(S02E01) I am so happy that Big Love is back! Oh, I have missed them all. Sometimes when Bill is talking on the phone and he tells Barb that she has been humbled, it just brings back my entire Mormon youth. And it also makes me wish she would reach through the phone and slap him. But before I get to that, let me just do a couple of housekeeping announcements: First, I am going to be sharing custody if this review slot with the lovely and talented Meredith O'Brien. So, next week, look for her by-line.Second, just for your information, in case you are interested in this kind of thing, in case you didn't figure it out from the third sentence, I was raised Mormon. That's right. There is polygamy somewhere in my family history (we like the term "plural marriage"), and most of my relatives are Mormon. On both sides of the family. In fact, the only ones who aren't Mormon are like me: They have left the church as adults. I was raised Mormon, though, and attended Brigham Young University for two years. And my best friend forever lives in Sandy, Utah (so their repeated references to Sandy Utah in this episode cracked me up). So, I like to think I can offer some insider information, at least when it comes to Utah and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. But I don't personally know any polygamists.
I admit that when I first started watching Big Love, it was in part just for the curiosity factor. I knew that the Mormon Church administration must be freaking out. But secretly, I think they love it: any publicity is good publicity! And Big Love brings the Church into the public's consciousness. However, I soon grew to love the show just because it's great television. I love the writing, the actors, the characters, everything.
I am not surprised that Barb freaked out and left. For one thing, it's not typical behavior for Bill to pull rank on her and insist that she do things. When she told him that he was the priesthood holder in their home, but she still had a say about what happened in the house, that was spot on. That comes straight out of Mormon theology: You might be a guy and hold the priesthood (authority to act with the power of God), but that doesn't mean you get to be a dick. Nicki's attitude that Bill gets the final say is much more fundamentalist and really shows that she was raised in the fundamentalist lifestyle, and Barb wasn't. It also explains why Nicki is so passive/aggressive and sneaky: the only way for women in her culture to get power is to sneak it. If you were Roman Grant's daughter, you'd be Nicki too.
Did anybody else get the impression that when Barb was swimming in that pool she was trying to cleanse herself? I think it also suggested that she was trapped, like a fish in a tank. She could go back and forth, but the only thing it got her was tired out and wet. The only thing that surprised me about Barb's leaving was that the situation was resolved in one episode. I think her coming back this soon is a mistake (not of the writing, but a mistake for the character), because I think she still has a geyser of anger that is going to start shooting out like Old Faithful. She is sitting on years of resentment because Bill has dragged her into this. The fact that she loves Margie and Nicki and the children only complicates her emotions. She loves Bill too, she loves the family, but she isn't a true believer. She doesn't think this is the true path, so she the lifestyle's hold on her is much more tenuous. And naturally, Nicki is waiting to give her an appropriate shove.
This was a great way to start the season, though, because it showed that Barb is really the lynchpin of that family-- not Bill. If Barb leaves, the whole family unravels. I think if something were to happen to Bill, the women would continue to sit at that dining room table and divy up the shopping list. It's interesting, because even though Nicki is overtly greedy for the power that comes with being first wife, I think Barb really enjoys that position as well. She doesn't threaten to leave when the other wives drive her nuts (read: Nicki's significant debt from last season): Her leaving or staying tends to hinge on her relationship with Bill. She doesn't hold the other wives responsible for Bill's decision to embrace the lifestyle.
I thought the woman at his store (for some reason, her name just escapes me, but it's Wendy The Bookkeeper) who has been collecting a scrapbook about his lifestyle was going to ask to be the fourth wife. Does anybody else think her fascination wth him is just a little more than judgmentalism? And how much do you love Mary Kay Place? She just sits there chewing her cookies and telling Nicki to be careful because the gun is loaded. The whole cast of this show is just a hoot.
Bill Paxton is a marvelous work and a wonder. His portrayal of Bill, especially when he's all preachy at Barb, just makes me absolutely cringe and want to go take a shower-- probably because it's so accurate. I have known men like that, and they really do talk like that all the time. These are the True Believers, who won't even take a sip of Pepsi because it's got caffeine in it. Needless to say, I like him best when he's just being a regular guy or a regular husband or father and he doesn't have the milktongue, vanilla, I'm-gonna-be-a-prophet-someday tone.
