Free HBO preview weekend, so we caught the first two.
Pisses me off that the youngest wife just seems to dump the kids in a playpen all the time, and yeah, the lack of a pool fence bugs me. And her house seems plainer, like in the move she didn’t get as much of the ‘stuff’ as everyone else did and she’s not savvy enough to credit-card dance as middle-wife (nor have a Mom to bail her out).
I dnno, not worth, to me, to subscribe.
Yeah, she’s obviously having difficulty making the transition to being mommy. Leaves the younger kids screaming in the playpen, has a break down when she’s left overnight with the other kids. She just does not do well without the backup of “boss lady” and Nicki around to help with the load. I sense a ready made “mother’s little helper” situation with that one. If she doesn’t end up trying to screw Bill’s oldest first, that is.
I still really like the show alot. I think that the writers made a mistake in bringing in the other polygamous family (at the dinner party) in too early. It would’ve been more challenging to the viewer if the other family was introduced after the viewers were more emotionally tied to the Hendricksons.
At first, I was surprised at the 2 wived playing footsies with each other. It took me a while to realize that they were only signalling each other in the card game.
I didn’t realize that until just now. Good catch.
Oh I think we’ll find out its more than signaling eachother for the card game.
I think the progression of the wives is going to be pretty basic. Barb and Bill are married for 15 or so years. Barb develops ovarian cancer and can’t have more kids. Bill wants more kids. (when Roman’s child bride explained it in the pilot I think Barb’s “it’s more complicated than that” was in regards to the child bride making it sound like it was an easy decision). After agreeing to a second wife, they decide or get pushed into it being Nickie. Even though Bill was kicked out of Juniper Creek at 14, I think he and Barb must have moved back there after they were married. So Bill marries Nickie… they have kids. Nickie decides after two kids (she has two also right?) that she is done. Bill wants more kids… so by then the ball is rolling on polygamy but Barb is so soured on Juniper Creek that Bill looks outside of that comunity for a bride. Most likely online, he finds Margie in Colorado.
I don’t think Margie is overtly trying for men’s attention. I think that it is part of her immaturity. She doesn’t know why it should matter that she’s wearing a short robe to breakfast. Or why it would be inappropriate for her to have Bill’s oldest (who is closer in age to her than Bills is) pick her up and swing her around. I think she just relates to the son on a peer level, not as a… I want to say parent but I have no idea if the other wives are considered parental authorities. And the low cut dress to her is just a pretty dress. She’s oblivious not malicious.
Oh and I have an off the wall prediction about Bill’s friend… the new girl he is seeing is the Mormon girl Bill’s daughter works with. I’m just saying… could be wrong.
This episode established that Margie JUST got her own house… that would explain why it isn’t as furnished and nice.
The thing that bothers me about the houses is that it’s just dirt and a pool. No grass. And you would think if they are trying to be discreet that the fences would be higher.
I figured they were bisexual, hence the crack to the main guy about marrying such tough gals who don’t get along in bed as well as out. Who else is there to do on your nights off?
That does look weird. It looks like a set, not like real outdoors. But I’ve never lived in the southwest, so maybe a well-used backyard really looks like that.
Just watched a rerun of this episode tonight. And I gotta say, right now I’m with Lorene. The show pretty much went like this: Bill has porn-star sex with wife #1. Other wives overhear it and don’t like it. Bill keeps popping little blue pills and has sex with wife #2 in wife #1’s bed. Wife #1 no likey. Bill pops more blue pills and has passionate sex with wife #3, who then blows him the following morning leading to…more sex. Wife #2 overhears it and no likey. Show ends with him popping another blue pill to get ready for…more sex.
Oh, and there are kids EVERYWHERE. And there was some stuff about a compound and his dad being poisoned or something. And then something about a home company thingy.
It’s a weird show. Not sure if I like it or not, so I’ll watch again next week. But if it’s just “Oh what a dilemma, he has lots of sex and it’s too demanding on him, and the girls get jealous and some junk” then I’m bailing.
