Originally aired March 1, 1996
Written by Tracy Tormé
Directed by Richard Compton
On a world where witchcraft reigns supreme, Quinn gets a bounty on his head after the Sliders flee from an eccentric witch doctor who demands Quinn's brain as payment for treating his gunshot wound. Pursued by a bounty hunter, they seek help from the Sorcerer, who may be able to return them home.
Tropes present in the episode:
- Bait-and-Switch: In the middle of the night, the group hears someone knocking at the door and finds it to be The Grim Reaper. The guy immediately fingers Quinn and approaches him menacingly, only to hand him a piece of paper and quietly walk off.Wade: What is it?
Quinn: It's a subpoena. I'm being sued. - Berserk Button: The mere mention of the Sorcerer's name sends Xang into a rage, due to how the stiff competition has damaged his business.
- Bounty Hunter: By invoking the Retribution Substitution clause and declaring he wants the brain, Xang has put Quinn in this kind of danger. Ross J. Kelly warns Quinn that bounty hunters will be coming out of the woodwork, as brains go for a lot on the black market. The main bounty hunter featured is played by Phil Fondacaro, and he successfully delivers Quinn to Xang (albeit losing out on his money when the others show up to save him).
- Brick Joke: At Xang's, Rembrandt shoots a snake, leading Arturo to guess that was likely somebody's pet. A moment later, as the group leaves, Rembrandt fends off an attack by Xang and punches him out.Arturo: Well done, Mr. Brown. That was the pet's somebody.
- Chekhov's Gag: At the hotel, Rembrandt watches TV and sees Ross J. Kelly's commercial. When Quinn is served the subpoena, the Sliders go to him for legal help. There's not much Kelly can do in this situation, but he gives them some useful advice and observes their best bet for help is the Sorcerer. Leaving his office is also how the Sliders encounter the fortuneteller.
- Chekhov's Gunman: Mr. Gale briefly appears at the tower to turn the Sliders away, only being stopped by Quinn getting the Sorcerer's attention by talking about being from another dimension. The group is tasked with obtaining blueprints from Xang, and it turns out that Gale gave them to the witch doctor in the first place.
- Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: Though Ryan's absence is given a brief explanation, it's never said what became of Henry the dog.
- Cliffhanger Copout: Quinn having been shot in the previous episode is hastily dealt with in the teaser, and never addressed again. Still better than the original idea of the Fox executives, which was to not address it at all.
- Cold Reading: Subverted. Initially, the fortuneteller speaks in generic terms about the Sliders, such as how they're separated from their loved ones while on a lengthy journey. Arturo points out how general all this talk is and how that's a well-known gimmick for this profession, which prompts the fortuneteller to go into far more specific detail.
- Cut Lex Luthor a Check: Averted. Quinn's double doesn't use sliding for exploration or to conquer; it's a business resource to obtain various supplies that he can sell to the locals. Xang had also hoped to use the Sorcerer's sliding schematics to turn his failing business around.
- Explain, Explain... Oh, Crap!: Arturo when belatedly looking over Xang's credentials and realizing he's a witch doctor.
- Foreshadowing:
- Upon entering the Sorcerer's tower, Quinn remarks he's had dreams that resembled this place. The Sorcerer turns out to be his double, who clearly had the same kind of dreams.
- Arturo discovers the blueprints that the Sorcerer wants so badly are for a sliding machine.
- Gave Up Too Soon: The group has only a few minutes to see if the last world is Earth Prime or not, so Quinn opts to check to see if the gate is squeaky or not. When it doesn't make a sound, the dejected group slides out. After they're gone, though, the gardener walks outside and tells Mrs. Mallory how he fixed the gate's squeak.
- Grass is Greener: Quinn's double is far more accomplished, having mastered control over sliding and used it to amass a fortune. However, he lives as a recluse and feels like a prisoner of his own success, feeling that our Quinn (while less experienced) is leading a more fulfilling life by putting himself out there.
- The Grim Reaper: One delivers a subpoena to Quinn at one point in the episode. According to Kelly, it's common for these types to work as process servers, due to both the needed intimidation factor and how much they enjoy bothering people at night.
- Huddle Shot: When the Sliders discuss what to do after Dr. Xang gives them an overpriced bill.
- I Just Want to Be Special: The fortune teller reveals Arturo carries around a lot of anger of never feeling appreciated in his line of work."You resent the boy because it comes so easily to him. You are Salieri to his Mozart, yes?"
- I Knew There Was Something About You: When Quinn enters the room and sees his double is the Sorcerer, he remarks, "I knew it."
- "I Know What We Can Do" Cut: After getting Dr. Xang's overpriced bill, Arturo gathers the others and suggests they do something that "harkens back to our childhoods." When Arturo is asked what, we cut to our heroes fleeing from Xang's office as Arturo yells "RUN! RUN LIKE HELL!"
