Under The Dome- Season 2 episode 5

Barbie meets up with Rachel, appartently Rachel is willing to talk. He tells her about Melanie. And that she died in the 80s. And that she found the mini-dome. And that Sam was there and knew Melanie.

Sam returns home to see his place wrecked up. By Junior, who is still there. Junior is looking for his mom’s journal. Lyle betrayed him Junior confesses that he got an email from his mom and that she’s alive.

The townsfolk are divide those against Jim, and Jim’s supporters (Julia’s new enemies). I’m noting that a vehement Julia opposer is an “angry black man” archetype. Speaking of UtD’s use of tokenism, Carolyn appears on screen for about 20 seconds ..and volunteers her services to represent Big Jim. 

Julia says that the trial will be fair and impartial… but her gpood intentions don’t mean much where the crowd quickly wants to play judge, jury, and executioner on their own. Phil shoots down a man running at Jim, Rebecca tries vainly to tend to the man. They pronounce him dead. To Julia, Rebecca confesses that Barbie wasn’t involved as Jim had implied. Julia tells Phil to fork over the badge, Barbie backs her up and he accuses them of being drunk on power.

Dome kids bring Melanie to touch the dome. But nothing happens.

Junior finds some pages of the journal and surmises that the theory was that the “4 hands” (he, Norrie, Joe and Angie) have to die. He freaks that he could be the next target and heads out to warn the others. So now, Sam knows that he knows. 

Rebecca and JIm, back in their neighboring cells and Rebecca asks if he’d ever seen a man die before. He has. And he says so. Rebecca confesses that she didn’t have it in her to inflict suffering like that. A drunken Phil shows up and is going to free Big Jim, but he says that he’d have no where to hide and public opinion would mean his head. They decide to “win the crowd over.”

Dome kids brouhaha: Norrie tells Melanie what an immature and vapid twat she thinks Melanie is. Joe chases after the fragile and crying Melanie… and they kiss. A pissed off Norrie catches them and starts a shoving match. Norrie falls in a bush and scrapes her arm… this somehow gives Joe an idea.

Back across town where Barbie and Julia are handing out supplies: Barbie opens a package when there is an explosion. More supplies KO’d, Big Jim’s plan? Definitely. Julia tries to calm the crowd, Phil shows up to antagonize the situation. He says the generator wires were frayed and that it was Julia’s negligence and incompetence. Barbie comforts her …and then they make out. Last ep she thought that Barbie was an up and coming mass murderer, after him being a love interest -he did murder her husband- then she tries to make him Sheriff…. waffler. 

At some point that I forgot to mention, Sam was getting Junior drunk so that he could kill him. But he has a change of heart when a drunken and sleepy Junior says “you’re the only family I’ve got”

Carolyn catches Phil looking in on the place where he moved the food so it wouldn’t explode. He takes her hostage and Barbie saves her after shooting Phil through the shoulder. He should recover quickly. Julia is fully healed -she was shot that same way only 5 or 6 days ago! 

Julia meets with a woman, Andrea, who was handing out food, turns out her husband was a survivalist. Basement filled, cabinets overflowing. Enough food to last everyone a while. Andrea hosts a big meal at the diner, Julia lets Jim out of jail. The power of FORGIVENESS. Julia is such a twit. Jim tells someone to “enjoy the food” like he had any damn thing to do with it.

Rebecca says to Jim that they should “give Julia a chance” which sounds ominous. Alien girl gives Rebecca blood samples from the Dome kids. Barbie decides he’ll be the Sheriff. Norrie tells Joe to get bent after he says that he loves her and Junior and Sam find a tunnel inside Angie’s locker (that makes no sense).

More woes for the WoC- Rebecca is still under Big Jim’s thumb, Carolyn is finally awake on screen for over a minute and she’s a damn hostage, This show also glorifies “purity” and “goodness” in ways I can’t fully articulate yet. Any woman employing logic or science is regarded as nuts while those who are trusting to the point of naivete and immaturity are glorified (Melanie and Julia in particular). 

These characters have no personalities. They make decisions seemingly at random. With the possible exception of Barbie (who is a straight white male action hero… and there’s no way that he’s not some wish fulfilment stand in).

Julia is probably the worst judge of character on earth. Aside from that, a couple episodes ago she was going to kill Big Jim only to immediately change her mind and save him, she decides to put him on trial then says “fuck the trial -let’s forgive!” She was briefly looking like a love triangle would be in her future… but that’s fallen by the wayside after she goes right back to trusting the man that she thought was capable of mass murder YESTERDAY. Junior and Sam: they’re going after Lyle, but Lyle can bring Sam’s transgressions to light. Sam definitely killed Angie. He probably killed Melanie, only to take care of her and be nice to her when she turns up again. Big Jim won back the favor of the town through dubious tactics after trying to repent and contemplating suicide a couple of episodes ago. He’s quick to throw Rebecca under the bus but then acts as if he needs her in the grander scheme of things. Rebecca has witnessed Jim’s deceit but still goes along with his plan, plotting against Julia who saved her life (after trying to fight her and lock her in jail) and then she gets up and leaves to help the Dome kids with their science project. And Joe doesn’t mention Angie ever and makes out with the alien. Norrie understandably pissed (and erratic behavior is very teenage) but then she let’s Joe take a blood sample to help Melanie?!? What?!?! Fuck all this.

this is Mike Vogel playing guitar on set between takes while filming this episode.

