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Johnny Smith (Anthony Michael Hall - Weird Science ) was in a car crash. He came out of a coma to discover that his fiance Sarah ( Nikki DeBoer ) is now married to the local Sheriff. Luckily he has the power to see the future, so he can prevent things before they happen (like Early Edition ).
Johnny hunts a serial killer. Johnny's ability will not let him see the killer's face, but gives him the killer's next target.
Johnny goes to the school to get his old job back. There are no full-time teacher vacancies, so Johnny gets a job as deputy coach of the school's ice-hockey team.
Christopher Masterson (Malcom in the Middle) is the team's best ice-hockey player. He even has a sports scholarship to Princeton lined up. Unfortunately, Johnny has a vision that the boy will drop dead if he plays in the big game.
An Old man wants to find his lost GF from the 1940s. Johnny takes a road trip to New York, to retrace their footsteps.
Sarah ( Nicole de Boer ) is very controlling in this episode, repeatedly interfering in Johnny's life.
Johnny is on jury duty. The 12 angry people include Jim Byrnes ( Highlander ) and Blu Mankuma ( ).
John lives in his family's old house, and has visions of his mother's death. Did Reverend Purdy give her a helping hand, so she would not have time to change her will.
The neighbourhood kids are a nuisance. Can Johnny prevent a tragedy?
Johnny receives a huge dose of a drug. It hits his dead zone, and he hallucinates. He tries to save a junkie Sarah Michelle Gellar lookalike from a murderous thug who looks like James Marsters ( Buffy ).
Johnny wakes up in bed with Sarah ( Nikki DeBoer ). It turns out he was never in a car crash or coma, and is now married with children. However, his superpower is now gone. He can no longer help people by preventing bad futures from happening.
Johnny does not know how he came to be in the alternate universe. At least in this one, Walt is still sheriff - but since Johnny is the head of the Council, Walt is his minion! Unfortunately, while Johnny's mother is still alive she is married to Reverend Purdy.
Will Johnny embrace the new life he lives, complete with wife and kids, or will he sacrifice his own happiness in order to prevent a massive disaster?
Johnny and the sheriff's wife Sarah ( Nikki DeBoer ) are in the local bank when it is taken over by an irate ex-employee.
Johnny tries to alter the lethal outcome by nudging events into a positive timeline. But every outcome looks bad ...
Johnny and Bruce (the token black guy) pass through a small town in New England where there was a double murder and a teenage girl went MIA. Johnny is accused of witchcraft and murder. They are going to burn him at the stake ...
Johnny dates the reporter babe Dana ( Kristen Dalton ). He sees everyone's opinion of her, and his past and present relationship with her. She is not celibate or monogamous because of an abusive childhood. Bloody abstentionist propaganda!
Callum Keith Rennie ( Battlestar Galactica ) is Dana's evil ex-BF Max.
On a trip to the forest, Johnny Smith has visions of an asteroid about to crash. Also, he sees a Native American shaman.
The twist ending shows that this has all been well thought-out. Which is very promising, if future eps are as creative.
Once, when Johnny Smith was a boy, a travelling bible salesman named Stilson dropped by. When Johnny shook hands with the salesman's son, Greg, his Dead Zone was activated ...
Now Johnny has fully invoked his powers, he forsees a terrible fire at a school's Graduation dance. As always, his prediction comes true - but this brings a lot of unwanted Press attention.
In the intervening years, Greg Stilson (Sean Patrick Flannery - Young Indiana Jones Chronicles ) decided that being a Bible salesman was not for him. He became a corrupt politician, and is now running for Congress. Even the Reverend Purdy is taken in by his slick sales-talk, dragging Johnny Smith into the campaign too.
The problem is not that Stilson is a womaniser or an embezzler who uses violence and blackmail to cover up his misdeeds. What makes him a real problem for Johnny Smith is that Smith predicts Stilson will somehow cause Armageddon!
Greg Stilson, the creepy politician (Sean Patrick Flannery - Young Indiana Jones Chronicles ), wants to shag Sarah ( Nikki DeBoer ).
