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This article is about the TV Series character. You may be looking for his novel counterpart.
  Sam Verdreaux
Sam 312
First seen "Heads Will Roll"
Last seen "The Enemy Within"
Series lifespan "Heads Will Roll" to "The Enemy Within"
Appeared in 26 episodes, (see below)
Portrayed by Eddie Cahill
Austin James Parker (young)

Gender Male
Hair Black
Age Mid 40's
Occupation EMT
Family Pauline Rennie - Sister †
Junior Rennie - Nephew †
Big Jim Rennie - Brother-in-law
Melanie Cross - Ex-Girlfriend †
Abby DeWitt - Ex-Girlfriend †
Killed Victims 1 killed
Status Dead ("The Enemy Within")
Cause of Death Stabbed by Junior with a pipe
Sam Death
Sam Verdreaux Gallery
"You'll see, it's all pain. When you watch enough people die, when you watch Julia die, you will put the knife to those kids yourself."
—Sam telling Barbie that it's all pain while under the dome.[src]

Sam Verdreaux, was a main character in CBS' Under the Dome. He was the brother-in-law of Big Jim, the uncle of Junior and the brother of Pauline. He was also the second most trusted member of the Kinship, until Junior killed him.

Before the Dome[]

In 1988, Sam was a teenager attending Chester's Mill highschool. He dated his sister's (Pauline) friend Melanie Cross. One night, they were in a forest where a meteorite fell. Nestled within the meteorite they found a mysterious glowing egg, which Melanie grabbed and ran off with, being instinctively drawn to protect it. Lyle, cautious that the egg might be dangerous, was opposed to the idea, and pushed Melanie, causing her to fall and hit her head on the meteor. She cracked her skull and died on impact. Sam, Pauline and Lyle wanted to keep it secret, so decided to dispose of her body in the lake.

Sam is known as the local drunk, his massive guilt over Melanie (plus the consequent apparent death of his sister Pauline) precipitated his drinking problem. The overt drinking caused him to lose his job, and led to him living in relative seclusion at a cabin near the lake just outside of Chester's Mill.

Under the Dome[]

Season 1[]

Before the Dome came down he called Linda Esquivel to tell her that he heard some kind of a "bang".

Season 2[]

"Heads Will Roll"[]

Sam is at his cabin near the lake, when the the dome turns solid white and Sam runs out to look at it. He finds Julia pulling out an unknown girl out of the water. Sam manages to revive the girl, and then help them both to his cabin. There, he dresses Julia's gunshot wound and takes care of the girl.

When the girl wakes up, she runs way. Sam appears to recognize her and looks at one of the sketches in a book he has. The sketch is identical to Melanie Cross. (His lost love, who died more than two decades ago and seems not to have aged a day since). He then comes into town looking for her. Melanie is at the high school as Angie follows her. Melanie looks in a locker but sees Angie and runs away. Angie looks in the locker and sees something, shocking her. Angie turns and screams as an axe is swung at her, slashing her head (off-screen), splattering blood across the lockers and leaves a bloody handprint. Later, Sam is revealed to be Angie's killer.

"Infestation"[]

Sam reveals to Julia that he is Big Jim's brother-in-law and shows her the sketch Pauline made of Melanie. Sam and Julia investigate Angie's body, and find evidence that a man was responsible for Angie's death. Sam is awoken in the middle of the night by Junior, who tells him that he thinks he himself might've been responsible for killing Angie.

"Force Majeure"[]

Junior tells Sam that he found Angie's bracelet under the very bed he's been sleeping on, so fears that he was the one that killed her. Sam tells Junior that his mother also had blackouts and that going back to the spot where Angie was murdered might help him remember. Sam teams up with Julia to find Rebecca, who had been kidnapped by Lyle. He later visits Lyle in jail and the two allude to having a secret.

