Recap / Sliders S 02 E 04 The Good The Bad And The Wealthy

Originally aired March 22, 1996

Written by Scott Smith Miller

Directed by Oscar L. Costo

On a world where the Old West and modern technology are combined, the Sliders find themselves in the middle of a hostile takeover attempt by corporate gunslingers.

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Tropes present in the episode:

• An Aesop: After he chafes at how this world operates for the entire episode, Quinn's final goodbye to Jamie contains the episode's lesson.
  Quinn: I want you to know that it takes a stronger man to put a gun down than it does to fire it in anger. Can you remember that?
  Jamie: I think so.
• Alternate History: The Republic of Texas never joined the United States, so it avoided the Civil War completely. While the Union and Confederates duked it out, Texas was able to expand westward and prosper.
• And There Was Much Rejoicing: Quinn isn't just revered for allegedly outdrawing a famed quick draw; it's also because Jed Dalton was widely despised. No one laments his passing and some even cheer wildly.
• Armor-Piercing Response: During his final appeal to the crowd, Quinn singles out the Sheriff. It gets a rise out of Bullock first, but it ultimately compels the Sheriff to assert his authority.
  Quinn: They tell me you were once a good man, Sheriff. When I'm gone, I hope you find your backbone again and arrest Jack Bullock for the murders of Cliff Sutter and Tom Hardaway.
• Asshole Victim: Jed Dalton is a violent thug who reacts to losing a hand of poker by attacking the winner. When Quinn intervenes and brushes off his talk, he grabs Wade to force a fight. None of the locals mourn him, with Priscilla later revealing that Jed murdered her husband.
• Be Careful What You Wish For: Quinn had a bit too much to drink and wakes up with a hangover. He quips a bullet between the eyes would fix it and the other Sliders lampshade this trope by noting what kind of world this is.
• Big "WHAT?!": Quinn's reaction to Priscilla revealing she was the one who killed Jed.
• Broken Pedestal:
  • Jamie more than anyone believes Quinn is the hero that will save his family's company and take down the one responsible for his father's death. In the face of Quinn being reluctant to take up arms even during a hostile takeover and his own mother telling him the truth, Jamie denounces Quinn as a coward and lifts his gun to deal with Bullock himself.
  • The Sheriff used to be held in high-esteem, but following Bullock's rise to prominence, he became little more than a puppet constantly reminded of his place in things and told to stay out of the way. Pretty much no one takes him seriously anymore.
• Cassandra Truth: Jamie told his mother how the group emerged from the sky, but she doesn't believe him. To keep a low profile, Rembrandt notes for her how kids at that age have overactive imaginations. Jamie is quick to remind his mother of this when the group makes their very public exit.
• Cowboy Episode: The first one Sliders has.
• Chronic Hero Syndrome: Quinn found himself in the first showdown because he was defending a man getting harassed by Jed Dalton.
• Corporate Samurai: Gunslingers serving this function are basically this Earth's hat.
• Corrupt Corporate Executive: Jack Bullock.
• Cyberpunk: There are more than a few elements of this genre within this Western world—a MegaCorp with an absurd amount of power backed up by Corporate Samurai gunslingers, and Priscilla is in the computer business.
• Divided States of America: The Republic of Texas is an independent country which stretched to include San Francisco.
• Everyone Has Standards: Despite literally being a hired gun that switched sides, Billy balks at Bullock's suggestion he deal with Jamie after the kid shows up in the office with a gun. Later, after Quinn throws down his gun, Billy thinks it's just a bluff to stall for him. When he sees Quinn is being serious, Billy just can't shoot him someone in cold blood.
• Exact Words: The duel is set to start mere minutes before the slide, so Quinn begins his speech by noting he'll be "gone" one way or another very soon.
• Fake Ultimate Hero: Quinn is considered the fastest gunslinger in town for seemingly killing Jed. Of course, he thinks he just got lucky and then finds he didn't even do it at all. He ends up having to bluff his way through tense situations until the very end.
  "The myth is more powerful than the man."
• The Gambler: Rembrandt sits down to a high-stakes poker game and ultimately cleans up.
• Green-Eyed Monster: Priscilla's husband was murdered a year earlier on Bullock's orders. While it's believed to just be part of Bullock's effort to takeover Hardaway Computers, it's revealed late in the story that Priscilla previously spurned Bullock. She asserts there was never anything between them, despite his repeated attempts.
• Hidden Depths:
  • Quinn knows enough about American history to immediately identify a photo of Sam Houston.
    Wade: It scares me that you know that.
  • Rembrandt is quite adept at poker, saying he played many games while touring with the Spinning Topps.
• Honor Before Reason: During the final showdown, Quinn throws his gun to the ground and stands by his ideals. For his part, Billy can't just shoot an unarmed man.
