What a way to open a new season. Usually when major surprises- and deaths- are done in a show, it isn’t until sweeps week, or near a season cliffhanger. But when TWO characters bite the dust, including a major character by the end of the episode, it really gets the series kicking off to a new start.

***NOTE: THere are **spoilers** for thse who missed the episode. Read with caution***

In this episode, Johnny (Anthony Michael Hall), Sarah (Nicole DeBoer, JJ (Connor Price) and Walt Bannerman (Chris Bruno) take off to the Faith Heritage Winter Festival, but then throughout the day Johnny has visions of Walt in the past tense. Johnny tells this to Walt, but both agree to not to tell Sarah, who is six months pregnant. Johnny closely watches Walt and finds clues that prevents possible tragedies from taking place. Then Johnny has a vision of Walt being alive- only this time, it is Reverend Purdy’s funeral.

Walt meets with a mysterious old woman who gives him a letter. Upon reading it, he discovers Johnny is in for a ’surprise’. As Johnny tries to warn Purdy of disaster, he finds the chapel on fire. Stillson’s right hand man Malcom Janus and Walt-who saved Purdy, die in the fire. When Stillson comes to console Sarah and Johnny, a handshake now reveals that, for now, Stillson’s involvement in nuclear war has been averted, perhaps for good. Bruce consoles Johnny in that Walt may have been fated to die regardless.

*******

For me, I didn’t see it coming, but in a way, I’m more glued than ever. In past seasons, Johnny has seen visions of people dying, and has taken action to stop the disasters, but now his abilities are in question because he cannot stop everything, and this will be a major theme in the rest of the season. In any case, that’s one heck of a shake-up, isn’t it? It takes a lot of guts for a series to knock off characters, but TWO in the season opener? Has that ever happened before?

This post was Authored by Darren J Seeley, Our Resident Authority on all things Dead Zone

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