This Sliders episode Dust opens on another desert world. They’re doing their trademark bickering with Maggie blaming Mallory for their current misfortune.
She fully admits it’s not totally his fault but then says in the same breath that they seem to land on war worlds, desert places, or other unfriendly places more and more often since the new Mallory started traveling with them.
They’re wandering around in the desert with no food or water when this young woman comes upon them.
She takes them back to her camp which turns out to be an expedition. There’s this archaeologist Prof. who is running this archaeological dig out in the middle of the desert. He shows them what they’re working on which turns out to be the Chandler Hotel.
The professor believes that beer mug they just found was some sort of ceremonial goblet.
Soon after arriving the expedition makes an extraordinary find. It is the find of the century. It’s a body which was frozen and they don’t know why. The Prof. speculates it was a member of royalty but the Sliders suspect it is something else.
He shows them a parking meter he found that night even though he doesn’t know it’s a parking meter.
He informs them he intends to do an autopsy after he has thawed out the frozen body. The Sliders protest because they say what if he’s still alive and what about his family? He ignores these protests with the argument that the guy is over 400 years dead so there are no rights anymore. “Should they have left the mummies?” he asks incredulously.
The Professor is Dr. Bob from Scrubs before he was Dr. Bob the archnemesis of Dr. Cox. But back to this show…
The natives in this desolate area believe this is sacred holy ground.
They are against the professor messing with it in any way so obviously are very upset by his plan. When reasoning fails he decides he’s going to sleep next to the thawing body to make sure that no one interferes or interrupts his work.
Late into the night shadows appear. These guys whack the professor over the head with a board knocking him unconscious.
The young woman awakens the Sliders the next morning to find that all her expedition and the workers they hired are gone. All that’s left is a little bit of food and water which won’t be enough to sustain the expedition for more than a couple of days.
They go to get Prof. only to find him unconscious on the floor with the body gone.
Diana goes into the burial chamber and discovers the body has been replaced frozen in the suspended animation capsule.
The professor is still committed to his course of action even though the recent events have happened. He locks the Sliders in the burial chamber with something heavy over the opening so they can’t come back out. They find the secret tunnel which is a back way out.
It is on this world where a Rembrandt incarnation which they worshiped so long ago lived.
He leads them down to the chamber and they stop the Prof. by force. Fortunately, neither he nor his students were injured but the natives did force him to leave this place. He vows to come back even though the Sliders tell him he shouldn’t because the natives will still be there as will they or someone like them.
I’ve always been a fan of archaeological stuff especially dinosaurs. But if you aren’t interested in Egyptian mummies and that type thing then this is an episode that you can skip.
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This episode once again opens in a very innocuous place. The Sliders are on this world with very friendly people, incredibly beautiful women, temperate climate, any kind of food you can want, and the girls are currently embroiled in a massive shoe shopping exercise which has taken an epic length of time.
It’s time for them to slide out of this world because the timer is acting very crazy. They thought they had over a day but now it says they have about 30 seconds.
They open the vortex and go through. Only about midway through the journey they just stop inside the vortex.
Mallory asks Diana if they are unstuck. She says no it’s more likely are stuck.
They’re in an uncertain state when the wormhole behaves pushing them forward once again. They land back in a world that is incredibly similar to the one they just left but Diana assures them it is a different world with different coordinates.
This world they are now on is called “movie world”.
The Chandler Hotel and indeed the entire city of San Francisco are the mecca for a huge movie festival.
They see this woman come in who looks fairly good and is called “the goddess of sex”. The boys are obviously very intrigued and she comes right up to Mallory and says he has a great face.
Apparently this woman is a huge movie star on this world.
Diana takes apart the timer to do some work on it. They had wondered why Quinn’s device was operating this way when Rembrandt tells them it’s not Quinn’s device at all. They landed on the Egyptian world and this was made by an Egyptian scientist.
With the new information Diana tells them it shouldn’t matter about being in a different language because math is the universal language. The numbers are in Arabic anyway.
After opening it up she has some sobering news.
There’s a little crystal which looks like a fairly sizable diamond which seems to be worn out. She speculates this is the cause for the erratic behavior of the timer and if they want things to get back to normal so they can have confidence in the timer they should replace this stone.
