Theorizing that one could time-travel
within his own lifetime,
Dr. Sam Beckett stepped into the Quantum Leap Accelerator
and vanished.
He woke to find himself trapped in the past,
facing mirror images that were not his own,
and driven by an unknown force
to change history for the better.
His only guide on this journey is Al,
an observer from his own time,
in the form of a hologram
that only Sam can see and hear.
And so Dr. Beckett finds himself leaping from life to life,
striving to put right what once went wrong,
and hoping each time that his next leap
will be the leap home.
Well?
Well, can I?
Can you, what?
Kiss her.
Go.
Oh, boy.
Leaping into other people's lives
can be an incredibly emotional experience.
In fact, sometimes it can be downright spiritual.
Ladies.
You call that a religious ceremony?
Uh, uh...
Well, I, uh...
We been to 27 wedding in this church.
Twice that many funerals.
Is that right?
Don't worry, I seen worse.
The first time is always the hardest.
The first time is...
We hardly noticed the shaky legs.
Or your heavy breathing.
And the sweaty palms.
Or the crack in your voice.
Anything else?
You forgot to introduce the newlyweds.
A... a good priest always introduces the newlyweds.
Well, I... I just figured that everybody knew 'em and...
Or maybe not.
Ladies.
Uh, Padre.
It was a lovely service, wasn't it?
Hmm.
Father Pistano did heck of a job, don't you think?
Uh, Frank, could I see you for a minute in my office?
Frank?
Frank. Yes, yes... yes, sure, I'll see you.
Ladies.
Well, ladies, uh, it was nice meeting you.
Meet us?
We come to Mass everyday.
I mean meeting you again.
It was very nice to meet you both again.
No, no, no, I don't like the looks of that one.
Lost, hopelessly lost. Hmm!
Momma...
Looks like you experienced two milestones today.
Your first wedding,
and your first encounter with the Montocelli sisters.
I hope they didn't rough you up too much.
Well, I guess I let my nerves show a little, uh...
Thanks for saving me.
Forget it.
I was here 10 years before they quit reviewing my sermons.
Now they just shoot me dirty looks from the front row.
At least you're Italian.
They consider being Irish a birth defect.
You want some of this? It'll help your nerves.
No, thanks. I'm, uh...
I'm... I'm fine now.
Liquid courage.
Tsk.
I'm afraid I'm gonna need all of that I can get today.
I baptized that boy, Frank.
And I watched him grow up.
Now I gotta bury him.
12 years old.
I don't know.
I guess I should've seen it coming.
It was... it was an accident.
How... how could you see it coming?
Oh, come on, Frank, we both know it wasn't an accident.
The kid's been walkin' those tracks all his life.
He didn't fall in front of that train.
Well, you know,
accidents, uh...
This kind of thing is hard to accept,
especially when it happens to someone so young.
Did you learn that in the seminary?
Uh, no.
Yes.
I mean, well, yes... yes, uh...
It just helps you
kind of make sense out of things.
I don't know what makes sense anymore.
Blessed be the Lord God,
for he hath visited and redeemed his children.
To bring light to those who sit in darkness,
and in the shadow of death.
I... I don't know why we had to come here.
Just keep your eyes open.
You don't need that thing.
I'm not taking it 'cause I need it,
I'm taking it 'cause I want it.
Pop's buried here somewhere, isn't he?
How the hell should I know?
We should go see him.
Seeing him won't change nothin', Joey. He's dead.
You ever think about him?
You ever stop asking questions?
Come here and give me a hand.
Ready? Go.
You know, you gotta stop worryin' about other people so much.
It's every man for himself,
and the sooner you realize that,
the better off you'll be.
Come on.
We... we don't have to do this, Tony.
You don't wanna be rude, do you?
Let's go. We're gonna be late.
I still think we should go see Pop.
...to lead his children into the kingdom of heaven
to guide his feet on the path of peace.
That he would grant that we be...
That he would grant that
we be delivered out of the hands of our enemies,
so that we might serve him
without fear, all the days of our life.
Amen.
We all loved Sonny.
He was the best part of what we are.
He was a loving son,
and he was a dear friend.
But above all, he was a boy.
He was a child who loved unconditionally,
who trusted without question.
If we failed him,
then we must live with the hope of forgiveness.
I will miss him with all of my heart,
and I will remember him for the rest of my life.
I, uh, just want to express my sympathy, uh, to you
on this tragic day, Mrs. Dellisio.
Murderer! Murderer!
Don't. Don't.
Don't make a circus out of this.
Let this woman grieve for her son.
Come on, Tony, let's go.
You said he was my paisan. Why should I leave, huh?
