USA Network Forums > "Heart of Darkness" Thoughts

Bubba_Bridges

Aug 20 2006, 09:55 PM

Hi Bubba here, what did you think about tonight's episode entitled "Heart of Darkness"?

jmd811

Aug 20 2006, 10:14 PM

simply amazing!!!!

i'll be watching this episode when the dvd's come years from now and remember its greatness.

tfshadow

Aug 20 2006, 10:21 PM

I have to say, it wasn't what I expected. I figured it was going to be like the original Collector episode where he grabbed Sarah, did the whole "I DEMAND PERFECTION" gig, but man. I didn't expect it to flare up the John > Sarah > Walt triangle again. That ending scene was so... wow. That glance that Sarah and John shared, that forbidden feeling that was now completely is impossible to follow, with the baby coming.

And is anyone missing the cane? I understand that it might have been to alter the whole Future John/Christopher Wey arc, but that cane .. was like a symbol. Like in the episode "Cold Hard Truth" when it was revealed to JJ that John was his father, how he ran away, then John just walked away, limping on his cane. Heading towards the door to try to escape what had happened. The cane was a symbol, not just something that meant that his leg was damaged. But it represented a change. That cane was why he and Sarah weren't together anymore. That cane was why he had his visions. That can symbolized why he wasn't where he thought he SHOULD be. That's why it was usually so sad before when he walked away in an episode. It was John Smith, but with that cane. The cane that was the reason why he had to turn his back to Sarah and Walt.

Now it's just him, walking away. Just walking away, like a typical lone-hero walking away into the darkness. Just my two cents .

All in all though, great episode.

brattytxn

Aug 20 2006, 10:46 PM

I agree with everything you said tfshadow! BTW, welcome to the boards!

This episode was so unexpected. Sarah blew me away. I was getting a little tired the chase, and frankly John seemingly restrained tones. It wasn't until that visiongram that Sarah gave him that things started picking up. I loved that Sarah can do visiongrams too, and not just Janus.

Why do I get the feeling that maybe John should leave town now? It's going to be even harder than ever to have a relationship with Sarah because of her admission. Linda made some good comments about stripping away the safety net, etc. and seemed to reiterate that some things one may not recover from resulting in suicidal tendencies.

Bravo to the writers. It started slow, but ended quite wonderfully.

Bubba_Bridges

Aug 20 2006, 11:02 PM

Hi Bubba here, welcome to the forum.

CHSChick

Aug 20 2006, 11:03 PM

Hi Everyone!

I was just wondering if anyone else noticed the mistake they made when it came to the SUV the Collector and Lynda drove away in? When they showed you the license plate the car was GMC Jimmy. Then when Walt was telling Johnny what SUV the plate had traced back to he said it was a 1997 Ford Bronco. Ford didn't even make a 1997 Ford Bronco they stopped production in 1996. It was a great episode though!

CHSChick

jjfan

Aug 21 2006, 12:57 AM

I thought it was good but it was kinda slow. I liked it when sarah swung at linda but sarah should have kept swinging. it was funny when John started throwing stuff. I also thought it was smart when sarah talked to johnny through his vision.I thought it was stupid that she said that she never stopped loving him. I think they have her say that to much. To me it seemed like sarah and John started to give up. I thought it was awesome when walt was going to kill linda. those are my thoughts peace

Beno

Aug 21 2006, 01:04 AM

The Best Episode of an already steller Season 5. One of my all time faves, A++++. Emotional, suspensful and at times very creepy. Performances rocked across the board and what an ending. I was truly moved.

craig109

Aug 21 2006, 01:26 AM

My wife noticed the similarities between this epsiode and the movie Se7en. Particularly at the end when the sheriff says "Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut - up!"

Also, the pregnant wife was a similarity, although she did not die here like in the movie.

Finally, the frequent mention of revenge, which was the 7th sin in the movie that the killer tried to fulfill.

So hopefully this was intended as a tip-of-the-hat to Se7en, and not just a blatant rip-off.

