I can't find a thread anywhere else for the UK pace UTD series 3 which started 29 June 2015 on Channel 5, so starting one here. If there's another thread somewhere else, perhaps the admin people could merge?

I'm assuming there's someone watching but maybe not now the story has gone to a completely new level of weirdness. It always was odd but I'm not following at all now so hoping someone can explain what the hell's going on. I assume Melanie is controlling them or playing with them like characters in a computer game? That would explain some of it but I've no idea what the Yemen scenes were about.

Help!

I'd guess that the dome is still up, and everything they're experiencing now is, as Ben said, not real. Barbie was never in the Yemen, Julia, Junior and Big Jim aren't dead.

You're not alone. I caught up yesterday and was completely confused as well.

Yes, that would be an explanation. So the only ones living in 'the real world' and present day are Junior and Julia, and maybe Big Jim? The others are all suspended in time and it will be the job of the 3 Js (well Junior and Julia) to bring them back?

I watched the first part again when it was on Channel 5+1 just now and it did make a bit more sense, knowing how the episode would pan out. They seemed to be trying to convey that it was all unreal, like a dream sequence. Still bloomin' peculiar though!

Someone on the US thread said that they had employed the writers who were left over when Lost finished!

Incomprehensible load of twaddle, I'll not be watching if this continues.

Sounds about right.

I don't know what the viewing figures are but I suspect Channel 5 will be moving future episodes to the post-midnight slot in no time.

So did any of us really think they got out? Or was the first suspicion that there had to be a trick somewhere?


On the basis that it looks like a matrix made of icky purple giant cockroach shaped people pods I would say that "bloomin' peculiar" really doesn't do it proper justice!

So is Barbie the only one who experienced anything between entering the mist and 'one year later', and does he actually remember that?

ok first off, what in the actual F... is going on here?

to answer the question, it would seem Melaine is keeping them all, and is using their minds to generate an experience for Barbie. However why this crazy is going on, is totally beyond me.

I turned it off after 30 minutes it was giving me a headache.

Some really novice scfifi followers here if you're finding it THAT hard to follow. It's relatively tame to me.

As to what's going on...maybe some sort of alien "transport ship" is below the town, with it designed to situate below a habit zone, then the shield goes up around it to protect the town/people area above. The pods they're in being for a long journey, the VR for mental stimulation/entertainment. Maybe the whole process is just malfunctioing? I don't think it was meant for THIS town's residents, though. Maybe an alien colony? And the egg arriving meteor style was sent to signal/start retrieval of their colonists, maybe because something bad is to happen to Earth, so they were in danger? So it's just some quick "colony retrieval system".

Reasonable theory but I am still not sure that this is all there is to it. I agree about the "entertainment" idea but not sure it is aliens from another planet.

Glad I'm not the only one! I was so looking forward to this series, but that first episode was just incomprehensible. I know the show is mad, surreal and off-beat - that was part of its charm, along with its ability not to take itself seriously.

However, it needed some kind of recap to the end of s2, which we didn't really get, nor were there any real references to the four hands, the egg, Barbie's father or Zenith. Maybe it'll start to make a bit more sense in the next couple of weeks. At least there was the continuity of Julia still having her bandage over her jeans .

I'd be more inclined to go with 'test lab' by persons or things unknown (even if what appears to be the controller looks like Melanie who might turn out to have been a plant* all along).

And I should revise my previous description - looking back, the ick-filled purple people pods have more of the appearance of chrysaliseses which I think fits well with the butterfly theme though it would seem at odds with the 'test lab' theory unless the shape is a fashion statement by the collective intelligence of their insect overlords.



* as in planted in the memories, as opposed to having roots and leaves and stuff

My favourite things about this episode were:
1. "But what if it [the portal] takes us into an alternate reality?" spoiler in the voiceover at the beginning
2. Big Jim shooting his tv saying "There's nothing on tv nowadays anyway"
3. Sam saying that his lawyer reckoned he had grounds for appeal due to "issues with the chain of evidence" in his case. You think?! Considering there were no proper police in the town when the evidence was collected?! I would love to see some court scenes covering his trial (yes, I know it's all in his mind.)

I fear the actual reason for the dome, wont be nearly as good

Ha ha, I do love the ironic comedy in UTD. I know much of it is hilarious but when it takes the pee out of itself, it's great.

Always find this show enjoyable. Yes it's silly, but it's fun silly.

I didn't realise that the US got a two hour first episode whereas we only got an hour! Presumably we will get the rest of this next Monday. Very strange though!

Just caught my very first episode of this ever on C5 this week.

Assumed it was season 1 not 3!

All a bit wild and wacky but that is whats rather good about it! Have I missed much from the last two seasons?

That was great. I was all, "Wait, what?" No-one had been remotely thinking about that going in.

This show has always been barmy, and generally knows it. Because of that I have more time for it than I have for, say, Falling Skies, which I suspect I will not be bothering with.

I love the trailer for next week where Julia decks Big Jim, especially the sound effect.

I must admit I watch this to see Mike Vogel! I know I'm shallow and too old to say things like this! But who cares?

I missed epi. 1 and will not have the chance to catch up (internet very flaky where I am at the moment) - but I should be able to catch epi. 2 - from what I am reading on here, it is the second chunk of a two parter - will it make any sense to me, do you think?
(I did see all of S1 and S2, but my memory is a little hazy... )

Since S2 ended I have (finally) watched S1 and 2 of 'Breaking Bad' - I had no idea Dean Norris could act - he certainly keeps it well hidden in this show, as do most of the rest of the cast.

But as long as there is plenty of screen time for the rather tasty Julia, I won't be too unhappy!