Channel Surfing: More on Party Down Cancellation, NBC Dumps Persons Unknown on Sats, Weeds, Big Love, and More

Welcome to your Thursday morning television briefing.

Following yesterday's brutal cancellation of Party Down, Hitfix's Alan Sepinwall talks to Party Down executive producer Rob Thomas about the cancellation of the Starz comedy. "No one on our side is particularly shocked by the news," Thomas told Sepinwall about the cancellation. "Frankly, the waiting has been excruciating, and there's a certain amount of relief in knowing and being able to move on." Thomas indicated that the series was heading towards a third season renewal before newly installed entertainment czar Chris Albrecht was brought in. "There's little to no doubt that we were going to get one until Chris came in," said Thomas. "But I do think if we had done better numbers, Chris would've kept us. I don't think Chris wanted to come in and clean house. I just don't think he had quite the emotional attachment that people who had been at Starz through the birth of the show had towards it." (Hitfix)

E! Online's Kristin Dos Santos also spoke briefly with Rob Thomas about the Party Down cancellation and learned that he's working on a new project. "I'm writing a drama pilot set in the world of corporate espionage for Showtime," Thomas told Dos Santos yesterday. [Editor: of course, that came out when Dos Santos asked Thomas about what was happening with a Veronica Mars feature film, so Neptune fans, I wouldn't keep holding our breaths on that one.] (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

If you're one of the few tuning in to NBC's serialized thriller, don't get too attached to watching Persons Unknown on Mondays. The Futon Critic is reporting that NBC is shifting Persons to Saturday evenings at 8 pm ET/PT beginning July 17th. Mondays will now how repeats of America's Got Talent at 8 pm, new episodes of Last Comic Standing at 9 pm, and Dateline at 10 pm. Persons Unknown will air its final Monday airing on July 5th. (Futon Critic)

SPOILER! Looking for some dirt on Showtime's Weeds, which returns August 16th? TV Guide Magazine's Will Keck talks to Weeds' Hunt Parrish about the sixth season, which finds the Botwins on the run. "Nancy would never leave her family behind so we're all on the run together. We pick up and move states. It's cool to see this family outside of their world," said Parrish. "We've only had one consistent set in the nine out of thirteen episodes we've shot so far [the Bowtin's RV]. We're filming on location a lot." Look for Nancy to move from pot into the hash business as well. (TV Guide Magazine)

ANOTHER SPOILER? Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello has some dish on the fifth season of HBO's Big Love. "The new season starts shooting July 13, and based on some fresh casting intel, we’ll be seeing a lotta fallout from the Henricksons’ 'outing' as polygamists’, especially at the elementary school some of the kids attend," writes Ausiello. "Maybe Bill will find a sympathetic ear in Richard Dwyer, the Majority Leader of the Utah State Senate and a new recurring character? On second thought, not likely, eh?" (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

The CW has announced its plans for fall, unveiling its autumn launch dates for new and returning series. Up first: America's Next Top Model, kicking off on Wednesday, September 8th, along with new drama Hellcats. The Vampire Diaries and Nikita kick off on Thursday, September 9th. 90210 and Gossip Girl return September 13th, One Tree Hill and Life Unexpected launch on Tuesday, September 14th, and Smallville and Supernatural return to the schedule on Friday, September 24th. (Variety)

SPOILER! TV Guide Magazine's Will Keck is reporting that Harriet Sansom Harris (Frasier) will reprise her role as Felicia Tilman on ABC's Desperate Housewives next season as part of the return of Mark Moses' character Paul to the series. "We are definitely going to show Harriet on the show," an unnamed source confirmed to Keck. "We will be using her to clarify how Paul got out of jail." Felicia, after all, had faked her own death in order to point the finger of suspicion on Paul as revenge for Paul's murder of her sister, Martha Huber. "I had lunch with (series creator) Mark Cherry who gave me an idea of some of the fun stuff he wants Paul to do," Moses told Keck. "It's going to be a great run and very interesting to see which of the housewives still think Paul's guilty and which won't. And just why is he coming back to Wisteria Lane?" (TV Guide Magazine)

Heidi Klum and reality shingle LMNO Productions have teamed up to produce family reality series Seriously Funny Kids, which will, per Variety's Michael Schneider, "go on location to where the kids are and document their reactions to various scenarios." Project will be pitched to networks very soon. (Variety)