"Revelation"[]

Julia tells Sam that she thinks Rebecca Pine is planning on reducing the population. Sam helps Julia break into Rebecca's house and they discover eggs, blood, and a book about pigs. Sam and Julia soon learn that Rebecca is planning on releasing the H1N1 flu virus to determine who will live and die, and thereby cull the population. They stop Big Jim from pouring it into water, but he doesn't have it. Sam has Big Jim arrested, while Julia stops Rebecca. Sam almost kisses Julia, but stops after she pushes him back. He decides he should go, but Julia asks him to stay. As Julia is making some coffee, Sam looks and attempts to hide three big scratches on his shoulder.

"Reconciliation"[]

Sam finds Junior at his cabin, going through his stuff. He learns from Junior that Pauline is still alive, and that Junior is looking for the missing pages from Pauline's journal. Sam and Junior head to Lyle's barber shop, where Sam hides the missing pages and then pretends to find them. Sam shows Junior the photo of the four hands, saying that Pauline used to say four hands would hold up the dome and if they all fall, then the dome comes down.

Sam and Junior return to Junior's house, where Sam gets Junior drunk, so he will fall asleep. Once Junior is asleep, Sam picks up a pillow and goes to smother him, but stops when Junior wakes up. Junior thanks Sam for looking out for him and says he loves him, so Sam realizes he can't go through with it. While thinking about the possibility that has to kill Junior to bring the dome down, Sam throws a bottle that knocks a painting down. On the back of the painting is a picture of an obelisk and a number. Sam and Junior break open the locker and find a tunnel.

"In the Dark"[]

Sam, Junior, and Barbie explore the tunnels where they find Pauline's journal. Junior accidentally trips over a wire that causes an explosion, trapping Barbie and Sam. As Sam and Barbie continue on through the tunnels, Barbie confronts Sam about not admitting he knew who Melanie was. Sam admits he regrets letting Melanie die and has been haunted by the events of that night.

Soon, Barbie and Sam start to bond by talking about their regrets, until Barbie sees the scratches on Sam's shoulder and concludes he killed Angie. Sam explains to Barbie his reasoning, and admits, to Barbie's horror, that he will kill Junior, but them adds he will kill himself as well. Barbie tells Sam he will arrest him and let Junior deal with him. Sam puts the journal down and tells Barbie when he sees Julia suffer, he will kill the kids. Sam then backs up until he falls off the edge and disappears into the abyss.

"Going Home"[]

Sam survives the fall, and somehow, ends up in Zenith. He heads to a hospital, and asks to see his sister. Sam and Pauline share a touching reunion and catch up. Pauline shows Sam to Lyle's room. Lyle is now catatonic, wheelchair bound, and only says "Melanie" over and over again. Sam reveals to Pauline that Melanie is "back from the dead."

"Awakening"[]

Sam dresses as a doctor, and steals some drugs. He injects them into Lyle to wake him out of his catatonic state. Lyle tells them he had the postcards with him and they go to retrieve them, but find they have already viewed them all. Pauline reveals she had a final postcard that she didn't have a chance to send it before the dome came down. On the postcard is a red door.

"The Red Door"[]

Sam, Pauline, and Lyle decide that the red door can be a way into Chester Mills. They think the red door is at a playground, but see two guys watching them. Sam and Lyle distract the guys, and later meet up with Pauline. They head to a studio where Barbie soon turns up and attacks Sam. Barbie tells Pauline that Sam killed Angie. Sam defends his actions by telling Pauline that her drawings led him to believe he had to kill the four hands to bring the dome down. He reluctantly tells Pauline that Junior is one of the four hands, but swears he didn't hurt him. Pauline tells asks they are both at fault for Angie's death and have to return to Chester's Mill to "atone for their sins".

Barbie leads them to the red door, which was in his backyard, and they enter a swirling vortex, which leads them back into Chester's Mills. Sam wants to help Pauline find Junior, but she says she has to go alone.

"The Fall"[]

Sam runs into Melanie and promises he isn't going to hurt anyone, especially her. Later, Sam is waiting in his cabin when Junior comes in and starts assaulting him. Junior takes Sam's axe and prepares to kill his uncle when Angie appears and convinces Junior not to kill Sam. Barbie and Julia arrive with Melanie, who is unconscious and barely breathing. Sam injects Melanie with something to bring her heart rate up.

