| Synopsis:
This episode opens with the Sliders clinging to the top of the Transamerica
building, the only part of San Francisco left above water in a world where the polar ice
caps have melted causing world-wide flooding. As a giant shark-type sea monster circles
below them, the Sliders slide into the British States of America, an English colony ruled
by a monarchy. Arturo is immediately mistaken for his alternate by the driver of a hotel
car who almost runs down Wade. The extremely apologetic driver offers Arturo anything his
hotel can provide and the four are soon settled in the Royal Suite at the Royal Colony
Hotel. The Arturo of this world turns out to be the Sheriff of San Francisco who was just
named Acting Regent of the Western Americas until the heir, Prince Harold, can be crowned.
In this world in 1779, George Washington was hanged and the Revolution never took place.
The group decides not to press their luck and departs the hotel, heading for the country
to wait out the remaining time here. When their car breaks down, they stumble into some of
the Sheriff's men who are about to kill Prince Harold. Our Arturo steps in and calls off
the operation, sending the soldiers back to the city. As the Sheriff's men depart, a band
of renegades calling themselves the Oakland Raiders shows up and surrounds the Sliders and
their new friend Prince Harold. Quinn tells the blood-thirsty revolutionaries that he,
Wade and Rembrandt have come to join them and offers up Arturo and the Prince as
prisoners. Meanwhile, the real Arturo is irate when he finds out that the Prince is not
dead (Prince Harold is the last of his line and Sheriff Arturo is the next in line for the
throne). He rejects the demands of the Oakland Raiders, who claim to have him in
captivity, and orders the woods scoured. The Raiders, hearing of the Sheriff's refusal,
decide to execute the Prince and the impostor Arturo. Quinn intervenes by launching into a
cliche-ridden speech, invoking everyone from Robin Hood to JFK. The Raiders are so
motivated by Quinn that they begin robbing the rich and giving to the poor, turning Quinn
into a folk hero in the process. During the excitement, Wade develops a friendship with
the Prince but he escapes when she leaves him in his cell untied. Quinn goes after him,
only to be captured by the Sheriff's men. Sheriff Arturo plans to execute Quinn on the
public television and use the spectacle to crush the resistance. Our Arturo comes up with
a plan to save Quinn without any bloodshed. The Raiders storm a TV station, and just as
the Sheriff's about to go on and pump up Quinn's demise, overpower the signal and put
Prince Harold (who returned after Quinn was captured) on the air. He relieves Arturo of
his title and reads a slightly altered version of the Bill of Rights to the public,
introducing the concept of democracy to this world. Quinn rushes from the electric chair
just in time to make the slide. As the Sliders are entering the vortex, the Prince asks
Wade to be his Queen as the female head of the Raiders kisses Quinn good-bye. Wade
declines by jumping into the worm hole and we end the episode with the Prince reading the
preamble to the Constitution. |
