Lilja's Library

by Hans-Ake Lilja

The Dead Zone - Season 3

  Posted: October 20, 2004

  I have just finished the third season of The Dead Zone and let me tell you right off—this series just gets better and better. I almost didn’t think it would after season two, but it did. Season three is the best one so far and I’m really happy that it’s returning for a fourth season.

  Season three has twelve episodes and all are really good. Some are a bit better than the rest though. My favorites are episodes nine (Cycle of Violence), eleven (Shadows) and Twelve (Tipping Point). None of the others are bad though.

  So, let’s take a look at all of the episodes…

  In episodes one and two (Finding Rachel, parts one and two) we get introduced to the character Rebecca Caldwell (played by Sarah Wynter from 24). Johnny tries to help her find out what happened to her sister, Rachel. Something that he is still doing in episode twelve…

  We also get to learn more about the Armageddon and Stillson. Personally, these Armageddon episodes are my favorites. I also really like the character of Stillson (played by Sean Patrick Flanery). He really does a great job in portraying the sleazy Stillson. Unfortunately for Johnny, his obsession with Stillson gets revealed and he himself becomes a suspect in the disappearance of Rachel.

  In episode three (Collision) Johnny relives his accident some years earlier, but this time there is a little girl present in the visions. Throughout the vision of his own accident he has to save this little girl before it’s too late. In this episode we also get the understanding that there is something going on between Johnny and Rebecca.

  In episode four (The Cold Hard Truth) J.J. finally gets to know what we have all known from the beginning—that Johnny is his real father. Now he and Johnny have to try to build a relationship as a father and son, as well as keep Walt in the picture—not an easy task.

  In episode five (Total Awareness) we get to see a kind of Big Brother-inspired show in which Johnny helps another psychic escape from government people. What this episode mainly does though, behind the story, is to give Johnny a chance to be a father to J.J.

  In episode six (No Questions Asked) we get to see a bit of Walt’s background and something that happened to him in the past. It includes two of his childhood friends and a shooting. Walt really doesn’t want Johnny’s help, but when Johnny refuses to leave him alone he agrees to let him help…but only if he doesn’t ask any questions about what he sees about Walt’s past…

  In episode seven (Looking Glass) we, for the first time, get to see someone fooling Johnny into having a vision. A pair of twins makes Johnny have visions of them committing a murder they really aren’t doing…or are they…

  Episode eight (Speak Now) is all about Johnny and Sarah’s past, even if it doesn’t look like it from the beginning. The two are at a wedding rehearsal when Johnny sees himself stopping the wedding. (He doesn’t know why he is doing it though.) As it turns out, the bride’s “love of her life,” whom she thought was dead, really isn’t, and the question now is, does he tell her so she can wait or should he keep his mouth shut and let her be happy now? See the connection to Johnny and Sarah? On a fun side note, Johnny also sees Bruce’s future marriage and drives Bruce nuts with it.

  Episode nine (Cycle of Violence) is one of season three’s best episodes. While at a performance by J.J. at his school, Johnny gets a vision of a shooting. While trying to find out who the shooter is the school becomes a fort with guards at every door. It’s making the students really frustrated and angry. I won’t reveal the twist on this one. You should see for yourself, but I really liked it. As I said, one of the season’s best episodes.

  In episode ten (Instinct) we once again get to see Johnny’s visions of the end of the world. One thing is different here though: this one might be caused by something other than Stillson…if it’s the end of the world at all.

  Episode eleven (Shadows) is among the best episodes in this season. Here Johnny gets a vision of himself killing another man. He doesn’t know why or even who the other man is. What happens is that Johnny gets visions of what happened in reverse order. Starting with the fact that he kills someone and ending with the reason why he is killing. The only problem is…will he be able to change history before it’s too late?

  The season finale (Tipping Point) is a really good episode. A lot happens in this one. Johnny’s headaches and blackouts are getting worse and he is considering brain surgery to remove his dead zone—his powers, in other words. That alone is enough to scare fans of the series. Besides that, Rebecca shows a darker side. During hypnosis she tells Johnny that all he will be able to see if he gets a vision from her is that she is planning a surprise party for him…and it works very well.

  Lilja’s final words about The Dead Zone - Season 3

  The third season is probably the best one so far. It ends with a cliffhanger that makes you scream for more. If the show had been canceled after season three it would have caused an uproar with the fans, that’s for sure.

  I’m not sure when this one will be out on DVD, but once it is, go get it!

  ****

  The Dead Zone - Season 3 (DVD)

  Posted: June 8, 2005

  Yesterday the third season of The Dead Zone was released on DVD. I have already reviewed the season when it aired on TV, and you can read that review elsewhere in the book. In this review I’ll concentrate on the DVD box, and primarily on the extra material in it.

  For starters, we get commentaries on all twelve episodes and as you’ll know by now, if you keep reading my reviews, I have come to like the commentaries on the DVDs very much. It gives the movie, or in this case the episode, an extra dimension. You get a sneak peak at what the filmmakers thought when they shot the episode and how it all happened. Nice.

