In Which I Review Under the Dome (1x4)

Quote of the Week:
"We should film it. Here, get on the floor."--Joey, socially awkward wunderkind. 

Ok, yes. When Joey says that phrase to Norrie he is referring to video taping their seizures but if ever there was an example of "sentences that should not follow other sentences," that one would certainly be in the top five.  I am willing to overlook the excessively weird line Joey speaks because of what they record. Touching apparently does bring on the seizures (darn, there goes Joey's only chance at getting to "tap that") and Norrie's smart phone records the two not only having seizures but, in a moment of sheer weirdness not seen since the Dome fell, Joey sit up in the middle of the seizure to look point blank into the camera, put his fingers to his lips, and go, "Shhhhh." Explanation from the star-crossed lovers? The Dome doesn't want anyone else to know about the pink stars. Is the Dome sentient? Or is someone, whoever dropped the Dome, listening in to the goings on of Chester's Mill? Is the Dome an experiment to see how people stand up to this kind of pressure? Did "it" or its creators select Norrie and Joey to be special? 

In this week's episode, "Outbreak," the town of Chester's Mill find themselves in an incubator with a rapidly spreading meningitis contagion. First off, how the heck did meningitis get to Chester's Mill? Isn't that normally spread through water? I know it's highly contagious but who on earth got it first? And the Dome only fell three days ago, shouldn't they have been treated by now? And is one course of antibiotics really all you need to cure meningitis? The outbreak affects several of our key players: Linda, newly minted Sheriff; Julia, our plucky young reporter who was determined to be plucky in spite of fainting, having a headache, and risking exposure of said disease to rest of the town (smart one, she is); and Phil, and our Indie DJ. Thank goodness we had not-medically-licensed-but-did-short-intership-in-medicine-and-thus-fully-qualified Alice there to lead the charge! (Cliche #1 of tonight's episode: one person will minimum experience manages to save town).

While Alice was stepping up her game to save the town from infection, Junior and papa Big Jim also managed to win the approval of townsfolk during said crisis. Let's start with Junior. Do you know what is a really good idea? Giving a psychopath a gun. It's an excellent idea. Really top notch. (Cliche #2 of tonight's episode: unexpected villain is given weapon in order to protect people). Junior is entrusted by Jim to keep people from leaving the hospital and thus spreading the disease. By giving Junior a firearm there is an implied "or else!" as he broodily and sexily stares down the anxious people. When some attempt to leave, Junior gives a rousing "I believe in the town and I believe in you speech!" (Cliche #3 of tonight's episode: unexpected villain wins town's admiration). Linda, recovering from her illness, notices Junior's moxy and decides, at the end of the episode, to make Junior some sort of deputy/special law enforcement guy. This is really the best idea I've seen. This totally tops giving him a gun. However, things are hopefully going to take a turn for the worse. Enter Big Jim.

This week Big Jim goes on the hunt for extra drugs that were stolen from the pharmacy. Earlier in the episode, Jim was witness to Creepy Rev's devotion to the Lord where the good Rev preached that the Dome was put down by God and that the town of Chester's Mill was to be a "New Eden." Jim quickly deduces that it was Creepy Rev who stole all the medicine and he's right! Creepy Rev says that only the Lord gets to decide who lives and who dies and thus the medicine is of no use to anyone. Big Jim and Barbie make quick work of the Creepy Rev and deliver the medicine safely to the clinic where it cures everyone (Cliche #4 of tonight's episode: medicine that was fought for manages to save everyone in the nick of time). Later, at Jim's house, the Rev informs him that he is done with Jim's "dirty business" and drops off a bag full of cash. So whatever they are doing, or selling, brings in a ton of money. It's meth, guys. It's gotta be meth. Oh, one more thing. Guess what Jim found in his backyard? All along I've been predicting that it would be Joey and Barbie who found Angie; but to my annoyance Joey only now realizes that he hasn't seen his sister in three days and once assured  by Junior (irony alert) that he saw her a few hours ago, Angie is no longer on his mind (I blame Norrie and her excessive eye makeup).
But Jim DOES find Angie! After trying to escape and accidentally breaking the water pipeline, Angie sits cowering in fear in the shelter, waiting for death.The episode ended with Jim and Angie staring at each other. What will Jim do? Part of me expected him to slam the door in Angie's face and let her die. The other half of me knows that Junior is in for the spanking of a lifetime. Oh boy. Papa isn't going to be happy that his supposedly pristine reputation--and now the burgeoning reputation of his son--is on the line because Junior is a wack-a-doodle. I wonder if Jim will talk Angie into forgetting everything that has happened to her; maybe pay her off with that nice bag of money Creepy Rev gave to him?

On another front, Barbie finally comes clean to Julia. Or at least partway. Turns out our pretty boy ex-military man was an enforcer for a bookie and Julia's husband, Peter, had quite the gambling issue. Barbie was in Chester's Mill to collect the money owed to his boss when he accidentally killed Peter. However, Julia only gets half the story. She still thinks Peter is alive and has fled Chester's Mill. The friendship/romance of Barbie and Julia is now over, though I doubt for good. Come on, they would make beautiful babies! Look at her hair! Three days in a covered Dome in the middle of summer and it's still bouncy and frizz free! On what was Peter gambling, though? Ponies? Cards? Whether or not a giant Dome would drop on his hometown? Also, will Julia tell everyone who Barbie is? We're sure to find out more about Peter's problems; after all, Julia hallucinated her dead husband when she passed out from the meningitis (Cliche #5 on tonight's episode: sick main character dreams up loved one who proceeds to only give cryptic information instead of concrete facts).

Miscelleanous Notes from "Outbreak"

--Linda with her hair down! Que Linda! 

--I really hope Jim just kills Junior and buries him in the backyard.

--Cliche #6 of tonight's episode: random one-time only character dies after heroically sacrificing herself for a person she really believed in even when that person didn't believe in themselves. RIP, Mrs. Linda's 3rd Grade Teacher. We hardly knew ye.

--With Creepy Rev's faith "resorted" will he out Big Jim and their dealings in order to make peace with God?