And this last year, we played the individual versus the group and the evil within. We played the first year as, “How can we deal with this? How are we going to get along as people?” The second year we played, “Is the dome good or bad?” and faith versus science. What more was there to do? We had to give answers this year. We really played out the dome, you know? Every kind of terrible environmental problem or catastrophe affected them. When we talked to the network about it, we wanted it to be fulfilling, and these were the ideas that we pitched to the network that they really liked. TVLINE | Were there any other ideas in the writers’ room that involved bigger cliffhangers, or different scenarios in which, say, Junior didn’t die? We have this very satisfying ending with all of our characters. Yes, there’s an egg that remains that Dawn has seen, but we can feel confident that our team of Barbie, Julia and Big Jim, along with Norrie, will come to the rescue yet again. There’s hope for Joe, because we know that Norrie is indefatigable and will save him. Sam, who was so filled with guilt, is gone. Junior - who was so disturbed by the end - is gone. We put Barbie and Julia together, they’re going to get married. In a way, we gave ourselves an ending that really ended the show. We wanted to have a satisfying conclusion that made the audience feel like they had been on this journey and there was an end to it. Yes and no, in the sense that we didn’t know if there would be a fourth season. Were you approaching this finale as though it would be your last episode? TVLINE | You said before Season 3 started that all of our questions about the dome would be answered. TVLine spoke with Baer to discuss Dome‘s final hour, Stephen King’s involvement with the series and the only possible storyline that a fourth season would bring.

But if you’re a Barbie/Julia fan, there’s no need to worry: They’re engaged! Kinship leader Dawn, who was initially presumed dead, resurfaced one year after the dome’s disappearance to get her hands on a new and dangerous egg. Sam and Junior - who were both brainwashed beyond repair - were killed before the hour was through (the latter at the hands of his own father). Thursday’s series finale found the dome around Chester’s Mill finally coming down, though it wasn’t exactly a celebratory time for the residents.

Under the dome novel