TV Reviews: Under The Dome / The Bridge

By Nathan Young on July 15, 2013

On this edition of Geek Alabama TV Reviews, I am going to talk about two TV dramas that you should be watching! The Stephen King series Under the Dome and the FX series The Bridge have already done very well in the ratings, so let’s talk about them!

Under the Dome

The TV series Under the Dome is based off of the Stephen King book of the same name. The TV series has done very well in the TV ratings and I have enjoyed the show so far. If you have read the book, you know that the town of Chester’s Mill is doomed. Eventually, the people trapped inside the dome will go crazy. Medicine, food, and supplies will run out, and in the book. Meth making and a propane explosion will kill just about everyone inside the dome. I wonder if the CBS series will follow the book or do something different?

Under the Dome, the TV series stars Britt Robertson, Natalie Martinez, Rachelle Lefevre, Mike Vogel and others. The pilot begins with yes, a dome being placed over the town of Chester’s Mill. That gruesome scene where a cow was sliced in half because of the dome coming down was crazy! Other people were also killed when the dome came down on top of them.

The dome is very interesting, when you touch the dome for the first time, you get an electrical shock. The climate inside the dome is self-produced. There are clouds and wind inside the dome and only water can pass through the dome. And there are no TV signals, Wi-Fi signals, or phone signals inside the dome. Only radio signals can operate while inside the dome. This dome reminds me of the dome used during The Simpsons Movie where yes, the entire town was almost destroyed.

As the episodes progress, the town is going to go into chaos! And many people will probably die while stuck inside the dome. This show reminds me of a reality show like Survivor, except this show is not filled with people volunteering, these people were forced into this situation! Under the Dome airs on Monday nights at 10/9 central on CBS. Learn more at: http://www.cbs.com/shows/under-the-dome/. Follow Under the Dome on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/UnderTheDomeCBS and on Twitter @UnderTheDomeCBS

The Bridge

No, this show is not about an average highway bridge on an Interstate. The show follows two police detectives – one Mexican, one American – and their joint effort to investigate a serial killer menacing both nations along the Texas–Chihuahua border. Their investigation is complicated by the rampant corruption and general apathy among the Mexican authorities and the violence of the powerful borderland drug cartels. Oh, did I mention that police detective Sonya Cross (played by Diane Kruger) has Asperger’s Syndrome?

Sonya Cross, who works for the El Paso Police Department teams up with Detective Marco Ruiz (played by Demián Bichir) who is a police detective for the Mexican state of Chihuahua. In the opening episode, the police finds a dead women who is lying right on the border between Mexico and the United States. Soon, they find out that the women has been cut in half. What a gruesome way to start a TV series!

This show breaks two fronts in my opinion. First, one of the main stars has to portray having Asperger’s Syndrome. Alex Plank, the founder of WrongPlanet.Net (I am a member by the way), is serving as an Autism Consultant. Here’s video from Alex Plank interviewing Diane Kruger.

The other front about this show is the connection between Hispanics and America. The show has plenty of Spanish-language dialogue and the drama tackles many real-to-life issues along the U.S.-Mexico border between El Paso, Texas, and Ciudad Juarez. The show explores human-trafficking, corruption, the arms trade, and the homicides in Juarez. Although many critics are already disliking this show, I thought the show was pretty good and intense! Opening the show with a cut-up women and a bomb threat is a good way to start!

I thought actress Diane Kruger did a great job nailing down the traits of having Asperger’s Syndrome. During the one scene when she was interviewing a person and was lacking empathy. That really struck a nerve with me as a reminder of my life with Asperger’s Syndrome. I do look forward to seeing more episodes of The Bridge! The show premiered to over four million viewers. I hope it continues to do well! The Bridge airs on FX on Wednesday nights at 10/9 central.

Learn more about The Bridge at: http://www.fxnetworks.com/thebridge Follow The Bridge on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/TheBridgeFX and on Twitter @TheBridgeFX

Images copyright from CBS and FX.