Can anyone imagine if the series had ended there? It might have been the worst drama series with the most viewers to have ever been allowed to live for that long on TV. All it showed us in the end was that most of what we watched was a waste of time, and blatant filler (which we could tell along the way, most of which went by the name “Maxine”). Though the show built up an interesting premise with the mini-dome, its slaughter of its characters and confusion about the protagonists (Linda and Phil, for instance, both useless and pretty much on the side of evil) left it a muddled mess. The worst part about Under the Dome was its squandered potential.
While the series lacked any believable interactions among its leads, it also populated the rest of the town with silent, faceless lemmings who were controlled by Big Jim like zombies. They riot, stay calm, pray and show up for hangings all on command. And the Dome wants to protect them from something? As I said very early in the season, it seems more likely that the Dome had the sense to quarantine them away from the rest of the world, and good riddance.
under the dome curtains britt robertson colin ford mackenzie lintzBy all accounts it has sounded like Under the Dome was a ghastly adaptation of the original Stephen King novel, but the fact that it couldn’t — through thirteen episodes — ever find its own voice and carve a niche for itself as a worthwhile series illustrates its problems as systemic. Many of us have spent the duration of the season hoping the show would improve, and there were glimmers of hope. But CBS’s decision to elongate it into a second season was horrendous for the momentum of the series, and much of the season felt reminiscent to Lost‘s “lost years” (remember “Stranger In A Strange Land”? i.e. “Jack’s Tattoos,” starring Bai Ling?). To hit that lull so quickly though is telling.
Yet there’s a curiosity with Under the Dome, and an optimism for it that can’t be explained. Even after this non-finale, I’m sure CBS will pique our interest next year to find out what the story is behind the egg, so we need to remind ourselves of a truism: pink stars are falling in line / this show is so bad it’s a crime / we don’t need an egg for a sign / that this show is not worth the time.