Under The Dome episode 3 review: Manhunt

In this week’s episode of Under the Dome, the townsfolk were ready to lynch Policeman Paul for accidently shooting Policeman Buddy. If these folks were actual witnesses to the shooting surely they would know that death by dome isn’t an open and shut case. Sure Paul was stressed and shot at the dome. It was an extremely stupid move but he never intended for the bullet to ricochet and kill Buddy. This baying crowd wanted to string Paul up though for being a cop killer. I couldn’t get behind that.

Was this scene saying something about people from small towns? I dunno but I didn’t love it! As I questioned the mentality of these people and possibly the writing, Big Jim sent everyone packing proving that yeah, he’s in charge.

The most interesting plot in this episode was the power struggle between Jim senior and Deputy Linda. In his rush to take over everything Jim questioned Linda’s ability to fill the sheriff’s shoes and she told him to back off. Granted it didn’t look so good that she allowed Paul to get the better of her and escape but she made up for it in the end.

Linda and Big Jim approached the manhunt in different ways. Linda knew Paul and knew where he liked to go hunting; she used her skills to track him down. Big Jim was all gung-ho, bull in a china shop with his approach.

What I don’t understand is Jim wanting to kill Paul, no talk of taking him in, no justice. The whole town has branded Paul a cop killer so yeah, let’s kill him. He deliberately enlisted Barbie’s help assuming that an army guy would shoot to kill, no questions asked. Barbie put him straight thankfully.

We are three episodes in but right from the get go Big Jim has been a focus of dodgy shenanigans and even if he has no links to the dome, his behaviour smacks of something more than dabbling in drugs. In episode one, we saw him telling Sherriff Perkins he was going to bring in some extra deputies, and in this episode we see the kind of people he had in mind.

We get up close and personal with two friends of Big Jim’s. Both are overtly disdainful of lesbians. It made me cringe to watch the exchange between them and Carolyn in the diner. One of them hopes that the upside down invisible Tupperware bowl covering the town will not cause a bacon shortage. It’s all about priorities.

Manhunt was just filled with exposition as everyone hurried to tell their backstory. It was kinda painful to watch to be honest. From Big Jim’s story about how he got his nickname to Julia Shumway’s story about losing her job it was like all random. I imagined a character walking down the street and telling a dog about their backstory. The delivery was all weird and forced.

Weirder still was the teenage house party. Last week we had Joe doing math to work out the height, depth and whatever of the dome. This week he was reduced to a home alone teen whose friends take advantage of him. His only worthwhile scene involved him and the brattish Norrie collapsing in unison and talking gibberish.

I’m hoping that next episode will open with this and progress the story about the dome and answer the question as to why these two teens are affected by the dome. I actually don’t give a rat’s arse about anyone else’s backstory unless it relates to the dome.

Ooh! This was a bit ranty. I just want to find out more about the dome. How about you?