There was no Bruce...

More thoughts to come later...

Sarah Allen (Maggie)

That's according to TV.com.

I'm gonna re-watch this again, but I loved this episode!

Great episode! But no Bruce?? Disappointed... but still great!

I'll be rewatching this with my husband and may have a few more thoughts then. For now.

LOVED the humor. It is so nice to see John smile for a change. As sad as some things have been, there have been wonderful moments of humor this year. A plus for those of us who can't get enough of AMH smiling and having a good time. I cracked up when Maggie accused him of flirting and he tried to deny it. I liked that as a con artist she could read people so well-including John. A wonderful bit that was not half as annoying as Alex-the real psychic-who was just so damned pushy.

Uh, what's with all of the whumpage this year? Twice hit in the head and now drugged and pummeled. Next week he gets appendicitis. I think poor John needs to slip into a coma just so he can get a little peace and quiet.

Speaking of pummeling. Uh, when did John learn how to fight so well? Didn't look desperate, looked like he knew what he was doing. Now granted, John is a big guy. But it was a bit of a stretch to see him best the pimp and do quite well against a trained cop.

I liked that every time Maggie brings up Sarah there is a pause by John. She is a source of several kinds of emotional distress for him and I like how AMH played that.

A definite mirror scene at the train station. At the end of Speak Now when Sarah goes to dance with Walt, John calls Rebecca. I thought of that instantly when John calls Sarah as Maggie is pulling out of the train station.

Okay I will have to listen more carefully but I'm guessing John boarded the train in Cleaves Mills and it sounds like he was heading up the coast a bit to meet Bruce and go fishing. I say up because Maggie says she is going to Montreal and John was surprised that the train went that far north. Well, it would also have to go pretty far west because the coast of Maine is hundreds of miles East of that city. Just another one of those odd geography things. I could be wrong about the dialogue. You can take a ferry up the coast of Maine to Nova Scotia I believe. *shrugs*

I felt very mislead about Bruce. He didn't really have a place in the show but it would have been nice to actually hear him on the phone at least.

I LMAO at John and Maggie faking out the immigration officer. Having crossed the border many times by plane and car and having friends that used the train, I can tell you it would not be quite that easy post 9/11. It was still funny as hell and I would LOVE to see the outtakes of that scene.

Fun little episode with a nice bit of continuity for the season arc. Looking forward to next week!

I'm so watching tonights episode again at 1am. Definately awesome, can't wait for next weeks new episode! Gonna be EPIC!

I watched twice again!! This is my favorite episode! I haven't loved an ep like this in a while! I loved the setting, sorty of 1940s! The pearls looked nice on "Maggs". Johnny was really attracted to her. I got alot from this episode. It was fun. AMH was just awesome!

After watching the scenes from next week, I'm beginning to wonder if Sarah should ever be around Johnny! Every time they get "cozy" he goes into a coma? Wow... stick to the blonde John!

BTW, was that little girl supposed to be his?! Or was that just Magg's future with any man she settled down with?

Loved, the lighting, the colours, the humour and the pace.
NOW that was *chemistry* between Maggie and John - interesting and lively 'interplay' they had off each other (none of that i feel when watching John and Anna Turner or John and Sarah)

Interesting question bratty!
Since we saw no-man in John's *future* vision of Maggie (yet the child was dark-haired) was that *his* child he was seeing with her or her future with who ever she settled with
{Maybe Phillip and she hook some thing up in the future, he finding he can love again after Elizabeth and it's was obvious when we learn the necklace was the *fake* that Maggie could not rob and scam him}


Johnny was some what *spooky* when pushing the serious-ness of his vision and telling her the truth - that she would die if she stayed on that train.
If i myself was in Maggie's place i would been thinking "oki, yeah yeah - so you want me, but telling me that i'm going to die and instead should go with you on the boat fishing trip with your friend. Well that's just *fishy* itself, and how do i know i won't die if i go on this boat with you and friend. Ammm so thanks but no thanks"

Ruralstar! aboutThe "whumpage" - I looked to my husband and said "Aha - it's *training* for the Batman -The Dark Knight film

But... some things *bothered* me too about this episode.

When Maggie discards the gum wrapper, John picks it up in his gloved hand! YET receives a vision through the glove?

The geography *glitches* are distracting to me and they take me out of what otherways is a fine story - because i then find myself contemplateing geographically "well exactly how can that work out"

What a tease about Bruce! Booooooo Hisssssssss
When John first is calling Bruce, i yelled from our couch here "Bruuuuuuuuuuce" thinking "oh we will see him this episode" and NO - we just get to hear John's one sided conversation with what i guess is Bruce's voice-mail.
LoLi on me pfffft

This is one episode i will want to watch again during the week!

