Customer Reviews

Sliders - Third Season

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(18)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

First this is an honest to goodness review of the boxed set. There's no speculation here as to what's in the set. The first two seasons of "Sliders" found the series looking for its "slider legs" so to speak. By the second short season the series had found its niche and a solid direction for the series. Both seasons had their fair share of strong episodes. The third season was the first full one with 25 episodes produced. While there were about as many quality episodes here as seasons 1 & 2, we get a number of the series best episodes here including one where Dr. Arturo leaves the group permanently in a moving episode. Regardless, season three had a number of strong episodes ("Rules of the Game", "Number 1 Fan", "The Exodus" Parts 1 & 2 and "The Guardian" are a few highlights). I'm not going to go over the plots of the episodes (there's too many to do justice to the series)but you can find synposis of each at the tv.com website.

Image and sound quality are exceptionally good. The series looks great with vivid, bold colors and features nice use of the Dolby Digital Surround format (evidently Universal must be thinking of the other "Sliders" produced on an alternate Earth as they list the soundtrack as being in mono in a number of places). Extras are light for season three with only a gag reel (provided by one of the fan sites). There was more material that another fan site had and would have offered Universal for free if they had been contacted in time (at least according to Gord Lacey at tvondvd). I'm hoping he's right as, perhaps, we could see this material on the mixed fourth season boxed set.

We do get as a bonus episodes of "Earth 2" and "Cleopatra 2525" ("The Man Who Fell to Earth", no it isn't related to Nichoas Roeg's movie, and "Quest for Fire Power" respectively)which is designed to get "Sliders" fans to purchase those series as well. While "Earth 2" had its moments, "Cleopatra 2525" never appealed to me all that much.

The packaging has improved with a digipak plastic container holding the discs. They no longer appear to "hover" in their container like the first season set (the design of which many fans disliked)but the digipak plastic container has its own challenges. Personally, I'm going to be putting mine into four slim line cases as these discs are dual sided and, as I experienced with "The Outer Limits", suffer damage so much easier than single sided dual layered discs.

Overall, season three had a good run of great episodes. While the quantity of episodes was up the quality didn't increase with more episodes so there's about the same ratio of good to so-so episodes here. At least this set is more reasonably priced and that's good news.

Whoever designed the cases/discs for both of the Sliders sets so far needs to be fired. Both cases are a huge risk to the discs. In the first one, its pretty easy to scratch them against one another. And this one is even worse!!! The double-sided discs wouldn't have been a problem if they hadn't arranged the case the way they did. Having to take the top disc out to get to the bottom disc? Absolutely ridiculous!. And you practically have to hold the case open with both hands just to open it wide enough to get the discs out without scratching them. Then, you've got no hands left to grab the disc(s)!!! If you plan on buying this series, plan on investing in a set of cases too. There's no way you should keep them in the case they come in.

The title pretty much sums it up. Sliders is an excellent program. The episodes are inventive, the characters are likeable, and the acting is usually very good. However, this is a review for the DVD set, not for the program itself, and, while the program is highly entertaining and one of my favourites, the DVD set is, quite possibly, the worst that I own.

The four double-sided discs come in a floppy plastic package. There is no episode list in the packaging, unlike most other DVD sets that include one to help you keep your place, and very little liner material. That which is provided is adhered lightly to the box with dry glue. The fact that the discs are double-sided makes them more fragile and prone to being scratched as there is no 'safe' side to touch. The flimsy plastic of the cases is difficult to hold open and provides little protection. Furthermore, the discs are stacked on top of each other, so you often have to pick up one to get at the one beneath it, increasing the opportunity for damaging the disc. I can barely imagine a more irritating package design. An empty box with DVDs in protective CD sleeves would be more convenient.

There are also few extras included, and you have to watch the Universal logo animation over and over and over. Clearly, this package was put out to convince us to buy more, which isn't likely to happen if they don't improve the materials. It's sad that such a terrific show wound up being so mistreated.

