Quantum Leap EP Deborah Pratt Breaks Down The Heart Behind “Family Style”

Quantum Leap episode 13 gives viewers plenty of plot to chew on, but the full course meal is the family Raymond Lee’s Ben Song finds in it. “Family Style,” written by Aadrita Mukerji, sees Ben leap into the daughter of an Indian family whose restaurant is struggling after the death of the patriarch. As Ben connects with the mother, he starts reassessing some of his memories of his own mom, which makes it all the more imperative that he save the family restaurant from being burned down.

Back in the present, the Quantum Leap team has learned that Ian (Mason Alexander Park) is the second secret leaper. The knowledge that they may be responsible for what happened to Ben sends them on a soul-searching mission, just as the audience eagerly searches for answers in the remaining episodes of the hit BC show’s first episode. As the pieces fall into place, more elements of the original Scott Bakula-led series shine through — but the most important part is that Ben leaps with his heart, just like Sam did.

Related: Quantum Leap Theory Reveals The Project’s Darkest Secret

Screen Rant spoke to Deborah Pratt, who not only serves as executive producer on the reboot but also helped produce the previous series and originated the voice of Ziggy, about her work on Quantum Leap. Pratt shared her approach to each leap and explained how she paid particular attention to the actors in “Family Style,” the first episode she directed this season, to add the finishing touches to the show’s necessary heart and humor.

Deborah Pratt on Quantum Leap Season 1, Episode 13

Screen Rant: Having been such a large part of the original Quantum Leap, what was your vision going into this new series? Has there been any shift, in terms of continuity and homage versus carving out a separate identity?

Deborah Pratt: For me, it has not shifted. It was imperative for me to express to the writers’ room that there are four qualities in a quantum leap; that if they’re not there, it’s not a quantum leap. And that is history, humor, heart, and hope.

I think, right now, we’re missing hope in so much of the entertainment that’s out there, and I jumped at the opportunity to bring Quantum Leap back and to inspire through its stories. Especially “Family Style,” because when I read the script, it just captured me. This is a true Quantum Leap for me in the sense that it has family, and it’s a very intimate story. It talks about immigrants, which is a contemporary issue that needs to be talked about right now. It gives it a face to to those immigrants, which is important.

When I read it, I said, “I’m going to direct this like a comedy,” and that was true in the original series as well. You would find moments of levity, and then the drama would come back in. So, it had humor, and then it had the hope that these people can survive and do well even against the odds of a landlord that basically said, “Tell them I burned it down. They’re not going to believe you. You’re immigrants from another country; they’re going to believe me.” So, we had a Karen moment. If you watched the original show with your family, there was a discussion after the show went off, especially if it was a memorable and historic event. I think we’re in that right now.

And then there was a very personal story for Ben’s character, in the sense that he never got to say “I love you” to his mom before she died. That, to me, was really important and powerful. I got to really work with the actors to make that moment extra special. I said to [Nandini Minocha], the mom, “Look at him. For a moment before he leaps out, realize that something’s not right, or something’s different.” I wanted her to see Ben Song for a moment, so he could see her through his own eyes. There were things that I had the opportunity to weave in to make it a true quantum leap.

It really struck me as I was watching this episode, though it’s true of every episode, that Ben really has to embody the person he leaps into. As he takes on specific individual or cultural aspects of someone, how do you work behind the scenes to make sure both your team and Ben himself are approaching situations believably and delicately?

Deborah Pratt: I think what we don’t do enough of in reality is say, when we see a homeless person on the street, “What if that was me?” When you see people marching in a Black Lives Matter protest, you need to know what it feels like to stand for something. Or if you see someone abused by the police, you ask the question, “What if that was me?” You stand in somebody else’s shoes and have a new empathy for them and their situation.

These are conversations that we’ve stopped having, and I think Quantum Leap sets up both sides of that story. You get to decide where you stand on it, but it’s where you stand on history. You get to talk to people at a distance, in the sense that it happened 20 or 30 or 50 years ago — however long we’re going. It’s kind of a safe conversation, but it’s incredibly relevant to today. Immigration is a very current topic, so we ask you to walk in the shoes of someone who’s an immigrant that has built a business that somebody’s going to take down. How would that feel to you? I think that’s what we need as people to reach our humanity, and that’s what Quantum Leap does better than anything on television that I’ve ever seen.

I really loved the subplot for Ian in “Family Style.” When we learned they were the one who leapt into Dottie, I was expecting the conversations to go a different way, but it was so beautiful to see how much the PQL believed in them. What was it like working with Mason on this mini-arc while Ian is at this crossroads?

Deborah Pratt: First of all, Mason is an amazing actor. They bring so much to the show, including the humor that Al used to bring. I love how Aadrita [Mukerji] wrote the story and the idea that they could have initiated everything that’s about to unfold. Because from here on out, we launch this storyline. Hang on, because by the time you get to the season finale? I’m not telling you what happens, but it’s a ride. It says a lot about each of the characters, and how they stand together as a team, which I think is so beautiful and so important.

Back in the day, we could not afford to do the headquarters, except for little bits and pieces. When I walk onto the set and look around at what Ziggy is, I can’t help but think about how I created that voice. She’s a little bit arrogant, and she was definitely in love with Sam and very protective. I think it was really important to show that to the world, and that’s what I love about the reboot. It keeps you in the present. In our show, we were trapped in the past with Sam.

In this show, you really see the team that’s working behind them and helping support Ben. And in Addison’s case, she’s loving this man who’s lost in time. What’s going to happen with that? There’s a whole other adventure that’s coming, and thank goodness we got picked up for season 2.

I do love how each episode gives us snippets of the team members’ lives outside of working on the Quantum Leap Project. One thing that interests me is how the series approaches what happens to people who have been leapt into. In the original Quantum Leap, there was the “Waiting Room.” What is your take on that conceptualization for the reboot?

Deborah Pratt: We dealt with that in the original series, but we never showed it onscreen. Here’s something that I think is really important for everybody to understand: part of great storytelling is leaving things to the viewer’s or reader’s imagination. It lets people make it their story, so I don’t know that that question needs an answer. If the opportunity comes where it’s important in the storytelling to show that element, then it will come to be.

But truthfully, this is an interactive show. I want the viewers’ imagination caught here. What would it be like if Sam or Ben leapt into me? What could they fix in my life that went wrong? I have gotten letters from people that have said, “When I was young, my mom and dad were going through a divorce. And I remember wishing Sam would leap into my life and fix this.” To me, that’s the ultimate compliment. The answer to your question lies in the imagination of the viewer. You tell me what you think it is, and I think that captures what is wonderful about the show.

Finally, what is one thing you’re most excited for fans to see in the remaining five episodes of the season?

Deborah Pratt: It’s a wild ride, so hang on. This is gonna blow your mind. Get ready, and then I want everybody to tweet in and tell me how it made them feel. I want to invite people to my website, deborahmpratt.com. I try to answer letters, but I want fans to write to me; talk to me about the show and how it makes you feel. Check out some of the other stuff that I’m doing, and tell me what you think.

About Quantum Leap

It’s been nearly 30 years since Dr. Sam Beckett stepped into the Quantum Leap accelerator and vanished. Now, a new team, led by physicist Ben Song (Raymond Lee), has been assembled to restart the project in hope of understanding the mysteries behind the machine and the man who created it.

Check out our other Quantum Leap interviews here:

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Quantum Leap airs Mondays at 10/9c on NBC.