BEEPS]
Oh, there it is.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
All right.
[LAUGHS] Okay.
- Jenn, we're in.
- Just show me the safe.
[COMPUTER BEEPS] Nice.
I just need a serial number.
- Uh, 37, Alpha, Zulu, 4, 3, 2.
- Got it.
It's a Guardlock 300.
It was recalled in '83.
Design flaw, faulty spring!
You just need to leverage the door.
Okay, well, what do you mean,
"leverage the door"?
Go analog.
Just smack it real hard above the dial.
Jenn says we need to smack it
real hard above the dial.
What?
Hey. Uh, Jenn, are you sure
[GRUNTS]
♪
[LAUGHS]
Oh, Jenn, what would we do without you?
I mean, what'd you expect?
There it is, two signatures,
just like Robbie said.
Yes. Okay.
- Let's get out of here.
- Thought Robbie was dead.
♪
When his key card lit up in my machine,
thought it must be malfunctioning.
Almost didn't recognize you
without your ski mask.
But I recognize your voice and your gun.
This time [GUN CLICKS]
It's loaded.
♪
Come on. Hand it over.
Can't do that.
You're really gonna risk your life
for a piece of paper?
Guess it's a standoff.
It's not a standoff
if only one of us has a gun.
Well, I have something
more dangerous than a gun.
- You do?
- A camera.
And right now,
it's pointing at your boss.
But the other day, I had it set up
in the news station garage
where it caught you
putting on a ski mask,
threatening a KXYC producer.
You caught that on camera?
You definitely didn't
get that on camera.
Try me.
If I don't walk out of here,
Connie Davis has instructions
to run that story,
and the headline is your name
Uh, full name, Wyatt Lee Smith.
Wyatt Lee Smith.
How do you know my name?
I'm a journalist, Wyatt.
I know everything about you.
Okay, there's not much
on the Internet about him,
but his mother is a registered member
of the Denver Backgammon League.
So unless you want your mom
seeing your face on the news
after her backgammon game tonight
I suggest you lower your gun.
[CHUCKLES QUIETLY]
[GRUNTS]
- [EXHALES]
- Okay.
That's not what Woodward would
have done, but I'll take that.
And that's how we got our start.
You know, it wasn't easy,
but then again,
nothing worth doing is ever easy, is it?
[LAUGHS] No, it isn't, Chet.
Um.
Well, I think that's all
the time that we have.
Oh. Flew by.
Well, the camera loves you.
[BOTH CHUCKLING]
[HANDLINK CHIMES]
You did it.
The EPA gets the memo
and the soil sample,
and Herbicrop never goes to market.
Which means RootOut never exists,
which means none of
those people get sick.
And get this
Robbie starts working for the EPA.
[CHUCKLES] What about Connie?
Uh, Connie [HANDLINK CHIRPS]
What?
See for yourself.
Actually, Chet, I have
one more question for you.
- Oh, my pleasure.
- What is she doing?
That's not part of the plan.
- Her job.
I want to ask you about Herbicrop.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
Oh, Herbicrop.
It's a brand-new general-use pesticide,
pending EPA approval.
Safe for every crop, every season.
A little birdie told me Herbicrop
is the secret behind
Denver's biggest pumpkin.
[CHUCKLES] Guilty as charged.
[LAUGHS] What an ironic turn of phrase.
Have you met the farmer?
I haven't had an opportunity just yet,
but as we like to say around here,
when it comes to farmers, we herbi-care.
Mm, do you herbi-care
that your product likely
gave his wife lung cancer?
- I'm sorry?
- Oh, you didn't know?
I could have sworn it was
your signature on a memo
that said that Herbicrop is dangerous,
but you plan to go to market anyway.
- It's you.
- It's always me.
Thank you.
[UPLIFTING MUSIC]
♪
I'd like to read this memo aloud.
No, no, no. You can't do that.
Wait a minute.
"From the desk
of Chet Barlowe, May 2nd, 1981.
Regarding solid mass tumors
caused by Herbicrop"
I mean, while the title
is incriminating enough,
it gets better.
"We acknowledge that the toxic
particulate concentrations
"found inside Herbicrop are
at levels significant enough
to potentially cause
serious human tissue damage"
[ETHEREAL WHOOSHING]
I'm Connie Davis, KXYC News.
Sounds like a happy ending.
You're leaving.
How'd it go?
[SIGHS]
Magic has a choice to make.
[SOMBER MUSIC]
So do you.
♪
I'm sorry, Tom.
♪
Me too.
You know what's funny?
Working with time travel
has made me believe in fate.
What what do you mean?
Well, think about it.
We started dating because you lost Ben.
Then Ian found Ben, and I ended up here.
