Theorizing that one could time travel within his own lifetime,
Dr. Sam Beckett led an elite group of scientists into the desert...
to develop a top secret project known as Quantum Leap.
Pressured to prove his theories or lose funding,
Dr. Beckett prematurely stepped into the project accelerator...
and vanished.
He awoke to find himself in the past,
suffering from partial amnesia and facing a mirror image that was not his own.
Fortunately, contact with his own time was maintained...
through brain wave transmissions with Al, the project observer,
who appeared in the form of a hologram that only Dr. Beckett can see and hear.
Trapped in the past, Dr. Beckett finds himself...
leaping from life to life,
putting things right that once went wrong...
and hoping each time that his next leap will be the leap home.
Charge!
Oh, boy!
They're could've kill me!
- They still might. - Oh, boy.
- I don't believe it! Martinez is throwing... - The kid's open deep!
And Vega's just standing there!
Vega's in big trouble. He's lookin'downfield for Martinez.
Martinez is open. Vega lets the ball go.
He throws a wobbly pass. It's floatin'downfield like a wounded duck.
Martinez makes the catch. He spins, breaks the tackle.
The ten! The five!
Touchdown! They won! Your Chuey and my Eddie won!
I'm-I'm sorry.
I-I got excited.
They won!
Roar! Jaguars!
I don't know how you do it.
All that matters is that I do. Right?
Sam, that pass was like a 10-dollar hooker.
It wasn't pretty, but it got the job done.
That's what I was here to do?
Get ready to leap.
Maybe there's more.
Eddie, amigo.
Jaguars!
That's interesting, Sam. It's-It's a team ritual.
They do that after every win.
Jaguars!
We're number one!
Yeah!
What are you doin'?
I forgot the combination.
Man, they really must've rung your bell.
Hey, Eddie, great game! Hey, good game, Eddie!
Eddie, did you see them out there today? Who?
Who? The scouts, loco. That's who.
Scouts? Oh, yeah.
Yeah, yeah, the scouts.
Hey, we don't split up, right?
A college has gotta offer us both a scholarship, or we don't go.
Let me see.
Well, they're not dilated. Here, look at my finger.
No sign of concussion, but you better take it easy tonight.
Stay away from Carla. Whoo!
Carla? Vega!
In 32 years of coachin', that was the ugliest pass I ever saw.
Uh, yeah, Coach. It...
But I loved it!
Roar! Jaguars!
Whoo! Yeah!
Yeah, number one!
Here we go, into the truck.
Whoa!
Hi, Eddie. Can I have a cola, por favor?
I, uh... Diet or regular?
What?
Cola. Right.
Okay.
Gee, that's on tight.
Try your teeth next time. It's really macho.
Gracias.
Muchas gracias.
You stay away from that one, mijo.
You got college and medical school before girls.
Especially girls that walk like that.
- We can't do both, Mr. Vega? - Both what?
Mama! Go to premed and medical school at the same college, Mama.
There were scouts from UCLA at the game.
They have a good medical school.
It'll happen, Mama. It'll happen.
Coach Dante says there was also scouts from Southern Cal and Arizona.
And next week when you play for the championship...
When we win the championship, Senor Vega.
When you win the championship,
there's gonna be scouts from as far away as Texas.
Texas?
You go to college in Texas?
We gotta go where we get the scholarships, Mama.
But we'll be back in the summer and on holidays.
- Right, Eddie? - Uh, yeah, yeah, right.
And Mr. Vega will be right next door with Maria and Lupe, Ma.
See? I'll be right here.
If you need anything, Celia, I'm here.
Celia. Mejita!
So, uh, what do we got in here anyway?
Menudo.
- The pop group? - Menudo.
It's a great Mexican soup.
It's made with hominy grits and tripe.
- ¿Que es "pop group"? - Eh, nada.
Ay, por Dios. I forgot the salsa I promised Manuel.