A mysterious adversary kidnaps a young boy to test John Doe. The boy's father (Rob Labelle - First Wave ) is a funder of Reverend Purdy's Faith Heritage Network, so Johnny is under a lot of pressure to solve the crime.
Two pairs of teenagers (including Nicki Clyne ) get lost in the woods. Johnny helps the sheriff track them to an old abandoned mineshaft. They got lost in it, so Johnny leads the sheriff and the rescue team in.
Johnny can run perfectly well without his walking stick. Also, he can see cave-ins before they happen (like in Final Destination ) so he has certain advantages when it comes to Search and Rescue missions.
Johnny owns the mine, inherited from his grandfather (also called John Smith). Unfortunately, Grandfather Smith cut back on safety, and now Johnny must re-live the deaths of a lot of the miners.
Worst of all, Sheriff Walt is now suspicious about his wife's relationship with Johnny. Which one will she choose?
This was written by Robert Hewitt Wolfe - the showrunner's co-worker from Star Trek: DS9 .
Walt is in a Coma. Luckily, his wife still has all the brain surgeons within 500 miles on speed-dial.
Johnny can mind-meld with Walt by touching his skin. Once inside Walt's mind, can he guide him away from the light and back to life again?
Johnny is watching TV, and an advert for a new wonder-drug gives him a vision. When he tells Reverend Purdy, the Reverend points out how Johnny's powers are growing. First he could only predict the future of individuals, then he managed to predict the inferno at the Graduation party ...
The drug will be the new thalidomide, with lethal effects. Unfortunately, the company that makes it will do anything to stay in business. They fight dirty, sending investigators to spy on Johnny. Worse, when Johnny plays his usual tactic of issuing a press release he ends up making it worse by raising brand awareness with the public!
Johnny saves a young boy from a car crash, but ends up hospitalised himself again. He gets a blood transfusion, and discovers that he now has visions of the six donors. One of them will die at exactly 3pm ...
Johnny and Bruce find the public square
where the death will occur.
But they only have two hours to locate the six potential victims:
Greg Stilson (Sean Patrick Flannery - Young Indiana Jones Chronicles ) continues his campaign. He wants to depose Governor Fisher (Gerald McRainey - Jericho ). Naturally, Johnny Smith joins Fisher's campaign staff.
Sarah ( Nikki DeBoer ) thinks it would be wrong for Johnny to use his powers to manipulate or interfere in the election. She has been taken in by Stilson's superficial charm, and forgets the fact that Johnny can see Stilson's true evil. For some reason, she just does not trust Johnny's opinion any more.
It turns out that Fisher has a guilty secret of his own! Johnny is used as a pawn by these two great actors.
John Smith has female stalkers. He is kidnapped by Alicia Coppola and her lesbian lover camerawoman Erin Karplunk for a ghost/serial killer hunt.
Johnny and Reverend Purdy go on a plane. However - surprise, surprise - the plane is going to crash.
Johnny tries to convince the pilot (Peter Wingate - Highlander ) and crew, but they think he is crazy. Worse, he does not know exactly WHY the plane will crash!
Robert Stack ( ) is a mysterious OAP whose groceries get mixed up with Johnny's. What are the chances of there being TWO top-security recluses on the same delivery route in a small town?
Secret agents stalk John Smith. He has psychic flashes of where spies WERE.
Johnny accidentally gets involved in the local underworld. He saves a mobster's life, but the mobster makes him use his gift to find out who is trying to kill him.
The Mob are in a conspiracy with Greg Stilson (Sean Patrick Flannery - Young Indiana Jones Chronicles ) to control the Indian casino. Johnny wins big there, and gets banned.
Johnny has a moral dilemma. One of two guest-star buddies of his will die. Will he save Lochlyn Munro ( Jason vs Freddy ) or Ally Sheedy ?
Sheedy was Anthony Michael Hall's co-star in The Breakfast Club, twenty years previously. Hence, they have to attend a High School Reunion.
