California Reich

This episode first aired in the UK on 6th July June 1998 on Sky 1 and in the US on 24th August 1998 (I think!) on Sci-Fi Channel.

Writer:Scott Smith Miller
Director:doh!
Guests:Shane West, Chris Elward, Henry G. Sanders (Harold), Jeremy Roberts, Carol Hutson, James Hornbeck (doctor 1), George McDaniel (Govenor Schick), Sandra Lee Peckinpah (woman), James Joshua (doctor 2), Philip Tam (man), Carl Gabriel Yorke (director).
Background:None necessary other than some knowledge of our Earth's history.
Additional Notes:
* Xpose issue 26 says, "It's a worthy addition to the Sliders canaon, which is let down by a terrible fairy-tale ending."
Plot:
An oriental man is being beaten up by some military-looking men just because he is oriental. When they find out he has a family, they promise to get to them next. He is taken away in a black van.

The Sliders have 36 hours on this world. They are also a little light on cash. Rembrandt is getting strange looks from the natives. At a newspaper stall, he picks up a paper to see if he can get a gig and earn some money. The newspaper seller phones somewhere and Rembrandt is taken away in a black van. The others steal a van. Colin drives and they try to follow, but they lose them. They run into a synthetic worker who blocks their way unintentionally.

Rembrandt is taken to a concentration-like camp with lots of other non-pure white Americans. On this world, non-pure white Americans are not liked. There he finds out that this world never had an Adolf Hitler (or at least not so prominent) and therefore no World War 2 or its atrocities.

The others decide not to go to the police since the people in the van looked official. Quinn and Maggie explain to Colin about Racism because there was none(or little) on his world. The synthetic workers are called "Eddies" and they have no feelings or wants. The remaining Sliders go to the Chandler Hotel and the layd at the desk warns them not to mention Rembrandt being black because since govenor Schick came in to power things have gotten a whole lot worse.

Rembrandt is not one of the ones called for deportation, but he goes anyway, taking a metal bar with him as a weapon. He attacks his captors, but is overpowered. His life is saved by a friend he made, Harold, who says he needs Remmy to fill an empty space on his work team.

Quinn is playing along to the racial police in the hope of getting to Rembrandt, but instead gets into a fight. In the fight, one of the racial police, Kirk, hurts his mother who is the hotel lady, Vanessa.She does not want to go to the hospital, but the take her anyway, and they find out that she has racial impurities in her blood and will be sent to the same centre Remmy was sent to. The sme applies to Kirk since he is her son. The Sliders and Kirk escape in a stolen ambulance, but they have to leave Vanessa.

Rembrandt is taken into a workplace where they sort processed peoples clothes. Rembrandt tries to persuade his friend Harold to do something, but Harold has given up trying. Rembrandt walks out and sees Vanessa being sent to be processed, though he doesn't know exactly what that is.

The other Sliders talk to Kirk about how his impurities don't make him a different person than he was before he knew. They decode to break out Remmy and Vanessa. They get a van and go to the "Racial Police Repatriation Centre." Quinn and Maggie pose as spies/liberals and Kirk and Colin as their guards. Quinn picks a fight with one of the guards and Maggie 'pleads' with them that she's not really a spy.

Rembrandt hears Maggie 'pleading.' The Sliders and Kirk overpower the guards and find Rembrandt. They then go to find Vanessa. They find her in the processing centre, partially turned into an Eddie. They escape, but are spotted and shot at on the way out. Maggie shoots back. Kirk is shot, but not badly. Harold comes and lets them escape, but he is fatally shot.

Kirk wants to kill Schick to stop this racism and he gets away from the Sliders with a gun. Quinn wants to expose Schick for what he is at the rally, but not to kill him. Maggie steals a gun and goes with Rembrandt and Vanessa to take over the loud speakers and screens so they can expose Schick. Quinn and Colin go into the crowd to try and stop Kirk. Quinn gets to him and talks to him, but also gets into a fight with the same crowd as before. Maggie changes broadcast channel, and Rembrandt talks to the crowd. He shows them Vanessa, and the crowd turns against Schick. Quinn, Colin and Kirk leave the crowd and join with the others. 30 seconds untill the slide. Kirk and Vanessa slide with them.

Luckily, on the next world they land in a hospital. They only have 2 minutes there, so they ask a doctor if he can do anyhting for Vanessa. He says they can try, so Kirk and Vanessa stay there. The others slide in front of the amazed doctor.

Did You Notice?
* On the magazine stall where Rembrandt picks up a paper, there is a magazine on the rack with a feature on Alien: Resurrection.
* One newspaper headline says, "Govenor Schick will triumph."
* I wonder if the Adolf Hitler of this world was killed in the first world war?
* During the song sung at the Chandler bar (just before the fight), no-one seems to be singing in tune.
* When Maggie shoots the gate, green sparks fly off it. (Does anyone know what that means it's made of?)
* Quinn, Colin and Maggie all drive vans in this episode.
* When Rembrandt is being hit by the racial police, it goes into black and white, which reminds me of "Schindler's List."
* Rembrandt is taken to the "Racial Police Repatriation Centre."
* Schick's rally to my English eyes very much like the beginning of "Ghetto Superstar" by Pras. Can anyone tell me what the semi-circular things are actually for?
* The voice on the loudspeaker at the rally sounds very like Jerry O'Connell's voice.
* The energy from the vortex disturbed the electrics of the hospital they slid into.
* Carl Gabriel Yorke also played the Kromagg leader in Common Ground.
* Sandra Lee Peckinpah must be some relation to David Peckinpah because as far as I know, Peckinpah is not a common name. I'm not going to make any guesses at what relation she is because I don't want to be laughed at if I'm wrong.
Cool Quotes:

"Just like my steam-powered buggy back home!" - Colin about a van
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"We're not gonna do Remmy much good if we get done for grand theft auto." - Quinn
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"You're not from around here, are you?" - Vanessa
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"He's just in a rebellious stage." - Vanessa about her son
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"Times change; Politics change." - Harold
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"There are some things so...so evil, you can't believe that a human being is capable of doing them." - Rembrandt
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"Only you guys make so much noise during a rescue!" - Rembrandt
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"What if the only way they can learn is by experience?" - Maggie
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"We now return to our reguarly scheduled programme." - Maggie after taking over the broadcasting staion.
Mistakes:
* At the beginning of the episode, Maggie's hair is wavy; It looks like she's had a perm. But in less than 36 hours this perm falls out and her hair is perfectly straight.
* If the Sliders have already realised that this world is very racist, and have explained this to Colin, why did they go and talk to an inhabitant about Remmy, considering he's black? I suppose though, it was Colin who mentioned that Remmy was black and he may not have known the consequences, even though racism was explained to him.
My Opinion:
This was a great idea for a plot, although the background could have been one of two. First was the one used where there never was a second world war and no Hitler, which means they wouldn't have learnt why it was bad. The second is that there was a second world war, but Hitler won it and succeeded in taking over the world. Either would have been acceptable. I didn't really like the touch of the "Eddies" but I guess it had to be included or the plot would have been very difficult to wrap up towards the end. In reality, there would be more likely to be concentration camps and random killings, although that may not be the best course of action if they wanted to stay in power. In general, I thought this was one of the best "what if" plots, even if I didn't like as much as some, possibly due to the horrificness of it.


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