For those who are unfamiliar with Quantum Leap, it revolves around one man and his closest friend. Dr. Samuel "Sam" Beckett (Scott Bakula) isn't your average guy. For one, he's pretty much a genius. So it's not surprise that this astrophysicist was able to find a way to make time travel possible. Unfortunately for Sam, exactly where and when is uncontrollable. In earlier seasons, the initial time travel caused slight memory loss and disorientation for Sam. Fortunately, he is not entirely alone. The supervisor of the project and his very good friend, Admiral Albert "Al" Calavicci (Dean Stockwell) is there by his side, so to speak. While Al doesn't travel into the past with Sam, he is able to project himself from the future into the past with Sam as a hologram. Overall, the time travel portion is an important part of the series, but it isn't even close to what it's about. In each episode Sam lives a different life. Each individual is under some kind of duress and Sam, with the guidance of Al, must attempt to right a wrong. At the surface, the premise of this series can sound a little wishy-washy, but really, it is done very well and the entertainment value is extremely high. Quantum Leap, while an older series, is still just as exciting, if not more as the first time it aired. For more details about the series please refer to DVD Talk's reviews of season one, season two, and season three.

Season four picks up where season three left off. Sam and Al were put in a big predicament. Sam had leaped into the body a patient in a psychiatric ward, which made it very difficult for him to right the wrong he was there to fix. To make matters worse, Sam was having difficulty telling reality from fiction due to extensive shock therapy. Eventually, with the help of Al, Sam was able to leap out and it caused the two to switch places. In the season four premiere episode "The Leap Back" Al and Sam find themselves in a complete role reversal. Al is the leaper and Sam is the hologram. It is an interesting aspect because of the dramatic change in roles. After this episode, of course, the two resume their rightful places.

Further into the season, we have a pretty powerful episode called "Justice". In this episode Sam gets put into a position that is very difficult for him to deal with. He is recent member of Ku Klux Klan and has to put aside his moral obligations in an attempt to save someone's life. "Raped" is another emotionally strong episode, where Sam finds himself in the body of a young girl who was recently raped. The difficulty comes from no one wanting to believe her. They all think she is crying wolf for the attention. In "Dreams" Sam finds himself as Lieutenant Jack Stone, a detective investigating a very eerie homicide that becomes difficult for Sam to crack when the nightmares of the real Stone blend with Sam's memory.

"The Play's The Thing" is an interesting and odd episode. Sam leaps into a twenty-something actor/model who is shacked up with a woman over twice his age. Sam must convince the woman's son that it is true love and he isn't some gold digger. Not the best episode, but definitely an eye opener. "Running For Honor" touches upon the controversial issue of homosexuals in the military. Sam leaps into a promising young cadet in a Naval school who is in the midst of fighting discrimination amongst the ranks by standing up to a group of students who commit hate crimes against outed cadets.

In "Ghost Ship" Sam gets put into a quite a pickle. He leaps into the body of a junior pilot and gets lost in the Bermuda Triangle while trying to deal with a passenger's burst appendix and another pilot who is grappling with his personal demons from the past. What is good about this episode is that it is emotionally powerful and gripping. "Roberto!" is a somewhat indifferent leap for Sam. He jumps into raunchy, racy talk show host and Sam is forced to set aside his values and morals to keep the ratings up. It is fun to see him act a little rougher than usual. The real meat of this story comes from Sam working with a serious investigative reporter to uncover the details of a biological warfare project the military is trying to keep out of public knowledge.

"It's A Wonderful Leap" is an indifferent episode that leaves you thinking about the entire premise of the series. Sam leaps into the body of a cab driver while he was driving. Sam ends up running a woman over who claims to be his guardian angel. In the season finale, "A Leap For Lisa", Sam leaps into a young version of his good buddy, Al Calavicci. This episode is very powerful. At a young age Al was under suspicion for rape and homicide of his commanding officer's wife. Unfortunately, Sam slightly alters history and puts Al in the gas chamber. It is literally a race against time for Sam to try to undo the effects of the alteration to save Al, as well as find the true killer.

Overall I was very happy with this season. Quantum Leap is one of those fell good dramas I can put on and watch over and over again. I find the content of each episode, with the different settings, guest stars, events, etc., a very attractive quality. Additionally, I enjoy seeing the relationship between Sam and Al continually develop. They are two characters you can't help but like. In the end, season four of Quantum Leap is another fun adventure through time you won't regret picking up.

Episode Guide
1. The Leap Back
2. Play Ball
3. Hurricane
4. Justice
5. Permanent Wave
6. Raped
7. The Wrong Stuff
8. Dreams
9. A Single Drop of Rain
10. Unchained
11. The Play's The Thing
12. Running For Honor
13. Temptation Eyes
14. The Last Gunfighter
15. A Song For the Soul
16. Ghost Ship
17. Roberto!
18. It's A Wonderful Leap
19. Moments to Live
20. The Curse of Ptah-Hotep
21. Stand Up
22. A Leap For Lisa

The DVD
As with previous season releases, the twenty-two season four episodes are spread across three DVD-18 discs (dual-layered, dual-sided).

Video:
The video is given in its original television aspect ratio of 1.33:1 full frame color. The picture quality is probably the most disappointing thing about this release. The picture tends to be very grainy, with slight compression artifacts and general noise occurring fairly frequently. However, considering the age of the series, it isn't terrible. The picture, while rough, is still very viewable and should not ruin the viewing experience.

Audio:
The audio is given in English 2.0 Dolby digital stereo sound. There is very little separation between channels. The audio is dialogue driven, which comes off very flat. Overall, the sound quality is pretty good and it is very audible. The release also comes with equipped with subtitles in English and Spanish.

Extras:
The past two seasons have not had any bonus material. The season four set does come with a couple of extras. The first item is a season five episode "Liberation". I think it's great something was included, but considering season five is coming out on DVD later this year, it's a moot extra. The second item is a generic featurette "The Great '80s TV Flashback". It has individuals such as Ray Richmond, Alex Ben Block, Robert Ward, Debbie Matenopoulos, Stephen J. Cannell, Jack Gill, David Hasselhoff, and others commenting about shows like Miami Vice, Knight Rider, The A-Team, Simon & Simon, Murder, She Wrote, Quantum Leap, Gimme a Break!, Charles in Charge, Kate & Allie, and Magnum P.I.. It runs for approximately twenty-nine minutes.

Final Thoughts:
Season four is another great season of Quantum Leap that should appease any true fan of the show. Even causal viewers who are interested in seeing a feel good drama with a touch of science fiction should get a kick out of this show. The episodes are very entertaining and should keep you hooked to your seat waiting to see what happens next. It comes recommended.

Note: The DVD box states there may have been music alterations.