I missed Bruce too, but after watching this episode, Bruce would've been in the way. I just adored the attraction between John and Maggie in close quarters...literally! Those scenes where she said she was blushing while "mind reading"...LOL! GREAT EP! I'm going to go watch the writers commentary!

I was so hoping to see Bruce, alas that wasn't the case. I do hope that Bruce comes back on this season! Here's to hoping!

I really liked the interaction between Johnny and Maggie. My favorite scene would be when they dealt with the immigration officer.

Johnny not flirting, please! He so was, it was cute to see him deny it though

The vision Johnny had at the end, with Maggie and the little girl and yet no father, was interesting.

Am I the only one that loved seeing AMH smile? It was goooood! LOL Who knew he could fight so well either?

great episode!!

God and peace
Vanessa

Love that smile and really hope we see more of it.


Agreed on how spooky that was. We're back to John trying to convince people of his abilities and now he doesn't have Bruce or Walt as a front man. It's kind of interesting to see him operate without back-up. Maggie does mention that he's cute (Yathink?????) but I'm not sure if that would have been enough for me either.

Good catch on the glove! I think it was rather cool and rainy that week and someone made an error. First time director again so....


Regarding next week.... Gods, am I the only one who cringed when I saw them almost kiss? Yep, John should definitely stick to the blonds. A little rehab for Maggie and she might be okay. Better yet, let John go talk some of his issues out with Nina and then get a little kissage.

I don't think the little girl was supposed to be John's. I think he saw that her life will straighten out but he just didn't see who she would be with. The only relevant bit he needed to reassure Maggie was that she would appear to have some stability and unconditional love in her future. Something she desperately needs. According to the writer's commentary-which was a pleasure to watch-that scene was left in to add some ambiguity to the ending. It certainly did.

I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who expected to see Bruce in this episode and was subsequently disappointed.

I also thought this episode was supposed to happen in the past, like that episode in the first season where a lot of it took place in the 40s. Haha, I guess it was just because of her hair and outfit.

Of course I've found many of these "next week's episode" previews to be incredibly misleading over the past few seasons since they've cut them down to being only 10 seconds long or so. I never really have any idea what the next episode is going to be about because they show the action bits that may be 2 seconds and nothing related to the plot of the episode.

Haha, that was my thought. I just wanted to yell at the TV, don't you get it?! It's not meant to be!!!

The other thing I meant to say in my earlier post was, had I been that girl, I would have called the police or at least gone to someone about this guy following me. Honestly, he can really be a creep sometimes.

I really liked this ep too!

Yeah missed Bruce though, but I agree that he would have been in the way. A two-sided conversation with Bruce and Johnny would have been nice though, just to hear the Bruce voice again.

First off: The line Johnny used in "Ego" about the fine line btwn a fan and a stalker. Well in the dinner car of the train, I really do think that he crossed that line to "Stalker." ARGH! Back off a bit big guy, finesse is good too!

It was great to see Johnny smile. The humor was great! Mags was right on about Johnny and the Cute part! "SIGH"

The Big Flirt:
In the room it was so funny the way Mags starts the conversation with "This is making me Blush."
Then she talks to Johnny about having two hours before the train stops and leans in, only to say she is Hungry. Damn girl, two hours in a room with Johnny, What were you thinking???? You want a sandwich? Talk about a Regret! Damn.

I loved Johnny's head swerve of the punch coming at him. Yep I agree, since last season the directors made him run his butt off and now they are attempting to beat the C*** out of him. One thing for sure our tall blonde guy can hold his own in a fight. The Sir Galahad of the boxing arena.

The Casablanca ending was great. It did remind me of Bogey and Bergman. The sweet goodbye, "Here's looking at you kid."
And a "Big No" to Mags whispering comment; "I hope Sarah knows how lucky she is?"

I think the kiss and the vision of Mags and the little girl could have two meanings. It could be a could have future for Johnny if he forgets Sarah or a possible future for Mags.

Mags romantically and playfully crawling all over Johnny to avoid the passport issue with the officer. Awesome. Funny stuff!
I wonder whose idea it was Johnny or Mags?

Next week the Coma issue: They did mention a suspicious doctor in this ep. Does he cause Johnny's coma? Is the doctor part of the Janus squad? The tiny trailer on next wks ep: Sarah: "I thought we'd have more time together." Remember Sarah was given the power of attorney by Johnny to pull the plug on Johnny if he ever went into a coma again. Somebody please get the handcuffs or is that where the Sheriff comes in.