This world does have crystals that look similar to the one they need. They are called living gems and are incredibly valuable because movie stars have been buying them therefore making them popular with all the people of this world. So the prices have been driven up.
The Sliders decide they’re going to rob the jewelry store to get one.
Rembrandt nixes the idea because he says there’s got to be a less risky way to get what they need. Prison time on this world will certainly add up to way more than 29 years he tells them.
They remember seeing the goddess of sex was wearing one of these big jewels. They convince Mallory to use his charms in order to steal it from her. Rembrandt doesn’t really like the plan but he says it is far less risky than robbing a jewelry store.
They plan the caper but that night they are foiled because they’re interrupted by a different thief who’s also in the room.
The jewel turns up missing because the other thief got it.
The Sliders become engaged in this huge plan of how to catch the theif. Diana meets this guy whose insurance company insures these living gems. He obviously wants to catch the thief and you get the feeling that he has been on the thief’s trail for many months or years. He has that look of Eliot Ness vengeance on his face.
Like a cop who has been seeking out for years but constantly frustrated.
So he involves the Sliders in the plan to trap this thief. I won’t give away who it is but it turns out to be one of the main characters in the episode. Quite shocking to because you wouldn’t normally suspect this person.
The insurance guy informs them that because of the help they provided to recover the gem a reward of $100,000 was in the offing. Diana hands the gem back to the insurance guy.
Diana tells him instead of the cash they’d rather have one of these living gems which is worth roughly $100,000 and is located in the jewelry store nearby. He thinks it’s an unusual request but does along with it.
Diana puts the gem in the timer and the sliding adventures can now continue unabated.
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Heavy Metal is another episode with a good title and one of the better episodes in season 5. It involves pirates, booty, shootouts, and all sorts of other storylines.
The Sliders are having some crazy times with the timer and the vortex acting strangely. It’s becoming unstable and unpredictable. Diana has seen some power fluctuations recently than ever before and asks Rembrandt if he’s ever changed the batteries in it.
Seems like such an innocent yet obvious question.
Also seems crazy that such an important device would be run on a couple of AA batteries from RadioShack. But I guess RadioShack paid for some product placement because Rembrandt suggests they just find a RadioShack and get some new batteries.
Anyway, when it first opens we see these two people on a ship. It looks like some sort of World War II era ship like a destroyer. They are looking through binoculars and see these 4 people floating out in the ocean. You can only believe it’s the Sliders.
The ship goes to pick them up rescuing them from certain drowning.
Diana does a little research in the ships library to find out that the periodic table skips element 13. This means there is no aluminum on this world so therefore the aircraft this world has is very low-tech.
They further discover that this merchant ship is on its way to Hawaii. Their slide window has to be within a 400 mile radius of Southern California otherwise it could cause disastrous effects for an already subpar functioning timer.
While they’re asleep the ship is boarded by pirates. That’s right an episode with modern-day pirates.
They steer clear of getting shot and end up saving the captain. It is to no avail though because the pirates are too overwhelming in numbers. This was a very well conceived and executed ship boarding.
Mallory has the bright idea to join pirates because they are heading back to the mainland which is the direction they need to be going.
But the pirate leader suspects he is a Coast Guard spy. So he orders him to walk the plank.
The others tell the pirate leader that they were fished out of the sea by this ship and so have no ties to the Coast Guard. He agrees to give them the benefit of the doubt. He accepts them as part of his crew.
As you can imagine they are there only a very short time when they are called on to earn their keep. The Pirates have this safe haven that is like something out of Tortuga on the movie Pirates of the Caribbean. There’s very wild men and women, excellent feasting and all sorts of booty.
They go on a secret mission to take something very valuable from the government. It turns out to be a form of solid carbon which could be fashioned into aircraft. The Pirates want to destroy it to maintain their way of life for a little while longer. The government wants to use it to reshape the world economy.
Throughout the back-and-forth Mallory and the Pirates first mate end up getting captured by the government. The Pirates are going to pack up their stuff since Tortuga has been discovered and just leave there.
The Sliders convince them to negotiate a trade.
Things go a bit south and there is an exciting finish so I definitely recommend you check out this episode.
