Greg Stillson
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| Gregory Ammas Stillson | |
|---|---|
| First appearance | "Destiny" |
| Created by | Stephen King, and Michael Piller & Craig Silverman |
| Portrayed by | Sean Patrick Flanery, Daniel Best (10), Alexander Calvert (12) |
| Information | |
| Gender | male |
| Age | 40 |
| Occupation | politician |
| Family | James Stillson (father, deceased), Miranda Ellis (fiance, deceased) |
Gregory Ammas Stillson is a fictional character and the primary antagonist in Stephen King's The Dead Zone, played by Martin Sheen in the movie version and by Sean Patrick Flanery in the USA Network original television series.
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[edit] Role in the book
Greg Stillson was born on an unspecified birthday in Tulsa, Oklahoma. His father, an oilfield worker named James Stillson, was emotionally abusive towards his son. He eventually helped out with the housepainting business run by his mother through his high school years. Stillson's years in high school were murky at best, marked by acts of truancy, fighting, and one act of vandalism with a cherry bomb.
In the book, we first meet Stillson in 1955, after he's graduated from high school, now a traveling salesman for a far-right Bible-printing company. When he stops at a dooryard in rural Iowa, Stillson is attacked and bitten by a guard dog. An enraged Stillson first sprays ammonia in the animal's eyes then brutally beats the dog to death. Fearing for his job, Stillson flees the scene. As he drives away, he comes upon the realization that he is destined for greatnes, and so immediately sets about building a path towards his destiny.
In 1976, Stillson's campaign for the U.S. House of Representatives is in full swing. He gains national attention for his unconventional approach to woo the voters at his rallies, donning a construction helmet and making bizarre campaign promises, such as sending air pollution into outer space in plastic bags. Greg Stillson becomes overwhelmingly popular, and his rallies are attending by many people with much fanfare. However, the campaign trail isn't always smooth for Stillson. His recruited security detail, led by Sonny Elliman and his former bike gang partners, are implicated is several beatings of rally attendees. Stillson's campaign also gets the attention of a man named Johnny Smith, a psychic who has used his brief "flashes" to solve a murder case in Castle Rock, Maine.
Smith attends a Stillson rally in the fictional town of Trimbull, New Hampshire. When he and the candidate shake hands, Smith receives a psychic flash unlike anything he has ever seen before, showing Greg Stillson being sworn in as president of the United States. As he relates in a letter to his father later on, Smith finds that President Stillson will worsen an international conflict originating in South Africa, starting a full-scale nuclear war. Smith estimates that up to twenty countries will use nuclear arms during the war, as well as terrorist groups. The experience of the vision not only horrifies Smith but Stillson too, and Stillson's men almost assault the psychic.
Greg Stillson is elected congressman on election night. He proved so popular during his first term that he was re-elected in a landslide in 1978. Shortly following his re-election, he created a conservative political action committee called the America Now Party.
Johnny Smith, with the terrible knowledge of Stillson's future deeds, contenplated attacking or assassinating the congressman. Soon after saving the life of a boy he was tutoring from a deadly roadhouse fire, Smith left New Hampshire and found a public works job in Phoenix, Arizona. However, after suffering from a severe seizure on the job and discovering a brain tumor, he realized he had precious little time to deal with Stillson.
In 1979, Smith arrived Jackson, New Hampshire, the town hall of which was where the next Stillson rally would take place the following day. Posing as a news photographer, Smith found a decent sniper's nest in the town hall's second floor gallery, with a clear view of the podium. The next day, Smith took his place there in hiding as the rally began. However, when he decided to shoot the politician, he missed several times. It was then that Stillson grabbed a child and used him as a human shield in an act of extreme cowardice. Smith hesitated to shoot Stillson then and was subsequently shot and mortally wounded himself.
His efforts were not in vain, however; a news photographer Smith had met earlier took a picture of Stillson cowering behind the child, and managed to get away from Stillson's bodyguards. Smith manages to touch Stillson again when they meet the final time, discovering that he has changed the future and that Stillson will never come to power. With this knowledge, Smith dies contently. It is implied that Stillson's political career was cut short in disgrace after the damning photo of him holding the child against Smith's fire was published.
In the film, it is shown that Stillson commits suicide in the wake of the scandal. However, this is not evident in the novel.
[edit] Role in the TV series
Greg Stillson has so far appeared in 13 episodes of the series over the first six seasons. The series provides the character with a backstory established in a number of flashbacks, in which his con artist father molds him into a sociopath through years of abuse. He encounters Johnny Smith for the first time when they are both nine years old; Smith suffers a vague vision and passes out upon meeting him. By the time he is an adult, Stillson is willing to destroy anyone who stands in the way of the "greatness" he sees in himself.