Gary200

Aug 21 2006, 04:05 AM

This was a great Ep. One of the best by far.

Bubba_Bridges

Aug 21 2006, 04:20 AM

Hi Bubba here, wow, a lot of new members lately. Welcome CHSChick.

jmd811

Aug 21 2006, 02:31 PM

Quote:

My wife noticed the similarities between this epsiode and the movie Se7en. Particularly at the end when the sheriff says "Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut - up!"

Also, the pregnant wife was a similarity, although she did not die here like in the movie.

Finally, the frequent mention of revenge, which was the 7th sin in the movie that the killer tried to fulfill.

So hopefully this was intended as a tip-of-the-hat to Se7en, and not just a blatant rip-off.

this episode was like a cross between Se7en and Vanished (the film with Kiefer Sutherland) with that perfect old Dead Zone feel. I loved the flashbacks between Johnny and Sarah and the old music.

Does anyone else feel we need to get Roy Hay back in here??

Ruralstar

Aug 21 2006, 07:05 PM

Quote:

Why do I get the feeling that maybe John should leave town now? It's going to be even harder than ever to have a relationship with Sarah because of her admission.

On the contrary. I think that John needed the acknowledgement that Sarah gave him. Not just that she still loves him but that she truly loves both him and Walt. That duality is a part of Sarah's character. I'm glad that she is finally starting a family with Walt but I think the point of no return was reached long ago. John will not interfere. His dismissal of Walt's concerns about fathering JJ is proof that he has accepted his role. He is not threatened by Walt and he is not competing with him. In the same way, he has accepted that his time with Sarah has come and gone. In some ways it will always hurt because neither of them had a choice. That doesn't mean he should walk away from his entire life.

I was impressed by this episode. I went into it with alot of trepidation but was nicely surprised by so many elements. I'm looking forward to a rewatch but for now I'll say that the interactions between John and Walt and Sarah's relationship to both men was a highlight for me.

I love how Walt kept losing it and John kept trying to calm him down. When John was alone however he lost it. By helping Walt he helped himself keep control. Alone with the visions and worries it was just too much.

I thought Nicole and young Spencer did a nice job. The real kudos of the night go to Chris and Michael however. Their interactions was just fabulous, some of the best they've ever had on the show.

ireactions

Aug 21 2006, 07:32 PM

I thought it was better directed and acted than "The Collector," but still dully-written, ill-conceived, random, arbitrary nonsense with some very ham-fisted moral dilemmas and glacial pacing. Even if you accept that Linda is insane, kidnapping John doesn't seem to lend to the plot of getting Walt to shoot her, and it's beyond me why she spares Sarah and JJ when she was eager to see Walt ruin his life with a murder charge. Walt struggling with whether or not to kill Linda is an issue so obvious, blatant, unsubtle, and lacking in any real depth or shades of grey that there's just nothing to say about it. It doesn't reveal anything about Walt whatsoever. Seeing Walt all giddy and cheerful at the end made me physically ill.

Johnny locked up beneath the cabin was pretty boring stuff; nothing's at stake, he's not being threatened; what am I supposed to be worried about? The clipshow of Johnny and Sarah would've been more effective if it weren't a stream of crushing sentimentality to justify a fairly illogical decision; to drink Linda's poison. I don't see Johnny playing along, not for a minute.

And honestly, in the end, the villainess gave herself up, really. Am I supposed to be impressed by Johnny and Walt? This episode made me feel dread that Johnny's the one upon whom the fate of the world rest; we really are screwed if this version of Johnny Smith is humanity's last hope.

This is possibly one of the worst performances Anthony Michael Hall has ever given, and I don't blame him for it one bit. Sarah is missing; Johnny should be panicked, driven, desperate. Instead he's... grave. A few bursts of fury in Linda's basement, but not enough to make an impression and not enough to make us feel how terrified he is for Sarah. But this is not Michael Hall's fault. The script doesn't give Johnny any lines to indicate his distress and alarm, basically giving us the usual good-natured psychic detective Johnny. The performance stands out like a sore thumb; how Anthony Michael Hall is so utterly unmoved and calm for the most part of an episode where Sarah and her unborn child have been ABDUCTED. Where's the fear, the terror, the grief? Not in the script, that's for sure.

