Blog

When we last saw Quantum Leap‘s Team HQ in action before the midseason break, Ian (Mason Alexander Park) and Jenn (Nanrisa Lee) — on the down low — enlisted Rachel (Alice Kremelberg) to help them get around her boss’ blackmail scheme. In Season 2, Episode 6, “Secret History,” the get control back of the quantum chip processor which is integral to them tracking Ben (Raymond Lee) and his leaps. Then in Episode 8, “Nomads,” Magic (Ernie Hudson) had a heart-to-heart with Addison (Caitlin Bassett) about her realizing that Ben loves Hannah (Eliza Clark) and how to process that going forward to do what’s best for Ben and the project. 

This Tuesday’s (January 30) return from hiatus, “Off the Cuff,” means the team will have to deal with those outstanding issues, and also Tom’s (Peter Gadiot) revelation to Addison that there might be a way to bring Ben back. Looking ahead to what’s to come in the last five episodes of Season 2, NBC Insider caught up with Hudson, Park, and Lee to get a little intel on what to expect from their side of Project Quantum Leap. 

Ernie Hudson, Mason Alexander Park and Nanrisa Lee tease the return of Quantum Leap

Ernie Hudson is savoring Magic’s wisdom in Season 2

After revealing Magic’s alcohol addiction issues and admitting his own need for help earlier in the season, Hudson told us he is thrilled his character could acknowledge his own faults. 

For More on Quantum Leap:
Quantum Leap Star Raymond Lee on Season 2’s Huge Changes – Plus What Comes Next
We Finally Learn Why Ben & Hannah Keep Meeting Across Time on Quantum Leap
Everything To Know About Quantum Leap Season 2

“Magic, especially during this three years that we thought we had lost Ben, realizes his frailties,” the actor mused. “I think he comes back into the second season with a better understanding of that, and I think he’s more tolerant and wants to really do whatever it takes to support his people.

“And he realizes that he really, really needs this team to perform if we’re going to be successful,” Hudson added, alluding to the cliffhanger news regarding Ben. “Now, I’m just looking forward to whatever the writing staff comes up with in terms of where this goes.”

Ian and Jenn are the thinking man’s “Tweedle Dee” and Tweedle Dumb” of Team HQ

As much as Ben is busy changing history for the better, leap to leap, the HQ team is also working just as hard to process some new pickle that threatens their overall mission success. Ian and Jenn did some recent subterfuge to get control of their quantum chip, but is that issue really solved?

Park told us to always be wary. “I love this side drama,” he laughed, when confronted with what’s coming next. 

“I really love the moments in Season 1 and Season 2, where we’ve had business on the side that is not necessarily shared amongst the group,” he continued. “We work remarkably well together as a team, but it’s very interesting to watch the characters try to process when they should share certain things amongst their colleagues and their family. With this particular situation, I’m so grateful that we have Rachel and that she created a solve at this moment in time. But yeah, with anything on this show, it’s always going to come back and bite you in the ass,” he laughed. 

RELATED: We Finally Learn Why Ben & Hannah Keep Meeting Across Time on Quantum Leap

“Nothing is ever completely tied up neatly and solved. There would be no fun,” Park emphasized. “The messiness is so much of what makes it feel vibrant and real and alive for us. I’m looking forward to how ever the poo ends up. I have a really good feeling.”

Lee agreed wholeheartedly, noting she thinks of Ian and Jenn as the “thinking man’s Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum” in how they make unintended messes for themselves. “We work at a really high level with very complex issues, with serious ramifications,” she told us. “I don’t think either one of them regrets making that decision because we got Ben back. And Jen is probably the first one that’s going to be okay with an unorthodox approach to making that happen. But of course, as Mason says, with everything on the show, there’s a price to the actions and the choices that we make, even if it’s worth it.”

Quantum Leap returns for the rest of Season 2 on Tuesday, January 30 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on NBC and next day on Peacock. 

This story was originally published on NBC Insider.