I think we were meant to be together,
and I think we were meant to break up.
♪
[SNIFFLES] Tom.
♪
[SIGHS]
You take care of yourself.
You too.
♪
And you bring Ben home.
You wanted to talk?
Gideon Rydge has agreed
to drop all charges.
He's letting Quantum Leap
use his chip provisionally.
[GASPS] Really?
- Magic, that's great.
- It was Tom.
He did everything he could for us.
Unfortunately,
somebody has to take the fall
for what happened.
There's nothing I can do about that.
Wait. If you're firing Ian
I can't fire Ian.
We need them to bring Ben home.
So then
it's me.
I know your heart was
in the right place.
I'm sorry I have to do this,
but Gideon Rydge wants a head
on a platter.
♪
So I'm giving him mine.
♪
What?
♪
Effective immediately,
I'm resigning from Quantum Leap.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
♪
Previously on "Quantum Leap"
I was looking into our code,
and I found something wrong
with the quantum processing chip
that your boss built for me.
Gideon knows that there's a mole.
No, no, no. That's literally impossible.
Once he finds me, he finds you.
He finds everything.
Ian, it's good to see you.
Wow. Look at this place.
This is something.
"Dear Hannah, Josh has
a defect in his heart,
but they can fix it
before anything happens."
I just need some time.
The more time you spent in the past,
the farther apart things fell here.
This isn't about Ben.
When you take that time,
I think you'll come
to a different conclusion.
[CAR HORNS HONKING]
[PHONE RINGING]
Hello?
[DISTORTED VOICE] They know.
- They do?
- Of course, they do.
You talked to a suit
at Kaplan, didn't you?
Look, I told you
to keep your mouth shut.
I'm sorry, I-I
It's too late to be sorry, okay?
- People are gonna die now.
- Who?
- Who's going to die?
- I'm out.
Their blood is on your hands.
- [LINE CLICKS]
- Wait.
[FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING]
[KNOCKING]
We're gonna be late.
[SOFT DRAMATIC MUSIC]
- You checked the battery, right?
- The battery?
The camera battery.
God, where do I find you people?
Uh
The press. News.
- You're a reporter!
- You're not drunk, are you?
Because I had to fire my last producer
for drinking on the job.
No, no.
Uh, I'm still trying
to connect the dots here.
I think I just got off
the phone with a source.
It sounded important.
They said people are going to die.
Look, kid, everybody's got a tip,
and they all want me to report on it,
because they think I'm Connie Davis.
So you're not Connie Davis?
You know what I mean.
I'm not who I was in New York.
[SIGHS]
Don't mess this up for me. [SIGHS]
This is the biggest story
I've had in months.
I'm here at Rustic Roots Farm
with the winner
of this year's Denver
County Fair pumpkin contest.
Steve, exactly how big is your pumpkin?
Almost 1,000 pounds.
Good gourd, that's big. [LAUGHTER]
You could make 200 pumpkin pies.
Well, it sounds
like you two are gonna have
a lot of leftovers this Thanksgiving.
- That's true.
- [LAUGHS, COUGHS]
Now, now, Steve, I know our viewers
are dying to know, what can they do
to get results like yours?
I call it the three Ws:
a lot of working, a lot of waiting,
and a little weed killer.
Uh, let's take five.
The battery is low, so
sorry.
[SIGHS]
- That is a big pumpkin.
- Did it work?
- Did Hannah get my letter?
- She did.
Uh, they were able to catch
Josh's heart disease in time.
Oh, thank God.
I know I wasn't supposed to send it,
but I had to help.
I know that face.
Ben, I'm sorry.
Josh died in a car accident
a year later.
He died anyway?
You tried. These things, they
I need to call her.
Can you give me her number?
Uh
Please.
[HANDLINK CHIMES]
Uh, 415-174-5683.
- Thank you.
- Okay.
Can we please focus on the leap?
[CLAPS] Right. Connie Davis.
Okay, at the height of her career,
she was a trailblazing
journalist in New York City.
I mean, she was a legend.
Think Barbara Walters.
Until she was fired.
- Why?
- I don't know.
I mean, I guess it had
something to do with a source.
But whatever happened,
it basically ended her career.
- And now she does
- Pumpkins.
[LAUGHTER]
Okay, so all I have to do
is get Connie's career back on track.
- Shouldn't be too hard.
- A plump-kin?
[LAUGHS] You're killing me!
[LAUGHING] What?
[STONES CLACKING]
[CHUCKLES]
All I'm saying is that I developed
an advanced microprocessor.
That is my technology,
and I let Ian borrow it.
Now they won't give it back.
I mean, how would you like it
if someone just took your stuff?
I can tell you who doesn't like it
the Pentagon.
They think that my tech
is very valuable.