I can't wait to see what happens next. I have a feeling we're going to see the kids leave the fold this season-- just as Margie is bringing another one into the fold. Any other guesses (please don't post genuine spoilers in the comments) as to what might happen this season?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
6-12-2007 @ 12:33AM
Kurifurisan said...
The sound cut out from our cable feed during the airing for about six minutes during the beginning of the episode so we'll catch it on demand tomorrow. Sucks since this was something the wife and I were waiting for this week besides the Sopranos finale.
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6-12-2007 @ 1:00AM
Paul Levinson said...
Excellent review of a fine first episode for the second season. It brought home again how normal this family seems. http://paullevinson.blogspot.com/2007/06/big-love-resumes.html
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6-12-2007 @ 9:50AM
Sam said...
Kurifurisan - Phew, I'm glad to know it wasn't just me with the sound last night. That was so frustrating, I planned my whole week around this episode.
Also, do you think we're going to see more of the Albie's gay subplot this season?
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6-12-2007 @ 10:04AM
Amelia said...
I loved this episode! It is just what I have been waiting SO long for! I thought that the bookkeeper might want to be 4th wife as well. I also liked how things are between Margene and Nikki-I thought that margene is getting fed uo with Nikki's over the top controling behavior-but WHO wouldn't?
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6-12-2007 @ 10:14AM
dtt said...
I lost sound also for the first while -- I just turned on closed captioning :)
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6-12-2007 @ 10:28AM
Kim Gregson said...
Loved this first episode. I also wondered all last season if the bookkeeper didn't want to be another of Bill's wives. Otherwise that scrapbook is just kind of creepy.
Did they ever resolve the credit card debt issue with Nikki last season? I remember her with the credit cards and Barb, Nikki getting her dad to pay off the debt. But did anything else happen?
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6-12-2007 @ 12:33PM
iamhoff said...
Great review, and it's nice to have the "insider" perspective from your upbringing. Me and the GF have been eagerly awaiting the premiere, and we weren't disappointed (we didn't lose sound btw). We both love the show...the characters are very well developed, cast, and acted, and the plot and general storyline is great. Personally, I'm wondering what's going to come of Sarah's visit with the ex-Mormon support group. As much as they seem to be disenfranchised with the LDS, it didn't seem like they'd be any more supportive of polygamists. Could be an interesting path to travel.
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6-12-2007 @ 6:48PM
LH said...
I'm glad to have an LDS-knowledgeable person on the review team so that I can ask a question that came up for me last night. When Bill was in Barb's bedroom and picked up the nylon teddy, I wondered about it. Mormons wear special undergarments, right? Do they not wear them all the time? I seem to remember the wives in nightgowns at various times, too. Maybe they only wear the sacred undies when they leave the house? (I really want to know - not being sarcastic. At least not at the moment.)
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6-12-2007 @ 8:37PM
Borat said...
Roman Grant's statement about how religions shouldn't change kinda stuck with me. If you can change a religion at a whim, what's the point?
I don't mean to start a heated conversation or anything, but I think that Grant follows true "Mormonism"...though having an extremely young wife is so creepy.
And I don't see anything wrong with polygamy either...consenting adults should be able to do whatever the hell they want.
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6-13-2007 @ 1:03PM
Gordy said...
I LOVE LOVE LOVE Big Love!
I thought the premiere was excellent. The dinner party scene -- with the neighbors' revelations -- were perfectly scripted. Barb, my favorite BTW, really shined this entire episode.
Regarding Nicki's finances: Roman only paid part of the card he knew of. Bill is paying the rest.
Regarding the bookeeper Wendy: She seems to dress like Nicki's mother. I would not be surprised if she weren't wife #4. There is some strange chemestry between her and Bill.
Regarding Nicki: I hate her, but she steals every scene she is in. What a great character.
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6-13-2007 @ 5:02PM
Lib4 said...
