Under The Dome on CBS

[Alan Mendelson]

Well... the tunnel is the way out, if they can get word to those inside. But now we know why no one is outside the Dome holding up signs to communicate with the folks inside: the government has ordered everyone to stay away. I've wondering why there were no people with signs and electronic message boards communicating?

[Alan Mendelson]

After last night's episode it appears the series is taking a turn. Now those trapped inside the Dome also have enemies on the outside -- and is it the government or private industry? Is the knowledge of the Dome and the knowledge of an alien life form more important than the lives of those inside?

Anyone else notice that the opening monologue has changed to say several weeks ago instead of two weeks ago?

[Dan Druff]

After last night's episode it appears the series is taking a turn. Now those trapped inside the Dome also have enemies on the outside -- and is it the government or private industry? Is the knowledge of the Dome and the knowledge of an alien life form more important than the lives of those inside?

Anyone else notice that the opening monologue has changed to say several weeks ago instead of two weeks ago?

Didn't love the whole "cliff is the way out but the government is making it too dangerous" thing.

If this Dome thing happened in real life, while it is believable the government would restrict access to it, the people would demand answers at the same time, and the media would be all over it 24/7.

A character like "Barbie" could simply go to the media, state that he has discovered a way out (and escaped himself), and wants the government to broadcast messages to the people regarding how to escape. There's no way the government could justify refusing such a thing, with the media all over it like that.

Also lol @ Barbie putting on a pair of glasses and fooling the military regarding getting past them. Supposedly he was the most notable person trapped in there, so they would definitely know him, especially since he's one of their own.

As what happens with some shows, they have lost a use for certain characters.

For example, Norrie's mom (the one still alive) is no longer seen on-screen, nor is she mentioned. Norrie herself, who was such a central character in Season 1, seems to have little to do anymore, and in fact was replaced in a way by the Melanie character.

[Alan Mendelson]

When did the outside world find out about the "egg"? And how?

[Dan Druff]

When did the outside world find out about the "egg"? And how?

Yeah I wonder that, too.

Personally, I am not thrilled with the direction of the "evil corporation versus the dome inhabitants" storyline. It is unrealistic to believe that the military would hand over exclusive power to control the area around the dome to a for-profit corporation.

In reality, the military would seal it off and control the area themselves (as was implied originally).

Seemed pretty ludicrous to me that this whole story couldn't have ended with Barbie going to the media, explaining how he got out, and then having the military hold signs out front instructing people to jump. In fact, that would have made for more of a compelling story, as the characters would have to decide whether or not to bring the egg (knowing they might never get access to it again if they leave it behind), and then maybe some would choose whether to go or stay behind with the egg.

It seems that the vision Barbie had at the end of the last episode implies that Melanie is more than she appears to be, and in fact might be an alien related to putting up the dome in the first place. I'm sure it's not going to be a coincidence that she told Barbie in 1988 that they would see each other again at some point.

[Alan Mendelson]

Just when I thought the tunnel would be the way out... the "egg" gets dropped through the tunnel and the tunnel closes. No way out for the residents of Chesters Mill, so the series will drag on into a third season. Of course the "black uniforms" are not expecting the egg to show up, so some kid will pick it up in the park and put it into his marble collection, or else it won't be discovered until next Spring's Easter Egg Hunt.

So what does the egg do on the outside? Cause havoc, of course. And maybe the "dome" does what was suspected from the beginning of the show -- protects those inside while the rest of the world evaporates or goes up in smoke or some such calamity.

But thinking ahead... keeping the egg unidentified until the city's Easter Egg Hunt will allow the producers plenty of time to come up with "Dome Eggs" to sell in stores and on the CBS website.

[Dan Druff]

I knew they were going to have to do something about that "exit", or the series would have ended. I don't like being teased with things like this. The cliff with no bottom was cool, and it made me want to watch subsequent weeks to find out what happened. However, I hate when they dangle something like this and then abruptly take it away, just to drag the series on longer.

This can only go on for so long before people get tired of it.

[Dan Druff]

Sadly we might not get to see the conclusion we are hoping for.

Season 1 was a hit, with 10-11 million viewers per episode (excellent for a summer series), and then 12 million for the season finale.

Season 2, which returned after a 9-month hiatus (never good), still picked up 9.4 million viewers. However, people didn't like the premiere, so it fell to 7.7 for the 2nd epsiode, and the last episode was an all-time-low of 6.29.

I'm not sure it will be renewed for a third season with numbers like these, and yet they won't have time to quickly make a finale.

[Alan Mendelson]

I knew they were going to have to do something about that "exit", or the series would have ended.

I was hoping this would be the last season... even though I enjoyed watching every episode.

[Alan Mendelson]

As The Dome Turns... and shrinks... and shrieks. Tonight's episode had some new twists but once again in true prime time TV fashion problems are created, featured characters face death, and then all is corrected only to find a new peril develop in a one hour show.

