Big Love - Recap & Review - Sacrament

Big Love
Sacrament

Original Air Date: Mar 22, 2009

Thomas Nikl – Associate Staff Writer
thomas@thetwocentscorps.com

Drum roll, please, readers. We’re here- the season finale of Big Love! It’s been an intense season to say the least as we watch Bill’s family slowly disintegrate into fragments. After so much drama will any of it be resolved or will HBO leave us with a cliffhanger that has Bill and his family left in shambles? Let’s find out together, shall we?

Continue Reading...

[photo: HBO]

Big Love - Recap & Review - Outer Darkness

Big Love
Outer Darkness

Original Air Date: Mar 15, 2009

Thomas Nikl – Associate Staff Writer
thomas@thetwocentscorps.com

So, as you recall, Nikki is totally busted and staying at Albis because Bill kicked her to the curb. Meanwhile, Bill is fighting a hard battle over the polygamy letter with his brother-in-law, Ted. Bill, in classic fashion, I am quite sure will lose. Let’s see what I loved, hated, and said WTF this week. Mormon power- GO!

Continue Reading...

Big Love - Recap & Review - Rough Edges

Big Love
Rough Edges

Original Air Date: Mar 8, 2009

Thomas Nikl – Associate Staff Writer
thomas@thetwocentscorps.com

I have to say this episode was actually not super crazy break the TV frustrating. Don’t worry there were plenty of crazy to go around but some of it was actually pretty awesome so I will do a small section at the end “what didn’t drive me crazy”. Ok, everyone, let’s strap on our magic underpants and get our Mormon on!

Continue Reading...

Big Love - Recap & Review - Fight or Flight

Big Love
Fight or Flight

Original Air Date: Mar 1, 2009


Thomas Nikl – Associate Staff Writer
thomas@thetwocentscorps.com

Welcome back, readers. Are you ready to sift through all the truly frustrating parts of this week’s episode of Big Love? I am! Here’s the episode gist: Sarah is still dealing with her lost baby and making some important college decisions, Wanda and Kathy are marrying Joey, Bill needs to get to the bottom of a document that he helped sell Ted, and Nikki and Margene are both losing it in their own kind of ways. Let’s roll.

Continue Reading...

Big Love - Recap & Review - Come, Ye Saints

Big Love
Come, Ye Saints

Original Air Date: Feb 22, 2009

Thomas Nikl – Associate Staff Writer
thomas@thetwocentscorps.com

Welcome, readers, to a new segment Keith (our fearless leader) and I have devised. Keith approached me about covering Big Love and I told him that quite honestly I probably could not write the usual Recap & Review about Big Love. “Why”, Keith asked. I explained that Big Love- while a great show, with great acting- drives me so insane that I wasn’t sure I could write a full recap of it without losing my mind. And thus, a light bulb went off somewhere, and I proposed a very brief recap of an episode followed by all the things that absolutely made me almost jump out my 3rd story apartment window screaming “WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE”. Alas, submitted for your approval by TheTwoCents society I present to you: DROVE ME CRAZY.

Continue Reading...

[photo: HBO]

Big Love and Conchords Return to HBO

Times are tough for everyone these days, including home-improvement store owner Bill Henrickson and his three wives. In the face of a flat do-it-yourself market and a crackdown on polygamists around the country, Bill wants to protect his growing family and his chain of Home Plus superstores by diversifying his business operations and building neighborhood goodwill. And as if his life wasn't complicated enough already, he wants to take a fourth wife who can produce more children.

The drama series BIG LOVE kicks off its ten-episode third season with the episode entitled "Block Party," debuting SUNDAY, JAN. 18 (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO, followed by other episodes on subsequent Sundays at the same time.

Also, the ten-episode second season of HBO's Emmy(r)-nominated comedy series FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS, starring the New Zealand music-comedy duo of Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie, debuts SUNDAY, JAN. 18 (10:00-10:30 p.m. ET/PT).

Over the course of the new season, Bret and Jemaine resort to a variety of unconventional strategies in an attempt to jump-start their lives and career, including: taking desperate measures to pay the bills; starting up a gang; and even dating an Australian - a taboo in New Zealand. Their efforts rarely yield dividends, but do spawn new tunes about life, love and the pursuit of an elusive music video.

