There were a lot of questions to ask this summer. For me, there was the,
how will I spend my free time? How many reruns of Friends can I watch until my
brain rots? And, will there be a new drama this summer that can capture my
attention? The new CBS drama Under the
Dome was able to answer my third question with a big whopping “yes”. After watching the very
first episode, which was filled with an intriguing plot, well-developed
characters and breathtaking special effects, I was hooked. Based off the novel
written by Stephen King, the show follows a small Northeastern town of
Chester’s Mill that is sent into a panic when an invisible dome falls from the
sky and cuts the town off from the rest of the world. The first episode is full
of heart-wrenching scenes including a cow being split in half by the dome,
birds falling from the sky, a truck slamming into the dome, an airplane
crashing from the sky and so much more.
The residents of Chester’s Mill have their own questions to ask. The
characters include a former solider who has recently committed murder, a young
teen looking to get away from her boyfriend, a young teen seemingly obsessed
with his girlfriend, a journalist (played by an actress from Twilight), the
town’s councilor (played by Dean Norris of Breaking Bad), a lesbian couple and
their daughter, the town’s priest, the town’s sheriff (played by an old Lost
star), his deputy and two radio DJs. Their questions are pretty obvious. Where
did this dome come from? Why did the dome fall in their town? What secrets of
theirs will be revealed? And, what dangerous secrets do other people in the
dome have?
The audience members have started to form their own questions. In
fact, as soon as I finished watching the first episode I knew already that this
show would be one full of surprising twists. The show is produced by Stephen
King and Steven Spielberg and is receiving help from Brian K. Vaughan, the
writer of Lost. In fact, many individuals on the crew and cast are formally
from Lost. Likewise, the show has
seemed to embark on a similar theme as Lost
had. The show considers the possibility that the dome is more than just a
random supernatural occurrence. Rather, the show suggests that every character
has a purpose for being stuck under this dome. Like Lost and many other series based off of Stephen King novels, this
series does not seem to have a concrete ending in the near future. When CBS had
first announced Under the Dome as a summer mini series, it was exciting to know
that we wouldn’t have to sit around for nine or so seasons trying to figure out
who the mother was in a story about meeting the mother. However, CBS recently
announced that the show is no longer a mini series, but due to high ratings,
will be picked up for a second season. This shocking and bittersweet
announcement has viewers question, will we really ever know how this dome got
here?
CBS have a lot riding on the answers to their own questions. They were
unsure if a summer series would really get any attention at all. Much to their
excitement, we just couldn’t help but to get sucked into yet another Stephen
King production. I’m sure now they are questioning, “how long can they keep
this going before answering our many questions?”
Although Under the Dome may have given us what we needed, an
entertaining summer television series, it has come at a high price. It has
caused us to be addicted to yet another confusing, surprising drama, which we
may really never stop asking questions about.
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