- Well, you get it, Sam. - Oh, I'll get it.
Gracias, Eddie. We can talk.
Eddie, it's in the icebox. Okay.
Fridge is over here, Sam.
What happened to you after the game?
Well, you were all involved in that weird victory ritual,
so I went over to check out the cheerleaders.
Oh, Sam, there was one little girl that had these pomelos, man.
Pomelos are grapefruits. Pomelos... That's my point.
She had these beautiful pomelos.
Al, I think... I think I speak Spanish.
Yeah. Well, unless the leap turned your language memory into a Spanish omelet, you do.
Say something to me in Spanish. Uh, tu casa o mi casa?
My place or yours. Mmm.
Al! Come on. This is 1962.
Tu casa o mi casa is becoming very big. Okay, okay, okay.
What happens to Eddie? What happens to me in '62?
Uh, let's see. You, um...
Oh, well, you get a football scholarship to UCLA,
which'll make your father puff out his chest another four inches.
He seems really taken with Chuey's mom.
Well, she was Rosa's best friend.
Rosa? Yeah, that's your mother.
Uh, Eddie's mother.
She died when little Maria was born.
She died in childbirth? Yeah. It happens.
What about Chuey's mom?
Celia never married. Of course, Chuey doesn't know that.
He thinks his father was killed in an accident in Mexico before he was born.
Uh, which, by the way, was in El Paso, Texas...
three days after his mother waded across the Rio Grande.
Three days? Yeah.
She sneaked across the border nine months pregnant?
Well, she wanted her kid to be born an American citizen.
I mean, that... That's the story with our country.
Mothers and fathers go through all kinds of hardships...
just to see that their kids get a better break than they had.
And this time it worked, because Chuey's gonna get a scholarship,
go to medical school, become a doctor...
Not quite.
What do you mean, not quite? Did you see him catch that pass?
That kid is terrific. Half the schools in this country gotta be after him.
They are.
Ah, no. What, he gets hurt?
No.
He throws the game...
playing against the Bulldogs for the city championship.
Who's gonna be city champs? Jaguars!
Hey, ese, Carla's looking for you.
That's why I'm up here. What, you loco?
That muchacha's muy fine, man.
What's wrong?
Nothing. Hey, come on. This is Chuey you're talkin' to.
The guy who pushed you into those rose bushes when you were five, remember?
Yeah, yeah.
Yeah, well, if you don't tell me what's bugging you, I'm gonna push you in them again, man.
I just...
You really think we can win the championship?
What, are you kidding? No.
Chuey, I got a feeling we're gonna lose the game.
Eddie, why are you talkin' like this?
I'm just worried we might lose.
We can't lose, man. We've worked too hard.
This is what we've been bustin' our humps for. You know that.
We're gonna tear the tails off of the Bulldogs.
And if you don't think so, then best friend or no,
I'm gonna kick your butt from here to East L.A!
We can't tear their tails off.
Why not?
Bulldogs don't have tails.
Ah!
Okay, the restaurant is small, but it's nice.
And wait till you see the kitchen.
Everything is stainless steel. ¿Sí?
The oven, the dishwasher, the refrigerator, the freezer...
! Ay, mejita! Look!
You got salsa all over your new dress!
Oh!
Manuel, if this restaurant is so nice,
why did it close? The owner died.
! Ay, Madre de Dios! You bought a dead man's restaurant?
I didn't buy it yet.
I'm still a little short.
But by the beginning of the year I'll have saved enough, and then I'll buy it.
! Ay!
Who would eat at a restaurant where a man died?
He didn't die in the restaurant.
I don't think. Celia, people die.
Somebody probably died in your house.
No. Nobody died in mi casa.
- How do you know? - Because I know.
Where are you going? I made tarteletas for the ninas.
I love tarteletas.
Maybe I make one extra.
Why are you smiling, Papa?
How come you aren't out there acting my age?
Your age?
Yeah, 16.
I'll always be 16 in my heart.