"Big Love" Recap & Review - "Oh, Pioneers"

Big Love
"Oh, Pioneers"

Original Air Date: Sunday, August 26, 2007

By Stacey
Staff Writer

Okay, big season finale things – Alby will remain in charge of the UEB and the Compound. After Adaleen brings Roman to Nicki’s to get him away from Alby and his wife’s drugging, Bill sends him back, fully recovered, to claim the leadership position again and support Bill and Weber Gaming. Although, when Joey brings Roman back, Alby has the police waiting to arrest Roman. Next season will prove to be a constant struggle between Alby and Bill.

Also, Anna is back. After Bill dumped her, Margene brought her back into the family as a friend. Seeing Anna and Bill together sends Barb into a panic – she finally draws a line in the sand – I have been waiting all season for this. She starts by outing the family to the neighbors – then she states to bill “I am thee wife or nothing, I have to be number one and that’s it.” Yeah for Barb.

Interestingly, all three wives seemed to assert their individuality and strength in this episode. Barb with her line in the sand saying “I don’t want a forth.” Nicki also yells at Bill saying she has sacrificed so much for this family and it’s time for Bill to sacrifice. She won’t let him get Roman and Alby thrown off the council. Most shockingly, Margene really asserts herself in this episode. She decides to be a surrogate mom for the neighbors. She also decides to be assertive about bringing Anna around to the house – even given her history with Bill.

We’re left wondering if Anna is going to come back next season – is Bill going to date her? Is Barb going to be forced to leave Bill or support the possibility of a fourth? How come when we think about Nicki and Margene dealing with Bill dating, it feels fine but when we think of Barb, we feel sorry for her, like it’s cheating? Strange.

On another note – the children are split. Ben has embraced the polygamist lifestyle fully, He says, “I have faith in dad and in this family. My sons and daughters will be born into polygamy and they’ll be happy.” Sarah on the other hand decides to “let go of all of it” by sleeping with her boyfriend. As Sarah leaves the family ideologically, Ben almost cements himself to their lifestyle forever.

To sum up my opinion of this episode, and the season in general, is that I have lost all respect for Bill. He seems more and more disconnected and uninterested in his ever growing family as they all struggle deeply with their feelings about the family. Bill himself sums it up the best when, sitting at his family picnic, his business partner asks him what he’s thinking about and he says “business.” Somehow, even given Bill’s lack of involvement, his family stays together. There’s something stronger keeping them all there, something other than Bill. My biggest hope for next season is that Bill will step up. This season has left me sadly disappointed.

B

"Big Love" Recap & Review - "

Big Love
"Take Me As I Am"
Original Air Date: Sunday, August 19, 2007

Stacey - Staff Writer

When Barb finds out from a newspaper that her mother (Ellen Burstyn) is getting remarried – she goes to confront her. In what seems like a total over reaction, her mother refuses to see her and even talk to her – I don’t understand this. I guess it can be likened to a deeply religious family rejecting their child who has come out with his/her gay lifestyle – but for some reason the don’t see/don’t talk stance seems like a huge over reaction. Barb is obviously tortured by it and viewers get another glimpse of her inner conflict over her lifestyle, especially when it means losing her family.

Frankly, I’m ready for Barb to make a move. Just leave already. I know she loves Bill, but I think he’s being a jerk. He’s overly concentrated on work and his family is falling apart. Take Sarah for instance. Her boyfriend Scott has given her the whole “I can’t deal with the ‘virgin’ thing, so I’m going to sleep with my x-girlfriend and whoever else I want to sleep with” speech. Sarah is crushed as she struggles with her parent’s life choice and her aspirations for her own life. Like she says to her dad while dancing at Barb’s mom’s wedding “there is nothing you could say to me about life and relationships that I would listen to.” OUCH! I actually felt badly for Bill except that he didn’t seemed phased by this statement. What kind of father hears this from his obviously struggling child without reacting or at least being affected????