"Black Ice"[]

Sam, Julia, Barbie, and Junior bring Melanie to the school, which has become a make shift hospital, who are suffering from the freezing cold that the dome has unleashed. Sam promises Melanie that he isn't going to let her die again, and also helps out with the other patients at the school.

"Turn"[]

As the Rebecca Pine analyzes Melanie Cross's blood, Sam comes over and Julia tells him what is going on. Checking the blood, Rebecca tells them that Melanie's red blood cells are disintegrating. Sam suggests that they attempt a transfusion and Melanie remembers how to use lima beans to determine blood type. Rebecca and Sam go to Andrea's house to get the beans while Junior comes in and gets his mother's journal. While Rebecca and Sam get the lima beans, she asks about Melanie and he tells her that Melanie died 25 years ago and came back to life. Rebecca doesn't believe it but Sam insists that he saw it with his own eyes. Back at the school, Sam calls Barbie and Julia into the workshop and reveals that Melanie has recovered from her illness.

Melanie passes out in agony again and Sam tries to stabilize her. Sam tells Rebecca that Melanie is getting worse again. Sam tells Rebecca that it's a matter of letting go, not giving up, and suggests that they face the uncertainty together. The group later takes Melanie to the crater and follows Pauline's directions, placing Melanie in the center. Melanie convulses and Pauline realizes that they need the eighth Hand. Rebecca speculates that Melanie is the Hand both in the past and the present, and Sam takes Melanie's other hand since he was her boyfriend 25 years ago. Melanie recovers and tells Pauline that it's beautiful and a vortex opens in the ground beneath her, sucking her down. Junior tries to pull her back and Sam and Barbie hold onto him, but Melanie is pulled down into a tunnel that extends out of sight into the earth.

"Go Now"[]

Big Jim and Sam take Pauline to the school where the medical supplies are after she is stabbed by Lyle. At the high school, Sam doesn't know how he can help Pauline without an MRI or surgical equipment. With Pauline, Sam privately tells Jim that her internal damage is too great to be stopped without surgery. Sam says there's nothing he can do. Junior wants to get back to the crater but Sam says they can't move Pauline and she needs saline. Later, Julia tells Sam and Rebecca to round up the town and get them on school buses to the woods as Barbie finds a tunnel in the woods. After Sam and Jim return to Pauline's bedside, she passes away, and turn to see Rebecca holding a syringe.

Jim advances on her, seething. Sam steps between them and tells Jim to walk away. Jim turns, but then wheels around and knocks out Sam. He looms over Rebecca and picks up a nearby hammer and smashes it down into her skull. After, Sam tells Junior what his dad did and that his mom is gone. Sam radios Julia and tells her that Pauline is dead and Jim killed Rebecca. In the tunnel, Sam follows Barbie, and after running into a dead end watches as the wall falls away to reveal a bright white light, as well as a dripping wet Melanie, who says, "Follow me, we're going home."

Season 3[]

"Move On" & "But I'm Not"[]

Sam, along with most of the residents of Chester's Mill, is sealed in a cocoon by Melanie and experiences a year in an alternate reality.

In the alternate reality, Sam is sent to prison for Angie's murder and is shown to be quite repentant of his actions, not wanting to accept any plea deals offered to him. He also tries to help other prisoners, taking part in a support group and breaking up a fight in the prison yard.

Sam meets with Joe in the prison and says he is doing everything he can to earn Joe's forgiveness. Joe furiously tells Sam he won't forgive him until he suffers as much as Angie did. As Sam heads back to his cell, he is stabbed in the side by another prisoner. A dying Sam reaches his hand out to Joe, who goes to take his hand as a gesture of forgiveness, when Big Jim shatters the egg in the real word, ending the hallucination and freeing Sam, Joe and everyone else from the cocoons.

"Redux"[]

Christine asks Sam to form a support group and help people cope with being back under the Dome, but he refuses because the townspeople don't trust him.

Later, Sam stops Junior from killing himself and takes him to town hall, where he decides to lead the support group after all.

Sam, along with most of the residents of Chester's Mill, instinctively responds to Christine's call.

"The Kinship"[]

Christine negotiates a meeting between Sam and Joe so they can finish the conversation they had in the alternate reality.