James Morris and Shintaro Shimosawa are probably the worst writers to ever work on this show. I can't believe that "The Dead Zone," in its currently budget-strapped state, wasted a 'frozen landscape' vision effect on this piece of trash. And yet, the clumsiness of the script persisted. My God, Johnny's vision is a clipshow from "The Collector"! How deliciously cannibalistic.

And I am not moved by any of the relationship stuff. Sarah and Johnny have had a comfortable, stable friendship since "Speak Now" and I don't see Sarah's claim of love to be any kind of landmark. I love Luxorien, but I was quite comfortable in her guest-room. There are all kinds of love.

... Oh. Finale. Stillson. Adam Targum. Thank God.

- Ibrahim Ng

October

Aug 21 2006, 09:08 PM

Quote:

I thought it was better directed and acted than "The Collector," but still dully-written, ill-conceived, random, arbitrary nonsense with some very ham-fisted moral dilemmas and glacial pacing. Even if you accept that Linda is insane, kidnapping John doesn't seem to lend to the plot of getting Walt to shoot her, and it's beyond me why she spares Sarah and JJ when she was eager to see Walt ruin his life with a murder charge. Walt struggling with whether or not to kill Linda is an issue so obvious, blatant, unsubtle, and lacking in any real depth or shades of grey that there's just nothing to say about it. It doesn't reveal anything about Walt whatsoever. Seeing Walt all giddy and cheerful at the end made me physically ill.

Johnny locked up beneath the cabin was pretty boring stuff; nothing's at stake, he's not being threatened; what am I supposed to be worried about? The clipshow of Johnny and Sarah would've been more effective if it weren't a stream of crushing sentimentality to justify a fairly illogical decision; to drink Linda's poison. I don't see Johnny playing along, not for a minute.

And honestly, in the end, the villainess gave herself up, really. Am I supposed to be impressed by Johnny and Walt? This episode made me feel dread that Johnny's the one upon whom the fate of the world rest; we really are screwed if this version of Johnny Smith is humanity's last hope.

This is possibly one of the worst performances Anthony Michael Hall has ever given, and I don't blame him for it one bit. Sarah is missing; Johnny should be panicked, driven, desperate. Instead he's... grave. A few bursts of fury in Linda's basement, but not enough to make an impression and not enough to make us feel how terrified he is for Sarah. But this is not Michael Hall's fault. The script doesn't give Johnny any lines to indicate his distress and alarm, basically giving us the usual good-natured psychic detective Johnny. The performance stands out like a sore thumb; how Anthony Michael Hall is so utterly unmoved and calm for the most part of an episode where Sarah and her unborn child have been ABDUCTED. Where's the fear, the terror, the grief? Not in the script, that's for sure.

James Morris and Shintaro Shimosawa are probably the worst writers to ever work on this show. I can't believe that "The Dead Zone," in its currently budget-strapped state, wasted a 'frozen landscape' vision effect on this piece of trash. And yet, the clumsiness of the script persisted. My God, Johnny's vision is a clipshow from "The Collector"! How deliciously cannibalistic.

And I am not moved by any of the relationship stuff. Sarah and Johnny have had a comfortable, stable friendship since "Speak Now" and I don't see Sarah's claim of love to be any kind of landmark. I love Luxorien, but I was quite comfortable in her guest-room. There are all kinds of love.

... Oh. Finale. Stillson. Adam Targum. Thank God.

- Ibrahim Ng

Are you KIDDING me?!?! This episode was the true essense of The Dead Zone- the amaing writing, directing, bad-guys..it was just like season two all over again and I was in love with it!!!!

