Under the Dome, Season 3, Episode 1 & 2: Move On & But I'm Not

Under the Dome is back…. Oh. Yay. (As I said in the last episode of the previous season this may be proof there is no such thing as a loving god)

And it’s a double first episode. Loki, what did I ever do to you?

We’ve now updated the opening voice over to “3 weeks since the Dome came down.” Just boggle at that. We’re also told they found a way out last episode (which they seemed to) but the voice over thinks it may lead to an alternate reality…

…

..

.

What?

Under the Dome that’s a supreme amount of dubiousness and we’re not even past the voice over yet

To the tunnels before the portal of mist and white light – and creepy Melanie tells everyone it’s time to go home. Barbie moves to follow it Joe and Norrie don’t want to leave Julia. I want to make it clear that I’m so very happy for them to leave Julia. Yes yes I am. People are also worried about going through an unknown misty portal. Since the alternative is staying trapped under the dome and having to endure Big Jim with nowhere to go, I don’t care if the portal leads to Hell or Wisconsin, I would sprint through it.

They emerge into a field with no Melanie – and the Dome making terrible sounds (but they are outside). The Dome gets a nice firework display of pink lights – then explodes and disappears

The Dome is gone! The end! Yay!

Or not? Barbie goes looking for Julia and runs past Big Jim’s impaled body, James Junior unconscious or dead (maybe dead? Please?) and Julia also unresponsive. He holds her and cries. I’d feel sad for you Barbie but I kind of want all these people to die, so I’ll be over here kind of hoping they’re not breathing, sorry and all.

And now we’re in Yemen and Barbie is a soldier and Hunter appears to be his tech support guy… it’s a good thing I don’t expect this show to make sense. They’re rescuing people from insurgents while surrounded by random burning stuff for dramatic purposes. We have a firefight in which Barbie’s team does little and he is a Big Damn Hero (of course) before taking and abusing a prisoner because America and evil Muslims. He then shoots the helpless guy in the head.

Hey, can we go back to doing ridiculous things under a dome? I prefer that to random killing brown people for edginess and how I’m expected to still root for this guy after he murdered someone after mentally torturing them.

Hostages are rescued from evil insurgents and the nice aid worker thanks Barbie for being such a good mercenary and helping her save the world. She thanks him more in the shower later – they’re a couple (Under the Dome, you make me watch this drek yet still show that little of Barbie showering? You could have at least tried to make this whole thing less painful). Afterwards she tells him what a good person he is for murdering and abusing guys

Joe is also texting him for reasons. He ignores it and goes to bed to have more nightmares about Julia (it’s ok, I sometimes have nightmares about that terrible character as well. In fact the whole last season was quite traumatic, there’s a limit to how much stupidity we should have to endure). Apparently it’s been a year since the Dome came down – and Aid worker lady (can we get a name?( wants him to go to the memorial at Chester’s Mill

Between, Season 1, Episode 6: War

21 Days Under Quarantine

Adam has been reunited with his dad in the prison and is very very confused. He wants to get Adam out of there. He tells Adam about a tunnel where he can get out – but he doesn’t expect to join Adam. In fact, he doesn’t look well. He also tells Adam there is no cure for the disease – he should know, he worked on it

It also means, as an over-22 year old, he’s probably dying (though this disease never had symptoms before, people just died). They have to hide when a large number of military vehicles drive in… Adam’s dad says “they’re early”. The soldiers have been sent by the government to dish out cures – not knowing that the injections will actually kill everyone in Pretty Lake AND that the protective masks the soldiers are wearing won’t save them either

All he thinks he can save is Adam – he’s dead, the soldiers are dead, the kids are dead, he just hopes he can save Adam. Adam insists he has to help people, especially Wylie – and his dad dies.

The troops arrive at the prison with ominous trays of syringes.

  

Pat is all tortured over Amanda’s death while Chuck and Samantha bury her. Of course they blame the Creekers and Chuck is on another vengeance kick. Samantha thinks this is a bad idea but since when does Chuck listen to other people.

Naïve Wylie tells Tracey she can just explain it all to Chuck. Because that has worked in the past. While in town someone warns Melissa that Chuck & co are going after the Creekers so she needs to get her sister out before Chuck’s classic random violence gets her killed.

Speaking of, Chuck and his gang head to the Creeker house carrying guns, of course the possibility they’re not at fault is not something Chuck wants to hear. They find the house empty, but also find Pat’s damaged car.

While they’re at his house, Pat goes to Chuck’s to try and talk to him (oh such naivety) and only gets Samantha – he tells her he killed Amanda. When Chuck returns, Samantha tries to arrange a peaceful discussion

While she does that, Ronnie, Tracey, Wylie and several Creeker cousins head into town with guns. (Wylie has brought a baby to a gun fight. No matter how hard you throw a baby, it will never match the range or accuracy of a rifle). Samantha tries to get everyone to play nice (which is usually Gord’s job but he’s wisely decided to stay out of this bullshit). But she’s sure they have a peaceful settlement ready at the church.