Inevitable the Sarah and Johnny get together. I must cry out loud in defeat to TPTB.

Very happy with this episode. The woman really gave jOHNNY A RUN FOR HIS MONEY

I've read that same observation before of John being a stalker type. That's interesting. I hadnn't really thought of it that way because he was trying to save her life. I hope what you're saying is true. I want a bit of some kind of "Frank Dodd" showing up somewhere in John. But isn't it funny how much energy he puts into saving the life of a person, but he isn't putting hardly any into vindicating Walt's reputation. Do you think maybe John has one of his "feelings" that if he pursued it, Armageddon may come back. I mean, if you've been on the "Walt's Computer" game and have seen the pictures...

.

John did mention once via Bruce the Id that John had taken self defense at the YMCA when he was younger. Well, those lessons are coming in handy now! LOL!

I saw some similarities in this ep to others. Maggs was able to "read" people. We've seen others who can do this, but she's exceptionally good. John's was impressed by her talent. His visions were her "equal". It was amazing how John seemed to have little trouble in confiding things to Maggs about Sarah when if in front of a "psychologist" he closed up. Maggs was fun. I loved it when she drugged him. That kind of reminded me of just a wee bit of Rebecca's little hypnotic suggestion. Both women can easily "put him under". I also thought that Maggs looked a wee bit like Rebecca, particularly around the eyes. Ruralstar made a good comparison about "Speak Now" at the end where John called Sarah when being reminded to "get a life" or at least in this case "don't forget you now have a life". Responsibility. And what Maggs said has come into play, "take advantage of what is in front of you because it may never come again.

This episode made me wonder about how John sees "truth". Is it "truth" defined by how he interprets it or how someone else interprets it? John once asked FJ to give him the truth about how Armageddon starts. I'm hoping we see the events of it unfolding now. FJ specifically said that he didn't know where to start at how he had arrived at where he was. He only had one answer and that was to kill Stillson. He came to the conclusion that since he couldn't do what needed to be done, Rebecca could. I'm hoping she comes back to illustrate something like this. This episode reminded me of her alot. Oh well, wishful thinking on my part...



These old "1940s" style eps keep popping up. This episode kind of had the feel of "Enigma" to me. I know in the writers commentary he said he got the idea from the movie called "The Narrow Margin". He also made comparison to "Interred" about John being in a very tight space.

I haven't seen "Casablanca" in years. I only remember, "Here's looking at you kid."

That so reminded me of Dana! And that scene of Rebecca crawling in bed to wake John up. Those scenes are one of the best DZ produces. LOL! Maggs definitely knows how to keep the Customs officer distracted by the position she was in. Naughty girl. She also wore alot of pearls which is also the meaning of her name which is short for "Margaret" which means "pearl". I'm glad she gave some insight or some "pearls of wisdom" about Sarah and John. Life has taught this little handful quite a bit about people..."even if you play by the rules."



It is in light of this episode and the summary of the one in "Transgression" that I will be very peeved with Sarah. If you think you've been given a second chance, etc, and not to mention how you kept badgering your now deceased hubbie of "how you think John's guilty" in season 3, that Sarah would so readily turn on John is beyond me. If that is what she winds up doing that is. Wouldn't she now become the hypocrit of not trusting that John? That John did his best to save Walt? That she almost loses John again and that second chance is going to go down the tubes because now she doesn't believe John and ehat he's sacrificed to make sure Wlt and Sarah were happy together? Who was the one insisting John stay around the house in the past? To keep John in her life? That possibly interefered with John being able to start a new life with someone else?

So, I'm all for this relationship to start again as long as it brings to light certain character flaws for both.

Actually John was talking to JJ about 'stalking' Monique in Big Top That aside, I totally agree with your asessment. I loved the looks on Phil's face when John kept popping up. Motives were pure but execution a bit creepy.

*snorts* If I'm going to get that close to John I'm not going to tell him I'm hungry and eating is the last way I would spend two hours with him.

Heh, it would be interesting if Turner stepped in and stopped Sarah from signing the papers to pull the plug on John. Though why she might be involved is something for the episode to explain. I'm crying right along with you regarding a Sarah/John reconcilliation. Looks like we'll both have to suck it up and deal. *sigh*

Even if Johnny wanted to get on with his life, he can't.

