Under the Dome...June 24th

http://www.cbs.com/shows/under-the-dome/video/ct4mrw56Ocfx_af4EwbWm6sxkvAmSm72/under-the-dome-first-look/

This looks interesting and brings up many questions which may or may not be addressed in the show, but we will . The trailers don't seem to address them but while watching them I saw an actress who looked very familiar but my mind was blank....but a little research revealed that Britt Robertson has a new gig But let's hope this show has a longer run than most of the series that she's on, which are usually "one season wonders", although that's not her fault.

I thought it looked interesting too!

I will need to remember to DVR it. CBS on Monday, June 24th. What time?

Hmm... seems like the Simpsons Movie already did the under the dome thing. lol But I'll likely check it out.

Penny wrote:I thought it looked interesting too!

I will need to remember to DVR it. CBS on Monday, June 24th. What time?

9:00 CDT

I'll be giving it a chance but it's Stephen King connection makes me trepidatious!

Stephen King's writings aren't that scary, all things considered, but this show should be even less scary because it seems to deal with physical anomalies rather than lurking monsters.............although he might run one in on us unexpectedly......aieeeee !!!

The video doesn't clear up anything about the physics of the dome but we see that it's only a few inches thick.

http://www.buddytv.com/articles/under-the-dome/video-under-the-dome-stephen-k-50365.aspx

http://xfinity.comcast.net/blogs/tv/2013/06/16/cbs-cuts-obama-audio-from-stephen-king-dome-series-report/


A wise decision for more than one reason. 

Ok, he likes it, all well and good but will it address the one big question ?  Is the dome impermeable to gaseous transfer ?  It would seem so if sound doesn't pass through, also the electric charge on it doesn't bode well.  So....we are left with the fact that it is a closed ecological system.  How long can the oxygen/carbon dioxide exchange go on before breathable air begins to diminish ?  What about open flames/combustion/vehicle exhaust/etc. a source of deadly carbon monoxide ?  If all that is ignored then it will be hard to take the whole premise seriously. It is possible to take S-F and even pure fantasy seriously if the important premises are addressed and dealt with even if they are impossible in the real world.

Continuum, Defiance, Game of Thrones are present examples of the latter.


'Under the Dome' Review: Captivating
June 24, 2013, 11:15 AM EST
By Tim Molloy
TheWrap
"Under the Dome" feels like summer, in the best possible way.
Not in the withered way so much television feels like summer, as if the heat has blanched and sapped away any motivation or creativity, but like summer used to feel at the movies: With school out of session, and even the grown-ups taking a couple weeks off, it was finally time to let your daydreams run wild. Summer was the season of "Jaws," "E.T.," and Indiana Jones.
Many of our happiest summer afternoons came courtesy of Steven Spielberg, who produces "Under the Dome" alongside Stephen King, the author of the book of the same name. When arguably the biggest names in film and books combine their talents, you might worry they would choke on the thin, muggy air of high expectations. But instead they soar, with one self-impose cconstraint.
That giant impregnable dome encircles the small town of Chester's Mill in the 13-episode series' premiere, airing Monday on CBS. And though it traps compelling townsfolk inside, it sets imaginations free.
It's thrilling to watch the show lay out the rules of the dome. People can see through it, but not hear. It demolishes anything that slams into it, and gives anyone who touches it a mild shock. (Some people fare worse.) It is not nice to cows.
With its collection of mysterious characters and grand, overriding mystery, "Under the Dome" feels more like the early "Lost" than any of the scores of overcomplicated knockoffs that have followed that ABC series. One reason is "Lost" veteran and self-proclaimed King obsessive Brian K. Vaughn, who developed "Under the Dome" for television. He heads the show with Neal Baer.
Vaughn is a master of taking a simple, intriguing idea and imagining its wide-ranging effects. His brilliant comic book "Y: The Last Man" imagined every male on earth dying, except for an amateur magician and his monkey. The lack of testosterone transforms the world into a place where Democrats ruled Congress, Israel became an instant military superpower, and some of our best rock bands suddenly disappeared.
"Under the Dome" has a similarly straightforward concept, and one that offers at least as much storytelling potential. Lucky for us, Chester's Mill happens to be populated with great actors.
Mike Vogel, of "Cloverfield," and "Bates Motel," stars as a nice, reliable guy who has just buried a body – and wants to flee. "Lost" alum Jeff Fahey plays the town's beloved sheriff, who has a problematic heart. Britt Robertson is a small-town girl afraid she'll never get out of this town – even pre-dome. A possessive boyfriend played by Alexander Koch isn't helping matters. Natalie Martinez is a deputy who, wouldn't you, know it, is in love with a guy on the other side of the dome. "Breaking Bad" vet Dean Norris plays an Alpha male politician with an only initially surprising connection to another character. And Rachelle Lefevre is great as a local reporter getting the story of a lifetime – even as she misses out on the story of her life.
Koch's character, the kind of hormonal maniac that King does so well, is the only one in "Under the Dome" who feels a little false. His transformation from decent guy to monster is a bit fast. Then again, the best horror movie villains are always the people reacting to the horror, not the sources of it. His storyline, which we're confident will sort itself out, lets "Under the Dome" make some intriguing observations about patriarchy and sexism.
It just so happens that the dome lends itself to other allegories, as well. (You get the feeling that Maureen Dowd is already working on a crackling good column about how NSA spying places us all "Under the Dome.") Yes, Chester's Mill is a microcosm of America at large, but come on, it's hot outside: We'll let the deeper ideas sneak into our brains while we gape at that poor cow. "Under the Dome" lets us draw as much or as little social commentary as we want.
What have we done to deserve a show this entertaining, especially in summer? "Under the Dome" would have a great fit for Showtime, where it was originally developed. But it's even better to see it on CBS, a network with a strict adherence to procedurals and sitcoms. It deserves credit for going outside its programming dome.
The show will air until September, but CBS is open to bringing it back, year after year, if it scores in the ratings. For the good of TV, can we let the dome hold us captive?