It seems like Bill’s lack of awareness goes further than with his own family and children. Bill is completely unaware of the danger brewing with Alby and The Compound. As Alby keeps his father drugged, he hears from the Greens that is was Bill’s suggestion to attempt to kill Roman. Of course we know this is a lie, but Alby thinks it’s the truth. He tells Nicki that vengeance will reign down on this family and offers the solace of the Compound if she wants to come back to them. As Barb and Bill return from the wedding, they find snakes in their bed – obviously placed there by Alby.

As I sat and watched this episode, writing notes as I went along, I found myself rolling my eyes and feeling like the “drama” is tired. I’m sick of the conflict with the Compound and the business deals with Weber gaming. I’m done with it. It feels stretched or fake or something – I don’t really believe Alby’s new rise to power and willingness to keep his father drugged while taking over his position. Maybe it’s just not my cup of tea – this story line. Maybe I’m more inclined to be drawn toward the relationship drama and storylines which make the other stories boring – who knows. Bottom line, I want more from Bill’s character when in comes to his family and less when it comes to work.

B

"Big Love" Recap & Review - "The Happiest Girl"

Big Love
"The Happiest Girl"
Original Air Date: August 13, 2007

[Submitted by: Stacey]

This was the third to last episode. There were a ton of plot points setting up for the season finale – possibly a cliffhanger. Alby has taken over the lead at the Compound. He is power hungry and by the end of the episode he has his ailing father transferred back to the Compound from the hospital so that he and his first wife can look after him. They proceed to drug him with who knows what drug – but as viewers we assume it to be a lethal dose. Only time will tell. Also, Frank goes to Alby to stick a thorn in his son’s side and asks for Kathy’s hand in marriage – pledging allegiance to Alby in return. Kathy is in the middle of having a commitment ceremony to Joey and Wanda when Alby busts in the break up the party and reveal Kathy is promised to another man. Another plot point we’ll hear about next week or in the finale.

Bill decides to take Margie to a conference to introduce himself and his wife to all the Weber Gaming associates after both Barb and Nicki refuse. Margie is more than happy to go – acting almost like it is the first time she has been “claimed” by her husband. Of course once there, she blabs about being a third wife and I put my hand over my face in embarrassment as she didn’t stop talking – revealing secrets about their polygamist life.

When an old friend of Bill and Barb’s shows up at the convention, Bill calls Barb and begs her to come save him in public while Margie is relegated into hiding. In order to get her revenge, she ends up hanging with Bill’s associates and tells them she is Bill’s mistress. Bill surprises them and Barb and Margie by telling them all that both Barb and Margie are his wives. The associates seemed wary of his “squeaky clean” image, so this seemed a sad attempt to dirty up his image while also throwing a bone to Margie who felt left out and unclaimed. Unfortunately, Barb was really upset by the “outing” while Margie absolutely beamed. She says “let me be Bill’s wife for Weber Gaming, you can have Home Plus.” Again, Barb has made peace with her lifestyle, but she will never fully own it the way Nicki and even Margie do.

Finally, Rhonda and Sarah. Rhonda has become a ridiculous character manipulating and lying her way through these episodes. Both Rhonda and Alby’s characters are a bit out of the blue. All of the sudden then have become unrealistic – way too exaggerated in their “bad guy” persona. It’s really hard to watch and unbelievable that someone like Rhonda, for instance, has so much power over Sarah and her friend.

Next week will surely be exciting as all these set ups will start to unravel and explode into conflict – hopefully leaving us all ready for a powerful finale.

B

"Big Love" Recap & Review - "Circle The Wagons"

Big Love
"Circle The Wagons"
Original Air Date: August 6, 2007

[Submitted by: Stacey]

I struggled to watch Big Love this week. I don’t know if it was seriously lacking in story or if I was experiencing, as a viewer, one of the themes that was present during the episode – lack of connection.

Even though the wives (Barb, Nicki and Margene) all seemed to be talking about the same thing, under the surface they were all focused on different issues. Bill asked all his wives if they would support the Weber gaming gambling purchase. Barb was against it from the beginning citing women’s rights and strength in polygamy “What we say collectively as wives matters – if we don’t want it, it won’t happen.” Or later she tells Bill, “I don’t care if you own that company, if you can’t get your wives behind it, you’re giving it up.”

