Big Love Series Finale "When Men and Mountains Meet" Review

I waited until this morning to write this review because I didn't want the emotions of the moment to dictate how I felt about the Big Love series finale. I wanted to take moment think about what had transpired and give my honest opinion. The funny thing is not much has changed in the twelve hours since I forever left the Henricksons behind me. I was left with a ton of disappointment, huge questions and the general feeling of being cheated. Maybe the feeling of disappointment and loss is just the nature of finales but I think there was much more at work here.


There's an inherent issue shows face with finales. It is the only time they are faced with the finality of what they are doing. I'm not talking about the fact that it's going away but finality in that the choices they make can never be altered or addressed again. If you take your characters in a direction or make choices you're unhappy with in a season finale, you can fix it before the opening credits role on the new season. Hell, Dallas erased an entire season by writing it off as a dream. But the choices you make in your series finale will live with that show forever. BJ will always tell Hawkeye goodbye in his own way.  Jerry, Elaine, George and Kramer will never not go to jail. Tony will always play Journey in the cafe. Good, bad or ambivalent these are the images we'll forever be left with.


These images and resolutions or the lack there of, make up the core of the issues I have with the Big Love finale. I felt like in many ways the writers/producers took the lazy or easy way out. They spent an entire season building tensions within the family, the government and the community only to take the easy rout by killing Bill. But before we discuss how the death of Bill was the laziest of all solutions for the series' creators, let's talk about the good and bad of the events leading up to Bill's fateful end.


Barb's resolve to seek out a church that would allow her to become a priest holder has been an essential part of this season. Even though her marriage was fractured and her family disintegrating around her the one thing Barb had to cling to was her faith and her calling to the priesthood. For those of us who are Barb fans, this was the light out of the tunnel of darkness Bill had taken them through. It was exciting to see her continuing down the path of joining the reformed church even though it was causing a greater chasm in her relationship with Bill. At this point, Bill had become far removed from the outcast of Juniper Creek seeking to reform the principle. He had become a self righteous blow hard, who was difficult to like and much more difficult to root for. The terrific scene in which he moves out of Barb's house should have been the final straw for that relationship. If Barb had completely broken with the family at that point, I think we all would have been happier.


The maturation of Margene was another key element to the final season. She had finally had a taste of the outside world and found there was a place for her beyond the walls of the Henrickson's home. I don't think the show ever really painted her as a devout Mormon but she did have a charitable heart and the desire to reach out to those in need. Therefore, her desire seek a mission to those less fortunate seemed like a natural progression for her character. My only question would have been her willingness to leave her three children to be be raised by her sister wives. A question Nicki was quick to ask, although in a selfish Nicki manner. We saw the completion of Margene's maturation process when she finally stood up to Nicki about her desire to go on a mission. She knows her responsibilities at home will prevent her from going but Nicki has no right to call her hopes and dreams ridiculous.


If the second half of the finale had kept the same tone and trajectory as the first half then we may be talking about one of the great finales in television history. The climax of the series was Bill's speech on the floor of the State Senate. The speech at it's climatic moment actually gave me chills. This only goes to show how powerful Bill's character and Big Love itself could be when everything was right. I was sure we they were going to use the momentum of that moment to propel us to a great and satisfying ending. Instead the writers used Bill's outstanding speech to the state assembly as a launching point to resolve the family's issues with the least possible resistance.


From that moment on, we saw the characters we've spent five years getting to know start to do thing completely out of line with who they are. The writers tried to soften Nicki to harbor compassion from the audience. A softening that seemed to happen out of nowhere. Wouldn't Nicki have been more interesting and real if the cracks forming in the family had only hardened her resolve to be the lead sister wife? Instead we were left with a character in flux who we aren't sure how to take. Barb, who had spent the entire season chasing her calling, finally reaches her moment to step outside the family and create her own path and she does a 180 without any real reason. The lame "my family is here" reasoning didn't hold water. She had gone down this path on her own without there support and with the knowledge that it might ultimately lead to her separation from them. I found it incredibly unbelievable that she would get cold fee at that moment.


