Episode 12 Season 2 Big Love Reviews (Episode 24) Season Finale - Oh Pioneers!
http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20040769_20040772_20053363,00.html
By Shirley Halperin - Entertainment Weekly
Back when The Sopranos was in full swing, I detested the teasers that promised that some monumental twist would make the next week's episode ''the most dramatic ever!'' More often than not, it would turn out to be Tony's newest fling, Christopher's latest existential crisis, or another nonsensical gripe from Paulie, nothing that would warrant that kind of buildup. For the season 2 finale of Big Love, HBO did not overhype the action, and that was a good thing, because I found the episode disappointing. In fact, I'd venture to say that last week's setup episode may have bested this week's payoff. This is certainly not the way I envisioned starting a year-long break from my favorite show.
Or maybe I was just a bit confused by Bill's latest shenanigans, which seemed like a endless string of missed opportunities. For one thing, Bill had Roman — frail, pushed aside by his own son, and nearly powerless — in the palm of his hand, yet he failed to make the most out of that situation. Sure, sheltering Roman was the right thing to do, since the alternative was allowing him to die by sedation at the hands of Alby and his creepy wife, Lura, but was there a plan? For someone who devotes so much time to plotting his family's future through his business ventures, Bill didn't really think ahead on this one.
So let me try and recap here. Bill held a council meeting at Juniper Creek, to which Alby was not invited, and urged the UEB members to vote in a trustee to oversee their investments and funds. Unbeknownst to him, mother Lois had launched a full-on election campaign on behalf of her son. Bill got voted in as trustee, but he wasn't interested in the gig. Alby called for another vote a few days later and got himself elected. Meanwhile, Bill had gone back to his buddy at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, urging her to investigate Juniper Creek, or at least put a scare into them. The end result? A colossal mess as Roman got arrested (under the Mann Act, which bars the interstate transport of minors for ''immoral purposes''), with Alby, presumably, having made the call. Huh?
Well, we know one thing: Bill wants Alby ''brought down,'' as he told the federal agent with that heinous Boston accent. But Roman's really no better in his mind. Bill considers all the Grant men to be evil incarnate, deserving of suffocation by pillow, if not worse. With their long history, it's no wonder. After all, it was Roman who banished Bill from the compound at 16, unseated his grandfather, and evicted the Henricksons from ''the big house.'' So we finally have some context, but, still, few answers.
And then there's Nicki's role as an unknowingly subversive double agent. She was surprisingly astute in explaining to Barb that each wife really gets only one-third of the information. But what they do with it is an entirely different issue. I think what we've learned throughout this season is that Nicki needs to keep her mouth shut, because anything less than that jeopardizes the family's very existence.
The fact that a mini-compound has come together in Sandy, Utah, where the Henricksons were at one point housing Joey, Wanda, Kathy, Adaleen, and Roman in various rooms and garages, certainly doesn't bode well for the Henricksons' stability. Isn't that what Bill has always said he wanted? A comfortable, normal life for himself and his family? So why does he perpetually run back to the compound and meddle in their affairs? Revenge, as Barb finally said it.
And let's hear it for the first wife. Since the last episode, when she stood up for herself in front of her ultra-judgmental mother and sister, it has seemed that Barb's gotten her gumption back. At least enough to out herself — at long last — to Pam the neighbor (taking care of the surrogacy issue once and for all) and to insist to Bill that she does not, under any circumstances, want a fourth wife. Of course, she said this just before Bill and Ana went at it in the pantry.
We can at least give the writers props for bringing that story line back around, but it felt crammed in. What, Margene just had an impulse to drag this innocent waitress (whom Nicki hilariously called Bavarian) back into their family drama, revealing her deception in the process? Is there not enough going on at home? And although it was awfully kind of Barb to profess her love for Margene publicly despite having just learned about Ana, did Margene really deserve it? She doesn't seem to offer Barb nearly the same respect.
Does anyone, for that matter? Sarah is disgusted by her surroundings, flat out calling her mom and dad cult members, while Ben is testing their beliefs from the opposite end of the spectrum, basically challenging Bill and Barb to prove their faith to him. Truthfully, were it not for the kids, this episode would have dragged into dullsville. Sarah, as usual, had the line of the night (''Church of Dad doesn't count'') and offered a spot-on assessment: ''We're freaks....We don't have to be victims of Mom and Dad's choices.'' And it looks like she's taking the plunge and throwing chastity out the window. (While I do still contend that Scott is a serious babe, I'll admit it is unsettling to think that he's a good 10 years older than Sarah.)
