Greg Stillson and Johnny Smith working together, what’s next? Cats and dogs walking paw in paw? Who says the end of the world is not near. The Latest , “Reentry,” has a premise that makes any die hard
The Dead Zone fan – like myself – bristle: Johnny Smith actually helping Greg Stillson. Sure, the death of Janus seems to have put Armageddon on hold, and practically every evil act - besides arrogance - Greg Stillson has committed has wound up being attributed to one of his lackeys. Still, a Greg Stillson and Johnny Smith alliance brings thoughts of water skies and carnivorous fishies. Thankfully,
Dead Zone did not go there.
“Reentry” is still a frustrating episode in a few ways. One, it reminds us how in some peoples eyes Johnny’s psychic riffs are as much the real thing as the air we breathe. This is the Achilles’ heel for
The Dead Zone. Sometimes Johnny’s abilities are integrated in a way that would under any examination provide incontrovertible proof that his abilities are real. Other times, like last weeks “Ego,” we can see where subtle extrapolation and a keen, yet unconscious, faculty for calculating the obvious are behind it all as far as the skeptics are concerned.
What irks many fans, myself included, is that we shift these gears far too often throughout the course of a season. Granted, as proven last week and this week as well,
The Dead Zone continues to deliver interesting plots without its central gimmick, the visions themselves, becoming too contrived.
This time around, it was a private spaceflight stranded in the atmosphere and in grave danger. A set of dog tags provided Johnny with the link to the Captain of the ailing spacecraft, and also allowed Johnny to roam around in outers space a bit as he worked up a solution for the doomed crew.
What I wanted to know going into this episode of
The Dead Zone was whether we would see a changed Stillson. Now that he is free from the grips of his corrupt father, right hand man, and the nefarious Janus, would Stillson be coming into his own as one of the good guys? Surprisingly, we got to see a level headed, in control, evil free Stillson from tip to toe in this episode. Does this mean Stillson had turned to the light side? Thankfully, according to Johnny the answer is not a chance.
It was a relief to see Johnny still holding on to his cynicism of Stillson. After all, even though the series has become tangential to the Stephen King novel, in the book Stillson was an evil person whose trade was putting on an angelic guise. He was the snake in the grass, the wolf in sheep’s clothing, the serpent in the apple tree. Like all of King’s villains Stillson had a charisma and power that completely masked his intent.
Despite it’s many deviations, there can be little doubt that the series is handling this one aspect in the spirit of the novel. In that light, an appreciative Stillson offering Johnny a warm handshake can be one of the creepiest expressions of his true nature. Now, we just have to wait for Stillson’s nightfall.
- Jon Lachonis, BuddyTV Senior Writer
(image Courtesy USA)