As we suspect from the title this is going to be a show about the mob. We get to see what America would have been like had Prohibition never been repealed.
This simple act remaining as law instead of being repealed was the single greatest event that started a chain reaction of other events to get this America where it ended up. The mafia basically runs the whole country.
There’s lots of lawlessness and gambling.
Since taxes are so low the government is underfunded and can’t really prosecute anybody. They don’t have enough money to do any investigations and barely have their police cars running.
The Sliders find themselves smack dab in the middle of the mafia right at the start. The vortex opens right over a pool where a wedding ceremony is going on. We come to find out it’s an arranged marriage like back in the old monarchy days.
The 2 main families in power are coming together in cooperation and sealing it by the marriage.
The daughter is dead set against getting married but her father had killed her fiancee that she loved. So the Sliders become entangled and get involved yet again. The pact they made to just be tourists and stay out of any kind of involvement just isn’t working out at all for them.
It turns out that on this world Rembrandt Brown is the director of the FBI and part of the incorruptibles. He’s basically the Eliot Ness of this world who is going after the mob families and to stop organized crime.
But the Sliders don’t know this at first and end up taking a $100,000 bribe from the mafia.
The plot of these two crime families is revealed. They intend to join the forces of California and Nevada so that they can secede from the union. They have many politicians, police officers and many other government officials on the payroll. And getting the district attorney elected as governor it is going to legitimize the plot to secede.
When the two families are united in cooperation and they have a legitimate face as a politician who’s involved in their scheme there will be few forces left to stop them. Nothing short of civil war will be able to thwart their plot.
This was an exciting episode and the Sliders nearly get killed at the end because they get captured. The head mafia boss does his Goodfellas thing and threatens them with pain of death if they don’t reveal where his daughter is.
And it was all a sting and the Rembrandt Brown from this world calls in the dogs after the head mob boss reveals that the district attorney is on his payroll. The district attorney walks out and confirms that he in fact has been on the payroll for many years.
It’s all over but the crying from there.
They get the thanks and gratitude of this world as they slide off into the next one.
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This episode is appropriately titled Obsession and it features Wade. It starts out with her having a crazy weird dream of a time long ago and a love she never knew.
She is riding on horseback in the woods with this love and we later see on her nightstand that she was reading Romeo and Juliet. In the woods she declares her love for this guy but says that his dad would never allow him to marry a servant girl. He persists and says that he will protect her to his last breath.
He also vows to protect her family if she will go along with the plan.
The alarm clock awakens her before the dream is done and it is revealed that they are on a world where America is new India. They’re only on this world for a few minutes and it is not divulged exactly how India conquered or came to be in charge of America.
But the dream is very troubling and when they arrive on the next world the man she saw in her dreams is there waiting on a motorcycle for them. He walks right up to her and says that he has been waiting for her for his entire life and that they had a great love in a past life. Wade is a total sucker for the psychic type of stuff and this past life stuff.
He rolls out one red rose and gives it to her. He calls out the skepticism of Arturo and Quinn Mallory almost in the same breath. They are astonished and amazed that he knows all of their names.
This is quite odd to me as well but it is later revealed that he is a psychic and 10% of the people on this world are psychics.
Wade is almost run over by the current prime Oracle. Prime Oracle in this world is the number one power and seer trusted by the president and trusted by the entire country. It’s his or her job to keep them safe to all calamity and manner of evil that could befall them.
The motives of the prime Oracle are later revealed.
The Derrick character from Wade’s dream has an obsessive love for Wade. He believes he is fêted and destined to be with her always and will not let her leave.
She realizes he is manipulating her and refuses his marriage proposal.
The other Sliders attempt to break her out but they must do a Romeo and Juliet style ruse. They send a prescription which is a poison that will knock her out so that he believes she is dead. She will be awakened by the nurse who is behind the plan.
They realize, as the prime Oracle did, that the only way Derek will let her go is if he believes she is dead. And so they set this plan in motion.
But Derek is a great seer and realizes that she is still alive. He rushes to be by her side before the Sliders leave this world. He makes it there just in time but does not do as we expected him to do. He makes no attempt to force her to stay.
He only asks for her forgiveness and hopes that they will meet in another lifetime. He has an ominous look on his face because he says “I’ve just seen where tehy’re going to land.”
I’m not a big fan of this psychic stuff but if you are into this it’s definitely an episode you will enjoy. For everyone else it’s fairly decent but one that you can skip.
