Under the Dome (TV series) - Stephen King

[LouCipherr]

Actually, I think 'Psycho III' OMG, that's depressing, shootem... lol

[MinionZombie]

Renewed for a second season: http://dailydead.com/cbs-announces-u...dome-season-2/ And King himself will write the first episode. Apparently it's doing very well in the ratings all-round, both live-on-telly, as well as DVR and VOD services. I'm enjoying the show. It's not the best show I've seen (I've been utterly spoiled by TWD, Breaking Bad, and Mad Men, among others such as Deadwood ), but it's far from the worst - while I don't have a "ooh, I must see the next episode now" feeling when one ends, I always look forward to getting the new episode underway and watching it. So generally I'm quite happy with it. How are folks here finding the show? Dig it, hate it, don't really care?

[shootemindehead]

Seen 5 episodes. Can't decide whether I give a crap about it or not. Don't know whether it'll hold my attention for much longer TBH.

[ProfessorChaos]

so far, i'm still tuning in, but i can't help but poke fun at how many of the cast are wearing those hideous "skinny jeans" almost every episode. and a 2nd season? i thought this was a one-shot series based on a book with a finite ending? guess i'll have to follow the link and see wtf is up with this....

[LouCipherr]

Seen 5 episodes. Can't decide whether I give a crap about it or not. Don't know whether it'll hold my attention for much longer TBH. I'm kinda in this camp myself. Its ok, but it's not a "must watch as soon as it comes on" kind of show for me. I end up recording it on my Tivo and watching it later. The show isn't bad but it certainly isn't stellar either. Some of the casting choices are poor (as I said before, casting Dean Norris as Big Jim was not a good idea, and I don't care for Alexander Koch as Junior, either), so it's just barely holding my attention at this point. We'll see where it goes from here. I'm hoping it gets better. ...and I guess they paid a LOT of money for the CGI scene of the cow getting cut in half when the dome first comes down because they show the damn scene in every single preview for the show. How many times do we really need to see that sequence?

[MinionZombie]

Watched the latest episode - still holding my attention, although I do get frustrated with King's mobs of people - it was a similar thing in The Mist, where you have a rabble of idiots just going mad ... although that does provide the conflict ... so it's kind of a two-way street. Some of the characters make silly decisions, or act slightly silly at times, but there's enough going on with enough characters that I'm interested in to keep my watching. Yeah - not a fan of Junior, really ... the actor makes him a bit too annoying for me to watch at times ... like play-acting sinister, rathing than being sinister, if that makes sense? Dean Norris as Big Jim is working for me - although I've not read the book, but just purely as a watcher of the show, he's working for me. The scripts could use a bit of a polish at times - particularly in the dialogue - some heavy-handed exposition, oftentimes with people stating the bleedin' obvious, or finishing each other's "well, duh" sentences. If they stripped out some of that dialogue and just played it with expressions it'd work better in those moments, and it would feel a bit less 'telly' and a bit more 'drama' - if that makes sense? I know the radio lady is going to fuck up the kids' day by letting it slip that they're linked to the dome somehow - it's writ-large - and that kinda annoys me a bit about some of the antagonists in some of these King adaptations. They almost make bad or selfish choices to just be an annoying villain, rather than out of desperation, or mistake, or weakness. Not a hard and fast rule by any means, but it does happen, and it does annoy me. Some side characters I don't give a shit about - like the lesbian couple - I don't give a shit about them. My main investment is in Barbie, the reporter chick, Big Jim, and the cop lady. There are other interesting characters here and there, and other main characters I go from being interested in, to being annoyed by them, so it's a mix with some of them. Like I've said before, shows like Breaking Bad have really spoiled me for excellent writing ... but I do feel that they could be a little more daring with this show if they weren't on Network TV. That all said - I'm still enjoying it in general, and will happily continue watching it ... not like The Following, which was fucking bullshit (packed it in after eight episodes ... can't believe I stuck with that show that long!).

[LouCipherr]

Maaan, if you think there's too many characters in the TV show, you should try reading the book! It wasn't an easy task keeping an entire town of people straight in your head while you're reading.. My main beef with Norris as Big Jim is, he doesn't fit the description of the character in the book. Not even close, and the 'size' of the guy plays an important part in the story as far as his "intimidation factor" if that makes sense.. Jim Rennie, in the book, was a massive dude in size, which kinda made everyone fear the guy. Norris, in the show, is shorter than everyone and there's nothing 'massive' about him... aside from his ego. Still watching, but my interest is very slowly fading. I hope it picks up soon. *fingers crossed*

[shootemindehead]

Just finished 6. This better get stellar in the next episode, or I'm out.

