What Price, Gloria?
Summary:
When Sam leaps into executive secretary Samantha Stormer, he is supposed to help Samantha's roommate, Gloria Collins. Gloria is very much in love with Sam's new boss, Buddy Wright, who is, unfortunately, very married. He promised Gloria to leave his wife and marry her, but, according to Ziggy, he won't; and Gloria commits suicide ...
Episode Number: #2.04 / #12
German Title: Rache ist süß
Italian Title: Una Segretaria Particolare
French Title: Le cheval d'Eon
Personal Review:
The episode is very well done and deals with touchy subjects like sexual harassment. But not without humor.
Original Air Date: Wednesday, October 25, 1989
Writer: Deborah Pratt
Director: Alan J. Levi
Producer: Harker Wade
Co-Producer: Deborah Pratt
Regular Cast:
Scott Bakula as Sam Beckett
Dean Stockwell as Al Calavicci
Guest Cast:
Jean Sagal as Gloria Collins
John Calvin as Buddy Wright
Also Starring:
Gregg Berger as Parker
Matt Landres as Richard
Jack Armstrong as Johnny
Laurel Schaefer as Gail Wright
La Reine Chabut as Samantha Stormer/mirror
Guest Cast Notes:
 Jean Sagal was born October 9, 1961 in LA, California as Barbara Jean Sagal. She has a twin sister, Liz, and her older sister, Katey Sagal, plays on Married...with children.
Guest Cast who appeared in other Belisarius Productions:
 John Calvin had a number of gust roles on Magnum, P.I. and Airwolf.
Guest Cast who appeared in other QL episodes:
 Le Reine Chabut could also be seen as Samantha's mirror image in Shock Theatre (#3.22)
Place: Detroit, Michigan
Leap-date: Monday, October 16, 1961
Leapee's Name: Samantha Stormer
Project Trivia:
Al sees Sam as the leapee. In the Waiting Room, he sees the leapee as Sam.
Dr. Verbena Beeks is the project's shrink.
Dogs can see and hear Al.
Sam Trivia:
Sam remembers homerun records but doesn't remember Dr. Beeks.
Sam likes to have light beer, microwave popcorn and watch a video when he feels lousy.
Al Trivia:
He's consulting Beeks because he has a crush on Sam as Samantha.
Al prefers leaving the lights on.
Miscellaneous Trivia:
Sam's first leap into a woman.
Actress Jean Sagal (Gloria) was born only seven days before the leap-date of this episode.
Songs:
- Venus -- Frankie Avalon -- 1959
Predicted Outcome:
Ziggy predicts that Buddy will not leave his wife to marry Gloria, and when she realizes that, Gloria will commit suicide.
Altered History:
Sam convinces Gloria that Buddy isn't worth dying over. She marries a guy named Parker and they have a couple of kids.
Gloria convinces Samantha to join the design program with her and Sam ends up heading the entire division.
Kiss With History:
Sam mentions President's Day, but that wasn't established until the 1970s.
Al's Outfits:
1. white shirt with black buttons; black vest with tiny white dots and a sun glasses pin on the left side
2. red shirt; black slacks and suspenders; golden shoes
3. cream colored shirt; light blue suit; black and white tie with semicircles cut out
Sam's Outfits:
1. nothing (he leaps into a bubble bath)
2. brown high heels; khaki dress with no sleeves; matching jacket with buttons and made of brown animal skin and a matching hat; brooch over left breast
3. rose-colored dress; red necklace and earrings; red high-heels (he later wore a red and white checkered jacket over it, a red hat, black gloves and replaced the high-heels with white sneakers)
4. green short sleeved belly-free shirt with darker green buttons on the back; dark, tight trousers
5. black dress with red flowers printed on it; black hat with a veil and feathers standing in all directions; long, black gloves and black high heels
6. light blue bathrobe
7. white long-sleeved dress with flower printing; golden necklaces and earrings; black high-heels
Al's Women:
Al is having problems with Tina because he can't stop thinking about Sam as Samantha; so she thinks he's got someone on the side.
Best Scene:
When Sam takes his revenge on Buddy in the office at the end of the episode.
Quotes:
Two hours as Samantha and I knew that the lyrics to 'I enjoy being a girl' were not written by one. (Sam)
"I'm going to call you dead if you don't get outta my face." (Sam)
My natural instinct was to punch him out. But, as Al said, I had to play this as Samantha. (Sam)
"Why don't you let your wife explain it to you?" (Sam)
I have come to the conclusion that women are part masochist. It's like someone designed a modern day torture rag you can wear. From the bra to the stockings to the tight skirts and the shoes from hell. They get up every day and perform this weird binding ritual. And for what? (Sam)
Sam: "I'm supposed to look conservative."
Gloria: "You couldn't look conservative if you tried."
Sam: "Gloria, you shouldn't need a man to make you feel special."
Gloria: "But I do."
Sam: "Why? You are beautiful ..."
Gloria: "I'm not beautiful. Cute, maybe, but I'm not beautiful."
Sam: "But you are. And not just on the outside, but in here, where it counts."
Gloria: "Men don't want what's in here. They want what you've got."
"Have you ever had a man love you for anything beside your body?" (Gloria, addressing Sam)
"Don't even start if you don't want to eat your teeth for lunch." (Sam)
"Gloria won't listen to me, my best friend has a crush on me, and I'm a woman." (Sam)
"And we all know that a man can't leave his wife on the 4th of July, that would be un-American." (Sam)
Richard: "What woman doesn't like being told how gorgeous she is?"
Sam: "Me."
"Because if you don't like yourself, Gloria, no one else will either, except guys like Buddy. And you're not that desperate." (Sam)
"I hope when the right guy finds you, he'll realize what a good woman you are." (Gloria, addressing Sam)
Sam: "Revenge? Oh, come on. I'm not leaping because I want revenge?"
Al: "Very .. female."
"Bodies can be deceiving." (Sam)
"I didn't say I used to be a man. I said, I am a man." (Sam)
Open Questions and Logic Flaws:
It makes sense that Al would see the leapee as Sam since they are in the same time, but when he is projected over Sam's brainwaves, why should he see Samantha rather than Sam?
In later episodes, they also stated that Al sees Sam as Sam, not as the leapee.
Al tells Sam that Gloria would commit suicide on October 16th, but Sam leaped in on October 16th and at least two days must have passed before Gloria actually tries.
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