Lischitz Live!

This episode first aired in the UK on 20th July 1998 on Sky 1.

Writer:Keith Damron
Director:Jerry O'Connell
Guests:Charlie Brill (Larry Lipschitz), Jennifer McComb (Roxanne), John Kassir (Arnold), Tim Thomerson (MacArthur Mallory), Adrienne Alitowski (producer), Israel Juarbe (Gomez Calhoun), Scott Kloes (bartender), Stephanie Bernstein (dog lady), Alex Jachno (mobster), Duane Journey (cross dresser).
Background:None Neccessary
Additional Notes:
* In issue 103 of TV Zone, Charlie O'Connell said, "I had an episode which was like an Italian thing, and I was wearing the gold chains - the whole thing. It's fun that every once in a while they throw in a character that you can do completely differently." I think he was talking about this episode.
Plot:
An odd-looking vortex opens in a street, but Quinn emerges alone. The same thing happens to Colin in a different street and in his street, their are a lot of people gathered round a TV watching a man named Lipschitz. Maggie and Rembrandt are seen hanging from and window washing platform at the top of a tall tower. They pull themselves over and find that Quinn and Colin are not there.

Quinn walks along a street. There are TVs ouside and this guy, Lipschitz is still on, only now he's talking about alien implants.

Maggie and Rembrandt are still pretty shocked, but Maggie sees Colin at the bottom of the tower heading towards the Chandler Hotel, so they press the button to go down to the bottom.

Apparently, Lipschitz Live is the most popular and pretty much the onlt TV programme. Everyone watches it. Quinn goes to the Chandler, but it is all booked up because of a merger between Infinicorp and Millenia Media. He isn't allowed to leave a message. The man behind the desk is also watching "Lipschitz Live!". There is only 1 hour 45 minutes until the next slide window. Quinn goes to the bar and charges a meal to Millenia Media.

Colin is being followed by two men in dark suits.

Maggie and Rembrandt arrive at the Chandler Hotel, but they don't see Quinn. They ask about Quinn but find only that there is a Colin Mallory in room 412. They go up there and find a whole load of stuff they didn't think Colin had enough money for, or enough time to buy.

Colin enters the Chandler and asks and gets the same response as Quinn did from the man behind the desk. Colin passes his duplicate, but doesn't see him, although Colin2 sees him. He goes to the bar and sees Quinn but before he can get to him he is caught by the two dark-suited men.

Maggie and Rembrandt see Colin2 and think that he is their Colin. Outside on the street, he tries to get away from them and is hit by a car. He is taken to the hospital in an ambulance, but he's not treated very well by the ambulancemen.

Meanwhile, Lipschitz is talking about inter-dimensional travel, so Quinn decides to get on the show and contact the others via the TV.

Colin is thrown into a big black limo and is talked to by his double's step-father, MacArthur. He finds out his double is supposed to marry Roxanne of Millenia Media to put an end to the warfare in a merger. He is given a suit to change into.

Maggie and Rembrandt are still with Colin2 thinking he's their Colin. Colin2 was not hurt in the accident and he begins to hit on Maggie. Of course, he doesn't know who they are.

Quinn is still trying to get on "Lipschitze Live!", but is told his story doesn't have any sex appeal, so he mentions that he met his female double and the producer immediately asks if he had sex with her. Quinn puts on a face that suggests yes, although we know he didn't, although he did kiss her.

Colin is forced to go to the wedding and without realising, he marries Roxanne.

Quinn succeeds in getting on the show and is put on with a bloke named Arnold who wears a silver suit and goggles as well as claiming he can astral project himself around the cosmos and that he's not really here. The bartender Quinn talked to at the hotel claims that Quinn is his friend and the man at the desk remembers he was rude to him. Arnold doesn't believe Quinn, and he is obviously playing into the audience. Quinn tries to call out to the other Sliders.

Maggie and Rembrandt see Quinn on the TV and they decide to go to him. Colin2 is still coming on to Maggie, but she doesn't know it's not their Colin.

Colin tries to tell Roxanne that he isn't her Colin, but she doesn't really believe him. She doesn't want the merger either, but for it to be official, the lawyers have to be present at the consummation. Colin won't have sex with her, so he locks himself in another room and watches "Lipschitz Live!". Colin sees Quinn on the show.

Quinn breaks Arnold's timer (a big, bulky thing) which the audience like more than the real timer and Quinn and Arnold get into a fight.

Colin decides he has to get to the studio, but he can't go out the door because Roxanne and the lawyers are there so he climbs out the window. Maggie and Rembrandt realise that they have the wrong Colin outside the studio when they see Colin2's reaction to the news that the wedding has already happened.

Colin is climbing round the building when he sees an open window and he goes in it. Unfortunately, in the room are his stepfather and Roxanne's father. He is taken back to Roxanne again and she finally believes he is not her Colin because her Colin would never refuse sex and would never speak of his father the way Colin did. she even like Colin better than Colin2!

Quinn tries to explain to the audience why the Sliders were seperated, but the audience don't respond well to that, so he has to bring up meeting his female double.

Colin and Roxanne go to the TV station KKRP to 'buy it' although really, Colin just wants to get to Quinn. They go in the limo and they just miss Maggie, Rembrandt and Colin2.

Quinn is explaining about the slidewave. Arnold says that couldn't have happened since there are strict-rules when travelling through dimensions, but Quinn says there are no rules.

