ER alum Sherry Stringfield has been cast in CBS's drama Under the Dome in what could prove to be a pretty crucial role in the story. As was the case with the recent casting of Grace Victoria Cox in Season 2, this role isn't directly connected to a character from Stephen King's book. But given how far the series has already drifted from its source material, that's to be expected at this point.
TV Guide posted the news that Stringfield will recur in multiple episodes of the CBS drama, playing Pauline, "a mysterious woman who may be connected to the origins of the dome." The site goes on to note that the show is keeping details surrounding this character under wraps right now, however they did offer a casual nudge toward an article they ran earlier this month, which teased the arrival of a character whose name just so happens to be Pauline. Here's where things get a bit more spoilery so...
Big SPOILERS AHEAD!
TV Guide's previously posted spoiler-article says Pauline is the presumed-to-be-dead Pauline Rennie, otherwise known as Big Jim Rennie's wife and Junior's mother. Remember those paintings Junior had that seemed to predict Junior with the pink stars? Yeah, that Pauline. So, unless there are two Paulines being introduced in Season 2, it's probably safe to assume Stringfield is playing Junior's mother. And maybe she'll have more answers... including why she faked her own death.
END SPOILERS
Stringfield has a number of notable TV credits to her name, the biggest of which is surely that of Dr. Susan Lewis on ER. She appeared in the series for the bulk -- but not all -- of its run. Before that, she appeared in Guiding Light and NYPD Blue. Since then, she's played a series of roles in various TV movies, and last year, she appeared in an episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. She joins recently cast Grace Victoria Cox, who signed on earlier this month to play the role of Melanie, a girl who befriends Colin Ford's character Joe in Season 2.
Under the Dome is set in the small town of Chester's Mill, where the residents are now struggling to survive under apocalyptic circumstances after a mysterious dome dropped down over the town, cutting them off from the outside world. As mentioned, the course of the series has already taken a few sharp turns away from Stephen King's book, so there's really no predicting what will happen in the drama's second season. Though the series isn't sticking very closely to the book in terms of the story and character development, it hasn't abandoned King entirely, nor has King abandoned it. The excellent author is set to write the first episode of the second season. And that second season is coming in just a few months. CBS has Season 2 scheduled to premiere Monday, June 30.
