This last episode, and the one prior to it, suffer from inconsistencies compared to the earlier Flintstones series. By the time this show aired, the original Flintstones had been in reruns for four years and viewers would have become familiar with their plots, and would have noticed the irregularities in writing. In the original episodes, Gobby Gruesome is a toddler slightly older than Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm, but in this episode, Gobby still looks 2 or 3 years old (although it's possible that he just doesn't age, considering he's a monster!). Also, in the original series, the Rubbles and the Flintstones eventually become friends with the Gruesomes, but now the families are back to being suspicious of each other again.

This episode, and the one following it, do not quite mesh with either the original series or the contemporary one. It is as if the writers took familiar elements of both shows and started mixing and matching them, probably assuming that the viewers would not notice the discrepancies. Fred's rich uncle should be named Tex Hardrock, not Uncle Hatrock. The Flintstones have a feud with the Hatrocks, which were another family altogether. Also, the plot of the cattle rustlers is the same as the "Deep in the Heart of Texarock" episode from 1965. Overall, it is poorer writing than it should be.

This episode, written by Neil Barbera, has the "feel" of the original series, and it's possible that it was adapted from a leftover script from the earlier show. The emphasis is as much on the parents as it is on their teen-agers. Fred still works at the gravel pit, now called Bedrock Gravel Works. This time, Barney works there too. Pebbles becomes Mr. Slate's secretary and causes the gravel pit to lose out on a construction contract, a storyline much like what might have happened to her father in the original show. We also discover that Pebbles has inherited her mother's temper.

"Catch a Falling Star" is my favorite episode of "Quantum Leap." The first time I saw it, when it originally aired, it blew me away. For days afterward, I went around singing songs from "Man of La Mancha." I was delighted when several episodes of "Quantum Leap" were put on VHS in the mid-1990s, and I acquired "Catch" almost immediately.
One of my favorite genres of movies is musicals, and that's probably why this episode captured my imagination so much. Also, I believe that some of the lines that Sam says weren't just Scott Bakula acting. They feel very real, as if Scott himself were saying the lines in real life.
There is a sentence in the complete episode that is usually omitted in syndication, and it's an important line relating to the entire series. Al mentions that the Quantum Leap scientists would often sing songs from "La Mancha" as they were doing their early experiments and preparations--in other words, they were working on what was probably an impossible dream to accomplish.

"The Big Bank Robbery" was recorded Aug. 15, 1960, and originally aired Jan. 20, 1961.
These are my comments and questions:
1. The 1960 theme and opening credits are used.
2. The money was stolen from the Rockville National Bank. The episode also mentions the Rockville Department Store.
3. The Flintstones' address in this episode is 315 Stone Cave Road.
4. On the DVD set, the color in this episode is very faded. It doesn't look like it has been restored.
5. On a related note, I never saw this episode when the series was in syndication between 1967 and the late 1970s. Although I never missed reruns of the series, this was one of the few episodes that I never saw until the early 80s, which leads me to believe that (A) it wasn't part of the original syndication package and (B) perhaps the master recording is missing, and one of the copies had to be used on the DVD.