S02.E09: The Red Door

[ottoDbusdriver]

Did anyone else think that The Hipster Hacker was somehow Pauline's love child? The timeline doesn't work (not that it matters on this stupid show), but I initially though he was the result of a stomach-churning night of passion with Lyle.

 

Hunter was Pauline's best student when she taught art class in high school.

 

Since Pauline's paintings are barely a level above children's finger paintings, how did she ever get a job teaching art class at Zenith High ?

[Camera One]

Since Pauline's paintings are barely a level above children's finger paintings, how did she ever get a job teaching art class at Zenith High ?

 

The people are Zenith or no doubt as dumb as the ones in Chester Mills.

Edited August 28, 2014 by Camera One

[Dowel Jones]

Maybe Rebecca should  build a replica of the egg.  The ol' Swaperoo trick always works in every other crime caper story.

 

You know what would really piss of Barbie Sr.?  If the townspeople would arm themselves, and start patrolling the dome just opposite the outside guards.

[Camera One]

Maybe Rebecca should  build a replica of the egg.

 

When Big Jim asked Rebecca to build an Egg detector?  I guess they decided that was going too far down the road of ridiculous?

[Tippi Blevins]

The bad news is that Rebecca's expression in the whole episode was one of a child when a parent is scolding them.  

 

Her pouty faces are starting to rank up there with "infect the town with super swine flu" on the awfulness scale for me. Her pouts are like her punctuation. Every sentence ends with one.

 

When Big Jim asked Rebecca to build an Egg detector?

 

 

I was hoping she would present him with a chicken. "Whenever she tries to incubate something, we'll know we're getting closer to the egg."

[Dobian]

Her pouty faces are starting to rank up there with "infect the town with super swine flu" on the awfulness scale for me. Her pouts are like her punctuation. Every sentence ends with one.

I don't know what's worse, her pouting or Big Jim's angry/nauseous scowls.  This show has the worst acting I have seen in recent memory.

[Accidental Martyr]

I was shocked at the way Melanie was able to so easily pull the wool over Junior's eyes. He had a one episode steak going of not being so easily manipulated. How funny would it be if they sleep together and she turns into her "real" age while taking on Junior's Junior? And if she aged as poorly as Lyle instead of as hotly as Sam?

I'm still bothered by the fact that Dwight Yoakam is 57 and Eddie Cahill is 36, yet we're supposed to believe they were both high school students in 1988.

[Dobian]

They should come up with three doors, like on Let's Make a Deal.  One door takes you to Zenith, behind another door is a new car, and behind the last door is a donkey.  Under the Dome could become a hit game show.

[needschocolate]

Too bad that Rebecca knows about the way out of the Dome, and will eventually know that they can get back in - it would have been more fun if she still thought they were trapped.  Every time there is a new crisis, someone could just make a quick run to Zenith and pick-up what they need to fix it and pretend they just found it somewhere.  Food shortage returns and Rebecca starts thinking about how to thin the herd, quick trip to Zenith and "hey look Rebecca, we found all these cans of tuna and boxes of Top Ramen.  We are good for months."  Running out of fresh water and Rebecca starts building a desalinization plant (event though they are no where close to salt water), quick trip to Zenith with a really long garden hose, and "Hey look Rebecca, this swimming pool has fresh water in it and it never gets empty.  Problem solved!"  Acid Rain returns and Rebecca is trying to syphon water from the fresh water swimming pool to sprinkle on the lake, quick trip to the Costco in Zenith, and "Hey Rebecca, we found these 50 lb cartons of baking soda in the woods, let's use the windmill to blow the baking soda into the acid rain to neutralize it!" (would baking soda neutralize acid rain? I have no clue but, hey Science! and all that).

 

Boy, the dome must be self-cleaning - acid ran, dust storms, heavy objects banging into it, but the dome remains crystal clear, not even any sort of reflection on it. 

 

Finally !!  After 2 weeks of show-time, someone goes to the Dome's edge with a pad and paper, so they can communicate through the Dome like the GR on the Leftovers.

