Under the Dome: Going Home
August 12, 2014 4:22 AM - Season 2, Episode 7 - Subscribe
Barbie investigates the pit and encounters some old acquaintances; Jim seizes the moment to reassert his authority.
So much *CHEESE* in the Barbie plot. Generic thugs; then OF COURSE IT'S HIS DAD.
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 8:02 AM on August 12, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 8:02 AM on August 12, 2014 [1 favorite]
Tiresome. That's really the only word that came to mind for this episode. I'm beginning to think the AV recaps are sufficient and watching just really isn't necessary. Uncalled for, even.
posted by Ik ben afgesneden at 2:30 PM on August 12, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by Ik ben afgesneden at 2:30 PM on August 12, 2014 [1 favorite]
I'll reiterate the "tiresome" description. I was commenting to my husband that I'm just so SICK of Big Jim. The whole episode just made me frustrated. It's starting to not be fun anymore.
posted by MsVader at 7:39 PM on August 12, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by MsVader at 7:39 PM on August 12, 2014 [1 favorite]
Well, I thought this was a good episode (grading on a curve of course). It would've been better if the tunnel had been a portal back in time but you can't have everything. Mostly I was fixated on Barbie's neck. Dude, wash the blood off before you go to bed.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 5:09 AM on August 13, 2014 [4 favorites]
posted by TWinbrook8 at 5:09 AM on August 13, 2014 [4 favorites]
I'm detemined to see this out until it gets cancelled just because I want some explanations, dammit.
Julia's new-found histrionics, Joe's book-read lines, Norrie's eternal angst, Melanie's simpering and BJ's posturing (holy crap "let's pray"!!!!) shall not sway me from my mission.
posted by arzakh at 5:55 AM on August 13, 2014 [1 favorite]
Julia's new-found histrionics, Joe's book-read lines, Norrie's eternal angst, Melanie's simpering and BJ's posturing (holy crap "let's pray"!!!!) shall not sway me from my mission.
posted by arzakh at 5:55 AM on August 13, 2014 [1 favorite]
The episode read to me mostly as "we've run out of plots to do inside the Dome so let's do a vacation episode".
It would've been better if the tunnel had been a portal back in time
That's what I was expecting too: that they emerge in Zenith back in Melanie's time, kicking off a "change the past to save the future" plot.
Instead now we just have the tunnel as an escape route from the Dome; so why doesn't everyone take it? But maybe the Lost-style side-effects of portal travel (Lyle's catatonia; Sam's ominous hand-twitch) will work against that.
I suspect also we're going to see a "Big Jim blows up the tunnel" plot.
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 12:20 PM on August 13, 2014 [2 favorites]
It would've been better if the tunnel had been a portal back in time
That's what I was expecting too: that they emerge in Zenith back in Melanie's time, kicking off a "change the past to save the future" plot.
Instead now we just have the tunnel as an escape route from the Dome; so why doesn't everyone take it? But maybe the Lost-style side-effects of portal travel (Lyle's catatonia; Sam's ominous hand-twitch) will work against that.
I suspect also we're going to see a "Big Jim blows up the tunnel" plot.
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 12:20 PM on August 13, 2014 [2 favorites]
Oh god yes, Big Jim will definitely try to blow up the tunnel.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 1:48 PM on August 13, 2014
posted by TWinbrook8 at 1:48 PM on August 13, 2014
All the episodes have been dumb, but this one was especially so.
posted by EXISTENZ IS PAUSED at 3:25 PM on August 13, 2014 [2 favorites]
Both the AVClub and Vulture recaps use the Lost "we have to go back" line.
Speaking of: what was the brief cliffhanger shot that we ended on? Some sort of decaying door with handprints on it. Portal back into Chester's Mill?
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 4:13 PM on August 13, 2014 [1 favorite]
Speaking of: what was the brief cliffhanger shot that we ended on? Some sort of decaying door with handprints on it. Portal back into Chester's Mill?
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 4:13 PM on August 13, 2014 [1 favorite]
I couldn't make out the image either and then realized I just didn't care.
Here's a thought exercise. How is Barbie going to get back inside the dome? The tunnel, the egg, simply walking through, or a time jump where the writers gloss over what happened? Or a memory lapse! Suddenly he wakes up in Julia's bed, after some pointless physical altercation with somebody, while he's trying to get in.
posted by Ik ben afgesneden at 5:09 PM on August 13, 2014
Here's a thought exercise. How is Barbie going to get back inside the dome? The tunnel, the egg, simply walking through, or a time jump where the writers gloss over what happened? Or a memory lapse! Suddenly he wakes up in Julia's bed, after some pointless physical altercation with somebody, while he's trying to get in.
posted by Ik ben afgesneden at 5:09 PM on August 13, 2014
simply walking through
That's my guess. The Dome will allow Barbie, but only Barbie, to pass through it to re-enter the Dome. Because he's Special. Setting up a "no, the Dome chose me" antagonism with Big Jim.