I dunno. I think the decision to have the second wife be Nickie is going to be an interesting story. Obvious Barb doesn’t like the Juniper Creek people and didn’t fit in, since she was born and raised a Mormon (according to HBO’s website). So I don’t think they lived there for that long (if Barb lived there at all). So to have the second wife be not only a Juniper Creek person, but the daughter of the prophet is quite a slap in the face to Barb.
From Barb’s bio:
http://www.hbo.com/biglove/cast/character/barbara_dutton_henrickson.html
It almost seems like Barb was almost forced into the lifestyle, since most Mormons today are against Polygamy (like Napoleon Dynamite girl… named Deb in Napoleon Dynamite, which ironically is the name of the fast food restaurant they work at ;)).
This is part of Bill’s bio (which I found interesting):
http://www.hbo.com/biglove/cast/character/bill_henrickson.html
It appears he was a Mormon for a while, along with Barb. Somewhere along the way, he went back to Roman and Juniper Creek for his business and 2nd wife. One wonders if Barb is still really a Mormon underneath it all.
Well, my wife and I? We only watched the first two episodes because the show follows the Sopranos, unlike the rest of you soap hounds 
Actually, I’m giving it a shot, and it ain’t looking that great so far… but my wife seems to want to ride it out.
I like the youngest wife the best, then the oldest. That middle bitch is a cunt of the highest order. It would be best for the whole “family” if she did ditch back to the “compound” to be re-married off to some 200 year old. But I guess they don’t consider divorce to be an option.
All in all, the whole thing’s weird and fucked. And barely captivating my interest.
I’ve really enjoyed the first two episodes.
Shit. . .all the things you haters are saying, well, it’s pretty easy to dismiss any show that way. . .
“Lost? Plane crashes on an island, so they all look for food and there’s someone else there so they fight with them.”
“Sopranos? Mob guys whack people and the boss has family problems so he sees a shrink.”
You can’t even dismiss “Big Love” like that without saying “oh yeah, there’s a religious leader with a compound in the mountains.” A relgiious leader with a compound in the mountains could be a show in itself.
It’s TWO SHOWS IN. There are 3 wives, 1 husband, a friend with 3 wives (two of which weren’t JUST signalling each other), a father being poisoned by somebody perhaps his wife, a gun-toting mom, an old “leader” who Bill owes money to (who happens to be the father of a wife), a private detective, a new business, teen age kids with the makings of good story lines.
Top that off with SEX, NUDITY, MONEY and the fact that the entire arrangement has to be a HUGE HUGE SECRET.
Further, I think the acting is top notch. Jeanne Tripplehorn is amazing so far. Chloe Sevigny is always good, and don’t you just hate her?
The wives personalities are very distinct, and you really get a sense of the history Bill has with each of them without them being obvious about it.
I find this show fascintating.
Also, to second something said earlier. . .I was a guy who was really bored with Rome after a few weeks, tuned out, then tuned back in after catching a couple replays and got totally hooked.
If you’re not a regular viewer of HBO shows, then you might not be as attuned to the rhythm. When you have a show with 12 different characters, and none of them are fat slob, hot mom, annoying 8 year olds, it takes a little more time and effort to get into it.
And, great theme song. The best pop love song ever written, IMO.
Trunk- I’ve been disappointed to discover that two weeks in, the only nudity is Bill Paxton’s ass.
I thought it was strange that last week, Margie was complaining about her body, how she still can’t lose those last pregnancy pounds, how she’s unhappy with how she looks, etc., then this week she’s parading around in her hoochie-mama robe with the bottom of her ass hanging out. It seemed out of character.
I’m also in the camp that is constantly nervous about the toddlers & the free access to the pool. I guess it’s because I have toddlers.
And I find it extremely unrealistic- to the point that I have trouble suspending disbelief- that all sexual trysts, at whatever time of day or night- aren’t interrupted by the kids. It’s as if the kids, including the infants & toddlers, are so well trained that they only make themselves seen and heard when it’s necessary to advance the plot, but when mommy & daddy (& mommy & mommy) want to have a conversation, they’re nonexistant.
