These are scenes from the October 30, 1995 production draft of the script for the episode El Sid written by Jon Povill. These scenes did not make it into the final episode due to time and story considerations.
Firstly, the beginning of Act One and the entrance of our Sliders into the prison was a bit more entertaining...
ACT ONE
FADE IN:
EXT. SAME ALLEY - DIFFERENT WORLD - OUTDOOR CAFE - DAY
The alley is spotlessly clean and bright. There are numerous tables under cheery umbrellas. A WAITER passes by with a tray of snacks and drinks. CAMERA FINDS L.J., the black guy with the machine gun on the previous world. He's at one of the tables engaged in a game of SPEED CHESS.
CLOSE ON THE CHESSBOARD
which has a great many white pieces and very few black ones. Beside the board, we see all the lost black pieces plus some money held down by two unopened packs of CIGARETTES.
OPPONENT (BIG JAKE)
Give up. You're just stalling.
It's checkmate in three more moves.
L.J.
(bluffing)
Maybe, maybe not. You never know.
OPPONENT (BIG JAKE)
Yeah, right.
L.J. strains, perplexed and troubled. His situation is clearly desperate. Then he gapes in amazement as
THE VORTEX APPEARS
just behind his opponent. The opponent turns around to see what's going on just as Wade tumbles out -- right into him. She knocks him from his chair onto the ground. Then Rembrandt lands on both of them. Michele hits the table, scattering the board and all the pieces. Quinn follows, finishing the job as he knocks the table onto its side, clearing the way for a relatively soft landing for Arturo.
L.J. watches with extreme interest as Arturo quickly checks over the timer to make sure it's okay and then tucks it carefully into his duffel bag. Everyone is already getting up and dusting themselves off when Sid is spit out -- just before the gate closes -- and slams into Quinn, knocking him down again. OTHER WITNESSES nearby are curious and start to approach, but L.J. casts them a warning glance and they back off. Immediately, Sid rolls onto Quinn, sits straddling him. He whips out a customized, wicked-looking gun from beneath his bush jacket and pushes the barrel hard against Quinn's forehead, pinning him down.
SID
(to Quinn, savoring it)
Get ready...
Quinn's eyes are wide with fear. The other Sliders are frozen lest Sid pull the trigger.
MICHELE
Sid, no! It was Mike!
Sid reacts. Apparently he can almost believe this. He turns, looks at her, starts to rise and come towards her.
SID
You filthy bitch!
MICHELE
All we did was *talk*!
(off Sid)
Ask Lefty, if you don't believe me.
This seems to give Sid pause. Quinn springs to his feet.
MICHELE
I'd've told you last night, but
you're so Goddamn jealous...
The opponent comes to, very groggy.
OPPONENT (BIG JAKE)
What the hell happened?
L.J.
(hastily)
The game's a *draw*, bro!
Sid turns to L.J. and looks at him, confused.
SID
I told you to stay in the truck!
L.J.
Wasn't me, pal.
SID
(menacing)
Don't mess with me, L.J.!
L.J.
(relaxed, cool)
It's not *me* that's messed up,
friend. You see any trucks here?
For the first time, Sid looks around and reacts to the surroundings. He glances at Michele who is equally confused.
SID
Where the hell is *this*?
L.J. reacts, more certain than ever that something very special has happened -- and increasingly interested in taking control of the situation.
L.J.
Webb Court. And there's a
Custodian around the corner, so if
I was you, I'd hide the piece.
Reacting more to L.J.'s tone than any understanding of the situation, Sid puts away the gun.
Originally, Wade also asked for a different (yet familiar) hotel...
INT. L.J.'S TRAM
as it pulls away from the curb.
WADE
Thank you.
(then)
If you could just take us to the
Motel 12 on TBD Street, we'll be
fine.
L.J.
It's rubble. Came down in last
month's six point four.
SID AND MICHELE
are behind Quinn.
MICHELE
(concerned)
Maybe he's not the L.J. we know,
but he sure as hell acts like him.
Sid isn't listening. He slaps Quinn in the back of the head. Quinn turns around, angry.
SID
Just a reminder. It's not over
between you and me.
The original script also reveals the full name of the Sliders' "personal" custodian. We only ever knew him as Leo, but the full name was Leo McGill.
As the Sliders go in search of Sid, a few missing lines for added clarity...
EXT. TRAM - L.J. AND QUINN
clamber aboard.
L.J.
(to Quinn)
Get in.
ARTURO
(indicates)
We'll try up there.
L.J.
'Be back here by six for group
therapy, whether we find him or
not.