You kinda have to work to understand Linda. Like the Collector, she turned into a downright psycopath, a trait she developed from him. At times, I admit that I was a little confused, but in the end I definetly got it. You're suposed to understand what this woman's been turned into, how the torture that she was origally put on there was still going on even after TC's death. He completly manipulated her into becoming this person, and she was determined at all cost to get revenge.

With Linda "giving up in the end", I don't think she so much as gave up as reality hit. She planned this all assuming she'd get revenge and, in the end, she'd presumingly be able to join TC in afterlife. But when she realized that Walt could and would send her to prison, she paniced. Everything was backfiring on her and there was no way out. Don't forget, she did keep going with trying to mainpulate Walt into turning against Johnny and his word, only at the very, very end did she fall apart.

Imo, this was some of Chris Bruno's best acting on the show ever. I was in tears by the end. It was just so...gah, AMAZING! I was just speechless at the end. When he found out Sarah was pregnant...that look on his face at the end...priceless This episode was sooo amazing in sooo many ways, and this will definetly be one I watch over and over and over again

October

Aug 21 2006, 09:14 PM

Quote:

Quote:

I thought it was better directed and acted than "The Collector," but still dully-written, ill-conceived, random, arbitrary nonsense with some very ham-fisted moral dilemmas and glacial pacing. Even if you accept that Linda is insane, kidnapping John doesn't seem to lend to the plot of getting Walt to shoot her, and it's beyond me why she spares Sarah and JJ when she was eager to see Walt ruin his life with a murder charge. Walt struggling with whether or not to kill Linda is an issue so obvious, blatant, unsubtle, and lacking in any real depth or shades of grey that there's just nothing to say about it. It doesn't reveal anything about Walt whatsoever. Seeing Walt all giddy and cheerful at the end made me physically ill.

Johnny locked up beneath the cabin was pretty boring stuff; nothing's at stake, he's not being threatened; what am I supposed to be worried about? The clipshow of Johnny and Sarah would've been more effective if it weren't a stream of crushing sentimentality to justify a fairly illogical decision; to drink Linda's poison. I don't see Johnny playing along, not for a minute.

And honestly, in the end, the villainess gave herself up, really. Am I supposed to be impressed by Johnny and Walt? This episode made me feel dread that Johnny's the one upon whom the fate of the world rest; we really are screwed if this version of Johnny Smith is humanity's last hope.

This is possibly one of the worst performances Anthony Michael Hall has ever given, and I don't blame him for it one bit. Sarah is missing; Johnny should be panicked, driven, desperate. Instead he's... grave. A few bursts of fury in Linda's basement, but not enough to make an impression and not enough to make us feel how terrified he is for Sarah. But this is not Michael Hall's fault. The script doesn't give Johnny any lines to indicate his distress and alarm, basically giving us the usual good-natured psychic detective Johnny. The performance stands out like a sore thumb; how Anthony Michael Hall is so utterly unmoved and calm for the most part of an episode where Sarah and her unborn child have been ABDUCTED. Where's the fear, the terror, the grief? Not in the script, that's for sure.

James Morris and Shintaro Shimosawa are probably the worst writers to ever work on this show. I can't believe that "The Dead Zone," in its currently budget-strapped state, wasted a 'frozen landscape' vision effect on this piece of trash. And yet, the clumsiness of the script persisted. My God, Johnny's vision is a clipshow from "The Collector"! How deliciously cannibalistic.

And I am not moved by any of the relationship stuff. Sarah and Johnny have had a comfortable, stable friendship since "Speak Now" and I don't see Sarah's claim of love to be any kind of landmark. I love Luxorien, but I was quite comfortable in her guest-room. There are all kinds of love.

... Oh. Finale. Stillson. Adam Targum. Thank God.

- Ibrahim Ng

Are you KIDDING me?!?! This episode was the true essense of The Dead Zone- the amaing writing, directing, bad-guys..it was just like season two all over again and I was in love with it!!!!

