[s5e22] Mirror Image - August 8, 1953 -

Watch the emotional opening of the finale where Sam discovers he has leaped into himself: Mirror Image - August 8, 1953 Quantum Leap YouTube• Jan 19, 2015

The episode ends with the famous and bittersweet title card: "Dr. Sam Becket [sic] never returned home" . [S5E22] Mirror Image - August 8, 1953

The bartender's name, Alberto Bellisario, is a nod to the show's creator, Donald P. Bellisario, who also wrote this final episode. Watch the emotional opening of the finale where

In this surreal and emotional series finale, Dr. Sam Beckett leaps into a tavern in Cokeburg, Pennsylvania—on the exact day and time of his own birth. For the first time in the series, Sam looks in the mirror and sees his own reflection instead of a host. Bellisario, who also wrote this final episode

The tavern is filled with miners who share the faces of people Sam has helped in the past, though they have different names.

Sam meets Al the Bartender (Bruce McGill), who seems to possess an omniscient understanding of Sam’s journey.

Realizing he has more control over his leaps than he thought, Sam chooses to make one final leap as himself to tell Beth that Al Calavicci is still alive, preventing their divorce and changing Al's future for the better.