I'm looking forward to it tonight.

I definitely thought it was something to give a chance. Won't discuss anything until everyone says they've seen it. I have some questions...

I thought it was pretty good and certainly has many possibilities for plots and character development. One of the 'Stephen King features' was when the two kids had seizures and started babbling about "stars falling down". They could milk that mystery through all 13 episodes and even into later seasons if it gets renewed.

There was one glaring 'problem' that wasn't addressed, maybe it will be later, let's hope so, it's so obvious. Why didn't they dig down along the side of the dome and see how far down it went ? The troops and fire dept. on the outside could have brought in back hoes, drilling rigs, etc. and found out if it would be possible to dig under the dome and create a passage way even deep and wide enough for vehicles. That would solve their supply problems and/or they could evacuate anyone needing it.

If it turned out that it went down an indeterminate distance then it would eventually hit the ground water or they would hit it also with their drilling rig. What is the ramifications of that happening ? Of course the writers could get "too deep in the weeds" with the purely physical stuff to the detriment of character development, but sooner or later they have to come to grips with those factors or else it becomes "cartoonish" and people lose interest.

Of course King has the ability in his writings to make us overlook "reality" and become caught up in the fantasy. But TV/movies demand more attention to 'reality details' because the scenes are right there in front of us and we can't conjure up scenes in our minds as to what we think is happening.

One more thing; when the Cessna crashed into the dome from the inside, that implies two possibilities:

1. There is an airport or at least a runway inside the area of the dome from which the plane had just taken off and was already fairly high. It didn't appear that the dome was large enough to contain a runway and allow the plane to climb that high.

2. The plane was just passing over and happened to be within the dome area when it formed. That seems more likely and the plane was owned by a towns person (the mayor ?) and may have been heading to or from a nearby airport outside the dome's area.

The doctor's wife, the 'mysterious stranger' who killed him, Big Jim's scam that also implicates the sheriff, Big Jim's psycho son (how did he get that way ?) terrorizing poor Angie. (Britt's fan-boys don't like that) , etc., etc. Plenty of mystery to examine.

One other minor thing; the woman in the radio station picking up radio transmissions inside the dome by "rotating the antenna" and listening to them on her transmitter was bafflegarb, but will probably play a part in future plot lines. Why else have her demonstrate the supposed possibility ?

Will Big Ratings for 'Under the Dome' Change the Future of Summer TV?
Tuesday, June 25, 2013

John Kubicek

Senior Writer, BuddyTV

Summer has always been a time when the major networks give up and accept that no one is watching television. Sure, every network has a big, mindless reality show (The Bachelorette, America's Got Talent, Big Brother, So You Think You Can Dance), but when it comes to scripted television, it's always time to switch to cable because the broadcast networks never try that hard.

That has all changed with Under the Dome, the new CBS drama that premiered with over 13 million viewers, making it the biggest summer launch in six years. Heck, it's bigger than many scripted dramas from the regular season, on par with recent freshman hits like The Following and Revolution.

