The episode itself was fine, at least the part in the past. The troubled teen part was interesting. The teen camp run by jerks was not original, but the three kids with Ben were all interesting, and well acted, and there was just enough drama to keep things interesting.
Although it was kind of amusing that Ringer and Sullivan found the cabin with no problem, when the owner (wherever they were) was off the grid. So they just stopped living off the grid and... moved away, leaving a cabin full of supplies there. And the camp councilors knew about it? All righty.
And I think the production staff has got more of a handle on Ben being a Leaper, and setting right what once has gone wrong. I liked Addison at the end telling us how each teen was affected by Ben's actions. I know she's done that in the past seven episodes, but the episode focusing on just the three teens brought it home in a way that, say, Ben saving the wife and son during the earthquake (with the earthquake aftermath upstaging everything) didn't quite land.
The downside was the "present" situation. We get Jenn having angst about her relationship with her father. And... so what? It gave Magic a chance to give Jenn a pep talk. But I bet and hope we never see the father. Because that will just take the focus off Ben and the Leap, and more on the present team's personal problems.
Maybe it's just me, but I find these little jaunts to the present in the middle of Ben's adventures kind of jarring. I want to spend more time with the kids, because they're interesting. Or have the family drama with Emily and Jason (in "What a Disaster!") developed. Rather than see more stuff about things like Jenn's relationship with her father. It's not just jarring compared to the original QL, but it's kind of disruptive on the Leaps when they switch away to the present just when Ben's Leap is building up steam.
I did like Ian snapping in the middle of the lockdown, with his both trying to reverse the lockdown and monitor the Leap.
As far as the big revelations, well, we are getting a second season of the series. So... yay!?
We also find out why Ben has been Leaping. Sort of. And it doesn't make much sense with what we're presented. Why does it have to be a secret? And why is Janis helping Ben? She wants to get Sam back, not save Addison. As far as we know of, she doesn't give two figs about Addison. Will saving Addison get Sam back? I suppose they could come up with a storyline that might tie it together, but it seems very "Because we said so" on the production staff's part.
I suppose there's some prohibition on changing time to benefit yourself and/or your girlfriend. Although why? If you're going to have time travel, use it constructively. Sure, you could change history and I could see it all leading to a recursive loop. Who went back and saved Addison, if history was changed so no one had to go back and save Addison? But that seems more timey-wimey than an American network show. Or even non-American ones: 'Doctor Who' ignores those kinds of paradoxes most of the time.
Also from the end of the original series, I kinda got the impression that Sam didn't want to be "saved". What if Janis finds Sam and tries to bring him back. Even if she succeeds, wouldn't that undo any good that Sam has done, or could do? What if Janis goes back and stops Sam from getting into the quantum accelerator? Sam basically reunited Al and Beth, so Janis could be born. If Janis stops him from the onset, she's never born. So who stops Sam?
Alternately, Ben is trying to build momentum to Leap into the future. So does he save Addison, and Janis recovers Sam, in the future?
Deep philosophical musings, I know. But that's what you get when you go down the rabbit hole of temporal theory. And I don't get the impression the production staff want to dive that deep into temporal casualty. Heck, they don't seem that interested in exploring some of the stuff they brought up, like Ben leaping into the past beyond his own timeline. It all adds up to a lot of "Huh?s" if they don't explore it, but also a lot of confusion.
But I could be wrong. It's been known to happen. :)
But that's just my opinion, I could be wrong. What do you think?
Although it was kind of amusing that Ringer and Sullivan found the cabin with no problem, when the owner (wherever they were) was off the grid. So they just stopped living off the grid and... moved away, leaving a cabin full of supplies there. And the camp councilors knew about it? All righty.
And I think the production staff has got more of a handle on Ben being a Leaper, and setting right what once has gone wrong. I liked Addison at the end telling us how each teen was affected by Ben's actions. I know she's done that in the past seven episodes, but the episode focusing on just the three teens brought it home in a way that, say, Ben saving the wife and son during the earthquake (with the earthquake aftermath upstaging everything) didn't quite land.
The downside was the "present" situation. We get Jenn having angst about her relationship with her father. And... so what? It gave Magic a chance to give Jenn a pep talk. But I bet and hope we never see the father. Because that will just take the focus off Ben and the Leap, and more on the present team's personal problems.
Maybe it's just me, but I find these little jaunts to the present in the middle of Ben's adventures kind of jarring. I want to spend more time with the kids, because they're interesting. Or have the family drama with Emily and Jason (in "What a Disaster!") developed. Rather than see more stuff about things like Jenn's relationship with her father. It's not just jarring compared to the original QL, but it's kind of disruptive on the Leaps when they switch away to the present just when Ben's Leap is building up steam.
I did like Ian snapping in the middle of the lockdown, with his both trying to reverse the lockdown and monitor the Leap.
As far as the big revelations, well, we are getting a second season of the series. So... yay!?
We also find out why Ben has been Leaping. Sort of. And it doesn't make much sense with what we're presented. Why does it have to be a secret? And why is Janis helping Ben? She wants to get Sam back, not save Addison. As far as we know of, she doesn't give two figs about Addison. Will saving Addison get Sam back? I suppose they could come up with a storyline that might tie it together, but it seems very "Because we said so" on the production staff's part.
I suppose there's some prohibition on changing time to benefit yourself and/or your girlfriend. Although why? If you're going to have time travel, use it constructively. Sure, you could change history and I could see it all leading to a recursive loop. Who went back and saved Addison, if history was changed so no one had to go back and save Addison? But that seems more timey-wimey than an American network show. Or even non-American ones: 'Doctor Who' ignores those kinds of paradoxes most of the time.
Also from the end of the original series, I kinda got the impression that Sam didn't want to be "saved". What if Janis finds Sam and tries to bring him back. Even if she succeeds, wouldn't that undo any good that Sam has done, or could do? What if Janis goes back and stops Sam from getting into the quantum accelerator? Sam basically reunited Al and Beth, so Janis could be born. If Janis stops him from the onset, she's never born. So who stops Sam?
Alternately, Ben is trying to build momentum to Leap into the future. So does he save Addison, and Janis recovers Sam, in the future?
Deep philosophical musings, I know. But that's what you get when you go down the rabbit hole of temporal theory. And I don't get the impression the production staff want to dive that deep into temporal casualty. Heck, they don't seem that interested in exploring some of the stuff they brought up, like Ben leaping into the past beyond his own timeline. It all adds up to a lot of "Huh?s" if they don't explore it, but also a lot of confusion.
But I could be wrong. It's been known to happen. :)
But that's just my opinion, I could be wrong. What do you think?
