The Breakdown
“Blue on Blue” begins with Joe and Norrie discovering a massive population of monarch butterflies covering the dome. Barbie is sleeping in his car nearby and approaches the teenagers. He puts his hands on the dome, and the butterflies take off, revealing a much more communicative military on the other side of the wall. They also see loved ones being bused in to see their trapped family members.
Meanwhile, in the Rennie storm shelter, Jim chooses to keep Angie locked away after she tells him what Junior has done. He leaves and is greeted by Reverend Coggins outside of his home. Coggins tells Rennie that God has given him a message: Moab. The good reverend explains that Moab is a name for the now-corrupted town of Chester’s Mill. He believes that God is about to judge the town. Jim tells Coggins to stay away from him.
Deputy Esquivel recruits Barbie to run police tape and help keep people from getting close to the dome. She then ignores her own instructions and greets her fiancé at the wall. Other people meet their loved ones as well, including Dodee and a woman who hasn’t seen her son in 10 years. However, the most dramatic scene at the wall takes place when Norrie’s father appears. He shows Norrie pictures of him and her mother, which causes Norrie to realize that Alice lied about him. She runs from Alice after confronting her with the lie.
Coggins is at the wall preaching about Moab when Rennie confronts him again. He warns Coggins to stay away, to which the reverend replies with an ultimatum: confess your sins within 24 hours, or he’ll unveil them to the town.
Barbie notices Dodee using sign language with a family member and asks if she can read lips. She says that she can, and together, Dodee and Barbie communicate with a soldier on the other side of the dome who tells them that his unit has received orders to move out. The soldier has been told not to expect to return. Barbie surmises that Moab means “mother of all bombs.” Families weren’t brought to Chester’s Mill to visit; they were there to say goodbye.
News travels fast and the town gathers in the factory to say sit out the bombing. Rennie releases Angie, who goes home. He then tells Junior that he knows about what his son did. He orders his son to help him, but Junior runs off. He arrives at Angie’s house before she gets there and greets her when she walks into her room. Junior apologizes and says he was only trying to save her, and she hugs him.
Barbie explains to Julia what happened to him in Iraq. He confesses that he accidentally killed his comrades while in battle. The two bond once again as the missile draws near.
Joe and Norrie search for Angie, but they eventually give up and decide to watch the bombing. They kiss as the warhead detonates. The ground shakes and the area around the dome is destroyed, but the bomb doesn’t harm the barrier or the people inside.
The episode ends with Coggins meeting Big Jim at the dome. Coggins thinks Rennie is about to confess his sins, but the town selectman instead smashes his ear against the dome, which causes his hearing aid to explode in his ear. Rennie is now a murderer.
Analysis
This is the episode I’ve been waiting for with Under the Dome. The show finally balanced its characters with the plot instead of focusing primarily on one or the other. Viewers were treated to significant character advancements with Barbie, Big Jim and Norrie, while pushing a plot that came directly from the book. This is what viewers have tuned in for from the beginning.
That doesn’t mean that the show has suddenly become perfect. Sheriff Esquivel is proving more and more inept at her job. First, she makes Junior a deputy, and now she goes against her own instructions within moments of giving them to Barbie. Her character simply isn’t believable. Would an experienced deputy really be that inept?
It’s also a little hard to believe that Angie would end the episode in the arms of her mentally disturbed former captor. Is she just as sick as Junior? What person in their right mind would do that?
Still, “Blue on Blue” was a good episode that showed how much potential the series has. It’s amazing how much a story improves when the writing is balanced. Let’s hope it continues. There may be hope for Under the Dome yet.