Under the Dome Premiere Recap>>

This is a fundamental shift in what we expect summer TV to be. We've grown accustomed to networks importing Canadian dramas (Rookie Blue, Motive), or dumping shows that have been gathering dust on the shelf (Save Me, Mistresses, The Goodwin Games). NBC is even trying shows with international flavor (Crossing Lines, Siberia). But none of these has delivered the kind of huge numbers you'd see during the regular season.

This makes Under the Dome massive ratings even more impressive, and something to be studied so networks can try to duplicate this. Outside of America's Got Talent, summer TV is a no man's land compared to the ratings during the regular season, but CBS has cracked the code and, if other networks are smart, they'll follow suit.

The success of Under the Dome, aside from extensive marketing, is most likely name recognition. You need a big name attached to a project for the summer (just ask movie studios), and you don't get much bigger than Stephen King. He's a household name, and when you take a fairly fascinating premise, you have a recipe for big ratings.

The success of Under the Dome is also great news for FOX, a network that already had plans to copy this formula for next summer. In summer 2014, the limited-series return of Kiefer Sutherland's 24 and M. Night Shyamalan's Wayward Pines (starring Matt Dillon) will debut. Those are the kind of marquee names and event scripted dramas that are likely to capture the same kind of excitement as Under the Dome.

I'm not sure why it's taken networks this long to figure out the most obvious path to success: Name recognition. Elementary is about Sherlock Holmes, a character everyone knows and loves. The Following stars Kevin Bacon. That's what brings in viewers. Stephen King, Jack Bauer, M. Night Shyamalan, that's how you grow a successful TV series.

What you don't do is bank on Alyssa Milano as a leading lady (Mistresses) or hope that Donald Sutherland traveling across Europe (Crossing Lines) is something people want to watch. Networks can't simply repurpose shows from other countries or hope that TV audiences aren't savvy enough to notice when a show is only airing because it's paid for, but wasn't good enough for the regular season.

Under the Dome has proven that there is an audience for big scripted programming in the summer. Now the other networks just need to take the cue and stop throwing garbage at the wall hoping it will stick (I'm looking at you, Nick Lachey's The Winner Is...).

http://www.vulture.com/2013/06/under-the-dome-tv-revenue-when-ads-fail.html

When the dome came down and split the cow in half there was no blood streaks on the surface of the dome but a few moments later he was able to leave a bloody hand print.    I was thinking about digging as well Banjo.  As you say looks like they have a lot of material to explore.  I'll keep watching.

Yeah Rus, that reminds me, we don't have to be butchers/meat cutters to know that if a cow were split like that, there would not be two "tidy" halves just standing there. There would be organs and entrails spilling out, blood spurting, etc. Of course I suppose they saw no reason to gross out the mass market, prime time audience.....but still.....

Also, since there seems to be a slight electrical charge on the dome which is felt on the first touch by a person, but not subsequently, as far as I can tell, how is that possible ? With the dome in contact with the ground, any charge should be 'grounded' totally. I suppose you could postulate some sort of insulator on the surface of the dome at ground level and below, but no insulator up where people touch it. This is getting rather "deep in the weeds" for speculation but when they do these shows with physical connections to the real world they have to expect peeps are going to go over it closely.

Warehouse 13 avoids this scrutiny by going outside all know boundaries of physics, and it works partly because of the humor, which UTD doesn't have, and probably won't have.

Banjo wrote:I thought it was pretty good and certainly has many possibilities for plots and character development.  One of the 'Stephen King features'  was when the two kids had seizures and started babbling about "stars falling down".  They could milk that mystery through all 13 episodes and even into later seasons if it gets renewed.

There was one glaring 'problem' that wasn't addressed, maybe it will be later, let's hope so, it's so obvious.  Why didn't they dig down along the side of the dome and see how far down it went ? The troops and fire dept. on the outside could have brought in back hoes, drilling rigs, etc. and found out if it would be possible to dig under the dome and create a passage way even deep and wide enough for vehicles. That would solve their supply problems and/or they could evacuate anyone needing it.

If it turned out that it went down an indeterminate distance then it would eventually hit the ground water or they would hit it also with their drilling rig.  What is the ramifications of that happening ?  Of course the writers could get "too deep in the weeds" with the purely physical stuff to the detriment of character development, but sooner or later they have to come to grips with those factors or else it becomes "cartoonish" and people lose interest.

