TVSquad

Watching Big Love is like watching someone else's weirdest dream. As you see Bill Henrickson do his best to keep his family happy, you almost forget that he's got THREE families, and no one can do what he's attempting to do without going literally insane.

How can you not? Between his youngest wife Margene begging and pleading for a car before finally getting a van, his middle wife Nicki planning an expensive birthday party at the posh Monte Cristo Hotel for their son Wayne and over a hundred guests, and getting his first wife Barb to take care of the "neighbor problem," who wouldn't want to scream in anguish? Of course, Bill didn't have to put himself in this situation, but then we wouldn't have a show to discuss, either.

This episode focused on how cunning and evil Roman Grant is. He explains the benefits of polygamy to the press, and says that he truly loves all of his 31 children and 187 grandchildren. (It would have been funny if the reporter asked him to name them, but I bet you he would have been able to do it without flinching.) In addition, he is still after Bill to tithe over 15% of his new store's revenues to the Juniper Creek compound, and Bill is worried that Roman might do something to harm his family, hence the installation of alarm systems in all three of his houses.

After Bill explodes over Nicki's party plans and how expensive it will be, he orders her to have the party in their home. To make matters more complicated, one of his store employees is threatened by apparently someone connected to Roman, who gets the message across that the 15% tithe is due. (The signs are definitely pointing to more "messages" being sent to Bill as the weeks roll on.)

The birthday party had to be the creepiest "celebration" ever put to film. Nicki's family from Juniper Creek arrive, and they are definitely portrayed as backwater country people who don't seem to fit in modern society. My flesh definitely crawled when Roman walked into the party hand-in-hand with his wives Adaleen and 14-year-old Rhonda, who when having a private discussion with Bill's daughter Sarah says her relationship with Roman is akin to "pre-marriage placement." In addition, how about the rapt attention paid to Roman by his clan when he was playing the guitar and singing in the living room?

Overall, it's a dull and desultory affair, and you can tell that Bill is relieved when the party ends, especially after trying to justify his marriage to Margene to his mother and finding Nicki in his bedroom with her father Roman in what could have been construed as a compromising situation. At the end, Roman again "urges" Bill to pay up. Plus, we see the neighbor across the street observing the whole scene, and after Barb had earlier tried to explain/lie what their living arrangement was, it wouldn't be a stretch to think that the rest of the neighborhood are going to find out what is really going on at the Henrickson house(s).

Although Big Love is definitely uncoventional viewing, it still is compelling. I can't conceive of any of this story being remotely real, but I can't bring myself to look away, either.