| Synopsis:
The four Sliders enter a world where people are kissing like there's no tomorrow
and apples are $17 a piece. The general mood is mayhem as they watch a man tear up a
parking ticket in a meter maid's face. Stepping into an electronics store, the group
catches a newscast warning people not to jam the highways. The salesman informs them that
an asteroid is headed towards the western hemisphere and the end of the world is at hand.
Rembrandt freaks out and leaves to get his head together, promising to meet back at the
store on Friday at 5pm, an hour before the asteroid is to hit. Wade and Quinn go to find
their families while Arturo stays behind, wondering if he can do anything scientifically
to help. At a lecture laying out the hopelessness of the situation, Arturo encounters
Conrad Bennish, Jr., one of his physics students from back home, who gets run out of the
room for suggesting that nuclear weapons be used to blow up the asteroid. It seems that on
this world, Einstein faked the results of the Manhattan Project, unable to deal with the
moral issues surrounding nuclear power. Bennish, a doctoral student, has gotten his hands
on everything Einstein ever did, including the prototype for the atom bomb, code named
"Fat Boy". Arturo approaches him with the assurance that together they can build
an A-bomb. Meanwhile, Quinn and Wade arrive at Quinn's house having been unable to locate
Wade's family on this world. Quinn's picture is on the fridge and there is some sliding
equipment in the basement. However, Quinn's alternate was more into time travel and
paleontology than inter-dimensional travel and there are some bugs to be worked out if
they are to use this equipment to slide. Quinn blows out the power in the house, frying
the electronics of the machine and rendering it useless. He and Wade try to make the best
of it, cooking a last supper and slow dancing in the living room. At the same time,
Rembrandt wanders into a church looking for answers. Determined to go out with a bang, he
hooks up with some party goers after they almost run him down. They go to an
end-of-the-word party in Knob Hill, hosted by a swinging rich couple. After Rembrandt
entertains the partiers with a song, he walks in on a Russian Roulette session involving
the people who brought him here and the husband and wife throwing the party. Rembrandt
saves the wife from a very uncomfortable situation and they end up back at the church,
dishing out food in the soup kitchen. Just as Wade and Quinn finally start to kiss
passionately, Arturo bursts in needing Quinn to make some last minute calculations. He and
Bennish have built the bomb which will be strapped to a missile and launched at the
asteroid. The three head back to the electronics store where they watch the final minutes
on TV. Rembrandt shows up at the last minute and the four of them go outside to see the
bomb connect with the asteroid and save the world. The group slides, unwillingly leaving
Bennish, a national hero, with the ability to take over the world. |
