fter a record-setting first season that began with Anthony Michael Hall's character Johnny Smith waking up from a six-year-long coma with psychic abilities and ended with his vision of a future armageddon, The Dead Zone continued in its second year to follow Johnny on his journey to further understand his powers and find his place in the world.
The lingering love triangle among Johnny, his former fiance Sarah (deBoer) and her husband, Sheriff Walt Bannerman (Chris Bruno) is diffused early in the season in "Descent" and "Ascent," a two-part story arc involving a rescue operation inside an old mineshaft that results in a newfound understanding and temporary truce between Johnny and Walt. Johnny also begins to open himself up to new romantic possibilities with reporter Dana Bright (recurring guest star Kristen Dalton) and, in the episode "Deja Voodoo," with a beautiful, mysterious woman played by 24's Reiko Aylesworth.
The issue of Johnny's increasing notoriety as a psychic is one of the season's most frequently recurring motifs. Episodes such as "Valley of the Shadow," in which a disturbed kidnapper challenges Johnny to a battle of wills, "Misbegotten," guest-starring Tracey Gold as a desperate fan, and "The Combination," in which Johnny's pubic prediction about a boxing match does more harm than good, deal with the ramifications of Johnny's celebrity status and explore the dark side of fame.
Taking a cue from the Stephen King book on which the series is based, the writers also delve deeper into the character of Greg Stillson (recurring guest star Sean Patrick Flanery), a congressional candidate and the possible cause of the end of the world. Johnny's obsession with the future becomes a season-long arc, culminating in the finale episode, "Visions," in which a man from the future (guest star Frank Whaley) forces Johnny to face the grim possibility that he may be somehow responsible for the events in his cataclysmic vision.
A clear vision continues
With the scarcity of quality scripted series on network television, shows like The Dead Zone have found fertile ground in the realm of satellite/cable channels such as USA, and viewers have paid attention. When the series premiered in June of 2002, it broke ratings records as the most-watched dramatic series debut ever. The producers followed it up in 2003 with the highest-rated second-season premiere of an original dramatic basic cable series. The name recognition and a familiarity with both the Stephen King novel and the movie version starring Christopher Walken may have gotten the attention of viewers in the beginning, but it's the show's winning combination of star power and intriguing storylines that have kept them coming back.
As producers Michael Pillar and Lloyd Segan explain in an appreciative note included in the special features (followed by a thank-you to each of the "1,600 individuals who help make the show possible"), the original second-season order was for 12 episodes only, but due to the show's continued success, the network ordered seven more. Thus, the broadcast of the second season was divided into the first 12 episodes (culminating in "Zion") and the final "summer seven" episodes, which are intended to be more sexy and action-packed.
Hall continues to lead the show ably, possessing a dry wit and charisma, while still maintaining an subtle aura of menace. DeBoer has improved as an actress since the first season, as has Bruno, but maybe it just seems that way because they've been given more complex storylines this season. The revolving door of unexpected and talented guest stars such as Robert Culp, Tracey Gold, Louis Gossett Jr. and Hall's fellow Breakfast Club alum Ally Sheedy also helps to make the show feel fresh and keeps it from being bogged down by a potentially formulaic premise.
This collection features an nice array of special features, spread evenly among all five discs, each of which has a slightly different interface. The packaging is well designed, with helpful episode synopses and screenshots. Hall participates in a number of commentaries, as do many of the guest stars. Interviews with cast and crew, storyboards and deleted scenes are also plentiful and informative.
