What is the dome and when will we find out? That was my first thought while watching Under the Dome (Wednesdays, 8.30pm), Prime's new drama about a town enclosed by a giant you-know-what.
"It's obviously taking their DNA," said my couch buddy as the townsfolk tentatively pawed at the invisible, soundproof shield. So much for my theory it was put in place by a dairy giant fearing a contamination scare.
My second thought was "Freestyler, rock the microphone," which was also my third, fourth and fifth thought, repeatedly. That could make for a fun drinking game any time someone puts their digits on the thing - "straight from the top of my dome!" - and a way to lighten up its slightly cheesy tone.
It was good fun though. When the dome suddenly, inexplicably trapped the township of Chester's Mill, it did a stellar job of separating loved ones, munting trucks and planes, and in the case of one poor cow, carving it neatly down the middle like a Heston Blumenthal barbecue. It also caused a cop's pacemaker to explode in his chest and two teenagers to start fitting and muttering "the stars are falling in lines", which is hopefully not a premonition for my state of mind come the start of the 17th series.
The show is based on the Stephen King novel, and executive-produced by Steven Spielberg and former Lost producer/director Jack Bender, part of the reason for that first thought. Audiences are wary about drawn-out mysteries, and we can't cheat this one by reading the last page. The reason for the dome existing is different, apparently, than that in the novel.