You kinda have to work to understand Linda. Like the Collector, she turned into a downright psycopath, a trait she developed from him. At times, I admit that I was a little confused, but in the end I definetly got it. You're suposed to understand what this woman's been turned into, how the torture that she was origally put on there was still going on even after TC's death. He completly manipulated her into becoming this person, and she was determined at all cost to get revenge.

With Linda "giving up in the end", I don't think she so much as gave up as reality hit. She planned this all assuming she'd get revenge and, in the end, she'd presumingly be able to join TC in afterlife. But when she realized that Walt could and would send her to prison, she paniced. Everything was backfiring on her and there was no way out. Don't forget, she did keep going with trying to mainpulate Walt into turning against Johnny and his word, only at the very, very end did she fall apart.

As for Johnny, not every kind of pain and trauma is gonna come flat out with a blow to the face. Hell, if I was trapped in some underground cave I wouldn't be sitting there thinking "God this is so boring". Luckily, Johnny's been through enough of these situations so that he can remain calm and work on getting himself out of them.

And at the end...um, am I missing something? Was Walt not supposed to be happy that his wife and son were alive and okay(especially after thinking Sarah had been killed) and the baby was fine? I definetly felt everything Walt was feeling in that episode- the worry, the fear, everything right down to that ultimate relief at the end.

Imo, this was some of Chris Bruno's best acting on the show ever. I was in tears by the end. It was just so...gah, AMAZING! I was just speechless at the end. When he found out Sarah was pregnant...that look on his face at the end...priceless And the flashbacks to past Sarah...loved it! I really liked how one of the ways Linda tried to intemidate Walt was by coming down hard about the past relationship between Johnny and Sarah. The fact that Linda was so psycologically messed up was really played out well, and I was sooo glad to see this as more of a "Collector, part two" type of thing(though I was excited about this episode regardles).

This episode was sooo amazing in sooo many ways, and this will definetly be one I watch over and over and over again

brattytxn

Aug 21 2006, 09:17 PM

Quote:

I thought it was better directed and acted than "The Collector," but still dully-written, ill-conceived, random, arbitrary nonsense with some very ham-fisted moral dilemmas and glacial pacing. Even if you accept that Linda is insane, kidnapping John doesn't seem to lend to the plot of getting Walt to shoot her...

I she manipulated each man perfectly. She knew exactly where to hit the male ego to set them off. Her aim for John was to make him feel. Her accusation of him was that he was "monumental fraud", a voyeur with no emotional feeling of consequence for the outcome. She wanted to shatter is calm and she finally did.

Whether the pick axe was an oversight and/or she thought she'd left him to die I'm not sure. Linda did say that she was ending "our" (commiserating with John in some way) pain. Anyway, the whole point for kidnapping John was to make him suffer emotionally and feel Sarah's experience.

I took alot of the episode to be illustrating what may later come back to plague John emotionally.

Quote:

This is possibly one of the worst performances Anthony Michael Hall has ever given, and I don't blame him for it one bit. Sarah is missing; Johnny should be panicked, driven, desperate. Instead he's... grave

You know, that kind of bothered me too. But I've been thinking maybe it was planned that way to emphasize how Johnny tries to hold himself in an emotional suspension like Linda accused him of. That maybe once he really lets loose, maybe he'll be worse than Walt. After all we did see what happened to him in "Shadows". Remember how that frightened him?

Quote:

And honestly, in the end, the villainess gave herself up, really. Am I supposed to be impressed by Johnny and Walt? This episode made me feel dread that Johnny's the one upon whom the fate of the world rest; we really are screwed if this version of Johnny Smith is humanity's last hope

Interesting point! Is he still on the path that FJ took? How he turned out? I have to think that in this particular instance nothing is different. Something has to change in order to save the world? FJ did not save the world.

One thing that FJ may never have done is have the courage to act on some convictions. If Sarah was the love of his life and he didn't pursue her at the right time, then maybe what Linda said was true. Or one can argue the morality of it. The sad thing is that someone had to make a decision for the good of all.

