These are scenes from the February 3, 1995 fourth revision draft of the script for the episode Last Days written by Dan Lane. These scenes did not make it into the final episode due to time and story considerations.
Our first missing scene is the best for this episode. Just after Rembrandt turns down working at the church to "kick out the jams", we were originally supposed to be taken to Wade who was trying to find a piece of home to relate to...
EXT. STREET - SMALL HOUSE - AFTERNOON - A WOMAN
slight, sturdy, with a pretty face that is aging gracefully. She's kneeling, tending roses in the modest front garden --
WADE
approaches, tentative. Quinn hangs back, has a bad feeling.
WADE
Mom -- ?
MRS. ELLEN WELLES
turns, looks up at our Sliders. No recognition.
WADE
It's me -- Wade.
MRS. WELLES
(confused)
Excuse me?
Wade looks to Quinn for assurance.
QUINN
Come on. Let's go.
MRS. WELLES
(as confused as they are)
Is this some kind of joke? Who are
you?
WADE
(to Quinn)
Let go of me!
(then)
I want to talk to her!
QUINN
Wade! *Listen to me!* She's not
your mother!
Wade's eyes are filling with tears. She breaks away from Quinn, starts to run --
QUINN
(to Mrs. Welles)
She thought you were someone else.
He takes off after his friend --
ANGLE - UP THE BLOCK A WAYS - WADE
has stopped, stands near a tree, sobbing --
QUINN
approaches, unsure of what to say --
QUINN
(off her back)
Listen to me. Okay?
(she's silent)
Cardinal rule: no emotional
involvements. We can't afford to
let ourselves be hurt.
WADE
I can't help it!
(then)
I'm gonna die and I'm all alone!
This stops Quinn. He feels responsible.
QUINN
No. You're not.
She does a shuddery EXHALE, wipes away her tears. Quinn is deeply moved.
CUT TO:
INT. OBSERVATORY ALCOVE - EVENING - ARTURO
studying reams of documents from Bennish's file. Bennish is hovering over him, steering him down the paper path...
BENNISH
It's all there - see? Einstein's
letter to Roosevelt in 1944 saying
the bomb was impossible.
And you know how that scene went from there...
There was also a slight change in how Arturo attempted to keep the bomb secret from Bennish. In the original draft, this was Arturo's action as soon as Bennish went to "take a whiz" -
ARTURO
needs to move quickly. He takes out a gum eraser, starts erasing two of the most critical wedges, sabotaging Bennish's version of the diagram.
And Mrs. Fontaine originally had a different reason for leaving her husband...
This scene takes place as Rembrandt is singing on stage...
INT. CORRIDOR - CAROLINE
moves in, toward the bedroom.
CAROLINE
Allan?
ANGLE - HER BEDROOM DOOR
ajar. She's about to push the door open --
INT. LOFT - THE PARTY
obvious as now, the sound of Caroline yelling (O.S.) brings the room, the party, the music to a halt.
REMBRANDT'S
on his feet, the first one down the hall --
INT. CORRIDOR - ALLAN
a towel around his waist and Caroline, distraught going toe-to-toe --
CAROLINE
How dare you! How dare you!
ALLAN
What difference does it make?
(over her shrieking)
The world's over in two days!
REMBRANDT
(approaching)
What's going on, Caroline?
ALLAN
Keep out of this, Piano-Man!
As Rembrandt nears, we see --
ANGLE - THROUGH BEDROOM DOOR - NURSE PAMELA
the object of Caroline's distress, a bed sheet hastily thrown around her, peering out from behind Allan.
ALLAN
(to the gathering
gawkers)
Go back to the party!
REMBRANDT
(to Caroline)
You all right?
ALLAN
(aggressive)
You got some problem with you
ears?
CAROLINE
(Allan's grabbed her)
Let go of me!
REMBRANDT
Do what the lady says, man.
Caroline struggles to break free. Allan slaps her, sends her flying to the floor -
ALLAN
(challenging)
Who's next?
(to Rembrandt)
You?
Rembrandt moves in, feints like a mongoose. Allan's haymaker misses him by inches.
REMBRANDT
uppercuts him, boom! to the solar plexus, chops him down like Ali taking our George Foreman. Allan's down, almost out.
REMBRANDT
(to Caroline)
You all right?
(she nods, dazed)
Come on. We're getting out of
here.
He leads her out, through the crowd --
ALLAN
You're welcome to her, man!
Uptight bourgeois bitch!
(then)
You hear me Caroline? Don't come
back!
Off Rembrandt, Allan's imprecations resounding in his ears.
CUT TO:
INT. QUINN'S HOUSE - KITCHEN - AFTERNOON
Wade is at the stove, stirring a pot of pasta. Quinn is nearby at the counter, slicing vegetables.
QUINN
Maybe the dust cloud won't be as
bad as they think; or they
mis-calculated somehow.
And you know how it went from there...and as you saw, this version of the script did not have the Russian Roulette scene we saw in the final version.
And a slight change of lines for Arturo when he explains how he kept the atomic secret safe...
QUINN
(concerned)
Hope you know what you're doing.
(Arturo knows where he's
headed)
You just gave Conrad Bennish the
power to take over the world.
ARTURO
On the contrary.
WADE
What?
ARTURO
While he was playing Donkey Kong on
his Game Boy, I re-jiggered his
version of the schematics. The
bomb on the missle is active --
but Einstein's secret is safe.
Arturo removes the correct diagram from his jacket pocket.
ARTURO
The exact computation is here, and
stays here --
The original script also gave us one final look at the shattered life of Allan Fontaine...this scene takes place directly after the asteroid is destroyed and Arturo drops the schematic...
INT. LOFT - PARTYERS
still going strong, like they have a new lease on life -- the place is utterly destroyed.
ALLAN FONTAINE
moves through, sifting through the shards. People are sleeping, the sound of someone violently retching (O.S.) -- he's got the worst hangover imaginable.
THE DRIVER
enters, Rembrandt's friend from the night before --
DRIVER
Hey buddy -- ya got any more
champagne?
ALLAN
Get out!
(then)
All of you! Get out of here!
Allan's f*cked up his entire life.
Then we switch scenes to see Caroline in the church...just as we saw it...
And originally, Bennish was supposed to watch the slide out...
ARTURO
They were here yesterday!
QUINN
We don't have time!
The wormhole is beginning to lose potency.
QUINN
jumps. Followed a beat later by a devastated Arturo.
THE WORMHOLE
vanishes. A beat or two as the wind dies down --
REVERSE ANGLE - SOMEONE WATCHES
from inside a parked car. It's Bennish.
CUT TO:
INT. BENNISH'S LAB - BENNISH'S BOOM BOX
playing something nasty, like Courtney Love.
BENNISH
pumps up the volume, there is work to be done --
ANGLE - HIS WORKSPACE - HIS SCHEMATICS
the one we saw Arturo sabotage. A big globe sits on the desktop. Bennish reaches into his pocket, unfurls another set of plans, lays them out side-by-side for comparison. As he locates with his finger the vectors Arturo erased --
BENNISH
is almost giddy with power --
BENNISH
(off the globe)
Anyone messes with us now --
(big grin)
Boom!
Off Bennish --
FADE OUT.
END OF SHOW
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