 

Well, in all fairness, Big Jim didn't get the idea until he saw Barbie writing on the Dome the night before.  Until then, his plan was to go to the Dome and press someone's ear against it.

 

One other thing I noticed at the end.  Pauline must have stopped off at the hair stylist on the walk back to her house.  And the laundermat.

 

I figured they got the windmill working again and her hair and clothes were blown dry on her way across the field.

 

I agree I hate litter even on tv. I was yelling "just flip the page!" Now who's going to clean it up.

 

But he had to throw the pages on the ground so that someone could find them and realize his plan.  Oh wait, that would be an example of continuity, something this show has never bothered with.  Nevermind.

 

Pauline's amazing swirl in the mud got it right down to the crappy CGI details.  Why on earth would that vortex give them a flashback?  I have never watched a clumsier way of shoe-horning in flashbacks as that vortex of suck.

 

Didn't the smoke monster on Lost contain images from the "victim's" past?  I thought all smoke monsters/vortexes contained flashbacks - you know, like vampires don't have reflections, babysitters alone on Halloween will always go down into the basement.  The weird thing was that Pauline had a premonition, not a flashback.  So someday we will see Pauline and Melanie in a sand pit discussing the egg?  Wait, that would require the show has some continuity.  Nevermind.

 

I'm still bothered by the fact that Dwight Yoakam is 57 and Eddie Cahill is 36, yet we're supposed to believe they were both high school students in 1988.

 

Since it has only been a few weeks under the dome, this is still 2013 and they should both be around 40-43.  Eddie Cahill looks a bit older than he really is, so he could pass for 40.  Dwight Yokum also looks older than he really is, as I would have put him at 65, so he could pass as Sam's dad.  Yeah, Lyle being in high school 25 years ago bothers me too. The only thing that kind of makes sense is Lyle's hair - I mean, he is supposed to be the only barber in town, so it would make sense that there are no trained barbers to cut Lyle's hair and he had to cut it himself using mirrors and a butcher knife. 

Edited August 30, 2014 by needschocolate

[ottoDbusdriver]

They have yet to address the whole mental issues thing with the round trips outside of the Dome and back via the tunnel and vortex.  Lyle became catatonic and needed experimental drugs to snap back to normal (normal for Lyle, at least), and Sam has the shakes (or is he finally experiencing the DTs from withdrawal after having been an alcoholic for 10 years, and not really having a drink since he appeared in the season premiere).

 

Barbie seems to be just fine, but will Hunter and Pauline also experience mental issues from the transit.  Pauline looks to be ok so far, but who knows ?

[Camera One]

Didn't the smoke monster on Lost contain images from the "victim's" past?

 

True, but it didn't narratively send the character into a flashback.  There were images of their past flashing within the smoke, and I only remember that happening once. It also didn't swirl around like you were being hypnotized.

 

 

 

Pauline also experience mental issues from the transit.  Pauline looks to be ok so far, but who knows ?

 

I think she already had mental issues before.  Or maybe it just seems that way from how she acts.

 

 

 

cid Rain returns and Rebecca is trying to syphon water from the fresh water swimming pool to sprinkle on the lake, quick trip to the Costco in Zenith, and "Hey Rebecca, we found these 50 lb cartons of baking soda in the woods, let's use the windmill to blow the baking soda into the acid rain to neutralize it!" (would baking soda neutralize acid rain? I have no clue but, hey Science! and all that).

 

I think you just stumbled upon their secret plotline for Season 3.

Edited August 30, 2014 by Camera One

[needschocolate]

They only showed Sam shaking in one episode. Lyle was apparently able to saunter out the institution's doors, even though he had been catatonic hours earlier.  I am thinking that the writers have forgotten that they hinted that going through the tunnel would cause mental trouble. It is the most likely theory, considering all the other stuff that has been forgotten. 

