Buy the DVD:

Big Love Season 1

Big Love is an HBO show about a Mormon fundamentalist who practices polygamy, starring a memorable cast, including Bill Paxton, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Chloë Sevigny, Ginnifer Goodwin, and Amanda Seyfried. Bill (Paxton), his first wife Barb (Tripplehorn), and their three children, Sarah (Seyfried), Ben, and Tancy, live in Sandy, Utah. Bill owns a lucrative chain of home improvement stores, while Barb is a substitute teacher. To the public, Bill, Barb, and their children are the perfect family. However, secretly they are polygamists, and Nicki and Margie, the next door neighbors, are also married to Bill.

Bill struggles to both keep his relationships a secret and keep his wives from bickering. Bill and Barb have been together a long time, and it is difficult for both of them to realize that each wife must be loved the same. Nicki, Bill’s second wife, comes from Juniper Creek, a compound owned by the prophet Roman Grant, who kicked Bill out when he was young. Nicki has difficulties adapting to life outside of the compound, and is often short-tempered towards Barb and Margie, who are new to polygamy. Margie is resented by Barb and Nicki. She is only 23 years old, and has already had two of Bill’s children, making Barb and Nicki jealous.

Meanwhile, Bill is having problems at work. Roman Grant, the Juniper Creek prophet and Nicki’s father, claims that Bill owes him money, and has resorted to vandalism and blackmail. To combat his claim, Bill pairs up with his brother, Joey, a former NFL player and alcoholic, to gain a seat on the church’s board of directors. Bill is not sure if he can trust Joey or not, and his fears are justified when Joey’s unstable wife, Wanda, poisons Roman Grant’s son and closet homosexual, Alby Grant.

Season 1 ends with Barb being named “Mother of the Year,” creating more tension between Barb, Nicki, and Margie. The day of the ceremony, they decide to unify, and support Barb as a family. However, as Barb is about to receive her award, it is revealed that she, and Bill, are polygamists. The family runs home, unsure of their future in Sandy, Utah.

Big Love is addicting from the very first episode. The characters are so diverse and intriguing, and their complex relationship is fascinating to watch. The show almost doesn’t need Roman Grant and Juniper Creek; Bill and his three wives could easily carry the show. Barb is the normal, wise mother character, Nicki’s awkwardness and irritation are hilarious, and Margie is funny. The many subplots of the series, such as Ben and Margie’s relationship and Sarah’s growing hatred of polygamy, are captivating. While sometimes it may seem like too much is going on at once, it is impossible to look away. You can almost ignore whatever part you don’t feel like watching and focus on the Henrickson family dynamics.

It is also interesting to watch polygamy from the polygamist’s point of view. In today’s culture, most polygamists are stereotyped as living on a compound and controlled by men. In Big Love, these are the people who live on Juniper Creek, and they are the bad guys. Bill and his wives live a relatively normal life. Bill is a good husband and father, and the rest of his family is fairly content in their life, with the exception of Sarah. This different perspective is what really makes Big Love an amazing show; the entire point of a TV show is to tell the story of something others don’t know or understand. Big Love not only does this, but it makes the characters likeable and relatable.

Written by: Amy Chandler

Reviewers Rating: 9
Reader's Rating: 0
Reader's Votes: 0

Rate It