TV Report Card | 'Under the Dome' Season 1 Review

Overview: An invisible force field, otherwise known as “the dome”, covers the small town of Chester’s Mill, thus cutting the citizens off from the outside world.

Storyline Direction: Slow from beginning to end. They tried to stir some action into the mix but it was too late. The momentum of having characters that we cared about had sunk faster than the Titanic and we were left straggling in the icy waters that were the remaining storylines.

The show began as a mini-series. Hence, initial interest in a summer series that would only last that long. Well folks, this is going to be strung out for the foreseeable future. It is safe to say that the show is turning into “Lost” 2.0. Not to mention, Stephen King’s original artistic vision is being ruined to draw-out a show that probably doesn’t rival his books because of corporate greed.

The character of Big Jim was written past the point of redemption and has lost of all of his possible grey/anti-hero status to be a complete psychopath. There were frankly characters that were “nice” but were still not worth caring about because they were boring. 

Production Caliber: Shot in a place that should feel homey, the rustic setting had all of the trappings of a hollow western town. There was nothing authentic about the show. It felt like the actors were bussed into an abandoned town and are playing house in the empty remaining shells. 

Performance Quality: This is tough. First of all, they got rid of one of the best actors they recruited, in the pilot, Jeff Fahey. So off the bat, we’re not dealing with producers that can recognize talent or potential. The cast displayed no semblance of familial, community or romantic chemistry. 

A promising young talent the show yielded was Alexander Koch, who brought charisma to the uber-psycho, Junior. His performance during Big Jim’s rebuke of Junior was one of the best acted scenes of the season.

The talented Rachelle Lefevre was wasted and her usual firebrand persona was watered down to be the milk-toast maven of the town. Not to mention, she was comatose for the final leg of the season.

Another actor who was wasted was Natalie Zea, who shook things up with her character Maxine or "Max", a hellcat vixen. Apparently realizing that she was too entertaining, her exit was quickly arranged.

Musical Score: Nothing remarkable.

Overall Grade: D, it would’ve been an “F” if not for the performances mentioned above. One of the most disappointing series in a long time, high expectations were never met and lowered expectations, were never quenched in the slightest. Returning to Chester’s Mill for another season is an unbearable thought at the moment. 

Though “Under the Dome” producers are hoping viewer’s “summer fling” will parlay into a long-term relationship, I might have to break-up before things get more serious. For more about what Eclectic Pop thought of being “Under the Dome” check out this Let’s Talk About… article. A lot of frustrations were asserted there and for the sake of not being repetitive, weren’t addressed in this missive.

[Image by CBS]