Authors: Hans-Ake Lilja
Lilja’s final words about
The Dead Zone - The 2nd Half of Season 1
So, is the second half of the first season of
The Dead Zone
is even better than the first one? Yes, I would say that it is! What I would like to see in the second season is more stories about Reverend Purdy and Greg Stillson. They are both strong characters and I’m fairly certain that we’ll see more of Stillson, but I feel that there is more to Reverend Purdy than meets the eye. This I would like to see.
I would also like to see more connections to King’s work. As I have said before, it would be fun if they put in little connections to other King stories, and it doesn’t have to be just from the book. This would be candy to us die-hard King fans!
So, all that is left to say is that if you missed the first season of
The Dead Zone
, watch the reruns, and if you did see it, don’t miss season two! I know I won’t!
****
The Dead Zone (DVD)
Posted: November 3, 2002
Finally, all of the people who didn’t have the chance to see the TV series version of
The Dead Zone
get the chance to see it. Well, at least part of it. Lionsgate is releasing the series’s first two episodes on DVD on November 5th. The rest of the first season’s episodes will also be out on DVD, but not for a while. That DVD will be released in March 2003.
Why the first two episodes then? Well, it’s easy. They are parts one and two of a longer story (the story about the Castle Rock Strangler) and it would be a big mistake not to include both parts on this DVD. Why not put all of season one on the DVD then? Well, on that question, I don’t have an answer. Maybe it’s money-related, maybe it’s legal- related, maybe it’s because they feel that releasing it separately does the story about the Castle Rock Strangler more justice. I don’t know.
Personally, I don’t mind. I have a feeling that we will get more extra stuff this way and that is good! On this DVD there is some really interesting stuff, which I’ll get to in a minute.
Is this DVD something for the ones who have already seen the series, then? Won’t the episodes I have recorded give me the same thing, you might ask? Well, they won’t. Let me tell you why.
On this DVD you get (as I said earlier) some really interesting things…things that you won’t have on your tape at home. One thing you get is an interview with Michael Piller in which he talks about the upcoming second season. He doesn’t tell the exact story, but he reveals some things that will happen in the course of the second season. Among the things he mentions is what course the Greg Stillson story will go. He also mentions that the second season will be a mix of scary, sexy and shocking stories…interesting…
Another interesting thing on this DVD is an alternative ending that they shot for the second episode. We get to see the clip, and Shawn Piller also comments on it. This ending is more action-like, but I’m happy that they went with the one you see in the finished movie. It’s interesting to see it though, to see what they had planned for Frank…
You also get a featurette in which you get to see a bit behind-the-scenes and hear comments from Anthony Michael Hall, Nicole deBoer, the other actors/actresses and the series creators. This gives you an interesting insight to the production of the series. It’s a short one, but definitely an interesting one.
Other things you get are some U.S. TV promos, audio commentaries and subtitle selection. Anyone who has watched other DVDs will know that the audio commentaries are really fun. Here we get Anthony Michael Hall, Michael Piller, Rob Lieberman, Niclole deBoer and Chris Bruno. They are all sitting around (that’s what it sounds like, anyway) and commenting on things as the movie roles along. This is really fun to listen to!
So, you see? This really is a DVD for both the ones who have seen the series on TV and the ones who haven’t. OK, OK, you might say. What about the story then? Is that any good? Yes! It is. In this review I have purposely excluded all talk about the story itself. Why, you ask. Well, that’s because I have already reviewed the entire first season. You can find those reviews elsewhere in this book.
Lilja’s final words about
The Dead Zone
(DVD)
On the DVD they say that
The Dead Zone
is the first TV series based on characters by Stephen King. Well, that isn’t entirely true. In 1991 there was a TV series called
Golden Years
on CBS. This was the first TV series based on characters by Stephen King. Unfortunately,
Golden Years
was dropped after just seven episodes, so
The Dead Zone
is the first TV series based on characters by Stephen King that has been a success!
Don’t miss this DVD!
****
The Dead Zone - The 1st Half of Season 2
Posted: April 1, 2003
So,
The Dead Zone
has now started (and almost finished) its second season. I have taken a look at the first half of the season and written down some thoughts about it. My thoughts on the second half of the season will follow shortly.
I guess it was no surprise that the series got a green light for a second season considering how well the first one did. Still, I’m a bit surprised at how good
The Dead Zone
really is. As I have told you earlier I was a bit skeptical of the idea of doing an ongoing series based on King’s book. I understood that there would have to be stuff in it that wasn’t in the book and normally I don’t like that. After seeing 1½ seasons of
The Dead Zone
I’m convinced—it can be done with good results!
The Dead Zone
is
good!
So, what can we expect from the first half of the second season? Well, I’m extremely happy to say that the Greg Stillson saga continues from the start. Already in the season premier (
Valley of the Shadow
) Greg and Johnny continue to take on each other. Stillson suspecting that Johnny can be a problem and Johnny getting more and more convinced that he has to do something. The question is, what?