Under the Dome: Season 2 episodes 1, 2 &3

Episode 1- This one is written by the man himself, Stephen King. And there are so many preposterous things that occur. We lose and gain characters. But we begin our episode with Dale Barbara at the gallows as Julia drops the egg in the lake. Suddenly most of the gathered crowd collapses as a bright light shines across the dome and a mysterious girl appears in the lake. And from there on we have a typical UtD chain of nonsensical and frustrating events.

Julia jumps in the lake to save the drowning girl. She’s shot in the shoulder, so it seems unlikely that she’d be a strong swimmer at that particular moment. A man runs out of a house and helps Julia do CPR, then he asks her if she can walk. Umm.. she’s shot in the upper body and playing life guard. That made no sense. Junior poises himself to be a hero and refuses to hang Barbie. Linda threatens to shoot Big Jim, which is good since she’s the law and Jim is framing a man and publicly executing him. Very reasonable.

The four go investigate at “the dome” (which is making a perimeter around the whole town… it’s not one spot) where Linda dies saving Barbie. Anyone other than Junior, Big Jim or Barbie would have been reasonable. Her oath was to protect and serve, but another woman being cannon fodder, being a reason for male characters to have a change of heart. Boooo Barbie and Big Jim tussle and he runs off to steal a car from local Science teacher Rebecca Pine, another WoC who will probably have a short life span given this show’s track record of repeatedly victimizing women.

Julia and Junior’s uncle Sam tend to the alien who escapes and Angie, Joe and Norrie save Carolyn from flying kitchen accessories while Big Jim hallucinates Dodee telling him off again. Shortly after, Angie and Junior resolve to kill Big Jim. But then they collapse during a magnetic wave. Ms Pine creates a way to offset the magnetic charge. Barbie and Julia reunite and make out around an ocean of collapsed townsfolk. Big Jim finds Junior collapsed and freaks out, then he hallucinates Linda while Junior has a coma dream about his mom. Stricken with fear and concern for his son, Big Jim decides to hang himself but he can’t pull the lever. Julia says that she’ll do it but immediately has a change of heart. So he stomps on the trapdoor and Julia with lightning fast reflexes has a knife open in her hand and cuts the rope. 

Julia and Rebecca immediately quibble over whether magic or science stopped the dome’s nefarious magnetism. Because women can never be friends on TV.

Big Jim tells Phil that Barbie didn’t kill Dodee, then he invites Carolyn, Norrie, Joe and Angie to stay at his house. Yeah, that’s a safe place for Angie in particular… Norrie is prepared to tell him to fuck off but Carolyn says to keep your enemies closer. Angie still wants Jim dead. Good for her. Sam, Junior’s Uncle shows up at the diner, Big Jim is not pleased. Angie closes up the diner alone, she’s taking out rubbish when she sees that alien girl that Julia saved go into the school. Angie follows her but the other girl runs off. Angie sees that her locker is open and the gets an axe to the back. Welp, 2 deaths + 2 replacements + another straight white male added to the main cast. Fuck. Add to that the waffling that the characters do about killing Big Jim… dude’s crazy and a murderer. And now Junior being on board and Angie commending Junior for having her back after keeping her chained up (“to protect her”) last season… oh fuck that. Abuser turned hero is the worst trope.

Episode 2-

Ms Pine wants to reopen the school, Big Jim sets Junior off to check out the school where he finds dead Angie. At the diner Rebecca Pine tells Jim that butterflies are munching their crops. And Barbie and Jim speculate about who would do this. Phil is there and still suspicious of Barbie. They find a bloody shoeprint. Jim thinks it’s Junior, Junior thinks it’s Big Jim. Norrie and Joe are off in the woods oblivious when they find the mysterious girl from the lake. They pass by the school and Joe whose stages of grief are acceptance and anger. Barbie and Julia are discussing the new girl when they see a fire. Rebecca is burning the crops. Joe is upset and Norrie tries to comfort him to little avail. Norrie expresses the same suspicion that Barbie has about the girl from the lake. Because women on this show all hate each other on sight. Rebecca says that she burned the wheat to stop the caterpillars from infesting other crops.Big Jim decides that “this is a test for him”

Barbie’s like: Big Jim’s like, “This plague was sent as a test for me, Barbie.”

Julia goes to talk to Sam to find out is he’s holding anything back about the new girl and he finds out what’s happened to Angie, Julia finds out that Sam is Big Jim’s brother in law. Sam comes to examine Angie’s body for evidence and Junior reveals that he got blackout drunk because the vision of his mom threw him off guard. But he doesn’t think he would have hurt Angie. Barbie and Jim decide to rain pesticides on the remaining crops and they quibble over who will fly the plane and get the credit. Should they let Barbie- the former military pilot!? tough choice. Joe and Norrie bring weird girl’s shoe to Phil and it’s a match, Julia is pissed that they’re holding her… ummm… it seems reasonable. Less reasonable is hung over and emotional Junior switching gears from looking for something damning on Big Jim to wanting to kill the new girl in the span of 30 seconds.

Barbie damages the wing of the plane on the dome, he thinks he’ll run out of gas but Big Jim had a spare tank. Julia and Sam “clear” the girl from the woods when they find a man sized handprint on Angie. Umm… two people working together is a thing. And Julia and Sam go to free her while Joe points a gun at her. Julia and Barbie recap their day’s event and Julia goes on and on about Rebecca and how she’s too Team Big Jim and that Rebecca “doesn’t know everything about the dome.” Newsflash: no one does, at least she’s doing things that will help Chester’s Mill residents. But the fact that Rebecca was in Barbie’s proximity makes Julia see her as a threat… when she was with Sam all day and Barbie didn’t tee off like a 15 year old… makes female characters look dumb as hell. Angie’s funeral is the following day –it’s majorly inappropriate that Big Jim gives the Eulogy, mind you. She wanted him dead, he’d threatened her before. Really any other person was a better choice. Right before, Joe has a melt down while he’s looking for her bracelet, Barbie consoles him and then Junior finds that he has the bracelet and heads to Sam’s to confess that he thinks he did it.

