“Sea Bride – June 3, 1954” is episode twenty-one of season two of Quantum Leap.
Sam leaps in, then loses his balance, because he’s on a ship sailing out of New York. There are flowers from someone called ‘J’ saying they have not yet begun to fight. Then a woman in a wedding dress enters, kisses Sam then slaps him and asks why he’s there.
It seems Sam – Philip – headed out on a boat to think and came back three years later, apparently having been stranded on an island and presumed dead. The woman, Catherine, is getting married tomorrow and says Philip can’t stop her. Now get out of her room. Sam points out it’s his room. There’s a knock on the door as Catherine’ father arrives.
Catherine is hidden in the closet as Sam ends up letting Weathers Farrington in. Farrington has a go at Philip for running away rather than work for his company and ends up punching him. Then staff return with flowers that Philip had sent to Catherine, but she’d refused to accept them.
Al appears; Catherine is marrying someone called Vinny the Viper. Vincent Loggia, who is going to help pull the Farrington company out of the red. Farrington wants Philip’s word he will stay away from Catherine and not interfere with the wedding. Sam gives it.
When Farrington has gone, Al tells Sam he’s probably here to stop the wedding. Philip and Catherine were married, but when Philip was marooned, Farrington convinced Catherine that Philip was dead and had the marriage annulled. There’s more knocking, because Sam forgot Catherine was in the closet. She’s let out and Al tells Sam that Philip couldn’t stop the wedding and committed suicide, then two years later Catherine died of a broken heart.
Catherine leaves and there’s a brief mention of Al’s true love then Sam, asks for details on Vinny’s underworld activities to tell Farrington so he will call off the wedding and Philip can do the rest. Al doubts it will be that simple. There’s another knock and Sam agrees.
A young girl comes in and says everything is going to plan. This is Catherine’s younger sister, Jennifer – ‘J’. Jennifer heard Vinny telling his best man to chop Philip into little pieces and feed him to the fish. But she doubts he was serious. Al does not and Philip’s suicide looks less suicidal. When Jennifer leaves, Al says Sam needs to get Vinny out of Catherine’s life without ending his own.
Catherine is currently hiding from Vinny in their rooms, only coming out when he’s gone. Her father ends up explaining that their shipping business is about to go under, and Vincent has offered to buy him out. Vincent will take care of Catherine and her father will be able to take care of her sister and mother. It seems this convinces Catherine to marry Vinny.
Sam has been trying to talk to Catherine to arrange a meeting, but she’s avoided it. Jennifer has got a key to the first-class pool. Al tells Sam to dance with Catherine as a way of talking with her. This works. However, Vinny is as dangerous as made out to be and will kill Philip – Sam – if he gets in the way.