Under The Dome review – 1×11: ‘Speak Of The Devil’

Under The Dome mines unheard of levels of “ugh” as the feud between Barbie (Mike Vogel), Big Jim (Dean Norris) and Max (Natalie Zea) sinks to new lows.

Let’s bitch it out…

Each week we break down the good, the bad and the meh of this week’s Under The Dome. Here’s our list for ‘Speak Of The Devil’:

The Good

• Max (Natalie Zea) is dead: Sweet.Merciful.Zeus. Thank heavens
• The vision: There’s so little good in this episode that I’m grasping at straws, so we’ll go with the suggestion that Big Jim (Dean Norris) will shortly be sporting several knife-sized holes. After somehow identifying themselves among the constellations, the fearsome foursome mini-Domers – Angie (Britt Robertson), Joe (Colin Ford), Norrie (Mackenzie Lintz) and Junior (Alexander Koch) – find a corresponding location on the Dome proper to unlock the next mystery. The reveal is that Big Jim needs to die…and they’re the ones who will perform the act. Now wipe that astonished look off your face, Ang, and get to business

The Meh

• Phil’s (Nicholas Strong) back! And he’s just as dumb as Linda (Natalie Martinez). Ugh
• Dodee’s (Jolene Purdy) back! And she’s just here to pass along info to Big Jim and pass him the microphone. Double ugh
• Weather predictor: Junior and the other mini-Domers discover that their emotions can control the weather. Sure…whatever. I’m cool with this (and the decent FX) so long as Norrie and Angie stop talking about how the Dome wants them to do things/is sending them a message. Enough of the g*ddamn personifcation already

The Bad

• Tin eared dialogue: Last week I complained about Angie’s dialogue and this week the contagion has spread. It seems like pretty much everyone is given a ridiculous line or two. I’m talking about complete groaner dialogue that’s so bad you can almost see the actors wincing as they deliver it. Ouch!
• Max’s secret motivation: Just when you thought that the mysterious character who somehow spent days in hiding without being seen or heard from couldn’t get any worse, Max reveals herself to be a stereotypical girlie-girl. A significant motivator for all of her terrible deeds stem from her desire for a happy ending with Barbie (Mike Vogel) and she’s jealous of his relationship with Julia (Rachelle Lefevre) so she shoots her? Umm…what? Previously Max was an annoying nuisance, but at least she wasn’t a Hollywood cliche who does things because of a man. It appears that it’s for the best that Big Jim put Max (and us) out of her misery with an out-of-the-blue execution. RIP Max: you showed up, sucked up screentime and disappeared into the ether. Thanks for nothing!
• Max’s eulogy: I lol’d the moment that Big Jim eulogized Max on the radio as someone many people knew. Do we actually know if anyone besides Big Jim and Barbie and her mom even know her? ‘Cause I’m pretty sure that mention of her and her lunhead henchman Otto were met with blank stares by most people
• Linda: Last week she clawed her way up to demonstrate an IQ above zero. This week she’s back in the shallow end of the gene pool. I can’t believe that this dumb b*tch actually believes that Barbie would shoot Julia and then call her to ask for help getting her to the hospital? How does that make any sense?! Plus, Linda knows that Peter wanted to die because she was with Julia last week when they found the life insurance. She is THE WORST cop evah!
• Jim and Barbie’s feud: Thanks to some pretty weak manipulation by the idiots of Chester’s Mill, Big Jim manages to get Barbie on the run for murder and attempted murder. Yay, I guess? This feud has been in the works for a loooong time (we’ve definitely taken the long road to get here), but I can’t honestly say that I care whether either man manages to bring the other to their knees. On the plus side, in just two episodes I won’t have to care anymore

Dome info for the week:

• This week’s Dome factoids:
  • Heightened emotions between the four mini-Domers causes severe weather patterns
  • Last week’s constellations can also be used as a map! A vision map! Of death!
  • Lightning inside of the Dome facilitates the (convenient) pick-up of (really selective) electronic transmissions
• Number of deaths/injuries: 3 – Max and Otto, by the factory, with the gun & Julia, in her house/the hospital, also with a gun
• This week’s drinking game: Drink every time someone utters a line of dialogue that makes you groan. As always, you are advised to have 911 on speed dial

Best Lines:

• Julia (to Barbie): “How was the couch?” Barbie: “Lonely.” Julia: “So was the bed.” Pillow talk!
• Jr (to Angie): “I’d rather live in here and die in here than ever be apart from you”
• Barbie (when Joe remarks the developing funnel cloud looks pretty bad): “It’s pretty bad back here, too, Joe”
• Junior (when Angie suggests the storm is because of him): “What, so now I control the weather?”
• Max (when Barbie refuses her offer because she shot Julia): “She wasn’t right for you” Are we really meant to believe that she did all this because she loves Barbie?! Ahhhhh – so stupid!

What’s your take on episode eleven: are you happy that Max is gone? Were you shocked when Julia didn’t die? Do you like the idea of Junior controlling the weather? And how soon can the fearsome foursome initiate that murderous vision of Big Jim? Hit the comments with your thoughts below

Under The Dome airs Mondays at 10pm EST on CBS. *Remember: we’re discussing the show as its own entity, so please refrain from including spoilers from the book