Episode 3

Barbie and Julia are sheltering the young alien girl and Barbie catches her going through his things. She asks him where he is from and he asks her where she is from. Julia accuses him of interrogating her. Oookay.

Big Jim goes to get a haircut and some cologne from Dwight Yoakam. who is a religious nut bag… but that comes later.

Ms Pine decides to get all the teenagers together to help build a windmill. Joe still has the specifications on his school tablet. Norrie and the new alien aren’t exempt from this task. Julia tries to get new girl out of it, but the mystery girl says she would like to help. Norrie is not amused. And this time I don’t blame her. She didn’t get to be sheltered, she’s been through a lot with losing her mom and was never into the school thing. Now she’s being forced into educational activities and the chipper goody two shoes that she thinks may have killed HER FRIEND ANGIE (even though they don’t allow Norrie any time to grieve). 

They head off to the school to get the tablet, Junior is already there after talking to Sam about his blackout and Sam says that his mom used to go into fugue states but that sometimes if she tried to retrace her steps she would start to remember.

It starts raining what looks like blood but is really a chemical/algae rain that burns people’s skin. That might be worse than blood. Lyle (Dwight Yoakam) and Rebecca face off over religion and science.

The school has wifi again somehow and they have gotten messages from the outside. Including a message to Joe from his dad: his parents miss him, “now he’s the man of the house, take care of Angie” WTFF? Joe is the YOUNGER brother. Angie had lived on her own and is an adult. What kind of patriarchal BS… *sigh* Joe starts crying, worried what he’ll tell his parents, worried that they’ll all die in the dome… and he’s comforted by the new girl. Norrie hates it. She gives Junior her tablet and  stomps off. Junior has a message that says “I can help you James” (which is how so many emails in my spam box begin), and he finds a video by his mother. She confesses that she’s alive and tells him that Lyle has answers.

Then alien girl knows Angie’s locker combo… turns out she had the same locker in 1988! There’s no way schools keep records of that for that long. There’s no way that the combos weren’t changed. It’s so fucking pointless.

Meanwhile Rebecca and Big Jim head out to treat the water and stop the red rain. Suddenly a figure blocks the road and Jim crashes to avoid him, the disoriented Jim is tossed from the car and Rebecca is abducted by Lyle. Jim radios for help. Rebecca gets tortured. Barbie, Junior and Julia bust in to save Rebecca (except Junior who is looking for answers from Lyle). Lyle like Julia because she believes in the higherpower of the dome instead of science and she nearly talks him into letting Rebecca go. Rebecca doesn’t wait, she douses Lyle with the acid rain. Julia exclaims “Why did you do that?” Let me answer… she’s been caused pain and forced to fear for her life at Lyle’s hands all day. It’s obvious.

Anyway, Rebecca fixes the water. Lyle goes to jail, Junior lets him out. And Rebecca goes back to the crazy talk about “thinning the herd.” Maybe in time it would be necessary,  the acid rain killed some pigs, butterflies destroyed some plants but it’s been less than 3 weeks. And a bunch of people have already died anyway. Julia gets to be self righteous and outraged. Rebecca gives no fucks.

Newsday- Nintendo, Fred Williamson, Summer TV +more

Mario Kart 8, work and training for a 5k has eaten my blogging life. I didn’t pick up my comics yet this week, so I figured I’d tell you what’s on my mind.

Penny Dreadful, which I have been loving is renewed for season 2! After 4 episodes! FINALLY a show that I like doesn’t get axed with plotlines hanging around everywhere!

Fred Williamson, AKA “the Hammer” ex-football player and total badass has a new movie called The Last Hit Man. Written, directed and starring Williamson, with Franco Nero and Gary Busey. I got to meet Fred Williamson at TerrorCon over the weekend. I attended his Q&A where he said he turns down 4 or 5 movies every week (every WEEK) because the black characters are written as spoofs or goons or idiots who die in the first 5 minutes. Kudos to him for being uncompromising and making it work on his own terms, but shame on Hollywood for presenting the choice as “don’t work” or “degrade yourself”. It’s a damn shame. 

He’s also in his 70s and will still kick your ass.

Under the Dome is back on June 30th, Stephen King himself  releases/reads the intro to snowball some hype. We have to wait until July 9th for Extant- Halle Berry fronts this scifi CBS show… about a woman impregnated by aliens after a trip to space. +3 for diversity, +1 for Spielberg, +2 for women in science… but impregnated by aliens? yeesh. Apocalypse/saviour baby plots are not my fave. Raped by aliens is not good. 

TRUEBLOOD’s final season kicks off in a couple weeks. Rumor mill says there will be a same sex hook-up (“from non-gay characters”) in ep2. Honestly, I can’t imagine this will be handled in a mature fashion most of the gay characters have been bogged down with tropes on tropes. Every one is still hoping that Alexander Skarsgard is involved. Honestly, I think his little brother is cuter. Which is why I’m counting the days til July 11th when Bill Skarsgard returns as Roman on Netflix original series “Hemlock Grove”. 

Official season 2 trailer, anyone?

Absolutely no one anywhere can wait for the new open world Zelda. But we have to. 2015.

 

 

Under the Dome- Episode 13

Season finale time! Episode 13:

Linda, Norrie, Carolyn, Ben and Joe are at Ben’s house standing around the mini dome. The butterfly has hatched and Joe thinks they need to get it out.

