AUGUST 13, 2006
REVELATIONS
Hi, Folks –
Shintaro Shimosawa and James Morris here, aka Shin & Jim. We had an amazing experience writing a freelance episode in Season Three ("The Looking Glass") and were fortunate enough to be hired for Seasons Four and Five.
Which brings us to "Revelations." You may be aware that Michael Piller had an open door policy for ideas. Many people came in and pitched, just like we did two seasons ago. Paul Coyle came in with the interesting idea about Purdy's past coming back to haunt him. We then came on board to flesh the story out.
What attracted us to the story was always the strange and enigmatic character of Purdy. Who is he? What are his real motives? Who was he before he became a man of the cloth? If we can be shaped by an important event in our lives, then what was that event and its ramifications for Reverend Purdy?
These questions allowed us the opportunity to explore Purdy's pathology. Tommy Thompson, our showrunner, really pushed us to answer the hard emotional questions, and we hope it comes through in this episode.
It's always wonderful to read a finished script that works, and when it's done right, it seems so simple, so easy. Such was not the case. We had to maintain a fine balance between what Johnny sees without giving away too much. How could Johnny see just enough in his visions to push the mystery forward?
As screenwriters, you always wonder how the script will turn out on screen. The finished cut is sometimes worse, sometimes better, than the printed page.
As a director, John L. Adams definitely falls in the latter category. He's always been a gifted member of The Dead Zone cast, but when we began to see dailies, we were blown away at just how cinematic he made this episode feel. The shots, as you may have noticed, were wide, epic and had a real movie look to them. We really lucked out with John bringing his vision to "Revelations," and hope he will direct more in the future.
We hope you enjoy this week's episode, as it gains a specific insight into Reverend Purdy's past, and the twisted basis for his relationship with Johnny Smith in his future.
Drink beer.
James Morris & Shintaro Shimosawa
- (8/6) Michael Taylor on Vortex
- (7/30) Christina Lynch & Loren Segan on Symmetry
- (7/23) Dan Truly on Lotto Fever
- (7/16) Karl Schaefer on The Inside Man
- (7/9) Michael Taylor on Articles of Faith
- (7/2) Adam Targum on Panic
- (6/25) Chris Bruno on directing Independence Day
- (6/25) Adam Targum on Independence Day
- (6/18) Shawn Piller on directing Forbidden Fruit