  There are also three documentaries in the box. In the first one we get to see how the filmmakers made the leap to HD from 35mm film. I’m no film expert, but HD is a way of shooting the episodes. In the second one we get to follow two pretty eccentric brothers who are in charge of feeding the entire crew of The Dead Zone. It’s amazing how much food they eat. It’s quite interesting to see. The third and last one feels a bit unnecessary though. Here, we get to see how actor Chris Bruno stays in shape by exercising. It feels more like a home movie than something that should be included here.

  Two really funny things in the box are the gag reel and the deleted scenes. The gag reel is a collection of scenes where the actors and actresses mess up. It could be they forgot their lines or that they started laughing. It’s really fun to see. The deleted scenes are a must. I love to see what didn’t make it, and here they do it in a really smart way. They have added a short section before and after the deleted scene so that you know where in the episode you are. These parts are in black-and-white and then the deleted scene is in color. Really well done.

  There is also a short movie called Five Minutes ’Til Mitch that is written and directed by John L. Adams. This little movie has nothing to do with The Dead Zone and makes a pretty weak impression.

  Lilja’s final words about The Dead Zone - Season 3 (DVD)

  Season three is the best season so far, and if you like The Dead Zone you need to go get this one right away…and if you don’t like The Dead Zone you will after you have seen this DVD box.

  ****

  The Dead Zone - Season 4

  Posted: October 14, 2005

  So, season four of The Dead Zone is over. This one had eleven episodes and is the shortest season yet. There will, however, be one more episode: a Christmas special that airs in November.

  Season four is a bit slower than the previous three seasons. Personally, I think it’s because the episodes are pretty standalone and aren’t really connected to the big Armageddon issue that I personally like so much. Don’t get me wrong, Armageddon is present in season four, but not as much as I would like. Even so, The Dead Zone is still one of the best shows on TV.

  As usual, I’m going to take a closer look at each episode and let you know what I think about them
. My personal favorites this season are episode eight (Vanguard) and eleven (Saved), but let’s not get ahead of ourselves…

  In episode one (Broken Circle) we get to see the conclusion from last season when Rebecca set out to kill Stillson. This all gets concluded here, and it actually feels more like this episode should be in season three than in season four, but it’s a great way of connecting the seasons. Stillson once again shows what he is capable of doing and we get to meet a new stranger…a stranger who actually saves both Reverend Purdy and Stillson…

  Johnny also throws away his cane, so he won’t have the visions of himself from the future anymore.

  In episode two (The Collector) we get to meet a really creepy man. He has kidnapped a woman who he then tries to turn into the perfect woman. Johnny sets out to rescue her, but things get complicated by another woman who used to be in the kidnapper’s care…and now she wants him back.

  In episode three (Double Vision) Johnny meets another psychic, and love is in the air. They meet when they are both on their way to stop a sniper from killing a doctor. Johnny then sees her in his visions and to his shock the woman also sees him. They are sharing the same vision; they are both in it and seeing it at the same time. Very complicated, but definitely an interesting twist on things.

  In episode four (Still Life) a painter’s daughter is missing and Johnny, who gets a painting with the daughter on it delivered to his door, starts to investigate. As it turns out the missing daughter isn’t the painter’s daughter after all—she is a stand-in for his real daughter, who isn’t who we think it is…

  In this episode there is also a little connection to King. At one point Bruce says, “This the part when you start saying ‘Redrum’?”

  In episode five (Heroes and Demons) a cop is framed and sentenced to death for a murder he didn’t commit. His autistic son tries to help him get cleared from the charges through Johnny. A very interesting twist.

  Here we also get a nod to King’s work when a person is called Mr. Cujo.

  In episode six (Last Goodbye) Johnny and Sarah go off looking for a rock star who is supposed to be dead. Now his son is a rock star as well, but always gets compared to his dead father…something that is very hard on him. His father died when his car went off a cliff and the son is heading for the same destiny…until Johnny finds out that the father might not be dead after all…

  In episode seven (Grains of Sand) Johnny and Bruce save a baby from drowning when the car his mother is driving goes down in the river. Johnny tries to find the baby’s father, but after finding out he is an illegal immigrant from Mexico he doesn’t dare turn the baby over to the authorities. (He sees a future full of misery for the baby boy if he does that.) Johnny instead starts to think about how it would be to become a father again…

  In episode eight (Vanguard), which actually follows some of the events in episode one, Johnny is reunited with a former student who is now a successful scientist. He has discovered something that Stillson is going to use in the future to cause Armageddon. Of course, Johnny can’t let that happen.

  In episode nine (Babble On) some big questions are asked. We get to see an event that happened in Johnny’s childhood in which his father was committed to an asylum. The main questions raised in this episode are 1) Did Johnny have the ability to see visions since birth? 2) If so, did he get it from his father? and 3) What really happened to his father?

  In episode ten (Coming Home) Sarah’s father returns home to live in the local retirement home. Sarah is worried about him, so Johnny accompanies her to the retirement home. Once there, Johnny sees many of the residents dead. As it turns out they are all outside in his visions, but in reality they all die inside…

  In episode eleven (Saved), the season finale, we get more Armageddon. Johnny finds out Stillson killed his father when he tried to help Stillson (yes, they are working together) to find the “love of his life,” who has disappeared in an accident on a boat…

  Lilja’s final words about The Dead Zone – Season 4

  So, season four isn’t as strong as the previous one, but then again, season three was among the best that has aired on TV and not easy to be compared with. Regardless of whether you saw season four on TV or not…go get it when the DVD is out!