The reasoning:
He wakes up from a six year coma and the first person he wants is Sarah. When Sarah does finally show up, she can't even tell him that she is married and that he is a father. Johnny has to find out via a vision. Sarah tells him she is sorry, kisses him on the cheek and runs away in tears. The last goodbye, no! Johnny is left with a massive broken heart, because for him time has stood still.
Johnny is out of the hospital and he doesn't even get in the door of his house and there Sarah is with JJ. Granted the idea of Johnny meeting JJ is good, but she could have picked a better time. He didn't even have time to prepare himself for this first meeting.
In "Enigma" Johnny tells Sarah about his vision and how it seemed so real. Sarah comes undone. Johnny says something about it being over and Sarah says, "What's over, you and me?" Walt is in the room, he says, "Do you want to be alone?" Johnny shakes his head and hangs up.
In "Destiny" Sarah is so overcome with jealousy about Dana that she shows up at Johnny's house unexpected and with her own key and the ring. Sarah basically seduces Johnny and not the other way around.
Sarah acts as if she doesn't care in that way about Johnny anymore, but she is still a big part of his life.
In "Speak Now" Johnny asks her, "would you have waited for me if you knew that I would come out of the coma?" Her reply, "How can you ask me that?" Again Sarah is in control of the situation because Johnny feels guilty about asking her. Johnny had all the rights in the world to ask that question and he also deserved an answer.
Sure he calls Rebecca later that evening, but we get a glimpse of how Sarah still is holding on to Johnny's heart. Johnny didn't hear her say it, but she said, "Yes, I would have waited!"
In "The Last Goodbye" Johnny asked the tearful Sarah if she has regrets. Sarah tells him, "Regrets, why would I have regrets, when I have a husband who loves me unconditionally, a beautiful son, and a best friend that would do anything for me." Sarah says goodbye again.
In "The Heart of Darkness" Sarah leaves a message for Johnny. In that message she again tells him that she loves him.

Johnny get on with his life. How can he when Sarah is so prominent in it. If he even shows effection for another woman she is there to twart it. Whether it be consciously or unconsciously.
In "Broken Circle" he risks his life to stop Rebecca from killing Stillson, but at the end when Rebecca tells him she loves him all he can do is half smile. Why? Is it because of Sarah or because he doesn't trust a/any woman any more after Sarah?

Johnny has Sarah's voice in his head; the first and only woman he ever loved. The woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with telling him "I love you".

As I stated in a post a while back Sarah is the puppetmaster to Johnny's heartstrings.

Johnny feels guily about Walt's death. His visions only show him what he needs to see and not what he wants to see. The day of Walt's death his visions showed him twice that Walt was going to get killed. Johnny was there to stop it twice. When Walt actually was killed Johnny didn't have a vision about that. He saw Purdy. How can he be at fault or have guilt over Walt's death, he didn't know! His visions didn't let him know, because it was Walt's time.

I keep going back in my mind to the "Valley of Shadows". Johnny hasn't had a vision for two weeks and he tells Walt that, "if he never has another vision again, it wouldn't bother him, but he doesn't want the death of the little boy on his shoulders, he needs a vision to save the boy." He hasn't had a vision since he and Sarah slept together. It isn't until he touches Walt and sees Sarah and JJ as Walt's family and the guilt and shame he feels that his visions come back. Repentence?

My question is: Is there someone or something that controls Johnny's visions? Is it God or is it a Godlike being or even something else?
Why are his visions on just a need to know basis?
Like Johnny has stated on many occasions his visions are never wrong. Again who or what is guiding his visions?

If I erred on some of the quotes, I'm sorry, I am just going off memory.

I took that as one of those conversation that is on two levels. She was quite aware of John's attraction to her and made him feel it. The food excuse was only to get him out of the room so she can go back after Phil and get that necklace. "Hunger" was definitely a way to phrase what was going on between them. LOL! But I don't think it was lunch she wanted. If John had made refused to get her something, they may have had desert before long!

Bring on the Dessert!!!

Okay I'll behave now. Too much food for thought in this ep!!

It was one of the weaker episodes of this season so far, but it was still pretty fun to watch. Atleast it wasn't so glaringly predictable like the previous two episodes have been.

I was being flip.

LMAO

Okay, I'll behave too.

*sits in corner snickering*

I think you have given a pretty fair definition of the progression of the John/Sarah 'romance' throughout the series. I don't think Sarah serves any grand purpose as Bratty has implied but rather she is a manipulator who has not learned to stand on her own. As I said in my episode comments earlier, she is responsible for many types of emotional distress for John. I enjoyed Michael Hall's subtle expression of that pain every time Maggie brought her up. I seriously doubt Sarah has any idea what a real gem she has in John. And I think it was patently unfair of her to tell him in "Into The Heart of Darkness" that she never stopped loving him. She expected him to 'see' that message and she should have known that he would know she was pregnant with another man's child. Gee, let's make it that much harder for John to actually grieve the unfairness of his situation and let it go. Maggie had it wrong when she suggested that he let Sarah go. It is definitely the reverse and always has been IMO.

