Over the years we have witnessed many a sensational Stephen King adaption grace our screens, both big and small, and this is no exception for Under The Dome. Teamed up with iconic Directer/Producer mastermind Stephen Spielberg, Under The Dome hit US television screens earlier this year, and quickly moved over to the UK following its state-side success.
Over the last 2 months here in England, the compelling story-line had me hanging off my seat as I eagerly anticipated the roll of the credits each week, and as the season finale edges ever closer, I'm still none-the-wiser on how this suspenseful drama will conclude.
In the normal American town of Chesters Mill nothing out of the ordinary occurred, until the Day of the Dome. With no warning at all a transparent dome, miles in width, hits the town and cutting them off from the outside world, only the local radio station receiving cryptic radio frequencies from the US Army.
As resources start to run scarce, money is no longer the relevant payment for necessities such as water or medication - shop owners demand extra propane and batteries to charge the electricity in their own home.
Throughout the weeks, focus shifts from character to character, with the main basis being the characters Joe McAlister, and Norrie, an outsider who was unexpectedly caught within Chesters Mill with her mothers on the day the dome rocked the town. Both teenagers experience seizure-like episodes, repeating the exact same words, that "pink stars are falling (...) in lines." It becomes evident as the weeks progress that the dome itself seems to be channeling them, as they begin to give off interference frequencies to the radio and are hunted down by journalist Julia.
Joe and Norrie even manage to find the center of the dome, where a dark egg sits amongst fallen lives and it's own miniature dome. When touched with both hands, an apparition of a member of the town appears (Norrie's mother Alice appears and seems to be a distressed call out to her daughter; she runs home immediately sensing danger.)
Drama strikes again as Alice begins to run out of insulin after delivering a local pregnant woman's baby, named Alice after the woman who delivered her. Poetic, right? Until she becomes fatally ill and loses her life in the night, with her wife and daughter by her side. One Alice for another. Even more poetic.
Julia later discovers the egg after Joe mentions it mid-conversation by mistake. She places her hand on the dome and sees an apparition of Joe stating that "the monarch will be crowned," a phrase that circulates throughout the entire episode which ends in a final shot of Joe's sister Angie's (monarch) butterfly tattoo. This creates many narrative enigmas which reflect previous subtle shots of butterflies throughout the series - we begin to realise the significance but still no sign of what they might mean.
Last week's episode which aired on October 14th showed Angie McAlister sharing the same seizures as Joe and Norrie do, stating that "pink stars are falling," which proves significant later in the episode. As it ends, the 3 of them find the miniature dome and egg and all place their hands on-top as if they are "keys" to the answer. The camera zooms out and shows a fourth and final empty handprint, with no clue as to who could fit the lock so to speak.
With only a handful of episodes until the season finale, there are still so many questions rattling in the minds of viewers, which plea to be answered. Who will be the final "key"? How will Angie's relevance to the "monarch" fair in the end? Will we be left on a cliffhanger leading on to the rumoured second season?
Tune in on Mondays at 10pm (GMT) on Channel 5; you'll be shocked, shouting but begging for more.
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