Authors: Hans-Ake Lilja
It’s still very viewable though, and both Sisto and Samantha Mathis do a good job…but maybe this one was a bit too hard to translate.
Lilja’s final words about
Nightmares & Dreamscapes
,
Episodes 5 & 6
So, after three weeks, I still think that TNT has a hit on their hands even though this week wasn’t as exciting as the previous two. What really surprises me is how all of the episodes really feel like they are part of a series…even though they are done by different directors and are quite different in themselves.
This week you should keep your eye out for a King book,
The Tommyknockers
, that makes some trouble for the main character…
****
Nightmares & Dreamscapes, Episodes 7 & 8
Posted: August 1, 2006
The last week of
Nightmares & Dreamscapes
is here. We have seen six episodes, and this time it’s the last two (
Autopsy Room Four
and
You Know They Got a Hell of a Band
) we’re going to take a closer look at. This is a pretty special week, if you ask me. One of the episodes has two of my favorite actors and the other is based on one of my favorite King stories. So here we go…
Episode 7:
Autopsy Room Four
Autopsy Room Four
is one of my favorite stories by King, so I was a bit nervous to see what they had done with this one…
Since this is one of my favorites by King I must admit I was a bit disappointed. I thought it was a little too kind compared to the book. Maybe it’s because it’s on TV, but the entire “stroking back to life” part was very toned down, and in one scene Howard’s eyelid flinched. I don’t know if that was meant as a sign that he really was alive, but since he was supposed to be totally incapable of moving it looked more like a mistake by the filmmakers.
So, even though
Autopsy Room Four
is a favorite in written format, the movie version is a mediocre version of it. It’s enjoyable, but not the masterpiece it could have been.
Oh, and I really, really didn’t like the hysterical wife who ran around in the hospital!
Episode 8:
You Know They Got a Hell of a Band
In
You Know They Got a Hell of a Band
we meet Clark and Mary Willingham (played by Steven Weber and Kim Delaney), who are lost and happen to stumble on a town called Rock and Roll Heaven, Oregon. The town isn’t on any maps, but they have a free concert every night, every day…
After some convincing, Mary reluctantly agrees to take a look at the town, something that proves to be the biggest mistake of her life.
Well, what can I say about
You Know They Got a Hell of a Band
? It’s very hard to go wrong with actors like Steven and Kim. They do their job perfectly, and with a good script it can only get better. If there is something I’d like to change it’s that the famous people should look a bit more like the originals. You see how it is, but you don’t quite believe it’s them…if you know what I mean. Still, it’s a very good episode.
Lilja’s final words about
Nightmares & Dreamscapes
, Episodes 7 & 8
So, in conclusion, after seeing all eight episodes I feel that TNT had a hit with
Nightmares & Dreamscapes
and I really hope that the ratings agree with me so we can look forward to a season two, maybe as early as next year…
Section 2—The Dead Zone
The Dead Zone - Pilot
Posted: June 10, 2002
The Dead Zone
as a TV series? Is that doable? Well, I’m not sure, but after seeing the pilot I have to say that it sure is possible. The pilot, entitled
Wheel of Fortune
, is forty minutes long (without commercials) and looks really promising. OK, I admit, some things have been changed compared to the original, but that isn’t as annoying as I first thought it might be. If the pilot would have been a movie instead of the first episode in an ongoing series I would have been worried. But, with the fact that this pilot will be followed by (at least) twelve more episodes, it’s no big deal.
The main change is that two more characters have been introduced into the plot. One is Bruce Lewis (played by John L. Adams), who is Johnny’s personal trainer, and Reverend Gene Purdy (played by David Ogden Stiers), who is a moral support to Johnny’s mother when the series begins. My guess is that these characters have been added to prevent the series from being about just a few characters. In King’s book Johnny and Sarah are the main characters and then there are some smaller ones as well, but mainly the story revolves around those two. It would, in my mind, have been devastating to the series if it had been based on just two characters.
Another change is that Sarah (played by Nicole deBoer) is now the wife of Sheriff Walt Bannerman (played by Chris Bruno). Yes, this is the same Sheriff who in the book uses Johnny’s help to find the Castle Rock Strangler. Exactly why Sarah is married to Sheriff Bannerman and not some nobody (like in the book) I don’t know, but even this I don’t have a problem with. Overall, I find myself accepting all these changes with an ease that isn’t like me. I usually want everything to be exactly as in King’s book. I can’t say why though…
Besides these changes there are some smaller changes in the overall story. The differences aren’t that big though, and the end result is the same as in the book, which is the main thing.
