On the latest episode of “Under the Dome,†it was time for a “Revelation†or two, and the show was about due for one, so no better time than the present. Or the past, as the case partially was. We finally discovered what might well have been the origin of the dome, at least to a point. From the looks of things, a meteorite landed in Chester’s Mill back in 1988 in the woods (cue the “Creepshow” reference here) near the home of one Melanie Cross, aka the mystery girl that cropped up near Sam’s place on the premiere. So, naturally, being a teenager, Melanie went to check it out with her friends…who just so happened to be boyfriend Sam, Pauline Rennie and her then-boyfriend Lyle. Imagine that!
When they arrived they saw the same handprint-like shapes on it as the modern-day teens did and touched it all at once, which caused the meteorite to split open and reveal an egg inside, this one purple and glowing. Melanie went to grab it and make a run for it out of the hole when someone pushed her back down into it, where she fell and cracked her head on the meteorite, killing her instantly. She didn’t see who, but it’s strongly implied it was Sam at the end of the episode. Next thing she knows, she’s back from the dead, without explanation or memory of how she got here- again.
Now, while someone mentioned that if this is true, why didn’t Sam recognize her and vice versa, but obviously, Melanie just got her memory back, and even if Sam thought she looked familiar- would he have really thought his late girlfriend would be back from the past, over 25 years later? Much less back from the dead? Okay, granted, strange things happen pretty regularly in this town, so maybe he would- but even so, he probably wouldn’t volunteer that information if he killed her, unless he’s a complete idiot, so there’s that.
Meanwhile, Lyle offered up another piece of the puzzle to Junior, the fact that he used to date his mother and that, when Big Jim threatened to send Pauline to a mental institution for erratic behavior, Lyle helped her fake her death and leave town. Her hope was that the bad things she predicted would happen if she stayed would leave with her, but obviously, that didn’t pan out. Junior wasn’t exactly thrilled by this information, but he didn’t have much time to mull it over before Lyle clocked him and took off with Pauline’s journal after Junior found it hidden at Sam’s.
Those were the big reveals, but the show didn’t stop there, plot-wise, as there was another impending threat via Rebecca, who decided to play God and unleash a flu-based pig virus on the unsuspecting public to help thin out the herd, with an assist from a somewhat duped Big Jim. Julia managed to stop him, only to find it was actually Rebecca who had the virus. Thankfully, she had second thoughts and abandoned the mission (at a church, no less!), after discovering that the pig virus had mutated unexpectedly and taken out even more pigs in just a few more hours, and was therefore way too dangerous to unleash on Chester’s Mill.
Honestly, this Rebecca gives Big Jim a run for the money in the hiss-able department. I mean, to use holy water in a church to spread the virus…that’s just sick. I know she doesn’t buy into God, but if there is one, I think she’ll be visiting his downstairs neighbor instead for that one. Sure, she did save the day previously, but boy was she willing to thin out the herd at the drop of a hat after doing the math. Pretty harsh, lady.
True though it may be, from the looks of next week’s episode, the cat’s going to be out of the bag anyway, so chaos is just around the corner, yet again. Rebecca needn’t have worried, the denizens of the town may well take care of downsizing themselves when word gets out, and it clearly is going to. Might they start with Rebecca and Big Jim? Possibly, though I feel like Big Jim will somehow worm his way out of things- he usually does.
More troubling is Barbie’s fate. The captured and arrested Big Jim and Rebecca claim that Barbie was down with the plan, too, but I’m not sure if I buy that. Yes, he agreed that something had to be done about the dwindling supplies and resources, but would he actually sign off on unleashing a virus? I hope not. I think they’re just trying to bring him down with them, in fear of his emerging as the new leader, personally.
Furthermore, Julia’s with a potentially-psycho Sam, who she just rejected romantically. Will he take it alright, or will he go all Junior on her and tie her up or something? Or worse? I don’t think that scenario’s ending well for anyone. And what the hell is Lyle up to? He took off like a bolt of lightning when he saw that picture of the red door (or whatever that was) with a number on it. An address? Or maybe even a locker number? Like the one Angie touched? Junior might think Lyle killed Angie, but it was Sam who had what looked like a defensive scratch on his shoulder.
Other fun facts: Pauline drew paintings on postcards that she sent to Lyle intermittently, which seem to have predicted much of what would happen, like the blood rain and butterflies and so forth; both Barbie and Melanie are from Zenith, outside of Chester’s Mill; and Rebecca’s mother died when she was eight, which is why she became an atheist and turned to science instead of religion.
This was a pretty action-packed episode, and full of relevant information for once. I’ve always maintained that they should probably end it sooner than later, and this would seem to indicate that they will, as it will undoubtedly set into motion events that will likely result in near-if-not-total anarchy. Oh, I don’t doubt that they could milk this for another season, but personally think they should quit while they’re ahead, and as of now, they are.
Thus far, this has been a solid enough season that should allow the show to go out on a high note. There have been some shocking moments, a decent amount of questions answered, and the seeds for the end have long been in motion. Why not wrap things up and be done with it, before it become any more ridiculous than it already has? I mean, they already mercilessly made fun of it- twice- on “Letterman,†and that’s on the network that airs the show!
What did you think of “Under the Dome†this week? Do you also think they should quit while they’re ahead, or could you actually see it going another season? If so, how? Did you make more sense of the “revelations†than I did? If so, by all means speak up below, and I’ll see you next week!