By the time the series begins, Stillson has been elected Mayor of Cleaves Mills. He passes Smith's accident on his way to the office of Charlie Richardson, where he and his right-hand-man Sonny Elliman threaten to throw Richardson out of a fifth story window if he doesn't stop leaking stories of Stillson's sordid dealings to the press. On September 1, 2001 — the day that Smith wakes from his coma — Stillson is sworn into the office of State Representative for Maine.
[edit] Season 1
Stillson does not appear until the end of the first season, though he is mentioned as an up-and-coming politician as early as the pilot episode. Stillson first appears in a 2002 television interview in "Destiny", explaining his campaign platform of strong morality as he runs for Maine's second district Congressional seat.
In the privacy of his campaign trailer after the interview, however, Stillson shows his true colors by manipulating a 20-year-old campaign volunteer into having sex with him. His father chastises him, and also rebukes Sonny Elliman for not keeping him in check. Soon after, Stillson visits a disaster site to make a speech. The cabal of reporters abandons the speech, however, when they spot Johnny Smith, who had saved hundreds lives by foreseeing the disaster. The two encounter each other again soon after.
[edit] Season 2
After watching a television documentary about Smith in "Valley of the Shadow", Stillson delivers an impassioned speech at Cleaves Mills High School, where Smith and his high school sweetheart, Sarah Bracknell, are in attendance. Following the speech, he asks Sarah's opinion on his platform and receives a scathing review; Stillson instructs Elliman to find out more about her. Finally, on his way out, he meets Smith again and shook his hand.
In "Scars", Stillson recruits Sarah onto his campaign team, partially to learn why Smith is so interested in him, and partially to fuel his quest to unseat incumbent Congressman Harrison Fisher. He also meets with Smith in a diner, offering to get the psychic connected after he wins office, and warning Smith to stop investigating his past. Smith retaliates by helping Stillson's rival best him in a debate.
That night, Stillson discusses the political fallout of the debate with Elliman, venting his growing hatred for the "goddamn crippled freak" Smith. At a reception for the Daughters of the American Revolution at the Governor's Mansion, Stillson has sex with a girl in the handicapped stall of the bathroom before Elliman notifies him that Smith is in attendance. Elliman runs across Smith on his way out of the Governor's Mansion and told him to steer clear of Stillson. He punches Smith after Smith pushes him, giving Smith a vision of their conversation with Harper.
A few days later, Stillson faces Fisher in the final night of the campaign debate, and Fisher confronts Stillson on his campaign contribution cap. Fisher brings up the possibility of a $6 million contribution, and Stillson declares that he would never accept more than $2,500; Fisher vowed to hold Stillson to his word before withdrawing from the race because of the atrocity that occurred in Vietnam. After winning the debate by default, Stillson met with Smith in a diner again to thank him for exposing Fisher's past. He also learned how Fisher found out about the Harper Lumber offer, and made Smith an offer of his own: to "join forces" and put their combined resources behind Stillson's political career. Smith summarily declined the offer.
In "Dead Men Tell Tales", which takes place around March 2003, Stillson and Elliman attended a party hosted by mobster Cathan Donnegal and discussed business possibilities following the adoption of Proposition 151; Donnegal also "lended" his girlfriend Nina to Stillson for the evening. Pubicly, Stillson called for the defeat of Prop. 151, "the Indian casino initiative", claiming that bringing gambling into Maine will invite "crime and moral decay." He later walked in on Sarah and Smith discussing the option of Sarah quitting Stillson's campaign, and declared that he'd be lost without her. Stillson then moved into a private office with Smith and Elliman and confessed to his quiet promotion of the casino initiative, which he thought "would be an economic boon" to the region. Smith explained that Donnegal believed someone sent an assassin to kill him, and he thought that someone might be Stillson; Elliman threatened Smith to "be careful what [he] tell[s] Donnegal."
(Stillson's appearance in "Zion" is not included here since it constitutes an alternate history; that alternate history, however, is consistent with the events of King's novel)
[edit] Season 3
In "Finding Rachel (Part 1)" (October 2004), Stillson hired Faith Heritage graduate student and filmmaker Rachel Caldwell as his Director of Media Relations to produce a documentary following his congressional campaign, and the two eventually formed a romantic relationship. Later, his assistant, Jake Truax, demonstrated a new digital voting machine for Stillson and his father that would fudge votes in Stillson's direction in the upcoming Congressional election. Rachel walked in as the demonstration is wrapping up, and while she didn't see anything incriminating, Stillson's father grows suspicious of her involvement with his son.