Glad to have this show back
What was great was that last year I caught the first 7 episodes and missed the last 5 (moved and lost HBO for 3 months).
But thank god for On Demand b/c last week I watch ep 8-12 back to back and then watch Season 2 Ep1 right after. No waiting for me .......no sireee.
Anyway is it me or is the show now delving into a bit of black comedy. The whole Albie poisoning/Wanda as a serial poisoner thing is great as well as the nosey neighbors and also Adaleen bickering with Rhonda..classic
I too thought this was a great episode and I really think that it was too soon to let Barb come back...but hey if she ever leaves again it may very well be for good.
This season looks great i was afraid once the family was outed that some of the tension would go away but the upcoming episodes look sick...cant wait.!!!.
HBO has truly found a show worthy of replacing their Golden Gooses (Sopranos and Sex and the City) now we all just have to spread the word.!!!!
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6-14-2007 @ 7:16AM
jim said...
BEST SHOW ON TV, CAN'T WAIT TO SEE WHO THE 4TH WIFE WILL BE
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6-14-2007 @ 1:58PM
mora404 said...
I absolutely loved the season premier of Big Love.
I enjoy how every episode is like peeling away a layer of an onion and finally at some point we will get to the center. We are left wondering what is truly at the center for these characters. Will it be the Church? Will it be love of family and duty? While I am pretty ignorant to the Mormon Church and polygamist relationships, I was surprised how much the family relied on Barb’s participation. When Margene and Niki talk with Barb on the phone to urge her home it was clear on whom the focus of the marriage is. When I first started to watch the show I thought that it would be Bill as the focal point in relation to the wives, and many episodes were like that. However, now it seems that the tide has turned and we now see it is the women who are the focus and he is the catalyst for bringing them together.
I believe it was Margene that said she wasn’t sure she would want to be married to Bill without Barb. I think that speaks volumes, shattering my ideas of what a plural marriage would be like. Ultimately it makes sense that the women would latch on with each other as they do, not only because they are going through the same issues together, but because women need female connections. We need best friends who we can talk with about our husbands and who would be better at understanding Barb’s feelings about her marriage with Bill other than Nicki and Margene.
It will be interesting to watch what direction Barb’s oldest son and daughter will continue to take in and out of the church. I want to comment on Jen’s mention of Barb’s swimming in the pool. I agree that she seems to swim to cleanse herself and also try and fight her way free from its “womb” so she could possibly be reborn and free of her life as it is. It’s also interesting that the one thing that connects all three houses is the pool. Water has always been considered a strong female symbol; it makes sense that the pool links all three homes together. Maybe Barb was trying to swim her way free from Nikki and Margene and what it means to be female in a plural marriage. I love that we have a show like this that is filled with subtext and imagery that makes me want to watch more.
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6-15-2007 @ 3:28PM
emb said...
I am looking for big love episodes online, the new second season anyone?
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6-15-2007 @ 4:31PM
emb said...
Does anyone know of where to view online episodes of the new season?
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6-17-2007 @ 7:23AM
Christine said...
My husband and I just can't get enough of watching "Big Love". It is a fantastic series, and one gets so involved with the characters and their lives, which proves how great the series is (both the acting and the storyline). In fact, both my husband and I are seriously thinking about finding a "sister wife". I think the comments made by Mora 404 about women needing female connections and best friends are right on. The more I think about it, the more sense it makes. Thank you for putting this wonderful series on the air.
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8-12-2007 @ 10:58PM
rita said...
I JUST RECENTLY BEGAN WATCHING BIG LOVE AND I LOVE IT.THE STORY LINES ARE WONDERFUL.AND THAT NIKI I JUST HATE.DOES ANYONE BESIDES ME SEE THAT HE ENJOYS HIS NIGHT LIFE WITH MERGENE. BETTER THAN WITH ANY OF THE OTHER SISTER WIFES.I THINK ITS BECAUSE SHES YOUNGER,SEXIER AND WILLING TO DO WHAT EVER IT TAKES TO PLEASE HER HUSBAND I THINK NIKI SHOULD STOP HATING!!!
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