A lot of stuff going on this season, the departure of Arturo and the arrival of the soldier babe. The season began well enough, but unfortunately, some of the ideas were really not well conceived.

Personally, there were many missed opportunities that seemed in the first season and part of the second, to hold so much hope they'd cover. With so much "alternate history/earth" ideas having been around for a long time, one wonders why they tried to create their own. It isn't that they were bad, just not very well developed. Without going in to this episode or that, it's just a comment about direction more than content.

I still like the series and hope they put out the last two seasons eventually. I bought this so clearly it was enjoyable to me, and is still. But I'm a Science Fiction fan and am willing to let some things go for the sake of the conceptual whole; they call that 'suspension of disbelief', a willingness to let the story tell itself without pointing out the sometimes glaring errors and/or problems with the concept or idea they are asking you to embrace.

I guess it's just disappointing when they start changing a series because ratings (adding "sex appeal") are more important than content and substance, which became even more problematic in the final two seasons. They did seem to struggle to maintain some kind of conceptual relevance and good story telling, and it is evident in some of the episodes. Pushing the story arc along helped.

Not the best of reviews, but honest. And I think that is what you really want in a review, right?

There was a great deal going on behind the scenes during this season.

Conflict between creator Tracy Torme and new executive producer David Peckinpah resulted in Torme's vision being restricted and him leaving the series.

Star John Rhys-Davies also had many problems with Peckinpah, and always spoke out if he thought a script was rubbish (which most were). Peckinpah didn't like him and this led to him being sacked and his character killed off in two-part episode "The Exodus", although the official statement was that he left because of creative differences.

Further strain occured when his replacement, Kari Wuhrer, didn't get on with other cast member Sabrina Lloyd, which was a one of the biggest factors in her exit from the series after season 3. She said to Peckinpah it was either her or Wuhrer, and he picked Wuhrer.

Again, the Fox Network, in all it's glory, didn't air the episodes in their correct order, although it wasn't as bad a shuffle as on the first two seasons.

One episode, "The Last of Eden" was supposed to air before "The Exodus" since it had the Professor in it, but since it aired after, when he was killed off, they had to quickly add in a bit at the beginning to make it a flashback episode.

Season 3 Episodes (in their correct order!)

1. Double Cross
2. Rules of the Game
3. Dead Man Sliding
4. Electric Twister Acid Test
5. The Guardian
6. The Dream Masters
7. Desert Storm
8. Dragonslide
9. The Fire Within
10. The Prince of Slides
11. State of A.R.T.
12. Season's Greedings
13. Murder Most Foul
14. Slide Like An Egyptian
15. Paradise Lost
16. The Last of Eden
17. The Exodus (Part 1)
18. The Exodus (Part 2)
19. Sole Survivors
20. The Other Slide of Darkness
21. The Breeder
22. Stoker
23. Slither
24. Dinoslide
25. This Slide of Paradise

The 25 episodes of this season are quite mixed, as other reviewers have mentioned. Most of the 'post-exodus' episodes are fairly below average, but there are some 'pre-exodus' episodes that are true to classic Sliders form.

Personal favorites include "Double Cross", "Dead Man Sliding", "The Guardian", "The Prince of Slides" and "Season's Greedings".

There are several movie rip-offs aswell in this season. "Electric Twister Acid Test" was made to cash-in on the movie "Twister", which had recently been released at the time. "Desert Storm" seems to have taken several ideas from the "Mad Max" movies. "Dragonslide" seems almost a carbon copy of "Dragonslayer". "The Prince of Slides" reminds me of a sweet little movie called "Junior". "Paradise Lost" has a creature in it very similar to the one in "Tremors". "Sole Survivors" is just like any typical zombie movie. "The Breeder" is so much like "Species", that a lawsuit could have been issued against the series. Finally, "This Slide of Paradise" is again so much like "The Island of Dr Morteau", that even some of the characters have the same name.

The quality of the storylines was so bad in the back half of the season that you'll laugh. We have zombies, vampires and killer snakes. Personally, I don't tune in to Sliders for that, I'd expect stories like that from something like Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It looks like the alternate histories premise from season's one and two are well and truly gone.

