Let Them Play
- Episode aired Feb 6, 2023
- TV-PG
IMDb RATING
5.3/10
1.5K
YOUR RATING
Ben finds himself in the body of a high school basketball coach, whose daughter is trans, on his team, and faces prejudice from the community.Ben finds himself in the body of a high school basketball coach, whose daughter is trans, on his team, and faces prejudice from the community.Ben finds himself in the body of a high school basketball coach, whose daughter is trans, on his team, and faces prejudice from the community.
Photos
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe episode ends with trans crisis helpline details onscreen.
- GoofsAfter Ben lets Gia play in the first game, Ian says that he remembers Gia playing in the game. In all previous instances, the members of the Quantum Leap project remain aware of the original version of events, even if it affects them personally, including when Addison's father's life was drastically altered in S.O.S. (2023). Ian should have only remembered the original version of events, where Gia was forbidden to play and the team had to play one person short for the final half minute.
- SoundtracksWe Are Young
(uncredited)
Written by Jack Antonoff, Jeff Bhasker, Andrew Dost, and Nate Ruess
Performed by Fun.
Featured review
Writing is horrible
This was the most tedious, poorly written episode of any TV series I've had the misfortune to watch. QL has always had the clear line between telling a story and telling you what you should think. The entire appeal of the show Is to compare modern attitudes with those of the period. The Rosa Parks episode in the original series looked at the appalling treatments handed out to black people in America. It works because we have all evolved beyond that point and wonder how people could have been treated that way.
This episode doesn't have the luxury of time difference to present the contrast which means it needs clever story telling and subtlety. It fails dismally.
Let's look at the logic of the story telling. A high school coach allows his trans daughter onto the girls basketball team but she's not a player. What? How is that inclusion? How does that support her transition? What parent or teacher would think that's better than not allowing her on the team at all?
And then there is the dialog. Speech after speech about how important it is to let trans people "be their true selves" or participate fully in life or aren't a danger to anyone else. To get any more preachy they would have to break the fourth wall and give their talk direct to the camera.
I saw another review here that said you would have to be a bigot to not love this episode. I would say you are so desperate for television to write any positive story on trans issues that you're prepared to forgive the extremely poor writing that delivered it.
This episode doesn't have the luxury of time difference to present the contrast which means it needs clever story telling and subtlety. It fails dismally.
Let's look at the logic of the story telling. A high school coach allows his trans daughter onto the girls basketball team but she's not a player. What? How is that inclusion? How does that support her transition? What parent or teacher would think that's better than not allowing her on the team at all?
And then there is the dialog. Speech after speech about how important it is to let trans people "be their true selves" or participate fully in life or aren't a danger to anyone else. To get any more preachy they would have to break the fourth wall and give their talk direct to the camera.
I saw another review here that said you would have to be a bigot to not love this episode. I would say you are so desperate for television to write any positive story on trans issues that you're prepared to forgive the extremely poor writing that delivered it.
helpful•8252
- chollins
- Feb 13, 2023
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Filming locations
- Colonial Street, Backlot, Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA(The Cleaver House/Leave It to Beaver House)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
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