Saturday, March 31, 2007

Big Love: The Complete 1st Season


Over the years, HBO has more or less perfected the process of latching on to stories based around everyday mundane life situations, turning them around and spicing them up with quirky multi-dimensional characters with all the flaws and insecurities that Woody Allen would be proud of. A great example of this is "Six Feet Under", where HBO set series creator Alan Ball loose to pursue with gusto every dark scenario imaginable for his series. On that show, absolutely nothing was too taboo or too controversial to explore. A family in the normally straitjacketed undertaking business is not exactly something that anyone would jump on immediately but HBO presciently saw the potential of digging deeper into the damaged psyche of a family that grew up learning to put a lid on their own emotions in order to comfort others in their hour of need. Exploring the various taboos that normally come with the funeral business became the backdrop for bringing up both euphoric and devastating emotional distress that more often than not, torment the show´s motley cast of characters. The dead never really stays dead but eventually becomes an inner voice that living characters use to debate morality and the consequences of their actions. On HBO´s latest hit show, "Big Love", morality again becomes the latest casualty and the clash between hypocrisy and faith becomes the focal point that pushes this new show to great heights.

With "Big Love", HBO has done it again by applying the same formula I stated above. However, this time, the network has achieved that in a totally different manner from what we´ve previously seen before. This time, HBO starts out by first taking on a decidedly controversial subject, in the case of "Big Love", polygamy. Then, by applying typical American suburban sensitivities and the requisite neuroses to the scenario, "Big Love" seeks to not only shed new light on this little-known subject but more importantly to show how normal these people can be, regardless of their chosen lifestyle.

Polygamy is a term that is often used to describe a man who is "married" to more than one woman. Like it or not, here in the U.S., polygamy is most often associated with the Mormon faith, which refers to it as plural marriages. Although the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (also known as LDS or Mormon Church) forbids the practice altogether, polygamous marriages were a part of the Church´s early history. As the practice of polygamy is against the law in the U.S., families who practice it today would be best served not to reveal it anyone else outside of their "world", for fear of prosecution by the law and by society in general.

This is exactly the predicament faced by the show´s main protagonist, Bill Henrickson (Bill Paxton), a Mormon and a practicing polygamist living in Salt Lake City, Utah. Bill is a successful businessman who owns a Home Depot-like hardware store called "Henrickson´s Home Plus". Business is booming and he is now on his way to opening a second store. Problem is, as his stature in the community grows alongside his business, the threat of being exposed as a polygamist becomes even more critical. Adding on to the pressure is his shady father-in-law, Roman Grant (Harry Dean Stanton), a polygamist patriarch who is also the de facto spiritual leader or prophet of the Juniper Creek polygamist community (of which Bill´s family is also a part of). You see, years ago, Bill made the mistake of accepting money from Roman as start-up capital to fund his fledgling business. As Bill now prepares to open his second store, Roman is demanding a cut of the profits from the new store as well. Bill of course resists and tries to pay Roman off but to no avail. To prove his point, Roman sends his goons, led by his son, Alby (Matt Ross) to shake Bill down. Ah, who needs enemies when you have family like these thugs?

On the home front, Bill fares no better. Conventional wisdom would dictate that a man with three wives would be having the time of his life but things are quite the opposite. This is starkly apparent in the opening scene where we see Bill turn on his cell phone to find sixteen messages waiting for him, all from his wives. And these women are no easy pushovers either. Barb (Jeanne Tripplehorn), the first wife is patient, strong-willed and sort of a mentor and older sister to the other two wives. Wife no. 2 is Nicky (Chloe Sevigny), Roman´s daughter, who is manipulative (I guess it runs in the family), sneaky and highly jealous of Barb´s position as first wife. Oh and Nicky also harbors a shopping addiction despite the family rule of each wife having their own set of weekly allowances. The youngest of the wives is Margene (Ginnifer Goodwin), who is more pliant, somewhat insecure and still trying to find her way around this extended family. Yes, it is a huge family as evidenced by the three large houses (side-by-side) connected by a shared fenced backyard. Barb has three children, Sarah (Amanda Seyfield), Ben (Douglas Smith) and Tancy (Jolean Wejbe) while Nicky and Margene have two young boys each, making it a grand total of one man, three wives and seven children.