Junior is licking the dome and trying to communicate with the dome and is asking why it wants him to kill his father.

Julia is trying to convince Angie that she has to save Barbie.

The butterfly is crashing into the minidome walls and making black spots, coincidentally it starts getting crazy dark outside… the dome is covered in black spots!! Junior yells out, “What are you trying to tell me?!”

Barbie is getting smacked around by Jim and insisting that he’s not going to make it easy on him. 

Linda radios in that she’s found another dome (STUPID)and it starts screeching, she says it’s police property and if anyone is going to touch it, it will be her. She does… it shocks her… she flies across the room. 

Junior’s so mad that he was “deceived by Angie” (bastard). 

“That’s enough, lovebirds, it’s go time.” Angie and Julia rescue Barbie from the holding cell. Deputies show up to stop him and a kick ass fight scene ensues, culminating with Angie nailing someone over the head with a fire extinguisher. GET IT

Joe and co steal a radio and he radios a “secret message” to Angie. She, Julia and Barbie come rushing in. Junior points a gun at Barbie, Julia explains the situation. They put their hands in the dome and it breaks… but the butterfly is dead… until Norrie touches it. They watch it fly around with wide eyes and hopeful grins. Then the butterfly hovers around Barbie. Joe says, “I knew it, you’re the monarch.”

Big Jim, Linda, Phil are looking for Barbie and everyone. Linda tells them that they think the egg is a generator and that it can bring down the dome (Big Jim’s worst fear).

Townsfolk are trying to get right with Jesus.

Jim goes to PREACH that the Lord will not give them more than they can handle. Vows Chester’s Mill will have its new dawn.

Junior refuses to accept the Barbie is the Monarch. Barbie, to his credit, thinks that insects are a strange way to choose a… whatever…

THE EGG ITS DOING SOMETHING as in, possibly exploding. Then Julia picks up the egg and it stops. Barbie decides that she’s the monarch.

Julia… who was stuffed into everyone else’s storylines, and was of her own merit not incredibly interesting or deep… is the monarch… 

 

Okay.

Phil meets up with Big Jim, who had an idea come to him at church. A GALLOWS. He needs to show how serious they are about law & order. Phil agrees… to avenge Dodee. Big Jim, the swine, the sick bastard raises his glass.

Linda is in the barn and reads “the pink stars are falling in lines”

Jim nearly collapses. He’s stunned. He asks linda to meet him at his house. 

Norrie asks Julia what they should do next. No one knows what to do. Junior says take it to the authorities. Then they have a face off with Junior about who shot who and he says his dad would never hurt a woman *scoff* He takes aim at Julia and goes to get the egg, she tosses it to Angie and they run away. Junior tackles Barbie.

Linda arrives at Big Jim’s and he shows her his dead wife’s paintings… of pink stars and a black egg.

they make and apparition of Norrie’s mom.

Linda validates Big Jim’s violence by saying that if she saw the dome coming that his family is important. (Why Big Jim would be important be this fact… I don’t know. Is it’s biological it would be just her and Junior… and Heaven forbid it just be the wife who is important.)

The kids + Julia don’t know what to do with Barbie captured by Junior in the fight. Norrie asks the egg what to do and Alice, well not Alice, the bringer of the dome, those who are still learning how to communicate with humans, says that the dome is there to protect them and they must earn the light by protecting the egg. If they fail, it’s the end for all of them.

Big Jim makes an announcement over the radio that Julia Shumway has a dangerous weapon (the announcement ONE DAY AGO was that Barbie was wanted for trying to killher)

Junior says that Julia and the kiddos are trying to assassinate Jim. Big Jim rants to Junior that this dome is their destiny. Even Junior is looking at him like he is crazy. He admits he has killed people and that the Rennies were chosen. The pink stars are shining down on Junior. 

Julia takes responsibility and tells Norrie, Joe and Angie to go somewhere safe (what did happen to Ben in all this?)

Junior and Big Jim go out to the very speedily built gallows and are ready to hang Barbie. While Julia debates throwing the egg into the water.

She does and the water glows purple, pink stars shoot out.

Big Jim makes a desperate plea that this means the hanging has God’s blessing. The stars eat away at the black spots and light bathes the town. 

Big Jim shouts to Junior to pull the lever to the floor and hang Barbie.

And…

That’s it. Well, that didn’t wrap anything up. So Barbie might or might not be hanged (and if he’s not hanged, Junior will be viewed as a hero, even though he’s an abuser and kidnapper), Big Jim and Junior are painted as integral to …uh, aliens (probably aliens) and their plot to save this shitty town with a dome… But why?

On the other hand, Angie got to crack someone over the head with a fire extinguisher. I wish it was Junior, but still. I also wish that when Big Jim and Junior hugged that he had stabbed him… even though, again, that would make an abusive asshole the hero, which is gross. Weird cliffhanger. I’ll be watching next season to see how everyone makes out (even though my favorite character is dead), if barbie lives and cheering for someone to kill Junior.

Hopes for next season: Angie pays Ben some attention. Norrie keeps being smart and rad. Linda stops waffling and makes better decisions. The “aliens” make their reasons for coming more clear. Phil on the right side. Annnnnddddd… a dead Junior. Sorry, Alex Koch.

Under The Dome- Episode 12

Purple egg, doing purple stuff!

Big Jim is hunting down Dale Barbara. The whole town consents to house sweeps.

Dodee hears the military on the radio again. “Barbie is the only one inside with the necessary expertise”. Angie’s psyched about killing Big Jim (the dome said so) and Jim’s after Joe’s Monarch. When the butterfly hatches, the monarch will be crowned. Carolyn emerges! She sees the kids with the minidome egg. She doesn’t trust Big Jim and knows he will be searching houses so they decide to hide it at Ben’s HOORAY Ben’s okay!