In the church Pat offers to give up to “justice”, even death at the hands of Chuck the awful (hey can we have the same punishment for the man who nearly murdered a child?). He’s doing this because he wants peace. He wants promises that the war ends with him (uh-huh, until next week when Chuck decides whatever random event happens is totally the Creeker’s fault and goes on another rampage). Ronnie agrees – and so does Chuck so long as he gets his vicious revenge.

At the farm, Gord isn’t entirely happy with Hannah and her surprise husband showing up. She explains it was an arranged marriage – but though she’s not a big fan of hubby John, she’s not willing to abandon her community. Gord is waves her on the way, still not happy.

The Returned by Seth Patrick

I don’t understand this book – I just don’t really understand the point of it.

When I picked it up I thought it would be the book that The Returned television series was based on – my mistake, it’s actually a book based on the television series (both of which are based on another book which is rather loopy). Book spin offs from TV shows happen and we’ve reviewed a few before so while it wasn’t what I expected I was curious about where it would go, given the mystery and unanswered questions of the series

It turns out, however, that “based on” is not exactly an accurate description of this book. “Blatant copy” is much more accurate. This book is a recap of the show. Literally, someone took the script sat down and just wrote it as a novel. The characters, plot, setting, conversations – pretty much everything is exactly the same. It actually reminds me of a blog recap without the commentary. I almost DNFed this book from sheer redundancy since I already knew what would happen in painful detail – but I held on to the end to see if anything changed. Lack-of-things-to-spoil-alert: nothing did. Not one damn thing

The only real difference between the two was medium. Since this was a book we had a lot less of the dramatic visuals and ominous music that were so prevalent in the TV series (which is absolutely terrible because this entire tv show was BASED on the atmosphere – it’s like taking a Michael Bay movie and removing the explosions an half naked Megan Fox – there’s nothing left to it afterwards). We lose a lot of the ominous because of this – for example, when Victor appears on the tv show he is so utterly creepy that the average viewer wanted to kill him with fire – that’s completely lost in the book. And Victor is oddly chatty and not ominously silent.

Instead what we have is the ability to see things through the character’s eyes, from their point of view. Yes, this book is a switching POV 1^st person. And this is AWFUL. It is awful because it takes all the nuanced depiction of the atmosphere, well acted portrayals and layered conflicts and decides to info-dump the hell out of all of it. Do we need to see Jerome struggling with the conflicts over Lucy, his family and his general feelings of failure and inadequacy? Nope because he’s going to info-dump all of that in one big self-reflecting chunk of text! Lena dealing with survivor’s guilt and fear with her returning twin sister? Sure we could show a series of developing conflict – or we could have her exposition an appalling info dump.

Women in Blake Crouch's Wayward Pines Series

I'll be perfectly honest and admit from the get go that I had never heard of Crouch or his series until Fox decided to air the television series Wayward Pines, based on Crouches trilogy Wayward Pines. .  Whenever I discover that there is a print version of a movie or a television show that we are watching I try to read it because I believe that it gives a fuller picture of the story.  As wonderful as television and movies are, and for all of the progress in technology, there are simply some things that come across better with the written word.

I picked up the first book,  Pines after watching five episodes of the Fox series, certain that I had by then attained at least a basic understanding of Crouch's story and world. It seems that thus far at least, the show is pretty faithful to its source material.  This is good in many ways because Crouch takes a unique approach to his dystopia, particularly in this era where the zombie is king.  That said, in terms of gender, Crouch's Wayward Pines series is seriously lacking.

The Wayward Pines series is yet another dystopian story in which the straight, cisgender, White, able bodied male not only becomes a leader, but he is practically a saviour.  Time and time again, Pilcher brought Ethan out of stasis, only to have place him back in  stasis when Ethan refused to adapt to the community.  Ethan refuses to quietly go along and he above everyone else, gets the answers as to what is really going on with Wayward Pines.  It's the typical approach dystopians take because somehow authors who can picture the most fantastic scenarios, cannot seem to imagine a woman in charge, let alone being heroic.

With the exception of one female character, the women all exist to nurture Ethan, uplift Ethan, teach Ethan a lesson or simply follow his rules.  They are so wrapped around Ethan that they don't seem to have a personality of their own.  This is particularly true when it comes to Theresa, Ethan's wife.  When we first meet Theresa, it's been a year and half since Ethan has disappeared.  Theresa is vulnerable, lonely, grieving and desperate. Without a doubt, Ethan is everything to her and she is desperate to hold onto the memory of him.  She talks repeatedly about the hold Ethan has over her.  For his part, Ethan is certain that had Theresa been unfaithful instead of him, their marriage would have been over.  Theresa is absolutely willing to forgive him anything because at the end of the day, they both acknowledge that Theresa loves Ethan, far more than he loves her.  Immediately, this fact creates an imbalance of power in their relationship.