Because he's asking you to.
I'll see you around, huh, Father?
My baby's gone.
See you.
You coming inside, Frank?
No, I'm gonna, uh...
I... I think I'll just stay out here and get some air.
It's a long way from where you started, isn't it?
Yeah, you could say that.
Well, I know it's hard to believe,
but this job does have some rewards.
I didn't realize Nehru jackets were in style in '63.
That's a real long one.
I saw you earlier. Where did you go?
Hey, you priests drive around in limos all the time?
Only when we have to bury somebody.
Oh.
Who died?
A kid.
A 12-year-old kid.
Sorry.
What am I doing here?
Uh, your name is Francis Giuseppe Pistano.
Uh, everybody calls you Frank.
You've been two years out of the seminary,
and St. Dorothy's here is your first assignment.
Now, prior to that...
Would you just get to the point?
Is it to prevent a murder?
Uh, yeah.
How did you know that?
I think the kid that Father Mac buried today was murdered.
So, if I'm here to stop that, I'm a little late.
No, it wasn't him, I... I... it was this Father Mac.
Ziggy says there's an 86.2 percent chance
that this Father Mac is gonna be murdered in the next 36 hours.
Why would anyone want to kill a priest, Al?
Well, in Pennsylvania in 1963,
it was probably fear of death by electrocution,
or even hanging.
See, a month ago,
Father Mac was one of two witnesses to a robbery,
and a store clerk got killed.
This case goes to trial in two days,
and the killer, one Tony Pronti...
He was at the funeral.
Oh, well, he... he probably killed Father Mac
to keep him from testifying.
What about the other witness?
That's the kid you buried.
Look, do we know exactly when
this Tony Pronti tries to kill Father Mac?
Well, uh, Ziggy's havin' problems getting the details,
but, uh, I'll get back to you as soon as he gets 'em.
It truly is a sanctuary, isn't it?
I'd forgotten how beautiful it could be.
Uh, you want to talk about what happened today?
No, but I get the feeling you do.
One thing you have to remember about this business, Frank.
Things are never as bad
or as good as they appear to be.
You all right?
Yeah.
There's a lot of disturbed people out there.
We're talking about one particular disturbed person.
Tony Pronti.
Well, he certainly has a motive.
You can see for yourself that's been tampered with.
Now why don't you go out and arrest him?
Can you make a positive ID, Father?
Well, no. It was dark.
Father, look, there's nothing I'd enjoy more
than gettin' that nutcase off the streets.
But unless you saw somebody, there's not much I can do.
Oh, come on.
He's right, Frank.
We don't have any proof that it was Tony.
I'll have Jackson and Little cruise
close to the church until the trial's over.
I'm sorry, I can't do more.
Listen, Mac, I know it's not my place to say anything
but don't you think that your drinking is getting to be...
You're right. It's not your place.
Are you sure you want to get out around here?
I mean, this ain't exactly Vatican City.
You sure this is where Tony hangs out?
This is the place.
How much do I owe you?
Forget it, Father.
I feel guilty enough just bringing you here.
Okay. Thanks.
You... you take care of yourself.
It's a little bit late to be out
spreadin' the good word, isn't it, Father?
I need to talk to you.
I'm sorry, I can't hear a word you're saying. What?
Excuse me.
Ooh, Padre.
Can you hear me now?
That was pretty rude, wasn't it?
Wait a second. I know why you're here.
I lost my head...
You're here collecting for the poor, aren't you, Father?
Excuse me.
Sweetheart, you got anything
you'd like to uh, give to, the good Father here?
Tony.
No?
Sorry, she already gave today.
A couple of times.
Would you excuse us, please?
Hey, you got somethin' to say to me, you better say it, okay?
'Cause this ain't no church, and I ain't no altar boy.
Although I understand there's an opening.
You were at the church tonight.
Somethin' happen at the church, Father?
Father Mac was almost killed.
I always said churches was dangerous places.
I'm not gonna let you kill him.
Don't push me, Father.
What, are you gonna push him back, punk?
Like you pushed that little 12-year-old kid underneath the train, huh?
Did you sneak up behind him and push him, you little loud-mouth punk?
That's the way you'd do it.
Come on!
Kid, get out of the way.
How'd you know where to find me?
I saw you taking the cab.
I had a funny feeling, and I followed you.
Frank, where'd you learn to use your feet like that?
Uh, well, uh, old Chinese movies.
Old Chinese movies?
Well, you sure made an impression on Joey.
I think I made a bigger one on Tony.
Yes, you did that.
That's a strange duo.
I mean, how does a little guy like Joey
end up hanging out with trash like Tony?
They're brothers, Frank.
