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I like this- I like it a lot! Short of rewinding time, it is the best option for getting the people and characters back and making fans more receptive to a do over down the line. I read it about a week ago and I can see a whole (limited run) series of episodes. Best of all, it is totally doable!

I know I have incurred your ire, but, if I may, I'd like to offer the following suggestions:

-No tricks. These are NOT the original sliders, but a new set we have never seen before. Instead, these sliders can visit worlds their counterparts did 20 years ago (not exclusively- just one or two- the rest would be new adventures). This allows diehards to revisit worlds and see how things have changed since the original sliders intervened. For example, revisit “Feminist World” and see how Arturo’s win and subsequent disappearance may have affected gender relations. It also reestablishes the moral dilemma of interfering in a culture you don’t fully understand, then leaving someone else to have to deal with the consequences. Also, this new group could be used as a vehicle to find out what happened to the originals. Maybe they could run into a double that IS an original!

-Have the professor work at North Shore Community College. The professor’s loss of position is the result of an illness that sapped his bank account and strength (the same illness “The Guardian” professor was diagnosed with except on this Earth it was caught in time and treatable). He couldn’t work and had to resign. When he was well enough, the politics of academics had changed so much that he had to seek a position that he felt was below him. He is head of the department- so he has some standing- but he is nowhere near where he should be. This allows him to still be righteously pompous.

-Quinn works at the college too and has a strained relationship with Arturo because of an unexplained incident in 1994. His passion for science did wain when he could not make anti-grave work and he gave it up when his mother got sick (maybe that’s too convenient). He rushed through his studies so he could get a job that would provide him with a steady income and time to take care of his mother. She got better, but Quinn was relatively happy where he was and too discouraged to revisit his old work. Quinn worked at the college first and was eager to help his old prof get a position (which Arturo took out of desperation) and repair the rift he still doesn’t understand.

-I don’t know about Rembrandt running a coffee bar- a night club maybe. Maybe he already knows Wade (as a regular to the bar/club) and she sings with him on occasion. They are casual friends. Of course a coffee bar is a WAY more authentic way for all four of them to meet than any other alternative (who doesn’t go to a coffee shop and Quinn and Arturo would not go to a night club).

-Your Wade is pitch perfect. Many English lit majors end up in jobs that have nothing to do with literature and this ties in perfectly with her affinity for computers. I would add that maybe she is divorced from Ryan. It’s not malicious, it’s just another layer to her distance from Quinn (who she nods at occasionally- but never speaks to- when they happen into the coffee shop at the same time) and her failure to be where she thought she’d be in life.

-When Quinn goes to the basement after his mother’s death, he sees a paper airplane, a Rubic’s cube, and a t-rex on the floor covered in dust. This means that our original Quinn was actually behind this Quinn, but this Quinn gave up and ours didn’t. Both of them were behind the smarter Quinn from the pilot who made a habit of messing with his double’s lives (this could be the world where the Cubs won three World Series). After he triggers the vortex and realizes what happened 20 years ago, he calls Wade and Arturo. They refuse to come over but agree to meet him at the coffee shop where he is forced to activate the vortex as proof and all four are sucked in. The coffee shop is empty somehow- insert contrivance here.

Little touches like Ryan, working at North Shore, references to the Cubs, and the three objects on the floor of the basement establishes continuity with the original story but allows for new stories. They won’t require new viewers to know the old story but will give old viewers a kick!

I'm sorry that you think the guy you liken to Batman and Superman would kill someone- because I can't remember a time a superhero ever did that.

I'm also sorry that you think it makes someone a bad person for not wanting to kill someone or would hesitate- even if the person deserves to die. Perhaps you forgot that I did mention that they did need to stop him.

I know what I wrote, I know I meant; and I was not splitting hairs. If you want everything spelled out onscreen for you before you believe it, please remember that 29.7 years wasn't mentioned on screen until season 3.

Clearly you want a fight and I am done giving you one.

I didn’t want to get ahead of the podcast, so I originally only addressed season three episodes. But here goes:

You’re right. There is no reason, if Quinn truly believes that he just visited Earth Prime (which is part of the premise for the rest of the show), that Wade and Rembrandt can’t go home now. Quinn is being horribly selfish-but this is not out of character. Any time he has advanced warning of losing someone, this is what he does. He didn’t want a repeat of what happened in PTSS where everybody started doing their own thing and getting back to their own lives. Quinn is friendly and personable, but he is basically an introvert. What is he going to do without these people in his life day in and day out? And if Wade and Rembrandt go home with a few days head start- he’s pretty much lost them.

