The Dead Zone

[justin]

The third series of this program has just started over in the UK so I thought it was about time it had a thread.



It's based on the book of the same name by Stephen King. It's about a science teacher, Johny Smith, who after being in a car accident is in a coma for almost six years. He wakes up to find that he has psychic powers.



Most of the episodes are stand alone stories but there is an arc story revolving around Johny's visions that armageddon is coming and that a politician Greg Stilson will be involved. In the book Johny responded to these visions by trying to assassinate Greg. In one episode we find out that the reason why he hasn't in the series is due to his relationship with his physiotherapist Bruce.



One of the things I like about this series is the way it explores how the smallest changes can have a massive impact on the future. For example in the first episode Johny has a vision of one of his nurses being killed by a serial killer and tries to phone her to warn her. the fact that her phone is ringing when she gets home causes her to run from her car to her house, and thereby avoids the killer, who was waiting outside her house for an opportunity to grab her.



It also explores the fact that trying to change the future can have a negative effect sometimes. for instance when the killer fails to get the nurse he goes looking for another victim. So Johny has to face the fact that while he saved one person, he also caused the death of someone else.



So are there any other DZ fans out there?

"VOOM"?!? Mate, this bird wouldn't "voom" if you put four million volts through it! 'E's bleedin' demised! - The Parrot Sketch

[urnofosiris]

I saw this show for the first time 4 weeks ago. It is on Dutch TV at an absurd hour (midnight on sunday). I have yet to look up which season they are airing here.

I had missed the opening credits the first time and I saw a woman I thought was Nicole de Boer. Without the spots I wasn´t sure it was her and I was wrecking my brain who that guy was. He looked so familiar, so when it was over I quickly googled it and was suprised to discover it was Anthony Michael Hall. Luckily for him those hormones really kicked in.



After having satisfied my curiosity about who was who, I realized I really liked that episode and I made sure to watch the subsequent weeks. In the second episode I saw Johnny was a jury member. Apart from the psychic thing, that episode was a total remake of Twelve Angry Men with Henry Fonda, a truly great movie. I liked the episode well enough, but I would have liked to see an acknowledment in the credits that admitted where the idea came from.



Anyway, I really like this show. I will look up where we´re at and try to download the episodes I have missed and download new eps if we are too far behind here.



Edited to add. goodie, they´re airing season one, I only missed the first 3 episodes.

Edited by: DrG at: 9/10/04 9:45 am

[Kieli]

Garfield, that is indeed Nikki De Boer (hottie that he is ). From what I gather, she plays the ex-girlfriend that still has some feelings for Johnny (husband is the sheriff, yadda yadda yadda) and she helps him out when he gets one of his "premonitions". Nikki seems to have a penchant for the Sci Fi stuff and I'm sorry I didn't get to see this show from the beginning. I came in during Season 2 totally freakin' lost. She does a credible job and even Anthony Michael Hall held my interest. I might try to find some ep downloads to catch up.



Cheers,

Kieli

Time flies by when the Devil drives.
It's not the pace of life that concerns me, it's the sudden stop at the end.

[urnofosiris]

Yeah I know it was her, she looks much better without those spots and that hairdo from ST DS9. She looked more like a teenager on that show than a grown woman.

[BBOvenGuy]

Nicole DeBoer's character isn't just Johnny's ex-girlfriend. She's his ex-fiancée. What's more, the kid that she and her husband Walt are raising is actually Johnny's son. She'd been pregnant when Johnny had his accident.



It's been a big part of the ongoing storyline. I'd go into details, but I can't remember how to do the spoiler font.

"The stories we tell - that's us explaining how we think the world works. Once we speak it, once we say it aloud, that makes it real for us - and real for everyone else who hears it too. When we tell a story, we invite people to visit our reality. We invite them to move in. Our stories are the reality we live in." - David Gerrold, The Martian Child

Edited by: BBOvenGuy  at: 9/10/04 10:19 am

[Kieli]

See this is what happens when you miss the whole damn first season. I see they're taking a few liberties with the book....but I guess they're doing a decent enough job with adapting Steven King's original. Now if I can only get Kazaa to agree with me



I loved Nikki as Ezri Dax. I just think that ST: DS9 sold her character short after killing off Jadzia. I just wasn't really prepared to accept her at first. Jadzia rocked my world and I was very into her character after they allowed her to loosen up a bit. I loved Ezri in her own right...but that whole Julian/Ezri plotline drove me mad. Ok, I have to stop or else I'll be treading on the toes of the Star Trek thread

Time flies by when the Devil drives.
It's not the pace of life that concerns me, it's the sudden stop at the end.

