Big Love "The Special Relationship" Review

Power plays and relationships dominated tonight's episode.

I don't practice the principle so maybe I just don't understand but asking one of your wives for a divorce so you can legally marry one of your other wives seems a bit insulting. Especially in a system where sister wives are constantly jockeying for position. Yet that's exactly what Bill did. Kudos to you Bill. You might want to rethink those pistols you bought the wives for Christmas.

Of course this is exactly the opening Nikki needed to make her power play to move up the sister wife hierarchy. Nikki used Barb's reluctance to submit to Bill's wishes as an excuse to accuse her of putting herself above the family. Barb even admitted she feels as though her relationship with Bill is special and with good reason. As she explained, they were a married couple for more than a decade before Bill decided to return to the principle and bring Nikki into their marriage. I think Barb has always seen Nikki as an intruder and Margy as an annoyance.

Barb gave Nikki all the ammo she needed to build a wedge between her and Bill when she confided in Nikki her desire to be one of the families priests. She has struggled all season with her calling even though she has been rebutted at every turn by people like her mother, Nikki and now Bill. My favorite part of the exchange between Barb and Nikki is when Nikki called her a "modern and libber." Nikki forcing Barb to confess this desire to Bill in the middle of a Senate session seemed very childish and right in line with Nikki's character.

Bill rebuked the idea outright as an affront to their entire belief system. Barb however is an educated woman. We are reminded of that through her interaction with the other Senate interns. As an educated woman Barb sees the injustice in a religious or any other system that places men above women. It was wonderful to see the anger growing in Barb throughout the episode as she faced roadblock after roadblock from family members. This desire for the role of priest holder and Bill's blockade against it led us to the climactic final scene. With Bill and Barb sitting on the bench where Bill had proposed more than twenty years before facing an impasse in their marriage, Barb turns to Bill and says "we have to get divorced." She didn't say that in the "so you can adopt Cara Lynn" way but in a way that says "our paths are diverging."

We already know Bill's not a great husband but he also continues to be a pretty bad politician. He struck a deal with Senator Dwyer to get funding for his Safety Net program but has to cease his publicity campaign for the principle. No one would expect Bill to see the LDS behind this deal he's struck. I mean Bill rarely sees beyond his nose and is often concocts the most short sighted big picture plans. Anyway, when Bill is called to a meeting with LDS members he's completely blindsided by the fact the LDS holds a lot of sway in the state legislature. Why would they? It's not like they're in Utah or something. Regardless, the LDS want Bill to stop using the term Mormon to describe himself or they will be forced to get the anti-polygamy bill back on the docket. Our self righteous hero will not be pushed around and basically tells the LDS "you wanna throw, then let's throw." Or something like that.

On a happier note, Alby is back at it and saying outstanding things like "you are now an Albyite." Then consumating the deal with a tall glass of milk. If you can't see how truly splendid Alby is then you were probably watching the Grammys last night. Alby wants Bill to suffer and sending Verlan to kill Don was just his first move.

So where does this leave the Henricksons and the good people of Utah. I think we're going to see Barb strike out on her own for at least a few episodes. Barb's search for her spiritual calling is one of the more interesting story lines for me. I do hope Rhonda and Verlan hang around longer just so we get more of Rhonda's crazy. Dinner time with Rhonda should be it's own show. Nikki will move in to the top spot but in true Nikki fashion she will alienate everyone including Cara Lynn. Bill going to battle with the LDS could drive him out of the public eye and towards a private battle with Alby for control of Juniper Creek. 

What do you think?