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This was the big episode we’d been waiting for where Billie (played by hottie Jenna Elfman) finally has her baby even though it is 3 weeks premature. They’re on the way to a big movie premiere that she wants to enjoy with her boyfriend and soon-to-be husband Zack, and so speeding is required to get there on time so their night can be special.
Billie is freaking out because she’s worried they aren’t going to get there in time and that the people holding their premiere tickets are going to give them away to someone else. So Zack has the pedal to the metal.
This does not go well as Officer Marion catches them and comes up alongside Zack’s big moving van. Zack had hit a bump and so Billie has spilled some coke down into her lap.
Officer Marion starts with his standard procedure of “why were you going so fast” when he looks at Billie and sees that her lap is wet. He also notices exactly how pregnant she is and asks, “did your water just break”.
She answers that yes it did and he tells them to hold on because he is going to give them a police escort to the hospital. Of course, they are scared because it is a complete lie but they also realize just how cool it is to have a police escort.
But they have to sneak out because it’s a false alarm and as they are on their way back to the movie premiere his buddy Davis who is driving his going too fast and sure enough Officer Marion pulls them over again. This time he is not forgiving and says he’s going to take Zack to jail.
So Billie is extremely worried that Zack isn’t going to be there for the birth of their new son. She has to count on the tremendously unreliable Davis who faints twice during the proceedings.
Billy’s friend Olivia ends up knowing Officer Marion and negotiating Zack’s release so that he does make it there in time for the baby. There was a big announcement at the very end and you’ll have to watch the show to see it.
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This episode starts out featuring Rembrandt in a psychiatrists office recapping the past two weeks. Apparently this was one of the long-term slides. And I’ll give you a little spoiler about the end. Arturo ends up fighting himself and the Sliders are unsure which one makes the slide with them.
They arrive home immediately in front of Quinn’s house. Things look fairly similar to their own world and he does the all famous test on his gate. The gate squeaks just like he always remembered.
They talk to his mom and he has been absent for about 18 months roughly the time that they first slid.
After talking with Wade’s family and Rembrandt getting back in contact with his people the timelines for all of them disappearing match up exactly like they did on their own home world. They feel like they are finally home.
But things aren’t as they seem.
Quinn first discovers that in Super Bowl XIX the headline reads that the 49ers beat the Jets. But on his world the 49ers beat the Dolphins in that Super Bowl. He starts looking through an old yearbook and discovers that one of the nerdy guys he knew doesn’t have braces on in this yearbook photo. But the guy from back home definitely had braces when that yearbook photo was taken on the home world. He also noticed that his Roger Maris baseball card doesn’t have an asterisk next to the home run record like it did back on his home world.
They had agreed at the outset of the episode to keep sliding a secret until Prof. Arturo and Quinn have perfected the timer and the anchor to return back home.
But almost immediately Arturo goes public with it in a news conference to the outrage of his friends. The only one who really isn’t outraged is Quinn.
At that point Rembrandt and Wade go public with their experiences and are starting to see massive success and opportunities like they had never dreamed of. Wade’s Journal has gotten her a one million-dollar advance. Rembrandt is getting all kinds of interview requests and record sales unlike any he had seen on his home world.
But when they’re at the museum opening where Prof. Arturo has been declared “the father of interdimensional travel” she sees a picture of the Golden gate Bridge. Only it is blue instead of the customary color it was on their home world which is that brownish orange.
So she believes Quinn now.
The reason she and Rembrandt had been so disbelieving and felt like Quinn was in a dubious and possibly crazy state is that they wanted to believe it was home. It was so close to home their minds absolutely wanted to believe it actually was.
Soon after Rembrandt discovers that his backup singers were also credited on some of the sheet music. In his home world he was the sole creator and sole owner of all the royalties from writing his own music. So he now knew beyond a shadow of a doubt this was not their home world either.
The episode ends with the two Prof. Arturo’s fighting it out and both making solid cases that they are the real Arturo that is with them.
They end up getting in a fight right in front of the vortex and one of them gets the upper hand and slides through.
Our other three heroes still don’t know whether they have the right Arturo or not.
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The season finale of the first incredibly exciting season of Spartacus Blood and Sand was a thing to behold. If you’ve not seen it all episodes are available on netflix streaming online service. You could be watching them instantly.
It opens by recapping some of the best stuff from season one.
Spartacus and Crixus are engulfed in a battle to the death. The cool thing is that Batiatus has provided this amusement only to the most esteemed and wealthiest members of Capuan society. These are the top citizens of Capua who Batiatus has longed to have access to.
