“This Slide of Paradise” is episode twenty-five (and originally shown as that) of season three of Sliders and the season finale.
The Sliders arrive and are dumped in the ocean just off a beach. On land, Wade points out to Rembrandt she wanted to land on a beach, not near it. They head inland and something is watching them from the trees. Maggie asks what’s out to sea. The Channel Islands are suggested, but there are too many. Wade suggests that maybe California was hit by the big one; it’s been suggested the state could break up into islands. Maggie thinks islands will make it easier to find Rickman. Then there’s a disturbing growl near them and the head into the trees. Inland, they think they’ve lost whatever it was, but then something, neither man nor beast but dressed, attacks Quinn. Maggie knocks it out.
Rickman harvests what he needs from another of the beings; he’s turning wild too. He asks another, Ceres, when they attack. Ceres says Vargas has guns and he doesn’t. Rickman might not care what happens to his people but Ceres does. Rickman lives and feeds because he allows it. Rickman tells Ceres to curb his tongue if he wants to go to another world with him. Then Ceres gets told about the Sliders; Rickman knows who they are, of course, and wants them.
The Sliders are in the woods, being watched and going in circles. Rembrandt gets attacked; they drive his attacker off and flee, but are attacked again. This one is dealt with by a woman, clearly also part beast, with a dart gun. She tells them they will be safe int he compound where she lives and, when asked, explains she, and the others, are hybrids, genetic mixes of human and animals. Another hybrid attacks; she shoots it. The darts have poison, but the hybrid will be okay if it remains passive. Dr Vargas prefers not to kill. The woman falls and hurts her ankle; Maggie shoots another hybrid with the dart gun, and the last dart. The woman, Alisandra, has hurt her ankle. Rembrandt carries her and they head off. Quinn realises he lost the timer, but they can’t go back for it now.
At the compound, another hybrid, Daniel, lets them in. He electrifies the fence as more hybrids arrive, then Dr Vargas appears. Quinn claims their boat capsized. Vargas doesn’t want them around; Maggie says they’d be perfectly happy to ho. Quinn would like to borrow a couple of dart guns because they lost something, and they’ll leave right now. Vargas seems to be more reasonable on hearing this, and that they aren’t from the government. However, his behaviour towards Alisandra is objectionable and Rembrandt helps her. Wade asks what created the hybrids; Vargas tells her the correct word is who. He will show them. It’s too dangerous to head out at night; he will give them guns in the morning.
In the jungle, Rickman has found the timer. He says the Sliders will come to them.
In the compound, Vargas is showing everyone but Rembrandt, who is helping Alisandra, his lab. He mixes animal and human DNA with some successes; Alisandra and Daniel are two of his best. He wants to make the perfect human, to identify, control and eliminate genetic markers that cause such as cancer and Parkinson’s. He shows them a cage with a child, Michael. When Michael bites Vargas’s finger he doesn’t take it well. He tells Daniel to show the Sliders to their rooms, and not to let them leave as he isn’t finished with them. And to get rid of Michael.
Alisandra finds Rembrandt asleep and wakes him. They have to leave; Daniel believes Vargas is a threat to them and is getting them guns. She says she will be okay; without her and Daniel, Vargas is a failure and his fear of failure is stronger than any other emotion. Daniel is freeing Michael, which is technically getting rid of him.
The Sliders need the timer that Rickman has and they are on, for all intents and purposes, The Island of Dr Moreau (and Vargas’s actor appeared in a film version of that). There is what is essentially a cliff-hanger ending leading into season four.