“As Time Goes By” is episode six (originally shown as episode thirteen) of season two of Sliders.
The Sliders have one more day left in la República de Nueva España, where they’re illegal immigrants working for pesos. Rembrandt doesn’t enjoy being an illegal immigrant in a country that used to be his own. Ironic, perhaps. Immigration police raid the place; Quinn gets away, though hit on the head, but the others are caught.
Quinn climbs over a wall into an estate. Dogs run at him, but a maid calls them off. He calls her by name, Daelin, then passes out, waking up in bed. The maid asks why he climbed the fence, as he doesn’t look like a thief. And how did he know her name? They kind of grew up together, according to Quinn, going to the same school until she left in 10th grade. Daelin thinks he must have really hit his head. Quinn spots a photo in a frame, and asks who it is. Dennis McMillan, her fiancée. Quinn recognises him; he was on the street corner looking for work too, just before immigration raided. Daelin is concerned he’ll be deported and sent back to Canada. Daelin’s boss calls for her and she tells Quinn to hide. It was reported that Daelin had brought a man in. Daelin says that isn’t true. She’s also asked about the photo. Her fiancée; he’s studying to be a doctor.
The other three are in court and aren’t offering anything useful up to their defence. They ask about Quinn, but he wasn’t on the list of those caught. The judge is not impressed with the claims they fled poverty in their native Canada. Wade isn’t impressed he orders them deported to Canada as soon as possible.
Quinn has told Daelin about his own Earth. He says if they save his friends, he can take her there. She asks about Dennis. Quinn hadn’t thought about Dennis, but agrees they might be able to save him too. That night, Daelin introduces Quinn to her brother, who is part of La Raza Blanca. The others are being shipped to Vancouver in a bus when a lorry pulls in front and armed people get out, freeing the prisoners. However, more police arrive, because Dennis had betrayed them, and Daelin’s brother gets shot. The Sliders go through the portal, but Daelin doesn’t.
They’re still not home and they’ve got a little over seven hours. The professor realises Quinn is out of sorts and thinks he will have a word. Rembrandt decides it would be better if he did. He’s likely right. Quinn tells Rembrandt about Daelin and Rembrandt suggests he look her up in the phonebook.
Which Quinn does, and arrives at her house to find she’s been crying. In this world, Quinn was the one who moved away when his father got a job in Seattle. It broke her heart when he moved away. As it did Quinn’s. In this world, Daelin is married to Dennis, who returns home. He’s not a nice person, though Daelin says he was better before they married. When Dennis wakes the baby and Daelin tells him off, he attacks her and Quinn intervenes. Quinn doesn’t want trouble – but sucker punches Dennis anyway. Dennis says Quinn is welcome to her.
In the third world, for this episode is split into three major worlds for the first time, things start getting seriously weird. Once again, they start running into the same people, and this time Quinn does something really stupid. This may well cause problems, but the Sliders won’t have to deal with it as they slide out. Everyone else, if things go as badly as the professor fears, won’t be as lucky.