 

I was going to use Junior holding Angie hostage as an example of things forgotten by the writers, but in this episode Melanie makes a comment about doing crazy things for the one you love (or to protect the one you love) and Junior gets a look on his face that perhaps means he is thinking about how he held Angie hostage a few weeks ago.  Then again, I don't find him to be a great actor and the writers have haven't mentioned the hostage thing all season, so it could just be a coincidence (actor got gas as Melanie talked about love). 

[Camera One]

Then again, I don't find him to be a great actor and the writers have haven't mentioned the hostage thing all season, so it could just be a coincidence

 

He has this dazed, deer-in-the-headlights glazed-over look all season.  Maybe he and Joe are taking some acting classes together.  They've been making Junior King of the Dumb every episode this season.

Edited August 30, 2014 by Camera One

[izabella]

Lyle was apparently able to saunter out the institution's doors, even though he had been catatonic hours earlier.  I am thinking that the writers have forgotten that they hinted that going through the tunnel would cause mental trouble. It is the most likely theory, considering all the other stuff that has been forgotten.

 

Lyle didn't actually make it into Methane Lake with the others, so maybe his mental issues caused him to get stuck in the smoke monster vortex.  He's probably still spiraling within his own mind or something.

[ottoDbusdriver]

They only showed Sam shaking in one episode.

 

Twice actually -- his right hand shook a little bit when he first got back together with Pauline, and the 2nd time was when he was injecting Lyle (both his hands shook a lot, so it seems to be getting worse)

[needschocolate]

Ah, I remember now, his hand did shake when he was doing the injection.  Of course, that doesn't mean that the writers remembered that he developed the tremor because of the trip through the tunnel.  It is quite possible that the writers just wanted to show that he was nervous and had forgotten about the earlier shaking. 

 

. 

[shapeshifter]

...I was going to use Junior holding Angie hostage as an example of things forgotten by the writers, but in this episode Melanie makes a comment about doing crazy things for the one you love (or to protect the one you love) and Junior gets a look on his face that perhaps means he is thinking about how he held Angie hostage a few weeks ago.  Then again, I don't find him to be a great actor and the writers have haven't mentioned the hostage thing all season, so it could just be a coincidence (actor got gas as Melanie talked about love).

I'm guessing he was recalling the hostage scenes his character was in and wondering if he was now supposed to be chaining up Melanie.

[Camera One]

Lyle didn't actually make it into Methane Lake with the others, so maybe his mental issues caused him to get stuck in the smoke monster vortex.  He's probably still spiraling within his own mind or something.

 

Or maybe he just turned back out of fear.  And he will get caught and reveal the secret of the Red Door, and an army of Evil Barbie Sr. Minions rush into the Dome to find the Egg.  Then the Dome will get "angry" and Pink Stars will fall again along with acid rain, psycho butterflies or whatever dumb CGI effects we'll get.

Edited August 31, 2014 by Camera One

[shapeshifter]

Or maybe he just turned back out of fear.  And he will get caught and reveal the secret of the Red Door, and an army of Evil Barbie Sr. Minions rush into the Dome to find the Egg.  Then the Dome will get "angry" and Pink Stars will fall again along with acid rain, psycho butterflies or whatever dumb CGI effects we'll get.

And Big Jim will kill someone.

[bmoore4026]

I'm just waiting for the polar bear equivalent to show up.

[Totale]

I'm just waiting for the polar bear equivalent to show up.

 

Or Joe's doggie, turned all polar bear sized, CGI-freakish and angry.

[Tippi Blevins]

They have yet to address the whole mental issues thing with the round trips outside of the Dome and back via the tunnel and vortex.  Lyle became catatonic and needed experimental drugs to snap back to normal (normal for Lyle, at least)

 

Maybe he landed on his head when he fell off the cliff.

 

Then again, I don't find him to be a great actor and the writers have haven't mentioned the hostage thing all season, so it could just be a coincidence (actor got gas as Melanie talked about love).

 

 

 

Yeah, and I can't figure out where the hostage thing is supposed to fall on the moral spectrum of Chester's Mill. Norrie got madder at Joe and Melanie's kiss than anybody has gotten at Big Jim's various murderous rampages. 

