I know this through working on it.

What happened was the writers didn't have anything planned. Zero. There wasn't even a show Bible. They were writing as the season progressed, and unlike a show that uses a similar technique, like Breaking Bad, the writers were not experienced enough to take risks.

*To the tune of Journey* JUST A MINI DOME - LVIN' IN A LARGER DOME!

I don't get the praise for the books. They're bad. The first one feels rushed, the second one isn't much better.

It wasn't actually 80s music at the beginning. That was Big Black Delta's "Capsize."

You'll see the 1984 Apple ad in episode 10. They tie it in to the story.