Now let's talk about Bill's death, why it was a lazy solution and the problems it causes. The writers spent an entire season building story lines including the reformation of the compounds, the fracturing of the Henricksons, Barb's calling and the ascension of Nicki as the head of the Henrickson sister wives and the writers decided to cheat us of any resolutions by killing off Bill. At the time of Bill's death, not a single plot line we had been following had been resolved. Barb still sought to become a priest holder, polygamy was still illegal, the compound rife with corruption and Bill was still facing felony charges. So instead of facing the struggle still ahead for the Henricksons the writers/producers decided let's kill Bill jump ahead a year and the audience will assume everything was resolved. Except, what they really did is open up a whole new set of questions. The only thing this really resolved was the rape charges. You can't put a dead man in jail. But are we supposed to believe that Bill's death solved the problems between the sister wives? Don't you think Nicki being in charge of things actually created more problems? Are we to believe the fundamentalist polygamist sects who had come to Bill's church were now going to accept a woman, Barb as a priest holder? I guess Bill dying made it OK with Heather that Ben slept with Rhonda because it sure as hell wasn't that hokey ass star thing. Apparently, Bill being gone made it easier on the family for Margene to leave whenever she wanted on missions.

Ultimately, the ending left too much unresolved and a bad taste in my mouth. I'm not going to argue with whether or not Bill deserved to die. By the end of the series I wanted him and Nicki to die together in a fiery car crash. I just thought the way it was done was a big cop out instead of having to address the issues still facing the family and the series.

Final Random Thoughts:

• That was a sweet fem mullet Barb grew after becoming a priest.
• Teeny was and still is the dumbest name on television.
• I guess your husband dying gives you a license to cut your hair like a 6 year old boy.
• What happens when one of the wives finds a new husband?
• What in Carl's character even hinted that he was capable of shooting someone? He was a coward for most of the series.
• This episode only strengthened my resolve to never re-sod my neighbors lawn.
• Every week Barb was surprising me with her musical selections.
• With everything going on with her daughter was it too much to ask to have a final scene with Ellen Burstyn?

Big Love "Exorcism" Review

So, it's clear how the show is going to end now, right? Not exactly. A few items were cleaned up in this second to last episode but there are still heavy shoes yet to fall. The family is hanging together by tattered threads. The law is protecting them while waiting to knock on the door to take Bill away. And even with dementia Lois isn't as nutty as Crazy Rhonda.

I had to go and check the retrospective special they ran earlier in the night to make sure I didn't miss part of tonight's episode. It felt like we were joining a regularly scheduled program already in progress by the way things started. Then again, I thought the entire episode jumped around and lacked any flow.

I'm starting to think they've decided to make Bill as despicable as possible so that when he goes off to prison, we don't feel as bad for him. Now, I don't think that's really what is going to happen but it was a thought I had tonight. I do however think he and Nicki should ride off into the sunset together and change their last names to the Despicables. What she did to Cara Lynn tonight, both trying to send her off to boarding school and the things she told her in her bedroom was beyond awful. I wasn't much of a Nicki fan to begin with but after today I wish Cara Lynn had thrown her into the fire. Nicki has been on a similar arc as Bill. With each episode the writers find a way to make you dislike them more. She's always been selfish and insecure but now that she's legally married to Bill she insufferably self important as well. Her calling Bill to tell on Barb for going to a new church was not only an awful technical transition but an unforgivable betrayal of trust between the sister wives.

There is nothing I want more from the finale than to see Barb get out of this oppressive environment she's found herself in. She was dead on with her criticism of Bill's uncompromising stance. His lack of willingness to see any one's point of view aside from his own has put their lives, their business and his marriage Barb in danger. His passive aggressive attack on Barb's loyalty and character at Juniper Creek should have been the final straw. I want Barb to find her calling and if Bill isn't willing to accept her then maybe he needs to take a look at his own issues. Maybe I'm alone here but I find Bill to be a very hypocritical man. He puts himself and his agenda above all else. I've never felt like he was following a pat God set before him but rather using God's Will as a tool to create his own path.