I have to say I loved the way the had Walt find out about his baby. It added to the emotional value for me anyway. I loved the last half of the show.

Ruralstar

Aug 21 2006, 09:38 PM

I thought John's calm exterior was completely in character. He does not let things rattle him. In fact, he is afraid of his own intensity I think. Yes he was terrified of what he might do in Shadows and he did not want to admit that to Bruce or Walt. He was terrified JJ would die in Plague but he never really vented until he was alone. Except to tell Sarah that he couldn't handle it if he saw something horrible. Repression is an old pattern for John and makes his outbursts in Babble On and Revelations for example more affecting to the viewer as a result.

I was glad to see an acknowledgment of the situation Sarah is currently in. I'm the last person on this board to want to see them re-united, however, I think the Sarah of the series cannot help loving the man she would have had if not for fate. Her declaration that she loves two men rang as true for me. Her John Smith lives on in some small way in JJ and in the man John has become since awakening. But she can't turn back time. Only admit what she feels and move forward. I think John acknowledges that truth by walking away. Walt, JJ and the new baby are her family and he accepts that or he would never have let Walt off the hook during the confrontation with Linda or in the hallway of the hospital.

Beno

Aug 21 2006, 10:03 PM

"Then when Walt was telling Johnny what SUV the plate had traced back to he said it was a 1997 Ford Bronco. Ford didn't even make a 1997 Ford Bronco they stopped production in 1996."

Who cares? Just enjoy the episode and stop being so nitpicky

October

Aug 21 2006, 10:17 PM

I'm actually a little worried about the finale. School shooting? Been there, done that with this show. Come on, guys, keep the originals coming!

davidrobinson

Aug 21 2006, 10:30 PM

Quote:

I'm actually a little worried about the finale. School shooting?

How do you know that?

Beno

Aug 21 2006, 10:34 PM

Where did you get a school shooting from? The episode is called "The Hunting Party" and takes place at around a Hunting lodge.

Crazy4Walt

Aug 21 2006, 10:39 PM

Well, I just watched it...kind of wished I was smart enough to watch the Collector first, but I just kind of got busy. School just kind of slammed itself into my face today. I was watching in on tape today ('cuz I decided to go out and party for the last day of Summer, which is strange because I don't rememeber the last time I missed the live airing), but anyway, I couldn't really enjoy the episode 'cuz I was trying to write a speech, yes that crap on the FIRST day...unbeliveble...College sucks...

Anyway, good episode from what I caught of it. I love Walt! And I loved the whole Sarah still having feelings for Johnny is GREAT! It's even better because Sarah is now pregnant with Walt's baby, and well, where does that leave Johnny?!?

It better go to season 6 because I'd love to see this baby born. I think Johnny would have some sort of presence in the child's life...Godfather?!? Who knows, all I know is that it has to go to next season!

Off to practice my speech...and dang! I have 3 FREAKING CLASSES tomorrow...

fairyfloz

Aug 22 2006, 12:11 AM

Living in Australia it could be awhile before I get to see it but it sounds fantastic! So Sarah's pregnant with Walt's baby, that's bad. But Sarah admitted that she still loves Johnny, that's good! Hmmmmmmm, I really hope that they follow this new confliction of her feelings. I would be great if they went back to the season 1 arc between Johnny and Sarah, except now with the addition of a baby. That would be even harder for Sarah than before. It sounds like a great episode, I'm looking forward to the future.

miranzemlja

Aug 22 2006, 01:11 PM

You know what struck me the most about this episode? When Walt was about to shoot Linda, I honestly can say I had no idea if Sara was alive or not. It had me literally on the edge of my seat and really nervous.

I kept running through my head "well she can't die, she's a main character, but maybe she could because she hasn't been on it too much lately so this could be how they get her off the show for good, or maybe to add another twist". I think I ran through every possibility that I could think of and all the reasons why they might have had it that way, but I couldn't convince myself either way. I had no idea whether Sara was alive or not until they actually showed her face and said "she's alive!".