Dodee tells Jim what she heard on the radio. Linda tries to convince everyone to keep Barbie alive.

Barbie sneaks up on Angie and he explains that it wasn’t really him, Angie instantly believes him. Barbie knows that Julia is in trouble if she wakes up and he asks Angie for help saving her. Angie gets to save someone!

Angie and Barbie go on a rescue mission. She smokes a cigarette and prepares to be a badass.

The military is looking for an egg. Dodee remembers seeing it now (at one point it zapped her and she had amnesia). Dodee goes to keep the radio on and Big Jim hears that the military saw him murder the rev… Dodee unfortunately walks in just in time to hear it (and see Jim destroy the equipment). Dodee is immediately suspicious that Big Jim really killed everyone that he blamed on Barbie.

Dodee tries to convince him she can still be on his side. She can help get the dome down. Jim decides that the dome can’t come down and pulls a gun, Dodee says “You’re a sick bastard. And one day everyone’s going to know it. And they’re going to smile when you die.”

She gets shot (oddly, seemingly the same place that Julia got shot; point blank range but everyone gets hit in the shoulder). Jim sets the radio station on fire.

Phil thinks Barbie is burning down the station.

Ben’s guarding the egg.

Angie is wearing her candy striper outfit, acting as if she is volunteering and tries to confront him about his dad lying. “Did Big Jim tell you what to do if she woke up?” she pulls out puppy dog eyes and says “I just need someone to talk to, you’re the only one who knows what I’m going through.” She tricks him into leaving Julia with an soulful “I need you.” SUCKER

“Mr. Rennie, let me tell you how much a lawyer knows about illegal searches.” Carolyn takes none of this crap when they come to search the barn, Big Jim and his vigilantes get violent (not kidding) and Norrie shows up to protect her mom.

Linda and Phil find Dodee dead, Phil is beside himself and obviously blames Barbie (knowing that barbie is violent- which is accurate, and believing Big Jim’s tall tales).

Angie kisses Junior to distract him and tastes cigarettes on her lips (am I supposed to think that  the rest of the town smoked all the cigarettes and the only person with any left is Barbie because he was hoarding them somewhere around episode 2) and figures out that she is duping him. Junior manages to call in that Barbie is at the clinic, Barbie sends Angie off with KO’d Julia and Linda shows up, slaps the cuffs on Dale Barbara and Phil hits him while he’s cuffed.

Norrie knows that they should have killed Big Jim when they had the chance. They know that Barbie is a goner. Big Jim tries to get Joe to tell him where the egg is. Says he’s “impeding a lawful investigation” which Norrie cracks up about then calls him a “loser trying to scare kids.” Jim goes into Norrie’s cell and threatens her, Norrie attacks him.

Linda’s on the walkies putting out an APB for Angie. Linda actually doesn’t think that Barbie hurt Julia, but calls him out for murdering her husband.

Ben gets mind freaked by the egg.

Norrie and Joe get lead by Barbie. Norrie and Joe tell Barbie not to tell Big Jim anything, that they will be okay. Big Jim starts saying all the terrible things that will happen to Angie, Norrie, Joe and Julia for siding with him. Barbie agrees to confess as long as everyone gets off scot free (but Big Jim is untrustworthy)

Big Jim send Junior out to find Angie and Julia. Junior asks “What’s so important about finding Julia?” since big Jim’s whole reasoning for wanting Julia kept an eye on was that Barbie was going to finish the job. Junior is starting to believe that Jim is a bad guy.

“The creepy sphere’s gone crazy man”

Julia wakes up. Angie tends to her. Julia remembers a woman she’d never seen before shooting her. Angie snuck around, doubled back and hid in a storage room at the clinic (the last place they would look) very cleverly and then tells Julia that Big Jim said Barbie shot her. Julia is horrified. Barbie is standing before Chester’s Mill as Big Jim recites “his crimes”.

The egg turns red.

Julia knows that they will kill Barbie. The butterfly comes out of the cocoon and Barbie decides to plead NOT GUILTY.

AHHHHH the drama!

Ben got his face of the milk carton and twitter explodes with hopes that he is the monarch!

So much, what can happen? What will happen to the kids now that Barbie broke his promise? Will Chester’s Mill go mob mentality and stone Barbie to death?

Best episode in a while. All my faves came back from obscurity. Carolyn stood up to Big Jim and was a good mom, Norrie stood up to Big Jim and was a good daughter, Phil (played by Nicholas Strong: so much good acting!)  got some meaningful screen time as he looked for justice for Dodee…. poor Dodee. DAMMT!

Angie got to do some cool action chick stuff and show off how smart she is. Norrie got to be a punkass who’s tired of being screwed over.

But I am so mad that Dodee gets shot and actually dies. No halfassed surgery? No one to suck the air out of her chest? UNFAIR

Under the Dome- Episode 11

Joe thinks one of the constellations is “them.” Angie, Joe, Norrie and …Junior (ick). Norrie has a melt down that she doesn’t want to be a part of the dome conspiracy/secret society. They decide to tell Julia about it (of course!)

Linda is confronting Big Jim about paying off Maxine. He’s all “you owe me a damn parade” about smuggling propane in “charge me with conspiracy to keep the lights on.” Big Jim tells Linda to investigate Barbie instead. Julia needs closure with Peter… she wants Barbie to show her where he buried the body. Big Jim tells Linda that no one’s heard from Julia’s husband (which isn’t unlikely anyway, since he died on dome-day.

