“Summer of Love” is episode three (originally shown as episode six) of season one of Sliders.
Quinn’s classmate Conrad is watching television when the FBI arrive at his door. They take him to Quinn’s basement; Conrad is impressed by the technology. He’s told to sit down and that Quinn, Professor Arturo have all been missing since Tuesday, and they have reason to believe Rembrandt is as well as a neighbour witnessed a screaming individual driving a Cadillac into a blue whirlpool that emanated from the house. Conrad is told f he knows anything, to speak up. He doesn’t know anything. He’s then asked about the bridge, and shown one of Quinn’s video diaries mentioning him and Conrad talking about the bridge. Conrad explains it’s a hypothetical connection point between universes. Quinn and the others may have travelled to a parallel Earth. And nothing more ever comes of this.
Quinn and the others exit into a very quiet street with boarded up buildings. Quinn says the timer needs a rest, as do they. Then a warning is broadcast that the swarm is approaching from the south. If you haven’t evacuated the city, may God have mercy on your soul.
A news broadcast on a shop television explains that the South American Spiderwasp was created in a Venezuelan lab for pest control. A queen escaped and for the past 8 years they have been causing a trail of death and destruction. The spiderwasp has a wingspan of up to a foot (just what sort of pests were they planning to control?) and can eat through walls. Rembrandt wants to go home. Or leave. He hates spiders. Wade reassuring that they aren’t just spiders isn’t reassuring. Because they can fly. The swarm can be seen and heard approaching. Quinn activates the timer, but only Wade and Rembrandt get through. He has to try again to get himself and the professor out.
Wade and Rembrandt arrive at a hippie commune. The leader says the prophets have arrived; their problems are elsewhere. Quinn and Arturo have arrived elsewhere, along with a couple of spiderwasps. Quinn is worried as he thinks they are on a different world to the others. The professor asks Quinn to look at his back. There’s a spiderwasp on it. Quinn throws a rock at it, but hits the professor on the head instead.
Wade and Rembrandt have noticed the other two are missing and are concerned they are now stuck. The hippies are kneeling; the leader introduces himself as Skid, and the man and woman with him as Seeker and Fling. They tell the two that they are outside San Francisco. The year is 1995. The governor is correct – but the president is Oliver North. Wade and Rembrandt are invited to get some rest.
Quinn is bandaging the professor’s head – there’s a sign in the background saying the US should get out of Australia. Arturo hated the Sixties when it was the Sixties. Wade and Rembrandt are probably on an alternate Earth. He envies them.
The hippies think that Wade and Rembrandt are two unearthly prophets. Rembrandt is being pampered and enjoys hit; he thinks he’s been recognised as the Crying Man. He tells Skid he wants to go into town to look for his companions. There are two others, but they might be stuck on another world. He knows it sounds crazy. It doesn’t to the hippies, who think Rembrandt is an alien. Skid offers him a car. They have nine. Not stolen; Seeker’s father owns half of India. He donated the cars and the mansion. They may be into Mother Earth but they’re not stupid.
Rembrandt cruises past the professor and Quinn without noticing. He arrives at a house and tells two girls he used to live there, and says there looks to be some kind of party. They run off. Rembrandt comments that the neighbourhood is as friendly as ever. That’s why he moved out. Inside, there’s a wake. For Rembrandt. A version of him that was in the military. Rembrandt’s brother Cezanne is talking about him, and claiming Cezanne was better than Rembrandt. At everything. When he disparages Rembrandt’s musical ability, Rembrandt intervenes.
Both groups currently think they are on different worlds. Rembrandt thinks he likes this one and will stay. Quinn and the professor are working on the timer. Wade is imparting her wisdom to the hippies. The professor and Quinn bump into this world’s version of Conrad. In their world, he seems like a refugee from the Sixties. In this world, where the Sixties haven’t ended, he really, really doesn’t.