Previous Episode: 2.04 Revelation
2.05 "Reconciliation"
Directed by Ed Ornelas, written by Cathryn Humphris
Rating: 5.5/10 (C-)
Next Episode: 2.06 In The Dark
It has been exactly one year since Under the Dome was renewed for a second season and after watching "Reconciliation", I found myself wondering again what this show would have been like had it been given a one season run. I’m not sure if it would have been much better but what I’m certain of is we would have been spared the entire ordeal about food running low in Chester’s Mill. It has been the driving force in Season 2 so far, as well as being a somewhat important aspect in Season 1 and considering how much time Under the Dome has spent with this storyline, the resolution is completely anticlimactic and an utter disappointment.
The issue of limited supplies has been left on the shelf for too long and when it was finally dealt with, it was mishandled, convoluted and inconsistent. It is during the town meeting when things start getting messy: Julia announces that the food supply is dwindling and for some unfathomable reason, the crowd reacts with surprise and shock. Most people seem to have their own personal stash of food and what I don’t understand is that they need another person telling them their food won’t last forever. I find it hard to believe that the residents of Chester’s Mill are that stupid. That is not even the worst part about the town meeting; Once Big Jim and Rebecca are brought out, the crowd goes crazy and by crazy I mean, they gently nudge each other. I just can't get over how awful that "fight" looked. Eventually the crowd disperses when Wendell pulls out a gun just to be disarmed by Barbie and get shot by Phil.
Speaking of our local DJ-turned-sheriff, I’ve always liked him even though he never made much sense. He seems like a nice guy but clearly I was wrong. After being fired as sheriff by Julia, he blows up the town’s food supply and tries to frame it on Julia but he is soon exposed when Carylon (who is only featured in the episode because the story “required” a lawyer) catches him at his secret store room. If if weren’t for the other guy, she would have kicked his ass. I’m not sure what will happen to Phil but I wouldn’t mind if he was gone. He doesn’t add much to the show now that he isn’t sheriff anymore. Heck, he was worse than Linda and that should say something.
Junior ransacks Sam’s cabin who arrives just in time to snatch the journal pages he is looking for. He plants them in Lyle’s barber shop, convincing Junior even more that Lyle killed Angie. It almost seems mandatory that Junior does something stupid as he tells his uncle whom the other hands belong to. After being filled up by his uncle and almost being killed, they find a clue - the number 1821 - in one of Pauline’s paintings which leads them to discover a tunnel behind the locker through which Lyle most likely escaped. This could either be a turning point and things start to get better for the show's sophomore season or it could be yet another development that adds to the lack of coherency and inconsistency of the show.
For the first time in a while, we also see someone trying to communicate with the dome, albeit to no avail as there is no reaction when Melanie touches the dome. I've said in my last review that I've been enjoying Norrie but she came on a little too thick with her attitude. This girl is in serious need of a cheer-up.
One of the perks of having the teenage characters connected to the mythology allowed Under the Dome to skip the teenage drama (Angie as Junior’s prisoner aside, of course) but those days seem to be over and I can only hope this doesn’t evolve into a full-fledged love triangle; I will say though that Joe was out of line calling her a b**ch.
Last night, I wrote the comment “Nothing sticks under the dome, except the dome itself.” somewhere on SpoilerTV and just like with last week’s episode "Revelation", not much of what happened has any real consequences. Wendell’s death is just another drop in the ocean, Julia forgives Big Jim who has been released along with Rebecca. Everyone seems to be doing just fine and are having a feast at Sweetbriar Rose. With what food you ask? Turns out Andrea’s husband is a survivalist and he has been hoarding enough food to feed the town for months. The conclusion to this arc makes me think the writers wanted to get it over with, that they backed themselves into a corner and they just went with the first suggestion regardless of how contrived it sounded. Here’s hoping they put more thought into the series finale than they did here.
Other thoughts:
- Can Carolyn become a character and not just a plot device/lawyer that nobody is really in need of?
- I’m currently catching up on Lost and that shot with the tunnel looked a lot like the final moments of Lost’s first season finale. Up next on Under the Dome: Pushing buttons every 108 minutes.
- Is it just me or did Sam look more evil in this episode than in any previous ones?