All this doesn´t yet take into account Bill´s own family who still lives in the rural polygamist Juniper Creek compound. There´s his deadbeat father Frank Harlow (Bruce Dern), his mother Lois (Grace Zabrinskie) and his brother Joey (Shawn Doyle) and Joey´s wife Wanda (Melora Walters), who is expecting. Frank himself has a harem of wives (5 in total), with Lois being wife no. 2. Lois is a descendent of the founding family of Juniper Creek and daughter of Orville Henrickson, the past prophet of the sect. Roman staged sort of a coup a few years back and assumed the role of prophet, marginalizing Lois and the rest of the Henrickson family. Things get more complicated when Frank is found to have been slowly poisoned and the top suspect is none other than Lois! Taking into account the fact that they all live in Juniper Creek under the auspices of Roman Grant, whom, as you know, is feuding with Bill over money from his stores, you can be sure more than sparks would fly between them as the season progresses.

ne aspect of the show that stands out for me is the fact that it is not all about polygamy and the evils of the practice. It certainly is not an advertisement for polygamy nor does it condone the practice. Quite the contrary, it tries to show both sides of the equation. On one side, you have the Juniper Creek polygamist compound where you find the scripture-quoting Roman Grant, a man in his 70´s taking on a new wife, Rhonda Volmer (Daveigh Chase) who is barely a teenager. There is certainly no physical or sexual abuse on display here but the fact that children in this compound are programmed from a young age about the prime importance of religion and the practice of polygamy means that they are left without any choices. On the other side of the coin, you find the Henricksons, who practices polygamy but in a manner that is respectful of the power of choice and the importance of love. Although Bill himself has three wives, he does not condone the compound´s practice of much older men taking on very young wives. Bill was born in the compound but was cast out by the elders early in his life. So you don´t find the more hardcore polygamist practices ingrained in him. If you detect a hint of hypocrisy here, you should be warned that hypocrisy plays a big part in this show. Bill could be seen as both a hero and an anti-hero as well. One can´t condemn one thing and practice it at the same time.

Take polygamy out of the show however and what it really boils down to is a story of a family´s (albeit a large extended one) commitment and love for one another. Not unlike any one of us, each family has its own set of problems, just that the Henricksons´ are unique in their own way and definitely way more complicated than normal. And that, in terms of the show, is a great thing.

When it comes to rating the performances, need I remind you that the cast of "Big Love" consists of Bill Paxton, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Chloe Sevigny, Bruce Dern and Harry Dean Stanton, all powerhouse actors. Needless to say, one would be hard pressed to find any weak performances here, even from the lesser known child actors. From Bill trying his best to keep his family together to Nicky´s manipulative behavior to Lois´ bitterness over her family´s descent from polygamist royalty to Roman´s measured cruelty, it´s all here. With a major cliffhanger book-ending this first season, Season 2 can´t come fast enough.

The first season of "Big Love" consists of the following 12 episodes:
"Pilot", "Viagra Blue", "Home Invasion", "Eclipse", "Affair", "Roberta´s Funeral", "Eviction", "Easter", "A Barbeque for Betty", "The Baptism", "Where There´s a Will", "The Ceremony"

Over the years, HBO has more or less perfected the process of latching on to stories based around everyday mundane life situations, turning them around and spicing them up with quirky multi-dimensional characters with all the flaws and insecurities that Woody Allen would be proud of. A great example of this is "Six Feet Under", where HBO set series creator Alan Ball loose to pursue with gusto every dark scenario imaginable for his series. On that show, absolutely nothing was too taboo or too controversial to explore. A family in the normally straitjacketed undertaking business is not exactly something that anyone would jump on immediately but HBO presciently saw the potential of digging deeper into the damaged psyche of a family that grew up learning to put a lid on their own emotions in order to comfort others in their hour of need. Exploring the various taboos that normally come with the funeral business became the backdrop for bringing up both euphoric and devastating emotional distress that more often than not, torment the show´s motley cast of characters. The dead never really stays dead but eventually becomes an inner voice that living characters use to debate morality and the consequences of their actions. On HBO´s latest hit show, "Big Love", morality again becomes the latest casualty and the clash between hypocrisy and faith becomes the focal point that pushes this new show to great heights.

With "Big Love", HBO has done it again by applying the same formula I stated above. However, this time, the network has achieved that in a totally different manner from what we´ve previously seen before. This time, HBO starts out by first taking on a decidedly controversial subject, in the case of "Big Love", polygamy. Then, by applying typical American suburban sensitivities and the requisite neuroses to the scenario, "Big Love" seeks to not only shed new light on this little-known subject but more importantly to show how normal these people can be, regardless of their chosen lifestyle.

Polygamy is a term that is often used to describe a man who is "married" to more than one woman. Like it or not, here in the U.S., polygamy is most often associated with the Mormon faith, which refers to it as plural marriages. Although the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (also known as LDS or Mormon Church) forbids the practice altogether, polygamous marriages were a part of the Church´s early history. As the practice of polygamy is against the law in the U.S., families who practice it today would be best served not to reveal it anyone else outside of their "world", for fear of prosecution by the law and by society in general.

