“Greatfellas” is episode twelve (originally shown as episode ten) of season two of Sliders.
The Sliders are about to leave a very litigious world. Rembrandt wants a burger before they leave, but that, or even chips, requires things like insurance, release forms and doctors notes. As they walk away, he bumps into an old lady and apologises. Before they slide, a lawyer rushes up to Rembrandt; the woman is filing a collision suit. They aren’t bothered and slide out.
A man is telling another that who thought this day would come. The Greenfelds and Dabellos, Italians and Jews, mortal enemies, coming together in the name of love. And business. And Mel Tormé will be singing. Mel Tormé – playing himself – starts to suggest he won’t be singing but changes his mind when it seems Greenfeld will take offence.
The bride, Leah Greenfeld (Sarah Strange), doesn’t seem that happy. Her father asks who goes first; priest or rabbi. Then the Sliders arrive. Rembrandt, when he untangles himself from the greenery, finds lots of guns pointing at him from both wedding parties. He’s recognised, too; they assume someone has tipped off the Incorruptibles. Rembrandt congratulates Greenfeld, as he thinks the people with guns are fans of the Crying Man. And recognises Mel Tormé, saying it’s a long time since they worked together. Mel Tormé says he doesn’t recognise Rembrandt. As the Sliders leave, Rembrandt tells the others that they were just over-excited fans. He may not be right.
San Francisco looks very neon and the professor thinks Bugsy Siegel built his gambling empire in northern California instead of Nevada. Rembrandt is signing autographs. The clerk at the Dominion recognises them; he assumes those with Rembrandt are his Incorruptibles. Rembrandt thinks that’s the name of his backup singers. After they go, the clerk calls someone and says Deputy Director Rembrandt Brown has showed up. No-one informed the clerk either. What did Brown do?
The Greenfelds and Dabellos are trying to work out how the Incorruptibles got into the wedding. Brown was supposed to be meeting with the Mounties. Dabello says it’s Greenfeld territory; it’s their problem. The only outsider present seemed to be intimate with Rembrandt Brown. Tommy Greenfeld says they will take care of things.
in the room, Wade has found lots of gangster movies. On the Disney Channel. The professor can’t find any alcohol in the fridge. Quinn is going to head out and get a newspaper. The clerk tells Quinn someone needs to talk to him. That being Mel Tormé. Mel asks if they’re trying to get him killed. The FBI turning up and speaking to him makes him look like an informant. Which he is. Tell Rembrandt to stop showboating for the evening news and wait for Mel’s signal. Or the only thing in the papers will be their obituaries. Quinn sees Tommy leaving their room as he heads back; inside, Rembrandt has $100K. Quinn tells him that in this world he’s FBI, and they’ve just accepted a bribe.
The professor thinks they should lie low until they slide out; the Mob can’t follow them to the next world. Quinn says if they keep the money, the Incorruptibles are corruptible. The professor says that they have already taken the money, and there are men with very big guns. He thinks they should keep quiet.
Mel told Quinn he was performing at the Doubloon, and Quinn is going to head there to see if Mel can put them in touch with the real Incorruptibles. Taking the money with him. Once there, Quinn ends up intervening in an argument between a man and a woman, defending her. After seeing her into a taxi, he finds the money is gone. It was a con.
There was no alcohol in the hotel fridge, because Prohibition was never repealed, and organised crime grew richer and richer, building vast criminal empires. And the Sliders have just disrupted a wedding designed to merge two of those empires. The police can’t do much, because the criminals have so much political influence that the police have very little funding.