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The Dead Zone: Denouement

Johnny: "All this time, we thought he was a puppet. We thought wrong, Gene."

See, I knew Greg was still evil.

How would marrying Sarah have stopped Greg from causing the Apocalypse? Does Greg truly have feelings for her? Would he have tried to be a better man for her sake? Or would she have discovered his true nature and found a way to stop him? (I'm guessing that last one.) After Johnny told her the truth on the phone, I knew Sarah would confront Greg and throw him out, and I actually thought he would hurt her. (Keeping in mind that long ago vision of a woman's bloody hand on a bed.)

We got several more big dramatic payoffs, too. J.J. has been slowly developing psychic abilities of his own, and when Greg knocked him down, J.J. saw Armageddon instead of stars. (Good dramatic timing, because hitting J.J. guaranteed that Sarah would never, ever marry Greg.) The season-long arc about Walt's death was finally resolved, too. Walt's final farewell to Johnny, holding the photo in his hand that he hoped Johnny would touch, was really moving. Yes, I cried. I'm a wuss, what can I tell you.

The revelation about Johnny's father kinda sorta worked, and I didn't expect that. His life as a sort of an imprisoned oracle living in an underground recreation of the Smith mansion was rather sad. For one horrifying moment, I thought they were going to tell us that Greg was Johnny's half-brother, and I just wouldn't have swallowed that. But fortunately, no.

So we had a quasi-happy ending. Johnny and Sarah were reunited, but Armageddon still looms. So I assume we're getting a seventh season?

Bits and pieces:

— Gold acting stars for Anthony Michael Hall. His work in the scene where he found out his father had been alive five years ago was just excellent. He made me feel it, and that was impressive considering how convoluted the subject matter was. Gold stars for Chris Bruno, too; he did a great job in what I can only assume was his final scene.

— In the opener, the woman at the restaurant complimented Greg on his beautiful family. She knew he was the vice president, but not that he was a single man whose fiancee died on their wedding day? With the sort of media circus we have these days? Come on.

— I was ticked at Gene for what he did. Yes, he had valid romantic motivation to let Vera think Herb Smith was dead, but I thought he was a better man than that. Ah, well.

— Johnny hit Sonny Elliman in the face with a shovel. That was satisfying.

— More Visa product placement. Get thee behind me, Satan.

Another terrific season finale. (Obviously, I didn't know at the time that it was the series finale. And the series did end well, didn't it? Except for leaving the Armageddon plot open.)

Four out of four stars,

Billie
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Billie Doux loves good television and spends way too much time writing about it.

7 comments:

  1. just finished, i mean if you cut out armaggeddon plot, it was good finale. Maybe I didn't write before but, I always checked out your reviews Doux. Keep up the good work. (btw sorry for my bad english)

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  2. Karaktersiz Kedi, thanks for your comment and kind words. Yeah, it's not a bad series finale, although it could have been better.

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  3. Thanks for the reviews Billie.

    Fun fact: Tom. Skerrit who played Herb Smith in this episode also played Sherriff Bannerman in the original Cronenberg movie starring Chris Walken as Johnny.

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  4. "For one horrifying moment, I thought they were going to tell us that Greg was Johnny's half-brother, and I just wouldn't have swallowed that. But fortunately, no." I am glad I wasn't the only one cringing and hoping that Greg wasn't related to Johnny, especially when the first thing Herb says is he's watching his son on tv.

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  5. Awesone Season Finale! Very good Series Finale. Still wish the Armageddon plot linked to Greg Stillson’s future got some closure but hey, at least the episode closed on one of the most beautiful scenes in the whole show! Spoiler alert: Sarah tells Johny to go see his son and for the first time ever, we can hear J.J. say: “Hey, Dad” to John. I assume it means Johny and Sarah are back together and I couldn’t have pictured a better happy ending. Also, some shocking discoveries are made, I mean who would’ve thought Stillson was so evil? Going after Purdy and Johny just for knowing too much! I gotta admit I was fooled by his good manners and the quality time he spent with Sarah and J.J. although a part of me disliked it for it felt like he was trying to replace Walt and stab Johny in the back at the same time. The scene where Johny was finally reunited with his father was just beautiful, unfortunately, it didn’t last for very long and J.J. has some psychic abilities of his own just like both his father and grandfather, does that mean the powers are hereditary? Passing from generation to generation? Interesting, could’ve expanded a bit on that in the following season which sadly, didn’t occur. So if I were to rate the episode, I’d give it 9.5/10. Really great episode! Feel free to let me know about your views. I really like what I read so far. Peace out. 🙂

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  6. Like this show very much. There was no bad language and it should be finished. It is a great series!

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  7. I wish there would’ve been a seven season so we can have closure on the Armageddon part.

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