Sliders/Gillian of the Spirits

Gillian of the Spirits
Season 2, Episode 3
Airdate	March 15, 1996
Production Number	K0810
Written by	Tony Blake & Paul Jackson
Directed by	Paris Barclay
← 2x02 Love Gods	2x04 → The Good, the Bad and the Wealthy
Sliders — Season Two

Gillian of the Spirits is the third episode of the second season of Sliders, and the thirteenth episode overall.

Starring: Jerry O'Connell (Quinn Mallory), Sabrina Lloyd (Wade Wells), Cleavant Derricks (Rembrandt Brown)

and John Rhys-Davies (Arturo)

Guest Stars: Deanna Milligan (Gillian Mitchell), Tom Butler (Michael Mallory), Gillian Barber (Nicole)

with Gerard Plunkett (Father Jerry), Greg Rogers (Major Phillips), William Sasso (Gomez Calhoun), Mitch Kosterman (Muscle Guy No. 1), Peter Flemming (Traffic Policeman), Sheelah Megill (Mrs. Henry), Nicole Parker (Monica), Alex Ferguson (Cab Driver), Sylvio Pollio (Guard No. 1)

Plot Overview

When leaving a world experiencing torrential weather, lightning strikes the vortex just as Quinn jumps in and on arriving on a low technology world, Quinn is nowhere to be seen. He is in fact stuck on the Astral Plane, and whilst he can see everything that is happening, no-one can see him, except for a girl with a history of hearing voices, whom he must persuade to help him contact the others.

Notes

Brave New Worlds

• A world that seems to be perpetually bombarded with storms.

• After the bombing of Hiroshima, it was concluded that technology would hasten the apocalypse and was banned. Although there had been slow improvements outside of 1940s and everything is stuck culturally in the 1950s.

• Being nude appears to be socially normal.

Doubles

• Gomez Calhoun

• Michael Mallory

• Quinn (deceased, mentioned only)

Timer

• 17 seconds (at least 2 days in total)

Arc Advancement

Characters

• After Rembrandt makes an off-hand comment about wishing for Quinn, Arturo begins to get irate at what he believes is a suggestion that further implies his resentment of Quinn's genius.

Referbacks

• Arturo attempt to quell everyone's concerns by reminding them that he might have landed elsewhere, as they had earlier experienced this in "Summer of Love".

• Quinn has Gillian prove he's there by recounting he and Wade kissing when Arturo walked in on them (Last Days).

Trivia

The Show

• Gerard Plunkett also played the driver "The Prince of Wails". Given how that character was not named, it's debatable that Father Jerry is a double.

Behind the Scenes

• This is the 7th episode filmed for Season 2.

Allusions and References

• When Gillian is talking to Quinn, the cab driver questions if she's talking to him, inadvertently reciting a version of the famous quote from the 1976 film Taxi Driver.

Goofs

• Upon leaving, the vortex remains open for longer than the supposed maximum 60 seconds.

• The woman in the final scene is implied to be nude, but you can see she's wearing a top of some kind.

Quotes

• Rembrandt: What's so funny?

Arturo: Oh, life, Mister Brown. Here we are stuck in a world that's in the technological stone age with a timer that's broken that comes from the space age.

• Rembrandt: If there's one thing I've learned over the years, Professor, there are only two people that you can trust with a secret. That's a lawyer and a priest, and a priest doesn't charge you anything.

• Rembrandt: I wish Q-Ball were here.

Wade: Yeah. Me, too.

Arturo: What's that supposed to mean? Eh? The Professor not up to his student's standards?

Rembrandt: No, sir. That's not what I mean.

Arturo: What did you mean?

• Gillian: And Quinn says they've got all sorts of modern technology hidden there and if you can get in, he thinks that you might be able to find what you need.

Arturo: And how does he suggest we do that then, hmm? Hey, my boy? Transform ourselves into a crack commando unit and raid the power company?

Quinn: Ask him if he's got a better idea.