L.J. starts up -- the tram rumbles away --
L.J.
Bad news. The whole idea is to
keep tabs on each other.
QUINN
This "buddy system" is insane.
L.J.
Hey, it sucks. But the city'd
self-destruct without it. Everyone
knows they're gonna die pretty
soon, so how else you gonna keep
'em in line.
And as Arturo and Remmy move upon the inmate basketball game, we were supposed to see this sign in the background:
"Kindly Do Not Tread Upon The Grass, Section 419-7, By Order of the S.F.N.P."
Also, this scene was to feature a more season one-esque Remmy...
EXT. PARK - DAY - THE OTHER THREE MEN
from the back of the pickup truck of the previous world are hanging out. "GAP" is playing a harmonica. "BLADE" is whittling a stick to a point and "PECKS" has a pair of bar bells, doing nonstop curls.
Behind them, a very physical basketball game is in progress.
Blade notices something in the street and calls Gap's attention to it with an elbows in the side. The two men exchange an evil, conspiratorial smile that lets us see how Gap got his nickname -- a missing front tooth.
BLADE
Fish...
Balde throws his knife towards...
THE SIDEWALK - ARTURO AND REMBRANDT
are eyeballing the basketball game SPECTATORS, looking for Sid. Blade's knife flies right by Arturo's face and sticks into a tree. Arturo reacts, alarmed, and looks around as:
BLADE (O.S)
(calling)
Hey, Fish! My knife slipped.
Bring it back here for me.
Rembrandt turns to see what's going on.
ARTURO
My name is not "Fish", sir, and I
don't much care for your tone, or
for your carelessness with a
dangerous implement.
Rembrandt reacts, "Oh, shit!" as he realizes what Arturo is dealing with. He hurries past Arturo and gets the knife.
REMBRANDT
(hastily; sotto)
Shut up, man, before this gets
ugly.
He retrieves the knife, wipes the blade clean as he hurries it back to its owner.
REMBRANDT
Here you are, sir. Nice and clean.
(then, ingratiating, to
Gap)
Hey! "Ol' Rockpile Blues." Great
rendition.
(then hastily)
Gotta go. Have a great day, fellas.
He starts to leave, but the men block his path.
BLADE
Got any smokes?
(then)
Cigarettes?
REMBRANDT
I'm a singer, man. Smoking's bad
for the pipes.
Rembrandt now tries to dodge his way out of the small circle. One of the men catches him, holds him.
BLADE
(threatening)
You don't give me *something*,
we're gonna turn you upside down
an' see what shakes out.
Arturo doesn't understand why this is happeneing, but the threat is apparent enough. He calls out to the men on the basketball court.
ARTURO
Are any of you "buddies" to those
men? I'm with the neighborhood
watch, and it looks to me they may
be contemplating a crime.
The basketball players stop in their tracks to look over at the scene with Rembrandt. No one moves a muscle. Blade turns his attention to Arturo.
BLADE
You want some of this?
(then, to Gap)
Bring him over here.
Arturo won't leave Rembrandt, but he's desperate to keep Gap at bay and can't understand why no one is helping.
ARTURO
What's the matter with all of you?
Are you just going to let these men
rob us?
Gap grabs Arturo and begins dragging him back towards the others.
GAP
They know who we are, an' you can
bet they ain't gonna do a damn
thing to help you.
But then, from another part of the park, we hear someone WHISTLE. Everyone turns to
THE WHISTLER - A LOOKOUT
He points to the street where a CUSTODIAN is approaching.
Blade and Gap exchange an annoyed look and begin ceremoniously "dusting off" Arturo and Rembrandt so as to hold them a bit longer during:
BLADE
Another time, Fish. We'll be
looking for you.
They release their grip and the Sliders hurry away. As they go:
CUT TO:
Wade and Michele as they go to their therapy session...
One other interesting note, Gladys wasn't convicted for murdering her babysitter cheating husband originally...
GLADYS
My name is Gladys, and I poisoned
my neighbor, but I warned her again
and again to keep her darn dog in
her yard. If she'd just...
WOMAN'S VOICE
(over P.A., interrupting)
Gladys, we're not going to listen.
"Step One" is: Stop blaming your
victim.
(as Gladys sits)
Now how about you, there, next to
Gladys? Why are *you* here?
Michele is amused at Wade, who is at an utter loss for words as we:
CUT TO:
Quinn and L.J. in the tram discussing how they never know what type of world they'll slide to...
The beginning of Act Three had all the Sliders in the room when Quinn came back...not just Wade and Michele...