• Hustling the Mark: At first, Rembrandt was simply a placeholder for the poker game, so he was told to simply ante and fold for every hand, as well as not touch the big money. Though he's unhappy at first, it works to his advantage later after it's learned the guy he's subbing for is dead. Rembrandt runs with the "little lamb led to the slaughter" look and proceeds to crush it. He's cleaned up big by the time Wade tells him they have to leave.
• Karmic Death: A year earlier, Jed Dalton murdered Tom Hardaway in cold blood. In The Teaser, Priscilla takes advantage of the duel and lack of a crowd to avenge her husband by shooting Jed.
• Lampshade Hanging: Arturo had stepped away to gather some background about this world, so he missed Quinn's sudden duel with Jed. He comes back just in time to see Quinn taken away by the cops, leading to an acknowledgment of how the group can never seem to avoid situations.
  Rembrandt: Big trouble.
  Arturo: Already?
• Mr. Exposition: Arturo steps away early to gather information. He later reports it to Wade and Rembrandt, explaining the divergent history of Texas.
• My God, What Have I Done?: When he thinks he shot Jed, Quinn is disgusted with himself, even though he was acting in self-defense.
• Never Suicide: Priscilla's business associate, Cliff Sutter, is found hanging from a noose in his hotel room. The official story is that the despair of his repeated business failures drove him to it, but Wade calls the Sheriff out for taking an obvious excuse to look the other way on murder.
• New Old West: As a result of Texas expanding westward while the rest of America was busy fighting the Civil War.
• "Not So Different" Remark: During the showdown, Quinn appeals to onlookers by saying people back home face the same temptations and challenges they do every day, yet still maintain a more peaceful lifestyle.
• On Three: When Quinn finds himself in a duel with Jed, an observer says this trope is customary and does the count.
• Police Are Useless: The Sheriff tries to do his job, but Bullock has enough power and influence to sideline him at a moment's notice. It's not until the very end that he finally asserts himself and arrests Bullock for murder.
• Richard Nixon, the Used Car Salesman: Lyndon Johnson and George H. W. Bush are former Presidents of the Republic of Texas.
• Screw the Rules, I Have Money!: Bullock is the most powerful businessman in the state, having more than enough pull to keep the police from interfering in his business and doing whatever he pleases (including having members of the competition killed). During the showdown, Billy refuses to shoot an unarmed Quinn, but Bullock shares no qualms and balks when told this is a brazen violation of the regulations.
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here:
  • When Quinn gets roped into a duel with Jed, all but a handful of people clear out of the bar. This ends up being how Priscilla gets away with shooting Jed, as the few still hanging around weren't looking in her direction.
  • The rest of the group advocates sneaking off before Quinn is revealed to be a Fake Ultimate Hero and easy pickings for anyone with a gun. Even before Priscilla got to them, Quinn didn't see the point, due to Bullock's vast power and influence.
• Shout-Out:
  • One of the TV shows is Mighty Morphin Texas Rangers.
  • Quinn being mistaken for the killer of the notorious Jed Dalton is a reference to The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.
  • The final scene of the episode in which Jamie calls out Quinn's name and asks him to come back is a reference to the final scene of Shane.
  • The title refers to The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.
• Skewed Priorities: In discussing the divergent history, Rembrandt and Arturo get a little sidetracked talking about geography. A frustrated Wade pointedly reminds them that Quinn just got arrested and that they have to help him. Arturo retorts that they can't begin to help Quinn until they better understand how this world operates.
• Stealing from the Hotel: After Quinn sobers up, the group is prepared to sneak off somewhere to hide until the slide. While packing up, Rembrandt notes the futility of stealing towels when they'll just be staying in a different Earth's Dominion Hotel.
• Thou Shalt Not Kill: Quinn is horrified by the thought of killing someone, even in self-defense. After learning he didn't actually do it, Quinn resolves to not even try shooting back, saying that's just not who he is. In the final scene, he implores onlookers and Jamie specifically to consider this ideal.
• Token Good Teammate: Billy Ray, the most prominent of Bullock's underlings that had nothing to do with the company's misdeeds. He's a genuinely Nice Guy that tries to befriend Quinn, and he's the first one to step up to defend him during the showdown.
• You Have GOT to Be Kidding Me!: Wade's reaction to Quinn getting roped into a duel with Jed and absolutely no one trying to stop it.
• You Killed My Father: After losing faith in Quinn, Jamie swipes his gun and goes to Bullock's office to settle up for his father's murder. Quinn manages to stop him from pulling the trigger, though.

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