Ep 16. The Hunt

Johnny Smith has always had the ability to see into the future, but in season two episode 16 of Dead Zone, titled "The Hunt," his visions take a dark turn when he sees a deadly game of cat and mouse being played out in his small town. As Johnny tries to prevent tragedy, he faces danger from an unlikely source.

The episode opens with Johnny Smith (played by Anthony Michael Hall) experiencing a powerful vision of a hunter stalking prey in a forest. He sees the hunter take aim and fire, but he can't see who or what is being hunted. When he snaps out of the vision, Johnny realizes that he's standing in the middle of the woods, miles from his home.

Johnny returns to his house, where his friends Bruce (John L. Adams) and Sarah (Nicole de Boer) are waiting for him. They're concerned about Johnny's mental health, as he's been experiencing more and more disturbing visions lately. But Johnny is convinced that his visions are real and that he needs to do something to stop whatever he saw in the woods.

Meanwhile, Sheriff Bannerman (Chris Bruno) is investigating a series of disappearances in the area. Several men have gone missing in the past few weeks, and all of them were last seen in the woods. Bannerman is stumped, as the disappearances seem to have no connection to each other and no clear motive.

Johnny believes that his vision and the disappearances are related, and he convinces Bannerman to let him help with the investigation. As Johnny delves deeper into his vision, he realizes that the hunter is actually a disturbed young man named Ethan (Gregory Smith), who is obsessed with killing.

Ethan sees himself as a predator, and he uses his hunting skills to stalk and kill animals in the woods. But when he sees a human in his sights, he can't resist the urge to hunt them too. Ethan has already killed several men, and he's determined to keep going until he feels satisfied.

As Johnny tries to track down Ethan, he faces danger from an unexpected source. Sarah's ex-husband, Walt (Peri Gilpin), has returned to town and is causing trouble. Walt is a violent man with a history of abusing Sarah, and he's determined to win her back by any means necessary.

Walt sees Johnny as a threat to his plan, and he decides to take him out. Johnny finds himself in a deadly game of cat and mouse with Walt, who is armed and dangerous. As Johnny tries to evade Walt and find Ethan, he faces his own demons and realizes that he may not be able to save everyone.

"The Hunt" is a tense and harrowing episode that showcases the strengths of Dead Zone's storytelling. The episode deals with issues of violence, obsession, and trauma in a sensitive and nuanced way, while also keeping viewers on the edge of their seats. Johnny's struggles with his own psychic abilities add an extra layer of complexity to the story, and the episode ends with a surprising twist that will leave viewers eager for more.