Despite these characters being such close friends of Johnny, will they ever appear in later episodes?
Johnny attends the funeral of the token black guy's father (Louis Gosset jnr - Stargate SG-1 ). The old man was a preacher, and raised his son in the Church.
Johnny's vision takes Bruce into an alternate universe. Bruce never left home, and ended up as an Elder in his father's Church. But since Johnny never had Bruce to support his recovery, he became a sociopathic loner who alienated his ex-wife and sued Reverend Purdy for his mother's estate.
At the end of the day, the alternate Johnny follows the path of the Dead Zone Movie . It is understandable that he wants to get rid of Greg Stilson (Sean Patrick Flannery - Young Indiana Jones Chronicles ), but a shame that he is not a very good shot.
Johnny's friends hold an intervention at remote lodge. This is a sequel to the Ally Sheedy ep.
There is an unexpected storm (like the night Johnny was put in the coma). Is it an act of god?
Johnny and Bruce end up hitch-hiking. Luckily, they manage to get a lift with Robert Picardo ( Star Trek: Voyager ) and Jane Lynch !
Johnny discovers his son will contract a mysterious plague. He tracks the epidemic back towards its source, but in the end has to infect himself so he can see the virus's future!
Johnny meets a woman ( Reiko Aylesworth - 24) in a bar. He accidentally touches her, and discovers that she is his love interest for the episode. Unfortunately, she is doomed to get murdered.
Johnny gets several shots at saving her. But can he save her, save himself AND get the girl?
Johnny is recruited by US Intelligence as a Remote Viewer. He is assigned to locate an unnamed man who may be in Tora Bora or Pakistan. This is a wonderful example of how his abilities can be utilised in conjunction with ultra-modern surveillance equipment. He even masters the skill of free-hand doodling while in a vision, so he can sketch what he sees. Strangely, this doesn't pop up much in late eps.
Except for Reverend Purdey's voiceover at the start (announcing this ep is inspired by true events) and for Bruce leaving a message on Johnny's answering machine, none of the other regular cast members play any part in the main plot.
Johnny Smith, the Sheriff, Sarah ( Nikki DeBoer ) and the son are on a camping trip. They go to find a crashed plane with Ranger Andy (Sean Scott Williams - Oz). Ian Tracey ( Continuum ) and his girlfriend come along.
The episode descends into cliche - from Treasure of the Sierra Madre to every B-movie crime thriller in the last few decades. That said, the final scene, when the McGuffin is revealed, is quite impressive.
Johnny predicts that a boxing match will end in tragedy, with one of the fighters being killed in the final round. He tries to cancel the match, which makes the fight promoters take the same kind of action the Pharmaceutical firm did a few episodes ago. Yes, Johnny Smith never learns!
Johnny decides to work with the doomed fighter, trying to give him enough of an edge to stay alive in the bout. Technically this would not count as cheating, as Johnny does not aim to help him WIN, just to SURVIVE. Also, as long as he forgets to place any bets, there is no danger of a Personal Gain clause infraction.
Johnny sees a scabby leprous man (Frank Whalley - Pulp Fiction, Broken Arrow) berating him for ending the world. He has previously appeared in The Storm and the Mountain episodes. But when the leper disappears in the blink of an eye, it appears he was a vision. Then Johnny realises ... the visions are not supposed to see him!
The leper is a flashback from the future, like in the Shaman episode. He is the only survivor of a post-apocalyptic wasteland that Johnny knows will be caused by Greg Stilson (Sean P Flannery - great actor).
The leper will only cooperate if Johnny helps his family. Unfortunately, the man's younger self refuses to have anything to do with him. Worse, his wife is paranoid and has involved a private eye. Worse, when the cops get involved they turn their attention on the nearest black man - Johnny's friend Bruce!
Frank Whaley appears in Johnny's vision, from the future.
Greg Stilson (Sean Patrick Flannery - Young Indiana Jones Chronicles ) is planning to cheat in the Election. A young woman will go missing - Stilson's campaign camerawoman.
