Under the Dome

By Emily Drumm

   Under the Dome is the hit science fiction drama television series based on the novel by Stephen King. Written by Brian K. Vaughan and Rick Cleveland, the show premiered on June 24, 2013 on CBS and became increasingly popular as the first season moved along.

   With only 13 episodes within the first season, many events have already happened. Under the Dome takes place in a small town in Maine named Chester’s Mill.  On a Saturday morning in October, the small and seemingly uneventful community is interrupted by an invisible, indestructible, and semi permeable “dome” that apparently appeared out of thin air.

   Chester’s Mill is now cut off from the outside world. With no way out and nothing anyone can do on the outside, nobody’s secrets are safe.

   There are nine main characters that strongly impact the show that are trapped under the dome. The first is Dale “Barbie” Barbara played by Mike Vogel. Barbie is an Army veteran just passing through Chester’s Mill for a secret assignment. 

   Julia Shumway is depicted by Rachelle Lefevre. She is a reporter whose husband’s whereabouts are unknown. She is interested in the news and figuring people out. Julia allows Barbie to stay with her since he has no home, resulting in a romantic relationship. 

   Elinore “Norrie” Calvert-Hill portrayed by Mackenzie Lintz was travelling with her two mothers when the dome came down. She is also Joe McAlister’s (Colin Ford) girlfriend. Joe is a smart teenage boy whose parents are outside of the dome. His sister Angie (Britt Robertson) is a waitress and a volunteer candy striper who hopes to one day leave Chester’s Mill.

   James “Junior” Rennie (Alexander Koch) is the obsessive, psychopathic ex-boyfriend to Angie McAlister and son of “Big Jim” Rennie. Big Jim (Dean Norris) is the owner of a used car shop and a politician who takes the position as the “leader” of Chester’s Mill.  Big Jim is associated in business with Carolyn Hill who is played by Aisha Hinds. She is a Los Angeles attorney also stuck in Chester’s Mill.  

   Finally there is Deputy Linda Esquivel (Natalie Martinez). When the Sheriff passed, Linda takes over his job according to martial law. She is hard-headed, strong, loyal, and ambitious.

   The characters in Under the Dome are all a very important part. Without them, the show would have no one to relate to, root for, or wish bad things upon.

   Under the dome’s storyline is out of the ordinary. Many extreme situations present themselves to the characters; however, they are explained later on in the series. To not spoil the show for anyone, advisory to watch the Under the Dome is recommended.

   Chester’s Mill now has to face destruction, tension, violence, diminishing resources, and fatality. As more episodes aired, things turned from bad to worse. The town broke off into small groups that all tried to figure each other out as well as what the dome is, where it came from, and how long it will last.

   IMDb’s users have rated Under the Dome at 7.3/10, and at the mark of the tenth episode, the program brought in 10.71 million viewers. The series has also been renewed by CBS for a second season premiering in the summer of 2014. Past episodes can be found on Amazon Prime and On Demand.

   Under the Dome has captured America’s attention under its invisible shield, and viewers are eager and elated for yet another season of the fanatical and brilliant new sequence.