Search - Quantum Leap - The Complete Second Season on DVD

K. K. (GAMER)
Reviewed on 3/29/2024...

Slowburn sci-fi fun!

0 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.

Tina H. from COLORADO SPGS, CO
Reviewed on 10/26/2012...

I enjoyed these when they placed new on TV and I'm enjoying them the 2nd time around now on DVD. The episodes can be a little cheesy at times, but for the most part they're good, clean family entertainment (O.K. - Dean Stockwell's charcter can get a little suggestive at times, which is why I said "for the most part").

1 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.

A terrible thing to do to a wonderful series

Aunt Book | 01/10/2005

(1 out of 5 stars)

"I am reviewing this DVD set, not the series, which is one of my favorites.

I pre-ordered this DVD set as soon as I possibly could, so that I could replace my not-very-high-quality, copied-from-TV episodes on bulky VHS tapes with clean copies on a few DVD's. It had been a while since I had watched the episodes, so I didn't notice anything wrong until I reached "Good Morning, Peoria." When Chick and Rachel were dancing that romantic dance, all I could think was, "Huh? What the heck happened to the music? Wasn't there a *real* song there before?" So I did some digging on the Internet, to make sure my memory wasn't playing tricks on me, and was absolutely horrified to discover that the music in various episodes had been changed. Most especially I was flabbergasted that they messed with the soundtrack of "M.I.A." That is one of the best episodes in the series, and the music felt as much a part of the story as the words. I played the final scene from the DVD, and it was awful, dreadful; the music was no longer a presence, it was just some background noise. Thank heaven I was able to retrieve my old VHS tapes. I played the same scene from them. Even with a grainy, dark picture, the original packed more of a wallop. It wasn't just "Georgia On My Mind," it was also "Unchained Melody," with its wrenchingly appropriate lyrics - "My darling, I hunger for your touch; are you still mine?"

I cannot believe that Universal was unable to get permission to use the original music; so it must have been a question of money. It isn't as if this was a super-cheap set to begin with, but I would not have minded paying a few more dollars to cover the royalties for the songs, so that I could have the real show. I don't care about extras on the DVD's - I don't need interviews, or commentaries, or behind-the-scenes stories, but I do care about being able to watch the show that I loved. And for Universal to release these pitiably maimed things without warning of the changes is an outrage.

What's next? To save money on royalties, dub in the voice of little Johnny Doe from the high school drama club instead of Clark Gable's as Rhett Butler? "American Graffiti" with Muzak-type songs instead of the original classics?

This whole series is about time travel, and one of the most effective ways to evoke a particular time period is to play the music of that time. The unmemorable pap that replaced the classic songs on these DVD's does nothing, *nothing* to add to the show.

I might keep this set, simply because of the terrible reception my TV got when I originally taped the episodes, but I'm not sure; and I will think long and hard before I order the third season."

A lot more than "Georgia On My Mind" is missing

Jesse M. | 01/09/2005

(2 out of 5 stars)

"If you do an internet search with the words "Quantum Leap: The Definitive Music List" you can find a complete list of all the songs that have been removed, along with the episode they were originally in, and also the famous songs that were not removed. Here's a quick rundown of the songs that are missing:
DISCO INFERNO:
"That's the Way I Like It" by K.C. & The Sunshine Band; "Kung Fu Fighting" by Carl Douglas; "Do The Hustle" by Van McCoy & The Soul City Symphony.
GOOD MORNING, PEORIA:
"All Shook Up" by Elvis Presley; "Maybe Baby" by Buddy Holly & The Crickets; "Yakkety Yak (Don't Talk Back)" by The Coasters; "Jail House Rock" by Elvis Presley; "Shout" by The Isley Brothers.
THOU SHALT NOT:
"Locomotion" by Little Eva; "Killing Me Softly" by Roberta Flack.
ANIMAL FRAT:
"Louie, Louie" by The Kingsmen (even though you can see characters mouthing the words in the episode); "Surfin' USA" by The Beach Boys; "I Can't Help Myself" by The Temptations.
ANOTHER MOTHER:
"Call Me" by Blondie; "Shake It Up" by The Cars; "He's So Shy" by The Pointer Sisters.
ALL-AMERICANS:
"Big Girls Don't Cry" by Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons; "The Twist" by Chubby Checker.
LEAPING IN WITHOUT A NET:
"Tequila" by The Champs.
MAYBE BABY:
"Runaway" by Del Shannon; "Dancing In the Streets" by Martha and The Vandellas.
M.I.A.:
"Sittin' On the Dock of the Bay" by Otis Redding; "This Guy's In Love With You" by Herb Alpert and His Tijuana Brass Band; "Someday We'll Be Together" by Diana Ross & The Supremes; "Unchained Melody" by The Righteous Brothers; "Georgia On My Mind" by Ray Charles."