ACT THREE
FADE IN:
INT. COMPLEX UNIT 662 - SITTING ROOM - NIGHT - WADE, ARTURO, & REMBRANDT
are pacing in front of the window, alternately looking out and fretting. Even Michele looks on with the others. She's worried too.
REMBRANDT
It's almost six o'clock.
WADE
I think some of us should go out
and look for him.
ARTURO
Then, if he returns and others are
missing, he goes out again to look
for us. We become like a dog,
chasing its tail.
REMBRANDT
(listening)
Helicopters?
ARTURO
I don't hear anything.
REMBRANDT
The Crying Man has perfect pitch.
I hear everything.
(listens)
There's five of them, and they're
circling.
INT. COMPLEX UNIT 662 - FOYER - QUINN
blows in.
QUINN
Big trouble. Sid hit an ATM.
WADE
What?
The beginning of Act Four also offered some great Arturo commentary about the Sliders' interference with other worlds...
ACT FOUR
FADE IN:
INT. DETENTION ROOM - MORNING
Mesh gratings on the windows, and a long table with a half dozen chairs around it.
The Sliders, plus Michele, are seated around the table except for Quinn, who is pacing in agitation.
ARTURO
Sit down, Mr. Mallory. You're
making me crazy.
QUINN
There's got to be a way out of
this.
ARTURO
It's hopeless -- all thanks to your
meddling in a lover's squabble.
Another EARTHQUAKE rumbles through, just to remind them of their dreadful prospects.
WADE
What did you want him to do?
(off Michele)
He was gonna kill her.
ARTURO
Nonsense.
(to Michele)
Would he have killed you?
MICHELE
Probably not.
ARTURO
And where would you rather be?
Back on your home world, as you had
been, or trapped here with us?
QUINN
(to Michele)
You don't have to take this, okay?
ARTURO
Dammit boy! It is not your place to
tell this woman how to live! We
are on a scientific journey.
Our job is to *observe*, not to
enforce our values on other worlds.
How many times doe I have to say
this?
REMBRANDT
Guys, can we concentrate on getting
off *this* world? *Then*, you can
kill each other.
WADE
(to Rembrandt)
Thank you.
THE DOOR OPENS - LEO
enters, along with two GUARDS. He holds up the timer.
LEO
Here's how it works. Survival of
the fittest.
And we saw what that meant...
And Arturo originally had alot to more to say when Leo came to get him...
LEO
All right, professor. Get your
things.
(then, to Michele)
You, too.
Quinn and the others look to Arturo, uncomprehending.
QUINN
What's going on here?
Arturo is unapologetic as he collects his bag.
ARTURO
I slipped a note to the guard.
QUINN
You're selling us out? You son of
a bitch! I don't believe this!
ARTURO
(angry)
Do you have a *better* idea? Must
we all die to protect *your*
precious discovery?
QUINN
(realizing)
You're jealous!
ARTURO
Jealous? No, I'm *disgusted*, Mr.
Mallory!
(then)
To think that I should be led by an
arrogant, undisciplined child into
one misadventure after another when
I should be engaged in the greatest
breakthrough in the history of
science! What a galling, appalling
*fiasco* you've made of sliding.
QUINN
What are you gonna do, professor?
Steal the idea? Call it your own
once I'm out of the way?
ARTURO
I'm going to get home and *perfect*
it -- something *you* should have
done before endangering the rest of
us. And once I've done that, I'll
have every right to claim sliding as
mine.
And lastly, we were originally supposed to see the next world the Sliders went to...
SID
Why?
MICHELE
stands there --
MICHELE
Goodbye, Sid.
ARTURO
(to Quinn)
Let's go, boy.
Rembrandt's jumped. And Wade. Someone's hammering on the door outside (O.S.)
MICHELE
hesitates just a moment, looking at Sid one last time before jumping into the void.
Another EARTHQUAKE starts to RUMBLE through. This could well be the big one.
QUINN
waits until last, to make sure Sid doesn't wake up.
EXT. CONCRETE EXPANSE - NEW WORLD - THE SLIDERS
fall out of the wormhole and onto the hard concrete.
REMBRANDT
Everybody okay?
They watch the vortex intently to make sure that Sid doesn't emerge. To their relief --
THE VORTEX
closes. Their relief doesn't last long. The ROAR of the vortex is replaced by the ROAR of JET ENGINES. They have landed on a runway, and when the vortex disappears, it reveals a huge jet liner coming right at them. As the Sliders scramble madly out of its path:
FADE OUT:
THE END
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