More valuable than, um,
all of you, I'm sorry to say.
You'll have to excuse me, Mr. Rydge,
but I'm playing catch-up here.
Oh.
Well, your employee, Ian Wright here,
stole my quantum chip,
threatened my representative,
turned a trusted
member of my team against me,
and then continued to use
my chip without my knowledge.
Or yours, it turns out.
Did I leave anything out, Ian?
[TENSE MUSIC]
No.
Great.
Well, now that we're all
on the same page
[GROANS]
I have meetings and lunches,
blah, blah, blah.
I trust you'll, uh, sort this out.
I will.
Oh, and, um, someone
from the Department of Defense
will be here tomorrow morning
just to, you know,
make sure that you do.
Magic.
Magic, I'm really sorry.
Go home.
Log out of every terminal
on your way out,
and don't say a word
to me or anyone else
until you speak to the DoD
representative tomorrow.
♪
I get that you're mad, but
Do you understand
what you two have done?
I do.
This time, there'll be consequences
that I can't protect you from.
Magic, I'm sorry, but we were just
Get out!
♪
[SIGHS]
[ORNAMENT CLATTERS]
You were really great out there.
Oh, save it.
I know you probably didn't sign up
to cover breaking pumpkin news.
To be honest, you are
so much better than that.
- I used to be.
- So get a better story.
What about the source that called me?
I told you to leave that source alone.
But this is your chance to remind people
who you really are.
This is who I am now.
Small stories, local news.
[SOFT DRAMATIC MUSIC]
Did you leave the tape in the van?
Sorry. Yeah, I'll grab it.
I know you're still new,
but you're gonna have to get it together
if you're gonna last around here.
♪
[EERIE RATTLING]
♪
Addison?
♪
[COINS JANGLING]
[LINE TRILLING]
[SIGHS]
- Hi.
- Hannah.
You've reached
the Nally residence.
Please leave a message
after the tone.
[LINE BEEPS]
[SOMBER MUSIC]
♪
She wasn't home, Addison.
Even if she was,
I wouldn't know what to say
hey.
What do you want, my wallet?
I want you to leave the story alone.
Honestly, I don't even know that much
[GUN CLICKS] About it!
[TENSE MUSIC]
- [GASPS]
- Next time, it won't be empty.
[GRUNTS]
[BODY THUDS]
♪
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
I told you to drop the story.
Believe me, I would if I could.
I get it.
You feel like you have
a calling to help people.
I used to think that way.
But trust me on this one,
no story is worth it.
- Ow!
- Ugh.
- Think I'll need stitches?
- You're fine.
What you need is whiskey.
Didn't you fire your last guy
for drinking on the job?
Eh, we're clocking out.
What are you two still doing here?
Nothing.
What the hell happened to you?
- I think we have a story
- A concussion.
He thinks he might have
a concussion, Davidson.
Yeah. He hit his head on a pumpkin.
And how the hell do you hit
your head on a pumpkin?
He tripped.
Mm-hmm, needs to be more careful,
or next time, it could be worse.
Okay, well, watch where you're walking.
Don't get any blood on the carpet.
That'll be my head.
Sorry, but that was for your own good.
Good for me or good for you?
What happened in New York, anyway?
Why'd you get fired?
Never mind about what happened.
[SOFT DRAMATIC MUSIC]
Look, after New York,
Davidson was the only one
who was willing to give me a job,
and I don't want to lose it.
But what if this is the next Watergate?
Every cub reporter wants a Watergate.
You want all the glory,
and you don't want
to do any of the work.
Well, rule number one
of journalism: do the work.
And in a few years, I don't know,
maybe you'll get your big story.
♪
See you tomorrow.
[ETHEREAL WHOOSH]
Why are you always covered in blood?
I don't know.
Okay, this is gonna be harder
than I thought.
Yeah, I know I'm here
to get her career back,
- but she doesn't want it.
- No, I meant you.
- Me?
- Mm-hmm.
I know that face,
and you are distracted.
[SIGHS] I'm doing my best, but
You're still thinking
about what happened to Josh.
Connie thinks this story isn't worth it.
Maybe this is the universe
telling me to stop trying.
Okay, I don't know about the universe,
but I am telling you
that you can't do that.
Come on. You're the best leaper I know.
- [SCOFFS]
- And it's your job
to remind Connie that she is
a damn good journalist.
Okay, Woodward, what do you
know about journalism?
First of all, I'm absolutely Bernstein.
And second of all,
if I wasn't doing this,
I'd totally be a journalist.
- Really?
- Absolutely.
I mean, putting it all
on the line to expose the truth
and fight for what's right?
Okay, you just need to get into it.
What did Connie say was rule number one?
- Do the work.