E! Online's Megan Masters talks to Bristol Palin about her guest role on ABC Family's Secret Life of the American Teenager. "I was excited to work with the cast and just to contribute to this show's message," Palin told E! Online's Masters. "I feel obligated [to speak out] because I've lived through this experience...the more I talk about it and the more I can be hands on about it, the better I feel about myself...'m not an actress. I'll leave that up to the experts, but I had a great time here. I don't think I'll be doing any more acting in the future." (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared are coming back to television. Well, sort of. IFC has acquired syndication rights for the series, from executive producer Judd Apatow, and will begin airing Freaks and Geeks this Friday at 11 pm ET/PT (along with repeats on Sundays at 10 pm and Mondays at 11 pm), while Undeclared will bow in the fall. (IFC will also air a never-been-aired episode of Undeclared.) (Variety)

Following a successful grassroots campaign waged on Facebook, Travel Channel has saved reality series Three Sheets. The travel series, which follows Zane Lamprey on a beer quest, will shift from the now defunct Fine Living (which morphed into Cooking Channel) to Travel, which has acquired all back episodes and will begin screening new episodes as well. (Hollywood Reporter)

Sundance Channel has hired former Travel Channel executive Michael Klein as SVP of original programming and development. He'll report to Sarah Barnett and be based out of New York. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: "24" to End, Kiefer Sutherland Speaks, ChloeGate at "Big Love," Elizabeth Mitchell Talks "V" Return, and More

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing.

It's official: the clock has run out on FOX's serialized drama series 24. On Friday, FOX announced that Day Eight of 24 would be the series' last, with a two-hour series finale planned for Monday, May 24th. "This has been the role of a lifetime, and I will never be able to fully express my appreciation to everyone who made it possible," said Kiefer Sutherland in a statement. "While the end of the series is bittersweet, we always wanted 24 to finish on a high note, so the decision to make the eighth season our last was one we all agreed upon. This feels like the culmination of all our efforts from the writers to the actors to our fantastic crew and everyone at Fox. Looking ahead to the future, Howard Gordon and I are excited about the opportunity to create the feature film version of 24. But when all is said and done, it is the loyal worldwide fan base that made it possible for me to have the experience of playing the role of Jack Bauer, and for that I am eternally grateful." By the time that 24 ends its run in May, the 20th Century Fox Television-produced series will have aired 194 episodes, earning it a spot among the longest running action series on television. (via press release)

Los Angeles Times' Denise Martin and Maria Elena Fernandez, meanwhile, had interviews with Kiefer Sutherland and executive producer Howard Gordon about the 24 cancellation. "Everyone concurs that we want the show to end as close to peak form as possible," Gordon told the LA Times."If they said tomorrow that you have a ninth season, it's not something we'd be up for because we realize Jack's story in the real-time format has been told. Jack is a wonderful character who can live past the 24 real-time franchise. As far as doing this high wire act...this is far as we can take it." Fans can take comfort in that the final episodes are leading up to a heart-stopping finale. "What I do like about the ending and what I can say about it is that it's very definitive about where Jack is going to end up," said Sutherland. "It can be perceived as a cliffhanger on some level, but there's no questioning his options. That's something we've never been able to do in the context of this series." (Los Angeles Times' Show Tracker)

Elsewhere, Variety's Michael Schneider has a Q&A with Sutherland. "Billy Ray is in the process of writing it right now," said Sutherland about the 24 feature film. "I'm very excited about the idea. He's a fantastic writer. I know he's been working with Howard recently. I'm very excited about the opportunity, and singularly because it's a two-hour representation of a 24-hour day. So for the first time, it will be very feasible in this 24 hours to go from England to Russia, or from China to Japan, depending on where they choose to set it. Before on the TV show, the crisis had to come to us, because the best we could do was get across town. And the two times we ever put Jack Bauer in a plane, it just didn't work." While, across town, the Hollywood Reporter's James Hibberd offered a Q&A with executive producer Goward Gordon, who said the film could be released "as early as next year depending on how things come together." (Variety, Hollywood Reporter)