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This was another appropriately titled episode where a big party happens. This party is called the “toga Verillus” which is basically the Roman version of a Jewish bris. This is where a young Roman boy puts on the Toga Verillus which symbolizes him stepping into the world and becoming a man. It’s a bit like the prom we have today. Only this is a private party not 1 with all your high school classmates.
For the high-class boys out there this party took on an amazing magnitude with lots of opulence.
Numarius is the boy who is 15 and he is the son of the magistrate Calabius.
So they have lots of money to burn and Calabius being a quite old man really does want to provide total satisfaction to his son. So he spares no expense. Numarius the boy is definitely into gladiators and loves the games.
So Batiatus invites them to have the party at his villa where a gladiatorial exhibition will happen between Spartacus the champion and Crixus the ex-champion. As an added bonus Numarius will get to be the editor calling out the proceedings and basically being the referee.
But more treachery is going to ensue because Alythia is still there at the villa and she is seething.
She observes Spartacus and his best friend Varo training and gets a devious look on her face. You know the wheels are turning because in episode 8 she had purchased a gladiator in training and told that gladiator Sagovax that if he would kill Spartacus she would set him free.
Obviously, this assassination attempt failed but her treachery was not discovered even though Batiatus and Lucretia highly suspected it was her.
She is a spoiled brat daughter of a senator and so is plotting revenge against the house of Batiatus. Through some maneuvering during the episode the party goes down as expected.
Numarius goes out to do a little bit of training with Spartacus and gets very dirty. His parents ordered him into the baths and somehow he is left alone.
How this happened we don’t really know but Alythia sees her moment and strikes with her feminine wiles. She seduces the boy Numarius and we still don’t know exactly what her plot is but we know she did it to achieve her own end and not just because she was attracted to the boy.
When it comes time for the big finale of the party, which is the exhibition between Spartacus and Crixus, Numarius interrupts with a big shocker. He says Crixus is past his time and he instead wants Varo to spar against Spartacus.
The fight ensues and predictably Spartacus wins. Batiatus instructs Numarius to pass judgment on the fallen gladiator knowing that this was only agreed to be an exhibition. To the surprise and gasps of all the high-class citizens of Capua who were in attendance at the party Numarius unhesitatingly gives Varo a thumbs down.
This means he has decided Varo is to die.
Batiatus interjects that it was supposed to be an exhibition but the boy’s father Calabius says that he will reimburse for the cost of the man and that his son has made his decision. Batiatus gives an evil and be grudging look but instructs Spartacus to obey and kill his best friend Varo.
Spartacus resists but then Varo talks him into it because they will both be killed if Spartacus disobeys. Varo’s lifeless body falls to the ground as Spartacus inserts his sword into Varo’s chest. The episode is almost at its conclusion and we see a devious look from Alythia and an angry, resentful look from Batiatus.
Batiatus was already scorned by Calabius because he wanted Calabius’ support in a political career. He swears that this insult will be paid for in blood.
There’s much intrigue and treachery going on which means episode 11 should be outstanding.
Leave your comments and predictions below.
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The chasm is a unique episode and another that is very appropriately titled. Definitely worth the viewing.
The Sliders first come into this world and are being eaten up by these crazy mosquitoes. Quinn informs them they have three hours on this world and Rembrandt cracks, “I’m a be a couple of quarts low by then.”
They happen to have slid into the woods and they see this dark cave. There’s a little girl and this old man standing there and all of a sudden the old man jumps into what appears to be a hole. There is this electrostatic shock which hits the girl and she starts to cry.
They asked her what happened and she tells them her grandpa jumped into the chasm because he was chosen. She also says she is now chosen.
The Sliders take her into town attempting to find help but find none. They talk to the sheriff and he does nothing about the situation. He acts like nothing is wrong and just continues on walking along his way.
They take the girl to her father who is some sort of priest in this place. But basically it’s just a priest over the chasm and protecting their secret. He tells the Sliders that she is chosen and that they should leave because they’re upsetting his daughter.
It’s quite strange so they want to do some recon and find out exactly what this chasm is and why this world is so high on it.
The girl gets overwhelmed with her grief. She starts calling out which catches Rembrandt’s attention. Remy sees her leaving the church and he follows her calling out to her. He can’t convince her to stay and she jumps into the chasm.
