Warning: SPOILERS for Quantum Leap season 2, episode 9.

Summary

• The cast of Quantum Leap remains hopeful for a renewal of the sci-fi series despite NBC not officially announcing it.
• Addison is taking control of her own life and her relationship with Ben, which adds a new dynamic to the show.
• The upcoming episodes of Quantum Leap season 2 will be fast-paced and full of decisions as the team tries to solve the mystery of Ben's leaps and bring him home.

Quantum Leap returned from hiatus on Tuesday, January 30, with the two-hour season finale set to air on February 20. NBC is yet to announce an official renewal for the sci-fi series, but the cast remains hopeful for its continuation. Season 2, episode 9, "Off the Cuff" sees Ben leap into the body of bounty hunter Nick Peterson, who is tasked with capturing notorious criminal, Kevin Zatt. In a cruel twist of fate, Ben discovers that Hannah is married with a child, and nine years have passed since their love confession in Giza. The two must work together to protect Hannah's family and prevent Kevin's untimely death.

However, another surprise hits during the episode's final moments when Addison says yes to Tom's (Peter Gadiot, One Piece) marriage proposal, despite Ben's possible homecoming. Addison is portrayed by Caitlin Bassett, who was previously featured in the 2020 short, V Is for Vodka. In addition to Bassett, the main cast includes Raymond Lee as Ben, Ernie Hudson as Magic, Mason Alexander Park as Ian, and Nanrisa Lee as Jenn.

Screen Rant interviewed Caitlin Bassett about the show's latest installment, Addison's complicated relationships, and what fans can expect during the remainder of the season.

Caitlin Bassett Talks Quantum Leap Season 2

Screen Rant: Addison is going through a lot right now. I can't even imagine getting into a headspace like this. What do you think is at the forefront of her mind?

Caitlin Bassett: Oh, God. You've got to figure out who you want to be, even in situations you might have never expected. I think she has gotten to the point, especially by the end of Episode 9, where she's just going, "You know what? I've got to take control of Addison's life," which really works for me. That works for Caitlin very much so. It launches us into the back half of a season where, all of a sudden, instead of Addison just absorbing what Ben is deciding and going through, he starts to have to deal a little bit more with what is going on for her. It's really cool. It added a completely different dynamic to her character.

How do you feel about Addison still being Ben's hologram? Do you think it's helping this friendship they want to build or harming it?

Caitlin Bassett: I think it's helping. I think they're doing the thing, which is, "Can we still do this? Can we still do the thing where I can be there for you, and I can watch you deal with life, and that's okay?" I think they're trying to figure out how it's going. Episode Eight, which I liked, had some moments that were very sunk in, and then some were like, "Oh, I don't know how to deal with this" But if anyone's going to have a future, you have to learn how to deal with it. The writers gave the characters enough time to try and figure that out, which I thought was really fun. It changes the trajectory of where the rest of the season goes.

Hannah made a very interesting point in this episode when she said you may be able to love two people at once. What's your opinion on that when it comes to Ben and Addison and their relationships with their current love interests?

Caitlin Bassett: I think Addison probably didn't agree with that for a while until she had to start contending with it. Because there are different types of love. There's romantic love, there's committed love, there's friendship-based love, and I think we saw Addison and Ben's relationship transition from what it was to something else, and Hannah taking a different position in his life. And then Addison has to watch reality happen and be like, "Oh, yeah. Maybe you can."

It took Addison years to get over Ben, and he's only known Hannah for a few weeks. How does it make Addison feel to watch that play out in such a short amount of time?

Caitlin Bassett: It never felt great, and I remember it never feeling great from the beginning while playing it, just because there's something about it that feels very replaced. But then, like I said, as the relationship starts to shift, all of a sudden, there's some space for it. You can take a little space back and just realize, "How many times did I throw myself into something because if I didn't I'd just fall apart?" Sometimes things happen and you just have to live the life that's right in front of you like Magic said in Episode 9.

We also have to talk about the engagement. Does Addison choosing that time to confront Tom about the ring have anything to do with Ben potentially coming home?

Caitlin Bassett: I think, just like how Ben met Hannah, and that immediately became a thing, I feel like there's some reflection there. You make the decision in front of you because to not do it is very scary and it leaves too many things open.

Were you surprised when you found out that Tom and Addison were getting engaged? Or is this where you thought their relationship was naturally headed?

Caitlin Bassett: No, I was surprised. I texted the writers. [Laughs] I was like, "Um, guys?" and then they told me where it was all going, and I was like, "Oh, okay. I see." My favorite part about it was, in the moment when she brings it up, not in a romantic area, or like, "Hey, babe, we need to talk about a thing," she had her decision before she brought it up.

She knew what was probably going to happen, whether in that moment or not. And so, all of a sudden, we start seeing Addison drive her own version of the ship. Instead of reacting to Ben, and what he's doing, and what's happening, she's like, "Okay, that might happen. That might not happen. I don't know. But it's time for me to make a decision about my life." And all of a sudden, we start seeing her take a lot more ownership of her life's direction, which is really cool.

Is there anything you can tease about the upcoming episodes?

Caitlin Bassett: It's an amazing ride. We had to pump an 18-episode season into 13 episodes. So it moves, which is incredibly fun to play because you have to watch Addison make decisions every single moment. It took to the end of the first episode of season 2 to see how different season 2 was going to be from season 1, but at the end of season 2, you're going to see how different season 3 is going to be.

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 the hope of understanding the mysteries behind the machine and the man who created it.

Everything changes, however, when Ben makes an unauthorized leap into the past, leaving the team behind to solve the mystery of why he did it. As Ben leaps from life to life, putting right what once went wrong, it becomes clear that he and the team are on a thrilling journey. However, Addison, Magic, Ian, and Jenn know that if they are going to solve the mystery of Ben’s leaps and bring him home, they must act fast or lose him forever.

Check out our previous Quantum Leap season 2 interviews as well:

• Chris Grismer
• Martin Gero & Dean Georgaris
• Raymond Lee
• Raymond Lee & Eliza Taylor
• Raymond Lee & Caitlin Bassett
• Nanrisa Lee, Mason Alexander Park, & Ernie Hudson

New episodes of Quantum Leap season 2 air on Tuesdays at 10pm ET on NBC and are available to stream the following day on Peacock.

Source: Screen Rant Plus