And The New York Times' Mike Hale takes a look at whether 24 was a victim of its own success... and its reliable formatting: "It’s essentially a superhero cartoon with a topical overlay, a cartoon that was well done from the start but was so rigidly formatted that it had no way to grow... It was the demands of the format that doomed the show (though eight seasons is nothing to cry about). Repetition set in early, there was a limited stock of villains and it was impossible to up the ante on destructive threats, or absurdly byzantine conspiracies, year after year." (New York Times)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello had an interview with Big Love's Chloe Sevigny, in which the Golden Globe winner expressed regret for her comments about the HBO drama series' fourth season, which she had called "awful" in a recent interview. "I feel pretty terrible," Sevigny told Ausiello. "I feel like what I said was taken out of context, and the [reporter] I was speaking to was provoking me. I was in Austin [at the SXSW festival] and really exhausted and doing a press junket and I think I just… I wasn’t thinking about what I was saying. You know, after a day of junkets sometimes things slip out that you don’t mean, and I obviously didn’t mean what I said in any way, shape, or form. I love being on the show. I have nothing but respect and admiration for our writers and everybody involved with the show. It’s been the greatest opportunity of my lifetime so far — the best role I’ve ever played, the best part I’ve ever had the opportunity to portray. So I love the show. I think it’s the greatest show on television. I think it’s the weirdest show. I think it is very complex and the content is amazing and it’s just very ironic that this statement would come out and blow so out of control. Because I feel absolutely the opposite. It is difficult being on a show for several seasons and having no control and having things go in different directions where you didn’t think they would go. But that’s also the most exciting part [because] they keep the character really fresh and there’s new scenarios that they come up with." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

[Editor: The Onion's A.V. Club writer Sean O'Neil, meanwhile, hit back at Sevigny, issuing audio from the interview itself, which can be heard here.]

TVGuide.com's Natalie Abrams has an interview with V's Elizabeth Mitchell about what's coming up on the ABC sci-fi series when it returns tomorrow and hints that Erica will have a lot of violence in her future. "I think as long as her son is safe, she's kind of cool as far as all the stuff with Tyler goes," said Mitchell. "She really didn't seem to mind too much that he had a girl in [his room]. She just wants him to be physically safe and he's not obviously. He's in great jeopardy; she just doesn't know it yet. Hopefully, she will be finding out more and more. Obviously, that will lead to a great deal of violence." (TVGuide.com)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Mayim Bialik (The Secret Life of the American Teenager) will guest star--and possibly recur--on CBS' The Big Bang Theory, where she will play a love interest for Jim Parson's Sheldon, whom he meets on an online matchmaking site and is described as "the female version of Jim Parson's theoretical physicist." She's set to appear in the season finale, which airs May 24th, and could return next season. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Pilot casting updates: Christine Woods (FlashForward) has landed the female lead in NBC comedy pilot Perfect Couples; Teri Polo (The Wedding Bells) has joined the cast of TBS' hour-long period comedy pilot Glory Daze; Jason Wiles (Persons Unknown) has been cast in ABC drama pilot Boston's Finest; Jayne Houdyshell (Conviction) and Joe Nunez (Prison Break) will star opposite Will Arnett and Keri Russell in Mitch Hurwitz and Arnett's FOX comedy pilot Wilde Kingdom; Vinnie Jones (Chuck) has been cast in a potential recurring role in NBC vigilante drama pilot The Cape (also cast: Ryan Wynott and Martin Klebba); Gabriel Morales (The Perfect Game) has come on board ABC comedy pilot It Takes a Village; Tessa Thompson (Veronica Mars) has joined the cast of supernatural drama Betwixt; Amber Seyer has been cast in Amy Sherman-Palladino's untitled Wyoming drama project; Gabriella Wright (The Tudors) has landed a role in espionage drama Nomads; and Matt Barr (Harper's Island) has been cast in drama pilot Hellcats. (Hollywood Reporter)

David James Elliot (JAG) has replaced Desperate Housewives' Neal McDonough in ABC drama series Scoundrels, which launches in June. No immediate reason was given for McDonough's departure from the series, which is based on Kiwi drama series Outrageous Fortune. (Futon Critic)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that former ER star Eriq La Salle has been cast in the final two episodes of FOX's 24, where he will play "the charming and regal UN Secretary General." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Fresh off his season-long arc on FX's Damages, Martin Short has signed on to star opposite David Krumholtz's on FOX comedy pilot Tax Man, in which he'll play Mike Babbit, the IRS Fresno office's obnoxiously loud boss. (Hollywood Reporter)

