'Under the Dome' Finale Recap: Total Blackout In 'Curtains'

Despite the bizarre twists, bad choices and head-scratching scenarios, I'd venture to say that "Under the Dome" was the TV show of summer 2013. No matter how bad it got, we kept watching. This the finale ended with as much fanfare as the show began.
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Note: Do not read on if you have not seen Season 1, Episode 13 of CBS' "Under the Dome," titled "Curtains."

Despite the bizarre twists, bad choices and head-scratching scenarios, I'd venture to say that "Under the Dome" was the TV show of summer 2013. No matter how bad it got, we kept watching. This the finale ended with as much fanfare as the show began with.

When we return to Chester's Mill, Norrie, Joe, Carolyn and Linda are all standing in Ben's room. They are still explaining the mini-dome and black egg situation to Linda, who claims that it's now police property. As they are standing over the dome, they see the monarch hatch. The butterfly starts to throw itself against the edges of the dome, leaving black smudges each time. Linda eventually decides to grab the dome, but when she does, a jolt sends her flying across the room.

Meanwhile, Barbie is still locked up under Big Jim's supervision, and Junior is leaning his head against the dome, begging it to give him some answers about his dad. Big Jim and Barbie have a few tiffs about power and respect before Big Jim rushes to Ben's house to find the mini-dome.

Back at Ben's house, the butterfly is still turning Dome Jr. black. Suddenly, Chester's Mill starts to turn dark until the entire big dome is black. The townspeople are understandably freaked out. Junior comes barreling into Ben's house and tries to protest against their plan to keep the egg away from Big Jim, but eventually gives in.

When Big Jim arrives at the house, he finds Linda on the ground. She comes to and explains what happened. Interesting that when Dodee was shocked, she forgot all about it but Linda recounts the incident perfectly. Linda tells Big Jim they have to find the secret to getting out of this mess.

All the while, Angie and Julia are planning a big escape. Julia decides to leave their hideout in the hospital supply closet and she and Angie head to the police station. Without electricity, the station is wide open and they are able to break in and release Barbie. But not before Julia and Barbie share a predictable kiss through the jail cell bars. They also run into Phil and another police officer, but Barbie and co. knock them down and run.

When Angie escaped with Julia, she took a police radio with her. Joe, Norrie and Junior use the radio to send a message to Angie and advise her to head to the place where she and Joe hid out when they broke their mother's mirror when they were younger. Linda and Big Jim also hear the message, but don't know where this secret hideout is.

Turns out, they all congregate in the tunnels we've seen many times before this season. When Angie arrives with Barbie, Junior immediately points a gun at his head until Julia can explain that Barbie has been framed. Junior is skeptical, but before the fight can go on, the mini-dome starts to light up red. The four teens put their hands on it and it glows very bright before disintegrating into a pile of dirt, leaving the black egg uncovered. At first they think the monarch butterfly inside is dead, but it comes back to life and flutters around a bit before landing on Barbie. They all agree Barbie is the monarch for about a minute, when the room starts shaking and the egg turns white. Julia grabs the egg, the earthquake stops and Julia becomes the monarch instead.

While Julia is becoming the queen of Chester's Mill, Big Jim spots the entire town piling into church. They are all scared, believing the darkness was predicted in the Bible. Big Jim stands up to make a comforting speech and yet again, convinces the town to trust him and to have faith, blah, blah, blah.

Back in his office, Rennie decides to build a gallows in the middle of town to scare people into behaving (AKA to kill Barbie in front of everyone). Then Linda calls: While searching for the kids, she found the barn with the "pink stars" phrase written on the inside. She asks Big Jim what it could possibly mean, and he collapses. Shaken, he says it used to mean something to him, years ago, and asks Linda to meet him at his house.

Now that Julia is in charge, the group says she has to decide what to do next. Except Junior's not on board with this, and points the gun at Julia until she gives up the egg. Before he can shoot her, she tosses the egg to Angie and they all run. Barbie and Junior are left behind for yet another scuffle, but since Barbie is still handcuffed from before, Junior is able to overpower him and take him back into the station.

At Jim's house, our trusty car salesman shows Linda his dead wife's art studio, and the paintings with the pink stars. One in particular shows a large black egg surrounded by falling pink stars. Linda says that this means he and his family are important -- that they were chosen.

By now, Angie, Julia and Joe are in the forest with the black egg. Unsure what to do next, they ask the egg for answers. As soon as they do, Norrie's dead mother, Alice, appears behind her. Except, it's not really her dead mother. It's some "being" that is using her mom's body as a way to "bridge the divide." She/it also says that the dome is here to protect them, and they'll see in time what it's protecting them from. Finally, she says that for the darkness to go away, they have to earn it by protecting the egg. Before they can get any more details, ghost mom disappears.

Back at the station, Big Jim makes an announcement on the police radio for Julia, telling her she has to bring the egg to the station or Barbie will pay the ultimate price. The group is confused, but Julia says if she's the monarch, she gets to make the decision. She tells the others to hide, and she'll take care of this mess.

Meanwhile, Junior tells Big Jim that the group wants to assassinate him because he's a dangerous murderer. Big Jim then tells Junior about his discovery in the art studio, saying he now believes in miracles. He also admits to killing, but only when it was 100% necessary to save the people he loves. They agree to not to keep secrets from each other anymore because the Rennies are clearly the chosen family. Dad and son hug it out before heading out to lead Barbie to his death.

Junior and Big Jim take Barbie to the gallows (which was somehow built in a matter of hours) and gives the town his hundredth speech of the season. While Barbie is facing his death, Julia is on a boat in the middle of a dark river. She drops the egg into the water and within seconds, pink stars start rising up. They illuminate the sky, distracting Big Jim and Junior from their job. Finally, Big Jim tells the town that the pink stars are a clear sign from God that they are seeking justice. He yells at Junior to pull the lever, but Junior is transfixed by the pink stars. When the stars reach the top of the dome, everything is covered in blinding light. As the episode comes to an end, Big Jim is screaming at Junior to pull the lever as the dome surrounding Chester's Mill is coated in white light.

As expected, the dome remains, but instead of darkness, it looks like the inhabitants of Chester's Mill will be really, really tan next season.

Unanswered questions

  • Who sent the dome? We know they aren't human, but we never found out exactly who they are.

  • What the dome is supposed to protect the town from?
  • Why was Julia crowned the "monarch" and what does that really mean?
  • How is throwing the egg into a river considered "protecting" it?!
  • Will Barbie live or die? Just kidding ... we all know he'll live because he's the best part of the show.
  • What did you think of the "Under the Dome" finale? Share your reactions and theories below!

    Big Jim Rennie (Dean Norris)

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