About that time the Sliders come upon Rembrandt.
The chasm takes him and overcomes him with the grief of the whole town. He makes the leap and the electrical transfer goes into Maggie. It seems to be hitting them and they are dropping like flies.
This has never happened to the town and they all agree it is happening too soon because the chosen one is supposed to be that way for years.
Maybe because they’re outsiders they don’t understand it.
Colin goes into town to steal some supplies so they can go down into the chasm. This is definitely against their religion and their ways so the sheriff rounds up a few people including the priest to stop the Sliders. They start shooting at them so the Sliders must jump into the chasm.
They get down to the bottom and find out that it is little more than a ride. It is based on pure science but this whole Middletown place that they’ve landed in is basically a theme park. People come here to get rid of their woes, depression and sorrow.
Somehow when a person goes into the chasm the emotional energy is transferred into them. The people are content but the chosen one gets all the sorrow and sadness.
The Sliders will not allow this though. They want to get Rembrandt back but Maggie is the only one who can go through the suspended animation process to get onto the other side. The machine is on autopilot.
So Maggie agrees to go and that takes a gun with her. Once she is on the other side and before she is completely in suspended animation she puts a bullet hole through the control panel. This stops the freezing process bringing the people in their out of suspended animation.
The woman who is the caretaker is in uproar but then is overjoyed to be reunited with her son. The little girl is also reunited with her mother.
And as you might suspect Rembrandt is reunited with the rest of the Sliders and Maggie feels much better.
They hightail it off of this world and on to the next one.
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The Way out West episode is aptly titled. The Sliders slide into a world that seems to be roughly 150 years behind the technological development of most modern worlds. It is a straight up wild wild West.
They slid off of a world where the temperature was roughly -80°F.
So they have a bunch of big coats on because they were incredibly cold.
Now they’re on a world where it’s extremely hot and they seem to be out in the middle of nowhere. Fortunately, Collin notices that there is a wagon coming up the road. They talk to the driver who wonders what they’re doing all the way out here in the middle of nowhere. Colin has a good story about how 1 of their horses were snakebit and the others were scared away so they’re stranded.
They climb aboard the stage and end up meeting Ben Siegel.
Then the villain Mr. Kay comes upon them with his cattle rustling band. It’s a big-time shoot out and Collin is hit in the shoulder which knocks him off the stage. The driver tells Rembrandt to throw the treasure chest over the side.
This stops Mr. Kay’s band of goons because they were only after the cash anyway.
There are some very hokey cliché Western lines that get tossed out by the Sliders as well as Mr. Kay. He is an old friend that you’ll probably remember from the slide cage episode. He is actually the Kromagg Kolitar.
So you can just tell there is going to be a big-time confrontation and probable old West shootout between Kolitar the Kromagg and either Quinn or one of the other Sliders.
Instead of dehydrating and bleeding to death out in the hot sun Collin is picked up a young boy. He takes Collin back to his homestead. Only it turns out that he is a girl who was just dressed up as a boy. They care for him and nurse him back to health.
Mr. Kay comes calling because he was the one who was doing business with the girl’s father. Apparently the girl’s father didn’t want to sell their land and so Mr. Kay shot him in his back. Colin comes to their aid and scares off Mr. Kay.
But Mr. Kay is not finished and he does the Kromagg mind trick to frame Quinn for murder.
So Quinn and Rembrandt are in jail ready to be hanged in a few hours. They get Collin into town and Maggie has a friend in Ben Siegel who helps her.
Colin ends up riding into town and shooting the ropes which are hanging Quinn and Rembrandt. They get there in time before Quinn and Rembrandt are dead. They take out the corrupt sheriff.
As we predicted earlier Mr. Kay and Collin have a battle royale old West style duel. They both draw with Collin hitting Mr. Kay in the shoulder and Mr. Kay’s bullet missing Collin. Mr. Kay has a girlfriend in this world who rides by to pick him up.
The Sliders are almost ready to get out of there but Maggie has one more show. In order to get some horses and the supplies they needed, since this world doesn’t take cash, she had agreed to be a bar singer. She does one last incredible show before they slide out of there.
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