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Thou Shalt Not... is the seventh episode of Season 2 of the Quantum Leap TV series, also the 16th overall series episode. Written by Tammy Ader, the episode, which was directed by Randy Roberts, originally aired on NBC-TV on November 16, 1989.

Summary[]

As a Rabbi, Sam must prevent a Jewish family from falling apart when the wife of his brother contemplates having an affair. Her husband is a bitter man due to the loss of their son and has stopped communicating with their daughter as well. Sam has to bring them all together and save the family.

Plot[]

Sam has leapt in the middle of a Jewish Bat Mitzvah. This would be fine, except he is in the guise of David Basch (leapee played by John J. Reiner), the rabbi conducting the ceremony! Fortunately, the main ceremony is finishing, David's niece Karen Basch (played by Lindsay Fisher) is pronounced an adult, and the service moves to the reception. Al arrives in time to help Sam get through his duties of breaking the bread and dancing the Hora – Al's third wife, Ruth, was Jewish.

All is not well at the reception though, David's brother Joe Basch (James Sutorius) is not happy at all and refuses to dance with his wife Irene (Terri Hanauer), so she dances with a friend, Bert Glasserman (Russ Tamblyn). Many of the female guests discuss their disbelief at Bert still being single and not having moved on from the death of his wife two years ago, although it seems that some of these women know more than they are letting on. One of the female guests asks to speak to Sam the next day. Al tells Sam that he has leapt here because of Irene – she has a one-night stand which gets found out and destroys the family, something Karen never gets over.

At home, Karen unwraps her presents, and Joe makes the excuse of needing to fill up his car (as there is a fuel shortage) and turns her down when she wants to accompany him. Joe asks Sam to go with him though, as he wants to talk. He reminisces about his childhood with his father and brother, watching basketball games with his son, and laments having thoughts of having an affair. Al suggests to Sam that both Joe and Irene should each have a one-night stand to get it out of their systems and maybe Sam should just try to prevent each of them from finding out about the other. Sam immediately rejects this idea, because fidelity is the foundation of a marriage. Irene catches Sam talking to himself, but he covers it up by saying he is rehearsing for his next sermon.

Later, after losing a game of Scrabble with Karen, Sam picks up a nearby guitar to play, but this causes Karen distress, as it is “Danny’s” guitar. Sam brings this up at dinner, and learns that Danny, Joe and Irene's son, recently died. Irene wants to discuss setting his headstone, but Joe doesn't want to talk about it. Sam realizes that their grief is tearing the family apart and asks to spend the night there. While Irene is making his bed (in Danny's room, because it's the only free bed) she reminisces about her son and breaks down. She blames herself for his death, because it was she who allowed Danny to go on the backpacking trip that led to his death – the plane crashed on the way. Sam comforts her and then concludes that he (or rather David) is her lover.

Sam and Al discuss it, and realize that Sam can't leap until he can prevent the one night stand from ever happening once David leaps back. The next day, Irene, Sam and Karen are preparing for a bake sale at the Temple. Irene's friend Bert approaches Irene, reminisces about his late wife, and explains that since her death he has been focusing on writing – a book he claims is about dealing with the loss of a loved one. He asks Irene if she would like to contribute to it, as it might be therapeutic for her to talk about her grief. Meanwhile, Sam is approached by the woman who the night before had asked to talk with him. In private, she confesses to him that she had been having an affair with Bert Glasserman, who had approached her in a moment of weakness after her father's death, saying “all the right things”.

While packing, Sam talks to Irene, who thanks him for supporting the family during this difficult time. He suggests that Irene and Joe spend the weekend at their beach house to clear their heads, but Joe declines. When Irene says that Joe should listen to David as he knows what they need, Joe says “maybe you should have married David then”. Irene goes to the beach house alone, and Karen confides to Sam that she wishes her mother had married David too, because she feels that her father only loved Danny and wishes she had died instead.

Sam comforts her and then asks for directions to the beach house after realizing that it is actually Bert with whom Irene will have the one-night stand. Al explains to Sam that Bert Glasserman is a real slimeball. He has never been married and uses the story of having a recently passed wife to seduce grieving women and use them as research for his book “Women in Pain”, which would become a bestseller in the 1970s. Irene is chapter six.

Sam's instinct was correct, Bert had followed Irene to the beach house and was making his moves. Sam arrives at the beach house just as Bert and Irene have begun kissing. He reveals the truth about Bert and his book, whereupon Irene slaps him in the face several times and throws him out. She then breaks down in Sam's arms. However, at that moment Joe arrives and comes to the same wrong conclusion as Sam did before, namely that David and Irene are having an affair. Joe hits Sam a few times, but Sam is able to convince Joe that this isn't true. Joe breaks down and finally talks about his grief. Irene comforts him and they reconcile.

Al reveals that Bert's book will never be published because Irene blows the whistle on his research methods, but that Irene and Joe are writing a book and it is helping many parents deal with the loss of a child. Al thinks Sam will now leap, but Sam has one more thing to do. At the placing of Danny's headstone, he convinces Joe to be more affectionate towards his daughter Karen, stating that he has already lost a son, he should not lose a daughter too. Joe tells Karen how much he loves her, and after a final hug from the newly-repaired family, Sam leaps.

"Thou Shalt Not..." Full Cast & Crew[]

Directorial/Writing credits[]

Cast (in credits order)[]

Production team[]

Music[]

Cinematography[]

Film Editing[]

  • Mario Di Gregorio - Film editor (as N. Mario di Gregorio)

Camera and Electrical Department[]

  • Ed Nielsen - Camera Operator
  • Peter Gulla - Assistant camera
  • Mark Abbott - Gaffer

Casting[]

  • Ellen Lubin Sanitsky - Casting

Art Direction[]

  • Peg McClellan - Art direction

Set Decoration[]

  • Robert L. Zilliox - Set decorator

Costume Design[]

Production Management[]

  • Ronald R. Grow - unit production manager (as Ron Grow)

Production Design[]

  • Cameron Birnie - Unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director[]

  • Paul Simmons - First assistant director
  • Robert Brooks Mendel - Second assistant director (as Rob Mendel)

Stunts[]

  • Diamond Farnsworth - Stunt coordinator

Sound Department[]

  • Paul B. Clay - Supervising Sound Editor
  • Mark Hopkins McNabb - Sound mixer

Costume and Wardrobe Department[]

  • David Rawley - Costume supervisor
  • Donna Roberts- Costume supervisor (as Donna Roberts-Orme)

Transportation[]

  • Dennis Junt - Transportation co-Captain

Other crew[]

  • Greg Knapp - Set Medic
  • Winnie Rich - Script supervisor

Kiss with history[]

Sam performs the Heimlich maneuver on a choking man, who is revealed to be Dr. Henry Heimlich.

Miscellaneous[]

Sam plays Scrabble with Karen; he spells "sushi" and she calls him out, saying that is not a word.

Music[]

  • The Locomotion
  • Hava Negila
  • Killing Me Softly With His Song

Podcast[]

http://quantumleappodcast.com/episodes/season-two/015-thou-shalt-not/

Fate's Wide Wheel: A Quantum Leap Podcast with Sam & Dennis - Thou Shalt Not.. - February 2, 1974.

Quantum Leap Revisited - Thou Shalt Not...

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