“So Help Me God – July 29, 1957” is episode nine of season two of Quantum Leap.
At the end of the previous episode, “Jimmy – October 14, 1964”, Sam found himself in a court. The judge is waiting for an answer. Sam asks him to repeat the question. Sam’s client, Delilah Berry, is accused of the murder of Houston Cotter. How does she plead? Sam pleads not guilty. Which isn’t what they expected and the prosecutor says they had a deal. Now he’s going to go for first degree murder and the electric chair.
The judge sees Sam and the prosecutor, Bo, in his chambers. Leonard – Sam – has thrown the deal out the window. Because Sam thinks his client is innocent, even with a signed confession. Sam mentions Miranda rights, then remembers they didn’t come into play until the 60s. It’s suggested he takes Bo’s generous offer of 20 years in prison. Sam doesn’t believe she’s guilty. If she is, Bo should prove it.
Back in court, Delilah asks why he did it. Because she’s not guilty. Sam isn’t allowed to talk to his client until tomorrow. A man who people call ‘Captain’ offers Sam a lift home. Sam accepts, even though he doesn’t like the look of the man. Because it looks like Captain runs the town and Sam has no idea where he lives.
Captain talks to Sam in the car, suggesting he got carried away. And it’s his son Delilah is accused of killing. He’d like Sam to agree to second degree murder, suggesting Delilah is using her wiles on him. Think of what’s best for everybody. Including Leonard.
The next morning, Sam has read Leonard’s notes. Unfortunately, all he remembers about law is a TV show he can’t remember the name of. Then Al appears and calls him Perry Mason. Leonard has apparently been less than helpful and they don’t know anything about the case. Regarding saving Delilah from the electric chair, all Sam has to do is plead guilty to second degree murder. That’s already out. And Sam thinks that the woman who killed the son of the most powerful man in town wouldn’t be allowed to pela bargain.
Sam briefly talks to Delilah, but she doesn’t want to talk. He then heads to the sheriff to get all the details on the case, and has to threaten to bring in federal people to get them. Sam then heads to the Cotters, where he speaks first to Houston’s mother, Sadie, then to a woman called Myrtle. Myrtle says they appreciate what he’s doing for Lila. It seems Houston came back from hunting and he and Lila were fighting again. She was leaving and he didn’t want her to go.
Lila is accused of killing Houston because he threw her out, but it seems she was leaving and he didn’t want her to go. And he took her by force when she was 14 and regularly beat her. Worse, Delilah is a young black woman in the Deep South in the 50s and Houston was a rich white boy. At least the judge seems reasonable. Sam is sure that Lila killed Houston in self-defence.