Colin and Roxanne have no problem getting into the studio since they own the place.

There are less than 10 minutes left on the timer by now.

Maggie and Rembrandt and Colin2 find MacArthur who says that Colin has just gone to KKRP, and he doesn't understand. He buys another limo so don't have to go in a taxi and they get there, but they have to talk there way in because there is already a Colin Mallory there.

Colin says goodbye to Roxanne and then runs onto stage and hugs Quinn. The audience are loving this. Colin is closely followed by Maggie and Rembrandt. Colin2 loves the attention from the audience. Quinn opens the vortex on stage and everyone is astonished. They slide. Colin2 and Roxanne still have to get married, since the other one was never consummated.

Did You Notice?
* The sign at the Chandler Hotel reads:
The Chandler Welcomes
Infinicorp
&
Millenia Media
to the
1997 World Television
Corporate Summit
though what's with the 1997 bit I don't know since apparently is was filmed early 1998!
* The bartender does a Niel Diamomd kareoke.
* Colin2 is from Infinicorp and Roxanne is from Millenia Media.
* At the wedding, briefcases are held for the bride and the father of the bride to walk under.
* Lipschitz live is broadcasted on KKRP.
* Colin has already developed a taste for science-fiction. He was watching "Frankenstein" in the Alternateville Horror and in this episode he wanted to buy a station which showed only science-fiction programmes, although this could be because Sliders is now on the US Sci-Fi channel and the writer thought it might be fun to put that reference in.
* The Sliders were seperated because, "The RM radiation emitted in the EM spectrum threw off the magnetic anchoring of the wormhole, sending them into a state of spatial flux," according to Quinn.
* Previous episodes refered to are Double Cross x 2 and World Killer on Lipschitz Live!, and Gillian of the Spirits in Maggie and Rembrandt's conversation.
* Maggie and Colin seem to have a thing with each others doubles: Colin2 tried it on with Maggie in this episode and in The Alternateville Horror Maggie's double came on to Colin.
* Gomez Calhoun (inn keeper/receptionist) was a recurring character is seasons 1 and 2 and has been brought back, though now he is being played by Israel Juarbe, and before it was William Sasso.
* Quinn and Arnold are refered to as "nutbags" by Larry Lipschitz.
* When Maggie, Rembrandt, Colin2 and MacArthur Mallory are trying to get onto the set, they say that Colin2 was Colin's identical twin, kidnapped at birth and raised by dolphins (accompanied by appropriate noises from Colin2).
* Lipschitz Live! broadcasts to:
-Armed forces abroad,
-Research teams at the South Pole,
-Astronauts on the crippled space station, Mir.
* On his show, Larry Lipschitz talks about:
-Bodyslam (advert),
-Metal implants in people - alien abductions or bad dental practice?,
-Out-of-body travellers,
-The reincarnation of someone,
-Aliens from outer space,
-Psychic pets (dog),
-Traffic,
-a news flash,
-Transvestites/cross-dressers,
-Space aliens/interdimensional travellers,
-Naked Senator,
-Interdimensional travellers/space aliens (again),
-The merger of Infinicorp and Millenia Media,
-answering machine (advert),
-Wierdo slider reunion.
Some are not audible because they are so in the background.
Cool Quotes:

"Y'know, brother, it occurred to me that if we through a large matress though the wormhole ahead of us, it might not hurt so much when we land. Of course, we might miss the matress." - Colin
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Somehow, this has to be Quinn's fault." - Maggie
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"There's nothing but freaking seagulls up here; He can't hear you." - Rembrandt
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"That's the trouble with you kids; You read too many books and don't watch enough TV." - bartender
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Be self-reliant and multiply!" - Arnold
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Sit down and get a life." - Larry Lipschitz to Quinn and Arnold
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Look! I know that guy. I was rude to him! - Gomez Calhoun
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Are you hurt?" - Roxanne
"Only my pride. And perhaps this ankle." - Colin
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"You are starting to piss me off!" - Quinn to Arnold
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I may be married." - Colin

Mistakes:
* How could Maggie tell it was Colin from all the way at the top of that building? She must have eyes like a hawk!
* If Colin was already going towards the Chandler (if, of course, it was Colin Maggie saw), how did Maggie and Rembrandt get there first?
* If Colin was MacArthur's stepson, MacArthur shouldn't have had the surname Mallory, unless they have some other way of working out surnames on this world.
* How come Maggie and Rembrandt didn't even have suspicions that it wan't their Colin after the room, him not recognising them and everthing?
* Rembrandt says the only time they got separated like this was when lightning hit the votex (season 2's Gillian of the Spirits), but this is not accurate. They were also seperated in Season 1's Summer of Love and possibly some season 3 ones I haven't seen. Also, Sky 1's odd scheduling order give another one in season 4's Net Worth where they were seperated by a glass door.
My Opinion:
This was one of the most entertaining episodes ever, along with Virtual Slide. I loved the way, Quinn with the scientific approach not being believed whilst the mad man who gave the audience entertainment was. I really loved the way that past episodes were refered to, especially the way the producers and audience leapt on Quinn meeting his female double (Double Cross). I also loved the way Colin married Roxanne without realises because the ceremonies were different. I did think, though, we could have done without her prefering him to her Colin. Still, the only thing I reall don't buy is how thick Maggie and Rembrandt were! How couldn't they have even suspected that it wasn't their Colin? They hadn't been seperated for THAT long (I don't think).



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