Nicki, on the other hand, spent the episode grieving and feeling alone in that grief for her father, Roman, who was in the hospital recovering from his injuries. Her support of the gambling endeavor seemed more a way to claim her place in her family than of actually believing in its morality. Nicki, more than the other wives, was expected to be against the gambling purchase – so this was surprising. However, as her family, and her mother especially, disowned her, Nicki seemed to need to cling to her family and her place in that family. Like she tells Margene “There’s nothing I wouldn’t do to be a part of my family Margene – nothing.”

As the tie breaker, Margene ends up voting for the Weber Gaming purchase, leaving Barb alone in her protests. It was sad to see Barb again, like last week, in this state. Seeing as her position and her vote was more of a statement than just a vote, it’s almost like everything about her self worth as a woman hung on the power she would feel as the wives united against Bill – forcing him to quit the purchase. When she was outvoted, she was crushed.

As a viewer, I was left wondering the bigger question - do women have any power in polygamy? Or maybe more accurately – how do women have power in polygamy? I don’t know that this episode, or the season for that matter, answered these questions, but it was still an interesting thing to ponder.

On the boring side – Alby is now the appointed guardian for Juniper Creek – this will cause major problems for Bill in later episodes for sure. Nicki steals a bunch of money from Juniper Creek and seems to jump right in, predictably, to a gambling problem and the gambling center.

Only 3 episodes left. Leave you’re comments, let me know what you thought of tonight’s episode!

B-

[image from HBO]

"Big Love" Recap & Review - "Kingdom Come"

Kingdom Come
Original Air Date: Monday July 30, 2007

[Submitted by: Stacey]

I don’t know where to start with this review. This week’s episode started with an incredibly LONG intro basically summing up the whole season. In what can only be described as eerie foreshadowing, the episode also seemed to cover an obscene amount of material. For the sake of this review, I will continue my protest against the boring “business” storylines and focus on the love, the Big Love, of polygamy.

Bill decided that he needed a night off. Instead of splitting his nights evenly among all the wives, he wanted a designated “night off” from all the wives – men, settle down. While this might be a reasonable request in a “normal” marriage, choosing to live a life of polygamy comes with some additional responsibilities and requirements and as Barb tells Bill “you signed up for this.” In other words, if he can’t handle the time commitment then he shouldn’t have taken three wives. It was really hard to see Barb’s struggle this episode. Like she tell’s her son Ben’s girlfriend at the end of the episode, “polygamy is a hard life.” She revealed how it took her a long time to learn to love Nicki. She went from having Bill 7 nights a week to 3-4 nights a week and now to 2-3 nights a week. It’s hard not to sympathize with Barb and continue to wonder, as a viewer, how I might possibly cope, or not cope, with a life of polygamy.

As Barb intervenes with Ben’s relationship by talking to his girlfriend Bryn, Bill is forced to face how absent he is as a father. This reality is most apparent when looking at his relationships, or lack thereof, with his teenage children. Ben is struggling, and has been all season, with his sense of faith. Instead of giving up sleeping with Bryn, he decides to hide it and deal with the internal conflict. When his father finds out, Bill so eloquently states, “that’s the most unholy thing you can do with your body, that’s your temple son.” Can we say vomit? At the end of the episode, Bryn breaks up with Ben and Bill decides to indoctrinate Ben into the priesthood – meaning, I guess that he is recognizing his son as an adult. This should help repair their relationship, but we still wonder about his eldest daughter Sarah.

Because I really can’t ignore the other things that happened this episode, I will sum them up here. Bill sells the Greens down the river to the ATF in an attempt to save his business. They swear vengeance, and I’m sure we’ll see a revisit from the family in later episodes – can we say possible cliffhanger season finale? In the end, two Green members shoot the prophet, Nicki’s dad, Roman Grant – WOW, that was surprising. I believe Bill will still try and buy Weeber Gaming – even when he finds out that he was loaned stolen money from Lois’s brother to make the purchase. After ratting Bill out to Frank and giving up all his secrets, Lois loses any loyalty Bill had for her eventually causing the ultimate loss of her laundry business. See? I told you this stuff was boring.

