Spoilers from Quantum Leap Season 2 can be found in this article!
Quantum Leap Season 2 is loaded with surprising moments, but that had to be expected, given how it kicked off. Viewers were hit with the one-two punch that while Dr. Ben Song experienced no loss of time between leaps, he had been missing and presumed dead for three years. To make matters worse, his fiancé Addison had grieved, moved on, and had a new boyfriend. The storyline definitely deepened Season 2's storyline like the showrunners hoped, but not everyone was happy about it. Actress Caitlin Bassett was one of the people stressed out about the change at first and even feared she'd be likened to a famous Breaking Bad character.
Caitlin Bassett spoke to CinemaBlend not too long ago about Quantum Leap's wild reveal and how she feared people might liken her to Anna Gunn's Skyler White in Breaking Bad. I learned this when I asked Bassett about her reaction to the storyline when she first heard about it, and was shocked at her first emotion when learning about Addison's story:
Terrified. Yeah, I was terrified to be Skyler from Breaking Bad, which I still think she got way too much heat for that because he was a monster. But yeah, I was absolutely petrified. I think I sat both Martin [Gero] and Dean [Georgaris] down separately like,‘Ok, I'm gonna tell you about women and the lines that we have to toe.’ They really explained where they wanted to go with it. And I really understood that deeply. They wanted to make this like a mature thing. Who are you after you grieve for three years? You're a different person. You figure out who Addison was in Season 2 versus Season 1 and kind of be in her corner.
Caitlin Bassett didn't want Addison to be the new "Skyler White," and given the hatred for the character that exists to this day, I don't blame her. Fans tend to overlook that Walter White was a flawed and selfish individual from the start, and look more to her meddling as the real purpose of their dysfunction. Bassett created such a great character in Season 1; I could definitely understand her fear of undoing it all for a new romance.
When Peter Gadiot's Tom Westfall was introduced on Quantum Leap, my gut instinct was he was a secret villain manipulating Addison. Over the course of the season, however, we learned he was a solid guy. Quantum Leap won me over so much on Tom that I was sad when they took a break after she had second thoughts on marriage.
I wouldn't be surprised, however, if there were many happy to see him go, seeing it as one less obstacle to Addison and Ben being a couple again. Caitlin Bassett shared her thoughts on the hate about the storyline and even shared she was a little frustrated at first as well:
I understand that people were mad, and I was a little mad as a fan, right? But, we had nowhere else to go as characters without a big change. This change allowed us a much deeper, more complex journey as people. And that's always much more fun to watch. So they won me over. Also, they're my bosses.
While it might've ruffled some feathers at the start, Quantum Leap's decision to break up Ben and Addison really drove the story to some interesting places. Ben is still in a love story with Hannah Carson across time, and was able to share a major romantic moment with someone for the first time since he leapt. The storyline with Hannah remains a major factor as we head into the finale of Season 2, so we'll see what happens there.
We still don't know what the status is for another season, but Caitlin Bassett told CinemaBlend there are encouraging signs that point to Quantum Leap Season 3. As always, ratings and viewership will factor into a decision, so those who want to see it stick around should definitely prioritize watching the finale on NBC or with a Peacock subscription.
Quantum Leap's two-hour finale kicks off on NBC on Tuesday, February 20th at 9:00 p.m. ET. Tune in and be prepared for what should be an electric finale, and keep with CinemaBlend as we talk about what may be next for Ben and the rest of the program.
