Rating: 
Summary: The Dead Zone continuing into greatness...
Review: After I'd finished watching the entire first season DVD set and started reading people's opinions here of this 2nd-season set, I paid no attention to the negative reviews because I loved the first season so much, but for me the second season is definitely a mixed bag, more so than the first at least. The majority of the episodes are good and there are even a few really outstanding episodes (i.e. Precipitate/The Man Who Never Was/Deja Voodoo/The Hunt), but there are also some very average, if not really uninspired episodes too.
The first 3 episodes in particular do no justice to the over-all quality of the season- it's not that they don't follow on from the season 1 cliffhanger (armageddon), as that is satisfactorily drawn-out across the entire season- it's more that these episodes just feel direction-less and don't make enough of a statement about Jonny's gift or people's reaction to his now-renowned supernatural dead zone. Where this season really shines though is in the guest appearances, which are so brilliantly cast and also add a great deal to their respective episodes- Robert Culp and Reiko Aylesworth are my personal favorites of the many guest-actors and are in my favourite episodes of this season too. And both of these episodes again prove how well this show can do drama and science-fiction, personal stories and action, equally well.
The season finale episode 'Visions', although entertaining and an advance of the continuing armageddon story, is a bit of a dissappointment after it was alluded to for so long running up to the finale. It doesn't leave us knowing anything more than we knew already and also is cut ridiculously short, which made me mad, although I guess also wanting more, which is a good thing. In summary this is the dead zone we know and love, and while I loved having 19 episodes rather than 13, some episodes could easily have been cut from the season without disrupting the flow of Jonny's on-going story. But as the final credits rolled of the final episode, I admit I was feeling more than ever a great admiration for this high-quality show that continues to surprise...
Rating: 
Summary: Beats the hell out of the first season!
Review: Ahhhh... the Dead Zone season two. A high point not just in T.V in general, but in the shows own history as well. Season one set a new high-water mark for one-hour thriller/drama series everywhere; it was fresh, innovative and clever, and season two took things to the next level. It did what season one did, only better, and without any bad episoides either (season one had a couple of below-par episoides).
From the opener, it's clear that this season is going to be something special, if it can keep up the pace. And it does. Just when you think it can't possibly get any better, it does, crossing a wide range of genres at the same time, yet still remaining true to form. There is horror (the episoide where Johnny gets kidnapped and taken to a decrepid farm house by three young film makers, who, in turn are being stalked by a psychotic killer who killed a family in the same house years ago. A breathtaking and, occasionally, disturbing episoide.) and emotional episoides (one stands out in particular; 'Playing God', where Johnny tries to stop one of his friends from dying, but, whatever he does, cannot change the eventual outcome) and even one episoide devoted more or less entirely to Johnny's side-kick Bruce. This is a very confusing episode, but one of my favourites.
Of course, all this is building up to the eventual finale, which was, quite frankly, stunning, and set things up perfectly for season three. If the writers handle the possibilites it opened up well, then i have no doubt that season three will be fantastic.
All in all, season two is a great buy; the acting is still superb (especially from Anthony Michale Hall), the writing is innovative and the direction is fresh and crisp. Anyone who enjoyed season one will love this, and, as for anyone who hasn't seen the Dead Zone before, well, this is still a fantastic buy, although it would be a good idea to buy season one first to catch up to speed with whats going on.
overall, amazing, and leaves you unable to wait for season three. I know i can't wait.
Rating:
Summary: Step In To The Dead Zone
Review: First Off A Gentle Reminder
The Dead Zone - 3rd Season Starts 6/6/04Get your hands on the Second Season of one
of the best written shows on TV today. What
other show gives you almost immediate access
to their scripts so that you can watch the
episode again and compare script to scene? Special features include commentary on all 13 episodes
Five behind-the-scenes featurettesaabout the genesis of the series, writing, visual effects, guest stars, and music
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, Wide Screen Format
Interactive menus with series star Anthony Michael Hall
Rating:
Summary: Great series for Sci-Fi / Horror / Mystery
Review: I have been waiting for a combination of all the things I love. Sci-Fi, Horror / Mystery and more. Johnny's life is complicated with all he see's past and future. I only wish I could realy see him together with someone like Dana. When I saw Dana and Johnny together in bed before going upstairs I knew the background was realy Dana's place. I just wish we would get past the guy who might cause WW 3. Then we could see Johnny's life from a new angle.