Ben, on the other hand, has taken to indoctrinating Wayne and anyone else who'll listen, convinced that Bill is leading the family in the right direction. ''We're pioneers, too,'' he told his sister. ''My sons and daughters will be born into polygamy, and they won't be unhappy.'' Sarah may want to save him, but her crushed look of defeat as Ben started driving a float featuring the quintessential Mormon nuclear family and told her to follow him, pretty much said it all.
As did the last line of the show, when Don asked Bill what he's thinking about. Bill's reply: ''Business.'' Ugh.
So what is there to look forward to? Thanks to Lois, Wanda's continued insanity, I suppose, as well as how the strange threesome of Wanda, Joey, and Kathy will evolve, considering Wanda's declaration that Kathy is ''smothering'' her. Perhaps Ana will stay in the picture, causing more strain for the first wife, despite Bill's assurance that Barb will always be heard. Here's a thought: Maybe Ana should have Pam and Carl's baby. And speaking of babies, could a pregnancy be on the horizon for Sarah? Or are we to assume that Scott would be responsible enough to at least have protection? And who's gonna protect the 8,000-member (!) Juniper Creek community from the wrath of Alby? What will become of Roman, and is he, as Nicki wholeheartedly believes, the one true prophet? Discuss on the message board below.
Fortunately, so much of Big Love is based on real fundamentalist history, sometimes plucked from recent headlines, that perhaps we can predict some of the outcomes. I hope you guys got a chance to check out my interview with Salt Lake Tribune reporter Brooke Adams, who covers the polygamy beat and provided some insight into the Big Love backstory. If you find yourself craving a post-season fix, I highly recommend bookmarking her blog, which is updated almost daily. As for me, I'll be heading back to my regular beat: rock & roll. It's been fun and sometimes infuriating, but thank you all for reading.
Awesome Reveiw of season finale
http://www.tvsquad.com/2007/08/27/big-love-oh-pioneers-season-finale/
Posted Aug 27th 2007 11:41AM by Jen Creer
Things certainly didn't end up the way I thought they would in the season finale. And now I can't wait to see Season 3! I hate having to wait for so long for new seasons. I don't want to say too much before the jump, though. I'll just say that I thought I had a lot of things pegged a certain way, and one of the great things about this show is that it shows us that people in all of their wonderful complexity. None of these characters can be easily pigeon-holed.
Juniper Creek
For the entirety of the season, I have been predicting that Bill's plans included taking over the position of the prophet at Juniper Creek. So, when the U.E.B. voted for Bill to be the new Chairman of the board, I thought for certain that he had things right where he wanted them. So, I was very surprised when Bill told Joey that he didn't want the position, that he has his own life and his own path to follow. And I loved the fact that he included in that statement, "And I have three wives who would skin me alive!"
I was glad to have it confirmed that Alby and his wife were trying to kill Roman-- but I didn't suspect they were using a veterinary tranquilizer to do it. One of my favorite lines of the program was when Adaleen told Barb, "I walked over the backs of five timid women..." Adaleen was talking about the power she has as Roman's sixth wife, and how she might as well be the first wife. Heck, she might as well be Roman's ONLY wife. And I'll talk more about that line later, but it doesn't surprise me a bit that Adaleen was the one to save Roman's life (except for the fact that I thought/hoped Roman was a goner). A commenter said a few weeks ago that they weren't going to kill off Harry Dean Stanton, and that turned out to be a wise and true statement.
What I am curious about for next season is what is going to happen between Bill and Alby now that Roman is in jail. My husband and I were shouting when Nicki called Alby to brag that Roman was coming back to be re-instated-- why does she ALWAYS do that? She always tips Alby off! On one hand, it's a necessary plot device, but I think it is also consistent with their relationship. It was a great scene when Roman insisted that Nicki shave him, and said it was too bad that she wasn't born a boy. Roman hasn't quite figured out the power that the wives have, including his own.
Sarah
Sarah has finally made her break with the family, even if only in the symbolic break of losing her virginity. In choosing to sleep with Scott, she has turned her back on both the values of her family and the LDS church both. It's interesting that Sarah refers to the "Church of Dad," and also fundamentalism. It is not entirely clear from the show what religion the Hendricksons practice. But I think it's strongly hinted at (through Sarah) that Bill isn't operating entirely from his fundametalist background: He is still tied to Juniper Creek, and Lois is probably right; he probably always will be. But he is also striking out on his own (a pioneer, so to speak).