The end of the Alby saga was a disappointment. They could have had much greater drama and tension in those final scenes if they hadn't tried to cram so much into the episode. You knew Bill wasn't going to kill Alby and you never feared that Margene had been hit. It was just a very anticlimactic ending to a great rivalry.

There's not much to say about Margene this week. She cried a lot and actually seemed to digress as a character. Her giving up her Goji business seemed a bit abrupt and Pam's declaration that she and Carl were separated was odd. If there was anything to take from Margene tonight it would be the writers setting up the possibility of her leaving on a mission.

I see Ben is walking directly in his fathers footsteps by compounding stupid decisions with more stupid decisions. OK you slept with Crazy Rhonda. If you weren't dumber than a bag of bricks you would have kept Heather away from the house until Rhonda was gone. Then when she does find out about you two, your first instinct is to go to the "I can have you both" card? Wow, I take back all the things I said about you last week. Just stick to playing your corny songs on the piano with your little brothers. That's probably as complicated a task as you can handle.

So where are we going? I'm not sure. With Alby out of the picture, my excitement for the finale has been tempered. Obviously, Bill is going to be arrested at some point. He's going to have a big grand standing moment in the senate and ultimately it will all come crumbling down. I still think he ends up back on the compound with Nicki. Barb will seek out her calling as a priest holder and Margene will experience the world on a mission. That's my prediction and I'm sticking to it. Partially because that's what I want to happen and partially because I just don't see another logical ending. I'm probably completely wrong. It'll probably end with Cara Lynn killing Margene. Bill and Barb remarrying and Nicki becoming a liberal rights lesbian. Who knows.

Random Notes:

• I found it extremely difficult to believe Barb would be with Nicki and Margene delivering food to Bill at the State House.
• I'm guessing Amanda Seyfried returns next week as Bill faces trial.
• I guess statutory rape is the in crime this year. Big Love and Californication both with their protagonists on trial for this crime.
• As much as I dislike Bill, I'm going to miss this show next year.

Big Love "The Noose Tightens" Review

If you haven't been watching Big Love this season, first I don't know why you're reading this review and secondly you need to fix that mistake. So much for the methodical pace the show had been taking towards it's end. This week the Henricksons faced complete and total disintegration of everything holding the family together. Every storyline we had been following for seven episodes reached their tipping points tonight.

I've been pulling for Don to give Bill a big middle finger for a while now. He has lost nearly everything good in his life as a result of being loyal to his business partner. His wives have left, his time with his kids is limited and now his mental and physical health have been compromised because of the stress brought on by Bill's public life. Why would he continue to back this guy? Isn't this the same man that asked him to take the fall for Home Plus' insurance scandal? Admittedly, I didn't expect don to sell out to the guy who tried to kill him but hey when he's offering more than twice market value, maybe you forgive a little.

The financial well being of the Henricksons is a secondary concern at this point with both Bill and Barb facing charges of statutory rape and procuring. The DA plans to build their case around testimony from Margene. Bill and Barb would have been fine if Margene would have stuck to the plan and given the authorities nothing to build the case around but in true Margene fashion she cracked under the pressure and started blabbing like a five year old with a secret. I kind of had a feeling Barb was going to dragged into the investigation based on Margene's speech at the youth rally. What I'm not exactly thrilled about is how the other wives have turned on her and her role in all this. Nicki and Margene's assertion that bringing more wives into the fold was somehow Barb's doing seemed completely out of left field. Unless I'm forgetting key moments of Anna's courtship. Nice comeback on Barb's part throwing the secret resealing back at them. I'm still having trouble understanding why Barb is still hanging around though. Her marriage is broken. Her kids are all but grown and the other sister wives are throwing her under the bus. Where is her motivation for sticking by the family? Bill's genes suggest a willingness to cast out the wife who steps out of line. Nicki's insistence on getting her own lawyer was a bit puzzling. Even though she has gotten everything she has wanted lately she is still singing the poor mistreated outcast tune. I've turned on Nicki this season. Although I find her character infinitely more interesting, I find her far less likable. Her selfishness, rudeness and general ignorance though always there have just rubbed me the wrong way this season.