When I was 16, a lot of good things happened to me, boy, not the least of which...
No, no, no, no, no. Don't tell me.
Let me guess. Let me guess. Losing your virginity?
Are you kiddin' me?
What? No, do you... do you serious...
Sam, do your seriously think...
it took me until 16 to lose my virginity? What?
Oh, I'm sorry. Excuse me. I forgot who I was talking to.
Sixteen? I for... I'm sorry.
Al, would you... Could we just stick to why I'm here?
All right? Ziggy blew this one.
There's no way that Chuey's gonna throw this game.
At 16, there was three girls in the orphanage alone that...
Al. Al!
Chuey wants this championship so badly,
he just about... he almost punched me out for doubting we could win.
He throws it, Sam. Why?
That-That kind of data is locked in the human heart.
Ruben!
- I didn't mean to scare you, Celia. - What are you doing in mi casa?
¿Tu casa?
The house I rent.
Your English is getting very good.
But you're still having trouble with definitions.
"To rent" means "to pay for the use of."
And you haven't rented for three months.
All you've done is use. I pay you what I can.
You're not hearing me, Celia.
You owe me 800 bucks.
They're supposed to pay me every week,
but since agosto I only get two checks.
What can I do?
Mmm!
When Senor Linsey pay me, I will pay you.
I promise.
I am tired of promises, Celia.
I don't have the money.
Celia.
You don't need the money.
You have other ways to pay me.
Por favor.
¿Por favor, que?
Okay, okay.
I will give you something for the rent, eh?
Yeah? Sí. Sí.
I will give you a check. ! Ay!
Funny.
Very funny.
I'm laughing. The joke's on Ruben.
It's gonna cost you, woman.
I was gonna let you off the hook for the rent because I liked you.
But now,
now I want it by noon...
tomorrow...
or you're out!
¡Ruben, pardon! Lo siento!
I should not talk like that to you.
You are a jefe.
You are the boss.
I know Senor Linsey will pay me the money he owe me this week.
He will, Ruben.
He must.
And if he doesn't?
¿Mama, que paso?
Why's it taking go long to get the tarteletas?
Otto's getting hungry, Ma, and it's not a pretty sight.
He's asleep in the field, right? Can you believe that?
Ruben. ¿Que paso?
Nada. You bet on us?
Hey, would I bet against my old high school?
You would if the odds were right.
I think I like this kid of yours, Celia.
Sí. He is a good boy.
He's a very good boy. Today he made me a grand.
A grand?
Which you, Eddie, almost cost me with that pass you threw.
What the hell do you call that?
Uh, touchdown.
So, how are we gonna do against the Bulldogs?
We're gonna tear their... heads off.
If you guys stay healthy.
Anybody gets hurt during practice, I wanna know.
Wait-Wait-Wait a second. He can't do that.
What? It's illegal.
No college is gonna look at Chuey or me if they find out we're givin' a gambler tips on the team.
I'm not gonna tell 'em.
Oh, yeah, by the way. You have until Friday.
By then, I expect delivery one way or another.
Buenas noches.
What did he mean by that?
Shirts.
Ruben wanted me to sew him some shirts,
and I told him I could not do until next week.
Oh.
Just because he's the landlord, don't do him any favors, Ma.
He doesn't do us any.
And make sure he pays you fair, okay? Okay, mijo.
Sometimes I get a feeling in the pit of my stomach...
that tells me more than all the data in Ziggy's memory banks.
And when I get that feeling, I've gotta act on it.
We got a problem? I think you're why I'm here.
What? Somethin's goin' on between you and Chuey's mom.
So? So it's gonna affect him.
It's gonna make him do something crazy. So what are you, man, his papa?
No, I'm his friend. So I guess as his friend,
I'm-I'm tellin' you to keep clear of Chuey and his...
I want you to stay away from Chuey and his mom.
I don't think I heard you, punk.
I'll write it down if you can read.