And then a knock at the door: It’s Maxine!!

And she shoots Julia! (in a rare unexpected moment)

Barbie calls in the shooting to Linda. (hey didn’t Phil get shot once)

Junior’s trying to get back with Angie. “It’s undeniable, our lives are braided together.” Angie is panicked and tells him off, says she’s leaving as soon as the dome is down. She reminds him that he held her against her will almost killed her. So then he says that he’s not gonna be part of their minidome-team, he won’t get rid of the dome, he’d rather die than be apart from her.

A tornado starts forming at the top of the dome.

Linda is trying to get across town and “carjacks” …Phil! Yay Phil didn’t die off camera. Joe comes by (to tell Julia about the minidome) and Barbie calls him in to drive while he helps Julia and they get to the hospital.

Maxine shows up with Big Jim. He tells her that he knows she’s the one who shot Julia, and she as good as threatens Junior. Big Jim has a big boo-hoo about how Maxine wants to hurt him.

Dodee is doing radio stuff, the receiver starts working again. Outside: authorities know that Dale Barbara is inside the dome. Dodee is interested and suspicious.

Angie shows up at Junior’s and he points a gun at her (good way to show you aren’t a nut) she tells him that he’s causing a tornado.

Julia flatlines. Barbie is doing surgery on her and starts sucking air out of her chest (what??)

Angie says they need Junior, he says “you need me Angie.” she resentfully agrees and as soon as he saves her life (tackling her so a blowing crate thing doesn’t slam into her) the tornado stops. (what?)

Joe thinks that Barbie is the monarch because he saves Julia, maybe he’s supposed to save everyone (okay… better than Junior being the damn monarch)

Max finds her dead mother washed up on shore. If she was mad as hell before.. oohhh look out every one.

Big Jim goes and finds Barbie, they form an alliance to take Max out. He says they take her alive… Big Jim says no. (Big Jim also admits that he needs Barbie’s help, he also tried to sell Barbie out that morning). Barbie makes a symbolic speech “blah blah… knock Big Jim off his throne.

Joe meets up with the minidome-gang and says that Barbie is the monarch because the storm stopped when he saved Julia. Junior says that it was him deciding to come back that stopped the storm.

Linda FINALLY shows up at Julia’s house. Phil tells Linda that Barbie was the “collections agent” for the bookie and they theorize that he killed Peter and Julia found out (which is true, except Julia didn’t care and Max shot her not Barbie, if he did shoot her, why would he call it in and then hide her body?)

Barbie and Big Jim try to sneak into Max’s place but they end up with guns to their heads.

“Jim killed my mother, Barbie. Bet he didn’t tell  you.” too true.

“It’s a good thing you’re handsome, brother, because you sure are thick sometimes.” She blackmails him into being with her, again. Barbies explosives… explode. He gets the upper hand.

Phil tells Linda about the fight club at the cement factory. She steals his car.

Barbie “breaks up” with Max, Big Jim shoots Max and a guard dead and then goes for Barbie, but he talks too much and Barbie punches him in the throat! Hooray!!

Dodee tells Big Jim that the military knows Barbie’s in the dome, and that he’s the one they are looking for. Big Jim charges Barbie with killing every one that he, himself, killed and puts out an APB and state of emergency in Chester’s Mill.

The minidome gang all go touch the dome (outside doesn’t look like a nuke went off anymore) they see a man coming toward. It’s a creepy Big Jim, dying on the other side.he’s bleeding and then they are all holding knives. Junior lets go and the knives and image go away. Junior runs off to find his dad.

Angie thinks they have to kill Big Jim!!!!

….So to sum up, Maxine was a deranged lunatic blackmailing Barbie into loving her (as Junior did with Angie) but instead of becoming an integral part of the story, a la Junior, Max gets shot and killed. While Angie is forced to cooperate with her abuser… explain to me how this is fair and not portraying women as worthless?

Way to dash all of my hopes. I was really hoping Max would get her revenge and kill off Junior. Bummer.

Linda… why would Linda believe Big Jim? INVESTIGATE… and why is Big Jim the one to declare that Barbie is wanted and that Chester’s Mill is in a state of emergency?

Why after working with Barbie and trusting him to be a deputy do you instantly believe he’s a cold blooded murderer? (well, he sort of is… whatever)

The big question still unanswered:

Where is Ben?!

Oh… wait,

Who is the monarch?

Only 2 episodes left!

The 50th Anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr’s “I Have a Dream” speech post

Lately I’ve been watching Under the Dome, right? That shows, like 40% of my blog hits. It’s crazy. This show is problematic beyond all belief. You can read the recaps if you want to know about the plethora of problems… but specifically, for my point today: All of the people of color have disappeared, or frequently do not appear and no one seems to notice, or they show up here and there to do a favor for a white lead and then fall off the screen. Dodee shows up here and there (all though, she was absent during the meningitis episode and no one noticed) has gadgets and special talents to save everyone’s ass (but no story of her own), Phil was missing for 2 episodes, showed up long enough to have one line and get shot, then disappeared for 2 episodes. Carolyn’s wife died, and she’s been grieving off camera for 2 episodes. And Ben, who was written as a wacky side kick for Joe, has been absent since standing up to Angie’s abusive and unstable boyfriend… for three episodes. Carolyn and Ben used to be in every episode. They were not the most well formed, multidimensional characters (which was shitty enough), but they were there… and now they are not there. WTF? Where are you?

Have you seen me?

I’m actually really worried about Ben. If Junior killed him and threw him in a ditch we should have at least seen him go down fighting.

The only PoC who gets any screen time is Linda, a cop who’s defacto sheriff (and she frequently gives her authority to Barbie, a white male).