How can Sarah not serve some sort of purpose in John's life when she means so much to him? Or at least she symbolizes what he wants most in life which is a family. Sarah and John have always been a large part of each other's life and John has stated that, before the accident, he had loved her his whole life. She symbolizes that perfect life. What John may find out in hindsight was that things really have may not been so perfect. Sarah may have been a wanting to emulate the nuturing abilities of her mother to John whose life was more than a little peculiar even as a child with having to deal with Purdy and who knows what fall out from buried memories concerning Herb. Sarah has proven herself to be "needy" in her own right. So has John who may have held on to Sarah in order to give himself the perfect life he has always wanted with him filling the role he was robbed of - being a father. It is not uncommon for people to seek to fill a gap in what they feel is lacking. Sarah may have filled that role on the surface.

I agree with what you said in the quote above. John and Sarah have both been in different relationships and not maybe it's time to see what both really want and how they both really see the other. Are they just trying to recapture that "perfection" or feeling of security they once had together with everything planned out.

Johns visions shatter that feeling of security because they are always intruding into his life. They were once called lessons, now it seems for John it is job security or fills that need to be "hero". John keeps himself busy so as to never have to look what is deep inside himself. He has a son and that will make him look in those places at one time or another. He can play "house" all he wants but some time someone like Maggs may come along that will really challenge his loyalty.

John won't run away from responsibility but he was never one to jump right in. In the past he was comfortable being on the side. Now he's coming into the spotlight and really is learning about the role he wanted to play before his accident. He can fill the role of "father" but is Sarah truly the one to fulfill his dreams as life long partner and wife. Sarah has been or was chosen as John's "ideal". If he's ignoring her glaring faults, he shouldn't because it almost killed her first marriage. I've always wondered if Sarah can hold up if John has a break down. John may know deep down there is some deep hurts he won't allow to surface. I don't believe Sarah could handle a break down like that. And maybe John knows that because it may harken back to what happened to his own mother. So he holds it together, keeps living the dream of "perfection" that nothing is wrong. Maybe I'm way off, but this has been implied a few times throughout the show. Is Sarah truly "Mrs Right" or is she just the next best illusion to it? What will happen if "the riddle" of the ep titles is true? What kind of memories and parallels will it show in how John is living his life to compensate for the damage done in the past?

What bothers me is this flip-flop of roles. John is now raising Walt's child but is John now going to have to fight with Walt's memory as Walt had to put up with John's? Walt may be dead, but Sarah too carries some guilt about Walt's death that she may take out on John. Is Sarah always going to throw Walt up in John's face as she did Walt's about John? Is she going to try and mold John into adopting characteristics of Walt so that finally she'll have her perfect man?

I'm just finish to watch the 2 minutes replay and I think it's the episode turn in St-Constant
at Exporail, It's so exciting...All this place that I know!
Wahooo hihihi I'm so proud....and always can't wait to see this wonderful season...!!!

You make a good analysis of the Sarah/John relationship as well. We agree actually. What I was referring to when I said that she didn't mean anything was in the biblical sense. I should have been clearer. We don't really see eye to eye there. *shrugs* Sarah is a manipulator. She does represent John's ideal and because of his own character issues he has never been able to reach completely beyond her. I think Rebecca could have given him exactly what he wanted. But she too was flawed by the weaknesses you describe above. She could never have handled John's visions as tied to a long term, intimate relationship because she had too many problems of her own. Dana was trying to change so perhaps, in time, she could have offered that family life. We'll never know in part because Sarah was never willing to let go. To be fair, John has never tried hard enough either because it's easier to hang onto the perceived security of the past then really let go and reach for an uncertain future.

Tis amazing how the B story arc of this episode has stirred such an interesting debate.

Again, I agree with everything you are saying too, although not about Rebecca given the circumstances FJ's manipulation. There are two types of women in the Revelation story and plea to "come out of Babylon" whch in its basic sense is stop being materialistic and start paying attention to relationships, people, and the way we live. Even the church herself was being called into account to be ready on judgement day. Sometimes, if I remember this right, iit's also a sort of "Day of Remembrence. Alot of times Revelations is interpreted using the Jewish holidays like "Rosh Hashona" to give meaning to the 21 judgements. The 7 trumpet judgements precede the "wrath" stage. Here's an explanation for this that would akin to what is in Revelation and the day "Babylon", the city, and maybe "Babylon, the whore" are destroyed:



This concept of "remembrance" may play into the date of Decemeber 31, 20??. It's parallel is Rosh Hashannah,. It is parallel in concept, not date but it remains the same because usually at the beginning of the New Year people look back at what has happened in their life and plan goals for the new year, a "New Year's Resolution".

