These are scenes from the December 1, 1996 production draft of the script for the episode Paradise Lost written by Steve Stoliar. These scenes did not make it into the final episode due to time and story considerations.
Our first change comes during our Sliders' exit from the vortex...originally we were supposed to get some insight about some problems with the new Egyptian timer...
ACT ONE
FADE IN
EXT. BEACH - DAY
A different strip of seashore [from the episode's teaser]. The VORTEX appears, hovering a few feet above the beach, the OPENING AIMED DOWN toward the sand. Arturo FLOATS out. The VORTEX MOVES HORIZONTALLY a few feet, then Wade FLOATS OUT, makes soft landing. The vortex continues the pattern as Quinn and Remmy also FLOAT OUT a little further down the beach.
REMBRANDT
Whoa. That was different.
WADE
All our landings have been
different since we started using
that new timer.
QUINN
(re: timer he holds)
Wish I could explain it, guys. But
I didn't invent it.
ARTURO
Time, Mr. Mallory?
Quinn checks the LED readout.
QUINN
Three days and change.
WADE
(enviously eyeing the
water)
Definitely long enough for a little
swim and sun.
ARTURO
I wouldn't recommend it, Miss
Welles.
He points her towards a sign. "Warning: No Beach Activity Allowed. By order, City of Paradise."
WADE
Of course, First time we slide to
a beach and it's closed.
REMBRANDT
Just as well. I'm not sure I'm
ready to see a certain person in a
bathing suit.
ARTURO
(good-natured)
Yes, and I was so looking forward
to swooning over your physique.
QUINN
C'mon. Let's go find "Paradise."
And they set off to find the city as we saw...
Our next missing bit comes after Quinn defends the girl...it's a small observation by Arturo that gives some alternate history...
[Bud and his goons] walk out of frame, leaving the other Sliders. Arturo's watching Bud drive away.
ARTURO
I think it's fair to assume we're
not home, Mr. Brown.
REMBRANDT
Why's that?
Wade gestures towards the disappearing truck.
WADE
He's driving on the left side of
the road.
ON QUINN AND LAURIE
QUINN kneels to inspect the tire.
And the dialogue between Quinn and Laurie unfolds as we heard...
The original dialogue makes LAURIE appear much more intellgent...such as when she first talks to Sheriff Burke at the restuarant. Originally, she caught on quickly that he was lying...
LAURIE
Well I'm not so sure. Can't you
get a search party together?
Burke raises his eyes to hers, forces a smile.
SHERIFF
I could, but it's a little
premature. Folks often go off
hiking into the woods. He's
probably somewhere in the great
outdoors communing with nature.
LAURIE
He was leaving a message for me
when he was cut off.
SHERIFF
Well, cell phones don't work too
well up here.
LAURIE
(beat)
Who said anything about a cell
phone?
She and Burke lock eyes. Quinn and Arturo move up.
QUINN
Problem?
LAURIE
The Sheriff won't do his job.
SHERIFF
I'm a one man department. And
this town keeps me pretty busy.
Quinn eyes the Sheriff's breakfast, paper, crossed legs.
QUINN
Yeah, you're a real tornado.
The Sheriff's smile fades. He rises. He's one big man.
SHERIFF
I can be.
QUINN
Good. She's got a problem. And
it's a little more important than
checking your horoscope.
SHERIFF
See, this is why I don't have time
to run around looking for people
who aren't lost. I gotta take care
of troublemakers like you.
Then Bobby interrupts calling the Sheriff and it plays out from there as we saw it...
Another small change...when Quinn goes walking on the grass, he was originally supposed to have some warning from a man screaming at him...
Quinn approaches the ball near the police line that we now see encircles a SINKHOLE. As he picks up the ball, a ONE-ARMED MAN out on the sidewalk (FRED, 38) spots him.
FRED
Hey! You crazy?! Get out of
there!
Quinn grabs the ball and turns to the man.
QUINN
Something wrong?
FRED
(realizes Quinn's a
stranger)
Ah... that ground could give way.
A uh... water main broke under
there.
QUINN
Appreciate your concern.
Quinn heads back toward the street. He's still in the park when a RIPPLE APPEARS IN THE GROUND BEHIND HIM. The kids see it, Quinn doesn't. The old man and the kids stare in silent anticipation as the RIPPLE starts after Quinn.
And it continues from there as we saw it...
Also, there was a bit more to the part where Arturo was checking into the hotel...
ALICE
They wouldn't know him either.
(off Arturo's look)
I'd know. If somebody's new in
town, we all know.
ARTURO
Yes. I suppose you would.
ALICE
(pulls a card)
You'll be set, as soon as you fill
out the registration card.
He takes the card to the desk and sits as he fills it out. She fluffs the pillows on the sofa as he writes.
ALICE
Just skip the credit part. Len
vouched for you and that's good
enough.
