episode #27 - Electric Twister Acid Test

Air Date: 10/04/96 writer: Scott Smith Miller Directed by Oscar Costo

The Sliders arrive at a devastated Earth; everything looks like a desert (filmed at the famous Vasquez Rocks area). This isn't the result of nuclear war but of - well, you might guess by the title - twisters (also known as tornadoes). These are electrically-charged twisters. The episode takes on a goofy tone almost immediately: they spot some kid on a skateboard who attempts to ride one of the twisters; naturally, he's soon in trouble. Then they find the one green valley untouched by the twisters. Unfortunately, it's a tech-free farming society ruled by an addled despot who speaks warnings such as "You will pray for a quick death." The newcomers are not welcome, to put it mildly, except by the leader's daughter (Julie Benz). To add to the problems, the timer is on the fritz, affected by the electrically-charged environment, and also attracts one of the twisters. Living underground just outside the safe area is the leader's son (Corey Feldman).

This is one of those episodes that seems very derivative of a then-current popular movie of that time (Twister, the 2nd biggest grosser of '96). However, it does concentrate on other themes, mostly involving science amok and the guilt of the main antagonist. The leader (the always disturbing Bill Bolender) seems to be a typical religious fanatic - anti-technology and so on - but it's revealed that he is one of the scientists responsible for the cataclysm. To assuage his own guilt, he has taken on the role of savior & dictator of a small group of people, condemning himself and his congregation to an Amish-like existence in possibly the last oasis on Earth (as with many low budget TV episodes, it begs the question of are there truly no other survivors on all of this Earth?). Feldman, as the fanatic's son, plays the last reasonable man - it's odd & eerie (yet familiar) how only the madman's offspring offer any rationality; the rest are all just sheep. The climax is rather abrupt, with surprisingly no comeuppance for the villain. BoG's Score: 5.5 out of 10

Earths Depicted:
---------------- #54: an Earth devastated by electrically-charged twisters
NOTE: the Sliders arrive in some kind of bobsled, suggesting that they were in the middle of a sports event beforehand