At the Bangor Civic Center on October 25, Rachel shot footage of Stillson's rally speech, which was attended by Sarah, Purdy, and Smith. The next day, Stillson was interviewed by Sheriff Bannerman and learned that Rachel had gone missing the previous night. Stillson lied to the sheriff about the nature of his relationship with Rachel, claiming that it was "strictly professional", and promised the resources of his office in the search. He also received a visit from Rachel's sister Rebecca, then discussed the need to contain Smith's investigations with his father and Elliman. He instructed Elliman to dig into Faith Heritage and find something they could use to persuade Purdy to help put Smith off.
Soon after, Stillson and Elliman met surreptitiously with Faith Heritage chief financial officer Mike Kennedy, blackmailing the lawyer with photographs of Kennedy's outlandish sexual activities. Stillman and Elliman later shook down Purdy for the finances remaining in Smith's trust fund to finance a last-ditch campaign push. The next day, Stillson held a press conference to ask for the public's help in finding Rachel Caldwell, and Rebecca presented a statement as well describing her sister.
Campaigning on the street, Stillson ran across Smith, who was not subtle in his implication that Stillson was involved in Rachel's disappearance. Stillson threatened to go after Smith if he learned that anything happened to Rachel. Later, he discussed the progress of the search with his father and Elliman, and the elder Stillson chastised him for hiring Rachel in the first place. Finally, Stillson watched Smith's arrest on television while getting a massage from his assistant, Linda.
Several days later, in "Finding Rachel (Part 2)", Stillson, his father, Elliman, and Linda watched a news broadcast outlining the congressional race, with Stillson at 28%, Republican candidate Melissa Klock at 31%, and Democratic candidate Steven Hansz at 32%. They then saw an update on Smith's arrest as the psychic continues to be questioned by the Cleaves Mills police; Stillson gave Elliman a stack of photographs of Smith's "Armageddon Board" with instructions to distribute them anonymously to the press in order to expedite Smith's public demise.
The next day, Stillson supervised the production and distribution of thousands of missing-posters for Rachel, before advising Sarah to steer clear of Smith during the investigation for the sake of her husband's public image. Later, Stillson meets with his father, Truax, and Elliman to discuss the shifting poll numbers, and they determine to "borrow a trick from [their] friends in Florida" by discounting voters with a name even remotely similar to any convicted felon. Elliman gets a call from Mike Kennedy and arranges a meeting with him, shooting Kennedy in his car and staging the scene to look like a suicide on the Faith Heritage campus.
On Tuesday, November 2, Stillson attended the election polls with his cadre and put in a vote for himself, playing dumb with the new digital equipment. Later that night, after the polls closed, Stillson was announced the winner; as the victory party raged, Stillson walked in on Sarah searching his office and attempted to seduce her, with the promise of political power by his side. His sexual advances are cut off when Bruce burst into the office, giving Sarah an opportunity to escape.
At the victory party, Stillson delivered an impassioned speech and learns from Truax that he won the election by one percent of the vote. Later, after Smith has been exonerated by a suicide note forged by Purdy under Kennedy's name that claimed responsibility for Rachel Caldwell's murder, Stillson met with Purdy to pick up Kennedy's remaining funds.
Stillson later met with Purdy after Kennedy's body is exhumed in "Tipping Point (Part 1)," prompted by one of Smith's visions; Stillson warned Purdy that any investigation into Kennedy's death would only hurt Faith Heritage. Stillson discussed the "Justice For All" bill with his father — a piece of legislation being renamed "Rachel's Law" — when Truax warned him that Bannerman and Smith are reinvestigating Rachel's murder. That night, Stillson watched a news broadcast in which Purdy admitted that he fabricated Kennedy's suicide note in order to secure Smith's release.
The next day, Stillson is visited by Rebecca Caldwell and Smith, and discusses "Rachel's Law" with her, requesting that she attend the bill-signing ceremony in Washington D.C. Rebecca declined the offer, but Smith held out a hand for Stillson, and Greg took it; the vision that Smith saw causes him to collapse, and Stillson phoned for paramedics.
[edit] Season 4
In "Broken Circle (Part 2)" (June 2005), Truax persuaded Stillson to take on Malcolm Janus as a new senior consultant. He also informed Greg that Smith is due to undergo brain surgery that may destroy his psychic ability, thus eliminating him as a threat to the continuing Stillson campaign. Later, Stillson was visited by Rebecca Caldwell, who had reconsidered his offer and decided to publicly endorse "Rachel's Law" by attending the bill signing. After sending Rebecca to a secretary to arrange the details, Stillson's father warned him not to "make the same mistake [he] made with her sister", the implication being that keeping Rebecca so close will keep Rachel's murder in the news, which could sink the campaign. Stillson asserted that he was not involved in the death. His father then ordered Elliman to place wiretaps in Rebecca's apartment to keep watch on her.