How about the leading man, then? Anthony Michael Hall is Johnny Smith. Well, I like Hall as Smith. I, like many of you, probably have Christopher Walken in mind when someone says
The Dead Zone
, right? Well, I think Hall did the role just as well as (if not better than) Walken. Hall is a more modern Johnny, which might not be so strange since it’s been nineteen years since the movie was done, but still…I like Hall as Johnny. He seems right!
The series itself is really well done. The scenes where Johnny has his visions are done really nicely. I was a bit curious as to how they would do them, and after seeing them done I must say that I’m pleased. They have used some ideas from the movie, but developed them into something bigger and better. I think you will all enjoy it when you see it.
The story line then? Is it still Stephen King’s
The Dead Zone
? Yes, it is. In the pilot we get the background story on how Johnny ends up in a coma and how Johnny and Sarah meet and fall in love (even if this is a bit different from how it happens in the book). We hear about the Castle Rock Strangler, Greg Stillson, and Johnny even gets some of the visions that we recognize from the book. So, yes, I would definitely say that King’s feeling is present in the pilot!
There is, however, one circumstance which isn’t in the book. I won’t give away what it is, but it would definitely give the story a nice twist…
Lilja’s final words about
The Dead Zone
- Pilot
So, in conclusion, after watching the pilot I definitely think this is a series that has the potential to be great…if handled right, that is. If not, it could turn into one of these mainstream series that nobody watches. I don’t think that will be the case though. From what I have seen and heard the creators of
The Dead Zone
seem to know what they are doing. So, tune into USA on June 16th and sit back for the ride. The pilot ends with a real cliffhanger…I think you are going to like it. I know I did!
****
The Dead Zone - The 1st Half of Season 1
Posted: September 12, 2002
In this review I will take a look at the first half of the first season of
The Dead Zone
. When I say the first half, I mean episodes two through seven. I have already reviewed the pilot and I will do another review of the second half (episodes eight through thirteen) in the near future.
After I had seen the pilot for
The Dead Zone
I felt that it had a really good chance to be a success, and after seeing episodes two through seven I know it for sure. OK, they have changed some things and added or removed others, but that seems to be a must when you do a TV series that will span over many seasons (yes, there will be at least two seasons), so that doesn’t bother me as much as it usually does. My greatest fear (when I first heard about this series) was that it would turn out to be something like the series
Early Edition
where the main character gets tomorrow’s paper today. He then sets out to save everyone who needs help based on what the paper says.
Fortunately,
The Dead Zone
isn’t anything like that. Here Johnny uses his power in his everyday life. He isn’t like some kind of self-proclaimed hero who sets out to save the world. If it were up to him, Johnny would never use his powers again. He feels more real and sincere than the character in
Early Edition
.
Throughout the series we get to see how Johnny and Walt go from being rivals for the same girl to being friends. I do have my doubts about Sarah though; sometimes it feels like she is on the verge of leaving Walt and teaming up with Johnny again…like in the early years. She doesn’t though, yet, but the feeling you get when you watch the series is that Johnny is so much stronger than Sarah when it comes to dealing with their feelings for each other.
In episode two we get to see the conclusion of what was started in the pilot: we get to see how Johnny deals with the Castle Rock Strangler, Frank Dodd. It’s a tense episode, and even though I know how it will end I’m on the edge of my seat. Very well done! In episode two (
What It Seems
) we also get introduced to a new character, Dana. She is a news reporter who will give Johnny both a hard time and a nice time…
In episode three (
Quality of Life
) we also get a story that we recognize from the book, even though it’s a bit altered here. It’s the story about the hockey player who Johnny saves. Here he doesn’t fall through the ice though, as in the book.
