Under the Dome - Season 2 (CBS) (2 Viewers)

[Jeffery_H]

It may be the worst, but it's not the least watchable. Compared to the Agents of Shield (at least the stultifyingly dull first couple episodes) or even the dreary Revolution, Dome can be all kinds of fun.

Couldn't stand SHIELD either and same goes for Revolution. I still think SHIELD is too much of a teenage action/drama and don't get me started on the "acting". The older people seem OK, but the entire younger cast to me is just dreadful.

 

[Patrick Sun]

Even though it's just one episode, not sure if I can even say UTD is even guilty pleasure viewing at this point. Let's hope the story that unfolds is worth the viewing time, even in the summer.

 

[Stan]

Looking forward to this, will wait until tomorrow so I can see episodes 1 & 2 together after tonight. Sounds painfully bad, but sometimes that can be fun.

 

[jcroy]

This show is losing my attention, even after just two episodes.

I'll watch next week's episode after the 24 finale, to see whether it's worthwhile to continue watching.

 

[Sam Posten]

It does seem to lack focus for sure, it has the same vibe as that Kevin Bacon cult killer show. I believe this to be caused by a number of factors:-The writers 'winging it' as far as extending the story past what King wrote to try to eke out more than a season's worth of material-The limitations of being on network TV. How much cooler could they make it on AMC? Or HBO?The worst part is they keep introducing new time factors to ramp up the drama and then either give that a really short life or make it OBE as other drama inducers take precedence. It's like a series with ADD.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

It's like a series with ADD.

That about sums it up. Two episodes ago, Big Jim had a noose around Barbie's neck and the whole town wanted Barbie dead. Now Big Jim saves Barbie's life and the whole town loves Barbie.They find a bloody shoe print, and suddenly Joe wants to kill the girl. At the end of last season, Phil was badly injured DJ, now he's a fully healed deputy.All of the drama feels contrived and transitory; very little carries over more than an episode or two, so it's hard to invest in anything.And the acting continues to be atrocious.

 

[jcroy]

It does seem to lack focus for sure, it has the same vibe as that Kevin Bacon cult killer show.

(Going on a tangent).

I thought season 2 of "The Following" was better than season 1. Or at least season 2 kept my attention better, than season 1.


More generally, my main criteria for watching any show/movie is whether it keeps my attention. This is independent of the genre, actors, directors, etc ... (I'm normally into sci-fi type of stuff. But I thought recent shows like Revolution, Defiance, Helix, Agents of SHIELD, Intelligence (mid-season CBS show), etc ... were rather lackluster).

I haven't been able to reduce it down to a formula, as to what keeps my attention or not.

At the present time, the only current show which has been keeping my attention from week to week, is the rather forgettable procedural show "Unforgettable".

 

[jcroy]

At the present time, the only current show which has been keeping my attention from week to week, is the rather forgettable procedural show "Unforgettable".

(Going offtopic).


Another show which is like this for me, is the revived Hawaii Five-0.

I really like watching the new first-run episodes. But I find that the show has very little re-watch value for me in reruns, and I largely don't really remember (or care) much about what went on in the previous episodes/seasons.

 

[DaveF]

-The limitations of being on network TV. How much cooler could they make it on AMC? Or HBO?

It's not network TV specifically. ABC's The Good Wife shows a network can make TV to beat anything on premium cable. And TNT's Falling Skies and SyFy's Defiance show that good scifi can be done on without AMC-level violence or cursing.

Nope, this is TV sloppiness taken to a level that induces fun hate-watching.

 

[DaveF]

I want to say this was an odd episode. But in comparison to the rest of the show, it isn't really. Sam nails it with ADD.

We've got a new lady from the tail section of the plane...the science teacher. Where was this busy-body know-it-all last season? Strange character. And I may have missed it: but how did she suddenly veer into Big Jim Fandom? She thought the magnetic storm was stopped by her magnet, which wasn't specifically Big Jim heroics. And she helped Barbie fly the plane; again Jim wasn't specifically the hero. She seemed neutral, and then she's all but licking Jim's boots.