Eddie. Eddie, you've grown up.
You talk big,
like a man.
I hope you're ready to be treated like one.
Go! Go! Go, Jaguars!
Chuey! Hey, Carla.
Where's Eddie?
Eddie, mijo. Hi.
I don't believe you!
You're a football hero.
You got the little girls ready to drop their pom-poms for you,
and you come out here with your nose in a book.
I'm the quarterback. I gotta learn the plays.
All you have to know is "Chuey, go deep,"
and then you let it fly. Hey! Heads up!
It's a good thing you're not a wide receiver.
Coach says you're to lead calisthenics. Me?
And he said do it right, or it's 15 laps.
Calisthenics. I hate calisthenics. Calisthenics?
Unless they're being led byJane Fonda.
Thanks, Al. Huh? Oh.
Don't mention it. For what?
Eddie. Did you come to see me?
Yeah. Yeah, I need to ask you a favor.
You need it, you got it.
Will you play this?
Well, sure.
Play it really loud. Okay, baby.
I think she likes you. Shut up.
Okay, let's go! Let's go!
Come on! Let's go! Follow me, guys!
Come on, guys! It's fun.
Let's go! One, two, three, kick!
Back, two, three, kick!
Forward, two, three, kick! And back, two, three, kick!
To the side! One, two three! Other side!
One, two, three! Other side! Go, two, three! Other side!
Other side! And arms! Whoo! Whoo!
Come on, you guys! Whoo! Whoo! Whoo! Whoo!
Sam, you just gave birth...
to the aerobic workout. You think?
Yeah. Who could resist this?
Vega! Fifteen laps!
All right, "La Bamba" man!
Bye-bye, Eddie! Thanks, Jane.
Gimme a fullback blast, right over the middle.
Set! Hut one, hut two!
All right! That's the way to go, Julio!
Way to go! That's it!
That fullback blast'll get us a yard or two whenever we need it most!
Now, let's run it again. Let's do it right.
Huddle up, men. Huddle up.
- What do you got on a Ruben Guerra? - He's a slumlord.
He owns about half a dozen small houses that he rents at exorbitant rates to people that can't complain.
Illegal aliens? Yeah, mostly.
Uh, he's also a heavy better.
But only on high school football and basketball games.
Which he can fix.
He pays Chuey to throw the game.
Chuey would never throw the game. Sam...
Sam, you gotta stop thinkin' with your heart and-and start facin' the facts.
TheJaguars lose 14-9 because Chuey only catches one pass.
- What do you mean, catches one pass? - Hey, guys, check him out.
- Something's gotta be wrong about this. - Vega!
- Fifteen more! - What for?
- For bein' a clown. - Oh, come on, Coach!
Twenty!
All right, you meatheads, back in the huddle.
Don't look at me.
I'm outta here.
- Eddie still running laps? - He may still be running them mañana.
You gonna wait for him? Yeah.
He'll need somebody to carry him home.
Hey, be honest.
You think I look a little like Elvis?
Get outta here! See ya.
I think I look like Elvis.
Well, since my baby left me I found a new place to...
Too bad you ain't Elvis. Yeah.
Be great to sing like that.
And make all that money.
Imagine.
You could buy your mom a new house, lots of clothes,
a big car.
When I become a doctor, she'll have all that.
That's good.
It'll make up for times like now.
What do you mean?
You know, working in the sweatshop, not getting paid.
- Not getting paid? - Well, a little.
But not what they owe her. She's behind to me three months.
And she must owe plenty of others.
She never told me.
You know mamas.
They treat us like kids.
She doesn't realize that you are the man of the family.
I'll get her money from them.
Ah! No, no, no, no, no. Is that smart?
Your mama is illegal.
If you cause any problem, they'll turn her in to Immigration.
That's the way those bastards operate.
- It's not right! - Ain't that the truth?
That's why I feel so bad having to ask you and your mama to leave.
