Under the Dome’s death was no surprise

While I’m not exactly ready to call it a hit, I’ve enjoyed CBS’s new show Under the Dome. It’s been uneven, but I think the explosion of hatred for the show amongst critics (somewhere around the third episode) wasn’t particularly called for. I mean, seriously … how can anyone negatively review a show with Rachelle Lefevre as the lead? Despite this very obvious logic, something happened in “Imperfect Circles” that really rubbed me the wrong way.

The previews for this week’s episode had been hinting that there would be a new life born, but at a cost. The candidates were fairly obvious, right? The Dundee brothers, after killing Rose and nearly raping Angie, are probably the least popular guys in Chester’s Mill at this point (and that’s saying a lot considering the growing feud between Big Jim and Ollie). But if you’ve been paying attention from the beginning, you should have seen tonight’s death coming a mile away.

The insulin was a pretty big clue, to be sure. While the Internets might have some hints on making homemade insulin, it isn’t like the Dome is allowing people to check in on Facebook these days. Unless something changed, it was only a matter of time before science caught up with Alex. 

But that wasn’t the first clue. When Aisha Hinds and Samantha Mathis’ characters were first introduced as a couple, I did a double take (and not for any closed-minded reasons either). Most people don’t, but I actually pay attention to the opening credits. I notice when an actor is a part of a show’s main cast – like Hinds – and when they are a part of the recurring cast – like Mathis. When a couple is introduced in the first episode of a show and only half that couple is part of the main cast, that’s usually not good news for the other half.

The worst part is that Alex has been the much better developed character of the two so far. She’s the closest thing the town had to a doctor, she lied about her daughter’s father and … well … she’s just more interesting. Hinds is certainly a capable actress, but Carolyn just hasn’t been given much to do thus far. If one of them had to go, you’d think they would have spent a little more time letting the viewers get to know Carolyn.

But that’s not the issue; in today’s day and age, with the anti-spoiler culture that has developed (admittedly to the spoiler-culture that developed in yesterday’s day and age), the opening credits are being ignored. This is actually a minor case compared to others. I hate it when the surprise return of a favorite character is ruined because I saw the actor’s name five minutes before the character shows up on screen. I get that it is a by-product of how actor’s contracts are written and will likely never change, but I’m always more appreciative of when the name shows up in the end credits.