After the father died...
Well, the mother started drinking.
Last I heard, she was out on the streets.
Tony's the only family the kid's got left.
It's a shame. Joey's a good kid.
He's a good fighter, too.
I'd hate to lose him.
You know, maybe, you know, if you can get him away from Tony,
uh, you might just have a chance.
This is where Sonny was killed.
Right under this bridge.
They called me that night to come down and identify the body.
What was left of it.
It's ironic,
somebody that small
leaves such a big gap inside you when they go.
I gotta get a drink, Frank.
I thought you said one drink.
A friend wouldn't make me drink alone.
This isn't gonna help.
Well, it's not gonna hurt much, either.
It's the Purple Heart.
Silver Star.
You got a trunk full of commendations.
You want 'em, take 'em.
They're all yours. Take them all, Frank.
You're a war hero.
This guy, here, he was no hero,
just... just a survivor.
There's 431 men in that picture, Frank.
Out in the Pacific?
Guadalcanal.
And you were the chaplain.
No, no, I was just a gyrene.
First Marine Division.
The Battle of Bloody Ridge.
The enemy ran suicide squads at us all day long.
All day.
I don't know how many men I killed that day.
50, 100...
I just can't remember anymore.
But I swore if I lived,
I'd spend the rest of my life making up for it.
So you became a priest.
It seemed like a good start at the time.
Now, I don't know.
See, Frank, when I look around,
I... I don't see that I've done anybody any good.
We all, uh,
wonder sometimes
if we're doing the right thing.
And I guess all you can do is just believe
that you'll make a difference in the long run.
Do you think you will?
Well, I wouldn't be here if I didn't.
I wish I could be so sure.
Listen, uh, you know, Mac,
I think maybe we should call it a day, huh?
I was thinkin' that tomorrow
maybe, you know, if you wanted to,
we could, well, think about maybe...
It's a little past your bedtime, isn't it?
Not if you don't know where your bed is.
You got a point there.
How's, uh, Father Mac?
Oh, he's still alive.
Physically, at least.
I don't know about his soul.
I think he's losing his faith as fast as his bottles.
Yeah, that happens.
It happens to priests more than you'd think.
What's goin' on, Al?
I mean, ever since we started this leap,
you... you've been acting like you hate being here.
What, is something wrong with Tina or the project? What?
Tina's... She's fine.
What?
I think that collar is goin' to your head.
It doesn't have anything to do with the collar.
Would you at least just talk to me?
What... what is it, this place?
The... the... the church? Is that it? What?
You remember how I told you about
how my dad put my sister and me in an orphanage
because he couldn't take care of us?
Yeah.
Well, I was 10 years old when he came back.
And he was all excited about this money
that he'd earned in the oil fields in Saudi Arabia.
He said it was going to give us a great new start,
and nothing could ever separate us again.
He even bought a house. It was not a big one,
but it was the greatest house I remember seein'.
Tsk.
Well, then he got sick.
He got sick, and it got worse, and worse,
and worse until he had to go to the hospital,
and it turns out he had cancer.
Well, I go to see him and he says to me:
"Don't worry, everything will be all right so long as you pray for me."
So I did.
Every day I went to church and I prayed and I prayed
and I prayed my heart out until the day he died.
I'm sorry.
I... I forgot.
Oh, you didn't forget.
You didn't know. I never told you.
Al...
Who's there?
What are you doing here?
I wanted to talk to you.
But I could wait outside until you're finished talking to yourself.
Father?
What?
You think you could put me down?
Just let me, uh, turn on a light, here.
This is your room, isn't it?
Of course it is.
Got a light?
Aren't you a little young to be smoking?
Besides, I don't think you came over here in the middle of the night
to, uh, ask me for a match, did you?
I want you to talk to Father Mac.
Tell him not to rat on Tony.
Telling the truth isn't ratting.
If he takes the stand, Tony's gonna hang.
Your brother's young. If he confesses,
he's got a good chance of beating the death penalty.
But if it goes to trial,
and the jury finds him guilty...
He ain't guilty of nothin' but tryin' to stay alive.
Is that what Tony told you to say?
Are you kiddin'?
He'd kill me if he knew I was talkin' to you.
You won't tell him, will you?
I mean, priests can't tell things, right?
That's right.
Good.
He's, uh, trying to stop Father Mac from testifying, though, isn't he?
I don't know.
I think you do.
Look, I just want things to be like they used to be, before.
Before what?
You don't understand.
Tony wasn't always like he is now.
We used to do things.
We used to go see the Phillies at Shibe Park.
Pop worked there selling hot dogs on the weekend.
Tony loved baseball.
Then Pop died.