Only in the most egalitarian of relationships is parity ever reached in heterosexual relationships.  Theresa gives up everything to be a wife and mother and at the end of the day, that's all she really is.  She doesn't act to defend herself unless it's a life or death situation and even then, she's counting on Ethan coming to the rescue.  It never occurs to her that she might find a way to rescue herself.  The only thing that Theresa knows for sure, when she is given a choice between Ethan and his boss, is that she was meant to be a nurturer and it is for that reason that Theresa chooses Ethan. Theresa actually chooses to take a secondary role because that's natural to her.   When Theresa learns the truth behind Wayward Pines, she commands Ethan to fix it, once again not giving any thought as to what she might do.  When Theresa and Ben are on the run from Abbies, Theresa comforts her son by suggesting that Ethan will save them. So. not only is she naturally a woman who stands behind her man no matter what, she has absolutely zero agency.  She is a cardboard cutout trope.Theresa is a damsel waiting to be saved and or noticed.

Gray Moon Rising (Seasons of the Moon #4) by SM Reine

Rylie has been a werewolf for a year and is desperately trying to reconcile himself with the people she killed in the last book. It isn’t going well, while Adam and the other werewolves are roaming and learning control, she is desperately trying tom isolate herself… and she has a silver bullet ready.

But the mountain where it all began is calling her – and not just her, but all the werewolves in the world are being drawn back to the source. And were werewolves gather in such numbers, so too do hunters.

I have to say I am a little disappointed, in the end, by how Rylie became the superior Alpha which I’ve seen in other series of books set in this world. I expected her to do some thing or learn something or achieve something – I expected her to earn it in some epic, awesome moment. To have it be bestowed divinely without me seeing particularly why felt like something of a cop out. I expected this series of books to continue to show her growth as she went from ordinary teenaged girl to confused werewolf and eventually to something even more – and I feel it didn’t quite reach that potential.

Not that Rylie didn’t grow and change, in fact her progression through the book is pretty excellent. She begins fully reeling from the deaths of the last book. She is consumed by guilt, suicidal and generally not entirely sure she shouldn’t die – or that all werewolves shouldn’t die for that matter. It’s one of the interesting conflicts of this series – while it’s nice to think werewolves are being persecuted and attacked by the big mean hunters the fact remains that they are out of control when they change, the can’t control their changes and they do kill people.  Rylie herself has killed people, innocent people.

But we see her concern grow for her fellow werewolves far more so than for herself as she struggles to reconcile with her actions. Concern for the other werewolves also drawn to the mountain, worry about them being hunted. I love how she finds the value of werewolves through her worry for others, through seeing them as people being hunted and people to save even if she can’t see herself that way. And I know that there’s a whole lot pure martyrdom in the genre, especially with women, but working with her the guilt and pain means that this is far more developed than how we normally see the trope

Jonathan Strange and Mr, Norrell: Season 1, Episode 6: Black Tower

There are now wanted posters going up for Jonathan Strange – a wanted fugitive. At the same time his book has also gone on sale.

Norrell reads it and seems both pensive and sad – crying as he reads it (especially the inscription to Arabella). He also starts hexing the book – making them disappear from the hands of people who have bought it. The publisher, rightly, calls this theft.

In Parliament, there is more talk of uprisings using the name of the Raven King – and this is all being blamed on Sir Walter since both his magicians are now disgraced: Jonathan for being a fugitive after being suspected of his wife’s death and now Norrell for being a thief.

Sir Walter goes to Norrell to rage at him for just that. Norrell tries to justify himself but it sounds very weak and self-serving. Norrell’s also worried about where Jonathan is, fearing retaliation. Childermass, somewhat randomly, asks where Drawlight is. To the debtor’s prison! Which is most unpleasant – hoping Drawlight knows where he is. He does have gossip about Jonathon taking drugs and potions and actively trying to make himself mad – since Drawlight has a skill for gossip they want to send him to find Jonathan. And Norrell goes further into the darkness – threatening Drawlight with magic if he doesn’t obey.

Jonathan has fled to Venice and is looking very very worse for wear indeed as he experiments with magic – watched by The Gentleman.

Also in Venice and English doctor James Greysteel and his daughter Flora decide to visit an old lady who is rather mentally unwell – surrounded by cats and squalor and eating the rats they leave. As he doctor and his daughter leave they find Jonathon arguing with his Venetian supplier and she offers to translate. The Venetian is warning him that the ingredients cause madness – which is exactly what Jonathan wants (so he can then see the fae and bring Arabella back. As plans go it has one or two teensy little flaws).

