HOLOGRAMMATICAL ERRORS:
Hologrammatical Error #1: During the concert, Al’s image reflects in the piano, Sam’s glasses, and even on the floor of the stage. (IMZ, MPB)
BACKSTORY NITS:
Al Backstory Nit #1: Al remembers
buying a long-haired wig in 1964 to impress women. But he was married to
Beth in 1964. (MPB)
PCR #1: Beth was the woman Al wanted
to impress with the wig. After all, it never hurts to put a little spice
in one’s marriage. (MPB)
PCR #2: Just because you’re on a
diet, doesn’t mean you can’t look at the menu. (MPB)
PCR #3: That’s another reason Al’s
marriage with Beth was on the rocks. (MPB)
GENERAL NITPICKING:
General Nit #1: Wouldn’t it be awfully hard for Sam to see at night when he’s wearing Andrew’s dark glasses? (ARS, MPB)
General Nit #2: The audience seems to be
the same for both concerts. The blonde woman in the green dress and an
Oriental man sitting in front of her are in the same place for both concerts.
(PMC, TK)
PCR: They were really big fans, so they
bought tickets for both concerts. (LW, MPB)
General Nit #3: Why does Ross have a picture
of himself on his piano when he cannot see? (LW)
PCR: Somebody else does his decorating
for him. (MPB)
General Nit #4: You don’t have to
be a genius with six doctorates to know that it’s a waste of time to look
for sheet music in a blind pianist’s apartment. (MPB)
PCR: Perhaps Sam figures Ross has
a tutor to help him learn his music. Such a tutor would need sheet music.
Therefore, it’s not all that unreasonable for Sam to be looking for sheet
music. (LW)
General Nit #5: Sam Leaps into Andrew Ross in order to save Michele from the Central Park Strangler. But, were he aware of it, he could also rescue the French dog-walking lady. He Leaps in with plenty of time, if only Al and Ziggy had their act together in time to warn him. Why, in GTFW’s scheme, is Michele worth saving but not the other woman? (IMZ, LW, MPB)
General Nit #6: Why does Sam take Mrs. Stevens’ threat to expose him so seriously? When she finds Sam reading the dog food box, Sam could tell her he’s imitating a radio ad; she isn’t close enough to read the box herself. Sam should realize that the public would be more likely to believe the famous and beloved Andrew Ross than some neurotic divorcée, especially if previous physical examinations have already confirmed that Andrew is blind. (JK, JA)
General Nit #7: Why doesn’t Al tell Sam he can play the piano instead of leaving him to fret all day? If Al had told him, he could have helped Sam practice. It’s a little risky (not to mention cruel) to rely on Sam’s swiss-cheese memory to come suddenly clear when Al shows him the music at concert-time. (LW)
General Nit #8: Why does Sam leave Andrew
Ross’s apartment door open? (LW)
Apart from the potential for surprise
visits from overbearing mothers, it’s not a very smart thing to do in New
York City. (MPB)
PCR: Sam may have left the door unlocked,
but hadn’t left it open. Mrs. Stevens just lets herself in, figuring she
can sneak in without Andrew seeing or hearing her. She certainly seems
the type. (MPB)
General Nit #9: When Sam loses Andrew’s dark glasses in his dash to save Michele, why does he bother looking for them (other than to give sombody the opportunity to shoot off a flashbulb in his face)? He knows Michele’s about to be the strangler’s next victim--isn’t rescuing her more of a priority? (MPB)
General Nit #10: Not to put a damper on Sam’s Leap, but, to a certain extent, Michele’s mom is right, although she is too rigid. After all, what exactly does Michele do as Andy’s "assistant" besides give him moral support and pick up his tux from the cleaners? Does she expect to make a living as an Andrew Ross groupie? The girl is putting all her eggs in one basket. Maybe nursing isn’t the right thing for her, but wouldn’t she be better off to figure out what exactly she can do that she’d like, just in case Andy doesn’t sweep her off her feet and take her away from her dull, drab existence? Also, wouldn’t it be a good idea for her to have something to fall back on, in case things with Andy don’t work out, or times get rough? She seems more worried about not being pretty than she is about standing up on her own two feet and making something of herself. (LW, MPB)
General Nit #11: Sam doesn’t seem to take
a very balanced view of the whole situation. Michele deceives both her
mother and Andrew/Sam several times in the course of Sam’s Leap, yet Sam
takes Michele’s part throughout. Perhaps Michele has given her mother good
reason to feel she has to watch her like a hawk. While he’s right about
Mrs. Stevens being overbearing and "smothering," Sam doesn’t seem to have
a clear understanding of the depth of Michele’s dishonesty with her mother.
He also doesn’t seem very disturbed that Michele has been lying to him,
as well as to her mother. Michele’s lies should give him cause for concern
about the potential for a relationship between Michele and Andrew. (LW)
PCR: Sam only hears Michele’s side of
the situation. In his one encounter with Mrs. Stevens, she is especially
nasty to him, which perhaps makes Sam more inclined to take Michele’s side.
(MPB)
General Nit #12: Security at Carnegie Hall appears rather lax. "She said she was your mother" is a pretty poor reason for allowing somebody backstage. (LW)
General Nit #13: During the concert, when
Michele and her mother are arguing backstage, they get pretty loud. Wouldn’t
they be heard onstage and by the audience? (PMC)
General Nit #14: If Al has no musical
talent, how does he know when to turn the pages for Sam? (PMC)
PCR #1: Perhaps Sam nods or gives Al some
other non-verbal cue. (MPB)
PCR #2: Perhaps once Sam starts playing,
his photographic memory takes over, and he only needs the music as a reminder,
but doesn’t need to pay that strict attention to it. (MPB)
PCR #3: While Al may not be able to play
the piano, he might still be able to read music, just as one can read a
script without knowing how to act. (LW, SA)
General Nit #15: Can a guide dog really
switch over to being a tracking
dog and an attack dog without any training?
(MPB)
PCR: Chopin is the Sam Beckett of dogdom.
(MPB)
General Nit #16: When Sam and Al
find Michele’s purse in the park, Sam picks it up. He drops it when he
sees Pete, and we see Michele standing by Al with empty hands. Seconds
later, when she goes to hug Sam, she magically has her purse in her hands.
(ARS)
PCR: Would you believe telekinesis? (MPB)
MIND/BODY/AURA QUESTIONS:
It’s pretty clear that it’s Sam’s body that’s present in this Leap, as he is able to see, while Andrew can’t. (LW)
DETAILS, DETAILS, DETAILS:
This episode is packed with plot elements: Sam/Andy’s bloindness, the mother discovering that Sam can see, the mother-daughter conflict, Michele finding herself, and, of course, the Beatles, discovering a new song as Sam calls out Michele’s name. (MH)
AL’S WOMEN:
Evita Evilatita--a Tijuana pianist who played oldies with her toesies and modern music with her--ahem--
NAME THAT TUNE:
"Chopsticks" (which Al couldn’t play in Chinatown, but Sam can play at Carnegie Hall)
Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A Minor (which is really impressive if that’s really Scott we hear playing on the soundtrack. His hands certainly seem to be moving in all the right places.)
FAVORITE QUOTATIONS:
Al: "I couldn’t play chopsticks in Chinatown."
Sam (to Chopin, regarding eating peanuts): "Couldn’t you at least spit out the shells? Disgusting!"
Al: "This dog eats better than I
do."
Sam: "This dog works harder than
you do."
Sam: "My God, I’m playing the piano at Carnegie Hall."
STILL UNANSWERED QUESTIONS:
Can anyone identify the Chopin piece that’s on the Andrew Ross record Sam plays?