We never went back.
He got mean.
Like he was mad at the whole world.
I shouldn't have come here.
Tell Father Mac I'm sorry about Sonny.
Why don't you tell him?
I've already done enough, Father.
I really gotta go.
No, no, no, don't shut them.
Keep them open. Bret, Bret, look at me.
How do you expect to hit somebody you can't see?
Now, you gotta keep your eyes open, okay?
Now, stick and move. Stick! Now, stick!
Good! Now here. Now, move... move... move around. That's it!
Stick! Stick! And move. Another one! That's it.
Keep it going! Now shoot one. Good!
Another one. Another one. Stick it!
Stinger, sting!
That's it. Good goin'.
That's the way to do it, Bret.
Okay, guys, now you gotta remember to keep movin', keep movin'.
Somebody's gonna knock your head off if you don't. Okay?
Nice going, Bret.
Hmm.
That sounds like good advice to me.
Yeah, well, if I could just get him to take it.
Maybe get him to leave town,
until the trial starts, anyway.
Do you have any idea when Tony tries to kill him?
No. Ziggy's, uh, having problems getting the details.
He'll have it straightened out in a couple of hours.
What if we don't have a couple of hours?
How come sometimes he knows stuff, and other times, he, you know...
I don't know. Want to ask him?
All right, guys, one more time.
What'd we learn today?
Eyes open! And?
Hands up!
And keep movin', or you're gonna get your...
Heads knocked off!
Nice workout, guys. Go on, get out of here.
Listen, drink a lot of water.
I don't want anybody gettin' dehydrated.
Listen, Father, I won't be able to make it this afternoon.
You need a lot of work on that heavy bag.
I'd like to but I gotta work part-time over at Fazio's butcher shop.
We sort of need the money.
Okay, I understand. Maybe tomorrow, huh?
You know, uh, I saw this movie once
where this guy used the beef hanging up
in a meat freezer as a punching bag.
You might give it a try.
Beef? Yo.
Yo.
Frank, I'm glad you came down.
Come on, let's go a few rounds.
Break the sweat. Do you some good, huh?
Me? No. I mean, no... no. I... I don't...
I don't think so.
Uh, listen, Mac...
Is this going to be another one of those Father Frank sermons?
I'm afraid so.
Well, listen, If you're gonna preach to me, come on, get in the ring.
Let's go a few rounds, huh? Come on.
Oh, what the heck, huh?
It's not like we're gonna hurt each other or anything, right?
You want to keep your right hand up, Frank.
You know, opponents, they'll sneak up and sucker you, man,
just lay it on you.
That's kind of what I've been wanting to talk to you about.
I mean, it's been a long time since you've had any time off, hasn't it?
So?
So.
I was thinkin' maybe you should take a couple of days.
Yeah? What do you want me to do, dry out?
For starters.
It might also keep you alive until you have to testify.
I'll tell you what, Frank, okay?
I'll stay away from that kid until after the trial.
I think it would just be easier if you left town.
You want me to run, Frank. I can't run.
Who said anything about runnin'?
Priests take vacations every once in a while, don't they?
I've never run from anything in my life, Frank, and I fight my own fights.
I do it my own way. Get up.
If I didn't know better, I'd think you wanted to die.
Okay, Frank, sermon's over.
I gotta go hear confession.
I'll take it for you.
You don't have to do it this way, Tony.
Yeah, what do you know about it?
You're not the one that's gonna hang.
We could take off. Go to Canada.
I heard it's nice up there.
Oh, you heard it's nice up there.
What, one of your good friends has been there?
There's only one way to handle this.
You're wrong, Tony.
Yeah, what do you know?
I know you wouldn't be doin' this if Pop was here.
You don't know nothin'.
You didn't even come to his funeral.
Pop was a loser, and he never cared for any of us, okay.
He loved us.
Then how come he killed himself?
That's a lie. No, that's the truth,
and you're old enough to know it! You're a liar.
Pop had a heart attack. Mama told me!
Yeah, she didn't want you to know!
I don't believe you. Pop was a great man.
He was a coward!
I don't believe you!
Yeah? He hanged himself!
How do you know, huh?
'Cause I was the one who found him.
Sam, why would you want to volunteer
to do his confessions for him?
I was angry. I wanted him to sit there
and think about staying alive.
Well, do you think you can handle it?
Well, I don't know.
What choice do I have?
Well, you know, confessions are kind of a sacred kind of thing.
Sacred?
I thought you didn't believe in this anymore.
Uh, well, uh, I... I... I sort of don't, uh,
but old habits, you know, they're hard to get rid of.
Then why don't you come and give me a hand?
No, you can handle it.