Since his supplier fell through they decide to have a meal together where he disturbs Dr. Greysteel by talking about his dead wife and his attempts to claim a fairy servant. He hears about the cat lady and they suggest he could cure her – but again, magic can’t cure madness, in fact it’s possible the old magicians didn’t think madness was a condition in need of curing but an asset. Flora adds her own insight seeming to agree, that madness can be an asset.

She is also fascinated with Jonathon and hopes to hang around. While he visits the Cat Lady so she can teach him madness. And my Jonathon can pull off creepy. He casts a rather terrible spell on her, turning her into a cat as she wished and taking the4 essence of her madness – a mouse, which he then eats. This will not end well – but he does spit it out to turn it into a potion so he can only take a small dose of madness. This will also not end well.

The Last Town (Wayward Pines #3) by Blake Crouch

The Last Town is the last in the Wayward Pines trilogy. When Ethan decided to pull the trigger and reveal to the citizens of Wayward Pines the truth about the town he couldn't even have begun to imagine what it would cost. Ethan must find a way to stop all of the death and get the town on track but the people must able to him owe their allegiance to  David Pilcher, the town's creator. David is not happy with the fact that his self styled divinity is not being respected or recognized in a manner he finds suitable and is therefore willing to do anything to teach the residents a finale lesson.

It's impossible to read Pines and not want to find out how this story ends.  Pines is really about the mystery of Wayward Pines itself.  Wayward tends to focus on how to deal with what Wayward Pines is and The Last Town  deal with the survival of humanity itself.  Of the three books in this series The Last Town is easily the least nuanced because it is essential a horror book.  Ethan and the residents of Wayward Pines spend the majority of the book rushing from place to place in order to either a) take control away from Pilcher or b) stay one step ahead of the abbies which want nothing more than to slaughter them.

The action pace of the novel allows no room for further character development.  What little the residents do communicate with each other is often stilted and agonizingly drawn out. The women really suffered The Last Town which isn't surprising as the the Wayward Pines series falls into the all to typical dystopian fantasy trap of making everything about the straight white male. I had hoped for some time that Theresa would really come into her own.  At the end of the day, Theresa ended the book as she started, a wife and a mother.  Unless she is forced into action, Theresa is content to hope that Ethan will save her.  Trapped in a jail cell and surrounded by Abbies, Theresa's way of comforting her son Ben is tell him that Daddy is going to fix it.  In the wake of learning what is happening with Wayward Pines, Theresa commands Ethan to fix it. 

Salem, Season 2, Episode 12: Midnight Never Come

John got himself all stabbed last episode and Sebastian makes a desperate stab for the creepy by saying how much he loves seeing women bleed to death but men bleeding to death just isn’t his thing. Yup, he just felt the need to have a “no homo” moment over a man bleeding to death and/or wave his misogyny flag. Either way, it fails to make the manchild achieve creepiness because this show has completely overwhelmed all creepy meters with all the flesh and eyeball eating. Watching someone bleed to death is just pase now.

John isn’t all that inconvenienced by his knife wound and uses his Naïve-American-woo-woo invisibility bag to run around stabbing people (who decide to just stand there and be utterly horrified by this display of magic despite, y’know, magic everywhere) like a more stabby Harry Potter.

Sebastian, being a powerful wizard, runs away.

Of course John is now stabbed AND woo-wooed with nasty black lines all over him so he’s not doing so well

Cotton arrives on the scene to help John (who is not dead) and patches him up and tells him not to worry because his kid’s with Anne Hale who is so sweet and wonderful. John is less than thrilled since he knows Anne is a witch. Cotton is convinced this is nonsense after all, Anne Hale is now Anne Mather – his wonderful wife. Cotton wants to hear it from Anne himself despite John thinking it’s suicidal. John calls Cotton a good man which is TV speak for “suicidal damn fool who is too stupid to live”

Turns out I was wrong last episode, John Junior is in the hands of the real Anne Hale, not Marburg in disguise. She is just being creepy and odd so we don’t know which side she’s actually working for. She takes little John to her house (is every room in Anne’s house spattered with blood? Is this just a decorating choice for Anne now? Does she come in one day and decide the living room would be improved with more brain matter smeared around the lintels?). John junior tells her about his miserable childhood and Anne is just terrible at comforting frightened sad children with dangerous demonic magic.

Anne goes to Marburg to wetly declares she is loyal to Cotton and she would never betray his trust and hand over the child. But, revelation, Marburg knew Anne’s dad and sent him over the sea to find somewhere safe to raise their daughter. Yup, Anne Hale is her daughter of Marburg – maybe the water magic Marburg has mastered explains why Anne is so very very soggy.