Oh boy, leap me the heck outta here! This DVD is EDITED!

Michael Stouffer | Los Angeles, CA United States | 12/16/2004

(2 out of 5 stars)

"*note: this review is for the DVD release, not the ORIGINAL television series.

The release of Quantum Leap Season 2 is a great example of why underground bootleggers get rich. YOU CANNOT CUT the original music from a series and expect fans not to notice. Universal should have, at the VERY LEAST, put a disclaimer on the outer DVD packaging..."EDITED"! True fans are the ones buying this DVD and I for one would rather have nothing at all, than this cheap, slapped together product.

The first season released on DVD looked promising, but this edition is just worthless. It's 22 episodes on 3 double-sided discs (COME ON!), with no special features (although the package states "Bonus Material" on Disc 3, Side B) and the classic music of the series is replaced throughout. The most disturbing deletion was Ray Charles' "Georgia on Mind". That song was so important to the emotional impact of that scene. Without it...the scene barely pulls a heartstring.

Music was such an integral part of Quantum Leap because the show revolved around time travel. When Sam leaped back to the 60's the music helped create the atmosphere of being in a different place and time. To give you an example of the negative of effect of music replacement, there is a scene in "All Americans" with people doing the trademark dance "the twist", YET they're dancing to generic music. In the same episode, the crowd yells "tequila!" at a party after some generic music plays. Well the original song there was "Tequila" - the crowd was singing the ending to that song. In this edited version, the average viewer will sit there and ask, "Why is everyone yelling tequila for no reason?" It's just so hard to watch.

Also, the intro to each episode, "Theorizing that one could time travel..." is much louder than the actual episodes. It's annoying. I have to keep turning the volume down at the beginning of an episode. The picture is okay. They didn't clean it up too much, but it's better than VHS.

Lastly, on several leaps out, the leaps are out of order. Yes, this is the way they originally aired due to repeats, etc., but since they're EDITING EVERYTHING ALREADY, they should have put the leap-outs in episodic order, not the order of the original airing.

All in all, I'm EXTREMELY disappointed. I guess I'll go online and spend $150 bucks on the complete unedited bootleg version. The quality might not be as great, but at least it's the ORIGINAL.

These movie companies better watch out. I'm sure these bootleggers, seeing that the music issue is a problem (if not now, I guarantee it WILL BE SOON), will start selling the studios' high quality picture versions, replacing the generic music with the ORIGINAL MUSIC and selling THAT online. These movie studios are so stupid. They are not in touch with what fans really want. I KNOW for a FACT that people would dish out more money for the UNEDITED VERSIONS, especially fans of Quantum Leap. I alone would be wiling to spend $200 a season for original episodes, and I am not wealthy by any means.

I'm just very depressed about this...my favorite show...butchered. I only cringe to think of what they'll do to Season 3. No more "Imagine" by John Lennon in the "Leap Home: Part 1" -- they'll have to cut the whole scene. Oh, and just think of other series..."The Wonder Years" is IN TROUBLE!

I give this season 2 DVD one star...I added another star because it's QL and the episodes are still worth watching.

"