The Young and the Relentless

// K0814 · Originally aired June 7, 1996

Quinn and Wade run afoul of their married doubles, who work together as cutthroat software executives on a world where youth rules.

Teleplay // T. Edward Anthony & Von Whisenhant
Story // Michael X Fernaro and T. Edward Anthony & Von Whisenhant
Director // Richard Compton
Music // Anthony Marinelli

Reviews

// Earth Prime

Despite its glaring story errors, I get a kick out of “The Young and the Relentless.” The cast was able to pull out what should have been an unmitigated disaster and turn it into one of the finer stories of the season.

// Think of a Roulette Wheel

I’m willing to bet that the writers of the episode had absolutely no idea they were crafting an analogy for racial tension

// External Reviews

Worlds Visited

Youth World

Where no one of importance is over the age of 30 thanks to government overthrow by Howard Stern in 1980.

Timer Status

Taken by Razor Gillette.

Details

Wade shows Arturo a copy of News Monthly magazine with a picture of Don Buchanan, “Presidential Candidate” on the cover. The headline under his name reads “Cracking Down on the Elderly … Long Overdue.”
The back of the magazine features an photography ad with the caption “Capture the Color” which was also used on the back of the magazine Quinn was reading in Luck of the Draw.
Richie tells Quinn that a guy named McNamara wasn’t sold on the artwork on a product called Dream Warrior.
The sign above the bar in the Lamplighter reads “Overdressed? Overdosed? Over age? No Service!”
The motto on the courtroom wall declares “Life, Liberty, Youth.”
Quinn says that he’s sliding out by Wednesday evening.
Arturo says that the Mallory estate is out by Mount Wilson.
Microtech is ASI’s prime competitor.
The sign on the fence of the elderly shelter reads “All residents must vacate Holy Light Mission by 8 am. Return all blankets to the front desk.”
Quinn accesses the coroner’s report from Alameda County.
Melanie White’s husband was named Fred White.
According to Article 3, Section 5 regarding eating establishments, “Signs refusing service are required to be posted in a location clearly visible from the exterior of said establishment.”

Character Information

Wade admits that if something ever happened to Quinn, she doesn’t think she would be able to deal with it.
Quinn’s double here is called Q.R., which means that it’s possible that our Quinn Mallory’s middle name begins with the letter R as well.
Arturo doesn’t think too highly of the public education system.

Notable Quotes

“I don’t believe it … at last a soft landing.”—Arturo who falls harmlessly out of the gate onto a padded recliner.
“How could it be worse when your judge is Dennis the Menace and your lawyer is a Debbie Gibson wannabe?”—Arturo, to Rembrandt, who tells the professor that arguing in front of the judge is only going to make things worse.
“The only thing we have in common is wishing the person we were looking at was someone else.”—Quinn, as he snaps his hand away from Wade’s evil double.
“I guess when you’re up to your ass in alligators, you tend to forget that your job is to drain the swamp.”—Public Defender Tiffany August on her new-found understanding of her position in society.
“This is good, watch this. It’s good … that looked like that must of hurt.”—A smiling Quinn during the playing of Wade’s “murder” of Q.R.

Arturoisms

“Can’t save every world you land on.”

Money Matters

Arturo buys the ever useful Almanac of Events 1996.
Arturo and Rembrandt attempt to buy a round in the Lamplighter before the bartender gets nasty.
Quinn and Wade buy Internet time at the local Surfing Zone.

Nitpicks and Errors

What is the deal with this episode’s timeline?! They never give a specific amount of time until the slide, and every single mention of when they do is later contradicted. Read Mike’s review of this episode for a more detailed synopsis.
How did Howard Stern run for President in 1980? In 1980 he was 26 (minimum age to be President: 35) and completely unknown outside of Detroit, Michigan.
All of a sudden, our Quinn has two inch-long sideburns.

Neatpicks

Get it? Razor Gillette. Gillette-brand razors.

Rewind That!

Arturo, as he sits to a meal of slop in the Holy Light Shelter, stands gallantly as a bag lady prepares to sit down next to them. Rembrandt then reluctantly does the same.

Parallel History

Youth took over in 1980 after it was determined that the social security system would bankrupt U.S. economy. The environment was befouled and the nuclear arms race threatened humanity. President Jimmy Carter was hounded from office and was succeeded by “the King of All Media,” radio shock jock Howard Stern. Stern immediately lowered the voting age to nine, and because Baby Boomers were considered to have overtaken the available job market, it became mandatory to make way, to retire, at the age of 30 (40 in Florida).

As a result, America has become more environmentally conscious; to wit, the recycling program has soared while the clear-cutting of forests has been outlawed. However, the public school system here is disgraceful.

Q.R. Mallory of Advanced Software Industries invented a computer program that could replace public schools and save the taxpayers billions. His wife, Wade Welles, is corporate vice president.

The Supreme Court on this world just voted to suspend social security, which prompted a massive protest.

Pleading senility gets the offender off “easy”—30 days in jail. Being a lawyer here is only a second place compared to a position at a big corporation.

Guest Starring

Laura Harris as Margo
Russell Porter as Kenny Hatcher
Kristy Cohen as Tiffany August
Kyle Alisharan as Kyle Beck

With

Paul Jarrett as Razor Gillette
Richard Cox as Richard
Gordon Michael Woolvett as Judge
Brit Lind as Joanne
Elisabeth Rosen as Melanie White
Trevor Roberts as Bartender
Jason Emanuel as Policeman #1
Paul Anderson¹ as Kromagg

Unaccredited

Charlie O’Connell as Jerry O’Connell’s floating body double.

While credited in the end credits, the Kromagg does not appear.

Script Archive

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

The Inside Slide

“Another show we had problems with,” confesses Tracy Tormé. “It was the last episode we did, and the crew was a little burned out by that time. We had the idea of creating a world where youth is in charge, and came up with a silly idea for why that happened; that Howard Stern or Amy Carter became president.

“What saved it is the odyssey that Arturo and Rembrandt go on, where they run afoul of this youth culture, and get this Tiffany-esque lawyer and Generation X judge; I got a big kick out of that. It was also fun to see Wade’s double as such an evil manipulator. Those are the saving graces, but I didn’t think it was one of our better efforts.”

· · ·

Some fans wonder why there is an actor credited as a Kromagg in the ending credits.

“That was an example where Jacob Epstein had an idea for a new ending for the episode, because we all agreed we needed a new ending,” Tormé explains. “And he had this idea that somehow the Kromaggs were involved in something that was going on on that world. I really didn’t want to do it [that way] because I wanted to save the Kromaggs for another time [but] he was insistent that he thought it would work.

“So I think it was shot, I’m pretty sure it was shot, and for some technical reason they had to give [Paul Anderson] a credit even though as soon as the scene came out everyone saw that it didn’t work and it was immediately excised.”