After my second DVR crash since March, I found myself scurrying around, trying to recover the 200+ recordings I lost. Amongst those so inconveniently deleted was CBS’s new science fiction drama, Under the Dome.
When we were finally ready to sit down and watch Under the Dome, we couldn’t find the first episode. The pilot wasn’t available for viewing on the CBS website, or via OnDemand, prompting us to try something we’d never done before—watch TV via our Amazon Prime account. For free. Yeah, I was a happy camper…
Anyway, what would happen if we were cut off from the world? If we couldn’t leave our city or county lines? If we were imprisoned by an impenetrable barrier?
Based on the science fiction novel by Stephen King, Under the Dome follows the residents of Chester’s Mill after they are cut off from the world by an invisible, impenetrable barrier—a dome. Will they uncover the truth in time to save their small town?
Let’s talk about this “wall” for a second… This “wall” sliced a cow in half, which was not at all appetizing to watch while eating dinner. And for about a span of three to five minutes, although it felt longer, the cameras kept showing the darn cow. Yuck. Trust me.
But back to the story…
Not knowing whether or not this is an act of terror, or an act of God, the town’s people scurry around, trying to make heads or tails out of the situation. And when government agencies show up on the outside, wearing full-on Hazmat Gear, those trapped know that something is terribly wrong.
Recognizing that something has them “stuck in a fish bowl,” the mayor hops on a public radio access channel and instructs all vehicles to stop moving, but not before a couple of cars crash into the invisible “wall.” A few witnesses even watch as a small prop plane smashes into what appears to be nothing up in the sky and burst into flames.
Completely dumbfounded, friends and family, separated by the “wall,” stare at each other… scream at each other. But nothing carries across the electrical field. The only way we know it’s electrical is because it’s shocking to the touch and even prompted someone with a pace maker’s chest to explode.
As one can imagine, some panic, others keep calmer heads and hope to plan an escape, while others just go plain bonkers.
The new horror/mystery series stars: Mike Vogel (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre circa 2003), Rachelle Lefevre (the Twilight saga), Colin Ford (Supernatural), Natalie Martinez (Detroit 1-8-7 and CSI: NY), Dean Norris (Breaking Bad), Britt Robertson (The Secret Circle), Aisha Hinds (Detroit 1-8-7, True Blood, and Cult), and many other familiar faces in recurring roles (like Jeff Fahey from Lost).
Bottom line? At the end of the pilot, I was ready to watch another episode. In addition to the dome, there were a ton of characters to get to know better, and even a few mysteries with the townsfolk (like the stockpiling of propane, a kidnapping, a murder, etc). But my guy was ready to watch the Falling Skies season finale, so Under the Dome had to wait.
We still haven’t gotten back to it, but I want to. It definitely left me wanting more. For that reason, I must award the new CBS sci-fi drama with the JFTV rating. Perhaps after we catch a few more episodes, the ranking will rise…
Have you watched Under the Dome? How do you feel it ranks compared to the other Stephen King made-for-TV adaptations, series, and/or movies? I’d love to hear from you!
Remember to stop by the #watchwed hashtag in Twitter to discuss today’s review, or to mention any television programs that you’d like to see on Why It’s Worth a Watch Wednesday in the future.
A Recap of The WatchWed Review System:
GTV (Gourmet TV): Everything we want and more
MacTV (MacNCheese TV): Guilty pleasure. Not perfect, but is satisfies
GMacTV (Gourmet MacNCheese TV): A combination of fine wine and comfort food
JFTV (Junk food TV):It’s not great for us, but we’ll go back for seconds
TBPTV (Twice Baked Potato TV): Part gourmet and delicious, while absolutely horrible for our cholesterol
SSTV (Still Simmering TV): It has potential, but the jury is still out
NIV (NyQuil Induced Viewing): Perfect for that late night television sleep timer
LOTV (Liver&Onions TV): Do we really have to explain? Blech
Inedible TV: Exactly how it sounds…
Tiffany A White's Ooo Factor 
Interesting that you watched it, but then sort of left it in limbo until you get back to it. That’s kind of what my husband is doing. I see the recordings stay in the queue longer and longer lately. Me? I watched the pilot and first two episodes, then I was out. I have to fall in love with the characters and I just couldn’t find anyone worth loving. Sad, I know. But that’s okay because we discovered Rizzoli and Isles (thank you, Tiffany!), and we’ve got some fun shows to watch instead of icky cows being cut in half.
Thanks for the review, Tiffany! This one is next up on my watch list (after I finish off Season 1 of both Hannibal and The Shield), and I’ve been hearing good things!
I’m undecided on what I think, but I am watching it every week, so it definitely at least qualifies for JFTV.
It also makes me want to read Stephen King’s book (or listen to it, as the audio book is read by the fantastic Raul Esparza).
I’ll be interested to hear what you think once you’ve caught up.
Yeah, that cow thing was gross. But I’ve fallen in love with the show. I noticed Tameri doesn’t care for it, but I actually loved the characters. I didn’t love them right away…it was a build-up, I guess. I feel like the show gets better with each episode. Stephen King mentioned that the show changed the reason for the Dome from the book version. He said that was okay because a lot of people didn’t like his ending. LOL. There are some differences in the show, but it’s been awhile since I read the book, so I don’t know them all. I think if it was a movie, it would have stuck close to the book, but with a series, and not knowing how long it will go on, it had to be changed a bit.
I would give this show a GTV rating. 🙂
I watched the first few Under the Dome episodes, too! There are a few, shall we say, “disturbed” people in that town? Which is scarier when you know there’s nowhere to get away from them.
The cow scene was definitely super-ick (sliding down the wall was involved…eww).
I don’t go out of my way to watch it, but it’s aroused my curiosity, and if I stumble upon it I watch it for a while.
Thanks for the review!
I recognise almost every member of the cast. I read the book. Characters were vibrant like I’ve come to expect of Stephen King but the ending was on the ridiculous side. My father rolled his eyes when he finished. 🙂