Title: The Dead Zone: Second
Season Premiere: “Valley Of The Shadow”
Stars: Anthony Michael Hall,
Nicole deBoer, David Ogden Stiers, John L. Adams, Chris Bruno, Kristen Dalton,
and Sean Patrick Flanery
Based On Characters From The
Novel By: Stephen King
Executive Producers: Michael
Piller and Lloyd Segan
Running Time: 44 minutes
without commercials
Media: USA Network Original
Television Series Second Season Premiere (NTSC VHS Screener)
World Premiere: Sunday,
January 5, 2003, at 8pm (ET/PT)
Network: USA Network
Television (Check your local cable/satellite listings for channel)
TV Rating: TBA
Reviewer: Mark A. Rivera
When we last saw Johnny Smith
(Anthony Michael Hall), he had a vision of Armageddon when the Reverend Purdy
(David Ogden Stiers) introduced him to the ambitious right wing
congressional candidate Greg Stillson (Sean Patrick Flannery.) Since his meeting
with Stillson, Johnny has become obsessed with him and the terrible vision he
foresaw upon their first handshake. Turning up at fundraisers, Johnny is
beginning to come across a bit strange to others, which is saying a lot since
people are already spooked, befuddled, and in wonder regarding his powers.
However since his initial meeting with Stillson, Johnny seems to have lost his
ability for to interpret anything else, but relive that single vision that has
horrified him.
In this moment of confusion
and doubt where even the media has begun to question Johnny’s miraculous
gifts, he is called upon to assist in a kidnapping case. The kidnapper knows
more about Johnny than Johnny does about him and unless Johnny can find a way to
put aside his shocking revelation, he may never be able save the boy’s life
who hangs in balance between our world and the dead zone of Johnny’s
unconscious.
“Valley Of Shadow” jumps
right into season two with a brand new mystery for Johnny to solve while opening
other mysteries regarding Johnny’s abilities and the nature of fate. The
kidnapper uses biblical references to taunt Johnny and appears obsessed with
pushing Johnny to the limits of his abilities in a deadly game of cat and mouse,
which serves as an odd doppelganger of sorts to Johnny’s obsession with
Stillson. Could the devil be just as obsessed as with God’s soldier as God’s
soldier is with him? Are Johnny’s powers truly a gift from God? All theology
questions aside, Sean Patrick Flannery plays “Stillson” as a man who is
using the religious right and the ruse of resurrecting some idealistic past to
gain support, but we do not know enough about him in the context of the series
to ascertain whether he is truly a dangerous man with evil intentions or a man
who believes what he is doing is the right thing? How can we know for certain
that Johnny’s vision is indeed a correct one? Maybe Johnny’s actions are
what will cause what he saw or maybe it is his inaction? We have no more of a
definitive understanding of Johnny’s role in this vision than he does and that
is how it should be. Remember this is a dramatic series inspired by Stephen
King’s novel and not a strict adaptation or an extended remake for television.
I am guessing that season two
will at least in part be more about Johnny discovering himself rather than
discovering someone else’s role in some crime or something. The implications
and speculations are left wide open from this point on, but unless you can pick
out story clues the way a professional gambler counts cards in Vegas, I advise
viewers not to take anything they see for granted because it appears that “The
Dead Zone: Season Two” is more about appearance vs. reality than finding the
needle in the haystack.
“The Dead Zone: Second
Season Premiere: Valley Of Shadow” will debut on Sunday, January 5, 2003, at
10pm (ET/PT) on the USA Cable Network and will be followed by brand new episodes
thereafter in this time slot with a two-part story following a week after the
premiere.
© Copyright 2002 By Mark A.
Rivera
All Rights Reserved.