This is exactly the predicament faced by the show´s main protagonist, Bill Henrickson (Bill Paxton), a Mormon and a practicing polygamist living in Salt Lake City, Utah. Bill is a successful businessman who owns a Home Depot-like hardware store called "Henrickson´s Home Plus". Business is booming and he is now on his way to opening a second store. Problem is, as his stature in the community grows alongside his business, the threat of being exposed as a polygamist becomes even more critical. Adding on to the pressure is his shady father-in-law, Roman Grant (Harry Dean Stanton), a polygamist patriarch who is also the de facto spiritual leader or prophet of the Juniper Creek polygamist community (of which Bill´s family is also a part of). You see, years ago, Bill made the mistake of accepting money from Roman as start-up capital to fund his fledgling business. As Bill now prepares to open his second store, Roman is demanding a cut of the profits from the new store as well. Bill of course resists and tries to pay Roman off but to no avail. To prove his point, Roman sends his goons, led by his son, Alby (Matt Ross) to shake Bill down. Ah, who needs enemies when you have family like these thugs?

On the home front, Bill fares no better. Conventional wisdom would dictate that a man with three wives would be having the time of his life but things are quite the opposite. This is starkly apparent in the opening scene where we see Bill turn on his cell phone to find sixteen messages waiting for him, all from his wives. And these women are no easy pushovers either. Barb (Jeanne Tripplehorn), the first wife is patient, strong-willed and sort of a mentor and older sister to the other two wives. Wife no. 2 is Nicky (Chloe Sevigny), Roman´s daughter, who is manipulative (I guess it runs in the family), sneaky and highly jealous of Barb´s position as first wife. Oh and Nicky also harbors a shopping addiction despite the family rule of each wife having their own set of weekly allowances. The youngest of the wives is Margene (Ginnifer Goodwin), who is more pliant, somewhat insecure and still trying to find her way around this extended family. Yes, it is a huge family as evidenced by the three large houses (side-by-side) connected by a shared fenced backyard. Barb has three children, Sarah (Amanda Seyfield), Ben (Douglas Smith) and Tancy (Jolean Wejbe) while Nicky and Margene have two young boys each, making it a grand total of one man, three wives and seven children.

All this doesn´t yet take into account Bill´s own family who still lives in the rural polygamist Juniper Creek compound. There´s his deadbeat father Frank Harlow (Bruce Dern), his mother Lois (Grace Zabrinskie) and his brother Joey (Shawn Doyle) and Joey´s wife Wanda (Melora Walters), who is expecting. Frank himself has a harem of wives (5 in total), with Lois being wife no. 2. Lois is a descendent of the founding family of Juniper Creek and daughter of Orville Henrickson, the past prophet of the sect. Roman staged sort of a coup a few years back and assumed the role of prophet, marginalizing Lois and the rest of the Henrickson family. Things get more complicated when Frank is found to have been slowly poisoned and the top suspect is none other than Lois! Taking into account the fact that they all live in Juniper Creek under the auspices of Roman Grant, whom, as you know, is feuding with Bill over money from his stores, you can be sure more than sparks would fly between them as the season progresses.

ne aspect of the show that stands out for me is the fact that it is not all about polygamy and the evils of the practice. It certainly is not an advertisement for polygamy nor does it condone the practice. Quite the contrary, it tries to show both sides of the equation. On one side, you have the Juniper Creek polygamist compound where you find the scripture-quoting Roman Grant, a man in his 70´s taking on a new wife, Rhonda Volmer (Daveigh Chase) who is barely a teenager. There is certainly no physical or sexual abuse on display here but the fact that children in this compound are programmed from a young age about the prime importance of religion and the practice of polygamy means that they are left without any choices. On the other side of the coin, you find the Henricksons, who practices polygamy but in a manner that is respectful of the power of choice and the importance of love. Although Bill himself has three wives, he does not condone the compound´s practice of much older men taking on very young wives. Bill was born in the compound but was cast out by the elders early in his life. So you don´t find the more hardcore polygamist practices ingrained in him. If you detect a hint of hypocrisy here, you should be warned that hypocrisy plays a big part in this show. Bill could be seen as both a hero and an anti-hero as well. One can´t condemn one thing and practice it at the same time.

Take polygamy out of the show however and what it really boils down to is a story of a family´s (albeit a large extended one) commitment and love for one another. Not unlike any one of us, each family has its own set of problems, just that the Henricksons´ are unique in their own way and definitely way more complicated than normal. And that, in terms of the show, is a great thing.

When it comes to rating the performances, need I remind you that the cast of "Big Love" consists of Bill Paxton, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Chloe Sevigny, Bruce Dern and Harry Dean Stanton, all powerhouse actors. Needless to say, one would be hard pressed to find any weak performances here, even from the lesser known child actors. From Bill trying his best to keep his family together to Nicky´s manipulative behavior to Lois´ bitterness over her family´s descent from polygamist royalty to Roman´s measured cruelty, it´s all here. With a major cliffhanger book-ending this first season, Season 2 can´t come fast enough.

The first season of "Big Love" consists of the following 12 episodes:
"Pilot", "Viagra Blue", "Home Invasion", "Eclipse", "Affair", "Roberta´s Funeral", "Eviction", "Easter", "A Barbeque for Betty", "The Baptism", "Where There´s a Will", "The Ceremony"

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