“The Weaker Sex” is episode seven (originally shown as episode four) of season one of Sliders.
The Sliders arrive in a park, with six and a half weeks until the next slide. Unless they’re home, as Wade suggests; there’s a place called Bernie’s at the edge of the park if they are. Which the professor says serves the best hot pretzels. There is a stall and they have to scrabble together to buy a pretzel. Everything is looking good, including President Clinton about to speak on the television. Except it’s President Hillary Clinton.
Quinn is reading and says the world is dominated by females. They have six and a half weeks and only $3.98, so the professor says they will need to get jobs. Which involves Rembrandt busking and Quinn not being qualified for every job he tries for. Rembrandt, after over seven hours singing, gets enough for a motel room.
Arturo is not impressed by spray cheese. Then Wade returns back; she’s got a job at the mayor’s office overseeing computer installation. With a cash advance. The mayoral election is coming up and they need new staff for the campaign. She thinks she can get them jobs.
In the lift on the way, Arturo tries to chat up a woman, who turns out to be Mayor Ross. After waiting for an hour, Arturo is complaining about how long they have been kept waiting. Quinn is called by the mayor’s assistant and, afterwards, a man speaks to the professor. He says he’s Danny Eisenbach and is a journalist. Gentleman’s Quarterly. Mostly fluff but they do like to do the odd serious article. If working for the Ross campaign doesn’t pan out, the journalist has something he things Arturo might be interested in.
Quinn thought he was there to run the data processing system. Turns out that the job is actually receptionist. He gets out. Outside, Danny runs up to the professor; there are friends he wants Arturo to meet. The professor leaves with him and meets a group of men; Arturo complains about one gender, no matter which, having superiority over the other. The others are complaining about the glass ceiling and the professor says men are just as capable of holding elective offices as a woman. Danny’s friends have been looking for the right candidate to run in the election. They’ve found him. The professor is a little slow on the uptake.
Professor Arturo tells Wade and Quinn – misdescribing the food he actually ate more than a little. Wade asked what about not getting involved. The professor wants to run for office and help change things. Quinn reminds him about the Slide. The election is the same day. Arturo says he has no chance of winning, but running could help the next person.
Rembrandt is singing when a car pulls up and the woman inside beckons him over. She says he’s really good and introduces herself as Serena Braxton (Jill Teed). She’s in the music business and can introduce him to some record producer friends of hers. Her intentions are not quite what she’s suggesting.
The professor’s campaigning style needs some work and he appears on television in the believe it or not segment. Wade tells him that, hundreds of years ago, women got sick of watching men go off to war and kill themselves and took over. There’s no war or violent crime. Wade says how Arturo feels is something she’s felt her entire life. Quinn looks like he doesn’t want to get involved in this discussion.
The professor starts getting more involved in the campaign, and ends up receiving death threats because of it. Rembrandt is starting to feel used.