The extras are a little thin again. We only have the gag reel for this season, plus, quite strangely, an episode of Cleopatra 2525 (or whatever year it is) and two episodes of Earth 2. These are probably to promote the recent release of the two shows.

Still, there is some fun to be had with this season, and I'd recommend it to sci-fi fans, but not necessarily Sliders fans, as it's an insult to the first two seasons.

I was a huge fan of sliders, seasons 1 and 2....and something happened, perhaps with the change of leadership at the top. It went from being a sophisticated, adults sci fi show about the possibilities of alternate universes....to a show aimed at the 14 year old market, emulating sci fi monster films, breaking all of its own rules in the process. They couldn't go back in time, yet....guess what? They did! Monsters took over their bodies, aliens descended from other worlds....once the professor died, replaced by a silly bimbo, I couldn't watch anymore. However, the first two seasons were quite spectacular.

I'm glad to see 4 and 5 ratings, but sad that a few people are slamming the show--and this season--so hard. It is agreed that after Arturo died it was all over, that is true. I won't be buying after S3, with the character changes and forgettable stories it's not worth it, but I pine for what the produces/writers had in store for the show, I'm sure it was everyone getting home safely in the series end.

Aside from the ghastly packaging, I'm not sure what the writers were thinking in some eps like "Stoker" "Slide like an Egyptian" and "Electric Twister Acid Test" The show lost any intelligence and orginality and became a caricature of itself. It was mired in stupidity and cornball robots, vampires and plots that had nothing to do with the original premise.

The chemistry of the show was the Core Four and without them it couldn't survive, even if the stories were better. Don't even get me started on the AntiWade --Maggie. Gag! The producer switch messed up the show, and this season was salvaged with only a handful of episodes (at least that I liked):

Rules of the Game
Seasons Greedings
Murder Most Foul
Exodus pt 1&2

This should have been the last season, I don't think the writers cared after that. I give this 4 stars because with just 4 watchable episodes (for me) this season isn't saying much. At least we get the Core Four for most of the season, which earns a thumbs up. I still thinks this set warrants a buy from fans, it's a slow show death but the last season with all original characters, a plus for me.

I love this show.
I do believe the original characters, Quinn, Wade, Rembrant, and the Professor were the best set of characters.
It seemed as the original cast REALLY ENJOYED making the show.
In my opinion, the first two seasons were truly the best.
In season 3, they picked up Kari Wuhrer. As gorgeous as she is, her pressence did not help improve the show.

I just finished watching the 3rd season, and I probably won't bother renting the next one. What started as a fun series with season 1 and 2 starring a group of 4 likable people ends with the death of the Professor who was the indispensable father figure, only to be replaced by an actress with dubious acting skills spending most of her time half naked in several episodes.

Wuhrer was obviously hired to attract male viewers. Unfortunately it ruined the show's main attraction which to me was in the original 4 characters' relationship. After Arturo dies, no more Wizard of Oz team, instead, an a la Seven of Nine debacle.

The first 2 DVDs feature the original team and several episodes are actually pretty good, which is why I gave it 3 stars. After Exodus however, exit Arturo, Wuhrer becomes part of the team, and welcome to the fastest downward spiral with the most ridiculous episodes, including rip offs of "I am Legend", X-files, The Island of Dr. Moreau, B Horror movies etc...

Previous reviewers mentioned a new producer. Such ill inspired decisions probably explain why the show lost so many of its original followers. As for the boxed set itself, two sided DVDs are always bad news.

If you're a Sliders Fan, you don't need me to tell you why you'll want Season 3. Unfortunately, it is obvious that the company that produced and distributed the DVD's was more interested in turning a profit than in providing a quality product. My first order contained one deffective DVD. So did the replacement order. Amazon.com provided their usual excellent customer service, so the replacement process was painless. Bottom line? Be prepared to return at least one set of DVD's, so hold onto the first set until you receive the 2nd. That way, with luck, you may be able to build a complete working set.