Johnny has two blackouts and missing time, so he has no alibi when the girl disappears! The girl's sister Rebecca (24 s2 babe Sarah Wynter ) suspects him. After all, when he claims he can help find her ...
Johnny is in jail, the Reverend is bankrupt, but Johnny's visions find the girl,
There is a surprise revelation about who the killer is - a very unsettling implication in the subtext.
A young 11 year-old girl goes missing. Johnny Smith helps the police search for her, but his flashbacks all lead back to the crash 9 years earlier, that created his Dead Zone.
There is no sign of Bruce the black guy this ep! Rebecca ( Sarah Wynter ) still Guest-Stars, shoehorned into Bruce's helper role because she works with missing children or something. Purdy appears in Flashbacks, but Greg Stilson does not.
The local shock-jock (the guy even looks like Howard Stern!) slanders Johnny Smith on his radio show. Johnny stupidly confronts the man, and gets sucked into his convoluted life.
Sarah ( Nikki DeBoer ) is unhappy at the extra media attention. After all, anyone who can count to nine months can work out who her son's real father is. Will they tell the wee lad the truth?
Johnny discovers his Credit Card has been cancelled, and the trust fund is bust.
He has a vision of a future date - New year's Eve.
Johnny is stalked by Lauren Lee Smith , who is being hunted by MIBS (from a US Government remote-viewing program), led by Chief Tyrol from BSG . This is basically the old Enemy of The State plot.
There are a couple of interesting revelations. Johnny is told his pal Sylvia was murdered. Also, it seems that Smith can use his telepathy through radio/laser beams, etc.
Sheriff Walt acts suspiciously. John follows him, and even helps in suspicious activities.
They meet with an Ex-con named Frank - he is Greg Grunberg (Vaughn's sidekick from Alias).
Johnny Smith's visions lead him and the sheriff to twin serial killers/law professors!
Finally, someone has an Anti-John Smith revenge plot. They want to destroy his reliability as a witness in court cases. This is a moot point: Johnny's visions have always been inadmissible in court.
Johnny is at a wedding, and has a vision of himself objecting. Francoise Yip is the bride. Her MIA ex-BF is alive. The result is a Love triangle.
The theme is Johnny's relationship with his ex, Sarah ( Nikki DeBoer ) and her husband the sheriff.
Does Bruce the black sidekick meet his wife-to-be?
Johnny predicts a school shooting. AJ from The Sopranos is the main suspect.
Rebecca ( Sarah Wynter ) the blonde babe is back (she is a Child psychologist). Judge Reinhold ( Vice Versa ) is the School principal.
Animals (bats, horses, dogs) go crazy, and kill humans. Reverend Purdy lectures his students (including Erica Cerra ) about the Book of Revelations.
Johnny investigates a land-tax bill. Someone bought a lot of swamp-land using his million-dollar Trust Fund.
The two storylines overlap. The ending is downbeat - Johnny saves the town, but at a cost to himself.
Johnny has visions of future, and realises he kills a man (that evening). He discovers clues, and slowly unravels the mystery in reverse. Was it revenge for a Racial hate-crime?
Like all good investigations, this one involves stipping off at a strip-club. The stripper he interviews is Natassia Malthe .
The moral of the story is that Johnny is a killer when Bruce is not around.
Johnny convinces Reverend Purdy to confess his sins. As a result, the Rev's Season-long fall from grace comes to a dramatic climax. Unfortunately, this means that Johnny is once again the main suspect for kidnapping and murdering Rachel in ep 3.1.
Rebecca ( Sarah Wynter ) realises that Greg Stilson (Sean Patrick Flannery - Young Indiana Jones Chronicles ) may be the real killer, and she wants to stop him from getting away with it. She uses hypnotic suggestion to work-around Johnny's visions. However, Johnny still has his friend in the future to help him ...
The FBI is after Johnny. He is suspected of kidnapping and murdering Rachel in ep 3.1.
