The series is somewhat unusual in that it has a science fiction premise, but little science fiction- or fantasy-oriented storytelling, instead focusing on the personal journeys of Sam and the people he encounters. Even in its final episode, the show refuses to resolve many of its own technical and holistic questions, choosing instead to leave things open-ended and focus tightly on what is arguably the series’ overarching message: that a single person can change the world, one life at a time.
The final episode was in fact intended to be an end-of-season cliffhanger, but after the series was not renewed for a sixth season, it was revised to function as a series finale. The original ending had Al’s Vietnam-era picture “leaping” into a portrait of Al sitting with Beth and their four adult daughters. In both the alternate ending and the episode as aired, the leap effect eventually recedes into darkness, and text on the screen informs us that “Dr. Sam Beckett never returned home.”
