If you have read the HORROR REPORT over the past twelve weeks, you may have already figured out that I have had a love-hate relationship with the television adaptation of Stephen King’s UNDER THE DOME. It’s been mostly hate, too..
The series, I felt, was a amateurish hour, giving us little tidbits of hints and mostly lots of fluff on a weekly basis.
But a part of me was kept on edge over the past four weeks or so, the series suddenly stepped it up, and felt less like a made-for-TV series and more like a good story. Until … the finale.
Now keep in mind, UNDER THE DOME has been renewed for another season. And not to spoil any ending for you, but they stay under the dome. After all, the follow up next series isn’t OVER THE DOME … Big Jim and his son, that wretched character, are in command.. Barbie.. well, we don’t quite know what happens to anyone.
As I previously admitted, I read half the book. I could not make it through the full literary encounter with the dome. Stephen King is a master, but this go around I felt the art of his writing was more long winded than ever and less enticing of a story than ever. But that does not mean I don’t know the ending to the book. Thanks to the internet and people who love to give stories away, I read a detailed synopsis of what occurs later in UNDER THE DOME. To my best knowledge, the television series isn’t religiously following the novel version ..
So who knows what will occur in season two. But last night, this finale, this series ender, was a let down.
Yes, we knew a cliffhanger would occur. The dome can’t be broken, and we sure as hell aren’t going to find the fine people of Chester’s Mills getting out. The story line flowed right into the bright wall, or dome, as expected. The dialogue seemed rushed (almost like they suddenly realized a second season was coming and they had to go with a plan b script).. And the story itself became predictable and almost dull… The last five minutes of action was a little interesting, until the noose descended and we were left in the dark. Under the dome.
Now this is a big gamble by CBS, don’t you think? The idea that people will come back next go around and watch this dome again–I bet people not ‘in the know’ of the latest entertainment news may have thought an answer would be heard in last night’s finale, and they were very wrong if they thought that. So CBS thinks that the magic of summer 2013 will continue when the DOME is back.. but things change. Why not strike when the iron’s hot, get this weird and tacky series behind us, chalk it up as a victory, sell your DOME snow globs on CBS.COM and Amazon, and move on to the next series..
I personally do not think people will flock back to see what Big Jim and his son are doing during their iron-clad gripping rule on Chesters Mills. As a matter of fact, people may have become so angry at last night’s half-assed cliffhanger that they purposely don’t come back to the dome again.
Of course, ratings can prove the HORROR REPORT dead wrong on the series’ sequel. Time will tell.
In the end, though, this series has gone back and forth, catching my interest, losing it, and in the end, insulting my intelligence. I don’t know if I will back for DOME part 2.