Like everyone else said, this was not at all what I expected the episode to be like (not that I really had any idea what it would be) and I am certianly pleasantly pleased with it.

October

Aug 22 2006, 04:12 PM

Quote:

You know what struck me the most about this episode? When Walt was about to shoot Linda, I honestly can say I had no idea if Sara was alive or not. It had me literally on the edge of my seat and really nervous.

I kept running through my head "well she can't die, she's a main character, but maybe she could because she hasn't been on it too much lately so this could be how they get her off the show for good, or maybe to add another twist". I think I ran through every possibility that I could think of and all the reasons why they might have had it that way, but I couldn't convince myself either way. I had no idea whether Sara was alive or not until they actually showed her face and said "she's alive!".

Like everyone else said, this was not at all what I expected the episode to be like (not that I really had any idea what it would be) and I am certianly pleasantly pleased with it.

I know! All through that scene I was like "Okay, so let's get to Sarah running through the door, or Johnny being all like "Walt, no, I found her!" But then the scene kept going and I'm like, oh hell...she could actually die! For a moment there, I actually paniced.

brattytxn

Aug 22 2006, 04:15 PM

If no one had found Sarah, she really could've died! So, was Linda really trying to kill Sarah? She had her boarded up, wrapped up, and gagged with no access to water.

JJsmom

Aug 22 2006, 07:32 PM

I have to say that I loved this episode. I went into this episode with some trepidation because I was one of those that really did not enjoy "The Collector" but thank goodness this was so much better. Great acting all around. I loved when JJ ran to Walt and Johnny reminded Walt about that when he was losing it at the end.

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Why do I get the feeling that maybe John should leave town now? It's going to be even harder than ever to have a relationship with Sarah because of her admission. Linda made some good comments about stripping away the safety net, etc. and seemed to reiterate that some things one may not recover from resulting in suicidal tendencies.

I know it is being discussed in another thread about TDZ being renewed but it might be easier for production purposes, if AMH is the only one still under contract, that Johnny moves away from Cleaves Mills. Just my 2 cents worth.

Again I really loved this episode and am hoping for more seasons to come!

brattycatty

Aug 23 2006, 02:28 AM

Quote:

If no one had found Sarah, she really could've died! So, was Linda really trying to kill Sarah? She had her boarded up, wrapped up, and gagged with no access to water.

IMHO, Linda wanted to die, but also wanted to punish those she blamed for the Collector's death. She tormented Walt and Johnny(and also Sarah and JJ, but that could have been incidental, see below). Then she left Johnny to die underground and tried to trick Walt into giving her "suicide by cop"(yes, I watch a lot of cop shows ). She wanted to destroy Walt by taking Sarah and the baby away and leaving him a murderer. (I believe she couldn't bear to kill JJ, but tried to remind Walt that JJ wasn't really "his" son.) Since Linda had shown some mercy towards Sarah(not injecting drugs into her when Sarah begged her not to), it would have made more sense for her to kill Sarah quickly, but then if she had, Johnny couldn't have saved Sarah and we'd all be bummed

Looks to me like Linda hated Walt the most, so tried to hurt him the most, by leaving him alive but devastated by losing what he most loved, as she felt he had done to her. And Walt paid her back for what she'd done, not by killing her, but by keeping her from dying.

brattytxn

Aug 23 2006, 10:25 AM

I think anyone's journey into "the heart of darkness" begins with some unbearable loss or pain. Even Sarah knew that when she talked to Linda. Linda knew it and knew exactly where to strike. With John she knew she had to blow his surface calm by making him experience what Sarah went through. I guess once you walk down the path Linda did, it isn't hard to know where the vulnerability lies.

Also, Sarah did alot of talking...that helped Linda knock through Walt's armour. Kind of ironic when Walt said, "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you..."

Ruralstar

Aug 25 2006, 10:59 PM

Bumping this up for a couple of observations.

