Quinn Mallory discovers how to "slide" between parallel earths and brings his friends, Wade Welles and Professor Arturo, along for a ride. However, this time he turns the power up too high and sucks in passer-by Rembrandt Brown.

I think that this is probably the best pilot episode that I have ever seen, for any show. The plot was so original and the concept is simply incredible. The actors who played the lead characters executed their parts beautifully.
• John Rhys-Davies, who has always been an exceptional actor, played the part of Maximillian Arturo just the way the character was intended to be: cautious, pompous, and brilliant.

• Jerry O'Connell, who has been in the business from a very young age, played the part of Quinn Mallory. The character was supposed to be adventurous, caring, and also very brilliant, and Jerry acted that part wonderfully.

• Sabrina Lloyd played the adventurous and optimistic Wade Welles. She pulled the character off great and her acting was excellent.

• Finally, Cleavant Derricks played Rembrandt Brown, a washed-up R&B star who was accidentally slid with the rest. Derricks' portrayal balanced anger at the whole mess he was in with genuine caring for the others.

  The special effects for the vortex are to be commended as well. Co-Producer Robert K. Weiss helped develop the look of the vortex and John Allison created the original effects for it. These effects were awesome for 1995. Without that vortex, the show wouldn't have worked. The look of the inside of the vortex is a little cheesy, but not bad at all. It might have looked better if they didn't show the people inside it.

  The settings were also great. The show was originally shot in Canada, so the scenery is beautiful. The show was filmed very professionally. It seemed like you were watching a movie, not a television show.

  The supporting actors in the episode were just as good in their roles as the lead stars. Linda Henning was an excellent choice for the part of Mrs. Mallory. Jason Gaffney played the role of the druggie rocker Conrad Bennish Jr. with a hilarious personality. And who can forget Alex Bruhanski as Pavel Kurlienko, the hapless cab driver?

  Our heroes end up sliding into a world where Russia won the Cold War and America is now a communist country. This was a simply brilliant idea from Tracy Tormé. I was in awe when I saw soldiers executing people on the streets of San Francisco for doing nothing wrong.

A great episode. One of the best ever, and richly deserving its 4 out of 4 stars.

Next up: Summer of Love

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