In the Bible Babylon comes into "rememberance" and in 'one hour' she is destroyed. What is really amazing about it is that Rosh Hashannah, the Jewish New Year, is preceded by Elul which means "searching" and who is symbolized by "the virgin". The times preceding Rosh Hashannah are to prepare for it because Rosh Hashannah includes "the dayes of awe" and the "high holy days". In things connected with "the virgin", she is represented by Rebecca (of the Bible and for me Rebecca of the show). If any of this is a pattern, I am not yet giving up on her to return near the end. To me she is John's "pure spiritual root" because of the fact that she helped John connect with himself. In Revelation the verbage of "the bride of christ" specifically said, "she has made herself ready".

What was it that Maggs said in the last ep? Be ready for change when it comes? Seize the opportunity when it is in front of you?

Anyway, these concepts could be used in fashioning an end times scenario. A prophet's duty is to warn, not play God to ensure the outcome of what John wants. If John is doing this, he shows no faith in what his visions tell him or is possibly dissatisfied with the '"justice" that God or Fate has meted out. As we are saying Sarah is a manipulator, than possibly John is too. It is sort of like that song "Middle of It All". It was perfect because of its message. "So this is life, so this is hurt...just let it come." Will John let "hurt" come? What if it is necesary in order for the woman to prepare herself to be ready? Whoever she is? Hurt is how we strengthen ourselves by learning to live through it. It also helps develop empathy and compassion.

Ok, I've yapped enough, I think all of this stuff plays in the end or should. "The Day of Remembrance" is also the day of judgement. Those written in the "book of remembrance" will be saved. It will mean "life".

John had once said that Stillson will cause the event that leads to Armageddon. Or aggravate. Did Stillson not listen to John? Was John wrong? If Stillson is the man who makes the mistake, then FJ may have been thinking that eliminate the one who made the decision or whose ineptness caused the problem and it will all go away? I doubt it, unless, like "Re-entry" someone is quick to use "fire power" and that the timing is so critical as to prevent Armageddon. But John has to see that event in its context and in its entirety to understand. And this has to be a world event. Can John stop something so complex as a diplomatic crisis when there are so many variables? Of course not, so he must focus only one event which he tags as Stillson. Or he meddles too much in the affairs of state? But anyway, the woman plays a factor if this story is going to have a biblical flavor. When it is her time to appear, she is a signal that the devil will reveal himself as he comes out of hiding to go after her. He reveals himself "standing in the holy place"..."the abomination that causes desolation"...the man who hates both 'the virgin' and 'the whore'. This guy has a problem with women at this point.

Anti-christ from the Book of Daniel:

Daniel 11:36-39
36 And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.

37 Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all.

38 But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces: and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things.

39 Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for gain. (KJV)


So what do we have here? Land fraud, someone who believes in his own greatness and "laws of forces (physical sciences?), and puts his ego first, or his way of doing things. Maybe this is what the sheriff is going to teach John?

This was a nice noir homage, though I wish they had left out the obligatory reference to Casablanca at the end--just in case no one had noticed--and left it up to the viewers to make the connection themselves.

I also hope that Johnny has a good cell phone plan. The roaming charges for a US carrier for calls made in Canada (he called Sara from Saint Bonaface, Quebec) can be killer!

Well I enjoyed this episode, and actually didn't dislike Maggs. I enjoyed their interaction and how she had the ability to read people, and called Johnny on his true feelings. This episode clearly went out to establish that John is now feeling committed to his so called relationship with Sarah. Maggs says something about Sarah not feeling the same and John says you don't know that. I have never really loved any of the other women they've thrown Johnny with especially, Alex. Dana was okay. I think its true that they have to really put Sarah and Johnny together finally, because that has to be explored. They've gone out of their way to say he still loves her, and always will. Does she deserve him? Well, Maggs is stating what were all thinking right? Lately, the answer would seem to be no, but she is going through a tremendous loss, and perhaps taking things for granted. I think this is all going to come up in the next couple episodes. Anyway, as a stand alone I thought it was good especially the way they tied in John's current situation. Not like the week before, when John was spending all this time with the Sheriff, including following her late at night traveling to another city and were suppose to think that Sarah doesn't wonder what he's up too (lol).