- Then let's get to work.
[ENERGETIC MUSIC]
All right.
[CLEARS THROAT] What do we know?
Not much,
but your mysterious source said
- you met with someone.
- A suit at Kaplan.
A suit works at a company, obviously.
But what kind of company?
It could be anything.
Could be a big corporation, a bank, a
A lawyer?
In 1982, Lloyd Kaplan was
a partner at Kaplan & Meyer.
He's one of the top
corporate lawyers in Denver.
Here, it says a couple
of days ago in my planner
that I met with someone
for lunch named Lloyd.
[SNAPS] That's it.
[LAUGHS]
♪
Okay.
What else do we know?
♪
Can't Ziggy do this part for us?
Mm, Ziggy has been scouring the Internet
for the lawyer's client list,
but it's spotty.
We're gonna have
to check the records manually.
Did you bring coffee
into the Imaging Chamber?
Yeah. It could be an all-nighter.
How come I never knew
you wanted to be a journalist?
It's before I met you.
I'm allowed to have secrets.
You still surprise me.
[TENDER MUSIC]
♪
Okay, uh, so how many news years
do we have on record?
- 35.
And how many do we have left
to go through?
[TIN CLATTERS]
It's gonna be an all-nighter.
Yeah.
[UPBEAT MUSIC]
Okay, I found three names
that come up alongside Kaplan
repeatedly over the past 35 years.
A marketing firm named Vivvid,
an electronics company called Allcom,
and an individual named Chet Barlowe.
Okay, I will look
into Vivvid and Allcom.
- Okay. I'll look up Chet.
- [LAUGHS]
Mm. Mm. I need more coffee.
Okay, but hurry back.
We've still got a lot of work to do
if we're gonna convince Connie
to get on board.
You got it, Woodward.
[CHUCKLES]
[COMPUTER BEEPING]
Hey, are you okay?
Ian?
They can't talk to you.
[SIGHS] Tom.
Hey, are you here to see me?
This is not a good time.
Ben is in the middle of a leap,
and Ian is about to get interrogated
by a representative from the DoD.
I'm the representative from the DoD.
[TENSE MUSIC]
Gideon Rydge sent you?
I'm sorry, isn't that some sort
of conflict of interest?
Is it?
I don't think he knows
where you and I stand.
Frankly, I don't think I do, either.
What I do know is that I got
a call at 3:00 in the morning
asking me to burn Quantum Leap
to the ground.
Tom, you have to help us.
[HANDLINK CHIMING]
[SIGHS] Sorry, Ben needs me.
I
[SOFT DRAMATIC MUSIC]
Go easy on Ian.
♪
Sorry, I ran into
Ben?
- Ben!
- [GASPS] Hey! Hey.
Hey, what happened?
- We were going over suspects.
- Oh. Right, right.
[CLEARS THROAT] So, uh,
our lawyer mostly
represents corporations,
so I figured this guy Chet
must be pretty important.
So it turns out he's a CEO
of a local company
called Herbicore, but I can't
find anything else on it.
Herbicore. I've never heard of it.
Ah, I've never heard of it
because in a few years,
they change their name to Agra United.
Agra United.
Why does that sound familiar?
They manufacture
agricultural pesticides.
They're just getting started in 1982,
but they are huge in the present.
Uh, do you know RootOut?
- The weed killer?
- Yeah, that's them.
Oh, my God.
What?
- Connie!
- Brian, did you sleep here?
I need to talk to you about the story.
You can't seriously still be
A few days ago, I met with
a lawyer from Kaplan & Meyer.
They represent Chet Barlowe,
CEO at Herbicore,
and they're about to go
to market with a weed killer
that's gonna kill a lot more
than just weeds.
You said rule number one
is to do the work.
I did the work.
Now I need your help to save
the lives of a lot of people.
Well, how many people
are we talking here?
Thousands.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
This is the Denver you know.
[BRIGHT MUSIC]
But this is the Denver I know.
Hi, I'm Chet Barlowe, CEO of Herbicore,
and this is my brother Robbie.
Nearly half of Denver is farmland,
so we started our company to make sure
that farmers like Joe
are well taken care of.
Because at Herbicore, we herbi-care.
Herbicore, we herbi-care ♪
This guy's never met
a camera he doesn't love.
Do you think Chet knows
his weed killer is dangerous?
Only one way to find out.
Does that mean you're in?
Don't get ahead of yourself.
I'm just asking some questions,
like how do you know all these
people are gonna get sick?
My, uh, source told me so.
It's just an estimate, but
my source is fairly confident
that over the next several decades,
this pesticide could cause
thousands of cancer cases.
Okay, who's your source?
Um, well, that's kind of a dead end.
Oh, brother, we're dealing
with a Deep Throat?
