Sliders/The Prince of Wails

The Prince of Wails
Season 1, Episode 5
Airdate	April 12, 1995
Production Number	70403
Written by	Lee Goldberg & William Rabkin
Directed by	Felix Alcalá
← 1x04 Last Days	1x06 → Summer of Love
Sliders — Season One

The Prince of Wails is the fifth 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 Starring: Ben Bodé (Prince Harold III), Sherman Howard (Hendrick), Liz Sheridan (Ms. Miller), Kathleen Duborg (Rebecca), Gary Jones (Michael Hurley)

Co-Starring: Gerard Plunkett (Driver), Chris Humphreys (Raider #1)

with Tracey Olson (Dixon Vallely), Bernie Coulson (Raider #2), David Kaye (Reporter #1), Jaylene Hamilton (Reporter #2)

Plot Overview

In an America governed by the British, the Professor is mistaken for his double, a ruthless Sheriff who is secretly attempting to eliminate the prince to seize power. Inadvertently foiling the plot, the Sliders meet a resistance group who are trying to bring democracy to America.

Notes

Brave New Worlds

• The Pacific Ocean has risen and consumed at least San Francisco. (continued)

• America lost the Revolutionary War and remains governed by a monarchy under the name of the British States of America. Consequently, this led to the failure of many subsequent revolutions around the world.

Doubles

• Arturo

• Hurley

Timer

• 12 seconds (continued)

• 6 days, 14 hours, 3 minutes, 13 seconds

Arc Advancement

Happenings

• Arturo tries to keep everyone from interfering with the locals, but this proves difficulty due to the status of his double.

Referbacks

• The episode picks up from "Summer of Love" showing the four clinging to the top of a building to avoid falling into the ocean.

• Rembrandt recounts his misfortune in getting sucked into Quinn's vortex in the pilot.

Trivia

Behind the Scenes

• This is the fourth episode filmed. The beginning of this episode resolves the cliffhanger from the end of "Summer of Love", which Fox actually aired as the next episode.

• In pre-production, this episode went by the working title of "A Royal Pain".

• The premise behind this episode was the genesis of the show after Tracy Tormé learned that George Washington was once targeted by eight enemy sharpshooters and all missed. With he being all that held the army together, his death would have quite likely ended the revolution, changing history, especially for the U.S.

Allusions and References

• Rembrandt mentions how he and The Spinning Topps made Top of the Pops in the U.K.

• Sheriff Arturo's set is modelled on the set for Rush Limbaugh's syndicated TV series he had from 1992 to 1996.

Goofs

• When the building everyone is clinging to shifts, you can see where the set pieces ends at the bottom.

• When Wade picks up the paper, she unfurls it, but it's still folded in the next shots.

• When in motion, we can see the man behind the wheel of the car that nearly hits Wade and it clearly isn't actor Gerard Plunkett.

Quotes

• Rembrandt: So there I was cruising along, happy as a clam, my beautiful wheels are shining in the sun. I tell you, the world was my oyster.

Wade: Oysters and clams? Somebody's got seafood on the brain.

Rembrandt: Hush up, girl. I ain't finished. Thousands of fans, breathlessly waiting for The Crying Man to deliver their anthem, were about to be disappointed. And all because a junior nutty professor couldn't control his vortex. Why couldn't you have pointed that thing up? Taken your mama with you instead of me, an innocent celebrity? Now you dropped us in a world where the polar icecaps must have melted and flooded San Francisco.

Quinn: Quit your crying. I didn't do it on purpose. How many times can I say I'm sorry?

Rembrandt: Just keep saying it. I'll tell you when to stop.

• Driver: Why don't I take you to the royal suite?

Arturo: Well, uh, the royal suite is probably a little more than we can afford.

Driver: (laughing) A "little more" than you can afford? Oh, you kill me, sir! You... (stops laughing) I meant that as a pun, of course.

• Arturo: Say what you like about the monarchy, I find it refreshing to live in a world where plastic American vulgarity has been replaced by traditional British pride in craftsmanship.

(cut to three of the four pushing the car)

Wade: Not to mention, British engineering.

• Hurley: This is a restricted area. Stay exactly where you are.

Rembrandt: Now this is like downtown Oakland.

• Prince Harold III: Sheriff, I'm getting rather hungry. Should we head back to the estate?

Arturo: Now, listen to me. I've told you this once before, I do not want to tell you it again. I am not your sheriff! There is a certain superficial resemblance and that is all.

Prince Harold III: Indeed, and I am not Prince Harold and this is not my game reserve.

Arturo: And you are not long for this Earth.

• Arturo: You're going to expose the sheriff, pardon Quinn, and introduce the concept of democracy.

Prince Harold III: Democracy?

Rembrandt: I knew we forgot to tell him something.

• Arturo: From the top, the First Amendment guarantees?

Prince Harold III: Freedom of speech, religion, and assembly.

Arturo: Good lad. The Second?

Prince Harold III: Right to bear arms.

Rembrandt: Scratch that one.

Arturo: Hey, wait a minute. This is not multiple choice. This is the Bill of Rights.

Rembrandt: They don't know that. We're the Founding Fathers now. It's a grave responsibility.

• Arturo: The Fourth Amendment protects against unreasonable search and seizure, right? The Fifth provides for due process and the right against self-incrimination. The Sixth... What’s the Sixth?

Rembrandt: Uh, equal rights for all, regardless of race, religion, or musical preference.

Arturo: It is not!

• Wade: 18 minutes until the gateway opens.

Arturo: Oh, the hell with it. You’re on your own, lad. Wing it.

• Arturo: Goodbye, Your Royal Highness. This is the remainder of the Bill of Rights. Use it wisely. And remember, the reason why the sun never sets on the British Empire is because God doesn't trust the British in the dark.

• Rebecca: What does it say?

Prince Harold III: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: That all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." (Prince Harold pulls out Rembrandt's paper) "...and James Brown is acknowledged as The Godfather of Soul."

Both: Who's James Brown?