I thought I’d illustrate some of the episodes in season four that relate to reality in our own society. From virtual reality to cryogenics the on slot of fiction is gradually becoming science fact.
“Is there something wrong with cash?” asks Rembrandt. Sergeant Dawson from the LAPD responds by saying “It’s just unusual, so we take a picture to make sure the cash wasn’t obtained illegally. Uh, why didn’t you use your… bone graft or your DNA debit transaction?” (from “O, Brother Where Art Thou?”) It seems more and more cash is being cast to the side while debit and credit are the top forms of payment. In the episode, Sergeant Dawson was suspicious of the Sliders using cash as their method of payment. Always paying in cash is now a potential terrorist indicator according the the FBI. Yes, believe it. The FBI published a list entitled “Communities Against Terrorism” listing various suspicious activities including the oddity of money. So like the Sliders, beware in paying cash.
In the “O Brother, Where Art Thou” episode there is a cryogenic morgue for the dead. They freeze the body and a person’s assets in hopes of finding a cure for their death in the future. Believe it or not in 2005 the University of Pittsburg drained a dog’s blood and injected a low temperature solution in their body. These dogs were dead for nearly three hours and were revived. This not only questions the possibility of suspended animation in humans but it also haunts back to the season three episode where Quinn’s body was drained of all of his blood by the Egyptians.
Nearly 50 percent of Americans are taking at least one prescription drug, and a majority of the public is unknowingly medicated. In the episode “Just Say Yes” average citizens are medicated daily and Quinn’s double is anti-drug which is seen as ‘dangerous’. “Staying off drugs won’t hurt you, people. There’s nothing dangerous about getting low. So don’t listen to the lies of the government and the pharmaceutical conglomerates. Tune out, turn off and drop in, people. Do you hear me? Am I getting through?” – Quinn’s double. The Associated Press produced an article in 2008 mentioning that prescription drugs ranging from antibiotics to mental illness to heart medications have been found in our water. Vaccinations are pushed to an extreme and even used as a bargaining tool. Don’t take this shot? Well, lose your job. To top it off we are knowingly medicated through our tap water with sodium fluoride and even a call for lithium has been issued to reduce suicide rates.
“See, that’s the trouble with you kids today, you know that? You read too damn much, you don’t watch enough television.” – Hal. The “Lipchitz Live” episode illustrates just how obsessed society is with celebrities and the tele. If you don’t know the latest football scores, or don’t know who won the latest American Idol competition you’re seen as out of touch with society. Read a book? Research some real news? Well you’re seen as nerdy, it’s just not “the in thing” today. Surfing the net and watching more television is now seen as being “informed”.
Virtual reality therapy is now becoming increasingly used especially in traumatic events such as PTSD. VR Recovery is used in “Virtual Slide”, due to Maggie’s accident but also as a recreational tool. In the end of the episode Quinn sends a ‘nightmare program’ through everyone’s virtual reality headset sending everyone into a frenzy. And isn’t it a fact we’re thrown into frenzy when we lose our electricity, internet, phone access, and more. Our world is turned upside down… or so it seems.
There’s much more I could go on about, from attempted human cloning to our extreme social networking interactions which is even alluded to in the episode “Net Worth”. These things are coming to a head. Many of the issues I’ve outlined are a bit more extreme in the episodes yet they’re becoming more intense on our own earth. No matter how you turn it, it’s clear Sliders is becoming more fact than fiction by the day.