Well I rewatched "Switch" last night. I still think that Johnny is still "stalker-like" in his prevention of the bad things he sees in his visions.
At the end in the scene with Malone, Maggs and Johnny and the necklace. The part where Malone asks Maggs "Do you want out Maggs?" Johnny punches him, but because of the punch he lays on Malone Maggs almost falls off the train. Johnny grabs her and saves her. My question: Could Johnny in his overzealousness cause Maggs to fall off the train? Is because he grabbed her, did that change the maybe outcome of him causing her death?
If anyone gets a chance to watch it again, let me know what they see in this scene, please! It was late when I watched it.

Oh I think I have a fav quote now from this ep. The quote is Maggs when Johnny in a drugged state asks her who the guy is.
Maggs says, "It is a little green frog named Kermit! Shazamm!!"

They showed a different trlr last night of the ep "Numb". I saw where Sarah is being choked by a person with a white coat. Could this be the suspicious doctor?????

No, he didn't knock her. When Malone hit John and approached Maggie, she was backing up as far as she could go. Her heels were slippery on fast train. I think she was trying to hang around the corner but her feet slipped. John whacked Malone and grabbed her back right before she could let go in her fall. He didn't cause it, but he dang near got her shot when he hit Malone's hand holding the gun.

I also liked the "Shazaam" part. But about "Numb", I wonder if someone is trying to kill John or cover up a mistake?

I may be wrong but the reason Johnny feels guilty about Walt's death is because he called Walt and told him that he had a vision of Purdy being in the church with fire around him and that's why Walt whent to save Purdy. He basically sent Walt to his death.

Yes

Walt was there to talk to Purdy but he wouldn't have been in such a rush to go into a burning building had he not known that Purdy was inside of it.

But wasn't Walt already there at the church to talk to Purdy about the mysterious woman he talked to earlier in the day?

Not really a glitch. Johnny has gotten "hits" through clothing many times.

CP Rail does run through Maine, but I think it's further north than the Bangor area, and I don't think it's passenger service. If the train were supposed to run near the coast, probably southward for a while, then swing northwest toward Montreal, the geography could work.

That's my bet. If I were Johnny, I don't think I'd trust that Janus' death was enough to eliminate the chance of Armageddon, as long as Stillson's around. Remember that Armageddon would have been averted if Johnny hadn't interfered with Miranda's escape in Saved. It came back because of his actions.

Since Johnny had made a decision (to let Maggie go alone, symbolized by his turning his back), I don't think the vision could presage his involvement.

He always sees things as they happened/will happen. That doesn't mean his interpretation is correct. No one else can interpret what he sees because he is the only one who sees it.

On the topic of Sara, I've always felt that she was done with Johnny romantically by the end of Descent. Yes, in Destiny she basically seduced him (using the ring, associated with their last night, to override his reluctance), but her reaction is self-disgust. When Walt is injured, as he is brought from the mine, Johnny tries to hold her back, and she throws him off identically to how she throws off Roscoe seconds later.

However, she still has guilt feelings about the affaire, and will not admit it to Walt, even as his suspicions and jealousy grow. The more she tells him she loves him, the more he doubts, until it's finally resolved the next year (No Questions Asked).

On the Johnny front, most of Sara's contact with him for a while had to do with her trying to give him a connection to J.J., a connection he legally and morally deserved. At this point, I think she sees Johnny like an amically-divorced spouse. In the pilot, Johnny notes that she has had six years to get used to being without him. On the other hand, he's still very much in love with her, and trying to let go because he believes it's the right thing to do. New relationships, especially Rebecca (as that lasts a while), help him put more distance between them, until he can settle for the status quo. The final point was "Into the Heart...", where he walks away decisively as Walt and JJ gather around Sara. This contrasts with Ascent, where he wistfully watches them leave the hospital together.

There's a lot of "not telling" among all of these folks. Walt doesn't tell Sara anything he think will worry her (like the planned outing with JJ, which she would think too dangerous), and Johnny rarely confides except to Bruce.

Oh, and on Johnny being fit for a fight? Remember, he was supposed to have been a hockey champion as a teen; his relationship with Bruce certainly included fitness training, originally as therapy; and remember that last year he held his own against Walt for a little while! His condition has been gradually improving throughout the seasons.

Yes but Walt might not have rushed headlong into a burning building if he had not known Purdy was in there. Hence the guilt.

I thought this was a great episode, demonstrating what a terrific reinvigoration the show is experiencing this year. The use of the visions was well-handled; underplayed nicely as Johnny touches various strangers and learns certain details, and piercing yet uncertain when it came to learning about Maggie. Johnny and Maggie had some terrific chemistry together and Johnny's reluctance to join her really came through when one realizes that Sarah and JJ really need him with Walt gone and he can't run off with Maggie. The current circumstances of his life were very well-integrated into an episode where Sarah and JJ don't actually appear.

