Season's Greedings

Episode number: 35
First Aired: 12/20/96
Production number: SL-312
Previous Episode: State of the A.R.T.
Following Episode: Murder Most Foul

Summaries

The Sliders land on a world where people shop, work, and live in a huge mall. -Fox

All is not calm for the Sliders, whose Christmas is spent in a giant mall whose customers run up outlandish bills, then become virtual prisoners while trying to pay them off. -TV Guide

Alternate Earths

75. Pygmies' Earth

This world is inhabiated by tribes of pygmies. One of the pygmies took great interest in Wade when she smiled at him; it seems that a smile is the local equivalent of "I do." Be careful who you smile at on this Earth, unless you feel you can outrun blowgun darts.

Quinn refers to this world as "Jungle World."

76. Shop Until You Drop Earth

Huge shopping malls, built in such a way as to give the illusion they are floating in the clouds, are self contained cities which the inhabitants never have to leave. As a matter of fact, if you are in debt (and who isn't on this Earth?) bracelets prevent you from leaving the mall by administering electric shocks.

Subliminal advertising in television commercials is used by at least one mall to increase sales. In addition, shoppers are encouraged to shop more by friendly voices coming over speakers in the mall with sayings like: "If you thing you're finished shopping for Christmas, why not start on next year?"

Alternates of Wade's father Don and sister Kelly live in a mall on this Earth. Wade's mother died on this earth during childbirth, as did the baby; it's implied the baby would have been this world's Wade.

Notes

• Early drafts of this episode were called "Slider's Night."

• I wonder if anyone at Universal found it ironic when this episode, with its "overcommercialization is bad" moral, was filmed at the Universal Studios' shopping mall? Probably not.

Credits

Written by:   Eleah Horwitz
Directed by:  Richard Compton
Music by:     Danny Lux
               
Guest Stars:
  Chase Masterson      as Kelly Welles
  Neil Roberts         as Ted Bernsen
  Allen Williams       as Don Welles
  Stuart Fratkin       as Instructor
  Jacqueline Obradors  as Carol

Co-Starring:
  Paul Messinger       as Priest
  Jody Curtis          as Ginny
  Sean Flynn Amir      as Jason
  Nikolaus Keelaghan   as Kid #2

Earth Prime -- The Fans' Guide to SLIDERS is maintained by Ed Hall (edhall@brillig.com).