During the fight to Spartacus is talking to Crixus enlisting and imploring him to join his cause.
Then we start with the flashbacks to 2 days ago. Plans were set in motion as Spartacus recruits the other gladiators to his cause. Agron and Duro the two brothers who were showing promise overheard Spartacus talking about plans of escape. They asked him how it could be so to which Spartacus says, “There is only there is but one path. We kill them all.”
But their numbers are still too shallow because the Gauls and many of the other gladiators still support Crixus and believe he is the true champion. Until and unless they can get Crixus to join their cause the other gladiators will not fight alongside Spartacus. His plan cannot take shape until he gets enough allies to see it successfully through.
But Crixus is being held in the dungeon for his betrayal and his outburst against Batiatus number 2 man Asher. It’s amazing how far from grace the former champion Crixus has fallen.
He goes from being the undefeated Gaul to the mad Gaul.
Spartacus wishes to have words with him so he asks Batiatus to release him so that he can train and be at his best for their death match. Batiatus sees the wisdom in this because he wants to give the wealthiest citizens of Capua a show that they will never forget. He sees the advantage in having this fight to the death be an incredibly entertaining and exclusive affair that none of the rest of the regular mob of Capua will have privilege enough to see.
He feels that the entire Roman empire will be talking about this battle and the privileged few who got to witness it.
Spartacus enlist the help of Mira to make sure the villa gates are open at the appropriate time.
She is tough to convince because she still does not see the value in taking this risk. She has wanted Spartacus for a long time and he has spurned her. So she says that if he will have her then she will be his ally. Spartacus reluctantly agrees because he still has great feelings for his wife but he needs his plan to be enacted.
Batiatus and Doctore suspect nothing.
Batiatus knows that Spartacus is his meal ticket and without him he could easily fall from grace. So he hatches a plan with his wife Lucretia and Asher to poison Crixus’ food. He doesn’t want to kill Crixus he only wants an elixir that will weaken Crixus prematurely to give Spartacus an advantage.
This way the fight is incredibly entertaining for the wealthy citizens of Capua and yet none of them will suspect that it was tainted and fixed. He does not want to lose the goodwill of these good citizens by having a match they deem as unbalanced or unfair. He doesn’t want those kind of questions.
The fight drags on and we are given some glimpses of the other events leading up to it.
There was even an exchange between Spartacus and Aurelia where he attempts to explain what happened in Varo’s death. Of course she has an unsympathetic ear and she is disinclined to believe anything he says. But it does plant a seed of doubt in her mind. Later on in the episode she will indulge it in an attempt to find the truth.
As Crixus starts to weaken we are back in the dreaded death match.
He feels himself weakening prematurely and sees the wisdom in Spartacus words. He braces himself behind his shield and invites Spartacus to run and leap into the top where all the honored citizens are watching. Spartacus launches himself and takes out one of the good citizens of Capua right in front of Batiatus.
He then starts going on a killing spree as all these ne’er-do-wells citizens run in fear and terror screaming and shrieking in horror.
This is when the episode gets incredibly interesting because Crixus leads the rest of the gladiators to kill the guards that were on the sands of the practice grounds.
Doctore asks Crixus what he is doing because he had promised to restore order to this ludous.
Crixus turns to Doctore and says “This ludous has no honor. You asked me to trust you and now I’m asking you to trust me.”
And so he throws his sword toward Crixus who narrowly bends his back to avoid it and it catches the guard that was rushing upon Crixus. He turns to Doctore, they look each other in the eyes and their accord has been agreed to.
So the carnage continues as the slaves run wild and the villa gates are open. Women and children are slaughtered mercilessly and without a second thought.
Aurelia gets her revenge on Numarius as she lures him into a secluded place and questions him about Varo’s death. When he confirms that Varo meant nothing and he ordered his death she launches upon him with the same knife that Spartacus was going to use to kill Batiatus only a day before.
The irony is quite sweet as she goes into a crazed killing rage stabbing him repeatedly even though he’s been dead for a while. Spartacus comes in to stop her. She has achieved her vengeance.
Crixus meets up with Lucretia who has told him that the child in her belly is his. They have an exchange of words and he indicates that he would not have his child suckle at her breasts. Then he plunges his sword into her stomach.
Finally all the good citizens of Capua have been disposed of with their corpses lying on the blood drenched floor.
Batiatus is waving his sword like a wild man.