Just, uh, forgive everybody.
And don't talk too much.
Forgive everybody, and don't...
Yeah, forgive everybody everything.
I heard you.
Bless me, Father, for I have sinned.
It's been 10 years since my last confession.
Since then I've killed two people.
Make that three.
He killed Father Pistano!
Oh, God, don't do this.
I swore I would never have anything to do with you again,
but you can't do this.
He's done too much, he's helped too many people.
You can't take him like this.
Frank! God, Frank.
Where am I?
Thanks.
You'll be all right, Frank. Now just lie still.
Did anybody see who did this?
Who did this?
Uh, it was Tony, Tony Pronti.
Stay with him till the ambulance comes.
What happened, Al? I gotta stop him.
Ziggy had it all wrong.
You weren't here to stop someone from killing Father Mac,
you're here to stop Father Mac from killing Tony!
Killing Tony?
Yeah. He must be delirious.
You gotta stop Father Mac.
He's... he's gone to find Tony.
I gotta stop him.
Yes.
Al. Al?
Al... Albert, he wants to talk to you.
W- w-why does he want to talk to me?
What do I look like, a mind reader?
Ziggy says you're just stunned.
It's... it's nothing serious, so get up.
Get up, get up. Try and get up. Come on.
Attaboy! Get up!
No, Father, you really mustn't move till the ambulance gets here.
That's it, Sam, get up.
Uh, Al, what happened?
Well, Tony thought you were Father Mac.
Uh, it looks like Pronti was trying to kill you.
Where is he?
Where's who?
He's talkin' to me!
Father Mac, he...
he's on his way to the railroad tracks with Tony.
Railroad tracks? Why would he...
Sam, he's got a gun.
Look out! Look out! Hey, watch yourself, huh?
Oh, Father, what happened?
Watch out, you're gonna get killed!
Only a little accident...
Listen, I... I need to borrow your car.
Oh, God, why?
We're running out of time, Sam!
Look, I don't have time to explain.
Here, here.
Bless you.
All right, go, go, go! Put the pedal to the metal!
Oh, boy!
This is stupid, man.
You're never gonna get away with it.
You know that, don't you?
That's far enough.
Remember this spot, punk? Turn around.
Turn around!
What're you gonna do now?
It's confession time, kid.
Get on your knees!
Huh? Huh?
Huh?
Now, talk to me, kid.
If you move, I'll kill you right here.
You got that, huh?
Now, you talk to me, punk.
Go on, punk, tell me how it happened.
Talk to me now.
You're crazy, man.
You're a priest! You... you can't do this!
I was a man first, kid.
Sam!
Around this way. Go, go, go!
All right, just tell me what you want, and I'll do it!
I want... I want you to bring Sonny back.
I want you to bring back the clerk.
I can't bring 'em back.
I'm not God, and neither are you, man!
Then may he forgive us both, son.
Mac...
No, don't do this.
I'm not gonna let him walk, Frank.
We're runnin' out of track here, Sam!
He can't walk, you're an eyewitness.
I didn't see the murder happen.
Sonny was afraid.
Yeah, he was afraid, so I said I'd tell them that I saw it happen.
I was gonna tell them the truth
right after he testified, but I didn't see it.
You never saw it happen?
No, Mac. We'll find another way.
For God's sake, let him off the track.
Sam, get off of the track!
Frank, get off the track.
He's scum, he's not worth it!
I'm not doin' it for him, I'm doin' it for you.
They'll never convict him, Frank.
Not without witnesses, and there aren't any!
They're all dead!
I did it, all right? I did it!
Mac.
Hi, Frank.
You're up early.
I thought I'd get in a little work before Mass.
You okay?
A little shaky.
I've been reachin' for that crutch for 10 years.
It's a little hard to stop.
One day at a time.
I'll have to remember that.
Frank, the other night on the track, I... I was wrong.
If you hadn't been there, I...
Well, I... I'm pretty sure I would have...
I might have...
Mac.
You better hurry up. You're gonna be late for Mass.
Yeah.
Thanks, Father.
He's gonna be just fine, Sam.
He's here for the next 20 years.
Even had two Golden Glove champs.
What about Tony?
Well, uh, he doesn't hang.
Did some serious time, but when he got out,
he... he made something out of his life.
Joey?
I think he's in good hands.
You did a great job, Sam.
Well, so did you.
Yeah. Me, what? Uh, what did I do?
I didn't do anything.
You prayed for me.
Snowball.
Snowball, good boy.
Don't worry, Carl. Lions never eat photographers.
They give them indigestion.
Though I understand they nibble at the slow ones now and again.
Snowball.
Oh, boy.