ABC has finally announced a launch date for the Alyssa Milano-led romantic comedy Romantically Challenged, which will launch April 12th at 9:30 pm ET/PT, right after a 90-minute installment of Dancing with the Stars. Six episodes have been completed of the series, which was created by Ricky Blitt. Elsewhere, FOX announced that Glee will return on April 13th at 9:28 pm ET/PT, following an episode of American Idol. (Variety)

FOX has ordered a pilot for an untitled Jamie Foxx-created sketch comedy show that will be executive produced by MadTV's Fax Bahr and Adam Small and will star Affion Crockett. Project hails from Fox Television Studios and Sony Pictures Television-based Tantamount. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.

Channel Surfing: Alan Cumming Upped to Regular on "Good Wife," "Scrubs" Dead, Jane Lynch Talks "Glee," More "Ricky Gervais Show," "Big Love," and More

Welcome your Wednesday morning television briefing.

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Alan Cumming has been promoted to series regular on Season Two of CBS' The Good Wife. Cumming, who joined the cast of the legal drama last month, will reprise his role as Eli Gold (described as "a sharp-tongued reputation rehabilitator working with Chris Noth’s disgraced politician") as a series regular next season. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Looks like Scrubs is done. At least according to former series star Zach Braff, who posted a message on Facebook indicating that the ABC medical comedy series would not be resuscitated next season. "Many of you have asked, so here it is," wrote Braff. "It appears that New Scrubs, Scrubs 2.0, Scrubs with new kids, Scrubbier, Scrubs without JD is no more. It was worth a try, but alas... it didn't work." ABC refused to comment on the possible cancellation, though series creator Bill Lawrence told E! Online's Megan Masters that Scrubs "hasn't been canceled [but], we're all just assuming it's over." (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

TVGuide.com's Natalie Abrams interviews Jane Lynch about what's coming up on FOX's musical-comedy series Glee. "She's just always trying to hurt somebody," Lynch said of Sue Sylvester. "She always has a moment of "I will get that glee club." It's more of the same, but I think she's a little more desperate. Mercedes [Amber Riley] and Kurt [Chris Colfer] defect and come over to the cheerios; they stay on glee, but I give them solos, so they prefer me. I'm trying to break it up anyway I can." (TVGuide.com)

Could it be that Karl Pilkington's round head has bowled over executives at HBO? The pay cabler has ordered a second season of animated comedy The Ricky Gervais Show, set to air next year. "With this second series we would have already done as many episodes as The Office and Extras put together," said Gervais. "This can run and run as long as Karl remains a global village idiot." UK residents, take note: Channel 4 will launch the series on April 23rd. (Hollywood Reporter, BBC News)

The Onion's A.V. Club has a new interview with Big Love's Chloe Sevigny, where she slams the HBO drama series' latest season. "It was awful this season, as far as I’m concerned," Sevigny told A.V. Club. "I’m not allowed to say that! [Gasps.] It was very telenovela. I feel like it kind of got away from itself. The whole political campaign seemed to me very far-fetched. I mean, I love the show, I love my character, I love the writing, but I felt like they were really pushing it this last season. And with nine episodes, I think they were just squishing too much in. HBO only gave us nine Sundays, because they have so much other original programming—especially with The Pacific—and they only have a certain amount of Sundays per year, so we only got nine Sundays. I think that they had more story than episodes. I think that’s what happened." (The Onion's A.V. Club)

Kevin Kline will star in an untitled HBO drama pilot about a disgraced doctor who emerges from prison after serving a fifteen-year sentence for murdering his mistress and attempts to get his life back on track. Project will be written by David Auburn, who will executive produce with Klein, Gavin Polone, and Judy Hofflund. (Variety)

Pilot casting update: Jennifer Beals (Lie to Me) will star opposite Jason Clarke in Shawn Ryan's FOX cop drama pilot Ride-along, where she will play Teresa Colvin, Chicago's first female police chief; John Larroquette (Boston Legal) will star opposite Jason Isaacs in FOX legal drama pilot Pleading Guilty, will play a managing partner at the firm where Isaac's Mack--a former cop turned lawyer--works; and Keith David (Death at a Furneral) will star opposite David Lyons in Tom Wheeler's NBC vigilante drama pilot The Cape, where he will play a criminal mastermind who becomes the mentor to Lyon's Vince. (Hollywood Reporter)

