Ben leaps into the body of a Baltimore firefighter in 1974 and is unexpectedly reunited with his time-crossed love, Hannah, and her son, Jeffrey. Trapped in a towering inferno, Ben must find a way to repair their troubled relationship and save their lives before it's too late.
The accelerator kept bringing Ben and Hannah together for a reason. Addison previously professed the reason was love. That was clearly what Ben and Hannah felt towards one another. They went on a couple of magical adventures together. Whenever Hannah appears in a leap, she isn't the one who needs saving. Instead, she provides critical assistance to Ben when he needs it the most. At first, it was a coincidence that needed to be monitored. And then, it became a reliable bond. Ben doesn't want to put Hannah or her family in harm's way. When he appears, that means danger is near. He's tasked with saving lives. Hannah's life is placed in danger because of that. She is devoted to the mission as well. She has a strong connection with Ben that transcends time. So many possibilities were opened for her because Ben believed in her talents. He knew she could be trusted with anything he could share about his life. He wanted the best for her. And now, she is willing to give something back to him. She offers the possibility of bringing him back home.
Hannah is certain this leap in 1974 will be the last time she will see Ben. She has already finished the code. She just needs to pass along the final piece for Ian to make sense of it. Hannah was the creator behind the mysterious algorithm that Tom brought back to Quantum Leap. The mission to bring Ben home hasn't always been the most dramatically satisfying story across the series. The narrative is constantly getting everyone's hopes up only to crush their spirits later on. It formed the basis for the first season. Ben made an epic sacrifice to save Addison. He completed his mission. The team thought he was lost for good. He went missing somewhere out there in time. Ben didn't endure those three years. Everything picked up as normal for him. The team moved on. They made choices too. They never gave up hope. They had to accept their roles within this project. They had to provide assistance so Ben would never get trapped in a particular time period. Hope stays alive so long as he keeps leaping. Once he stops, he will never return. Even this new solution presents with problems. Ian spells them out. They don't have time to implement them though. So all the sacrifices may still be in vain.
Hannah knows Ben did everything he could to keep her family safe. He warned them about Josh's heart condition. He didn't die from that unknown illness. Instead, he was killed in a car crash. Ben couldn't prevent that. He's tasked with saving lives. The one life he wanted to save he couldn't. Hannah hoped to build a new life afterwards by moving to Baltimore with her son. She joined the federal government. That provided her with access to the programs that would one day be needed to save Ben. She realizes that time doesn't need to be viewed as a river. It has fixed points that can be manipulated. Quantum Leap already does that through the mission. She can use that theory to reunite Ben with his loved ones. It can't come at the expense of what she loves. She will do whatever it takes to keep her son safe. Jeffrey is still acting out following his father's death. He doesn't have the same connection with Ben that Hannah does. Ben has met Jeffrey before. He knows how to motivate him into action. That only causes more confusion. Jeffrey has a brilliant mind but believes the adults are lying to him. He even has the note to prove it. His mom loved someone else and his dad died. That's pretty damning.
Ben leaps into the body of a firefighter. That provides him with the access and authority to lead during this high-rise apartment fire caused by shortcuts in construction. He's not an expert though. He plays a part. That allows Hannah to make a similar argument that she should run into danger alongside him. They save the construction workers together. And yet, Hannah's health is jeopardized in ways Ben's isn't. Of course, Ben would never have to deal with the long-term consequences of whatever happens on the leap. That's always left for the person whose body he leaped into. Ben has never really considered that implication before. He's just grateful that people let him in so he can do his job. He's guided by knowledge from the future. He knows precisely what he must do. It's still absolutely terrifying. He walks through a hallway on fire. He jumps off a ledge to the one below. He catches Jeffrey too. That matters to Hannah. She will sacrifice her life to save her son's. She had a lifetime of adventure with Ben. She's willing to pass that off to someone else now. It still leaves Ben with an impossible choice of who to save. Hannah doesn't have to be alone. Her presence is needed. The entire team needs to witness what she is capable of. She still survives too. That's miraculous and highlights the ingenuity of Ben's spirit even in the most dire of circumstances.
That makes it perilous when Addison, Jenn and Ian are locked out of the system. Quantum Leap is taken over by Gideon. That's more in line with the devious persona he was established as. He never would have been satisfied by Magic's resignation. He wanted this entire project to himself. He designed the one piece of tech that made this journey possible for all of them again. He expects appreciation and teamwork. Because he didn't receive that when he demanded it, he forces everyone with longstanding connections to the project out. He doesn't admire their sacrifice or commitment. He sees their loyalties to the project and not to him. He desires more. That prevents the team from forcing a leap that brings Ben home. They are stopped from doing the one thing they have always wanted. They would be fine shutting down the program if Ben was safe. That's not the case. And so, they will fight for more. They can't give up when their friend is in danger. It's devastating enough when Magic is forced out. The team relies on every single person to make the mission a success. A change in control threatens to undo all of that hard work. Ben switched everything once. He has atoned for that decision. This new threat is intrinsic to the overall project. Ben has to go along with it. He's powerless in this situation. Yet the season has one episode left to handle this threat and potentially save Ben in the process.
