Sliders S1: Summer of Love
Note: I am going to be doing these in production order and not the silly FOX broadcast order that makes precious little sense, hum. (And unfortunately DVD set is in broadcast order, forcing me to skip around discs in order to watch them properly. Urgh)
"Summer of Love"
The Sliders land in a San Francisco reminiscent of the psychedelic 60s, with free love-promoting hippies protesting the war in... Australia? Quinn and Arturo try to repair the burnt out timer, while Rembrandt and Wade are taken in by a benevolent hippie commune convinced they are alien prophets.
General Comments:
Oddly enough, this episode has... well, it doesn't have a plot. There's no major calamity, no serious conflict, nothing to make it really stand out. They all pretty much just land, wander about, fiddle with the timer and leave. It's all rather random. I really wasn't much impressed by this ep when I first saw it, but I gradually grew fond of it. Why? I'll get to that in a sec...
Okay, so there is a plot. Sort of. Quinn and Arturo discover that the timer is almost completely burnt out by all their compulsive sliding, forcing them to hole up in a shabby apartment to work out calculations based on the Helix Spiral to allow them to slide without putting too much stress on the poor timer. Unfortunately, the paranoid landlady of said apartment is convinced that they are spies up to no good and reports them to the FBI. Oops.
Meanwhile Rembrandt has wandered into a funeral held for his double on this world, who is missing/presumed dead on Australian lines. Rembrandt takes one look at his alternate self's attractive wife and son - the family he never had - and impulsively decides to take his double's place and stay for keeps. But soon realizes that the life of his other self isn't all it's cracked up to be...
Unfortunately, Wade doesn't really get much to do this time round except lay around in a pretty dress and act as guru to a group of hippies who worship her as a goddess. One of which is a hot Indian guy with a sexy accent. *drool*
As you can see, it's mainly just a couple subplots sewn together - very isolated and meandering. But the timer gets fixed and they all reunite to leave ze Hippie World in the end, yays.
Interesting observation: At the beginning of the ep, everyone is wearing the same clothes they were wearing at the end of the Pilot. Everyone that is, except Wade, who has on a completely different outfit. (And Remmy seems to have acquired a coat from somewhere...)
So this apparently takes place not very long after the Pilot, based on Quinn's dialogue about them having not had decent sleep yet since they started the whole journey. Still, if Wade found time to get a change of clothes, you'd think the others would have too...
Favorites Scenes/Quotes:
So, what makes the ep worthwhile? Two words: character scenes. The interaction between Quinn and Arturo is a joy to behold and is the highlight of the episode. From masquerading as father-son/brothers to Arturo screaming angrily at some poor mime on the street while Quinn tries his damnedest not to laugh. Every scene with the two of them is most amusing and makes up for the episode's disjoint plotting.
Other amusing stuff:
The Professor takes a look at the food Quinn bought for them:
Arturo: Cookies, peanut butter, Ritz crackers... Wolfgang Puck, you are not.
Poor Quinn tries to take the situation seriously and doesn't quite manage it:
Landlady: If South Australia falls, it's just a hop, skip and a jump to our shores!
Quinn: W-well... we can't have that! I mean, boomerangs and kangaroos everywhere? What a nightmare.
There's a great scene with the landlady in a phone booth, reporting Arturo and Quinn to the FBI. A hippie bangs on the booth, demanding to use the phone and the landlady - not missing a beat - casually pulls a pistol out of her purse and points it at him through the glass. The hippie backs off.
Hot Indian Hippie: What happens when you die?
Wade: Well, I can't say, I haven't died.
Hot Indian Hippie: She's immortal! *he and the rest reach out to touch her*
Wade: o.O
The FBI discuss the possible terrorist purposes of the equations Quinn and Arturo have drawn all over the wall. Arturo sticks his foot in his mouth:
FBI Agent: Could be some kind of elaborate pipe bomb...