IFC has announced that it has ordered ten half-hour episodes of Onion News Network, which it will launch in early 2011, as well as comedy-mystery series Death Comes to Town, featuring the Kids in the Hall comedy troupe. Network also announced that it had acquired the five-episode British zombie horror-comedy Dead Set, written by Charlie Brooker, that will launch in October and will launch its co-produced comedy The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret, which stars Will Arnett and David Cross, this fall. (Variety)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Judy Greer (Archer) will guest star in an upcoming episode of CBS' The Big Bang Theory, where she will play a famous physicist who spends the night at Sheldon's apartment. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage's Fake Empire has its first employee as Warner Bros. Television executive Leonard Goldstein has been hired as the head of television for the new WBTV-based shingle. Goldstein will remain with the studio until the end of pilot season, at which time he'll move to Fake Empire full-time. "He's one of the few people who can give me bad news or big notes, and I still like him," Schwartz told Variety. "I floated the idea (of partnering) a few years ago, but it's all about timing. He knew what Stephanie and I had planned, and the timing was finally right." (Hollywood Reporter, Variety)

NBC is said to be developing a flash mob reality competition series with 3 Ball Entertainment, who are themselves in talks with Paula Abdul and Kenny Ortega. But don't assume this is a standard flash mob show. "This is way beyond that," a source told The Wrap's Josef Adalian. "This is enormous dance performance, far beyond what you'd expect to be able to do on television." (The Wrap's TVMoJoe, Variety)

ABC has ordered roughly seven or eight episodes of reality medical series Boston Med, which will feature the staffers and patients of three different hospitals in Boston. Series, which features the first televised face transplants, will air this summer and is expected to be given Grey's Anatomy's Thursdays at 9 pm ET/PT timeslot. (Variety)

TV Guide Magazine's Will Keck is reporting that Vampire Diaries fans will be able to get a teaser for future plotlines by making a phone call to a mysterious number, the same number that will appear on screen this week on Thursday evening's episode. (TV Guide Magazine)

FOX has confirmed that comedy series 'Til Death will not be returning for a fifth season. (Variety)

RDF USA has restructured its West Coast office under inbound chief creative officer Natalka Znak, with development and current programming duties being split among executives. Claire O'Donohoe will serve as EVP of current while Mike Duffy will handle development as EVP, with both reporting into Znak. (Variety)

In other executive news, Gordon Ramsay has opened a Santa Monica office for his One Potato Two Potato production company, which will be headed up by Adelina Ramage Rooney. The company's first US project will be FOX's upcoming Master Chef, which it co-produces with Reveille and Shine. (Variety)

Finally, Sue Norton has been hired as SVP of television for Lonely Planet at BBC Worldwide Prods. She's been tasked with broadening the presence of Lonely Planet on television and digital platforms. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

The Daily Beast: "More Big Love Questions Answered" ("Big Love" Postmortem, Part Two)

Looking answers to your burning questions from this week's season finale of HBO's Big Love?

Head over to The Daily Beast, where you can read the second part of a day-after interview with Big Love creators/executive producers Mark V. Olsen and Will Scheffer, one that delves deeper into the world of Big Love to bring you some confirmations and some answers to some subplots. (You can find Part One here.)

For those who haven't yet seen Sunday night's fourth season finale of Big Love, major spoiler warnings apply as Olsen, Scheffer, and I discuss everything from changing Big Love’s opening credit sequence in the fourth season; what happened to the church Bill started; whether it was Tommy or Jerry who sold out the Henricksons to Marilyn Densham; what JJ wanted from Joey; the creepy miracle pregnancy of Adaleen; the fates of JJ and Malinda; and much, much more.

Season Five of Big Love will air in 2011 on HBO.

The Daily Beast: "Big Love's Big Finale" (Exclusive Day-After Interview with Creators Mark V. Olsen and Will Scheffer)

Looking for more Big Love?

Head over to The Daily Beast, where you can read my exclusive day-after interview with Big Love creators/executive producers Mark V. Olsen and Will Scheffer.

For those who haven't yet seen last night's fourth season finale of Big Love, major spoiler warnings apply as Olsen, Scheffer, and I discuss everything from the big reveal at the end of last night's episode, numerous subplots involving everyone from Bill, the wives, Ana, and JJ, the departure of Amanda Seyfried, their thoughts on how well Season Four worked, and what lies ahead for the Henrickson clan.