In the season premier we also get to see how a man who wanted Johnny to use his powers kidnaps a child. The reason he does it is to test Johnny’s abilities.
Episode 2 (
Descent
) is part one of a two-part story (this is the first two-parter if you don’t count the season one pilot). We go inside a mine (that was once owned by Johnny’s grandfather) where there has been a cave-in. Some teenagers are caught and they desperately need Johnny’s help.
It ends with a real cliffhanger, in which Walt is hit by falling stones and Johnny has a vision of his funeral…
In episode 3 (
Ascent
) we get the conclusion of what started in episode two. Johnny is being hooked up with Walt at the hospital and goes inside his brain. By doing so he saves Walt from dying or falling into a coma (like Johnny did) for a long time.
What seems like an easy thing to do (after all, what could be easier than helping your friend) turns out being harder than Johnny thought. Johnny knows that if Walt dies he and Sarah will get back together again…
In episode four (
The Outsider
) Johnny starts to get visions through the TV. This has never happened before, and at first Johnny gets really scared. As it turns out, this is an unusual way for Johnny to get his visions, but it does serve a purpose.
He gets it during a commercial for a drug called Revivatin, and what he sees is that this drug will cause birth defects to an extreme number of kids in the future. Johnny’s purpose is to stop the drug before it’s too late…
In episode five (
Precipitate
) Johnny gets a blood transfusion after being hit by a car while saving a kid from being run over.
As it turns out, he got blood from a total of six other people and now he has visions of one of them dying. Without knowing who they are or what they look like, he has to stop the death of one of them before it’s too late.
In episode six (
Scars
) Johnny once again tries to stop Stillson, and he does it by trying to help his opponent, Harrison Fisher, get elected, and by doing that prevents Stillson from winning. He helps Fisher by finding out (through visions) what Stillson is going to say and ask in a debate between the two contestants.
In the process he also gets some unwanted visions from Fisher’s time in Vietnam…
Episode six is also the time when Johnny gets to ask the classic line from the book, “If you could go back in time, would you kill Hitler?”
Lilja’s final words about
The Dead Zone - The 1st Half of Season 2
Overall, I would say that season two is even better than season one so far. I’m extremely happy that Stillson gets so much time in the series. He is an ongoing part of Johnny’s life, and that’s just how I want it. And I’m really impressed with Sean Patrick Flanery’s performance. He is perfect for this role!
If you have missed some of the episodes of
The Dead Zone
(both seasons one and two), then keep an eye out for the reruns. You
don’t
want to miss this series!
****
The Dead Zone - The 2nd Half of Season 2
Posted: May 12, 2003
As promised, here are my thoughts on the second half of the second season of
The Dead Zone
. As it turned out, season two went from thirteen episodes to twelve when
The Hunt
(originally
The Hunt for Osama
) episode was canceled. The script for it is available on the official site though, and after reading it I really hope that USA Network changes its mind and airs it! It’s a good episode in which Johnny is called in by the U.S. government to try to find Osama Bin Laden, if he is still alive.
Later, season two went from twelve episodes to eighteen when USA Network ordered six more episodes. These will air this summer, and once they have I will give you my thoughts on those as well. But for now, let’s get on with episodes seven through twelve of season two.
In episode seven (
Misbegotten
) Johnny gets kidnapped by some people who want to solve the mystery of a murder and at the same time do a
Blair Witch
-type movie. They think that Johnny can bring out the ghosts via his visions. They are in for a
big
surprise though. This is actually one of the best episodes I have seen so far, and that says something!
In episode eight (
Cabin Pressure
) Johnny gets the ultimate nightmare vision. He and Reverend Purdy are on a plane when Johnny first sees the engine explode and then a big hole appears in the airplane’s side. Can you imagine the panic? Johnny even knows when it will happen. In other words, he knows how he will die and when. I guess I’m not giving away too much by saying that he doesn’t die, right? I won’t spoil it by telling you how he survives though…
In episode nine (
The Man Who Never Was
) Johnny gets more and more isolated and lonely. Everyone wants something from him and he isn’t feeling safe. Then, when his groceries are mixed up with another customer’s, he gets a vision of an old man who is as lonely as he is. After having a vision of himself disappearing, he looks up the old man.
When he returns the next day an entirely different family is living in the house and no one seems to know what he is talking about when he says an old man used to live there. After some research Johnny finds the answers by himself. The old man isn’t just any old man…
In episode ten (
Dead Men Tell Tales
) Johnny gets involved in the Mafia. While shopping he sees a man coming in and shooting the storeowner. He warns him about it and the owner and his two companions kill the intruder. What Johnny didn’t see though is that the owner is a Mafia boss who, after surviving the attack, gets his eyes on Johnny. He wasn’t able to help him find out who wanted him dead and why. The reason isn’t what you would expect though—it’s actually something as simple as love.