Stillson received a visit from Federal Marshal Pendragon, who warned the congressman that Smith has escaped the hospital where he was due to undergo brain surgery, and was likely headed to the Capitol. After Smith discovered the wiretaps in Rebecca's apartment, Elliman made quick work of clearing out the equipment, but was caught by Bannerman and wound up in an altercation with the sheriff.
On the morning of the bill signing, Stillson greeted Rebecca as she arrived at the courthouse, and the two were quickly hustled inside when federal agents spotted Smith near the periphery of the scene. Stillson skirted the press and steered Rebecca to his campaign suite upstairs; Stillson attempts to seduce Rebecca, but she slipped into the bathroom. She emerged a moment later with her purse in hand, seconds before Smith burst into the suite and took it, claiming that Stillson was not Rachel's killer: his father was.
Stillson was shocked by the revelation, but later learns from his father that Smith was telling the truth; he admitted to killing Rachel "to protect" his son, as well as speaking ill of his late wife, Greg's mother. In a fit of rage, Stillson strangled his father. He was then approached for the first time by Janus, who coached the distraught congressman through the tremulous first days after his father's death. Janus quickly became Stillson's primary advisor, replacing Jake Truax.
In "Vanguard", Stillson authorized House Appropriations subsidies to fund the biomedical Portland Chemical firm in Maine, whose research would in turn provide soft money for Stillson's continuing campaign; Stillson met with representative Judith Peck to discuss their mutually beneficial agendas. Stillson later met with Purdy during a Congressional recess to press him for more funding from the Faith Heritage Alliance. When Purdy refused, Janus cuts off Faith Heritage's satellite feeds until Purdy complied.
Stillson and Janus also discussed the work of Portland Chemical engineer Dr. Alex Connors, and Stillson informed his advisor that Connors was a student of Johnny Smith's. Stillson later visited with Connors at his Portland Chemical lab and learned that Connors and Smith were "finished" following a falling-out over Connors' current work. After meeting with Connors, Stillson told Janus that Smith must be kept out of Connors' work to keep the funds flowing.
Later, Janus arranged a meeting between Stillson and Maine Senator Harlan Ellis, and by proxy, his daughter Miranda. Leaving the Ellis estate, Stillson ran into Smith, who offered to steer clear of Stillson if he let go of Connors and his work. Stillson agreed, but went against the deal the moment that Smith was out of the car, ordering Connors kidnapped.
Over the next several months, Stillson and Miranda became romantically involved; when Stillson learned that Miranda's father did not allow her to attend her senior prom, he swears to "never deny [her] happiness." At some point, Stillson confessed that he killed his father to Miranda in a drunken outburst, telling her that now they are "in this together."
In "Saved", the couple took the Ellis' private yacht, the Seamore 9, into the Atlantic off the coast of Maine on January 22, 2006. After Stillson went below deck for Dramamine for his seasickness, he emerged to find Miranda missing. Desperate, he turned to Johnny Smith for help. The psychic reluctantly agreed to help, swearing that if the investigation showed that Greg was involved in Miranda's disappearance, he would bring the congressman down.
Stillson and Smith visit the Seamor 9, and Smith learned that Stillson was afraid of the water, and that the congressman had an argument with Miranda. Stillson and Smith then visit Miranda's apartment, where Stillson let slip that his father was "a Bible thumping dead-beat"; Smith claimed that he can't force his visions when he's tired, and insisted that they start again the next day. On January 23, Stillson and Smith met with Harlan Ellis at his estate, but Smith once again claimed he's not picking up any visions; as they leave, however, Smith told Stillson that Miranda was dead.
Later, Stillson is visited by Janus, who informed the congressman that Miranda Ellis is alive, and at the Hotel Gerard in Washington D.C. with Smith; Stillson admitted to telling Miranda the truth about his father's death. On January 24, Stillson held a press conference to announce Miranda's safe return, and publicly proposed to her; she accepts. Smith also attends, and Stillson made a point of thanking him in front of the cameras for his integral role in Miranda's rescue.
[edit] Season 5
In "Forbidden Fruit", after the leak of a "list of U.S. locations most vulnerable to a terrorist attack" to the Boston Telegraph Stillson gave an interview in which he stressed the need to refocus attention in respect to global terrorism, and called for the individual responsible for the leak to face federal treason charges. He also mentioned that he is leaving the wedding plans up to Miranda; Stillson later visited Miranda and her father to go over wedding details, and learned that Harlan invited Congressman Patrick Kelley, Stillson's senior counterpart. He also learned that Miranda regularly sees a doctor, Knox, for a heart condition left over from a childhood bout with rheumatic fever.