[LouCipherr]

Ok, I'm pissed. I just watched the latest episode, and I'm more annoyed now than ever. Why, considering the source material, are they making Big Jim a complete pussy in this show? This is not how he was portrayed in the book. Not even friggin' close. Rennie was an evil, overpowering bastard in the book that basically tried to take over everything - and here he's done nothing but bow down to the douchebag who has the well (can't remember his name) and farm. Then there's previews for the next episode of him on his knees begging for Junior's forgiveness?! This is not just a slight deviation, it's a 180 degree turn from the source. Stupid, annoying, and another nail in the coffin of this show for me. I had hopes, since King was the executive producer, but I think he's gone off his rocker... Between Kingdom Hospital, his 'approved' ending of The Mist, and now this? Is he back on coke or something?! And we're still subjected to the stupid 'cow' CGI scene that they must've paid a boatload for because they keep showing it over and over and over again. It's been done before, guys. *yawn* They have one more episode to keep me interested - if they fail to bring anything good or interesting to the party, I'm with shootem, I'm out. Which is sad, too, because this show had nothing but potential, which has been squandered completely. Oh, and how the kids found what they think is the 'source' of the dome? What the....???? Did the people who created this show (King aside) ever read this thing? What are they thinking?!

[Neil]

Should I bother or not then?

[LouCipherr]

Should I bother or not then? It depends on what you're looking for. If you want to see a story that is not that reminiscent of the book (aside from the obvious 'dome' and some character names) and is fairly slow-moving, then yes. If you want a true representation of the book, or at least something close to it, then absolutely not. This is not the show for you and you should read the book instead. That's the best way I can put it Neil. Not sure if that helps you decide or not. MZ seems to be enjoying it quite a bit, while me and shootem are pretty fed up with it. It really depends on how you feel about the screen adaptations of his stories. If you like most of them, you'll like this. If you're like me and dislike 80% of the screen adaptations of his books, it's a no-go. One thing I've been thinking about is this: I don't think it would be possible to emulate the ending of this book on-screen. I just don't know how it could be done. Since that's the case, I knew they would alter the story somewhat, but from what I've seen, they've taken tons of liberties with the show and I just don't care for it.

[MinionZombie]

Having not read the book, I'm just purely going on the show. As I've said - certainly not the best TV drama I've seen, but not the worst either. I do enjoy it, but there are characters in there that I don't give a single shit about, so I only stick around for the characters I like. It is a bit slow moving, and sometimes people made daft decisions, or like the brother character - his sister is missing for days, but rather than search the town for her, he goes off on a jolly with his new girlfriend to go dome-trouching and shit ... hmmm. It does feel 'a bit network', I think - like, somewhat 'by committee', and somewhat neutered, and not as daring as - for example - the shows that AMC puts out there (particularly Breaking Bad). The equivalent in the UK would probably be something like 'traditional BBC drama' (Under the Dome) versus 'new-wave Channel 4 drama' (Breaking Bad) ... although here in the UK you can have swearing and nudity without any 'soccor moms' getting their control panties in a bunch. So yeah, I am enjoying it, but I do feel that it could be a lot better as well. Not bad enough for me to stop watching (again, I glare at "The Following", which was utter bullshit), but it needs to be more daring with less exposition ... it feels a bit too safe and 'too network'.

[Neil]

Doesn't sound as dark as the book... I think I'll give it a miss then

[LouCipherr]

Doesn't sound as dark as the book... Not even close. Maybe it will turn that way in the future, but I feel if that's the case, they waited way to long to get to the "good stuff" in the story.

[EvilNed]

I have been watching since the first episode. Here's my thoughts: I agree on the general consensus that it's not great. Because it clearly isn't. I doubt very few people think it is. The drama is very light, the characters are at times really stupid and the relationships aren't that interesting to begin with. Only characters I really like are the Sheriff, Barbie and the Big Jim and Junior plotlines. The lesbian couple are kinda dull, and that Ollie character is just stupid and aiming for a hurting. There are no characters here that you love to follow the way that I feel about Breaking Bad. That kind of writing is also way beyond what these writers can pull off, of course. The drama, as I said, is just way too lightweight. But there's a certain charm about it as well. I, like many others I'd wager, was grown up on a healthy diet of Stephen King-films and lore. Apart from The Mist, which was awesome, it's been awhile since we had anything to add to the Stephen King "cozy horror" category. I think this might be it. We've got the same run-of-the-mill Stephen King characters, hometown and world. It feels like revisiting parts of your childhood. That's what gets me going. I'd probably have preferred a mini series, tho. And one aimed at a more mature audience. Something more like The Mist, that is.