Quinn was never in a real hurry to get home. And as Wade said, what are they going to do with Rickman when they find him- hold him down and kill him? They also couldn’t just strand him on a random Earth leaving him to kill at will. We all lament the mess that is “This Slide of Paradise” but it did give them a way to get rid of Rickman without killing him and there is no guilt about leaving him behind. It was just a bonus that he ended up killing himself!

I wouldn’t say Quinn has no interest in tracking down Wade- getting Wade and Rembrandt back was the first part of the episode! And during his interrogation, Wade was the only thing Quinn reacted to. But let’s face it, Wade is lost in the multiverse. It took Quinn three months to find the Earth he sent Wade and Rembrandt to and he had the information to track them. So at this point, what can he do about Wade? He couldn't even save his mother and she was right in front of him.

First, Quinn is selfish. Second, he did think he was doing the right thing. Colin was not supposed to grow up there and Colin’s life was somewhat lonely and sad. The girl he was in love with was going to marry someone else and the town’s people wanted to kill him- and not for the first time. He’s unappreciated and unloved and Quinn was giving him an out. If you consider what happened to Colin along the way (events that Quinn had little control over), then Quinn seems like the ultimately douche for taking his brother away from paradise. But if you look at just the episode, then Quinn was taking his brother home to their parents.

First, looking for the planet where the Kromaggs sent Wade almost got them caught. If they weren’t looking in the computer, they would not have aroused suspicion. That’s hardly forgetting about her.

Second, Quinn and Rembrandt DID ask Christina’s father for the weapon and he said no. Colin and Rembrandt started doing research to find out about the weapon but before they could find out anything or formulate a plan to break into the facility (as if they’d know what to look for), the Kromagg commander showed up. Since the commander used his mind tricks on everybody at the facility, it’s not that big a stretch to think he used it on the sliders to make them forget about getting it for themselves (especially since he used mind control to hide a weapon during Quinn’s pat down). 

Quinn THINKS he has the means to bypass the Slidecage, but clearly, he does not. This is not addressed in script but is clearly the only explanation. I can forgive them not trying sooner because maybe he just figured it out during that month long wait.  Also, Rembrandt and Quinn ARE interested in using that anti-Kromagg weapon on Earth Prime but they don’t know what it is, the only people they know won’t give it to them, they are being hunted by the police, and they only have a limited amount of time before they slide.

As for the rest, you got me. In “Genesis,” Quinn says “I’ll find her or die trying” when talking about his mother and “We’ll be back. You can count on it.” Yet as soon as he walks into the home of these people- who are strangers- he forgets about everyone and everything he ever knew! I don’t know why:

-Rembrandt goes to ask Clark for something the Mallorys should have.
-Quinn won’t get off his ass and ensure Rembrandt has the weapon before he leaves.
-Rembrandt doesn’t punch Quinn when Quinn declares his journey is over.

There are instances in other episodes that show Quinn is tired of sliding but so is Rembrandt and Rembrandt’s not bailing! I agree, Quinn's characterization here is irretrievably bad. He is punished in the next episode.

Season three post Arturo Quinn and episodes.

I don’t think Quinn's characterization was too awful. It was after “The Guardian” that we really start seeing the shift. Real world answer is less Torme more Peckinpah. In universe answer is this is how Quinn deals with the impending death of Arturo- the knowledge of which he had to carry alone for quite some time.

This group has been through everything: Quinn’s been shot, sentence to death three times (including being strapped into the electric chair), almost had his psyche transferred to a robot body, as well as being killed and revived; Wade has survived the Q, been put on a death list, almost overdosed, and nearly drowned; Rembrandt’s been sentenced to death twice, tortured by a psycho, and almost suffocated while carrying another man’s child; and the professor has survived the Q, a political assassination attempt, Logan's faulty wormhole calculations, and uranium enhanced worm cacooning. Not to mention that they were all doomed to die in a world ending event.  Somehow, they all made it through.

The truth is Quinn loved sliding and had everything he could want (except his mom) right there with him: A dad/mentor/intellectual equal; a buddy/potential girlfriend/socio-political equal; and a friend/brother/masculine equal. But when Arturo died, the party was over.

