Natalie Martinez
Readers of the original Stephen King novel are shaking their heads, but CBS insists it’s true: Under the Dome has been renewed for the Summer 2014 season. What’s more, Stephen King himself–who has expressed his enthusiasm for the series–will be writing the Season two premiere episode.
Exactly how this will work, given the unpleasant fate of Miller’s Crossing in the original novel, is anybody’s guess. But the TV version, developed by graphic novelist and screenwriter Brian K. Vaughn, has already deviated from the original plot in a number of successful ways, and quite effectively. One critic compared it to the 1996 Stephen King/“Richard Bachman” dual publication of The Regulators and Desperation, where many of the same characters appeared in both books, but in wildly different interpretations, as if they were in parallel worlds (a favorite theme of King in many of his books). Given that, the CBS Under the Dome isn’t really an adaptation of the book Under the Dome; it’s an alternate version…and all bets are off.
What does this mean for Natalie Martinez’ character, Linda Esquivel? The character as such doesn’t even exist in the original book; her “parallel” is Linda Everett, a minor character who’s married with two kids…but she is one of the few who survives the Dome. What will happen to her–or to the other members of the cast–is anyone’s guess. It’s already known that the twist ending for the series is significantly different than the ending to the book–with King’s approval. In fact, he is quoted as saying, “I wish I thought of it.”
Under the Dome has been the hit of the summer for CBS, with almost 14 million viewers for its premiere–a number that goes higher than 20 million when streaming and DVD views are included. Past episodes are available at CBS.com and on amazon.com within a day or two of airing.
The next episode, with Natalie Martinez front and center, is July 29 at 10P on CBS.
