Easy Slider

// E0813 · Originally aired August 20, 1999

Mallory becomes romantically involved with the leader of a rebel biker faction that is waging war over their ability to ride polluting motorcycles.

Teleplay // Tim Burns
Story // Janét Saunders & Jennifer McGinnis
Director // David Peckinpah
Music // Danny Lux

Reviews

// Earth Prime

Yes, there is a ton of forced plotting to make this story work. Yes, there are gaps in logic. But so help me, there’s an aloofness at play here that I can’t dismiss.

// Think of a Roulette Wheel

They make a joke about Easy Rider in the first five minutes. Before anyone knows that this world is completely based on Motorcycles. ALSO IT IS SO FUN WHO CARES!!!!

// External Reviews

Martin Izsak

Worlds Visited

Smoker World

The government may have outlawed internal combustion, but not polygamy!

Details

The speed limit for government rented hydrogen buses is 40 MPH.
Papers are needed to work at Kincaid Petro.
Smokers have raided oil deposits at Old Depot.
The building in front of the bus depot is Kincaid City Apartments Married Worker’s Housing.
Women have to be in barracks by 11 p.m.
The company town has a motel with 3 adult channels and a mini bar.
A sign in the bar reads “Not responsible for lost shoes.”
The sign by the worker check-in reads “No fatal accident in last 1 days.”
The license plate on Mallory’s 18-wheeler is SP39993.
There are signs for Samuel Adams, Heineken, Red Bull, Schwinn Bicycles and Dark Ale beer floating around the company town.
Chopper 789 flies 5 miles behind the convoy at an altitude of under 100 feet.
Kincaid Petro’s company town sits on Route 27.
The license plate of the Jeep driven by one of Kincaid Petro’s guards is 4AJR628.

Notable Quotes

“Remind me of the science, Diana—how long can a grown man survive without a double latté?”—Mallory.
“Whoa. I’m starting to admire his adaptability!”—Rembrandt, watching Mallory play Sam.
“I know we’ve just me but if feels like I’ve known you for, oh, hours…”—Mallory, to Sam.
“What’s a Humvee?”—Diana. Great meta-humor, seeing as the staple vehicle for Sliders since season 3 has been a Hummer.
“With a nickname like ‘Climax’ she wouldn’t have to kidnap any man I’ve ever known.”—Maggie, about Sam.

Nitpicks and Errors

Funny how Kari wears khakis during this entire episode considering its genesis lies with David Peckinpah seeing “Kari in leather.”
Sam is in a big hurry. She tells Mallory he can’t come with her. Then she opens up a tool shed with a motorcycle in it, explains she is a Smoker, then carries on a brief conversation with Mallory while the motorcycle is in plain view. Isn’t it highly illegal to drive a bike with an internal combustion engine? Wouldn’t it be smart to keep that bike hidden?
Does Sam really strike you as the type of person who could lead the Smokers?
Can the Smokers, a group of maybe 30 people, really hold Southern California hostage?
If the Smokers live in a town, how difficult could it be for a chopper to fly over Bakersfield and find the hideout?

Neatpicks

Finally, someone aside from Rembrandt gets laid.

Rewind That!

Watch as Mallory drives the 18-wheeler over that bale of hay! Hilarious.

Parallel History

In 1998, the Air Quality Management Department (AQMD) passed the Clean Air Act, making the use of internal combustion engines a crime. Apparently, fossil fuels were hurting the American environment a little too much and the government (“Big Sister” on this world) felt that eliminating the problem would make life more hospitable.

Under the Clean Air Act, all vehicles in use are owned by the government and are hydrogen powered. Companies or individuals can timeshare the vehicles from the government, but the usual wait for one can be as long as eight months.

What about the petroleum industry? Well, it is refined but used for plastics and cosmetics.

Polygamy is legal in the state of California, but only for women. They are allowed to marry as many men as they want, but one man can only have one wife.

The speed limit on the Interstate is 40 MPH.

Guest Starring

Lisa Akey as Sam
James Colby as Bartender
Dylan Haggerty as Evans
Mark Vasconcellos as Checkpoint Guard
Neil Flynn as Officer Phil
Marea Bianchini as Lenore

Script Archive

Click on the links below to download rare scripts, outlines, and memos associated with this episode.

The Inside Slide

What was the enlightened genesis of this episode?

“We have a very small writing staff compared to most other television shows,” explains Bill Dial. “We started out this season just trying to come up with an overall arc of where we wanted to go in the course of 18 stories. The story process really can start from anything. David [Peckinpah] came in one day and said, ‘I see Kari in tight leathers with motorcycles… now go with it.’ We ended up writing a show called Easy Slider.”

· · ·

So what’s next for Mallory? “Each episode is so different and so wild,” says Robert Floyd. “We just finished a great motorcycle one, which was fun, and I fell in love on this world.

“We just finished the motorcycle episode and couldn’t do that to save my life. I’d love for him to fall in love. He’s done it once and it was so much fun, so many colors to play with.”