In Which I Review Under the Dome (1x7)

Aliens.

That's my newest theory: aliens. There is no massive government conspiracy or plot; there is no human experiment; this has nothing to do with drugs and Big Jim Rennie as a drug kingpin. This is all about aliens.

In this weeks episode of Under the Dome, "Imperfect Circles," things get a little freaky (-ier). Let's start with our favorite couple: Jorrie. So, that escalated quickly. One minute it's "let's kiss because it's the end of the world;" the next it's "full on make out session" with the sole purpose of trying to bring down the Dome. Joey and Norrie have become convinced that they alone have the power to bring down the Dome. Norrie suggests talking to the Dome and making out on the Dome, though she draws the line of having sex on the Dome (thank the TV gods). However, wunderkind Joey suddenly has a brilliant idea. The Dome is like an atom and all atoms have a middle, a nucleus which is the (if you'll excuse a rather mixed metaphor) beating heart of the entire operation. Using maps and Joey's abnormally large Wesley Crusher-esque brain power, they begin traipsing through the woods toward the center. Normally, I would expect Jorrie to come up short, to hold out the mystery a little longer. However, this week, I was rewarded with something slightly crazy and slightly weird and slightly ridiculous. Joey and Norrie come up on a large pile of leaves, perfectly dome shaped; uncovering it, they discover a clear Dome--much like the Dome that has the town of Chester's Mill trapped. Washing off a fine layer of grime (it's only been 4 days, how did that much grime and that many leaves pile up on that thing? Is someone aware of the mini-Dome?) they find inside....an egg. Or a rock. Or something that is egg-rock-shaped. Seriously, the frack is that thing?

I honestly expected it to crack open and for some Turtle universe-carrying God to spill forth and deliver some ominous end of the world speech. And what's more, Jorrie were apparently able communicate with it! They tried shouting, they tried being polite but it took the combination of them touching the mini-Dome and being polite for something to happen. And what happens? An image of Alice appears in the woods. She doesn't speak or do much of anything but simply stand there and stare before disappearing. The kicker? Alice is back at Joey's house delivering a baby. And the physical reaction she has, seemingly at the same time Jorrie are touching the mini-Dome, is catastrophic. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's rewind.

Barlie's day starts off with a bang (sexual pun intended) as well. Julia, girlfriend, have you lost your mind? Two episodes ago, you kicked this man out of your house and he still hasn't told you that he murdered your husband! Jumping into bed with him is perhaps not the smartest move. Anyway, sexual barbequing (oh hey, that's funny) aside, Julia's next door neighbor, Harriet, goes into labor after seeing an image of her husband who is outside the Dome. Jorrie weren't anywhere nearby and they have no connection to Harriet (that we know of) so what's up with that? Are the "aliens" playing mind games? Do they need this baby to be delivered? Is Ben Linus secretly behind all this? While trying to get Harriet to the hospital, Julia and Barbie are waylaid by the Dundee brothers. Remember them? They killed Zelda Rose. Linda and Junior go after them, Junior making pathological threats against the Dundee brothers lives the entire way. Linda at least has the good sense to realize that her only deputy might not be running on a full cylinder. Julia and Barbie get Harriet to Alice (who is insisting that she feels better) and there Alice helps deliver the baby; except half way through, things take a turn for the worse. As Jorrie are becoming one with the mini-Dome, Alice becomes quite sickly and finally her system begins to shut down, with the help of a heart attack. Norrie gets home just in time to see her mother die. Distraught, she runs outside and bangs on the Dome, begging it to bring her mother back. I was on the edge of my seat; I honestly thought the baby (named Alice because cliches are cliche) was suddenly going to die and big Alice would come back to life. It was at this point, that the viewer went back to the mini-Dome and egg-rock, and it started to glow. Purple lights traveled up the edges and met at the point. What. The. Heck. What is in that thing? Is it alive? Is it responding to Norrie?

In another storyline, Big Jim realizes his power is slipping as Aolie-Bad-Teeth-Farmer-Man decides to just take all of his propane supply. Jim spends the episode getting drunk before committing murder again, in an obvious effort to show Aolie who is really boss.  People have got to catch on soon; he is always so close to the edge of losing it and going full on crazy that eventually someone has to notice. Like his son, Big Jim is not working with a full deck. What's next for Big Jim? If he figures out that some "alien" force has landed in Chester's Mill, I suspect he may want to strike a bargain with them. He wants to be the hero, to be known for saving the town. If he can swing it so it comes out that way, I know he will. However, makes me wonder if he hasn't somehow been in on this all along; it just had unintended consequences or he made a deal he didn't fully understand.

Miscellaneous Notes from Imperfect Cirlces


--"Got him." And with that Junior is officially certifiable and someone needs to take away his gun right now.

--Angie's look of sympathy when she witnessed Big Jim throw Junior out of the house (and slap him) makes me fear that she'll soon run back to him. Though, she did hold her ground nicely when he showed up at the dinner.

--Return of long-haired Asian skateboarder. Apparently his name is Ben. At least this episode I got a little respect for him, refusing to leave Angie's side.

--"Do you ever wonder why it picked us?" Why did it pick Jorrie? What is so special about them? Joey, I understand a little. He is obviously super smart. Norrie has a non-traditional family but that's about all. She is good at lying and stealing, though. She has survival instincts. Maybe together they represent whatever the "egg" is looking for.

--Will Jorrie tell anyone about the egg? I'm guessing not. They'll want to work out the mystery themselves. So who discovers it next? My money is on Jim or Barlie.