It seems that people erroneously thought John L. Adams would be in this episode. I think it's great that Johnny and Bruce continue to have a friendship, albeit offscreen, but as much as Bruce is missed, I admit he would have been a needless distraction in this episode.

This episode is really interesting; where previous seasons have focused on how Johnny is distant and apart from Sarah and JJ, this episode is about how he is intertwined in their lives now and the distance he existed in before, for better or worse, has been lost. I'm really happy with the "Johnny-centric" approach of these stories. The strength of these recent episodes, "Re-Entry", "Big Top" and "Interred" and now "Switch" have been enough to compensate for the loss of the Armageddon arc.

Amazing. Positive feelings about "The Dead Zone"! It's been awhile. I really like this Scott Shepherd fellow, I think he really knows what he's doing.

- Ibrahim Ng

The producers have said that they've set up the show for three more years (counting this one).

Phil, the guy on the train, was still grieving for his wife after three years.

Coincidence?

I don't think they said they've set up the show for three more years, but that they were hoping to get at least 3 more years with all the changes they made. At least that is what I remembered.

I thought I remember them saying they had a 3 year arc outlined. That would put us up right to when the Newsweek cover "Will This Man Destroy the World?" appears. That would be a good stopping point for the series. A point I hope that John will be seeing more of what Stillson will do as President or possibly the beginning of events that spiral up to a tense world event.

By comparing John to Phil, do you think that Sarah will die then? Or that she may be in danger of dying before the end of this year? One comparison for sure is that it shows that Phil and John need to get over their past loves and be ready for change. Maggs too was saying it in regards to the way she was living, although I don't think she'd be missing her old life too much. For John, its a vulnerability that can set him up to be robbed blind? That is what was happening to Phil too, until Maggs conscience got the better of her.

EDA: I went back to the video "State of TDZ" where Mr. Shepherd is talking about the 3 year arc. His exact words are: "There's at least a three year arc in our minds, at least, to keep going." So I'm thinking they have an idea to where they want to end up and the time estimation but most likely the details of each season come up as they deal with each season.

During the fight scene with the pimp I knew I was too confused about who was who. AMH didn't do a majority of the fighting, I was not say disappointed, but now I understand why I was so confused about who was who.

Maybe he learned to fight from the episode in Season Five when he was the jealous husband/boyfriend(vision). I can't remember the name, but it was with the daughter that the mom called "Picasso".

Johnny getting drugged/acting drunk, I have to say was entertaining. It's not a fun subject, but it was kind of cute when he first started getting the affects of it. This is one of my favorite episodes of Season Six though, very nice to see Johnny smile, and the last part with them in the car alone was priceless =] It seems like the actress has a thing for AMH, or I could be looking into it too much!

The ep with the little girl they called Picasso was Symmetry.

In one of the commentaries from past seasons, I remember now "DeJa Vu", one of the writers, Michael Taylor stated that they like to write scenes where Johnny gets to kick some butt!! As one of our posters "Ruralstar" has stated Johnny is getting alot of "Whumpage" LOL I love that word, by the way, this season. Talk about not worrying about his sensitive noggin the past two seasons, the writers haven't given it much thought as of late. Of course, I enjoy watching Johnny kicking some bad guy butt too! I also enjoy watching him romance the ladies, which he hasn't done much of in awhile. Johnny is pretty much a "Monk", not intended to be a pun for the other show. He does need to get out more.

When the series first started alot of Johnny's character seemed to be that of a pacifist. I was happy to see that though Johnny still has his soft side, he has learned to not be the guy that the big kid keeps kicking dirt in his face. Johnny is now an action hero with a soft side. A knight from King Arthur's round table maybe.

I liked this ep too! The producers and directors try find an actor that has not only talent, but chemistry on screen with the lead actor, in this case AMH. There days are long, but it would make for an exceptionally long day if the cast didn't like one another. Not saying it doesn't or can't happen, but it has alot to do with the casting.

I loved this episode. The first one of the season that has really stood out for me. They have all been good, but this one had that chemistry between actors as well as a great story!


Oh, and I joined awhile ago and this is actually my first post...wow.

Hi, Cunokyle, I just got around to reading this post, welcome to the board, glad you're enjoying the show

I just caught up with this episode. It was the worst, asinine Dead Zone ever. The homage just didn't work - neither did the overblown acting. It was bad, just bad.

Actually, I wasn't comparing John to Phil. I was comparing Sarah to Phil, in dread that the producers might drag out the will they/won't they for three years. Ick.