I've been pretty adamant in my apathy towards the Cara Lynn/Mr. Ivey storyline this season. I haven't seen the point of taking away screen time for what seems like a rehashed plot. We got a nice return on our suffering this week though. The first fireworks came when Margene found out about the relationship and Cara Lynn turned to Ben for help. Ben has been a general dud all season. I don't blame him. How is he supposed to recover from the Greenes in Mexico fiasco from last season. Anyway, I thought his confrontation with Nicki was his best scene of the entire series. His willingness to stand up to her finally revealed the maturity and spine long time fans had wondered if he'd ever have. Following Ben questioning Nicki's mothering ability we were treated to another terrifically explosive scene when Nicki took Cara Lynn to break things off with Mr. Ivey. You saw all the frustration and pain Nicki endured from being a child bride herself explode into a fit of rage at Greg. She couldn't change what had happened to her but she was damn well not going to let her daughter follow that same path, at least not right now. I still think Cara Lynn's story ends with her running off with Greg to be married. She's harboring ill will towards Nicki for the death of her father and her defiance is only growing more bold. Of course, if Nicki doesn't survive Alby this will all be moot.

Before we talk about Alby's actions tonight can we just address the elephant in the room? Aside from Solonius on Spartacus, Alby has by far the best haircut on television. His pompadour is outstanding. Now Roman's cowboy hat was more fitting with a compound prophet but Alby's do perfectly fits his Albyness. OK now that we've addressed that let's talk about what Alby's up to. I love his attempt to sink Bill through the back door. What better way to destroy Bill than from the inside? Bill should know by now that trying to get Alby to back down by threatening him only leads to Alby going to greater extremes. Bill threatening to expose Alby's "tendencies" and past transgressions was all the excuse Alby needed to call in a hit on Bill. Alby should be better at hiring his assassins though. Don't hire the guy who just botched offing Don to shoot Bill. Verlan may be a damn fine guy to watch undress but he's proven to be a failure at killing folks. Pretty bold of him to ask for a raise after failing his first attempt at being an assassin. Crazy Rhonda and their baby's got to eat though.

Nicki's brashness and lack of tact got the best of her once more. After learning of Alby's plans to kill Bill she verbally assaults her brother with insults and threats. As we've already discussed, AlbyAlby loves his sister but not even she is immune to his wrath. Nicki kneeling before a five foot grave with a gun to her head is a testament to how fed up Alby is with her and the Henricksons. Fortunately for her, Nicki is the one person in the world Alby does truly love and makes Verlan pay for exposing his plan to kill Bill. Poor Verlan, it's all fun and games being Alby's boy toy until he tires of you and buries you in a shallow grave on the compound. The final image we are left with is Nicki standing on the Henrickson's back port dazed in a filthy prairie dress.

So where are we going in the final two episodes? I think the law closing in and an ultimate battle with Alby all point to Bill and Nicki returning to Juniper Creek with Bill taking his grandfather's former position as the compound's prophet. Even with Bill offering to resign his senate seat the DA is still moving forward with prosecuting him. Alby, I believe ends up dead at the hands of Nicki or Adaleen. There was a little clue in this episode when Alby tells Verlan that no crime committed on the compound has ever been convicted. I think the final unprosecuted crime is the murder of Alby and his glorious hair. I'm conflicted about Barb. I want her to get away from Bill but I'm now concerned that procuring charges may force her to an unfulfilled existence on the compound as well. I can't see Margene ending up with them though. She is completely different from the other wives. She has matured since becoming a part of the Henricksons and now sees there are things in life she can only have outside the family.

