Quantum Leap Recap: Ben Takes On The Witch Trials Of 1692 In His Furthest (And Funniest) Leap To Date
After sharing an earnestly romantic kiss with Hannah (played by Eliza Taylor), this week's Quantum Leap found Ben in the unknown town of Middletown, Massachusetts in 1692.
A mysterious disease, fueled by the current drought, was killing off the locals and they were looking for someone to blame. Witch accusations were thrown around recklessly, creating an atmosphere of rampant paranoia.
Ben's mission was to save a woman named Goody from being burned at the stake for witchcraft, and he currently occupied her servant Elizabeth's body.
During a funeral service for Goody's husband Josiah, a fellow mourner named William collapsed and was destined to die in that moment. But Ben performed CPR and saved his life, slightly altering history in the process. The victory was short-lived, though, because Ben was immediately accused of witchcraft after bringing someone back from the dead right before their eyes.
As townies whipped themselves into a frenzy, spouting different recollections of the alleged witchcraft, a woman named Morgan chastised them for being foolish. However, she probably shouldn't have said, "Those girls are no more witches than I am!" Her words were taken literally, and the redhead soon found herself on trial for the same crime.
The misfortunes kept coming when William, who Ziggy said would be on the ladies' side, called Elizabeth a witch and essentially condemned them all to death. William later helped smuggle Ben and Goody out of town, after Morgan had fled on horseback. But as they reached the crossroads of Boston and Salem, Jenn urged Ben to stop because going any further would result in him leaping into another body. Plus, they needed to go back and save Morgan, who'd been caught by the villagers.
Goody was at first reluctant to help, given that Morgan betrayed her, but changed her mind after a passionate speech from Ben about not succumbing to the bitterness. After everything that happened with Addison, he was definitely speaking from the heart.
Meanwhile, Addison pieced together that since it was about to rain, the town's drought would finally end and that could potentially save everyone's lives. Ben, after refusing to even talk about his ex-fiancée, put his feelings aside and listened to her. With the townsfolk staring at him, waiting for the rain he said would come, the enthused leaper raised his hands to the sky and yelled, "Let it rain!"
After a few tries — and some awkward looks — the skies finally opened up, and the town was drenched in much-needed water. And when everyone began to turn on the magistrate for being wrong about the witches, Ben immediately shut down their increasingly frenzied response. He urged them to think about what kind of a town they wanted to be, and to try talking to each other rather than behind their backs. He also realized that their well had been contaminated with sulfur, which explained the sudden illnesses.
In the wrap-up, Addison revealed that Ben's mission was successful because no witches from Middletown were burned or hanged. Ben then admitted that he was scared of what working with her might have done to him, now wanting to navigate friendship with her.
"If you feel like you want to try, will you be my hologram?" he asked before making his next leap overseas to the Egyptian pyramids.
Ben and Addison may no longer be a couple, but it looks like they're back together as a team!