No. really. It’s jacked up.

I saw 3 movies over the weekend… of the three… there were two PoC. As minor characters. And they were in the same film.

The comics I’ve been reading lately have been doing a better job at being diverse (The Movement, The X-Men, Lazarus) and looking like an actual microcosm/representation of a city. But I’ve been reading some good comics.

By and large, people of color are hugely under represented in the area of science fiction, superheros, fantasy and speculative fiction. Most of this is due to institutional racism that has been impacting fandom for decades upon decades. And because PoC are stereotyped into non complex roles and are only shown as background players.  Women of color are often highly exoticized and are often only used to further the white male protagonist.

Pretty much because the writers who are accepted into the archaic sci-fi boy’s club write a bunch of wish fulfillment garbage and can’t even be bothered to talk to someone who isn’t of their general social description.

It’s terrible.

Erasure is racism. Just admit it.

Links! from people who write better than me and will enlighten you so you don’t shoot your mouth off like an over privileged asshat as often, please:

Fangs for the Fantasy: What will you do in a dystopian?

Dennis R Upkins: Geek Culture is for White People

Under the Dome- Episode 10

10 days Under the Dome.

There’s been fire, a plague, nervous breakdowns, riots, renouncement of constitutional rights, deaths and more deaths, contaminated water supplies…

And now: a fight club

Our show opens: The egg has a visitor. A caterpillar. It will turn into a MONARCH BUTTERFLY. Off to find the fourth hand/someone else having seizures.

Dodee has been following them around. Sneaks a peek at the minidome.

Barbie goes to see Big Jim he needs “to talk about Max” they need to get rid of her “insurance policy” so they don’t have to sweat her blackmail threats. Big Jim surmises that whatever she’s got is off the coast on a small island. Max busts in and makes threats on account of Big Jim not wanting to find her chocolate and conditioner. Please.

The minidome shocks Dodee and Joe, Norrie and Angie rush back to find her out cold. They rush her to the hospital where she’s forgotten what happened and she thinks its from the generator at the radio station. Angie asks about the seizures, someone had one at her 10th grade dance.

Julia is looking for Barbie and finds Linda and Linda asks her about the woman who gave a tip about propane deliveries. Linda shows Julia the footage with Max and Duke. Linda finds a safe deposit box key in Duke’s hat.

Salt is better than cash if you want to get in to the cement factory. What’s at the cement factory? A fight club.

And a new part of Chester’s Mill we hadn’t heard about,

Apparently more people in town owe Max money. If she’s going to be trapped in this hell hole she’s going to live as well as she can.

Angie comes clean to her brother about how she was kidnapped and why she thinks Junior is the fourth hand. Norrie is all for beating his ass after they try to unlock the mini dome.

Speaking of getting his ass kicked, he gets punched down as he tries to enter the fight club… where Barbie is the main event. SHOCKER!!

The woman that’s been so polite while Big Jim investigates turns out to be Max’s mom, and she’s well armed. Claire got pregnant with Max at 16 and turned to prostitution to support her family. Neither will forget the “Real Chester’s Mill” the back stabbing, the nefarious plots, a magnet for the worst of humanity… like Junior.

Angie, Joe and Norrie went and saw Junior’s mom’s studio and he creeps out of the shadows and Joe tries feebly to attack him.

After taking some hard hits, Barbie gets the upper hand and taunts the man instead of kicking him while he’s down… to Max’s dismay. She knew he’d throw the fight, so the town loses their shirts while she cleans up.

Julia and Linda find a confession from Duke. He vowed to keep drugs out of Chester’s Mill and payed off Maxine to keep her drugs out of there. Julia breaks into her husband’s deposit box, finds a letter and says she needs to talk to Barbie.

Big Jim has Claire hostage on a boat. And then she falls in. Big Jim just drives the boat away. +1 to Big Jim’s body count.

Max: “I won. You… umm.. helped me win.”

Barbie: “What if you don’t get it? Don’t get your whiskey, don’t get me?”

Max: “I’ll burn this whole place down.”

Julia is waiting for Barbie. Barbie comes in bloody and beat up and ready to confess (which he almost did, back in the MOAB episode). Julia knows her husband pulled a gun on Barbie. She also knows it was never loaded. Her husband was committing suicide.

Linda visits Big Jim and summons him to the station.

The mini dome explodes into pink stars when all 4 hands are on it.

So… Junior is necessary and his secret is out but he’s mostly forgiven… Barbie’s secret is out but he is forgiven.

Which is BS.

But now Max has nothing to hold over Barbie… she’s probably not going to last long.

Dodee got 30 seconds screen time. No Carolyn. No Phil. No Ben. AGAIN.

WTF is that? Minority characters get the boot when they can’t advance the plot of… the murders and kidnapper… and the oblivious/boring… white people. #fail

Last time we saw Carolyn she lost Alice. And while I know grieving takes time… I’m sure she would check on her daughter.

Last time we saw Phil he had gotten shot when Big Jim went after Ollie’s well. He’s not dead… but where is he?

Last time we saw Ben he stood up to Junior when he told Ben to leave Angie’s diner.

Under The Dome- Episode 9

Julia & barbie go to the minidome/egg… it’s gone. Julia “has to find this thing” Barbie gets called in by Linda. Norrie & Joe catch chickens. Big Jim is optimistic about food. Angie is trying to keep the restaurant running. She wants the deed to the diner from Big Jim. 

New character Larry is freaking out on drugs/dome. Coggins gave him drugs (Coggins has been dead a while). He breaks in to a mans house and this man accidentally shoots a neighbor.

