Originally aired January 31, 1997
Written by Steven Stoliar
Directed by Jim Johnston
The Sliders land in an idyllic town where the residents all appear young but seem fearful of outsiders. Wade soon discovers the shocking secret behind the townspeople's youth, a secret that lands the other Sliders in terrible trouble.
Tropes present in the episode:
- The Ageless: So long as they drink up, the townspeople look continually young more than 50 years after the fact. One local does die of a heart-attack, though, and reverts to his actual age.
- An Arm and a Leg: Arturo befriends a man with a missing arm. He claimed it was in the war, but it was because the worm got him while he was mowing the lawn.
- Armor-Piercing Response: Sheriff Burke casually brushes the Sliders off at every turn, but Rembrandt threatening to call the state police certainly gets his attention.
- Big Damn Heroes: A downplayed example when the group meets Laurie. One of the Paradise locals was getting ready to knock her out when they suddenly walked up.
- Bittersweet Ending: Quinn manages to kill the worm, thus ending the town's sacrifices for good, but the others are troubled by how the atrocities went on for over half a century. Laurie's assistant is dead, but she at least gets closure.
- Dark Secret: The town feeds innocent people to the worm in exchange for eternal youth.
- Death by Irony: Sheriff Burke gladly fed people to the worm to prolong his own life. Guess how he dies.
- Disposable Vagrant: The townspeople keep the worm and themselves alive by feeding it people no one will miss.
- Due to the Dead: During the town meeting, Sheriff Burke reports on the guy at the diner that had a fatal heart-attack. He speaks fondly of the guy and calls for a moment of silence.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Parker has taken care of Trudy in her old age and dies protecting Wade from Burke.
- First-Name Basis: This episode marks the only time Quinn ever referred to Arturo as "Max."
- Foreshadowing: Sheriff Burke and his pal observe how the worm has been feeding an awful lot lately. It's later revealed there are lots of eggs in its cave.
- Longevity Treatment: The worm leaves behind slime that grants youth to anyone who continually drinks it. How the townspeople discovered that is best left unknown.
- Noodle Incident: According to Trudy, Parker was plotting to kill the worm before the townspeople learned of the Longevity Treatment.
- Not Quite Dead: Arturo is grabbed by the worm and pulled under; same for Laurie later. Most of the locals assume he's dead and gone, but Trudy suggests they were merely cocooned (as she once was). Quinn and Wade do find them in cocoons, with the justification being that the worm is saving up food for its offspring.
- Nuclear Mutant: The worm's existence is attributed to an explosion at the town's old uranium mine.
- Oh, Crap!: When Quinn and Wade venture into the cave to find Arturo, they discover the giant worm has created numerous eggs.
- Older Than They Look: The townspeople. Based on the innkeeper's photo, they don't look like they've aged a day in decades.
- Police Are Useless: Invoked. At every point, Sheriff Burke doesn't bother to help the Sliders and Laurie, as he is in on the conspiracy.
- Really 700 Years Old: Many of the townspeople have been around for decades.
- Shell-Shocked Veteran: Trudy was grabbed by the worm decades ago. She was rescued, but what she saw in the cave convinced her eternal life wasn't worth the price.
- Spanner in the Works: One local was about to attack Laurie while she was changing a tire, but then the Sliders walked up.
- Town with a Dark Secret: Welcome to Paradise. Walk on the grass or the beach, and the worm'll get you. Stay anywhere else, and most of the townspeople will try to feed you to the worm.
- True Companions: When asked about the group's families, Arturo remarks, "We four are all the kin we have."
- Uncanny Family Resemblance: The innkeeper invokes this when Arturo notices an old picture of her.
- What Measure Is a Non-Human?: Inverted. The townspeople care more about the worm's gift than the worm itself, but they'll gladly sacrifice humans to it.
- Whole-Plot Reference: To Tremors.