And, oh, there's a hell of a lot of fantastic material from Olsen and Scheffer that didn't make it into the interview, so if this does well, look for a Part Two...

Season Five of Big Love will air in 2011 on HBO.

Out of the Darkness: Daybreak on the Season Finale of "Big Love"

"I've needed you for twenty years. I don't think I need you anymore." - Barb

Doubt and uncertainty have always clouded the Henrickson clan throughout the four seasons of HBO's Big Love, which has depicted their struggles to embrace the Principle and remain true to themselves, their family, and their religious beliefs, which often put them in conflict with each other and opened up internal debates about the path they're on.

Throughout the series' run, the Henricksons have gone to great pains to conceal their plural marriage from those around them, almost sequestering themselves in the three homes they share, which open out onto a communal backyard, a sanctuary representing their true selves, a place where they truly can be themselves away from prying eyes.

In last night's spectacular fourth season finale of Big Love ("End of Days"), written by Eileen Myers and directed by David Petrarca, the Henricksons took a major first step to reclaim their own destiny, to live their private lives in the public eye, and to unmask themselves for who they really are.

While one can't help but admire their courage and determination, their decision to expose themselves, to control the outcome of this reveal, couldn't have occurred at a worst time for the family or for polygamists in general.

Bill's entire political campaign has been based from the start on the idea that it would be a platform with which he could push the family from the darkness of fear and concealment and into the light. It's a noble mission but one that's clouded his judgment throughout this season as he was so hell-bent on achieving this end that he was willing to sacrifice numerous relationships to do so. The Henrickson clan has been splintered by the end of the season in more ways than one: daughter Sarah has fled for Portland with her husband; Barb has serious doubts about the way Bill is leading this family; Margene is looking for an escape route but may have discovered something else with Ana and Goran; Bill's devoted business partner, poor Don Embry, took the fall for being a polygamist and nearly destroyed his own family.

If there was ever a time not to rock the boat, it would be this one.

Adding to the pressure being placed on Bill: the calculated assault being perpetrated by the venal lobbyist Marilyn Densham; strife with his partners at the Indian tribal casino; and a series of indictments coming down out of Kansas which point to shocking allegations of inbreeding and incest from Juniper Creek's sister compound. A compound that was overseen by Nicki's psychotic ex-husband JJ, who arrived at the end of last season under some mysterious circumstances.

The writers masterfully built up this last storyline throughout the entire season, waiting for the last possible moment to pull the trigger on the incest storyline. While I've suspected as much from the clues that have been subtly deployed throughout the season--from JJ's lack of fingernails, the creepiness of his parents, and Wanda's mental breakdown--the truth was even more shocking and horrific than I could have even imagined. While the series stopped short of having actual forcible incest portrayed, JJ's eugenics scheme was gruesome and perverse: a misguided effort to keep their bloodline pure through a series of in-vitro fertilization that scientifically wed siblings, cousins, parents, and children.

Bill. I was stunned that Bill managed to carry off being elected into the state senate after a very close race with an opponent who was willing to use every trick at her disposal. While the season was building to this inevitable conclusion, I was extremely surprised that Bill had carried off his election without being exposed as either an adulterer or a polygamist by the numerous people who were seeking his destruction.

Throughout the four seasons that have aired so far, we've often seen Bill shouldering more than he can humanly carry, whether that's his relationship with his wives, his business empire, or this new political calling. It's a calling to office that he claims he received from a new testimony, one that was dramatically at odds with that at the end of last season. Turning his back on the church he had established, he believed he could do more good from a political office than the pulpit.

On the one hand, I agree with Bill's determination: he wants to reclaim the Principle from those that would twist its purpose and its message. He wants to give a new face to polygamy, one that isn't rooted in the squalid or the depraved transgressions of Juniper Creek, Roman Grant, or Frank Harlow. One that is essentially about love, family, and acceptance.

I believe that Bill has a higher regard for human nature than is really warranted, especially when it comes to people accepting the Other. He believes that because he's now told the truth, revealed himself and his family as polygamists, that he'll be accepted for who he is and he'll be able to become polygamy's Great Reformer, a role that Alby Grant seems to castigate. But Bill doesn't take into account that he lied to everyone--to his campaign supporters, his backers, the volunteers who worked the phone lines, the Mormon church he returned to, his neighbors, and everyone who checked the box next to his name in the voting booth--and that revealing a lie doesn't take away the sting of betrayal.