Arturo: Pipe bomb?!? You blistering idiot, a pipe bomb is child's play compared to that!
Quinn: *facepalm*
Cheers,
Tanina
"Summer of Love"
The Sliders land in a San Francisco reminiscent of the psychedelic 60s, with free love-promoting hippies protesting the war in... Australia? Quinn and Arturo try to repair the burnt out timer, while Rembrandt and Wade are taken in by a benevolent hippie commune convinced they are alien prophets.
General Comments:
Oddly enough, this episode has... well, it doesn't have a plot. There's no major calamity, no serious conflict, nothing to make it really stand out. They all pretty much just land, wander about, fiddle with the timer and leave. It's all rather random. I really wasn't much impressed by this ep when I first saw it, but I gradually grew fond of it. Why? I'll get to that in a sec...
Okay, so there is a plot. Sort of. Quinn and Arturo discover that the timer is almost completely burnt out by all their compulsive sliding, forcing them to hole up in a shabby apartment to work out calculations based on the Helix Spiral to allow them to slide without putting too much stress on the poor timer. Unfortunately, the paranoid landlady of said apartment is convinced that they are spies up to no good and reports them to the FBI. Oops.
Meanwhile Rembrandt has wandered into a funeral held for his double on this world, who is missing/presumed dead on Australian lines. Rembrandt takes one look at his alternate self's attractive wife and son - the family he never had - and impulsively decides to take his double's place and stay for keeps. But soon realizes that the life of his other self isn't all it's cracked up to be...
Unfortunately, Wade doesn't really get much to do this time round except lay around in a pretty dress and act as guru to a group of hippies who worship her as a goddess. One of which is a hot Indian guy with a sexy accent. *drool*
As you can see, it's mainly just a couple subplots sewn together - very isolated and meandering. But the timer gets fixed and they all reunite to leave ze Hippie World in the end, yays.
Interesting observation: At the beginning of the ep, everyone is wearing the same clothes they were wearing at the end of the Pilot. Everyone that is, except Wade, who has on a completely different outfit. (And Remmy seems to have acquired a coat from somewhere...)
So this apparently takes place not very long after the Pilot, based on Quinn's dialogue about them having not had decent sleep yet since they started the whole journey. Still, if Wade found time to get a change of clothes, you'd think the others would have too...
Favorites Scenes/Quotes:
So, what makes the ep worthwhile? Two words: character scenes. The interaction between Quinn and Arturo is a joy to behold and is the highlight of the episode. From masquerading as father-son/brothers to Arturo screaming angrily at some poor mime on the street while Quinn tries his damnedest not to laugh. Every scene with the two of them is most amusing and makes up for the episode's disjoint plotting.
Other amusing stuff:
The Professor takes a look at the food Quinn bought for them:
Arturo: Cookies, peanut butter, Ritz crackers... Wolfgang Puck, you are not.
Poor Quinn tries to take the situation seriously and doesn't quite manage it:
Landlady: If South Australia falls, it's just a hop, skip and a jump to our shores!
Quinn: W-well... we can't have that! I mean, boomerangs and kangaroos everywhere? What a nightmare.
There's a great scene with the landlady in a phone booth, reporting Arturo and Quinn to the FBI. A hippie bangs on the booth, demanding to use the phone and the landlady - not missing a beat - casually pulls a pistol out of her purse and points it at him through the glass. The hippie backs off.
Hot Indian Hippie: What happens when you die?
Wade: Well, I can't say, I haven't died.
Hot Indian Hippie: She's immortal! *he and the rest reach out to touch her*
Wade: o.O
The FBI discuss the possible terrorist purposes of the equations Quinn and Arturo have drawn all over the wall. Arturo sticks his foot in his mouth:
FBI Agent: Could be some kind of elaborate pipe bomb...
Arturo: Pipe bomb?!? You blistering idiot, a pipe bomb is child's play compared to that!
Quinn: *facepalm*
Cheers,
Tanina
