Plan B Forum

Probably not many of this crowd watched it, but I began watching what was billed as a "Mini-Series" called "Under the Dome," earlier this Summer, because everything else on TV was either a "reality show" or a re-run. Also, I thought the Steven King connection might make for some interesting watching.

On a shallower note, the previews showed a small airplane crashing into an invisible barrier, a cow being sliced in two, and other gory stuff. Yummie. The show had its share of Eye Candy as well.

Shortly after the series started, I "Kindled" the book and read it. There were a LOT of differences between the book and the TV series, some of which I could understand, and others didn't seem to meet any medium-related purpose. Oh, well. At least I knew that after 12 weeks it would be done with - right before the beginning of the new programming in the Fall. Or so I thought.

As with most Steven King stories, it got wierder and wierder as the end drew near, but midway through the series, the writing took a major turn for the worse. The characters stopped acting in a plausible manner. The townsfolk, who had been a bit Lemming-like from the beginning, became as gullible as three-year-olds, being led around by a used car salesman as though he were the Second Coming, and meekly tolerating a gang of juvenile delinquents terrorizing the town in police uniforms, with guns, while the head of the Police department looked on approvingly.

The main character (bad guy) killed a couple people every week, and blamed it on the protagonist, and NOBODY even raised their eyebrows at some of the more ridiculous claims, accusations, and demands that he made. Officer Linda looked on approvingly as he personally condemned the main character to death, despite a complete lack of evidence or indication that he had done anything wrong. Still, I stuck it out for the "final "episode, wanting to see how they sewed things up, as compared with the novel.

Last night's "conclusion" was the worst piece of television writing I've ever seen. It had more plot twists, irrational behavior, and just pure silliness than I've ever seen in a single episode. As one small example of the ridiculous behavior of the charaters, the main protagonist spent the entire episode with his hands handcuffed behind his back, even though he spent several hours secluded and safely with his friends and supporters. Nobody even thought to remove the (fucking) handcuffs. And of course, later in the episode, he is abused by the bad guy and his son, who would not have been able to, absent the handcuffs. So apparently, not only is he a great guy, but he has a bladder the size of the Goodyear blimp.

If you are familiar with "Lost," they set this program up with the same kinds of bizarre ambiguous prophecies, warnings, and hints as the Lost program did in any entire season. And instead of an "ending," last night (which had been billed as the conclusion of the MINI-SERIES) they left the story in a preposterous cliffhanger that left everyone who watched (judging from the scathing, unanimous on-line criticisms) feeling either betrayed or angry, or both. Turns out, midway through the mini-series, they decided that the ratings justified another season, so they had to figure out a way to continue the story beyond the ending they had originally planned.

The only way to punish these bastards for this fraud is to simply refuse to watch the program when it comes back on. It will be interesting to see the ratings, given how many people are expressing their anger about it today.

I started watching but drifted away. For some reason I do not know, it did not "hold" my attention. Thanks for the review, I won't lose sleep about not having watched it.

From the promos I thought this looked good, but we tried watching a couple of episodes and didn't warm to it...

Two US Sci Fi shows we do like are Falling Skies and Defiance...

Though I'm kind of pissed with the people who make Defiance...

There were only 13 episodes in the first run, and in the last five minutes of the last episode they made a whole bunch of major plot shifts...

That wouldn't be so bad, except the show isn't scheduled to run more episodes till next spring...

ONLY 13 episodes????

I know...

Sucks...

ETA:

Actually it's not the the 13 episodes that I'm really ticked about (most shows seem to have gotten away from the 26 show season that used to be the standard for hour long programming) it's the fact that there's such a long hiatus before they're airing any more after ending with so many plot changes...

This show had a spring-summer 13 episode run; a lot of programs would then have another batch of episodes that would run in the late fall or winter. (Like NCIS, Bones, and Elementary, that had episodes that ran last spring and and are now having a new batch of episodes starting this month.)

Lord Jim wrote: Actually it's not the the 13 episodes that I'm really ticked about (most shows seem to have gotten away from the 26 show season that used to be the standard for hour long programming)

When you say "hour long programming" how muchy of that is actual "program"?

At this point only about 44 minutes. (They shove eight minutes of commercials into every half hour of programming; it used to be six. This is one of the reasons I go out of my way to watch as many shows as I can with the commercials zapped.)

I must admit that's not as bad as I thought it would be.

I'm a fan of Falling Skies, but Defiance I watched but stopped as it was on when I went to my AA meetings and I am not a big DVR user as I have no extra time to catch up with anything.

Lord Jim wrote:At this point only about 44 minutes. (They shove eight minutes of commercials into every half hour of programming; it used to be six.

I have some DVD sets of TV series from the early 70s, half hour episodes ran 26 minutes. It's pretty sickening that we are watching double the commercials we used to be subjected to.

As to the OP, Under the Dome isn't what I would call great television, but if anything it is predictably formulaic. Community faces a crisis and cannot look to anyone but themselves for help. A demagogue emerges who exploits their fears as a means of expanding his personal power. He does a number of dastardly deeds in pursuit of that end. He makes a scapegoat of someone seen by the populace as an outsider. Gee, I can't imagine where I've heard that before, it's not as if it's a scenario that has played itself out repeatedly in human history, or anything.

And anyone who expected the storyline to resolve itself in 13 episodes is a moron, so if they were "disappointed" or "outraged" they have nothing but their own stupidity to blame.

you're just jaded

...except that it is based on a novel that did resolve everything by the end. And the audience was told that it was based on the novel, and that it was promoted as a MINI-SERIES which, by defnition is a complete story, not an ongoing saga, to be continued.

And of course, the network admitted (to those who pay attention to such things) that it had to change plans midway through, because the ratings were better than expected, and they wanted to see if they could milk it for another season or two.

And up to the very end they were promoting the last episode as the "CONCLUSION," and not "the season finale," which, if one pays attention to such things, are two different things.

If you read the comments on line at the various entertainment sights, a large proportion of the audience had the same reaction that I did, and were pissed. Programming fraud, so to speak.

dgs49 wrote:...except that it is based on a novel

Yes, "based on a novel". Not "hidebound to resemble the novel in every detail". Which, if one pays attention to such things, are two different things.

And of course, the network admitted (to those who pay attention to such things) that it had to change plans midway through, because the ratings were better than expected, and they wanted to see if they could milk it for another season or two.

You are so completely full of shit, as you are about everything you write about. The network was already saying in NOVEMBER 2012 that it was looking towards a second season:

As for the book’s much-talked-about ending, which has divided King fans, I hear the series won’t follow it, and as in success, CBS would like to do another season.

And you clearly know dick all about television production, since you clearly aren't aware that most of the episodes would have been in the can before the series premiered, so turning the story around on a dime like you claim they would have had to in order to set up for another season would have been impossible.

If you read the comments on line at the various entertainment sights, a large proportion of the audience had the same reaction that I did, and were pissed.

Morons like yourself. Anyone who didn't clue in by midseason that there was no way all of these threads were going to resolve in 13 episodes, and so stayed glued to their seats through the last episode looking for a resolution, is an idiot.

But by all means, continue to play the drama queen over such piffle it that's what turns your crank.

Funny how you have nothing left to say about how the Pope is contravening Catholic teaching once the evidence that you know nothing about your own religion was shoved under your nose.