I won't give up on this show like others because I look at life combipicated, but not as Johnny see's it.
I am glad they put it out so soon, taping it was a drag.
Rating:
Summary: GREAT SHOW!!!!!
Review: I love this show... the acting is pretty good and I find the plots of the episodes to be very effective and enjoyable... this is the sci-fi type show I was hoping for after the X Files ended....
Rating:
Summary: Another gripping season
Review: I loved the book and the movie. I never miss the series. Even reruns are tremendous. In this season, several episodes are standouts. "Deja Voodoo" and "The Hunt" were dynamite episodes worth watching over and over again. "The Hunt" shows remote viewing, which is the ability to "see" things from a distant location. I had read about government use of remote viewing some 15 years ago! What they showed in this episode was similar to what I had read. Here is a brief episode guide, which I hope will be helpful.
1. Valley of the Shadow: The kidnapper of a CEO's son is obsessed with Johnny.
2. Descent(1): Several teenagers are lost in an abandoned mine owned by Johnny's grandfather.
3. Ascent (2): Johnny psychically enters Walt's coma.
4. The Outsider: Johnny has a vision that a skin cream is responsible for severe birth defects in the future.
5. Precipitate: After Johnny is given a blood transfusion from 6 donors, he has visions of their lives.
6. Scars: Stillson's political rival is a war veteran. Guest star (gs): Gerald McRaney
7. Misbegotten: Three women kidnap Johnny and take him to a house where a family was killed.
8. Cabin Pressure: Johnny has a vision that the jet he is on will crash.
9. The Man Who Never Was: After a delivery person leaves an item belonging to a shut-in, Johnny gets a vision that he is disappearing. gs: Robert Culp.
10. Dead Men Tell Tales: Johnny saves the life of a mob boss and ends up in the middle of a mafia dispute.
11. Playing God: Johnny has a vision that a friend will die in a car accident. Every vision shows a worse outcome, whenever Johnny tries to save her. gs: Ally Sheedy.
12. Zion: Bruce's father has died and Bruce comes face to face with an unresolved past. gs: Louis Gossett, Jr.
13. The Storm: While Bruce is trying to bring Johnny to an intervention, Johnny has visions of a massive storm.
14. Plague: Johnny "sees" a high school science fair during which a deadly illness spreads to the children.
15. Deja Voodoo: Johnny has a vision of a romantic encounter with a beautiful woman that ends in her death. (Especially good and unpredictable.)
16. The Hunt: Johnny participates in remote viewing sponsored by the CIA. Osama Bin Laden as a target is implied but never spoken. (Gripping episode.)
17. The Mountain: Johnny has a vision that a plane with valuable cargo had crashed in the mountains.
18. The Combination: Johnny's vision is that a boxer will die during a fight.
19. Visions: A man from the future asks for Johnny's help.
Rating:
Summary: Getting better all the time
Review: I really liked the first season of The Dead Zone. The writers were able to win me over despite my fears of what they would do to the story.
I *loved* the second season.
The show really comes into its own in these episodes. In particular, fans of the book and/or the movie should take note. This season marks the departure from the original storyline, and it is done in a brilliant and very respectful way about half-way into this collection.
The writers have again done a masterful job of giving us a glimpse into what the life of a psychic must be like. These characters feel very real to me, and the emotional impact of many of the episodes was all the more immediate because of that. Every episode takes Johnny into new and interesting dimensions of his power and his life and I, for one, was thrilled to go along for the ride.
Rating:
Summary: Great episodic plots remind me of DS:9
Review: If there is one thing the Pillers have brought over from their days of producing Deep Space 9 (other than Nicole de Boer, that is), it is their propensity to select some of the best writers in the TV business. I found every episode entertaining and surprisingly well researched --SPOILER ALERT: (The use of the "Finnegan Shift" in Episode 18, The Combination. The use of Icing as a plausible aircraft problem in Episode 8, Cabin Pressure. The use of microchips as the ephemeral fortune in Episode 17, The Mountain). END SPOILER ALERT-- The series plot line is well insterspersed with the one off "guest star" episodes to keep the characters flying in formation towards an ever more solidifying series denouement. Its nice to have a TV series with well established beginning, body, and end points. The series also does a great job with displaying the incredulity of persons (Think Stephen Toblowski in Episode 14, The Plague) not familiar with Johnny's abilities versus the ready acceptance of those who are familiar with them. That said the series needs to be very careful not to devolve into situations where the supporting cast follows Johnny around constantly asking him "What did you see? What did you see?"