ARTURO
(nods; writes; then)
Next of kin?
ALICE
City ordinance. In case something
happens.
ARTURO
Well, you won't have to worry about
that with us. We don't have any
families... around here.
She and Paul exchange a smile behind Arturo's back. He hands the card back to Alice. She heads for the door, passing a framed black and white photo. It's of the Paradise B & B. Alice, bearing a much different hairstyle and wardrobe, stands out front, proudly.
ARTURO
I must say, black and white is
quite a good look for you.
And from there it is as we saw...
And another missing scene explains the title of the episode. It comes when Laurie and Quinn go to the Michael's camp in the scene directly after Arturo's registration...
EXT. BASE CAMP - DAY
CAMERA PANS the camp. It's been left untouched. Quinn and Laurie are in the tent. All the flaps have been pulled back, so the tent is essentially exterior. Laurie works at a laptop sitting on a table.
LAURIE
I don't care what the Sheriff says.
He didn't just walk off.
(indicates nearby coat)
No one leaves without their coat,
or their laptop -- or their car.
QUINN
Whatever happened to Michael must
have had something to do with this.
Quinn compares the fax Laurie received to a wall chart of the local area.
LAURIE
I've looked at that fax a million
times, Quinn. Whatever Michael was
trying to send didn't make it.
QUINN
(reading fax; then)
What does Milt E-X-P mean?
LAURIE
John Milton wrote Paradise Lost.
Get it? If we found oil out here,
Paradise would be lost -- That's
Michael's sense of humor, that's
why he named the computer files for
this expedition after Milton.
QUINN
Milt-EXP is a file name?
(off her nod)
If the files are still in there --
A beat, then she reacts, deflated.
LAURIE
Damn. They're all gone. Someone
deleted them.
QUINN
Let me in there.
She slides out, let's Quinn at the computer. As he types...
QUINN
The information could still be in
here, as long as the memory hasn't
been written over. It might take a
while, but I can reconstruct it.
LAURIE
Wait. You don't have to.
(just remembering)
The field transmitters have
three-day memory. We can
reconstruct the fax by calling
up the original data.
Quinn pushes the lap top her way.
QUINN
Go.
Laurie types. The screen fills with a myraid of graphs, numbers and data. So fast, you can't even focus.
LAURIE
I've told the computer to call up
the last few hours of the day
Michael disappeared...
And from there the scene plays out like the final version...
The next lost scene was altered because Cleavant couldn't say it with a straight face! In fact, you can find this scene in the season three gag reel...at least, what Cleavant could get out before dying of laughter...
ARTURO
They say nothing. You get the same
response if you ask about Michael
Miller. Parker walks across the restaurant, giving Wade a smile. She smiles back, then clues back into the conversation --
WADE
I should get back.
REMBRANDT
Yeah, my break's up too.
(stands; to Arturo)
Look, when I was touring, I spent
a night in a speck of a town called
Eustis.
WADE
I've been there -- Florida, right?
REMBRANDT
(nods; then)
It was hurricane season, so I never
got further than the hotel bar.
But after two hours, I knew more
about the place than I ever wanted
to know.
ARTURO
Yes, perhaps a visit to the local
pub might be just the thing.
And from there it is as we saw it...
Another change...and Wade was to find the town's secret a slightly different way...
This scene was to take place directly after Quinn and Laurie finding the upturned tractor...
INT. PARADISE B & B ROOM - NIGHT
Wade is in the living room as Rembrandt comes out, showered and ready for bed. She's looking in the mirror.
REMBRANDT
That was so weird with that guy
today.
WADE
Parker said he was going to make
it.
REMBRANDT
I guess I'm just glad it turned out
all right.
(yawns)
I'm beat --
Now he notices Wade is actually PRIMPING in the mirror.
WADE
I think maybe I'll go for a walk.
REMBRANDT
(smiles)
And maybe see if you can run into
Parker.
She ignores him, heads for the door.
REMBRANDT
So, should I wait up or not?
WADE
Not. I'll be back in an hour.
(off his doubt)
Really.
REMBRANDT
Ah huh. But be sure to say hello
to Parker for me.
She gives up. They share a smile and she exits.
CUT TO
EXT. PARADISE B & B/MAIN STREET - NIGHT
Wade exits the B & B doorway, noticing that down the street, several people enter Erickson's restaurant.
She heads that way, arriving to find the lights are off, the "closed" sign is up and, looking through the window, it's easy enough to see that there's no one inside. She tries the door and to her surprise, it opens.
From there she finds the banquet room and the townspeople eating the goo...
At the beginning of Act Three, Quinn was supposed to surmise the worm was female in a short quip...
ACT THREE
FADE IN
INT. JEEP - NIGHT - MOVING
LAURIE
I can't believe how fast that thing
is moving.
CLOSE ON THE LAPTOP SCREEN
Dots of light blink on the grid map as the amorphous shape moves across the screen. Then it suddenly veers off.
