12. Gillian of the Spirits
Aired: Friday, March 15, 1996
Filmed: Jan. 18 - Jan. 22, 1996
Production #: K0810
Network #: SL-207
Written By: Tony Blake & Paul Jackson
Directed By: Paris Barclay
Music By: Anthony Marinelli
Edited By: Michael B. Hoggan, A.C.E.
Ratings: Competition:
Viewers: 9.4 ABC: 8:00 "Family Matters" (17.5/27)
Rating: 6.4 NBC: 8:00 "Unsolved Mysteries" (15.9/32)
Share: 11 ABC: 8:30 "Muppets Tonight!" (15.3/46)
Rank: 85/114 Fox: 8 :00 "Sliders" (9.4/85)
CBS: 7:30 NCAA Basketball (8.8/87)
Repeated: Friday, July 19, 1996
Repeat Ratings: Viewers: 4.4 million; Rating: 3.1; Share: 6; Rank: 81/98
Logline: A direct hit to the vortex by a lightning bolt on a rain-soaked world leaves Quinn trapped between dimensions and unable to make contact with the other sliders, until a clairvoyant girl agrees to help him.
World From: Rain World : A place where severe thunderstorms are the norm. The sliders trudge through a heavy forest to rendezvous at the gate location and their apparel, high quality rain gear, indicates that there is civilization in this area.
Duration: 40 days and 40 nights, according to Remmy though he could have said it sarcastically in reference to Noah and the ark.
World Into: Fifties World : A world where technology never made it past the stage it was at in the 1950s on Home World. Technology here is feared and kept under tight control. The Quinn of this world died of Polio.
Duration: The timer is fried but using the day-night method of tracking time, they stay on Fifties World for less than 24 hours.
Timer Status: On the fritz thanks to a lightning strike on the vortex. The lightning causes a short circuit in the timer, essentially scorching it, and leaves poor Quinn to trapped on the astral plane.
World Into: Nude World : Where its cold though everyone walks around without any clothes on.
Duration: Unknown but later, in "In Dino Veritas" its hinted that the sliders had to stay long enough to have to fit into the surroundings, so to speak, sans sweaters.
Details, Details:
According to the posters, the film "Spartacus" starring Kirk Douglas, has now been held over for 1872 weeks, that's about 36 years before 1996, which puts the film's release date in 1960 -- the same year it opened on Home World.
The vacuum tubes Wade refers to are sold at Vacuum Tube City.
The nearest pay phone is two blocks down on "Geary." [Geary Boulevard is an actual avenue in Central San Francisco. It is by far the longest street in the city.]
The policeman's horse is named Jessy.
The sliders stay in suite 304 at the Dominion Hotel.
As the sliders approach Michael Mallory's, the licence plate on the passing red Chevy Bel Air reads 3UPR395.
Michael Mallory lives at 316 Commonwealth.
On the bed in the basement, Wade is reading a magazine with a back cover that depicts the words "Winter World"
Gillian and Quinn take a taxi from the Golden Bay Cab Company.
The research lab at Bayside Power & Electric is near the Embarcadero Center.
The Dominion Hotel connects to the Lamplighter Pub off the lobby.
Personal File:
Wade knows a little about Theosophy
Script Snips:
"How am I expected to work like this? I'm a theoretical physicist, I work with universes not piddling little stuff like this." -- a frustrated Arturo after the timer gives him a shock.
Rewind That!: On Nude World, great care is taken to hide the lady's upper half from the cameras via a cross-hatch on her screen door, but a closer look reveals the underwire of her brasserie.
Remmy Sings: No, but an the instrumental song that plays while Quinn and Gillian have a heart-to-heart talk at the pub seems to be a generic mix of Richie Valens' "Donna" and "Blue Moon" by the Marcels. "Donna" was released in 1958 while "Blue Moon" hit the charts in 1961.
Money Matters: Arturo, Remmy and Wade check into the Dominion but it's Gillian who fronts most of the money for the sliders adventures on Fifties World.
Nit-picks:
It's unclear as to how creation of a polio vaccine would have anything to do with electronic technology.
Though Quinn is unable to hold anything, and has the ability to pass through objects, he sits calmly in a chair with his forearms resting on a table at the Lamplighter Pub.
After Arturo fixes the timer, he shouts that there are only 17 seconds left until he has to activate the gate, but it's 27 before he actually opens the vortex. Then he says that there are only 60 seconds remaining before the gate closes but a quick look at the clock shows that the vortex has been opened for two minutes and 48 seconds.
Neat-picks:
To help prove that he is with them, Quinn relates a story, through Gillian, from "Last Days." She says: "He wants me to remind you of the time that you and he were ... necking in some basement but, um, you [Arturo] came in." Later, Wade responds to Remmy's teasing by saying: "Look, it seemed like the world was coming to an end. We had to confront how we felt. We talked and we kissed. No big deal"
While Gillian talks to Quinn in the cab, the driver asks "Are you talking to me?" a line that effectively sends-up the famous line Robert De Niro soliloquy in the film "Taxi Driver"
History Lesson: (rewrite)
Those in possession of anything technological are in violation of Article 417 of the Anti-Technology Statutes and may be arrested.
The governing body of such cases is the Bureau of Anti-Technology.
There is no television and religion, or "the absolution of sins" as Arturo puts it, is very important to this society, so much so that religious figures are relegated superstar status.
On this world, Quinn's father spent five years in state prison for his work with technology.
The reason this world is so afraid of technology comes down to one word: Hiroshima. After the bomb was dropped on the city in 1945, and the results were studied by scientists, it was determined that technology could be extremely detrimental to society and thus it was banned.
Some called it "the Devil's own handiwork" and feared that it would cause the apocalypse to occur that much sooner. While there have been some technological advancements, they only amount to baby steps when compared to the giant leaps taken on Home World in the last half of the 20th century.
A vaccine for polio was never invented.
Technology supporters continue their struggle to eradicate society's fear of science and lobby congress constantly to change the laws.
Seized technology is melted down.
Guest Stars:
Deanna Milligan Gillian [Mitchell]
Tom Butler Michael Mallory
Gillian Barber 1 Nicole [Mitchell]
with
Gerard Plunkett Father Jerry
Greg Rogers Major Phillips
William Sasso Gomez Calhoun
Mitch Kosterman Muscle Guy No. 1
Peter Fleming Traffic Policeman
Sheelan Megil Mrs. Henry
Nicole Parker Monica
Alex Ferguson Cab Driver
Sylvio Pollio Guard No. 1
Uncredited:
The actor playing researcher Rick who dissects the timer.
1. Gillian Barber appeared in the 1996 ABC mini series "In Cold Blood," a remake of the theatrical film.
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