Quantum Leap’s Samuel Beckett
by Pete Hindle
Famous Irish playwright Samuel Beckett has a science-fiction namesake: Doctor Sam Beckett, who leaps through time to set right what went wrong.
The above video is a joke about these two Samuel Becketts. In his later career, the playwright Beckett made some awesomely post-modern offbeat works, including a play that lasts for three seconds, and consists of a giant mouth sighing.
Every episode of Quantum Leap starts with Sam Beckett “leaping” into a new dramatic scene, where he says “oh boy” (such is the non-offensive nature of the show, even when faced with near-certain death Sam does not drop an f-bomb).
The video is a mere few seconds of a Samuel Beckett, wearily saying “oh boy”, and then roll credits. The humour comes from knowing that there are two Samuel Beckett’s being referred to in this video, leaving me with the problem that it’s a very obscure joke… I believe that it’s so obscure, I can depict the people who will find this funny using a venn diagram:
[...] I feel like Sam Beckett. No, not that one. This one. He’s loads better (parenthetically, how much would I like Sam to come along and take over my [...]
I get it! Beckett plays are very much an acquired taste, and Quantum Leap was something one of my sons adored, not so much by the other. Formulaic and a bit trite but fine for an 11 year old.
ah, now this explains it… hahahaha
from the video on its own it was a *bit* obscure
Whaaaat? How can you say this is obscure?
Oh wait. Yeah. It is pretty fucking obscure.