Sliders/The King Is Back

The King Is Back
Season 1, Episode 9
Airdate	May 10, 1995
Production Number	70408
Written by	Tracy Tormé
Directed by	Vern Gillum
← 1x08 The Weaker Sex	1x10 → Luck of the Draw
Sliders — Season One

The King Is Back is the ninth episode of the first season of Sliders.

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

and John Rhys-Davies (Arturo)

Guest Stars: Chuck McCann (Captain Jack Brim), Clinton Derricks-Carroll (Rembrandt "The King" Brown), Tom Pickett (Maurice Fish)

Special Guest Appearances by: Eadie Del Rubio, Elena Del Rubio, Milly Del Rubio (The Del Rubio Sisters)

Co-Starring: Janice Kent (Lawyer), Michele T. Carter (Penny Jensen), Sheri-D Wilson (Secretary)

Featuring: William Sasso (Gomez Calhoun), Judith Maxie (Charmange), Nicholas Harrison (Nick), Peter Hanlon (Expert Analizer), Richard Ihara (Judge), Tyler Van Blankenstein (First Kid)

Uncredited: Greg Berg (Gilligan on TV) (voice)

Plot Overview

Rembrandt's dream finally comes true: the Sliders land on an Earth where Rembrandt's double is more popular than Elvis, but has been dead for many years. Whilst he enjoys being in the limelight, his life may be in danger when a band member from the past vows to take revenge.

Notes

Brave New Worlds

• Due to the passing of Prop 199, the Justice Initiative, the appeals process has been streamlined and minor violations can lead to the death penalty.

• Rembrandt "The Crying Man" Brown is dubbed the king of rock and roll, a level of stardom that's led to impersonators, conventions, and shrines. All amplified by his apparent death. Also, the roles are reversed on Gilligan's Island, known here as Skipper's Island, and Michael Jackson joined, left, and rejoined Public Enemy.

• Virtually little can be assessed other than that Quinn and Rembrandt have to get jobs selling ice cream.

Doubles

• Quinn (mentioned only)

• Gomez Calhoun

• Rembrandt

Timer

• 18 seconds

• Roughly 3 days

Arc Advancement

Referbacks

• Rembrandt stops to admire Maurice's red Cadillac and tells Quinn it's like his "from days gone by," alluding to the Cadillac he lost in the pilot.

Trivia

The Show

• The first appearance of Cleavant Derricks' real-life twin brother, Clinton Derricks-Carroll. He was used as Rembrandt's double so that they could put two people together in a scene and film, much simpler than filming two sequences separately with one actor and combining them, as with the doubles for the other actors. This allowed them to do such things as touch and interact naturally, something not possible with the other characters' doubles. Clinton would reappear as Rembrandt's double for the episode "Greatfellas".

Behind the Scenes

• This was the ninth episode filmed and aired.

Allusions and References

• The judge in the first world looks very similar to Judge Lance Ito, the judge who presided over the O.J. Simpson trial, which was in full swing and swamped in media coverage by the time this episode aired.

• The image of the four walking on the crosswalk is a homage to the cover for the Beatles album Abbey Road.

• The Del Rubio Sisters do a cover of "Whip It" by Devo, a band fronted by the episode's composer Mark Mothersbaugh.

Goofs

• When the guys check their flies, Quinn is no longer handcuffed.

• When Captain Jack flips the page of his binder, the picture isn't the same picture of Waylon Chong we saw in the previous shot.

• Rembrandt leaves the stage when his double shows him off and goes backstage with the others, but he can then be seen in the background when it cuts back to the stage.

• In the closing credits, "Analyzer" is misspelled "Analizer".

Quotes

• Rembrandt: Do you realise what this means?

Arturo: Yes, it means you're popular here. It means we can't be on our Earth.

• Rembrandt: So, uh, you liked "Tears in my 'Fro"?

Gomez Calhoun: Are you kidding? I love it! Yeah, I'll never forget the night I took mommy to the prom. It was playing in the limo.

• Arturo: I am not Mister Pavarotti. Mister Pavarotti is an Italian. He speaka lika diss. Do I speaka lika this? No. Why? Because I am an Englishman, you blistering idiot!