None of the other gladiators dare touch him. Then Spartacus appears on the scene and they have words about his wife’s Sura. Batiatus realizes the futility of fighting any further and drops his sword. Spartacus slits his throat and as he is falling to the ground he taunts him telling him to go to Lucretia.
It ends with a stirring speech from Spartacus telling them they are all free and their destiny is their own. Follow me and we will bring Rome to its knees and see it tremble. If not you may go your own way.
We are starting to get into the slave army which is the regular story of Spartacus that we have all known and heard. It’s going to be interesting to see how season 2 develops and whether it is the final season or whether there are more seasons to be observed.
I suspect the format will be that season 1 was the making of Spartacus as a gladiator champion. Season 2 will show him gathering his army and training it. They’ll probably even win some battles.
Then season 3 will probably be the climax has starts to see the decline of his army and the eventual defeat of it by the Roman empire. The final episode may see him crucified and his body torn limb from limb with his limbs being scattered to the four corners of the earth.
Let me know in the comments what your theories are for next season and how long the show is going to last. Or you can just leave your comments on this awesome season finale.
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This episode begins on the sands of the gladiatorial arena. Crixus with his renewed vigor has been given new life as a gladiator with his victory over Pericles still fresh in the minds of all the mob of Capua. This episode opens with Crixus having a dominating defeat of his opponents.
But he is still playing second fiddle to Spartacus. In the last episode the villain Salonius was discovered by Numarius and Batiatus. At least Numarius was led to believe that Salonius was the villain who cold-bloodedly murdered his father for cause which Numarius does not know. Salonius motives evade Numarius.
So Spartacus is to be the main event. And Salonius’ execution is to be the main attraction in this gladiatorial games.
Salonius has has a surprising amount of skill that even catches Spartacus attention and respect. He puts up a decent fight even though part of it was just Spartacus playing to the crowd and toying with Salonius.
Batiatus, Numarius and the entire entourage up in the Pulvinus delight at the spectacle and show Spartacus is putting on… the show that is Salonius’ execution.
Batiatus has that devious grin as he sees his number 1 arch enemy with his head removed from his body.
This was one of the killer opening scenes as Spartacus cleanly decapitate him, his head flying and spinning through the air. Blood was spewing and draining from his neck as his head spins like a top through the air. It was an amazing spectacle.
Once this is done they turn their thoughts to other matters. Spartacus presses for an audience with Batiatus.
He longs to act upon the information he gleaned in the last episode from Batiatus’ other servant. He learned that that servant killed his wife and it was at the command of Batiatus. He’s already killed that servant so only Batiatus remains to complete the vengeance.
So he sets his plan in motion and even the slave Mira who he has come to care about and who cares about him greatly tells him that he should not because if the master is killed by his slaves then all of the slaves under that master are executed under Roman law. “Why would he risk all of their lives?” She asks.
He moves to make it so and right as he is about to grab a knife and get close to Batiatus, he spies Aurelia the wife of Varo.
So he changes his mind.
Meanwhile, Asher has been elevated to unknown heights and is now the right-hand man of Batiatus. Batiatus even tells him that he’s going to be living in the villa and dressing appropriately.
But Asher is still engorged with his own seething rage and vendetta against Crixus. He saw Crixus with Navea and when Batiatus offers him in any slave woman he desires he of course goes for Navea.
Obviously, he hopes that Crixus will see the two of them together and be enraged.
The legatus Claudius Glaber is set to visit the house of Batiatus to talk about patronage. Basically, it means that he is going to support Batiatus’ political career. I liken it to our current political candidates who get an endorsement from someone who is currently in office or from a trusted source, maybe a retired politician.
Claudius Glaber put Spartacus through the wringer forcing him to fight seven of his elite guard with Spartacus only having access to his wooden practice sword.
It was quite an amazing fight with Spartacus beating them down one at a time and then finally four of them at once. Claudius is convinced that the dog has been tamed.
But he still does not wish to grant patronage until Batiatus shows him the hand of Lychenia. He threatens that Lychenia’s body may find its way underneath Claudius’ villa unless he grants patronage and so he reluctantly does.
He’s extremely angry having to bow down to this leverage even more so because Batiatus tells him that his wife Alythia is the culprit who killed Lychenia.
During the Spartacus battle Asher sees Crixus’ wandering eye and makes a move towards Navea. Asher starts touching her and getting close to her in an intimate way. Crixus flames of his anger are absolutely consuming and he launches himself at them in rage.
The episode ends with Crixus being whipped mercilessly and further plans being put in motion.
