In last night’s episode of Under the Dome, “Let the Games Begin,” the series finally let Julia in on the secret that Barbie killed her husband, Peter. Under the Dome then made this twist all the more twisty by showing us that Peter actually wanted Barbie to kill him. He had used his and Julia’s money for life insurance for himself and needed Barbie to kill him because his committing suicide would have nullified the money left behind for Julia.
As Julia and Barbie had this tearful conversation, with Julia sitting there, telling Barbie that there could be no more secrets, I came to the same conclusion that I have had all season about Under the Dome: no matter how interesting the mystery or dynamic the plot twist is on this show, I never really seem to care because the series lacks compelling and engaging characters. I still don’t know why Julia cares about Barbie so much, other than the simple fact that Mike Vogel is the attractive male lead of the show and that’s the formula. The citizens that encompass Chester’s Mill lack any depth or uniqueness, and ultimately, that is the main reason why Under the Dome fails to engage me and why I must appear like an angry, old man yelling at the kids on his lawn every week when I write these reviews.
While I do enjoy watching mindless, carefree television at times (you’re talking to a guy who watched all six seasons of Gossip Girl and has stayed with True Blood through the thick and thin), Under the Dome takes itself too seriously and places too much importance on its mythology for it to be simply written off as “comfort food” viewing, and the series’ self-importance and dramatic tone do not allow for any type of camp that could make the show possibly fun to watch. Even something tonight like Max’s underground fighting club was taken way too seriously by Under the Dome for me to do anything but laugh at it (I mean, at least when The O.C. had Ryan Atwood cage fighting in season four, it also cracked some jokes at that plot development).
Therefore, due to this lack of investment in these poorly written characters that are forced to spit out the stalest of stale dialogue, I don’t care about Junior being the fourth member of the “Dome Squad” or about why the pink stars are falling and what that means. I have no interest in what Sheriff Duke was doing with the propane (it was a part of some convoluted plot to keep drugs out Chester’s Mill) because Duke died at the end of the first episode and his essentially “adopted” daughter, Linda, may be the least compelling character in Under the Dome‘s dull and boring cast.
I know that there’s an entertaining show somewhere in Under the Dome, a series that can use its sci-fi premise and wacky plots to create something weird, quirky, and fun. However, Under the Dome is trapped inside an invisible force field itself, a barrier constructed of dull characters and cliché-ridden dialogue. Until Under the Dome can find a way to escape from the dome that it has placed itself inside, there’s no hope that this series will be anything but forgettable.
Other thoughts:
– Again, my apologies to anyone who is really enjoying Under the Dome and is stuck reading my negative thoughts about the series. I honestly would love to hear what other people think about the show and why they agree/disagree with me down in the comments below!
What did everyone else think about last night’s Under the Dome?
Follow Us
I am left with a resounding eh. I watch the show, but I can’t say I enjoy it. I did at first, but they have changed SO much from the book that it is not even recognizable. I don’t know how they are making a season 2, but I’m not going to lie if its in the summer I’ll watch it. What else do I have to do?
I totally agree, the characters on this show are just awful or maybe it’s the actual cast I’m not sure.
But I am starting to like Junior, he really comes off as a psychopath but at least he’s not totally boring like everyone else.