He called you on that pay phone, right?
Yeah, why?
Hmm.
[PHONE CLICKING]
Rule number two: there's
no such thing as a dead end.
Hi, Bill. It's Connie.
I need you to pull a number
from a pay phone.
Yesterday, in front
of the news station, 4:00.
And before you say you need a warrant,
I want you to know that
this isn't for a fluff piece.
It's important, Bill.
You're gonna help
to save a lot of lives.
That's why you became a cop, isn't it?
[SOFT DRAMATIC MUSIC]
I'll hold.
- She's good.
- Yep. 233.
Thank you, Bill.
You're an actual lifesaver.
- That was awesome.
- This is exciting.
Anyone could be on the other end.
[LINE TRILLING]
Thank you for calling Herbicore,
office of Robbie Barlowe.
How can I help you?
Okay, I was expecting anyone but him.
Can I speak with Robbie Barlowe?
Oh, I'm sorry.
He just stepped out to lunch.
- Can I take a message?
- Never mind. Thank you.
Wait, so our source is
the CEO's brother?
Didn't they found Herbicore together?
- Why all the secrecy?
- A whistleblower.
Knows their weed killer is no good,
but he's too scared to talk,
so he reaches out to a news station.
The only problem is,
if our source isn't willing
to go public, we don't have a story.
- We?
- Okay, slow down.
I'm just I'm talking about
one teensy little interview.
Well, we should go straight
to Herbicore.
So you can get pistol-whipped again?
Grab the phone book.
Let's get Herbicore's address.
There's only so many
lunch places nearby.
Good idea. I will pull all the
restaurants in a 2-mile radius.
How's the head?
Yeah, much better.
Does he speak?
He prefers to stay behind the camera.
♪
Okay. What are you two up to?
Nothing.
♪
Okay.
Uh, best we keep this between
the two of us until it's real.
- In case, you know
- New York. Got it.
Yeah.
Hey, Robbie Barlowe?
Do I know you?
Connie Davis, KXYC News.
♪
How did you find out it was me?
We have our ways.
You have a minute to talk?
- Strictly off the record.
- Why is that?
Who are you so afraid of?
[SIGHS] Who says I'm afraid?
Is it your brother?
- What do you want from me?
- Just the truth.
The truth is that we tested
a weed killer with glyphosate
on some local farmers
even though it produced
lung tumors in our lab mice.
Off the record.
Why didn't you pull
the product after you found out
about the tumors?
There was a memo that did the math,
and apparently pulling
the product is expensive.
It's cheaper to settle
with any potential victims.
Even if there are thousands of victims?
Look, this whole thing is killing me.
Oh, well, not literally though, right?
Because it might literally
be killing those farmers.
I tried to help you, okay?
But you went to the lawyer.
He tipped off my brother,
and now Chet knows
what you look like, which means
I can't be seen with you, or
Or what?
He has his ways.
Oh, Ski Mask. Yeah.
- Yeah, we met.
- I've seen people disappear.
Look, we tried, okay?
But you need a smoking gun.
Otherwise, Herbicrop gets EPA approval
on the first of the month,
and we go to market.
♪
I'm sorry.
No dead ends, right?
He's right. We need evidence.
Wait. Did he say "Herbicrop"?
They renamed the weed killer
to RootOut later. Why?
I know where we can get our evidence.
[TENSE MUSIC]
I knew I'd seen the name somewhere.
But this means
The farmer you interviewed is one
of the people who tested
Herbicore's weed killer.
We need to warn him.
Well, here's your chance.
- Hey!
- Oh, hey, you're back.
Yeah, to warn you
about your weed killer.
Herbicrop? I love that stuff.
How do you think I get
my pumpkins so big?
- [CHUCKLES]
- Is everything okay?
[COUGHING]
You need to get her lungs checked.
- Her lungs?
- Yeah, and yours.
Your weed killer has chemicals
in it that cause cancer.
So if you'd let us get a soil sample
Okay, hold on, you come here,
you start making wild accusations.
- We're not interested.
- Okay, Steve,
I'm gonna give you the number
to the best doctor in Denver,
so you can get Nancy checked out.
Can you do that?
♪
Yeah. I-I can yeah.
And we're gonna need a soil sample
for my friends at the police station,
so that this doesn't happen
to anyone else.
Is that all right?
Yeah.
Good.
Hey, everything's gonna be all right.
- Thanks.
- Thank you.
God, she's good.
- Ziggy's feeling optimistic.
- Good.
All right, so I sent Steve
and Nancy off to the doctor's.
Let's show this sample to Robbie.
I have a feeling
he'll be ready to talk now,
and we can turn this into a real story.
[LAUGHS PLAYFULLY]
[CHUCKLES] Oh, stop it.