We also get a rather interesting look at what’s in store for the above named Dana and Johnny…
In episode four (
Enigma
) Johnny takes a trip back in time to find an old man’s long lost love. This is the weakest episode of the first seven. What is interesting here is the fact that Sarah still has really big feelings for Johnny. This is one example of what I was talking about earlier. It shows clearly when she talks to him and he tells her he has met someone…someone from the past. You can’t help feeling bad for poor Walt. In this episode he really has to take a lot from Sarah, who really doesn’t seem to see how she is hurting him. This makes me wonder if something will happen between Johnny and Sarah as the series moves along. I guess we’ll have to wait and see.
After this Johnny is called in for jury duty in episode five (
Unreasonable Doubt
). Here he uses his powers to determine if the accused really is guilty. This is a really interesting episode. It’s like the old detective stories: you get a piece here and a piece there, and one step at a time you (or rather Johnny) put it together…interesting.
In the last two episodes—six (
The House
) and seven (
Enemy Mind
)—the creators give King a little wink. In
The Hous
e, which deals with the death of Johnny’s mother, they have taken some inspiration from
The Shining
. There is a lot of blood in this episode, which is a really good one. First you think you know what happened to Johnny’s mother and then it all gets tossed out the window, just like it should be…
In
Enemy Mind
Castle Rock (King’s fictional town) is mentioned. In this episode the creators take a look at what would happen if Johnny’s powers were combined with a mind-altering drug. Johnny’s friend and trainer also gets to speak those classic words “This is your brain and this is your brain on drugs,” really funny. It’s an interesting episode though…
Lilja’s final words about
The Dead Zone - The 1st Half of Season 1
So, the first half of the first season of
The Dead Zone
is really good. What I would like to see in the second half is more episodes where they involve other King connections. They could be from the book (I know Stillson will appear), but they could also be small connections to King, like the mentioning of Castle Rock.
Other than that there isn’t much more to wish for.
The Dead Zone
satisfies me! Don’t miss it!
****
The Dead Zone - The 2nd Half of Season 1
Posted: September 28, 2002
Now the time has come to take a look at the second part of the first season of
The Dead Zone
. You can read my thoughts on the first half if you haven’t already.
One thing that gets really clear in this half of the season (and I mentioned this in my review of the first half too) is that Sarah really hasn’t gotten over Johnny. In one episode it gets especially clear…I’m really looking forward to seeing where the creators plan to take this in season two.
OK, what happens in this half, then? Well, in episode eight (
Netherworld
) Johnny gets to live an alternative life. Here he is married to Sarah and they have two children together. This is one of the most interesting episodes because you get to see how Johnny’s life would have been if the accident hadn’t happened.
In episode nine (
The Siege
) Johnny ends up in a bank robbery situation and has to save the day. Here he gets to see the future (which isn’t really that fun) and when he knows what will happen he has to change it…and in the process save his own and Sarah’s life.
Episode ten (
Here There Be Monsters
) has a title that gets you to think of King’s short story “Here There Be Tygers”…the episode has nothing to do with King’s story though. In episode ten Johnny is charged with being a witch. It goes so far that Johnny is tied to a stake by the townsfolk, who are about to set the wood underneath him on fire…
In episode eleven (
Dinner With Dana
) big things happen to Johnny. Here he gets to have sex for the first time since his accident. I won’t tell you whom he has it with though. As the title indicates, Johnny does have dinner with Dana (the reporter from Bangor Daily News) and when he does he experiences really funny visions. He sees Walt, Sarah, Bruce and Reverend Prudy, and they are all trying to give him advice. This is a really funny episode.
We also get to know a bit about Dana’s past. Up until now she has been a relatively anonymous character, but here she gets a bit more life.
Episode twelve (
Shaman
) answers a really interesting question: what would happen if there were others like Johnny who also had visions? And even better, what if these other people had a vision of Johnny at the same time Johnny had a vision of them? Well, here we get the answer…
The season finale (
Destiny
) is one of the best episodes in the entire season, if you ask me. Here we get to see the segment (from the book) about one of Johnny’s students who wants to go to a “school’s out” party, but can’t because Johnny says the place where it takes place will burn to the ground.
This is interesting, but it is not what makes this episode extremely interesting. This is the episode where Greg Stillson makes his entry! When you see the episode you will recognize the story from the book, but you will also notice that the creators have expanded it a bit. Here Stillson and Johnny’s lives are woven together more and they have created a pattern between them-selves.
The episode ends with a cliffhanger (I don’t think anyone expected anything else, right?) that makes me really eager to see season two. Great work!