Pioneer Day is indeed a big Utah holiday. It's actually held on July 24th, and marks the occasion that Brigham Young led the Mormon pioneers across the prairies from Nauvoo, Illinois, to the Salt Lake Valley and declared, "This is the place." And Brigham Young, perhaps even more than Joseph Smith, is known for his practice of polygamy. So, obviously the Hendrickson brand of polygamy includes the early days of the church in its history and practice, as evidenced by Teenie's brief words about Brigham Young.
The Wives
Barb reclaimed her power from Margene in this episode, finally, and thank goodness. I really thought Barb was going to go. But I think she has decided to stay and stake her claim. Weber Gaming has become a symbol of accepting The Principle of polygamy, and beginning with leaving her mother's wedding with her family last week, Barb took a much more significant step in this episode by coming out to Pam. I had thought all of this time that the reason they hid their polygamy from the neighbors was because it was illegal and they feared going to jail, but it is clear from all of Bill's dealings with the ATF and the FBI that law enforcement is going to look the other way. The reason for their secrecy, then, was Barb's embarrassment and refusal to openly acknowledge their family.
It's very interesting that Adaleen told Barb that she was rendering herself powerless by resisting Bill at every turn and staying closeted. Nicki also recognized that because Margene was the youngest and most attractive wife that Margene couldn't also be equal in decision-making power with the other wives. Did you catch the look on Margene's face when Nicki told her that if Barb found out about Ana that she'd be out the door? Margene may have thought that this was her chance to finally take all the power as Bill's wife, but Barb surprised her and yanked out the rug in front of her, significantly, with Margene's first friend outside the family: Pam. She took Margene's "calling" from her, but at the same time, she openly acknowledged Margene's role, which effectively gives Margene a calling at the same time. She is wife and mother, she is family.
My second favorite line in the episode was when Pam asked Barb if she didn't want to have two or three more kids, so she could have a normal-sized family. It was great on so many levels: For one thing, it is the very basis of polygamy. What are Nicki and Margene if not surrogate mothers for Barb, to some extent? Margene openly threw this in Barb's face in the last episode. And Barb, by telling Pam that Margene was married to them, claimed Margene for herself, as her own surrogate, and yet didn't: She recognized Margene as her equal, her sister, her wife.
This is very interesting and compelling on so many levels: Why is it okay for Pam to use a surrogate to bear children for her husband, and yet, it's not okay for the neighbors across the street to be polygamists? The methods of insemination are different, yet at least Margene and Nicki are full wives and get to raise their children, rather than give them away like some twisted Margaret Atwood tale. However, before Barb was ready to openly acknowledge them as sister-wives, they were, to some extent, hidden away as mere surrogates for Barb. She wants to be THE wife, but the only way she can do that now is to be one among three. And her acceptance of a role on Weber Gaming seals her acceptance of The Principle. Ben embraces her, Barb stands with her other two wives, and now it is Sarah on the outside, looking in.
Ana
I was not expecting to see Ana again, and I was sure Barb was going to walk in on her embrace with Bill in the pantry. Hand in hand with Barb's acceptance of Weber Gaming (and symbolically, polygamy), does this mean she will now entertain the idea of a fourth wife, if that is what it will take to secure her own position and power? And what will happen with Weber Gaming now that Roman is in jail? Will Alby and Bill now be at war? The Greenes are still at large and dangerous, and at the same time that Bill is bringing Barb more fully into the future with her position on the board, he is also lying to her, which undermines not only her power and position, but their marriage. He lied about what the doctor said about moving Roman and also about his relationship with Ana. And that was just in this episode.
We will probably be seeing further development of these storylines in the next season, as well as Wanda's independence: She stood up to Lois, and snapped at Kathy. I wonder if she'll try to poison Kathy next, in order to get Joey's affections back to herself. It's very interesting that Lois was behind all of Wanda's other poisonings, except for Alby's, and yet Lois is the one who put her into a mental hospital.
One of the most poignant scenes in the finale was when Bill asks Roman why he sent him away. At the heart of everything Bill does, he is still a scarred and wounded little boy who lost his foothold, lost his home, and is still trying to invent and reclaim his identity. Roman says, "Look at you now, " as if who Bill has become has somehow made up for what Roman did to a young teenager, casting him out. I'm not therapist, but I think that statement was not necessarily a compliment. As long as Roman lives, Bill will never be free of Juniper Creek. However, he can't cut the strings and set himself free.
church of dad
actually having read a LOT about mormon fundies, the priesthood blessings bill ben gave kind of make sense. Bill's grandfather was the prophet. He would likely trace his authority to give blessings and ordain men generations back to the LDS church president( i want to say LDS church president john taylor) who secretly ordained a select few church members to secretly conduct plural marriages after the 1st manefesto banning it from the main LDS church. This authority has been "handed down" for generations and has been used by the leadeers of the main polygamy practicing groups today. Bill would have likely recieved priesthood ordainments directly from his grandfather( at that time prophet in juniper creek) and thus would consider himself able to pass them to other believers, including his son.