Random Notes:

• I found the occult thing bizarre but more than that it was resolved awfully quickly and without satisfaction.
• What is Grant Show's role in all of this? Is he just working as a LDS agent to break apart the Henricksons?
• I found the visit from the other Senator interesting towards the end of the episode telling Bill to continue fighting. 
• If you ever have a secret do not say anything around Heather. That girl is nothing but trouble.
• If Carl and Pam were swallowed by an earth quake, I wouldn't care and neither would you.
• I hope Nicki never "rescues" me from anything.

Big Love "D.I.V.O.R.C.E." Review

"Are you and Renee Clayton being lesbians together?" Nancy Davis Dutton

I have no reason for starting this review with that quote except that it made me laugh out loud. The real stars of this week's episode "D.I.V.O.R.C.E." were Jeanne Tripplehorn and the disintegrating relationships in the Henrickson house hold. Seriously, if Tripplehorn isn't nominated for an Emmy for her performance this season it will be a terrible oversight. She and the writing for her character have been outstanding this season.

Poor Barb can't win for losing. When she's squarely in the Henrickson polygamy camp her mother and sister won't have anything to do with her. Now that things are falling apart they are coming after her because she has formed a relationship with a "radical" free thinker like Renee Clayton. I can't think of a worse place to be than in a room with Nicki and Bill on one side and Nancy on the other. I love what Barb is doing. I think long time fans of the show have been dying for her to finally tell Bill what he can do with half the bullshit he puts her through. And very smart of Barb not to trust Nicki with her financial welfare. Barb has always been written as the most level headed, intelligent character on the show. Those attributes are a big reason fans are so happy to see her making her own way.

Was there a less surprising turn than Nicki getting drunk on power. She's gonna make sure everyone knows it's her time and she's now BWOC (Big Wife on Compound). She isn't going to let poor Margene do anything, ever. Especially if it involves a scandalous song like "Bridge Over Troubled Water." I don't think she liked the reworked divorce agreement and pre-nup too much. I did thoroughly enjoy her "right now I want to punch you in the face." I'm a big proponent of telling people you want to punch them in the face so that was right in my wheelhouse.

That Ben is quite the chip off the ol' block isn't he? He's turned out to be quite the little know it all prick. Can't we just trade him in for half a season of Amanda Seyfried? I'm about as disinterested in Ben as Barb and Bill were in his "How to Problem Solve a Marriage" literature. Good decision going after Crazy Rhonda, that doesn't have the potential to blow up in your face. At least we know he gets his poor decision making honest. By the way, what kind of crazy strip clubs are they running in Utah? I've been to my share of those places but I've never seen one that lets the strippers sing their own songs. I'm kind of intrigued now.

I can't decide if the Lois and Frank scenes were the sweetest, saddest or scariest shit I've ever seen. I kept waiting for Lois to chop his head off or for Frank to strangle her deranged ass. There's got to be a murder suicide on the horizon for these two.

How little do I care about the Cara Lynn and her teacher stuff? I didn't even realize the two of them had kissed last week. It's the final five episodes of the final season. I don't need new characters and their story lines taking away from the great stuff going on inside the Henrickson household or from great established characters like Alby.

Speaking of Alby, he has got to have the most finely tuned gaydar on the planet. He never misses. I would not want to be Verlain and having to pay Alby back for a poorly executed job with "favors." The scene with Bill, Don and Alby didn't measure up and really seemed forced and out of place.

So where are we headed. Judging from the previews, things really start to heat up with Alby. Just as I predicted it appears Bill is making a power play with Juniper Creek. Things can get ugly in a hurry with Alby and his gang of Hummer jockeys. I want to see Barb continue her journey of self realization. Bill can either get on board or be stuck dealing with Nicki all by himself. Margene must have been a big Melrose Place fan because she's got it bad for Grant Show and you know he naive ass is going to find herself putting everything in jeopardy again chasing her lusts.

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?