“Prince of Wails” is episode four (originally shown as episode five) of season one of Sliders.
At the end of the previous episode, “Summer of Love”, the Sliders had arrived in San Francisco just as a tidal wave was approaching. This opens with them clinging to the top of a skyscraper in a now-flooded San Francisco in a world where the polar ice caps melted, waiting for the timer to reach zero. (Originally, this episode was broadcast before the previous one – even though everyone is wearing the clothes they got in it; the out of sequence broadcasting caused a lot of confusion).
With the timer at zero, they slide to another world and end up in a fountain. Professor Arturo says they should get out before they attract any more attention. And someone doffs his cap to the professor. The timer says they are in this world for the best part of a week. Wade sees a paper and heads into the road to get it, nearly getting run down by a hotel’s Rolls Royce as she does. The driver gets out and starts having a go at her. Until he sees the professor and apologises profusely. The man invites them to stay in the hotel, in the Royal Suite. Arturo suggests that might be more than they can afford. The man finds this funny. They are escorted to the suite and ask for dry clothes and a hot meal. Everyone seems stunned.
This San Francisco is in the British States of America. The Revolutionary War was lost. The professor thinks they should mind their own business and spend the week in blissful anonymity. He reads about the king being lost on the battlefields of France and the Sheriff of San Francisco acting as regent until Prince Harold can be crowned. Wade is reading about the prince’s escapades in the tabloids. Then the Sheriff of San Francisco comes on the news. Maximilian Arturo. Rembrandt wonders what will happen when it’s discovered that the professor isn’t the Sheriff. The professor doesn’t intend to find out. Wade points out he’s still Sheriff; there’s no sense leaving emptyhanded. Arturo calls down for a car, food and periodicals.
The car breaks down in Oakland – a forest – as Arturo is reading the Washington was hanged and, without the inspiration of the Founding Fathers, there were no other successful revolutions. Wade is reading about Prince Harold, who only seems to like women under 20 or over 60. And thinks poor people chose to be poor. Then a military detachment under Colonel Hurley arrives. Hurley acts aggressively until he sees the ‘Sheriff’ and asks the latter if he’s here to oversee the op. They have shotgun shells so there will be no question it’s a hunting accident. Once they go, the professor doesn’t want to get involved. Quinn does.
A man is doing a poor job of hunting when the Sliders pull him to the ground. Hurley’s soldiers arrive and Wade recognises the man. Arturo heads to see the soldiers off and Wade tells the man to say who he is. Prince Harold. Who doesn’t believe that Arturo isn’t his sheriff. When they get back to the car, it’s been stripped. Then they are surrounded by the Oakland Raiders. Quinn claims they’ve been looking to join their fight. They have the Sheriff and the Prince captive.
The professor and Harold are locked up. Harold can’t understand why people are poor; the professor – the Sheriff – told him that America has the highest GDP of all the colonies. Wade enters; the Raiders have been working out if they should kill them. They’ve instead decided to exchange the pair for political prisoners.
The real Sheriff is doing a television show that looks more than a little staged. He also has written a book; Everything I Say is Right. After the show, Hurley approaches with a fax from the Oakland Raiders about the Sheriff and Prince. At which point the Sheriff discovers the Prince isn’t dead.
Wade speaks to Prince Harold and finds out he’s very different from his portrayal. It seems nothing in the tabloids is true. Well, apart from him liking model trains. In addition, the Sheriff has been lying to Harold. Because he wants to take the prince’s place. Instead of not getting involved, the Sliders end up getting very involved.