[PAGER BEEPS]
Oh, that'll be Davidson. Mm.
Hey, uh, while you have him
on the phone,
tell him you have a lead.
Look at her.
This is what she is meant to be doing.
Yeah, kind of makes me feel
like I'm doing what I'm meant
to be doing.
[TENSE MUSIC]
There was a big accident downtown.
It's a big story,
and Davidson wants me to cover it.
- That's great.
- Yeah!
He said he saw how hard
we've been working
and thought I'm ready
to get back on the horse.
What? That's amazing!
I know! [LAUGHS]
[GENTLE UPLIFTING MUSIC]
Okay, then.
[SIREN WAILS]
[INDISTINCT RADIO CHATTER]
They don't know
what caused the explosion,
but apparently someone died.
And they found the remains
of a wallet and watch,
but everything else burned.
You know, actually,
let's set up right here.
- Okay.
- Okay. Ready?
- Uh-huh.
- Okay.
We'll grab this, and then
we'll get some interviews
on the street, see
if there were any witnesses.
Okay. And rolling.
This is Connie Davis with KXYC News.
A person died in downtown Denver today
after a car exploded in front
of the Park Terrace Hotel.
[OMINOUS MUSIC]
I'm sorry.
♪
Ben.
I'm standing in front of
what?
That's Robbie's car.
[TENSE MUSIC]
He's dead.
♪
This is Connie Davis
with KXYC News.
I'm standing in front of
what?
[SOMBER MUSIC]
He's dead.
I'm sorry, I
I can't do this again.
♪
[SIGHS]
So that's it?
That's it.
Why didn't you tell him about Herbicore?
If Chet killed Robbie,
we can do something about it.
- I'm done with that.
- But
This is not the first time
a source has died
because of me.
I got overzealous,
and I forced a guy to talk
before he was ready.
Anyway, he killed himself.
- That's what happened
- In New York.
I'm sorry.
I imagine it's been really hard
feeling like you're responsible
for someone's death.
Yeah, well, that's where
I learned rule number three.
What's rule number three?
Know when to quit.
[CRIES]
I don't want you to have
to learn the hard way,
so you're fired.
♪
Take care of yourself, kid.
♪
That's my official statement.
Everything that I did to bring Ben back.
- The truth.
- All of it?
Mm-hmm. I'm really, really sorry.
I just don't get it.
When I came to you about
those energy spikes,
why didn't you tell me then?
Because they had already
shut down the program
once before, and I was afraid
of losing Ben again.
Look, I understand you did what you felt
you had to do for your friend.
But it doesn't change
what I have to do now.
Are you are you firing me?
I don't have that authority.
But Gideon wants his pound of flesh,
and I have to recommend
where it comes from.
Look, I know that things are complicated
between you and Addison right now
That has nothing to do with this.
If they fire me, then
then they will not have the
code to bring Ben back home.
I'm sorry.
My hands are tied.
You know what?
I did leave something out.
The the part where I don't
regret anything that I did.
- I don't think that's wise.
- I don't care, okay?
I don't care what Gideon Rydge thinks.
I am so, so tired of feeling ashamed
for doing the right thing.
When they shut this program down,
everyone quit on Ben.
Everyone except for me.
Because I kept thinking,
"What if that were me out there?"
- Ian
- What if that were you?
How would you feel if everyone
that you love just quit on you?
Make sure to include all that
in my statement.
[SOFT DRAMATIC MUSIC]
♪
- [SLURPS]
- [SIGHS]
I see you graduated from coffee.
Yup.
I really wish
I wasn't a hologram right now.
I could use a drink.
I know that face.
Things are pretty bad at HQ right now.
And by the way, uh,
Tom and I got engaged.
- Oh.
- And then I got unengaged.
Oh.
It wasn't about you or anything.
I didn't I wasn't thinking
Good. Okay.
What happened?
I've been in reaction mode
for a long time.
First you leaped,
and I had to become your hologram.
And then you died,
and I had to deal with that.
And then it turned out
that you were still alive,
and I just lost all sense of purpose.
Like, I didn't know who I was anymore.
♪
And then it was obvious.
I came to Quantum Leap to help people.
That's who I am.
That's my purpose.
♪
Yeah, I thought that was my purpose too.
But in the end, I couldn't help Josh,
and I got Robbie killed, so
So you know,
you didn't get Robbie killed.
He died in the original timeline.
- What?
- Yeah.
According to Ziggy, uh,
Ski Mask scared your leap host
off the Herbicore story,
but Robbie still died
in a car explosion.
- [SIGHS]
- What?
It's, um, got me thinking
about something Robbie said.
He said he's seen people disappear.
After the explosion,
what did Connie say was left in his car?