Before going to meet Joe, Sam checks up on Abby, who has stopped attending the support group. He finds her trying to hang herself and saves her life. As Sam tries to comfort her, Abby tempts him with a drink, and he gives in, neglecting to meet with Joe and spending the night with her.

"Alaska"[]

Sam arrives at town hall in the aftermath of a collapse. He angrily questions Junior for trusting Christine's input on construction but Junior takes the blame on himself.

Sam tends to the wounded before being confronted by Christine, who notices he has been drinking. She learns that Abby is responsible for pulling Sam away from the Kinship as he leaves to go back to her.

Christine arrives at Abby's house before Sam and drives her to suicide, giving her a bottle of pills. Sam returns to find Abby dead in the bathtub.

"Caged"[]

Sam finds the bottle of pills Abby used to kill herself and notices they were not prescribed to her. He heads into town to find out what really happened to her.

Eva and Sam examine Hunter's injuries, which Sam determines are too severe for him to ever walk again. Eva gives Hunter some pain medication and tells Sam that Christine collected prescriptions from everyone in town for a dispensary.

Later that night, Sam confronts Christine in her office about Abby's death, tricking her into confessing by pretending to have become part of the Kinship. He stabs her and leaves her for dead, but Junior arrives shortly after and takes her to the caves to rejuvenate upon her request.

"Ejecta"[]

Sam washes Christine's blood off and heads towards the diner, where he finds Joe and Norrie. They all soon realize that none of them are part of the Kinship. Sam gives Hunter, who was in the freezer for protection, some pain medication. When the group hears someone searching the diner, Sam decides to reveal himself in order to protect Joe and Norrie, telling them to stay in the freezer.

Sam emerges to find Junior, who tells him that Christine needs his help. The two of them make their way to the caves as Sam tries to figure out what happened to Christine without letting Junior know he attacked her.

In the tunnels, Junior reveals that he knew Sam tried to kill Christine all along and attacks him. Sam tries to convince Junior to help him finish the job, but fails. Junior subdues Sam with a headlock as Christine emerges from her cocoon.

"Breaking Point"

Junior knocks out Sam and takes him to the fallout shelter, where Christine gives him a blood transfusion, claiming that her blood will strengthen the infection that is already inside him. She then reminds Sam of his failure to save Melanie, Pauline, Angie or Abby, and forgives him for trying to kill her. She tells him that by joining the Kinship, he can let go of his guilt and give his life value.

Christine then lets Sam go free and allows him to choose whether to side with the Kinship or the Resistance. She later reveals to Junior that she gave Sam's own blood back to him, not her own.

After thinking over Christine's words, Sam leaves the fallout shelter, his decision a mystery.

"Plan B"[]

Sam finds Joe and Norrie at the library and helps them escape the Kinship. They arrive at Reverend Lester Coggins' funeral home where Joe shows Sam the schematics they stole from Christine's office. Sam hits Joe and knocks him out, revealing that he is now part of the Kinship. He takes Joe's body and the schematic to Christine, and tells Kyle that the Resistance is at Lester's funeral home.

"Legacy"[]

Throughout the episode, Sam guards Joe.

"Love is a Battlefield"[]

Sam, Kyle, and Joe work on the Kinship's plans. Sam then tells Christine that Barbie might be a threat. Sam, Christine, and a few other members of the Kinship arrive at the hotel Eva was in. Christine tells Sam to give both Eva and her privacy so Sam steps out of the hotel.

"Incandescence"[]

Junior gets mad because Christine and Sam have been working together, saying he should be baby sitting Joe instead. Sam later tends to the elderly, who are suffocating as the Dome calcifies.

Under orders from Christine, Sam and Junior drown the elderly to reduce competition for air. Junior decides to drown the children as well, but Sam disagrees and tries to stop him. After failing to convince Junior, Sam steps aside. The children are saved by the arrival of Christine, who has regained her humanity.

"The Enemy Within"

Sam takes advantage of Junior's absence to grow closer to Dawn. Hoping to position himself as her alpha, he tells her about a secret passage through the cement tunnels she can escape through after the dome comes down. Impressed, Dawn sends him to prepare the way through.