Stillson visited with Kelly and his chief of staff, Michael Scannell, to discuss the Telegraph leak, as Kelly was also committee chairman for Homeland Security. Stillson offered Kelley a deal: stop blocking Stillson's legislation, or face the full brunt of the leak scandal. Kelly told Stillson "to go straight to Hell." Stillson then met with Janus and demanded that his advisor "get that old man out of the way"; Janus assured Stillson that "it's already in the works."
The night before the wedding, Stillson visited Miranda, who puts off his sexual advance, claiming that it would be bad luck. She also took him to task for his infidelity, but he insisted that he was trying to put his scarred past behind him in order to make a new life with her. The next morning, Stillson was visited by Janus, who shows the congressman photographs of Miranda at Smith's house. Enraged, Stillson instructed Janus to "handle the situation", leaving the method up to his advisor.
Two hours before the wedding, Stillson visited Miranda, telling her that he loves her. As the guests arrive, Congressman Kelly was accosted by reporters who have just learned from a press conference by Telegraph journalist Jeremy Tomlin that Scannell was the source of the Homeland leak. As Stillson waited at the altar, however, Miranda's maid-of-honor broke the news that Miranda has stopped breathing. As paramedics loaded the unconscious bride into an ambulance, Stillson fought past Smith to join her, and stayed with her as she died. In the next two days, Stillson and Ellis have Miranda cremated and spread her ashes on the ocean.
Following a federal raid on the compound of a religious cult called The Seekers that results in the death of Nathan "Cyrus" Carter in "Vortex", Stillson led a congressional investigation panel to ascertain how the incursion unfolded. He interviewed Smith, Bannerman, Major Ray Seybold, Penobscot County Deputy Roscoe, Bruce Lewis, and Lucy Caron. During a recess, Stillson encountered Smith, who took the congressman to task for the deaths of James Stillson and Miranda Ellis, and baited him by saying that he is now just Janus' pawn. After the investigation, Stillson announced that the Seeker's Compound raid demonstrated a failing on the part of the government for not opening pathways of communication with the cult.
In "the Hunting Party", Stillson met with Janus and his cabal and received instructions to join Vice-President Eric Danbury on a hunting expedition. Stillson then replaced Senator Jennings on the trip to Briar Hill in Maine with Danbury, and witnessed Kendra Crowe cutting down a Secret Service agent and the Vice-President with one bullet before taking a bullet to his own left shoulder. He returned fire in the direction of the assassin, and is credited with taking down the triggerman, Marshall Frost.
[edit] Season 6
In "Heritage," Stillson, recently promoted to Vice President of the United States in the wake of Danbury's death, returned to Cleaves Mills to attend the Faith Heritage Winterfest. There he was met by Janus, who insisted that Greg stay focused on politics, and was given an amended speech on global warming by his advisor to be delivered via Faith Heritage satellite.
Stillson later meets with Purdy in his campaign bus to finalize his speech, but learns that Purdy has decided to give the speech instead. Stillson tries to convince Purdy otherwise, but Purdy expresses "serious concerns about the people behind" Stillson's career. Stillson also visited the Winterfest game run by Sarah Bannerman and won a panda bear, promising to take J.J. for a flight on Air Force Two — or Air Force One, should he win the Presidency.
A few days later, Stillson attends the wake of Penobscot County Sheriff Walter T. Bannerman, along with Sarah and J.J. Bannerman, Bruce Lewis, Johnny Smith, and Reverend Purdy. Greg laments the loss of Sheriff Bannerman, but agrees with Johnny that "certainly no one's going to miss Malcolm Janus". When Johnny shakes hands with Stillson on this occasion he's got a vision of the future again, but this time without armageddon.
[edit] References
Episode 1x13 -- Destiny
Episode 2x01 -- Valley of the Shadow
Episode 2x06 -- Scars
Episode 2x10 -- Dead Men Tell Tales
Episode 3x01 -- Finding Rachel, Part 1
Episode 3x02 -- Finding Rachel, Part 2
Episode 3x12 -- Tipping Point, Part 1
Episode 4x01 -- Broken Circle, Part 2
Episode 4x08 -- Vanguard
Episode 4x11 -- Saved
Episode 5x01 -- Forbidden Fruit
Episode 5x08 -- Vortex
Episode 5x11 -- the Hunting Party
Episode 6x01 -- Heritage