A watch, a wallet.
Everything else burned.
- Why?
- It's almost as if Robbie
Disappeared.
[DEVICE BEEPING]
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
[DEVICE BEEPING]
[DEVICE BEEPING RAPIDLY]
Ben, that means
Our source is alive.
[LAUGHS]
I'm sorry.
I-I can't do this again.
- Hey.
- I thought I fired you.
That was when you thought
Robbie was dead.
He faked it to get away from Chet.
We still have a story.
Doesn't change anything.
Even if Robbie's still out there,
we don't know where he is.
We have nothing.
We have all that information
in the future.
We have you.
Connie, what happened in
New York was a terrible thing.
No, you don't understand.
I understand.
I know you want to give up on yourself,
but I can't let you do that.
Because this is your purpose.
[GENTLE STIRRING MUSIC]
Sometimes things don't go
the way we want them to.
People leave us.
People die.
But that doesn't mean you stop
trying to do the right thing.
This story is worth it, Connie.
You're worth it.
♪
Who taught you how to talk
to a source like that?
Connie Davis.
- Ever heard of her?
- Mm.
She was big in New York.
♪
Think she could make a comeback?
I hear she needs a producer.
So is this the end of Quantum Leap?
No.
I convinced Rydge
the program is worth saving.
- But
- Someone still has to go.
- Ah.
- The obvious choice is Ian.
They broke several federal laws,
lied to everyone, including you and me.
But
It can't be Ian.
We need them here
to work on the DARPA code
to bring Ben home.
But if it's not Ian, then
You're asking me to fire Jenn?
I'm asking you to do
what you think is right.
- I'm at a loss here.
- Ian and Jenn,
they stood by me
through my darkest days.
They're family to me, Tom.
There's no Quantum Leap without them.
I wish there were another way.
[KNOCKING]
How do you know that Robbie's here?
A B.R. Lowe is staying in room three,
flying out of Pueblo Memorial tomorrow.
I figured it's a pseudonym.
I have a hunch. [KNOCKING]
[QUIRKY MUSIC]
[FOOTSTEPS RUSTLING]
Aw, crap.
Okay, you're good.
You're good,
and if your cop friend proves
the soil sample is positive
for the compounds
that caused the tumors in our lab mice,
you might have something.
But, oh, it's risky.
He's right.
We still need undeniable proof
that Chet knows Herbicrop is dangerous
and plans to sell it anyway.
- We need a smoking gun.
- What?
At the café,
you said we need a smoking gun.
You have it, don't you?
I can't give it to you.
The memo.
The memo that says
it was cheaper to settle
with the victims than pull the product.
I can't give it to you.
I don't have a copy.
- But Chet does, doesn't he?
- You don't get it.
It doesn't just have
Chet's signature on it.
It has mine too.
He's gonna go down with Chet.
[SOFT DRAMATIC MUSIC]
♪
Robbie.
Look, I'm not gonna push you
to do anything
that you don't want to do.
But I have a feeling
that no matter how far you run,
you're never gonna be able
to run away from yourself.
♪
It's in the safe in his office.
♪
Davidson, I have a story.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
How long can you keep him talking?
Chet loves the spotlight
15, 20 minutes.
Is that enough time?
You do your job, I'll do mine.
Any last-minute advice?
Rule number four:
get the hell out of there alive.
♪
- Connie Davis?
- Chet.
Hi, big fan of your work in New York.
I was sad to hear they let you go.
- Well, I'm here now.
- [CHUCKLES]
My condolences about your brother.
You must be heartbroken.
Yeah, it was a tragedy.
Completely unexpected.
Well, life can be that way.
Just the other day,
my producer Brian suddenly quit.
Really?
Says he doesn't have the stomach for it.
Something must have spooked him.
- Hmm.
- Well, not to worry.
You're in good hands with Davidson.
- Please.
- Oh, yeah.
[LOCK BEEPS]
Oh, there it is.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
All right.
[LAUGHS] Okay.
- Jenn, we're in.
- Just show me the safe.
[COMPUTER BEEPS] Nice.
I just need a serial number.
- Uh, 37, Alpha, Zulu, 4, 3, 2.
- Got it.
It's a Guardlock 300.
It was recalled in '83.
Design flaw, faulty spring!
You just need to leverage the door.
Okay, well, what do you mean,
"leverage the door"?
Go analog.
Just smack it real hard above the dial.
Jenn says we need to smack it
real hard above the dial.
What?
Hey. Uh, Jenn, are you sure
[GRUNTS]
♪
[LAUGHS]
Oh, Jenn, what would we do without you?
I mean, what'd you expect?
There it is, two signatures,
just like Robbie said.
Yes. Okay.
- Let's get out of here.
