Recap / Sliders S 04 E 12 The Dying Fields

Originally aired August 31, 1998

Written by William Bigelow

Directed by David Peckinpah

On a world where half-human Kromagg soldiers hunt humans kidnapped from various parallel worlds as part of a training exercise, Colin is captured and imprisoned, and Quinn must convince one of the hybrid soldiers to help him and the others save his brother.

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Tropes present in the episode:

• Alien Abduction: Jenny says she was brought to the outpost in this fashion, pulled from her bed in the middle of the night and finding herself aboard a Kromagg manta ship. Presumably this applies to the others.
• Always Someone Better: Kyra consistently outdoes Kryoptus in the hunts, further weakening his standing in the group. She effortlessly takes down the guy in The Teaser that he spent a good bit of time tracking.
• Bad Boss: General Kronus is blunt and insulting with every Humagg, but he comes down the hardest on Kryoptus for repeatedly failing to make any kills. He threatens to make Kryoptus a target in the hunts as a way to better motivate him.
• Batman Gambit: Since they can't fight multiple Humaggs at once, Quinn thinks to act as a decoy to lure one (Kyra) into chasing after him. She corners him in an alley, unaware that Rembrandt and Maggie are there waiting to get the drop on her.
• Blatant Lies: While being interrogated, Colin claims he was simply abducted as part of the game. As he doesn't have a tattoo like the others do, Kronus slaps him across the face for this.
• Bottomless Magazines: Averted. The captured humans are given standard weapons that only have so much ammo and will need to be reloaded eventually. In the end, while fleeing Kryoptus, the Sliders start running out of bullets for the weapon they acquired.
• Can't Kill You, Still Need You: After Kyra determines that Colin isn't the only undocumented human in the outpost, Kronus orders him held in captivity on the grounds they can learn more from him.
• Continuity Nod: While discussing the breeder program, Quinn tells Kyra he's looking to find Wade and hopes to learn what world she is being held on.
• Crazy Jealous Guy: Kyra and Kryoptus share an attraction, though he denies it out of fear of looking weak in front of his Kromagg superiors. Nonetheless, Kyra notes he did get rather jealous when he saw her alone with Colin.
• Create Your Own Villain: The anti-Kromagg weapon caused genetic damage in Kromagg women that leads to Death by Childbirth. To ensure the survival of their species, they had to breed with humans, and they use that offspring to wage war on humanity.
  Kyra: [to Colin] You created us, not the Kromaggs.
• Death by Childbirth: We're told that this is now the norm with Kromagg women, as the weapon used to force Kromaggs from Kromagg Prime left the Kromagg women genetically mutated. Now, two days after giving birth, a Kromagg woman dies.
• Determinator: While in his cell, Colin continually tries to get free of the wrist restraints. He isn't perturbed when told he'd still have a force field and a base full of enemy soldiers to contend with.
• Detrimental Determination: Kyra observes Colin's efforts to escape, saying humans are foolish for continuing to try something like this when there are so many other obstacles in the way.
• Do Not Go Gentle: After taking a hit in the back and being as good as dead, Spence uses the last of his energy to take one last shot at Kryoptus (who has cornered Quinn). Spence misses (getting shot again for his trouble) and another captured human starts opening fire, but Kryoptus being distracted by all this buys time for Quinn and the others to get moving.
• Downer Ending: Kryoptus kills Kyra for her betrayal, none of the surviving abducted humans are rescued, and the hunts will only continue. The only upshot is that the group manages to escape.
• Dramatic Irony: Upon their arrival, the group immediately notices how the Humaggs look different than the Kromaggs, but they can't explain why. We learn much sooner than they do that they're encountering Half-Human Hybrids.
• Energy Weapon: The Humaggs carry rifles that shoot energy blasts likened to radioactive bullets. One direct hit is enough to kill any target immediately. Rembrandt gets grazed by one such blast; he survives the initial hit, but the radiation poisoning causes his health to severely deteriorate in a short amount of time. It takes a special healing technique from Kyra to save him.
• Eye Scream: General Kronus has ordered the Humaggs to take the eyes of their kills. Kyra is reluctant to, but Kryoptus does so (if for no other reason than to try to keep the boss from lashing out at him).
  Kronus: Eyes are so much better when eaten fresh.
• Eyes Never Lie:
  • Quinn can tell from the look in Kyra's eyes that she's not as tough or hardened as she keeps claiming to be.
  • After switching sides, Kyra says she can tell from Quinn's eyes that he doesn't mind her getting close. He then lampshades the trope.
• False Reassurance: Kyra implores Kryoptus to embrace his human half, saying they can't deny who they are. Kryoptus ultimately agrees he can't deny who he is right before killing her for betraying the Kromagg Dynasty.
• Foil: Kyra and Kryoptus are both Humaggs that underwent the same training. Kyra is by far the better soldier, but she is curious about her humanity and more willing to express it when the opportunity arises. Kryoptus, however, continually fails to make progress in the game, and he sees his human side as a source of shame and weakness.
• Freudian Excuse: Colin is a Determinator because his adopted mother taught him that Hope Springs Eternal.
• From Bad to Worse: The group is rather optimistic about this world, until they find a mangled body missing a hand. Then they see the Humaggs pick off one poor guy.
• Go into the Light: When Rembrandt starts passing out from his wound during an act break, the scene fades to white for this effect. When Quinn manages to resuscitate him after the commercial break, Rembrandt says he saw a white light and could hear it calling to him, but Quinn's pleas shook him from it.
• Greater Need Than Mine: While reading Colin's mind, Kyra can tell he's more concerned about the rest of the group getting hurt trying to rescue him than he is about Kronus ordering his execution.