  ****

  A Very Dead Zone Christmas

  Posted: December 12, 2005

  So, The Dead Zone has done a Christmas episode. I saw it and here is what I think about it:

  First off, I don’t really like things that get too cute, and this episode, A Very Dead Zone Christmas, was a bit too cute for me. It tells the story of how Johnny and Alex, from an earlier episode of season four (Double Vision), find a Santa who has forgotten who he is. They, in the spirit of Christmas, invite him to spend Christmas with them, Bruce and the Bannermans.

  The same goes for three brothers Johnny and Alex catch when they try to rob the Santa. The brothers’ mother is dead and their father is missing. They are also invited to Christmas dinner.

  As suspected, though, it all ends happy. Santa remembers who he is, the three boys are reunited with their father and it starts to snow just before the end credits start rolling…

  Even though I feel very much in the Christmas spirit after watching this episode, it’s a bit too much. It’s too cute. And the most important thing, it doesn’t feel one hundred percent true to the characters. Not that they aren’t very good people, but in this episode it feels like they have been picked out of The Dead Zone series and put in some family show to try and survive the best they can. It feels wrong, especially since Bruce then runs around like a half-drunken chef. He is fun, but it’s not him, if you understand what I mean…

  Lilja’s final words about A Very Dead Zone Christmas

  So, this isn’t one of the better episodes, but if you get the chance you should still check it out and make up your own mind about it. Personally, I’m glad I got to see it, but now I’m waiting for season five to start.

  ****

  The Dead Zone - Season 5 Premier

  Posted: June 15, 2006

  So, on Sunday it’s finally time for season five of The Dead Zone to premier. I have looked at the season premier and if the rest of the season is as good as this we’re in for a treat.

  This episode continues where the finale of season four left off. Greg Stillson is set to marry Miranda, who doesn’t really want to marry him. We all know she is just a means for him to advance in power. Johnny is trying to find a way to help her get out of the situation.

  We also get to see more of the new character introduced at the end of season four, Malcolm Janus. He is Stillson’s goon and is really doing all of Stillson’s dirty work.

  What’s different from this episode is that Sarah, Walt and J.J. aren’t present. The feeling you get when watching the episode is also a bit different than before. I can’t really explain it, but the episode has more of a cop-drama-series feeling than earlier, and I think the change has much to do with the new character, Malcolm Janus. So far though, I like it and I guess the remaining episodes in season five will tell if the series has taken a new turn or if it’s just for the premier…

  Even though the season premier deals a lot with Stillson it doesn’t have to mean that the season will as well, but I for one really hope so. Another great thing about season five is that I’ve been told we’ll get to see the character Dana again.

  Lilja’s final words about The Dead Zone - Season 5 Premier

  OK, The Dead Zone is back in full force and whatever you do, please don’t miss the premier of season five this Sunday. The future of the series is also depending on how this season does, and I for one believe there will be a season six…

  ****

  The Dead Zone - Season 5, Episode 2

  Posted: June 27, 2006

  The second episode of The Dead Zone (Independence Day) is a very strong episode. Like the season premier, neither Sheriff Bannerman nor Sarah are present in the episode. Of the regular cast only Johnny (it would be interesting t
o see how an episode would turn out if he wasn’t around) and Bruce are present this time. Don’t ask me what has happened to Sarah and Walt though…maybe they are on a second honeymoon?

  This time Johnny and Bruce are stranded in a traffic jam that takes place on a hot summer day. The cops have stopped traffic in both directions and people are getting out of their cars, playing football, getting some sun or just hanging around, waiting for the traffic to start rolling again. As they walk through the lines of cars Johnny gets vision after vision of a big disaster about to happen…

  Naturally, Johnny tries to prevent it, but this time there are a lot of factors to take into consideration. There is a woman giving birth, an escaped convict (which it later turns out is the reason for the traffic jam in the first place) and a big disaster…that ends with Bruce’s death. It’s safe to say that Johnny has his plate full this time.

  The biggest difference with this episode compared to earlier ones is that this one is totally standalone. There are no loose ends, no connections to other characters and nothing that happens has any input to the rest of The Dead Zone universe. This is not a bad thing though. It’s nice to have an episode that is totally disconnected from the rest, but for the sake of the series there can’t be too many standalone episodes…

  Lilja’s final words about The Dead Zone - Season 5, Episode 2

  Season five of The Dead Zone is continuing in the same good way that it started with the season premier a week ago. If they keep it up, I can’t see why we wouldn’t get a season six!

  ****

  The Dead Zone - Season 5, Episodes 3 - 5

  Posted: July 18, 2006

  So, I have been looking at episodes three, four and five of the fifth season of The Dead Zone and so far the series stands its ground very well, and if it continues like this I can’t see why there won’t be a sixth season…