Hey, Ruben, can you give me some time to make some money?
Chuey, man,
your mama owes me 800 bucks.
Next week, it'll be a grand.
Didn't you say I made you a grand winning the last game?
That's true.
You can make more than that Saturday. We're gonna win!
Um... I'll guarantee it.
I only bet on sure things.
It's a sure thing.
Losing...
is a sure thing.
Losing?
For losing, I'll call it even between us.
Huh? I'll even throw in a few months rent free.
What do you say?
I thought I told you to stay away from Chuey.
He tell you when to wipe your butt too?
Get the hell out of here! Eddie, come on.
What's the matter with you? Eddie... No!
What the hell is goin'on here? Vega...
Get off of him, Vega!
Back off!
- Now, what's this all about? - It's personal, Coach.
Not in my locker room, it ain't!
Who the hell are you, and what are you doin' here?
He's a friend of my mother's.
He came to deliver a message.
They're fighting 'cause he and Eddie, they like the same girl.
Aren't you a little old to be dating teenagers?
Or do you like older women, Vega?
This locker room is off limits to anybody who's not a player.
I catch you in here again, I'll bust your head.
Tell your mama you got the message.
Sí? Sí.
Did you ever think what would happen if you busted your throwin' hand, Vega?
Or what would happen to your depth perception with one eye swollen shut, Martinez?
If the team didn't need you to win the championship, I'd suspend the both of you.
And I will too if I catch you at somethin' like this again!
You can't do it, Chuey. Can't do what?
Throw the game. I don't know what you're talkin' about, ese.
Damn it, Chuey, I know what you're gonna do!
Then-Then don't throw the ball to me!
Jaguars!
You bet against them, and you cheer for them?
Hey, theJaguars are my alma mater.
I'd be unpatriotic if I didn't cheer for them.
Jaguars win the toss and elect to receive.
Martinez and Vega are back deep for the kickoff.
Vega. That's my son.
This 29th annual high school championship football game is just about to start.
Kicking the ball off for the Bulldogs is gonna be number 44,J.J. Douglas.
There's the referee's whistle, and here's the kick.
- And this game is underway. It's a long, booming kick. - It's yours!
Mine?
Vega gets the ball at the 17 yard line.
He's cut down like a redwood tree by number 45 of the Bulldogs...
at the 26 yard line. Doggone it!
It's gonna be first and 10 for theJaguars at the 26.
Huddle up! Huddle up!
Vega, you all right? Go, go!
Huddle up. Huddle up!
Go... defense!
Fake 22 dive, "X" post.
- On two. Ready? - Break!
Down! Set!
Hut one! Hut two!
Vega drops back. Martinez makes a fabulous catch!
It should be a first down. Wait a minute. Wait a minute.
Martinez is down on the field. Looks like he's hurt.
What is it? I pulled something in my knee. I can't bend it.
- All right, let's get him up. - Martinez is definitely down.
He's gonna be taken out. Get his knee.
And theJaguars are gonna send in number 82, Tripchak, for the injured Martinez.
Hut one! Hut two!
He passes again. It's dropped.
TheJaguars'aerial attack is definitely in trouble without Martinez in there.
This Bulldog defense has been tough all afternoon,
holding theJaguars to just nine points on three field goals.
Without Martinez and Vega and that passing combination...
I told you it was gonna be 14-9.
Where have you been?
I've been watching Super Bowl XXX.
Ooh, Sam, the Steelers are down by three.
You wouldn't believe what... Al, this is the only game I care about.
And I blew it.
Chuey sat out the whole game with a fake knee injury.
- It's over. - No, it's not over until it's over.
There's 23 seconds left. What do you want me to do?
- Quit. - Quit?
Yeah, quit. You bench yourself.
Chuey's already throwin' away his future. What do you want me to do, throw away Eddie's too?
Yeah.
They're that close?
Yep. It's like me and you.
Vega, let's go!
I can't.