- Thought Robbie was dead.
♪
When his key card lit up in my machine,
thought it must be malfunctioning.
Almost didn't recognize you
without your ski mask.
But I recognize your voice and your gun.
This time [GUN CLICKS]
It's loaded.
♪
Come on. Hand it over.
Can't do that.
You're really gonna risk your life
for a piece of paper?
Guess it's a standoff.
It's not a standoff
if only one of us has a gun.
Well, I have something
more dangerous than a gun.
- You do?
- A camera.
And right now,
it's pointing at your boss.
But the other day, I had it set up
in the news station garage
where it caught you
putting on a ski mask,
threatening a KXYC producer.
You caught that on camera?
You definitely didn't
get that on camera.
Try me.
If I don't walk out of here,
Connie Davis has instructions
to run that story,
and the headline is your name
Uh, full name, Wyatt Lee Smith.
Wyatt Lee Smith.
How do you know my name?
I'm a journalist, Wyatt.
I know everything about you.
Okay, there's not much
on the Internet about him,
but his mother is a registered member
of the Denver Backgammon League.
So unless you want your mom
seeing your face on the news
after her backgammon game tonight
I suggest you lower your gun.
[CHUCKLES QUIETLY]
[GRUNTS]
- [EXHALES]
- Okay.
That's not what Woodward would
have done, but I'll take that.
And that's how we got our start.
You know, it wasn't easy,
but then again,
nothing worth doing is ever easy, is it?
[LAUGHS] No, it isn't, Chet.
Um.
Well, I think that's all
the time that we have.
Oh. Flew by.
Well, the camera loves you.
[BOTH CHUCKLING]
[HANDLINK CHIMES]
You did it.
The EPA gets the memo
and the soil sample,
and Herbicrop never goes to market.
Which means RootOut never exists,
which means none of
those people get sick.
And get this
Robbie starts working for the EPA.
[CHUCKLES] What about Connie?
Uh, Connie [HANDLINK CHIRPS]
What?
See for yourself.
Actually, Chet, I have
one more question for you.
- Oh, my pleasure.
- What is she doing?
That's not part of the plan.
- Her job.
I want to ask you about Herbicrop.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
Oh, Herbicrop.
It's a brand-new general-use pesticide,
pending EPA approval.
Safe for every crop, every season.
A little birdie told me Herbicrop
is the secret behind
Denver's biggest pumpkin.
[CHUCKLES] Guilty as charged.
[LAUGHS] What an ironic turn of phrase.
Have you met the farmer?
I haven't had an opportunity just yet,
but as we like to say around here,
when it comes to farmers, we herbi-care.
Mm, do you herbi-care
that your product likely
gave his wife lung cancer?
- I'm sorry?
- Oh, you didn't know?
I could have sworn it was
your signature on a memo
that said that Herbicrop is dangerous,
but you plan to go to market anyway.
- It's you.
- It's always me.
Thank you.
[UPLIFTING MUSIC]
♪
I'd like to read this memo aloud.
No, no, no. You can't do that.
Wait a minute.
"From the desk
of Chet Barlowe, May 2nd, 1981.
Regarding solid mass tumors
caused by Herbicrop"
I mean, while the title
is incriminating enough,
it gets better.
"We acknowledge that the toxic
particulate concentrations
"found inside Herbicrop are
at levels significant enough
to potentially cause
serious human tissue damage"
[ETHEREAL WHOOSHING]
I'm Connie Davis, KXYC News.
Sounds like a happy ending.
You're leaving.
How'd it go?
[SIGHS]
Magic has a choice to make.
[SOMBER MUSIC]
So do you.
♪
I'm sorry, Tom.
♪
Me too.
You know what's funny?
Working with time travel
has made me believe in fate.
What what do you mean?
Well, think about it.
We started dating because you lost Ben.
Then Ian found Ben, and I ended up here.
I think we were meant to be together,
and I think we were meant to break up.
♪
[SNIFFLES] Tom.
♪
[SIGHS]
You take care of yourself.
You too.
♪
And you bring Ben home.
You wanted to talk?
Gideon Rydge has agreed
to drop all charges.
He's letting Quantum Leap
use his chip provisionally.
[GASPS] Really?
- Magic, that's great.
- It was Tom.
He did everything he could for us.
Unfortunately,
somebody has to take the fall
for what happened.
There's nothing I can do about that.
Wait. If you're firing Ian
I can't fire Ian.
We need them to bring Ben home.
So then
it's me.
I know your heart was
in the right place.
I'm sorry I have to do this,
but Gideon Rydge wants a head
on a platter.
♪
So I'm giving him mine.
♪
What?
♪
Effective immediately,
I'm resigning from Quantum Leap.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
♪