[*]John tells Walt that Linda and the Collector left the burning factory in a black SUV. In The Collector episode, Linda is clearly seen driving a car. In fact, I believe they use the same establishing shot of a car driving on a wet road at night, to show Walt and John driving to the factory in this episode.

[*]Someone noted earlier that Linda leaving the pick-axe in the mine with John was an oversight. I think it was intentional. Linda wanted John to get out. She wanted him to experience Sarah's struggle and she wanted him to feel somehow responsible for her death. Linda 'tortures' Walt in the climactic scene by lying about Sarah's death. Her goal is to trick him into killing her. I think Linda wanted John to witness this death as well. In her twisted mind, John had as much to do with the death of Mr. Suds as Walt did. Leaving him to die alone in the mine would not have served her purposes. Making him feel everything from rage, to guilt, to fear, gave Linda a sense of control that she never had after her abduction.

oh and um...purely on a shallow note.... Chris Bruno and Michael Hall looked oh so FINE in this ep!

October

Aug 25 2006, 11:53 PM

Omg! *feels stupid* I was thinking vice principal, not president...this should be exciting then. Not only is Johnny getting to go to higher authorities, but higher authorities are getting to go to Johnny. He'll really get a lot of publicity with this one, making his name so well known nationwide.

So I guess the question is...who's the shooter?

Stillson? Janus? Someone new?

Hm...

Hammer

Aug 26 2006, 04:22 PM

I think that Linda did want to kill Sarah until Sarah revealed to her that she was pregnant, but she changed her plans.
In Linda's twisted mind she was seeking retribution for the love "Mr. Suds" she lost. Though Linda was a couple Skittles shy of a full bag,in "The Collector" ep she was suffering from Stockholm Syndrome where she found herself caring for "Mr. Suds" as a defense mechanism to the pain she was actually suffering at his hands. She had convinced herself that she was really in love with him and so because of the fire and his dying she was never able to live out her fantasy with this sick'o.

I think in many ways she actually identified her suffering with how she thought Johnny suffered because of Sarah marrying Walt. When Johnny came out of the coma every feeling he had for Sarah was as strong for her as he had for her the night of the accident,for him time had not passed. He was hurting deeply! Not only was he told of his mother's death, but he had lost Sarah too! Talk about a double whammy! I do know that this is the way the series was written, but what Sarah did was something I couldn't really understand. She supposedly loved Johnny from the time they were small children. The minute she finds out that she is pregnant she becomes afraid. This is understandable given the situation, but it was 1995. People were not going to burn her at the stake for being unwed and pregnant. She had a good job as a teacher and would have found alot of support and love from Vera. Vera may not even have committed suicide if Sarah had told her that she was pregnant with Johnny's baby. It would have given her a reason to live and still love her son through his son.Sarah had time to wait before jumping into marriage.Don't get me wrong. I like Sarah's character, but her til death us do part professed love for Johnny seemed to vanish in a flash when things got a little tough. She had time,but didn't use it.
Back to Linda, she had this kidnapping all planned out. I think that she had intended all along to get Walt so angry and distraught over her telling him that she killed Sarah that he would kill her. She couldn't kill herself, so she would get Walt to do it "Suicide by Cop".
I think that when Johnny came into the house where Walt had the gun on Linda, he too thought that Sarah was dead from the expression on his face when Walt told him, but something happened in that instant that made him know that Sarah was still alive.
My thought is that Linda wanted to cause pain that would equal the pain she was suffering, but she was more intent on dying and being with "Mr. Suds" in the afterlife and so her plan was to get Walt to kill her!!!
So much for my drivel!
I liked this ep. It was a very edge of my seat Dead Zone episode.

An observation: Did anyone else notice that the actress playing Linda was pregnant? The show did a good job of trying to cover it up, because there was no way that Linda could have been pregnant with "Mr. Suds" baby. That would have proved to be an interesting twist to this episode though. Gross, but interesting!!!