Does the season end with the dome pushing everyone into one room at the high school or back in the diner for a final "toast" until next season?

Or maybe when the dome shrinks so much it reaches "critical mass" and explodes and destroys the rest of the world with thousand foot flames (did you catch that in tonight's show) and the show ends with Chester's Mill saved from armaggeddon?

[Dan Druff]

I felt that this last episode wasn't very good. It contained too many (boring) manufactured crises -- a car accident, the dropping temperature, etc. One review of the show calls these "The crisis of the week", and I agree. I wish they would stop with these plots, because they always go the same way. Never too interesting, and they always either solve the crisis or it goes away by itself.

The most interesting parts of the show involve the dome itself and the mysteries associated with it. So the dome starting to move inward, that's interesting. The cliff to Zenith, another interesting plot device, though it was annoying when they presented that and closed it. (My girlfriend thinks that, given the producer's admission that they changed the ending of Season 2, the cliff was originally supposed to be a way out, and the show was supposed to end there.)

The new kid who was working as a double agent for the people on the outside is also a decent story.

I just wish they would spend more time on that type of stuff, and less on these weekly crises.

I had a feeling that the dome would be something protecting the world from Armageddon, given the season 1 episode where an alien told people that it was there to protect them (plus the revelation that a big bomb couldn't hurt the dome).

Given that they are now promoting the final episode as one with a "really big cliffhanger", I am guessing that the thousand foot flames are probably going to show up outside the dome and destroy a lot of the world, and then the season will end, with the people in the dome knowing they're fortunate to be there. Or something like that.

[Alan Mendelson]

Good post, Dan, and I agree with a lot you say. But I doubt this will turn into an "end of the world" series because that would end the series. You need the outside world to keep the series going. If the outside world ends with thousand-foot flames then the series ends and there is no more story except that Chester's Mill survives inside the "dome."

I don't know how this series is going to end, but to be honest, it's time for it to end.

[Dan Druff]

Final episode of season 2 coming on Monday.

Last episode was an improvement over the previous one, as it didn't have as much crisis of the week BS, and advanced the main storyline.

Two characters apparently got killed at the end.

They have a lot to cover in the final episode. It will supposedly end with a big cliffhanger.

Btw I found out that the actress who plays Julia is a socialist. Not a liberal who is accused of being a socialist, but an actual socialist. I don't know what she gets paid, but I think it's a lot. I always laugh when rich actors become socialists. Seems very hypocritical to me.

[Alan Mendelson]

Btw I found out that the actress who plays Julia is a socialist. Not a liberal who is accused of being a socialist, but an actual socialist. I don't know what she gets paid, but I think it's a lot. I always laugh when rich actors become socialists. Seems very hypocritical to me.

Maybe she shares her salary with all of the crew members?

[Alan Mendelson]

"Follow me. We're going home." Those words from Melanie ended the second season, and now we have to ponder what does "going home" mean? Does it mean going to meet your maker? After all, Melanie was/is dead. And will Barbie and the townspeople follow Melanie? Many of the townspeople do not know that Melanie is/was dead.

So... it looks like another season is ahead of us.

[Dan Druff]

Apparently they have a huge, lucrative deal with Amazon to stream the show shortly after it airs, so the show turns a big profit even when the ratings suck.

For that reason, it's likely to return.

Critics hated Season 2. Most of the audience didn't care for it too much, either. This might be like "Heroes", where they put together a good first season and had a lot of people excited, but couldn't recapture the magic in future seasons.

[Dan Druff]

As I predicted, Under the Dome was renewed, though you will not see it until June 2015.

CBS Corporation has renewed Amblin Television’s Under the Dome and Extant for next season. While Under the Dome was a great success in the first season, ratings plunged 33% on its premiere show for the second season. However, the show still ranked as the summer’s top scripted series, with 11 million viewers. While Extant was running on high expectations with Academy Award winner Halle Berry as a lead star, it failed to attract a large audience and averaged 8.64 million viewers for the season. However, it must be noted that both the shows were profitable for CBS due to its agreement with Amazon, which allowed the programming to be available on Amazon Prime, four days after the first air on CBS.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspe...r-next-season/

They need to get some better writers.

[Alan Mendelson]

Thanks for the update.

No, they don't need better writers. The good writers they have should go back to finding a way out of the dome and/or removing the dome and let the series end in this upcoming third season.

[ThomasClines]

The good writers they have should go back to finding a way out of the dome and/or removing the dome and let the series end in this upcoming third season.

I'm guessing that the Dome is a Noah's Arc to protect against the "falling stars" of Doom's Day,

[Alan Mendelson]

I'm guessing that the Dome is a Noah's Arc to protect against the "falling stars" of Doom's Day,

Good theory. All along there were ideas that the dome was there to protect. And the falling stars could be anything from nuclear bombs to asteroids. Maybe the writers will make the series more current and use Ebola?