The death of a person you depend on has got to take its toll. Regardless of the Earths they visit or who is along for the ride, the rest of season three would have to be a downer. Although Quinn got the credit, Arturo accomplished the big saves: Arturo created penicillin, Arturo created the atom bomb, Arturo even suggested the Helix Spiral that ultimately allowed the sliders to keep going. Woe be to them without the professor and woe be to us. Not only that, they must all be carrying a lot of survivor’s guilt.

The sort of aimlessness and lack of care that went into the scripts could be interpreted as the grief of the characters- viewers don’t get strong back stories and alt-history because the sliders don’t really care to discover it. They just lost their anchor, their rock. Yeah, they want to get home but while the happy homecoming envisioned at the end of the pilot and the beginning of PTSS was never reality, now it’s not even a dream.

Don't get me wrong, Quinn's change was too far, too fast and more effort could have gone into alt-history especially when an effort was made. How hard would it have been to give the vampires of “Stoker” a real life illness like Xeroderma Pigmentosum (ultra-sensitivity to light) or one of a host of blood diseases that require constant transfusions and create a scenario around that? Dracula could have still been worked in.

Finally, I know that Rembrandt was suppose be the comic relief, but the professor was the one with the funniest lines! Another reason post Professor episodes are no fun.

I am still behind on the Rewatch Podcast so here are my thoughts on season three.

“Double Cross”- It seems highly unlikely that Quinn hooked up with Logan. Although they were in sync he specifically said things were moving too fast and he also felt like something was off. It’s like Back to the Future when Lorraine tells Marty, who she’s been chasing the whole movie, that kissing him is like kissing her brother. It’s not like “Love Gods” where it DEFINITELY happened.

Also, Logan kind of had to be Quinn’s double. It opens up another set of possibilities (even if they are not explored) and reminds Quinn, once again, that he doesn’t know everything. It also allows everybody to have a double on this world.

“The Dream Masters”- Dumbest episode ever. Aside from the fact that someone (an angry relative) would have shot up the Dream Master den long ago, how the hell do they get the drugs into their hand without it leaching into their own systems? This the FIRST problem.

“The Prince of Slides”- Women can’t ascend to the throne? Also, if professor is a guru for all knowledge that falls under the umbrella of science, then he really is under appreciated on his home world and has every right to a pompous ass!

“Paradise Lost”- People drink urine to lose weight, smear bird poop on their face to get rid of wrinkles and were reported to lick toads to get high. In light of this, is worm turd eating for youth really THAT outrageous?

Also, why is Quinn mad at Wade when they are in the cave? She didn't say anything about not wanting to carrying the dynamite, yet he gives her attitude about being uncomfortable carrying it. I guess he could be jealous because she was getting close to Parker? He has been jealous before, but at this point that seems like an incredible stretch. It just seems like a moment of unnecessary meanness.

"The Last of Eden"- So Wade never knew the professor was sick, but the other two did. No wonder she was more upset than Rembrandt and Quinn; she had no opportunity to prepare for a time when he wouldn't be there.

“The Other Slide of Darkness”- Rickman’s face changing is not that stupid. On his home world, Rickman was very selective about who he stole brain fluid from. On his slides he wasn’t always able to be. Because it was less pure, he needed more, more often and this was the cause for the change. Of course this doesn’t hold up by “This Slide of Paradise” when they should have gotten a third actor to make this explanation work.

“Dinoslide”- If you return to a world where you’ve already been, shouldn’t you be stuck there? The dimensional window for that world already came and you took it. You can return, but you should be there for 29.7 years minus the time you were gone.

“Slither”- I didn’t really think of it as Quinn leaving the group for Kira so much as leaving sliding- she was an excuse. Also, we (me included) assume that Wade and Maggie spent their “vacation” together. They could have spent their time alone and met up at the airport to wait for the guys. As for them splitting up: I understand their need for space, but nothing about this planet said it was safe enough for them to even go down the street without staying together, much less put a plane’s worth of distance between them.

I don’t understand why the idea of putting Quinn and Maggie together seemed like a good idea. Aside from the backstory they created for Maggie making her completely unsuited to Quinn, I thought Fox “broke up” Quinn and Wade so that they could have random hook ups with guest stars. But now, instead of the slow, sweet buildup of friendship turning into something more, we get virtual strangers supposedly lusting after each other.

The skipping two grades backstory actually fixes a problem that I did not see addressed here (or maybe I am not looking hard enough)- Quinn was only 20/21 when he started sliding, yet he had just started the second year of his graduate studies.

