It took almost a week, but the concern over food, water and supplies finally became an issue for the residents of Chester's Mill.

One of the biggest annoyances with Under the Dome so far has been the overwhelming level of calm throughout the town. Even with the deaths, disease outbreak and every day strife, the residents continued to live as if the Dome wasn't there at all.

In "The Endless Thirst," the threat from the Dome became real ... finally! With the water supply compromised, the residents started to worry about the basic necessities of survival. And Angie got free from Junior! Those two events alone made this the best episode since the premiere. Then, the clues revealed about Joe and Norrie, plus the Julia and Barbie kiss made it even better. 

The Dome is clearly becoming an entity and character itself. It's communicating somehow through Joe and Norrie, while also perhaps gauging the town's needs through them as well. Given the deaths since the show's premiere, I have to wonder if the Dome wants a human sacrifice each day in return for providing the necessary sustenance to keep the other residents alive.

The deaths have all happened in different ways, but none of them so far have been of natural causes. They were all killed directly from the Dome or due to the situation created within the town due to the Dome's existence. As a human experiment, I find that concept intriguing. If the deaths continue, the town will slowly run out of people, which could be problematic for the Dome, if it's a life form.

The Dome and the consequences of it are something I'll definitely continue to watch. At this point, the characters are starting to grow on me as well. Norrie and Joe are such a cute pair. Julia was a good choice to confide in about their secret, but Dodee is a bit of a wild card. Will she be able to keep it a secret? And, if not, was Julia correct in worrying about the town's reaction. My guess is absolutely not and unfortunately yes. 

The townspeople are already afraid of the Dome, they don't need to be afraid of Norrie and Joe too. With Julia and Barbie getting close (they kissed!), it's possible that she'll bring him into the trust circle. He's smart and given his background that could be helpful to the situation. Barbie almost killed several rioters, but he stopped himself. He has discipline when necessary.

Big Jim continues to lack that quality. He continued to throw his power around. As much as Junior should pay for what he did to Angie, she'd be smart to take Big Jim's offer. She could always reveal the truth later. For now, Big Jim has the ability to provide the resources she needs to keep both her and her brother alive.

I've been hard on Under the Dome after the premiere, but it's finally moving in a direction that has real threats and consequences. I wish this hour had been episode 3 or 4, but there are still a few more left to tell the story. Plus, Under the Dome has been renewed for season 2.

Was this episode an improvement? Should Angie take Big Jim's deal? Happy about the Julia and Barbie kiss? 

Carla Day is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter and on Google+.