Of course King has the ability in his writings to make us overlook "reality" and become caught up in the fantasy. But TV/movies demand more attention to 'reality details' because the scenes are right there in front of us and we can't conjure up scenes in our minds as to what we think is happening.

One more thing; when the Cessna crashed into the dome from the inside, that implies two possibilities:

1. There is an airport or at least a runway inside the area of the dome from which the plane had just taken off and was already fairly high. It didn't appear that the dome was large enough to contain a runway and allow the plane to climb that high.

2. The plane was just passing over and happened to be within the dome area when it formed. That seems more likely and the plane was owned by a towns person (the mayor ?) and may have been heading to or from a nearby airport outside the dome's area.

The doctor's wife, the 'mysterious stranger' who killed him, Big Jim's scam that also implicates the sheriff,  Big Jim's psycho son (how did he get that way ?) terrorizing poor Angie. (Britt's fan-boys don't like that) , etc., etc.  Plenty of mystery to examine.

One other minor thing; the woman in the radio station picking up radio transmissions inside the dome by "rotating the antenna" and listening to them on her transmitter  was bafflegarb, but will probably play a part in future plot lines. Why else have her demonstrate the supposed possibility ?

Yep, those are pretty much the questions I had. Some more glaring than others...it will be interesting to see what happens...or doesn't happen.

http://www.buddytv.com/articles/under-the-dome/under-the-dome-new-rules-of-th-50472.aspx

If the dome is slightly permeable to water molecules then it should be even more permeable to air molecules because they are smaller.

Monday, July 01, 2013
'Under the Dome' Recap: Chester's Mill Heats Up with Fire

Ted Kindig
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV

Under the Dome made a big impact on the TV landscape last week, as its series premiere drew an impressive 13.1 million viewers, the largest summer debut in years. That wasn't all that was big about the episode, as it set up nearly a dozen characters, hinted at a shadowy town history and quite literally dropped a massive, inexplicable mystery on top. If you missed the premiere, then you'll definitely want to track it down before this week's episode; this hour is all about parsing the rules of what we saw last week, as well as expanding on the ugly underbelly of Chester's Mill that was hinted at before. For every solid fact we get, another two mysteries arise, suggesting that CBS's hearty ratings share will last all summer long.

Interview: EPs Neal Baer & Brian K Vaughn on Challenges Facing Chester's Mill >>>

Occupy Chester's Mill

The biggest development since last week's pilot is the crop of military personnel stationed just outside the dome. They appear to be under orders not to acknowledge anyone inside, but bits of their radio chatter are intercepted by radio engineer Dodee. This leads to two big revelations for the people of Chester's Mill: the military are calling this thing a dome, and they have no idea what it's made out of, suggesting pretty strongly that the government is not behind this.

On a character level, hints of Barbie's dark past start to emerge, as he begins to dream about a man he killed while working as a criminal enforcer. Barbie's also dealing with psychotic loverboy Junior, who's still keeping his girlfriend Angie locked in the family fallout shelter. Early in the episode, Angie adopts the improbable and thoroughly unhelpful strategy of claiming a relationship with Barbie, which, unsurprisingly, fails to soften Junior's heart -- instead, Junior decides to creep around Barbie threateningly, instigating a fistfight and earning himself a well-deserved punch in the face.

While it's satisfying to see such an abusive, repellent character get his just deserts, we're still pretty early in the series to be doling out righteous payoffs -- it's a smart story move, then, when the beat-down sparks nothing in Junior but a self-righteous grin. If you're crazy enough to chain your ex-girlfriend to a bed underground, I don't suppose a good sock in the eye will shake your resolve.

Under the Dome: New Rules of The Dome; Stephen King Supports Changes from Book >>>

Secrets of the Dome

The bulk of the investigative work in Chester's Mill is being done by smarty-pants teenager Joe, employing and explaining advanced mathematical concepts in order to draw a circle on a map. I'm not sure that basic trigonometry would be considered "advanced mathematical concepts"  but if he had made some longer measurements around the base of the dome and made an estimate of its height, ,then trig could be used to calculate the volume of the dome which would be useful in knowing what the total breathable air would be. As he pokes around the perimeter of the dome, we learn that the dome is at least somewhat permeable, as trace amounts of water can penetrate it. It is, however, quite reflective when it comes to smoke and bullets, as we soon find out.