Rebecca ( Sarah Wynter ) is after Greg Stilson (Sean Patrick Flannery - Young Indiana Jones Chronicles ), because she suspects him of being the murderer. Johnny and Bruce go to Washington DC to prevent her from murdering him.
The Reverend is in jail. But his redemption comes in a strange form - as it does for Stilson!
Johnny's ex gets him to look for a missing street-girl. She has been abducted ...
It turns out that the tiny hick town has a red light district filled with sexy young Asian streetwalkers.
Deedee Pfeiffer is a previous victim of the Abductor. This bad, bad man makes his victims dress and act like they are 1950s housewives. Wow! That really is eeevil!
Johnny visits his High School protege, Danny Masterson ( Face Off ), who is now a top chemist specialising in new plastics. The plastic has something to do with Armageddon - and Teryl Rothery wants to sell it to the US military to make WMDs!
Greg Stilson (Sean Patrick Flannery - Young Indiana Jones Chronicles ) pays Reverend Purdy a visit. He needs an introduction to politician Don S. Davis ( Stargate SG-1 ) and his daughter Miranda ( Laura Harris ).
Johnny investigates his father's life. The deeper he digs, the worse it gets. Smith Snr was obsessed with a young girl, and gets committed ...
Johnny acts like a git for a lot of this story. He treats Reverend Purdy quite badly, when Purdy acted in a supportive and honorable fashion. And when he has to save the day, he still allows a climactic explosion to happen. Just to look good for the audience, no doubt.
Sarah ( Nikki DeBoer ) has a father (Ed Asner) in a care home. It seems he is being stalked by a soul-stealing demon ...
Johnny and his blonde babe help an amnesiac Santa. Strangely the blonde can see Johnny's visions ... and they solve lots of crimes while doing their good deed!
Greg Stilson (Sean Patrick Flannery - Young Indiana Jones Chronicles ) is about to marry Miranda ( Laura Harris ), daughter of politician Don S Davis ( Stargate SG-1 ). His father is gone, but he has a new creepy backer pulling his strings.
Johnny closes in on the backer ... but he gets masterfully outmaneuvred! He will have to up his game for the rest of the Season ...
Johnny sees a vision of Bruce in a multiple car pile-up. The pair are on a road trip together, but get caught up in a traffic jam.
The gridlock allows for lots of exciting incidents. A pregnant woman has medical difficulties, and one of the drivers may be a dangerous escaped convict!
Johnny is attacked in his home, yet again. This time it is not even about him. The kid from next door is a Federal Witness, hunted by Gangsters.
Johnny and the kid use the Panic Room. There is even a bit of air-shaft crawling, as in Die Hard. And Johnny's flashbacks are to December 1941, when some Japanese-Americans hid there to save themselves from a lynch mob enraged by Pearl Harbour!
Johnny is at the Faith Heritage Museum to see a new exhibit, the finger-bone of John The Baptist. Unfortunately some robbers break in to steal it. Johnny must pose as one of their crew, in order to prevent a bloodbath.
Johnny is attacked in his home, yet again. This time he is kidnapped by a comedy-relief type who wants to become a millionaire. However, the little pratt becomes a lot more sympathetic as the ep goes on.
This is not a terribly original story. However, it is well told - which makes it quite watchable.
Johnny stumbles across an assassination plot, part of the Greg Stilson (Sean Patrick Flannery - Young Indiana Jones Chronicles ) story arc. It is pretty complex, with the evil manipulators trying to prevent Johnny from interfering. And they do a pretty decent job. With Johnny's superpower, things might get predictable. However, the villains manage to keep things moving smoothly enough to guarantee another Season of the show!
This is the Season opener for the final Season, and there are a lot of changes. It is the town's annual Fayre, and US Vice President Greg Stilson (Sean Patrick Flannery - Young Indiana Jones Chronicles ) will be in town. Johnny has a vision that the Sheriff will be killed ...
We get a couple of characters written out, and the ones who remain get their relationships with Johnny vastly altered.