Edited by: Kieli at: 9/10/04 10:28 am

[MaClayMagic]

I have watched "The Dead Zone" from the minute its first season appeared on the Sci fi channel here in the UK. It follows reasonably closely to the book and film with the whole Senator that is going to bring about the end of the world storyline (Greg Stillson...not G.W.Bush funnily enough!) For those who can use region 1 dvds, there are seasons 1 and 2 available from the USA. I have just gotten season 2. I love how they do the special effects for this show. How time slows up in Johnny's visions and he can walk around people and see what is happening. Anthony Michael Hall came a long way from his "Breakfast Club" look! A second season episode brought him back together with Ally Sheedy, and the whole episode showed that fate sometimes just cannot be changed, no matter how much Johnny tries to alter what he sees. Season 3 has just started and already I'm hooked! This is my favourite tv show, written with care by writers who know their genre and their fans!

Wake up, Neo...

[justin]

Quote:

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It follows reasonably closely to the book and film with the whole Senator that is going to bring about the end of the world storyline (Greg Stillson...not G.W.Bush funnily enough!)

---

There are other paralells between the show and reality. for instance in one episode Johny tries to stop Stillson by helping his political rival Senator Harrison, only to uncover secrets about the senator's conduct in Vietnam which result in the senator pulling out of the election



BTW Reverand Purdy is played by David Ogden Stiers, who played Major Winchester in M*A*S*H and who hasn't seemed to have changed much since then.



Also, since there seems to be a few Nicole De Boer fans here, you might be interested to know she was also in the film The Cube.

"VOOM"?!? Mate, this bird wouldn't "voom" if you put four million volts through it! 'E's bleedin' demised! - The Parrot Sketch

[BBOvenGuy]

Quote:

---

I loved Nikki as Ezri Dax. I just think that ST: DS9 sold her character short after killing off Jadzia.

---

Yeah, but they were kind of stuck, because everybody knew going in that it was the last season. There was only so much they could do with a new character in the middle of a very large cast and a very involved storyline that had been going on for six years. In that light, I actually thought Ezri got a lot more screen time than she could have gotten.



But to get the thread back on-topic , I will direct your attention to SciFi Wire, which reports that The Dead Zone has been picked up for a fourth season.

"The stories we tell - that's us explaining how we think the world works. Once we speak it, once we say it aloud, that makes it real for us - and real for everyone else who hears it too. When we tell a story, we invite people to visit our reality. We invite them to move in. Our stories are the reality we live in." - David Gerrold, The Martian Child

[Kieli]

Hmm...some interesting tidbits. I really need to go scrounging around and find how I can get my hands on Seasons 1 and 2 for a good price. Any suggestions?

Time flies by when the Devil drives.
It's not the pace of life that concerns me, it's the sudden stop at the end.

[angel of salvation]

Wooooooo fourth season. I love The Dead Zone.

I started watching it randomly on sci fi then got hooked, a guy has an accident then turns practically psychic? Thats the program for me.

As for suggestions for finding the first and second season...it kinda depends where you are in the world for my adivce to work but...shops like HMV and MVC are known for having old series' on VHS and DVD. Although they're at reatil price so its something like £30 odd for a set of DVD's etc. Go figure...*rolls eyes*



Jess xxx

"We've never been so many, and we've never been...so alone"-Ana Johnnson

[MaClayMagic]

Kieli, try the following place:



http://www.playusa.com



The complete first season sells there for $48.99 delivered, complete season two for $46.99 delivered, and there's even the tv pilot (which I'm guessing is the one that didn't air and was a sneaky addition to the first release of the dvds if you sent off a special card) for $31.49 delivered. (In my oppinion, don't bother with it, the aired pilot was miles better with better actors...the original Rev Purdy was not Mr Stiers.)

For the Brits amongst us, go to the brilliant

http://www.loaded247.co.uk and head to the region 1's. This is where I got my discs from for £24.99 season 1 and £22.99 for season 2, free delivery!

They have been told they can go ahead for a 4th season? Excellent news!!! Go Johnny!

Wake up, Neo...

[justin]

I'm ressurecting this thread due to the fact I've finally been able to get the first series on DVD. Last time I looked (which, admittiedly, was when this thread was last active) it wasn't available on region 2 DVDs.

Which means I've actually gotten to see the start of the first episode.

I have to admit to feeling a bit depressed when I see the logo at the end, since it reminds me about the fact that Michael Pillar died last year :(

[urnofosiris]

Is this show still running? They aired it on Dutch TV at an impossibly late hour and then they just stopped. I really liked the show so maybe I will get the DVDs.

[BBOvenGuy]

Is this show still running? They aired it on Dutch TV at an impossibly late hour and then they just stopped. I really liked the show so maybe I will get the DVDs.

I believe there are plans for another season (probably of 13 episodes) to run on USA over the summer. They had a Christmas special back in December, so I figure they've got to be planning for more.

[BBOvenGuy]

SciFi Wire reports that The Dead Zone has been cancelled.

Not that much of a surprise. The last season was really bad...