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After the last two episodes, Under The Dome got bumpy, and it didn’t solve all its problems tonight. But it did just finally start paying off a few plotlines, and hopefully this head of steam is going to carry over into the rest of the series.
The meningitis outbreak that suddenly threatens the town actually gives the show focus by giving it stakes and a sudden, credible threat. But more than that, the writing has improved, to the point where pretty much every annoying character or terrible plotline either was made more interesting or finally paid off.
Big Jim finally shows some interest in his shed, meaning the Angie plotline might finally be over and we can spend time on something actually interesting, like Dean Norris’ epic WTF face. The stereotypical lesbian couple started acting like more than big-city fancy-pants types, and the episode ended with them being granted a genuine, human moment where you buy these are two people who love each other. Although you’d think Hipster Glasses would have mentioned that whole “I’m a doctor” thing a bit earlier, because come on.
Meanwhile, Junior shifted from more annoying than creepy to genuinely disturbing in this episode, finding a gift for oratory and getting a crucial amount of power as a deputy that isn’t going to end well. He’s gone beyond just being a whiny kidnapper and shown a talent for manipulating people. Which, considering Barbie is squarely in his sights, is bad news.
Even Julia gets something of an improvement. Unfortunately, the character is still a self-centered, self-righteous twit, but at least now she’s a self-centered, self-righteous twit who knows her husband was a complete jerk, and that Barbie wasn’t there to swap coupons with him. Barbie, meanwhile, finally comes somewhat clean to her.
This isn’t perfect. The show continues to whale on Linda, to the point of giving her meningitis, and we have to sit through her grade school teacher dying and having it played up as a big emotional moment when we barely know and certainly don’t care about this old lady buying the farm. The teenagers largely exist to remind us that, oh yeah, there’s a dome, and it’s there for a reason. But this is paying off the promise of the pilot to some degree; one hopes that the supposed sapfest next week’s episode is made to look like won’t be the whole episode.
Any thoughts on the episode? Let us know.
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Well, it was certainly an improvement over the last two weeks.
Positives: I actually liked that they gave Junior some triumph before his inevitable fall. The ludicrous “shushing” by possesed Angie’s brother during his trance. It was so ludicrous that I actually enjoyed it. Also, the lack of insanely stupid dialogue.
Negatives: Wanna live with me? I have no idea where my sister is and she has been missing for three days. Lets make out.
Julia contiunes to be a complete idiot. Screw meningitis, I need to find the mystery of my husband and Barbie now. Even though we are in a dome and noone is going anywhere, I need to know now even though I may infect others.
A solid bounceback episode. Now that Big Jim knows about the dungeon, I expect the story to pick up next week. I think they have waited long enough to pay off that storyline.
Yeah, I officially hate Julia, as a character. I’m starting to wonder if that’s deliberate, to be honest.
I walked away after last week. Worth coming back, or should I just keep moving?
If you have given up, I am not sure it is worth coming back. It was certainly better than the last two weeks, but that is not saying much. For the first time since the pilot though, they seem to have taken a step forward instead of just dicking around introducing us to ludicrous characters. They actually connected Barbie to a character in town and Big Jim finally found Angie, but not after she almost killed herself again. I guess I am going to keep watching, but that is as positive as I can be.
Thanks. Maybe I’ll let them pile up on the DVR and see if it warrants a binge watch.
If the next episode is strong, I’d recommend picking it back up.
Yea I’m pretty much in the same place as you guys. Certainly an improvement last night, but it’s not a great show.
Things that stuck out:
– Why Barbie and fake-Andy Samberg were relatively civil to each other all of a sudden seemed inorganic (though this show isn’t so much with the organic, so, fine).
– I think Big Jim finding Angie could actually go REALLY dark REALLY quickly next week. I doubt he’ll just be letting her go to then rat out his kid who is finally doing something worthwhile for once.
– “Family day” next week, though having massive sappiness-potential, will at least be realistic, in that people outside the dome should really be trying harder to make contact with those within. I guess the military has been holding them back, but I think giving that a little screen time is a good thing.
Yeah. I’m pretty sure Angie’s role as a hostage is not done.
Yep. No way is Big Jim letting her out and his son take the rap for kidnapping.
If I heard correctly, it’s been three days since the dome dropped and they’re already angry? I expected that from big city people but not from the folks in a small town.
Kinda surprised Joe is so open to letting lesbians live with him or did the girl tell him that her parents are lesbians?
She did, in a stupid conversation last episode.
Also, I’ve lived in a small New England town without a dome over it, and three days of that will get you plenty angry.
Joe is open to getting his maybe girlfriend within easy kissing/feeling up distance…
Her parents could be tree stumps for all he is concerned.
I just can’t do it anymore. The kid seizing and then putting his finger up to his lips, as to shoosh any viewer, was remarkably laughable in a series full of laughable acting and plot points.
I actually felt the show took a definite turn for the worse last night . . . though that might be because I had just finished watching the last couple episodes of Orange is the New Black, and the comparison, well, there is no comparison.
Better show, definitely. Kate Mulgrew is hilarious in it.
While I will concede that the meningitis outbreak brought some focus to the episode, this is still getting worse. Junior’s speach at the hospital was completely incoherent and made absolutely no sense. The preacherman going off his rocker was ridiculous (and the leap they make that it must be him would win a gold medal in any Olympics), and a lot of the things mentioned above (especially “Screw meningitis, I’m going to infect everyone else by trying to find out the truth about my husband!”). I don’t know why I’m still watching this…
Yeah, all of that stuff was ridiculous. I mean who gives a kid a shotgun and just says “go into this hospital and don’t tell anyone what’s going on in a rational manner, just point this gun at them and threaten them”
I’m beginning to think the twist is the dome is over this town because it’s full of idiots who need to be cut off from the rest of the world.
I agree that last night was an improvement, but don’t be tricked into thinking improved means good. I mean, if someone makes you a cat shit sandwich, but then “improves” it by removing some of the cat shit, then maybe throws some sprinkles on the remaining cat shit to make it look a little better, I mean, come on. It’s still a cat shit sandwich. Also, if any show actually necessitates a laugh track, it’s this one. That cross-eyed “shush” during that seizure was way funnier than anything I ever saw on Big Bang Theory.
You beat me to it. I was going to say the same thing, except I was going to use a dog shit sandwich.
Was I the only one who saw all those people throwing eggs and food and stuff at the dome in the open and was like, “Why are you wasting all that food? You are trapped in a dome!”
No, you weren’t I noticed it too.
I was going to give up on this show last week, but have decided to hate watch instead. Much more entertaining that way.
Okay, I am not going to harp on the obvious (it’s already be noted). But here are a couple of little problems that makes the show a growing problem:
— that was a Super Meningitis take everyone down so fast, and a Mary Poppins medicine to cure even faster,
— the reporter must have worked at The Springfield Shopper not to notice her husband’s blood on the floor at “The Cabin” (there was blood, right? he was shot, right?),
— doesn’t every hospital in the country have more than one accessible door?
— if they have limited food supplies, why were the “enraged” town folks throwing eggs at the Dome?
— those big SUVs must get great gas mileage since no one is worried about gas,
— did the teens learn slang and youthful banter from Syd Fields screenplay writing book?
— Isn’t the water pressure low? Then how did the the girl with the crazy ex tap into a gusher?
— why is the lesbian couple acting more like less fun Oprah and Gail than a married couple?
This is getting closer and closer to Terra Nova bad.
Stop trying to make under the dome happen, it’s not going to happen.
was there some kind of meningitis fart, that gave it to everyone so quickly. thank god for antibiotics