El Sid

// K0802 · Originally aired March 29, 1996

When Quinn rescues a beautiful young woman in distress on a world ruled by violence, her homicidal boyfriend, swearing vengeance for an imagined slight, follows the sliders through the vortex.

Written By // Jon Povill
Director // Paris Barclay
Music // Stephen Graziano

Reviews

// Earth Prime

This episode’s stunning production value really gives you the sense of being in a parallel Earth, so much so that it makes you forget the final two acts take place almost entirely in a tunnel and a cell built into a cave.

// Think of a Roulette Wheel

Remember the credits sequence’s “a world where San Francisco is a high-security prison?” Well, here we are, folks!

// External Reviews

Worlds Visited

Battlefield Earth

The first, but certainly not the last. A world devastated by war, and the survivors are still taking it pretty personally.

Prison World

Seismic instability and a burgeoning prison population made the decision to convert downtown San Francisco into a massive federal penitentiary an easy decision.

Timer Status

Stolen by the Custodians, later retrieved by Arturo and Michelle.

Details

L.J and Big Jake are playing chess in Webb Court.
Wade says that the Dominion Hotel is on Hubbard Street.
L.J. gives Rosie a carton of Destiny Cigarettes.
The Sliders must stay at prison annex 770.
The inmate who is killed for curfew violation is identified as 674-C.
The basketball court is in Sector Nine.
According to two women at the therapy session, something awful happened to Betty the week before because she was late.
The man at the ATM punches 2548 (and two more numbers) into the keypad.
L.J. tells Quinn to meet him at the BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) Station at Market and Van Ness. (Van Ness Avenue in San Francisco is also called 101).
Outside of the BART Station is a sign that reads “Great Western Railway.”

Prison Rules and Regulations

Public address announcements and signs around the compound offer clues as to what’s expected in Prison World. The announcements include:

“Please keep moving, the life you save may be your own.”
“An honest man is a clean man.”
“Please keep your bracelets visible at all times.”
“This is your home, please keep it peaceful and clean.”

Prison Signs

“We appreciate that you choose not to stand in the same place for long periods.”
To bike riders: “Pedestrians would appreciate any courtesy shown.” (seen at the basketball court and on the side of the ATM).
At the BART Station: “Entering this condemned area is not a good idea.”

Character Information

Michelle says she was 15 when her parents were casualties of war.
Michelle doesn’t trust L.J.
Arturo speculates that the Sliders have been to at least 30 parallel worlds before this one.

Notable Quotes

“Ya, you laugh at that!”—Rembrandt, after knocking Sid down with a two-by-four.
“Considering the nature of the sociopath we’ve launched on this unsuspecting society, we should be grateful we met him.”—Arturo, in response to Rembrandt’s opinion that L.J. isn’t to be trusted.
“Talk about your basic entitlement.”—Rembrandt, when he gets a load of the plush digs offered by government housing.
“First of all, I am not a fish. Secondly, I am not your slave. And thirdly, you should know that though I am a man of peace, I am prepared to make an exception in your case.”—Arturo, to the greasy inmate who whipped a knife at him.

Money Matters

The Sliders’ accommodations are courtesy of government housing.

Nitpicks and Errors

Rosie says that the ladies’ group therapy session is at 3:00, but it’s pitch black outside when the session itself gets underway.
When Sid throws Quinn against the wall he has his hand around Quinn’s throat. In the very next scene we see from the front an arm’s length back with his gun barrel stuck in the camera’s lens. Then, a second later, he is right in Quinn face again, with his right hand around Quinn’s throat and the gun is no where to be seen.
Underground, after Arturo hands over the timer, Quinn calls the big bearded man Jake, though the two have never been introduced, have not interacted with one another nor has anyone referred to Jake in Quinn’s presence.
In episodes to come, it’s never explained what happened to Michele after she slid with the others.

Guest Starring

Jeffery Dean Morgan as Sid
Rebecca Chambers as Michele
Claude Brooks as L.J.
Jed Dixon as Leo [the Custodian]

With

Raimund Stamm as Big Jake
Reese McBeth as Blade
Sandra P. Grant¹ as MSW
Maria Herrera as Delores
Chapelle Jaffe as Gladys
Scott Swanson as Hostage

Unaccredited

The actress who plays Rosie at the Registration booth.
The two unseen women who carry on a conversation before the ladies’ therapy session.

Sandra Grant reappears as Melanie Wallace in Obsession.

Script Archive

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

The Inside Slide

“‘El Sid’ was one of our more popular shows, but it moved a bit slowly,” says Tracy Tormé. “It was essentially two-thirds of an episode stretched into a full story. We got good performances from our guest actors, and I guess people dug the earthquakes. They liked it a little more than I did.”