Best part of the series is the writing, however the acting isn't half bad either. Michael Hall's performances are about 95% great with the remainder as short bursts of head scratchingly wooden line reading. Season 1 viewers would be familiar with this as Hall can emote with heart wrenching sorrow (as when Sarah informs him of her marriage to Walt in the series opener) but also at times suck the life out of an outstanding supporting cast performance (As he did with Rev Purdy's "Your Visions Suggest a Destiny" speech and Sarah's "I feel like I've been cheated" speech; both from in the Season 1 finale). This is Hall's series and he runs with it, but the supporting cast is absolutely fabulous and in many scenes (the ones they are allowed to be in!) I'm sorry to admit Hall is often outshone. Of particular note is de Boer's great work in Episode 2, Descent; Adams's fine showing in Episode 12, Zion; Stier's sturdy performance in Episode 8, Cabin Pressure; and Bruno's pathos inspiring turn in Episode 3, Ascent. If there is one thing I would recommend, it would be that the Dead Zone use the supporting cast more. This isn't a series that needs to lean on Guest of the Week performances, as the existing cast is well up to the task. A special nod here goes to the suprisingly menacing presence of Flannery as Stillson in Episode 6, Scars.
Now for the nitpicks.
1. Hall typically uses his character's cane in the right hand, although it is his right leg that has been most injured in his crash. Unless the right leg is almost non functional, the proper use of a hand cane is to use it in conjunction with the opposite side of the body. What I'm saying here is that Johnny should be supporting the weight of his right leg on his left arm and cane. His need to use a cane against the pain of walking is one of the key components of his character and Hall should be careful not to treat it as some prop he can whack stuff with while running around with nary a limp.
2. The fine supporting case is underused, particularly de Boer. Let's not just relegate her as either the conscience torn adulteress or worried lover of Walt and Johnny.
3. I often catch a slight political bias in the writing or commentary of the episode. Good TV should not demonstrate bias. Too often Stillson comes across as a Bush caricature (He is positive that he is on the side of righteousness and aligned with the church although he is the most evil character on the show) -- also of note is the Season 3 Voting fraud insinuation on Stillson. During one of the commentaries where Washington DC is shown in flames one of the voice over personalities says "What happens if Bush is re-elected". If I wanted political bias I'd turn on CBS news. Though in fairness Episode 16, The Hunt, was decidedly "right leaning" (which is probably why some will hate it)
Rating:
Summary: Best Show on Cable
Review: Just bought the box set the other day and finished it in two days. That is 19 episodes of pure genius. Something new every episode while maintaining "The Dead Zone" look. Favorite episode was "Playing God," where Johnny (Anthony Michael Hall) has to decide who lives and who dies. Easily the most emotional episode I have seen on any T.V. show for a while. The DVD presents very good picture, better than some high budget Hollywood DVDs. Even better was the 5.1 Dolby Digital track. The soundtrack remained low key during the moments that occurred in reality and really kicked into gear when Johnny entered "The Dead Zone." I recommend this to all fans, not just science fiction ones. Every episode was great and interesting and it had great heart. Go out and buy this now.
Rating:
Summary: Best Show on Cable
Review: Just bought the box set the other day and finished it in two days. That is 19 episodes of pure genius. Something new every episode while maintaining "The Dead Zone" look. Favorite episode was "Playing God," where Johnny (Anthony Michael Hall) has to decide who lives and who dies. Easily the most emotional episode I have seen on any T.V. show for a while. The DVD presents very good picture, better than some high budget Hollywood DVDs. Even better was the 5.1 Dolby Digital track. The soundtrack remained low key during the moments that occurred in reality and really kicked into gear when Johnny entered "The Dead Zone." I recommend this to all fans, not just science fiction ones. Every episode was great and interesting and it had great heart. Go out and buy this now.
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