This could have been a truly excellent episode, but the fact that it was only okay highlights a potentially serious problem. There's so much of the plot revolving around things back at the project, and the Janice conspiracy (though it's nice to see Beth again), and Addison's loss, that the story of the Hill brothers and even Ben himself are being shoved into the background. The charm of the original show was getting to know and care about the people Sam was leaping in to save, and we can only do that when the episodes are focused on THAT story. Instead, we're tending to get "the Addison show" first, which is unfortunate to me as she's the sole character I don't really care for. After that, it seems to be the project/Janice story, with the "Leap" story coming in last and being shoved into whatever time remains.
Ben is a fantastic character, and it should be him in the forefront for the vast majority of the episode. His kindness, compassion, and his ability to connect with people makes him the ideal leaper to follow Sam Beckett. It's HIS story, not everyone else's. And with the focus on him, the focus also remains on the people he's there to help, giving us the time to care about them.
Also, the Leap stories seem to be missing some of the charm of the original's. They need more character focus (the older Hill brother in this episode is a case in point; his story was poised to be really compelling), the occasional smaller/less action orientated story (like a rabbi trying to help his grieving brother's family or a mom trying to save her son), and something that really gives a feel for the time period Ben's in. It doesn't have to be a necessarily well-known historical event, but maybe on the attitudes of decades ago, or the way people lived in the past. (Which would be especially fascinating if Ben can go to anywhere in history and isn't limited to simply his own lifetime.)
One question: where does the person Ben leaps into end up? In the original, when Sam leaped into someone, they leaped into his body back at the project, which presumably let them be updated on what Sam was doing to their lives. Where is Ben's body? And the leaped-into? It might be interesting to see their point of view--but briefly.