FinaleWatch: 'Big Love'
http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/2007/08/finalewatch-big.html
The second season of HBO's Big Love came to an end on Sunday (Aug. 26) night and I'd be lying if I said the episode tied things up the way I might have expected.
[If you haven't seen the Big Love finale, go sing with your sister-wives until you've caught up.]
To my mind, the second season was charging toward so sort of major fragmentation. All year long, Bill Hendrickson (Bill Paxton) had been going out of his way to tear his family apart under the guise of providing for all of their futures. He sacrificed their morals by getting a toehold in the world of underground gambling. He threatened their domesticity by flirting with the possibility of adding a fourth sister-wife. And, most damningly, he risked their safety in his attempts to bring down Roman Grant even if it meant hopping into bed with some even-less-savory polygamists. Along the way, he lost any control over his oldest kids, as Ben (Douglas Smith) went from guilt-ridden sex addict to twin-dating priesthood holder and Sarah (the remarkable Amanda Seyfried) went from doting daughter to wanton rebel.
He kept pushing his devoted first wife Barb (Jeanne Tripplehorn) further and further away, forcing her to recognize that the man she was married to might not be the man she originally married.
So I'd have probably guessed at the finale would have seen Barb taking steps to tear the family apart or to attempt to extricate herself from the situation. Instead, each of Bill's wives made their individual power plays and Barb's was the one that, at least on the surface, appears to have been the most successful.
Ginnifergoodwin_biglove_240Margene (Ginnifer Goodwin) tried to take control by telling whiny across-the-street neighbor Pam that she'd serve as surrogate for her baby. Then she made a second stab at bringing pie-toting waitress Ana (Branka Katic) into the family.
Nicki (Chloe Sevigny), who's been responsible for several of this season's biggest messes, made her play by standing up to both Margene ("You're the youngest and the shiniest and the newest and arguably somewhat attractive. You don't get to have those things and share equal power with us. No, no, no, no, no. That's the way it works, Margene.") and, more importantly, to her ailing father.
But Barb had the most game of all in the trickiest way of all. Sensing that everything was spiraling beyond her reach, she turned her back on her mother last week. And this week she opted to re-embrace The Principle, outing the family to Pam (thus cutting off Barb's move), using that move as leverage for getting Bill to put her on the board of Weber Gaming. The major wrinkle is that we don't know what happened between Bill and Ana in the cupboard or if that moment of apparent intimacy will have ripples next year.
With undertones of Macbeth, Big Love left little doubt that in all cases, the women are the power behind the throne. It wasn't a surprise to learn that Mary Kay Place's Adaleen was responsible for Roman's coup 30 years earlier, nor was it shocking to discover that Lois (Grace Zabriskie, whose work this season has Gracezabriskie_biglove_240been Emmy worthy) was behind all of Wanda's (Melora Walters) serial poisoning. And we already knew that Alby's (Matt Ross) own power grab was fueled by one of his wives [Whatever happened to Alby's repressed homosexuality anyway?].
No show on TV has a wider assortment of multi-dimensional female characters than Big Love and even if Sunday's finale was short on fireworks, it didn't lack for complexity.
Other quick thoughts on the finale:
# There was some fantastic use of music this week, including "Stupid Cupid," "Game of Love" and The Association's "Windy" as a closer. It's amazing how much creepier some of those old standards sound when they're being performed by kids representing a polygamist-owned business or a polygamist family.
# Even if I haven't been engaged by all of this season's twists and turns -- too many of Bill's decisions have brought out less-than-convincing acting from Paxton -- the week-to-week work by Tripplehorn, Goodwin, Sevigny, Seyfried, Walters, Place, Zabriskie, Ross, Bruce Dern and Tina Majorino has always been top-notch.
# Why did they need to bring back the FBI agent with the embarrassing Boston accent? And where has she been, anyway? I'll bet she's been pahking her cah in Hahvahd Yahd. And where was Rhonda (Daveigh Chase) this week?
Enough of me. What'd you think of the finale? And what'd you think of the second season in general?