(And the show has already conveniently forgotten that it had the Dome choose Julia as the Monarch in series 1. It's saved Jim. It's chosen the kids as Hands. Everyone can be super!)
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 5:40 PM on August 13, 2014 [2 favorites]
That's my guess. The Dome will allow Barbie, but only Barbie, to pass through it to re-enter the Dome. Because he's Special. Setting up a "no, the Dome chose me" antagonism with Big Jim.
(And the show has already conveniently forgotten that it had the Dome choose Julia as the Monarch in series 1. It's saved Jim. It's chosen the kids as Hands. Everyone can be super!)
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 5:40 PM on August 13, 2014 [2 favorites]
I still can't get over how stupid all the Things The Dome Wants are. Dig up this minidome! Put your hands on it, but only you four! Butterflies! Julia is The Monarch, whatever that means! Drop the egg in the lake! Get the egg back out of the lake! I think the dome is like a Japanese game show for aliens.
posted by EXISTENZ IS PAUSED at 5:36 AM on August 14, 2014 [6 favorites]
posted by EXISTENZ IS PAUSED at 5:36 AM on August 14, 2014 [6 favorites]
Just you wait though, Melanie will claim to be The Monarch too. Coming soon: War of the Monarchs.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 6:27 AM on August 15, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by TWinbrook8 at 6:27 AM on August 15, 2014 [1 favorite]
I gotta say it, this is reminding me of where I was emotionally when I was watching Lost and wanted to throw in the towel, but thought NO, I MUST FIND OUT ANSWERS. I think the time may have come to tap out and just rely on the rest of you to let me know the plot of this week's trainwreck of an episode.
It's not often I abandon a show, but sometimes...it's necessary.
posted by miss-lapin at 6:34 PM on August 15, 2014
It's not often I abandon a show, but sometimes...it's necessary.
posted by miss-lapin at 6:34 PM on August 15, 2014
Speaking of: what was the brief cliffhanger shot that we ended on? Some sort of decaying door with handprints on it. Portal back into Chester's Mill?
Probably a one/two-way dome portal, seeing as they lampshaded one of Pauline's paintings of an open red door in the season 2 opener and again a couple of scenes earlier in this one. It was one of her better paintings too, though that's not saying much...
posted by peteyjlawson at 9:38 AM on August 16, 2014 [1 favorite]
Probably a one/two-way dome portal, seeing as they lampshaded one of Pauline's paintings of an open red door in the season 2 opener and again a couple of scenes earlier in this one. It was one of her better paintings too, though that's not saying much...
posted by peteyjlawson at 9:38 AM on August 16, 2014 [1 favorite]
I'm calling it now: Second Dome on Zenith. Eventually they're going to kill off too many in Chester's Mill and will need an influx of people for season three.
posted by Gary at 11:42 AM on August 16, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by Gary at 11:42 AM on August 16, 2014 [2 favorites]
Huh I actually kind of liked this episode. Getting out of The Dome was like a gasp of fresh air rattling through the decaying lungs of the dessicating corpse of Stephen King's TV dopplegänger. I mean it's horrible and stupid, of course, but at least we have some new sets. I like the psyche art studio. And anything's better than yet more Atheist Science Teacher and the Scooby Doo gang.
Shout out to Microsoft's sponsorship. Once again a key plot point is how the Windows 8 Tablet malfunctioned.
posted by Nelson at 9:53 PM on August 20, 2014
Shout out to Microsoft's sponsorship. Once again a key plot point is how the Windows 8 Tablet malfunctioned.
posted by Nelson at 9:53 PM on August 20, 2014
I love it when product placement goes wonky like the end of World War Z with the pepsi machine.
posted by miss-lapin at 10:21 AM on August 21, 2014
posted by miss-lapin at 10:21 AM on August 21, 2014
The weird thing about the product placement is they never say the product name, but then they are forced to give awkwardly long close ups and show off the logo. Then I remembered the article about How I Met Your Mother inserting ads in syndication. They say " Other examples of what can be switched out for new advertisers in reruns include cell phones, hotels, and beverages". So get on it, Samsung, and it could be your tablet malfunctioning during the TNT Under the Dome Marathon.
posted by Gary at 5:59 PM on August 21, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by Gary at 5:59 PM on August 21, 2014 [2 favorites]
All the episodes have been dumb, but this one was especially so.
I'm just getting around to reading all the UtD threads on FanFare, so I don't particularly remember the details of this particular episode. But I love this comment so much because it could apply to any of them!
posted by malocchio at 12:45 PM on September 18, 2014 [2 favorites]
I'm just getting around to reading all the UtD threads on FanFare, so I don't particularly remember the details of this particular episode. But I love this comment so much because it could apply to any of them!
posted by malocchio at 12:45 PM on September 18, 2014 [2 favorites]
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posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome at 7:39 AM on August 12, 2014