• Half-Breed Angst: Kryoptus hates his human half, being something he wishes he could remove outright and seeing the features on his face as a reminder of weakness. He fully embraces his Kromagg half in the end.
• Half-Breed Discrimination: The Kromaggs look down on Humaggs, seeing them as mongrels weakened by human emotion and nothing more than slaves to do the grunt work. Kronus expresses disgust that the Dynasty's elite fighting force will be having Humaggs in their ranks.
• Half-Human Hybrids: As the name suggests, the Humaggs are human-Kromagg hybrids.
• Hunting the Most Dangerous Game: The Humaggs are sent to Kromagg Outpost 88 to hunt humans in order to prove that they are worthy to join the army of the Kromagg Dynasty.
• Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: Kryoptus kills Kyra with a knife to the gut.
• In the Back:
  • Kyra picks off Jake (the running guy in The Teaser) this way.
  • Kryoptus kills Spence by blasting him, as he's running up the stairs.
• Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique: With Rembrandt dying from the Energy Weapon, Quinn demands Kyra explain how it works and what it's doing. She refuses, so he threatens to bash in her knee if she doesn't start talking. She thinks he's bluffing, but him getting ready to start convinces her to talk.
• Mind Rape: Kronus tells Colin that Kromaggs are quite adept at this to learn what they want from prisoners who refuse to comply. Colin subsequently gets to work trying to escape.
• Motivational Lie: The captured humans were told that they'll be set free, if they survive 20 days, so they operate under that belief. Rembrandt tells them that the Kromaggs will never honor such a promise.
• Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: Kryoptus interrupted Kyra, while she was talking to Colin with the cell's force field down. Neither of them bothered to raise it again when they stepped out into the hallway, allowing Colin to grab a tool needed to pick the lock on his wrist restraints.
• No One Gets Left Behind: Yes and no. After being forced to split up, Colin overhears Jenny getting shot. He goes back to try to help her rather than follow after Quinn, attacking Kryoptus in the process. By the time Quinn notices and tries to help him, Kyra is already there, so he has to leave Colin behind.
• Not So Above It All: After getting the better of Kryoptus and locking him in the cell, Colin takes the opportunity to gloat and explain how he undid his restraints.
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business: After being captured, Kyra expects to be killed, but Quinn says that's not the group's style. When Rembrandt is adversely affected by the Energy Weapon, Quinn threatens the Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique on Kyra and demonstrates the resolve to make good on it.
• Play-Along Prisoner: After managing to undo his restraints, Colin goes back to sitting in his cell, fakes wearing the restraints, and waits to take someone by surprise. Kryoptus soon gives him that opportunity.
• Please Wake Up: As Rembrandt starts passing out from his wound, Quinn pleads with him to stay awake. When he wakes back up, Rembrandt says he heard Quinn's voice and believes it brought him back.
• Power of Trust: Quinn confides in Kyra how the group has sliding technology, something the Kromagg Dynasty deemed illegal for humans to possess. He says he's telling her this as a show of trust, and it ends up working.
• Pragmatic Villainy: The Kromaggs give every captured human a weapon, ammo, and assorted gear, as well as maintain buildings that can be used to hide out in. The purpose of this facility is to train the Humaggs, and they couldn't very well prove their value or make the elites by simply gunning down defenseless humans.
• Pyrrhic Victory: Kryoptus achieves his dream of making it into the elites and even gets some grudging congratulations from Kronus for his efforts, but doing so required killing Kyra for betraying the Dynasty. He carries her body away, looking positively devastated.
• Shout-Out:
  • The title refers to The Killing Fields.
  • Colin says he was able to pick the lock because of a Penn & Teller special he watched on the previous world.
• Taught by Experience: Spence refuses to help the group rescue Colin because of this. He says not long after his arrival, the Humaggs wounded one human, nailed him in place, and waited for someone else to try to mount a rescue.
  Spence: The uglies had a two-fer that day.
• Telepathy: Kyra mentions early on that Humaggs don't start out with the gift like some Kromaggs do, but it can develop over time with training. Kyra first displays the skill when Colin is being interrogated, and it later proves crucial to saving Rembrandt's life.
• Themed Tattoos: All the abducted humans are given tattoos, as part of the game. Colin not having one is cause for concern amongst Kronus and the Humaggs.
• Too Dumb to Live:
  • Rembrandt is incredulous that the captured humans think the Kromaggs will honor the promise to release anyone who survives 20 days.
  • "Stupid beyond belief!" is how Kronus describes Kryoptus for not only letting Colin escape, but for getting locked in the cell the guy was being held in.
• Virtue Is Weakness: The Humaggs are taught that their human emotions are signs of weakness and something to be suppressed. Kyra tries to abide by this, but she's clearly interested in exploring her humanity. She is genuinely confused by how Colin is willing to risk everything to escape and how Quinn would show her compassion after she tried to kill him.
  Kyra: What weakness compels you to aid others?
  Quinn: We consider it a strength.
• You Have Failed Me: After Colin locks him in the cell and escapes, Kryoptus fully expects this. Kronus is clearly tempted, but he gives him one last chance to prove his worth or else. Kryoptus gets himself off the hook by taking out a few captured humans and killing Kyra for her betrayal.
• You Keep Telling Yourself That: Kryoptus is repeatedly insistent that he doesn't have any personal feelings for Kyra. When making his escape from the facility, Colin tells him he's not fooling anyone.

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