Dean Norris' "Big Jim" Rennie is looking increasingly sinister, as he spends the episode trying to cover up a presumably dirty secret with holy man Lester Coggins. Rev. Coggins accidentally starts a house fire while trying to conceal evidence of their mysterious plot, which brings out the best and the worst of Chester's Mill: on one hand, the community rallies together to stop the fire from spreading. Seeing those guys at the front of the bucket brigade made me remember from my recent experience just how hot a fire can be from that distance. I suppose those were stunt men. Doubt if they would let the principal actors get that close, and it looked like a real fire, not CGI. On the other hand, the incident sparks an outburst from paranoid policeman Paul, who caps a hopeless rant with a few frustrated gunshots at the dome. One bullet ricochets back and hits an officer in the chest, sending a clear message that it isn't the environment that poses a threat here: it's the people inside.

Though a few issues from the pilot persist, Under the Dome is definitely on the right track here: if every episode can offer this blend of questions and answers, then it will be every bit the hit that its debut ratings promised. Unfortunately, the uneven performances don't appear to be changing anytime soon: the young Colin Ford is in way over his his head whenever the script needs him to be nerdy, scenes of folksy dialog that doubtless dazzled on the page feel forced onscreen and even the show's most fully realized characters -- Dean Norris as Big Jim and Alexander Koch as Junior are doing great work here as the villains -- still don't feel like they're operating in the same universe.

This type of thing will probably be smoothed out as the characters have more time to interact and develop onscreen relationships, but the writers will have to go out of their way to make that happen with all this exposition to get through.

That said, the central mysteries are more than enough hook to bring me in as a weekly viewer. Between the unknown force outside Chester's Mill and the dark secrets beneath its surface, Under the Dome has all the pulpy summer intrigue you could ask for from a master of the genre like Stephen King.

There are some inconsistencies beginning to show up....

Radio/telephone/satellite frequencies (internet) can't penetrate the dome from outside but it is somewhat permeable to water. This is makes no logical sense. When they made it permeable to water they opened themselves up to logical problems. Better that they kept it totally impermeable.

Radio transmissions within the dome are possible. This is feasible as far as it goes but since the radio waves would bounce off the interior of the dome and since it's curved there is the likely hood that transmission interference would be a problem unless only one transmission was taking place. It's a good thing that the curvature isn't parabolic. If it were they could only receive radio transmissions by standing in one spot at the center of the dome area.

I'm still trying to get my mind around that woman whose husband went missing and she just thinks it would be nice of her to invite a stranger to stay with her. She enjoys the "company" ???

Feel sorry for the young policewoman who almost got a nice inheritance! Till everything went  

‘Under the Dome’s’ ‘Pink Stars Falling’ Mystery Takes Intriguing Turn — EXCLUSIVE VIDEO

by Tracy Phillips | July 15, 2013 at 1:06 PM | TV News, Under the Dome

Rachelle Lefevre with Nicholas Strong on "Under the Dome" (Photo: CBS)

As if being trapped “Under the Dome” weren’t bad enough, now the people of Chester’s Mill are dealing with an “Outbreak” too in tonight’s pivotal episode of the CBS hit show.

Let’s just say the townspeople find their bubbles burst about the government swooping in to rescue them from the fishbowl, because after three days and no answers, the military is pulling out and leaving them behind.

But we will learn something more in this week’s installment about the teenagers who’ve been having seizures and mumbling something about “pink stars falling in line.”

Tonight, the kids get clever and record themselves before they have another fit and what the video tape reveals is … awesomely creepy. Ssshhhh, there’s something the dome doesn’t want us to know!

Watch Our Exclusive Sneak Peek of Tonight’s “Under the Dome” in the Clip Below!

Could the sudden seizures be connected to the illness that is striking the community? Because everyone goes into full-on panic-mode when an outbreak of meningitis hits, which threatens their already-dwindling stash of medical supplies. It’s especially worrisome when one of the last members of law enforcement still standing “Under the Dome,” Deputy Linda (Natalie Martinez), is one of the people who falls ill.

Catch-up on the First Three Episodes of “Under the Dome” Here on xfinityTV

Meanwhile, Julia (Rachelle Lefevre) continues to search for answers into her husband’s disappearance, which means Barbie (Mike Vogel) had better have his story straight if the relentless reporter gets clued in to the hottie’s secret.

http://xfinity.comcast.net/blogs/tv/2013/07/29/cbs-renews-under-the-dome-for-season-2/

This means we won't be getting any real explanations for a long time. But they are going to have to address the air supply situation eventually....