‘Quantum Leap’ Recap: ‘Secret History’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

QUANTUM LEAP -- "Secret History" Episode 206 -- Pictured: (l-r) Nanrisa Lee as Jenn, Raymond Lee as Dr. Ben Song -- (Photo by: NBC)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 206 of ‘Quantum Leap’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.
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It really is quite fascinating how destiny, is something we continue to believe in. Simply because… we live in a universe of chaos. Where random things can happen to us at any given time or where wild things happen simply because mother nature decides to roll the hard six and see what happens. Plus, we are in control of so little, that we shouldn’t hold to this concept in the slightest. But we do. Largely because, the universe also surprises us with moments that inform us that we are on the right path career wise or life wise, or we continue to run into strange little moments that seem to hint toward an incredible fate for us. As though we are indeed destined to meet certain people and end up in certain places.

If anything, our strange relationship with destiny is top of mind today, simply because… it came into play in the most amazing manner possible via last night’s episode of Quantum Leap. For ‘Secret History’ gave Dr. Ben Song, a man of true science and understanding of the chaos of the universe… via his leaping, a taste of destiny. A feat that it accomplished by having him drop by Princeton, New Jersey in 1955. Wherein he was tasked with helping a man that his alter ego knew… find justice after being brutally murdered for seemingly no good reason. But it didn’t take long for Ziggy and Jenn, and later Tom, to inform him that such an untimely death was related to a battle for nuclear secrets. Which didn’t quite make sense, since in 1955 the Russians already had nukes. 

But soon, quite the surprise made it clear what was really going on. In that, Nazis from Project Paperclip that were still loyal to the stupid cause Nazism stood for, wanted to get their hands on a secret equation. One that Einstein wrote and could have brought forth a powerful bomb. But alas, they were unable to because Ben managed to thwart them with the help of a touch of destiny. Because it just so happened that Hannah Carson, who Ben initially encountered and offered advice to back in 1947 when he was investigating some extraterrestrial affairs in New Mexico, was in Princeton and spent time learning from great minds to fuel her need to uncover more about the universe, and well… this was pretty wild.

Because the odds of running into someone that Ben helped along in a timeline of infinite moments and infinite possibilities, were astronomical. Yet it happened here, and… they even managed to connect with one another on a fundamental level. As though they were old souls that were meant to reunite in the timeline and well, this is indeed the kind of coincidence that leads to a hard belief in destiny and fate and the like, and what was even more wild… was that outside of the math… Ben didn’t question it. He welcomed it, and he was super honest with Hannah about his travels and his emotions and well… this was incredible. Because this really was an impossible reconnection and it will be interesting to see if this continues to go somewhere in the story or if this was a one-off, mathematical improbability born out of the chaos of everything.

But that’s what made this episode so much fun. The fact that it makes you question what you believe about destiny and fate and all that fun stuff, well that… and the fact that we got to see some Nazis get beat up hard, because that it is ALWAYS a welcome sight to see. But that aside, this clearly was something important and significant and something the show will explain, and truly… we will be waiting with bated breath to see if science somehow made this happen or if it was indeed destiny for these two to reconnect. But while we wait, we can celebrate one delightful tale. One that was indeed a good old fashioned, ‘save everything’ leap, that also featured some trouble back home. Courtesy of that little dust up that Mason and Jenn took part in over the owner of the new chip, and that too will be important to follow. Since the mission means nothing if the team cannot track Ben Song as he continues to bounce about through time. Until next time.

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