RESUME SCENE
LAURIE
Wait. It's changing directions
again.
QUINN
Must be female. It can't make up
its mind.
(off Laurie's quick look)
Joke. Tell which way. PCH is
dead ahead.
LAURIE
Turn left. I think it's heading
for the beach.
And the scene continues from there as we saw it...
The next small change adds a bit more clarity to how Trudy found the cave and why she wouldn't eat the goo...
TRUDY
But he could still be alive.
Surprised, they turn to her.
TRUDY
The beast keeps the sacrifices
alive until she needs to eat.
WADE
How do you know?
TRUDY
Because it took me.
(then)
I was one of the first. It took me
to a cave, somewhere near the cove.
There were people inside, still
alive. But I found a way out.
She gestures to the overturned bowl of slime on the floor.
TRUDY
That's why I won't eat that. It
reminds me of that day... and those
people.
LAURIE
Quinn. My brother and your friend.
It's possible they're still alive.
And the rest is the same from there...
In the episode, Quinn likened the worm to a marine nemertean...but in the script, he had a more bizarre guess...
WADE
What the hell is it?
QUINN
A freak mutation. I'd say it's
some kind of acanthocephalan.
REMBRANDT
Is that Latin for big freaking
worm?
QUINN
It's a parasite found in humans.
(checks screen)
It's coming up, back to sea level.
Turning right. It stopped.
And in the shootout scene, the Sheriff and Erickson were supposed to have some dialogue...
REMBRANDT
They're both full.
QUINN
Just enough for a barbecure.
ANOTHER ANGLE
Quinn drives off down the beach, around the cove. Camera moves to REVEAL a car pulling up on the bluff.
EXT. BLUFF - DAY - CONTINUOUS
Erickson and the Sheriff jump out.
SHERIFF
They're heading for the cave.
ERICKSON
Good, then the creature will
get them.
SHERIFF
We can't take that chance. Grab
the ladder.
But Erickson doesn't move.
SHERIFF
Come on.
ERICKSON
I can't. What if it comes back?
Erickson heads back to his car.
SHERIFF
(shouts after him)
If something happens to the
creature, we're all gonna die!
Erickson doesn't respond, fires up the car. Angry, the Sheriff drops the ladder over the side. It's up to him.
CUT TO
EXT. CAVE ENTRANCE - DAY
The Jeep is parked near the cave mouth, passable at low tide. Wade and Remmy wire the charges to timers.
REMBRANDT
Now wrap the black wire on the post
and secure it.
Wade admires her work with mixed emotions.
WADE
The things you learn while sliding.
Quinn comes running out from the cave entrance and over to them.
QUINN
It's in there.
And from that point, it continues as we saw...
And one of the more startling changes is that in the original script...Michael didn't die. And the one fact makes the entire ending different (including a wink at "X-Files" and a world after they slide out)...
EXT. BEACH BLUFF - DAY - CONTINUOUS
Quinn emerges from the cave. The others are standing off a safe distance away. Quinn starts running. He's barely clear when the ground shakes and there's a large EXPLOSION. Quinn's knocked down by the concussion. A column of FIRE and SMOKE blast from the cave roof straight up into the sky.
ANGLE - THE SLIDERS
as Quinn gets to his feet, joins the others.
MICHAEL
I don't know how you all did it,
but thanks. From both of us.
QUINN
We can celebrate later. Right now
I think we better get out of here.
They all start walking away. Quin falls in with Laurie. We FOLLOW.
QUINN
(to Laurie)
Who can you tell about this?
LAURIE
There's a guy I heard of at the
FBI. He investigates this sort of
thing.
CAMERA MOVES from the group, walking away to see the last of the ocean and the beach, and the fire sending thick black smoke into the blue Pacific sky.
DISSOLVE TO
EXT. BEACH - NEW WORLD
The vortex opens depositing the Sliders like products on a conveyor belt. Plop. plop. plop. We HEAR a drumming.
ARTURO
My God, are we back where we
started?
QUINN
I don't think so. Look.
THE SLIDERS' POV - POLYNESIAN MEN
wearing loincloths and carrying small painted shields running at full tilt towards them.
ANGLE - SLIDERS
as they from ranks, ready to repel the charge. But the men split and run past them, heading for the waves.
The Sliders watch as the men's shields become belly boards as they hit the surf. Quinn looks back up the beach. The drums keep beating.
QUINN
I think it's going to be all right.
REMBRANDT
How much time do we have?
Quinn consults the timer. He smiles.
QUINN
Two weeks.
REMBRANDT
Oh yeah. R and R.
They all smile. Then we see why.
ANOTHER ANGLE
Beautiful Polynesian men and women holding food, drink and flower leis approach. They've landed in a tropical paradise.
QUINN
Aloha.
As they enjoy they warm greeting from the natives, we...
FADE OUT
THE END
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