B+

HBO Moves Big Love

The debut dates for the final two episodes of the second season of BIG LOVE have changed.

The final episode of the first season of JOHN FROM CINCINNATI debuts SUNDAY, AUG. 12 (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET/PT), as previously scheduled.

Then, on the following two Sundays, AUG. 19 and 26, the season's final two episodes of BIG LOVE will debut in the same time slot.

Those two episodes will still be seen in their regular Monday time slot as well.

In addition, before the two new episodes of BIG LOVE debut on AUG. 19 and 26 at 9:00 p.m., the previous episode will be presented at 8:00 p.m.

"Big Love" Recap & Review - "Good Guys and Bad Guys"

Big Love
"Good Guys and Bad Guys"
Original Air Date: 7/23/07

[Submitted by: Stacey]

This week’s episode of Big Love started with a bang as we learned that Margy’s mom Ginger was about to come and visit the family with no knowledge of the polygamist relationship between Bill, Barb, Nicki and Margy. While Margy wants to keep their lifestyle a secret from her mother, viewers no doubt guessed that Nicki would spill the beans. In what seemed like a pathetic attempt to take Margy’s mother as her own, Nicki bonds with Ginger and offers her couch to her when Margy kicks her out for rejecting their lifestyle.

While Margy fights with synthesizing her two lives (her mother and her lifestyle), Barb goes to the Compound to help Joey and Wanda. Whenever she visits the Compound, Barb is reminded of her choice to convert to polygamy. She seems to struggle with accepting her lifestyle when she sees the way the polygamists live on the Compound. In her own words, Barb says it makes her feel like what she is doing is vile. Margy is struggling to merge her mom and her current life and Barb is struggling to merge her life with Bill, Nicki and Margy with the lives of other polygamists. It’s almost as if she feels like her circumstance is an exception. Barb’s time at the Compound forces her to confront her life choices in a raw unfiltered way. As Frank (Bill’s father) tells her, in this religion “God gave men the power.” This misogynistic tone and its subsequent practices on the Compound seem to be the crux of what Barb struggles with when thinking about her life choice. All this culminates in a Barb meltdown when Frank (Bill’s father) comes to attack Wanda (who tried to poison him last season) and shuts off the power. Joey shows up right in time and no one inside notices Frank hanging around outside and they attribute the power outage to a normal glitch in Compound living.

In what can only be described as a pointless storyline, writers for Big Love continue on this Weeber Gaming competition between Roman, Bill and the Greens. We find out that the Greens are back from hiding in Mexico, claiming their standing as the true profits. Roman starts a complete shut out – no conversation, no business with the Greens and Bill, caught in the middle, will need to negotiate his dealings with both Weeber Gaming and the Greens so as not to turn them all against him. Can we say boring? This show is about relationships. That’s why we watch it. We want to understand and experience (as much as you can through a TV show) the life of polygamists and the business dealings/struggles divert the viewer’s attention from the draw of the show.

To sum it up – Nicki wants a mom and tries to steal Margy’s. Margy wants her mom to stop trying to compete with her and, in essence, steal her life. All she’s looking for is a mom who accepts her and sees her for who she is. Barb struggles with her life choice and how it fits into the bigger picture of polygamy. We all felt her pain as Roman expressed to Barb that she is part of his family and he will always try and protect his family. Bill struggles to make a risky business deal using deception and questionable ethics (BORING). Oh, and Sarah, who has been struggling with her parent’s life choice for a few episodes now is forced to voice her rebellion to her father when he learns that Alby has been stalking her. There seems to be a breakdown in the teenager/parent relationship that is not only “normal,” even under these circumstances, but will continue throughout the season.

B-

HBO Loves "Big Love"

According to Variety, HBO has renewed Big Love for a third season!

"The renewal, which comes earlier than expected, will ensure the season is completed and ready to air by the time a possible labor stoppage shuts down production in June."