Junior shows up at the diner and Angie kicks him out. Not that he listens, then she has a pink stars seizure (that hadn’t happened to anyone in a while, and had only happened to Joe and Norrie). Angie comes to in the back of the police car and Junior gets to “take care of her” he lets her go with a creepy “I think I’ll see you again”

Joe tells Angie about Norrie and him having seizures and Joe blames Angie for not being around. She hasn’t told anyone about what happened with Junior. 

Big Jim gets a surprise visitor who hints at Big Jim’s involvement and Duke not wanting to look the other way.

Julia goes to see Dodee for the Yagi (gadget that protects power sources). Phil is still in the hospital. 

Big Jim decides that Chester’s Mill isn’t part of America and asks people to give their guns up. Jim takes the airwaves! He says that turning in guns is voluntary but they get extra food and propane. 

Angie goes to find Junior, he always told her the dome was making her sick. And then she has a seizure. He says he was really keeping her safe.  “Don’t worry I promised you and my dad I’d never hold you against your will again.” Junior’s mom painted the pink stars? what? So the dome really is making Angie sick, and the show has decided that Junior is involved in some way and it’s implied that he was right to imprison her (even though she wasn’t sick before, that he did it because she rejected him), and now Junior gets to think the whole thing is all about him.

Big Jim goes to talk to Ted who would not give up his guns. Ted has a grenade, Barbie thinks about shooting Big Jim. But Jim saves Ted and puts the pin back in the grenade.

Linda gets told by the nosy neighbor from episode 1 about the propane deliveries. Linda investigates and sees Duke is involved. Big Jim’s lady friend, Max, knows Barbie (and kisses him). Max decides to let Barbie in on the plan for Chester’s Mill. She says he has no choice but to help her and Jim. Max blackmails them both. She was the bookie. She knows he killed Julia’s husband

Joe and Norrie find the minidome in his barn. Joe apparently zombie walked to go get it and doesn’t remember.

Junior finds Big Jim assembling his arsenal of guns he took from everyone.

Joe, Norrie and Angie touch the minidome. Hand prints glow. They need a fourth hand. If it’s Junior: I’m going to be PISSED

Brief cameo from Dodee, alas, her gadget being broken made her irrelevant to Julia and thus she’s lacking screen time. Also notably absent: Phil, Ben and Carolyn.

 

Where have I been?

Also, a couple times the show had Barbie losing track of where he was and almost killing people. Now apparently that’s not happening. New characters get introduced while (minority) characters get left out. What the hell? You think no one is noticing this? Well we are.

Under The Dome- Episode 8

Angie has reopened the diner. Julia is having coffee and Joe is hanging around. Big Jim comes in and Angie confronts him about Junior stopping by and telling her about how he took care of the Dundees.

Speaking of Junior, Barbie goes to meet Linda at the station. They find Junior taking a gun. Linda forbids it after last the incident with the Dundees where Junior shoots one of them while he begs for his life. Good job Linda.

Big Jim and Ollie have yet another confrontation as big Jim tries to procure food for the diner, he says he doesn’t need the propane. Later Big Jim shows up at Ollie’s with “the police” in some imminent domain crock. During this confrontation, some unnamed cop type gets his knee cap blown off and Junior joins up with Ollie.

Norrie blames Joe for luring her to the center of the dome and touching the egg. Norrie thinks it’s being around Joe that makes bad things happen. Carolyn hasn’t left a still dead Alice (the dome did not save her). 

“Women say a lot of things they don’t mean… especially at her age” -Julia

 

There were so many things to say there: such as, “Her mother just died, give her some time” Saying “Women say a lot of things they don’t mean” on a show where a woman was held hostage and repeatedly victimized while her exboyfriend told her she “was sick and didn’t mean it” …yeahhh, women: “they don’t know what they want” or “oh she doesn’t mean no” that’s insanely problemartic, immature and completely reinforces rape culture. Joe was right to back off.

Julia pressures Joe to tell her about the egg and the minidome. 

Barbie and Linda plot to destroy and reroute Ollie’s well. Big Jim plans to take it by force. And doesn’t listen to the plan. Big Jim sucks. You know how long it takes to grow food?

Ollie is asking Junior why he switched teams. Junior says he wants to be the one to kill his dad.

Julia puts her hands on the minidome and sees a vision of Joe saying “the monarch will be crowned.” Norrie is telling Angie about the camp she was going to for reprogramming, turns out Angie went too. Angie gets a personality, talking about her snowglobe collection and how she wanted to travel. But now she lives in a snowglobe. Angie and Norrie make friends and smash up the globes against the dome. Norrie has a meltdown about the LA snowglobe, saying it’s her own fault they were there.

Barbie’s demolishing the well while Big Jim is leading his troops. Barbie gets caught, but gets the upper hand. Phil shows up… finally! and GETS SHOT! WHAT?! Junior knocks out his dad. Everyone abandons Big Jim once the well is blown. Junior confronts his dad, saying that he kept secrets about his mother’s death. That she had been unstable and drove off after an argument and that she killed herself. 

Ollie goes to shoot Jim but Junior shoots Ollie because he believes his dad. Linda doesn’t know what to make of Junior, he’s sleeping in the holding cell.

Norrie’s grief for her mother was realistic and well acted. Now that Ollie is dead and Junior is on his side there is no rival for Big Jim… except Barbie. 5 people died. 5 people died because Jim wouldn’t follow Barbie’s plan, now the water is in a reservoir and not a well Jim can control. 

Julia tells Barbie about “the Monarch will be crowned” and we see Angie’s butterfly tattoo.

What will happen to Phil?? Where is Dodee??