Originally aired May 3, 1996
Written by Nan Hagan
Directed by Adam Nimoy
When the Sliders finally make it back to Earth Prime, Quinn becomes skeptical, and everything starts to unravel when Arturo claims sliding as his invention.
Tropes present in the episode:
- Ambiguous Clone Ending: The ending makes it ambiguous whether the Arturo who slid with Quinn, Wade, and Rembrandt was their Arturo or his duplicate from this episode's parallel world. The closest thing to a hint is that after the vortex closes, the remaining Arturo remarks "Oh my God..."
- Armor-Piercing Question: "Well, what if he's right? What if we never do get home?"
- Berserk Button: Arturo raises his voice when Wade accuses him of taking credit for Quinn's discovery, and he's quick to offer justifications for what he's done. Doubles as a Trauma Button, as we later learn that this guy is a double who spent over a year trying and failing to recreate his Quinn's discovery.
- Big "OMG!":
- According to Wade, this was her sister's reaction over the phone for ten minutes straight.
- The Arturo that gets left behind.
- Brick Joke: A dark variant: after a certain point, the therapist Rembrandt sees decides to have his assistant call up the local mental hospital and request a straightjacket and a stretcher. After Rembrandt and the others slide out, we cut to the therapist now on his back, calmly explaining what he saw... as the camera pans back revealing he's being taken out of his office in a straightjacket, on a stretcher.
- Call-Back:
- Quinn's prior interest in football is what leads him to notice the first discrepancy (who played in and won Super Bowl XIX).
- Quinn mentions the events of "Last Days" when telling his mother about Arturo's exploits. One Arturo later tries to prove he's the real deal by referencing that episode and meeting a double of Christina.
- Cannot Keep a Secret: Despite being sworn to secrecy, Rembrandt told his agent the whole story some time before the Arturo double revealed sliding on live TV.
- Chekhov's Gunman: Arturo's assistant appears briefly early on when the Professor arrives on campus. She knows that Arturo's double never slid and subsequently alerted him to our guy's arrival, setting off the main story.
- Close-Enough Timeline: Barring the Azure Gate Bridge and a few minor differences, this world is identical to Earth Prime. When the truth comes out, none of the Sliders want to stay there because it's not their home (to say nothing of the fact that there's another group of Sliders out there trying to get back to this world).
- Continuity Nod: During his therapy session, Rembrandt mentions the group's encounter with Dr. Xang while discussing parallel worlds.
- Contrived Coincidence: Quinn argues that their doubles slid when they did, accounting for the same amount of time they've been sliding. Wade lampshades how forced that sounds, but he's exactly right.
- Cooldown Hug: Quinn gives one to Wade when she begins to have a tantrum after finding out the harsh truth.
- Cutting the Knot: Attempted: When caught in the middle of a Spot the Imposter situation with the two Arturos, and a very short time frame to leave via the vortex, Quinn plans to just take both with them to the next universe and solve it there. The point becomes moot when the two Arturos fight, and one leaves with the rest of the Sliders.
- Everyone Has Standards: In addition to wanting to get back to his own world and mother, Quinn notes it'd be unfair to his double to take his place and live his life.Quinn: He's as determined as I am to get home.
- Failed a Spot Check: It takes a while for the Slidersnote to realize they are not home, despite the very obvious clue of the Azure Gate Bridge.
- The Fellowship Has Ended: Convinced that they are back home, the Sliders go their separate ways.
- For Want Of A Nail: Barring other oddities, the major plot-important difference in the Azure Gate Bridge world? This world's Arturo decided against sliding with the others the first time.
- Friendship Moment: After the others tell Rembrandt it's time for the slide.Rembrandt: Always lookin' out for me, huh, Q-Ball?
Quinn: It's what it's all about. - Humble Hero: Quinn couldn't care less about not getting the credit for his discovery; it's the group not sticking together that bothers him about all this.
- Hypocritical Humor: At the museum, Rembrandt chastises Arturo's grandstanding and calls him an ego-maniac before adding that people from Rolling Stone are here.