Junior follows Sam to the tunnels, having overheard his conversation with Dawn. After Sam opens an escape route, Junior confronts him about leaving him at the lake and trying to become Dawn's alpha. Sam tells Junior that the decision to drown children makes him unfit to lead, and the two begin to fight over Dawn.

Sam wins the fight and warns Junior to stay out of his way before turning to leave the tunnels. Collecting himself, Junior picks up a metal pipe and drives it through Sam's stomach from behind, killing him.

Sam then falls to the ground, Junior kneels down and looks at him and says now you understand, "I'm Better Than You", he then leaves the tunnels to watch Sam die.

Appearances[]

Season 2 appearances
"Heads Will Roll" "Infestation" "Force Majeure" "Revelation" "Reconciliation"
"In the Dark" "Going Home" "Awakening" "The Red Door" "The Fall"
"Black Ice" "Turn" "Go Now"
Season 3 appearances
"Move On" "But I'm Not" "Redux" "The Kinship" "Alaska"
"Caged" "Ejecta" "Breaking Point" "Plan B" "Legacy"
"Love is a Battlefield" "Incandescence" "The Enemy Within"

Killed Victims[]

Trivia[]

  • Sam is mentioned in the Pilot episode, but never physically appears until the second season's premiere.
  • He was one of the 4 original hands, alongside Pauline Verdreaux, Lyle Chumley and Melanie Cross.
  • In the novel, Sam is only a minor character and is not related to Junior.
  • Ironically, Sam died in the final episode of the series whereas his novel counterpart died in the final chapter of the book.
    • A difference is that Sam is not the last person to have died in the series, whereas he is in the novel.
TV Series Characters
Barbara/Cross Family BarbieDawnLauraMelanieDonBarbie's Mother
Rennie Family Big JimJuniorSamPauline
Shumway Family JuliaMaryPeter
McAlister Family JoeJackSteveFrankMrs. McAlisterAngie
Calvert Family NorrieMichaelCarolynAlice
Sheriff's Department CarterDellJackieGeorgiaLindaPaulFreddyDuke
WYBS Radio Station PhilDodee
The Clinic ChrisLindaAdamsBeth
Sanders Cement Works DuncanVictorAntoineJamesJarkLowellMarkColeCarsonKeith
Chester's Mill EricGregRogerAliceAudreyAidanDennyRodgerBernieSarahTommyIdaDresTerrySparkyScottyKayTedLarryMilesKillianDarrenSusanMichaelRosaGregBonnieTerryAlLarryTootBurtWallyAmyKyleRonaldHarrietCharlottePeteAbbyBenAndreaRebeccaTomLyleBethWendellMr. DamburgMr. FelmanOttoOllieMr. CunninghamBoomerClintWaylonRayRoseLesterMrs. MooreMyraScottJaniceEricJerryKevinPaulAllisonStephanieIvanGlennAnnMarshallJuneNoahConnieAmandaDonnaGaryPhilipBonnieJerryJustinAmyMelindaStevenGeorgeIreneMorganMildredJasonLeeNadineAmberBruceAliceKarenAdamVirginiaAraceliDrewMiltonSandraEvelynAnnCodyBrendaNicholeJosephDonnaEdwardLeonAlanBrandonSallyJohnNicholeJohnCarolJeffreyAdaTaraDouglasLoriRobertRolandFeliciaNancyCarlMorrisBillCharlesEileenJohnLeslieMelAshleyBryanAlanRoseCliffordTinaMargaretLindaSusanneDerrickClydeCherylAmyShirleyDonnaDennisJoshuaPhilipChuckClaudetteLloydBetsy
Military BlakeClemmensSmithJonesStricklandWalkerAndersonGlorElemmersPracht
Aktaion Energy HunterLilyPatrickChristineHektorDavaEvaBeauMartinMarstonMalick
Outsiders JeffPhil's SisterDodee's MotherAndrea's SonRickMiguelTrevorJudyMaxineAgatha
Animals IndyTruman
Alive characters appear in green. Dead characters appear in red and italics. Unknown characters appear in blue.
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