- What? - I can't go in.
What the hell do you mean, you can't go in?
Are you hurt?
Just can't play. Vega!
I've waited 32 years for this championship.
We can still win this game. I need you to play!
Come on. It's all right.
Are you loco, man? You can't quit. I just did.
The stands are full of scouts, Eddie. You quit now, nobody'll offer you a scholarship.
I think he's getting the message, Sam.
What's happening? I don't know. Eddie no play.
- Just don't throw to me. - That's exactly what you gotta do, Sam.
I can play, Coach. Eddie! Eddie! Eddie! Eddie!
Me too. Eddie! Eddie! Eddie!
Vega and Martinez are both up on the sidelines,
talking to the coach, and they're gonna go back in this ball game.
They're back in this ball game!
We've got five seconds left to play on the scoreboard clock,
and anything can happen with Martinez and Vega both back in there.
All right, guys. Fake 22 dive,
"X" fly.
Now, this is it. This is one play...
you're gonna remember for the rest of your lives.
We gotta score. On two. Ready?
Break!
I'll drop it. That's up to you.
Down!
Set! Hut one!
Hut two!
- Duck! - He's almost hit!
He throws a long one downfield.
Martinez at the 10. The five.
Just out of his reach! Incomplete pass.
That's it. The Bulldogs win this one, 14-9.
Oh, come on, ref! That was interference!
He shoved him! Wait a minute! Flag on the play! Flag on the play!
It's gonna be pass interference against the Bulldogs.
Somebody up there likes you.
Vega! Vega, come here!
We got it won! We got it won!
Just give it to Julio on the fullback blast!
Vega. Jaguars!
Go!
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Quiet, quiet, quiet.
Coach wants a fullback blast. On two.
Jaguars!
All right, come on, Vega!
Vega takes the snap. Julio Sanchez takes the handoff.
He's buried at the line of scrimmage! This game is over!
But wait! Vega still has the ball!
He bootlegs! He rolls to his right!
He looks downfield for Martinez!
He throws a beautiful, deep spiral!
Martinez up in the air!
Touchdown!
TheJaguars beat the Bulldogs...
and win the championship 15-14!
I knew you'd catch it!
I'm glad you knew, 'cause I didn't! Whoo!
Jaguars!
Hey, it looks like Chuey's beatin' your time there.
I'm still here, Al.
Oh, well, a man's work is never done.
I think the expression is, "A woman's work is never done." That too.
Uh-oh.
Quite a game, Eddie. It cost me a bundle.
But nothing compared to what it's gonna cost Celia.
Throw their stuff into the street.
No, no, no, no! ¡Mijo! No, wait! Ruben, please. Please, you cannot do this.
- Watch me. - I'll pay you what she owes you, Ruben.
No! Manuel, your money is for your restaurant.
The restaurant can wait.
Besides, you hate the restaurant.
No. I just think it better to buy more Taco Vega trucks.
Sam, she's right.
Ziggy says their catering trucks could turn into a million-dollar business.
"Their"? Well, if you finish this job.
Hold it.
Put everything in our yard.
Chuey can sleep in my room.
Celia...
can sleep with my dad.
Best friend or no, you can't talk to my mama like that.
I can if she's my mama too.
Yeah.
Why not?
It is a good idea.
It would solve all your problems, Celia.
I no marry you to solve problems.
You mean you'd marry me because we...
Because you love me?
Sí.
This is great, isn't it, Sam? Yeah.
They gonna make it? They gonna make it? Sure they're gonna make it.
Oh, they're also gonna make Jesse, Dona Linda,
Carmelina and Rosa.
Hope we cost you a bundle, man.
I'll get even... as soon as I call Immigration.
Wait, wait, wait, wait. Chuey. Chuey. It's okay.
My dad's a citizen.
As soon as they're married, your mom automatically becomes one too.
Hmm?
Carnal.
Sam. Do it, Sam.
Jag...
Tequila!