Ah, but what the hell, I’ll keep watching. What else am I going to do at 10 pm. Sunday night?
I get the idea that the reason the yards are not landscaped is because they haven’t lived there that long. I think they’ve just moved into these houses within the last six months to a year. Hence the issues over decorating and such. Which would also explain why Margie’s house is so plain. She just hasn’t taken as much interest in decorating as the other two have, or has a more difficult time getting money from Bill.
The pool fence was missing this week, but it was there last week. It was a temporary fence. I remember because my husband thought that was a great idea.
Shoot, sorry for the double post. I forgot to add something else. My husband made another comment last night about this show. He didn’t feel like watching the usual crappy sitcoms he watches on Monday nights, because they’ve gotten so bad. He thinks it’s partly because he’s gotten used to higher quality shows such as the Sopranos, Weeds, etc. on cable channels. Even Big Love, which he’s not quite into yet, is so much higher in quality than other shows on television that he’s willing to stick with it for awhile. This made a lot of sense to me. Not only is a show like Big Love movie quality in its acting, directing, and such, it gives us something unique story-wise. These aren’t going to be your average, sitcom style problems. I think that’s what’s drawing me in and what will keep me watching.
Yellowval, now there I’m right with you. I watch next to no fictional mainstream television, not even this Lost I keep hearing about. (I think the problem is there the show has been on for a while and so much has happened, the one episode I did try to watch left me lost…I had no idea WTH was going on.) All of my favorite main channel TV shows are reality-based.
But I love me the HBO. I miss my Six Feet Under and Sex in the City!! This show struck me as odd, and it was hard to identify with the characters (as well as just figure out what on Earth is happening), but it’s sure better than anything else on TV. Still, I’m not sure it’s going to hold my attention.
I’m right there with you on the nudity thing. I’ve seen all of Bill Paxton’s ass that I need to see.
The thing with Margie is pretty easy to explain. Week one BP’s character is having ED issues. Margie thinks it’s because of her and feels fat. Week two they have wild monkey sex. Margie thinks it’s because of her and wants to show off.
I think Nicki was “sent” by Juniper Creek to help Bill and Barb when Barb was ill. I also got the impression that Roman gave Bill money to help pay for Barb’s medical care, and part of the deal was marrying Nicki. This is also why Roman feels entitled to part of Bill’s business. Bill “owes” him. Nicki is kind of a spy in the house of love. I don’t think she loves Bill or enjoys her life with the Hendricksons. Thus, she’s going to make everyone miserable.
It’s not clear to me what happened between Frank and Bill, nor why Bill was kicked out of Juniper Creek. Was Roman in on that, or was is just Frank being psycho? Maybe Roman reconciled with Bill, helped him fund his store, sent Nicki to help, and he feels Bill is being ungrateful now that he’s made it? Every villain is a hero of his story, right?
Margene moved from Colorado to Utah as a kid. After high school, she worked for Bill in his store. She was a lousy employee, so he hired her to babysit. One thing led to another, she liked being in a big old family, and Bill thought she was hot. Seems like Bill likes to marry his babysitters, since that’s what both Nicki and Margene were before becoming wives #2 and 3.
I thought Heather didn’t believe in polygamy?
They said WHY Bill was kicked out of Juniper Creek. Bill was 14 and 14 year old girls like 14 year old boys NOT 41 year old men who want to marry them.
It’s pretty common for teenage boys to be kicked out of polygamist communities for this reason.
Roman MIGHT have helped with the medical expenses for Barb, but the reason Bill pays him money is because Roman helped get his hardware store started.
Is the think about Margene moving from Colorado from the HBO site or your own speculation. (Y’allare cheating by reading the website for backstory we haven’t seen yet)
In the pilot it was stated they got Margie from Colorado.
I totally missed that. Whoa, yeah, that would do it. When do they say that? Whose wife was it?
I think it’s both. It’s like borrowing money from the Mafia. You can never really get them off your back once they’re in your business.
Cheating? :dubious: It’s from the HBO website, and it’s mentioned in Ep 3, which for some reason I have on my On Demand even though it’s not out yet.