Under the Dome - Episode 1.07 - Imperfect Circles - Review

This weeks episode of Under the Dome called ''Imperfect Circles'' delved further into the mythology of the show, while also showcasing the fallout from the riots last week. 

The fate of the Dundee brothers, Waylon (played by Linds Edwards) and Clint (played by Jaret Sears), who killed Rose (played by Beth Broderick) and almost raped Angie (played by Britt Robertson), was discussed early on in the episode. Sheriff Linda (played by Natalie Martinez) wanted to follow the law and lock them up for a trial. But when you're trapped under a dome what can you do besides lock them up? They're still two extra mouths you have to feed and what do you do when your jail cells get too crowded? Junior (played by Alexander Koch) pointed out the other side of the argument, under the dome there is no next step. They can't go to court, because there is no court. Things like these need to be discussed among the residents of Chester's Mill sooner or later. 

So the Dundee brothers were killed, Linda killed one justifiably in a struggle. Junior, however, killed the other brother when he surrendered. Does it become a free-for-all? Or can order and justice be returned to the chaos that is now Chester's Mill? Julia (played by Rachelle Lefevre) and Harriet, Julia's pregnant neighbor who was introduced at the eleventh hour, walked into a roadblock set up by the Dundee brothers earlier in the episode and were being held at gunpoint for the gas in their car. Barbie (played by Mike Vogel) intervened but also shot at the brothers as they fled. Is capital punishment the only answer to a crime now that they're trapped? 

Of course the discussion about courts and justice I mentioned earlier, should also include leadership and law enforcement. At the moment they have no leadership with Big Jim (played by Dean Norris) constantly off to do his own thing and the law enforcement was proven to be a joke last week. People in Chester's Mill need to step up if they want to prevent the town descending into total anarchy. 

Then there was the aforementioned pregnant lady Harriet, whom we hadn't seen before this episode but apparently was good friends with her neighbor Julia. It felt a bit contrived to add such a cliche at the last minute, but it did give us more insight in the dome. Which can apparently give people visions of their loved ones. Harriet, who believed her husband was standing there, inadvertently touched the dome and the subsequent shock you get from touching the dome set a premature labor in to motion.

After being able to reach the clinic because of the Dundee brothers, Julia and Harriet went to the farm were Alice (played by Samantha Mathis) was staying. During the labor Alice's condition deteriorated rapidly, but for all intents and purposes was able to keep her head in the game even when the baby had the cord around her neck. Though Harriet posed a very poignant question, why bring a child to this new world under the dome. As she so eloquently put it; ''It's only going to get worse.'' And if order isn't restored soon, if someone doesn't step up as a leader, people will become more savage and violent. Though when she held the baby in her arms these doubts seemed to rapidly disappear.

In the meanwhile Joe (played by Colin Ford) an Norrie (played by Mackenzie Lintz), were trying to figure out their connection to the dome and deduced their connection would be stronger at the center of the dome. So they went looking for the center of the dome. The way Joe got to that conclusion seemed way too smart and fast for a kid his age, but I digress. When they finally found the center, they found something I didn't quite expect. At the center of the dome lay a miniature dome with therein a black egg. My theory about the egg and the dome is that the dome is really an alien creature that is nesting right on top of Chester's Mill. I actually came to this theory when I watched Star Trek: The Next Generation's episode ''Encounter At Farpoint'' a while ago. Yes, it's a theory that's far outside the box, but what about this show isn't?

Shortly after finding the dome and the egg, Joe and Norrie put their hands on the miniature dome in an attempt to make contact with it. At first there was no response, but then Norrie saw her mother Alice standing there. Was this the larger dome responding or sensing that her mother was in danger? In any case Norrie and Joe rushed back to the farm to find Alice on her deathbed. Norrie and her mother Carolyn (played by Aisha Hinds) at least got a chance to say goodbye to Alice before she died. Norrie filled with grief and despair ran outside and started to punch and touch the dome. The strangest thing happened next, the black egg inside the miniature dome lit up with pink and purple stars falling in lines. What this could possibly mean is beyond me, at this point. But hopefully we'll learn sooner or later.

Also in play was the continuing power struggle between Ollie (played by Leon Rippy) and Big Jim. Ollie, making fast work of his new found power, seized control of Big Jim's propane supply. After being beat in to the ground by Boomer, the big security guard, Big Jim went to get some Dutch courage and returned to kill him. Clever as Big Jim is he blew up the propane tanks the guard was carrying, making everything seem like an accident. I think we can assume Ollie will be next on Big Jim's hit list. 

A short mention should go to the reunion between Angie and Joe, which was good to finally see. Despite the ups and downs of getting there, it felt good. Oh, Ben was there too. To Ben: hopefully you'll get some better lines soon or die. Either will do, because this ''Hell yeah, chug!" didn't. Ugh.

Overall it was a good episode with nothing ground breaking, but solid continuation from last weeks episode. While also delving more into the mythology of the show. 

7.5/10

Pascal Buijnsters Pascal's a Dutchman and has been a longtime commentator on SpoilerTV and started out as a writer for SpoilerTV last year. He is quite a TV addict and writes for a local, Dutch, newspaper. Next to that he's into soccer for his local team, a gamer and a fanatical swimmer. He writes previews and reviews for SpoilerTV for a variety of shows. Main Account - All Shows