[needschocolate]

The Chester's Mill hierarchy of morality - ranked from worst to least offenses. 

 

Worst - Cheating on your girlfriend of a week by kissing another girl

Vandalism  - most of the police man hours are spent chasing vandals

Looting

Holding someone hostage (it would rank lower on the list, but Big Jim was actually a little bothered by it)

Mass Murder - "You were planning on putting swine flu in drinking water? No big deal.  Do you want to be sheriff?)

Hanging someone without a trial (at least 2 people were against it)

Sleeping with the man who murdered your husband less than a week after your husband is killed

Least - Shooting someone - doesn't matter how guilty (Max) or innocent (Dodie) the victim is, killing someone is easily forgiven

[shapeshifter]

I love your list, needschocolate, but I couldn't resist a second draft:

• [Worst] - Looting while trying to rape a guy's not!girlfriend (Junior killed them)
• - Cheating on your girlfriend of a week by kissing another girl
• - Vandalism - most of the police man hours are spent chasing vandals
• - Mass Murder - "You were planning on putting swine flu in drinking water? No big deal. Do you want to be sheriff?)
• - Hanging someone without a trial (at least 2 people were against it)
• - Sleeping with the man who murdered your husband less than a week after your husband is killed (Big Jim called Julia a skank because of it, right?)
• - Holding someone hostage (Big Jim was actually a little bothered by it, but then left her there, thus becoming a hostage holder himself)
• [Least] - Shooting someone - doesn't matter how guilty (Max) or innocent (Dodie) the victim is, killing someone is easily forgiven

[needschocolate]

Shapeshifter - nice update to the list, can't believe I forgot when Junior started his road to redemption (even though he mentioned it recently, I think).   Although we may need to keep looting without attempted rape on the list too.  Looting was a big deal for about 3 minutes in one episode.   

 

It suddenly occurred to me that the 4 that returned from Zenith just popped up in the lake. And when Melanie supposed came back to life, she just popped up in the lake.  Everyone assumes that Melanie's body was dumped in the lake 25 years ago, but I have a new theory --  Melanie didn't die when she hit her head, she just blacked out.  They disposed of her  body somehow - shallow grave, thrown in lake, or dropped down a hole under the school (aka the tunnel).  If it was one of the first two, then she woke up, realized this was her chance to get out of Chester's Mill and moved to Zenith.  If it was the third one, she woke up in a playground in Zenith and realized it was her chance to be rid of Chester's Mill.  For the last 25 years, Melanie was been living peacefully in Zenith, taking really, really good care of her skin.  Then one night she sneaks into Dale's dad's yard to look for a bracelet she lost years ago when she helped a little boy put his hand print on a red door.  She finds the door, goes through it to see if the bracelet had fallen inside, is then sucked thorough a smoke vortex, and ends up bobbing in the lake in Chesters Mill.  Since the teleporting between Zenith and Chesters Mill, can apparently cause mental/physical issues in a random group of people that travel through it, Melanie has developed amnesia.  She now believes she is a high school student come back from the dead, but she is really just a cougar.

[charlieboo]

Since when had the dome been ten feet from Julia's front door?

 

Of all the stupidity of the show, this was the scene that made me hit pause so I could scream at the TV.  When the Dome got all magnetic, Joe's house was literally pulled apart nail by nail because it was so close to the Dome. But Julia didn't even have a loose shingle. Maybe her hair is an anti-magnetic shield.

 

And Barbie can get a fake ID and figure out how to beat a thump print machine (and get his secret Clark Kent glasses so no one recognized him), but he never thought to pre-write some messages to hold up for Julia to read? Or bring some paper along?  Luckily he had one of those fancy pens that can write on glass. Whew!

[Tippi Blevins]

When Pauline was drawing that spiral in the gooey brown mud, I hoped it was a portent of a big pile of poop. Which, I guess, it kind of was.