The scripts place him as being closer to 25 because of grad school (and I have heard 23 for the same reason) and because Smarter Quinn is married. "Into the Mystic" however, puts year of birth as 1973 and the pilot states he started sliding in 1994. If he had graduated high school at the standard 17/18 then there's no way he could be in his second year of grad school (even geniuses have to take general education classes and abide by course load standards plus he'd needs to work to pay for all his equipment). Allowing him to graduate high school at 15/16 gives him a standard 4 year undergrad 2 year grad school education arc, assist with the social awkwardness aspect, and supports the idea of the 'boy genius.'

I like the original four as well and thought each brought something special to the table- none of whom could really be replaced but I don't like "it was all a dream" or "it was all mind control" as an excuse; it's lazy and disrespectful to the viewers who have invested their time and energy into believing what was shown to them. It can work for an episode but for half a season? I would have grudgingly taken it from Torme because of the behind the scenes drama. I understand the end of season 3 was a mess but clean it up, don't pretend it didn't exist. I like the idea of Arturo being left behind in PTSS being the real one and finding him. This could have resulted in some great character moments as they have to reconnect with a new/old version of someone that they not only saw die but had a relationship with and he has to deal with issues of abandonment.

Truthfully, I like the idea that "Genesis" Earth wasn't Earth Prime ("Exodus" did not sell me that it was) but it still leaves the Wade issue as well as another one: Did Quinn really leave his friends on a random Earth? That would create huge issues of trust and reliability. Also, how many times can you dangle "It's home! Wait- no it isn't" in front of the audience and the sliders? There's a fine line between sad but true and straight up cruel.

My understanding is that Lloyd would have worked with Peckinpah, she couldn't work with Wuhrer. So any idea that includes Wade but not Maggie was totally feasible. The problem was Peckinpah preferred Wuhrer. JRD wasn't coming back with Peckinpah there. That's why I left that as a possibility rather than a necessity.

As for Quinn leading the group- he can't stay the impetuous kid forever, he needs to grow up. By season 3 the professor was backing off a bit anyway. I think it might be a bit quick for him to be mentoring a kid when he's still working out how to be a grown up himself.

Oh, first and last are honored positions in the credits. People remember the first and last things they see more than anything in the middle. Also notice that his name is the only one accompanied by the role he plays.

I need to catch up on the Rewatch. I love it! So here’s my Season 2 all at once.

Time Again and World. Yes, reading it over the radio when there is a working internet seems silly but the idea of people not knowing what rights they have lost makes sense (the show specifically states that people do not remember the full Constitution, not that they have completely forgotten about it). Remember “Prince of Wails” when Arturo and Rembrandt can’t remember the full Bill of Rights? What's their excuse? Quick, list the Bill of Rights right now without looking it up. I know 1, 2, 4 and 5 off the top of my head. The rest I’ll read up on if I ever get arrested. It was a good idea that wasn’t fully conceptualized.

I always thought the sliders should take a backpack too. In Time Again and World, Rembrandt does make the slide with a bag. I guess it couldn’t be a regular thing because as practical as it is, it’s not that good a look and it’s just one more thing to keep track of. Besides what could you take that you can’t stuff in your pockets? It’s not like you can take canned goods- imagine landing hard on a bag of cans or having it fly out of the vortex and hit you. And as many times as they slide in the nick of time, having a bag would just slow them down- or it would be taken away like the timer.

Love Gods. I love how the professor, for all his intellectual high and mightiness, is still a man underneath it all. He’s the one making statements like “Gentlemen, we made a slide to heaven” and talking about nurse fantasies. He’s worse than Rembrandt!

As Time Goes By. I understood the backwards time section when it aired; I appreciated the attempt at innovation and I am not into physics beyond how it is interpreted by science fiction. (I actually looked up the adiabatic limit mentioned in “Last Days” and the only world I understood was ‘limit’). Yes, there are plot problems. For example, the people should have been speaking backwards but how are we, the viewing audience, supposed to understand the show? The compensation was the time shifts. Also, Quinn destroyed the universe by changing both the past AND the future. By saving Daelin he changed his own future- which had already happened (how was he supposed to slide into jail for a murder that was never committed) and the past events of that world- which now cannot be reconciled with the present. This is a time paradox worthy of Star Trek or The Twilight Zone!

Invasion. Organic metal seems to be a staple of science fiction. Both Stargate: Atlantis and Battlestar Galactica had a version of it.