- Like a Son to Me: Arturo regarding Quinn as this is brought up in the context of Quinn reminding Arturo of an actual son that he neglected.
- Long Last Look: Before sliding out, Quinn takes one last look at his mother's house.
- The Man Behind the Curtain: The Sorcerer presents himself as a ghost-like figure claiming to have existed for centuries. He's really just Quinn's double, who admits the disguise was to play on the locals' love of the occult.
- Mirthless Laughter: Wade's reaction to Kelly saying that Xang wants Quinn's brain.
- Not-So-Phony Psychic: The group takes refuge in a psychic's shop. Arturo pegs her as this—saying everything she said was just generic cold readings meant to fit any situation. However, she knows Arturo has a son that he didn't tell the others about.
- Only in It for the Money: The featured bounty hunter doesn't care about Xang's compliments or the Sorcerer's fearsome reputation; he just wants his money.
- Parental Neglect: Arturo is revealed to have a son that he's not close to. Though he doesn't admit it, the fortuneteller alludes to how Quinn's similarities to the son are a reminder to Arturo of his failings in this regard.
- Put on a Bus: Ryan asked Wade to stay with him. She said no and the next morning, he was gone.
- Read the Fine Print: The medical form that Quinn signed includes a Retribution Substitution clause, which allows Xang to name his choice of body part in the event of him defaulting. Kelly questions Quinn for not reading the fine print and says it makes a legal way out of this mess very tricky.
- The Reveal: Upon acquiring the blueprints that the Sorcerer wanted, Arturo looks them over and sees they're for a sliding machine.
- Richard Nixon, the Used Car Salesman: Ed Wood served as the President of the United in the witchcraft dominated world.
- Rule of Three: Each featured world includes a version of Mr. Gale: a farmhand, a not-so-loyal aide to the Sorcerer, and a gardener working for Mrs. Mallory.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: The Sliders haul ass out of Dr. Xang's office after learning that the not-so-good doctor intends to charge quite a bit of money for minimal service.
- Shadow Archetype: Quinn's double is a nice guy, but he feels lonely and like a prisoner of his own success, whereas our Quinn is out living his life.
- Show Some Leg: Wade keeps Xang off-balance by offering herself up to him. It gives Rembrandt the opportunity to turn the tables and save Quinn.
- Shrouded in Myth: The Sorcerer is widely known for his goods, but he's also believed to be a powerful mystic with an assortment of powers (including immortality and command over animals). He is actually a double of Quinn, being a man of science that has mastered control over sliding. He gladly played up the mystic reputation for business purposes.
- Skeleton Motif: Rembrandt finds one in a hotel room closet. This is considered normal for this world.
- Spanner in the Works: Had the rough slide not ripped open Quinn's wound, the Sliders would've avoided needing to go to Xang and then the Sorcerer.
- Status Quo Is God: Neither Ryan nor Wade's dog from the previous episode remain on the team.
- Stealth Insult: Arturo insists the locals such as The Grim Reaper are just using make-up and costumes to prey on the simple-minded.Wade: Meaning us?
Arturo: Well, if the hat fits, wear it. - Surpassed the Teacher: The first episode to make note of how Arturo secretly resents how his prized pupil (who hasn't even graduated college yet) has completely outdone him.
- Take That!: Rembrandt remarks that the one constant trait of every America they visit is that the healthcare system always sucks.
- Taught by Television: Wade accuses Rembrandt of always rushing to turn on the TV after a slide. He insists doing so is the best way to learn about a given world's practices and beliefs. This is how the group sees Kelly's commercial.
- Too Good to Be True: As the group thinks they've once again failed to get home, Rembrandt remarks the chance was this, after all. However, it turns out they Gave Up Too Soon.
- Took a Level in Badass:Rembrandt: [with a shotgun] I got one shell left. Who wants it?
Bounty Hunter: I want my bounty.
Rembrandt: I oughta kill you right now. Get out! - Walking Transplant: Because the Sliders skipped out on the bill, Xang invokes the Retribution Substitution clause in the contract Quinn signed. It allows him his choice of body part if Quinn defaults, and he wants Quinn's brain.
- Treachery Is a Special Kind of Evil: The Quinn double denounces Gale for betraying him after all these years working together, so he leaves him to fend for himself against the bounty hunters.
- Villainous Crush: Xang takes an immediate liking to Wade, which completely grosses her out. She later exploits this to provide a distraction, giving Rembrandt time to grab the bounty hunter's gun.
- We Will Meet Again: With Rembrandt taking his gun, the bounty hunter knows to leave, but he promises to be back for what he's owed.
- Wham Line:
- During the not-so-phony reading: "And he reminds you of the son you neglected back home."
- As the gardener leads Mrs. Mallory outside: "Let me show you what I did with the gate."
- Whole-Plot Reference: The latter half of the episode is a reference to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
- Witch with a Capital "B": Xang's outraged reaction to Wade deceiving him.
