“One Strobe Over the Line – June 15, 1965” is episode four of season three of Quantum Leap.
At the end of the previous episode, “Leap of Faith – August 19, 1963”, Sam leaped into a photographer. Who was standing in front of a lion.
Sam – Karl – is making a mess of things because he doesn’t know what he’s doing and pauses things. A man, Byron, is complaining to a woman, Helen, about the model, Edie. Helen goes to check in Edie and warns she will be replaced if she doesn’t buck up. Helen wants Edie to take some tablets; Edie doesn’t want to, as she doesn’t like what they’re doing to her, but Helen convinces her to, promising this is the last time.
Sam restarts the shoot and still. doesn’t know what he’s doing. And only takes one photo. Helen tells Byron that Karl is saving him money. She also asks Karl to give Edie a lift home.
Edie has lots of cats and Sam says they had two on the farm when he grew up. Sam has to backtrack when Edie asks if he grew up on a farm too, as she thought he grew up in Queens. Sam has to backtrack, and Edie explains she’s saving money to buy things for her family and become a vet. She talks about how got one of her cats and Sam starts digging himself deeper. Edie says Helen is more than a boss, she’s like her mother.
Sam leaves and finds Al at his place, admiring one of the photos. Sam thinks he’s there to do a photoshoot. Al explains who Sam is and that he’s a high fashion photographer. He moves onto Edie, and how Helen’s agency is on the brink of bankruptcy. Edie will be dead in three and a half days, overdosing on drink and drugs.
At the photoshoot, Sam is still fretting. Al says he used to visit photoshoots. The shoot has a very slow start until Sam finally starts getting into it.
Sam has to nurse Edie through withdrawal, but it’s not helped by Helen wanting to ensure that Edie looks good. By making sure she takes some pills.