Bombing The Dome

picture credit: wsj.com

Episode 5 of Under The Dome was once again a thrill.  I am excited about this show partly because they feel so safe letting the plot take a different path than King's novel.

There are spoilers here.  So don't read this if you haven't seen episode 5.

MOAB: Mother Of All Bombs.  So how do you take down a dome? Well, if you're the government, you could bomb it.  Of course, since this is episode 5, not 13, the audience is pretty sure the dome isn't going to pop. King dealt with the bomb issue early in the novel also, probably to get it out of the way since it is one of the most obvious ideas.

To drop a bomb on an American city -- even one with a Dome over it -- would require the signature of the President of the United States. I can't think of any president who would sign off on that!  (I can think of a former VP, but not a president)  Imagine the political uproar that would take place on the outside if the president allowed the military to drop a bomb on a city inside the States.  Even if he declared the Dome itself a terrorist threat, the public outcry and threat of impeachment would quell that idea.

The rational for dropping the bomb was not explored by the show.  Is the Dome in some way a threat to those on the outside?  The only threat is to those on the inside, who will be wiped out if the bomb is successful.

My notes:

1. This episode introduced us to some interesting insights into both Reverend Coggins and Big Jim.  First, with Coggins, we discover he's the real deal.  While King gave us a pretty one dimensional cardboard preacher-bad guy, this episode showed us a man who, though crazy, actually does believe.  He is a man of faith.  When he hears "Moab" come through his hearing aid he immediately makes a Biblical connection.  But his fear reveals his faith. When put under stress, he goes to the only thing he really knows to do -- repent and return to preaching.

2. About Big Jim -- the nasty is starting to really show through!  Wow, last week left us with quite a cliff hanger.  Big Jim finds Angie in his basement.  Quite a welcome twist from the book!  Big Jim sets her free – but is he really so kind hearted?  Well, he sets her lose from a shelter, not telling her to go to the cement plant -- after all, the mother of ALL bombs is on the way.  He loosed her hoping she'd die in the oncoming explosion.  What a naughty thing to do.

3. What does the message "the pink stars are falling" mean?  We are offered the hypothesis that perhaps this is a message from the Dome itself.  Interesting.

4. We are also given a new idea as to what the Dome might be.  The appearance of Monarch butterflies makes one character suggest that the Dome is like a cocoon.  That they will come out from under the dome transformed.  Probably not -- but it does show us that the authors have something really cool up their sleeve.

5. Funny, the writers act like only the military would know military time.

6. With the MOAB doing all of its damage outside of the dome, Bruce Willis, the guy who lives next door to the Dome, now has reason to be upset! (talkstephenking.blogspot.com Bruce Willis Lives Next Door To The Dome)