- I Warned You: Quinn passes up the chance to point this out to Wade and instead consoles her in her despair.
- It Was Here, I Swear!: After the group slides out, the therapist attempts to tell others what he saw. He's considered crazy and put in a straitjacket. He does retain a calm demeanor the entire time, but he just keeps going on and on about something that sounds completely insane to the casual observer.
- Jerkass Has a Point:
- Arturo's double claim that he laid the groundwork for Quinn opening the vortex isn't entirely without merit, given that Quinn was studying the Professor's papers back in the Pilot Movie.
- Arturo's double insists that this carbon copy Earth is as good as it gets for the Sliders and how they'll all benefit in all sorts of ways by staying. Quinn later admits to Wade he can't guarantee them ever getting home.
- Jerkass Realization: Rembrandt apologizes to Quinn, saying he was too focused on his own fame to hear the truth. Wade admits she did similarly.
- Man Hug: Quinn and Rembrandt after the latter apologizes for not heeding the former's warnings.
- No One Left Behind:
- When stealing the timer from the museum, Quinn and Wade see they have less than a minute. They are against sliding without Rembrandt and Arturo. Fortunately, it turns out they only have a replica with an automatic countdown.
- The others barge in during the therapy session to ensure Rembrandt doesn't miss the slide.
- Noodle Incident: Arturo's proof of sliding is a 500-year-old arrowhead from a world where America was never colonized by Europeans and had a very different geology.
- Oh, Crap!:
- When faced with the two Arturos, all Wade can say is, "Uh-oh."
- Artie over his other clients possibly finding out Rembrandt doesn't have to give him the same 10% commission.
- Quinn when he notices the different Super Bowl XIX results.
- Other Me Annoys Me:Arturo: (to his double) It is a disgrace, sir, to think we share a common genetic structure!
- The Power of Friendship: Rembrandt says he got a wake-up call from hearing about how Quinn and Wade were willing to miss the slide for him and Arturo.
- Rewatch Bonus:
- Arturo's assistant's confused reaction to him being back on campus and wondering why he thinks he would've been replaced.
- "Arturo" being hostile to a guy he's generally thought highly of and even regarded as a surrogate son.
- Screw the Money, I Have Rules!:
- Wade turns down an offer to sell the rights to her story to a Hollywood starlet.
- The Sliders would rather brave the multiverse to find their home and loved ones than stay on a world that's not their own but regards them as celebrities.
- Shadow Archetype: The Arturo of this world has our Arturo's desire for fame and recognition and the same ego, but not the same ethical standards or fatherly interest in Quinn.
- Skepticism Failure: The therapist is left speechless over seeing the vortex and learning Rembrandt is actually quite sane.
- Spot the Imposter: The others really can't tell which Arturo is which. After the vortex is opening, Quinn's preferred solution was to take both and sort it out later.
- Stunned Silence: Rembrandt tries to apologize to his therapist for abruptly sliding in the middle of his therapy session... only to be concerned when the therapist is unable to respond.
- Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: Rembrandt over having to do a public appearance with his former bandmates from the Spinning Topps. They end up arguing over who gets to cry and who doesn't.
- Tempting Fate: Given all of Wade's insisting to Quinn that they were home, it's really her own fault when she stumbles across a painting of the Azure Gate Bridge.
- This Is Reality: Rembrandt's therapist eventually concludes that he's actually severely insane, and plans to have him committed... only for the others to abruptly show up and take him for the slide.
- Took a Level in Jerkass: Subverted. It looks like Arturo has done this, but it's actually his double.
- Violently Protective Girlfriend: Wade shows some signs of this, calling out Arturo to his face at the museum about what he's done and how he's treating Quinn.
- Wham Shot:
- Wade seeing the Azure Gate Bridge.
- The group's discovery of Arturo handcuffed to a pipe in the basement.
- Whole Episode Flashback: The framing device is Rembrandt in a therapy session.