The brother-in-law. He needs to add another tone. Monotone isn't cutting it. At least duotone could distinguish questions from statements.

And Barbie and Julia are growing apart. I know this because Barbie said "We're growing apart." Tell, don't show me. The heart of good storytelling.


Did Junior -- I'm sorry, James -- kill Angie? Apparently it isn't the Dome Girl, as I thought at the end of last episode?
Who or what is Dome Girl?
Why is James's mom secretly alive in the city?
And will Big Jim institute population controls, to reduce the population in the space station? Oops, wrong show. I mean the dome?

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

We've got a new lady from the tail section of the plane...the science teacher. Where was this busy-body know-it-all last season? Strange character. And I may have missed it: but how did she suddenly veer into Big Jim Fandom?

You didn't miss it, Dave. One minute, she was conspiring with Barbie to get the crop duster up in the air behind Big Jim's back, the next minute Barbie's a usurper to the throne and Big Jim's the man -- as long as he starts selectively euthanizing the population.

 

[DaveF]

Giving the writing the benefit of the doubt, she may be evolving into a manipulator, who sidles up to whomever has the power and can get done what she wants done.Or the writers shifted the character mid-episode.We'll see next week, perhaps.

 

[ScottH]

Was I the only one hoping Big Jim would die just to put Dean Norris out of his misery?

This show is awful, but it's certainly not any worse than most of the other drama dreck on network TV (The Following, Revolution, The Night Shift, Believe, Resurrection, CSI Whatever - they're all just as awful).

 

[todd s]

We've got a new lady from the tail section of the plane...the science teacher. Where was this busy-body know-it-all last season? Strange character. And I may have missed it: but how did she suddenly veer into Big Jim Fandom? She thought the magnetic storm was stopped by her magnet, which wasn't specifically Big Jim heroics. And she helped Barbie fly the plane; again Jim wasn't specifically the hero. She seemed neutral, and then she's all but licking Jim's boots.

My wife and I thought the same thing. I have seen characters change from episode to episode...but, never mid-episode.

 

[todd s]

After seeing tonight's episode...WTF? I can understand the dead girl from 1988. But, what is up with Barbie and Julia? It's like they are trying to break them up for drama's sake.

 

[jcroy]

Strange episode. Somewhat cliched "religious nut" character.

After the great 24 finale, tonight's "Under The Dome" episode was a complete disappointment. I'm dropping this show.


Earlier today when I got home, I went through my DVR backlog and watched through the last few episodes of The Last Ship and Defiance. These two shows have been disappointing too. I'll be dropping these two shows too.

I now officially have no current first-run shows to watch on my summer tv schedule.

 

[DaveHof2]

As has often been the case with this show, I average about 56 minutes of "Oh, come on," and then there's maybe 2-3 minutes of "Oh, that might be interesting," and like an addict I keep coming back. At this point, though, they have ruined Julia's character, and Barbie is certainly not the same guy he was in the first season.

Plus, I agree completely with jcroy about Yoakam's character - lazy, stupid and borderline offensive writing.

Ok, one more episode and then that's it. Really. I just want to see how much they're going to crib from "The Lottery."

 

[DaveF]

As has often been the case with this show, I average about 56 minutes of "Oh, come on," and then there's maybe 2-3 minutes of "Oh, that might be interesting," and like an addict I keep coming back. "

Yep

 

[Jeffery_H]

Strange episode. Somewhat cliched "religious nut" character.

That's what REALLY gripes me about most shows with characters that are always portrayed as religious nuts or zealots. They always want to portray them as the ones that are out of touch or crazy for their beliefs. This is nothing new for King and his writing due to his personal views. Several of his movies show this same thing time and again, such as "The Mist". If it was any other religious group besides the go-to, done to death a million times, Christians as bad people, then there would be a HUGE uproar and it would not be kosher to air.

Where are the good religious people speaking up and taking on the crazy religious people so you get the REAL meaning? Just saying it's lazy and inexcusable writing to keep going to the same well for water.

 

[DaveF]

In the shows defense, the non-religious people are also pretty awful too.