He might want to live in the light, to be honest and open about his beliefs and his identity, but public scrutiny casts a harsh glare. Will Bill really be able to do anything in office now that he's revealed the truth about his family? Will anyone trust him again? And while he might refuse to step down, hasn't he misled the public and the party throughout this whole election campaign? How can one reform when one no longer has any power? The keys to the kingdom have been seized from Bill before he's even begun to enact his vision.

Barb. While Bill might believe steadfastly in his campaign--both a mundane and heavenly one--those around him lack certainty in his testimony. Barb this season has transformed from being Bill's Boss Lady, the first wife wielding power and influence over the wives, into a successful and independent businesswoman, a position that she never wanted in the first place. But her handling of the casino in Bill's absence propelled her into a very different role within the family and within the world.

Her tentative first steps at the casino (remember the crab leg fiasco?) seem miles away from her grit and drive now. Yes, she still makes some serious mistakes, typically when she reacts from anger or hurt (such as when she hired Marilyn), but she's also seeing the world with a clarity that wasn't there before. She did uncover the link between Marilyn, Paley, and the religious right boycotting the casino... and she discovers the truth about Leila and the Flutes.

Barb isn't one to cut her losses or turn her back on those in need and she's shocked and disgusted when Bill has Jerry and Tommy Flute removed by the tribal council rather than working with them to stem the tide of meth at the casino. She's come to have a close understanding of Tommy and formed something resembling a supportive friendship. The ease with which Bill cuts those ties frightens and disgusts her. They were partners, after all, so how could Bill so callously sacrifice them? The casino was meant to be a safety net for all of them, yet Bill was willing to cut out the Flutes like they were a cancer.

It's no surprise that Barb wants to put the brakes on Bill's decision to expose them. I was shocked that she leaked the paternity test results to the press but her betrayal was a last-ditch effort to stop Bill from destroying their family, from pushing them into the public eye, and destroying their reputations. If anyone understands the risk, it's Barb after her excommunication last season. She sees just what damage can be done here, to them, their marriage, their children. She's willing to do whatever she has to in order to keep things behind the veil of secrecy.

But even after she admits what she's done, Barb still can't go along with Bill's plan, no matter how much Nicki might be on board. Private polygamy is one thing but a public reveal of their lifestyle could destroy them all and it's clear that Barb is having serious doubts about her marriage and the path that Bill is pursuing. It's telling that Barb doesn't tell Bill that she doesn't love him but that she doesn't need him. And she doesn't in a way. She's been forced to rely on herself, to stand on her own two feet, to follow her husband through hell and highwater and something has snapped inside her. (It's not the first time she's had doubts; she left the family for a bit in Season Two.)

But in the end, she hesitates but she does eventually get up on stage to grasp hands with Bill and her sister-wives. Does she do it for Bill? Or for Margene and Nicki? Or for herself? After all, Barb has been exposed as a polygamist whether or not she gets up on stage. She can't hide and she certainly can't backpedal now. But she has a choice: to support the people she's married to or turn her back on them. And, based on her horror at the way Bill handled the situation with Tommy and Jerry, her choice is a difficult one but also the right one. It isn't her dream but she's made her alliances.

Nicki. I've loved seeing the way that Nicki is attempting to find herself this season, casting off the prairie clothes that symbolized her connection to Juniper Creek and her father's lifestyle as she attempts to try on the identities of those around her: first Margene and then Barb. Nicki's blossoming is the payoff to four seasons of self-doubt and self-punishment; she's finally coming to terms with the fact that she does deserve love and happiness, despite the damage she's suffered through her life. The cutting of her braid, a reversal of Samson's story, enables her to find herself, to cast off the past and start anew, to find her wellspring of strength.

But as much as she might tell herself that she is worthy of Bill's love, she feels that she has to uphold her end to the bargain, to continue to bring souls into their family, to be fruitful, to expand their family here and in eternity. And she's willing to make a deal with the devil himself to do, venturing back to Juniper Creek to receive the miraculous treatments from Dr. Roquet, despite the disappearance of her own pregnant mother.

It's ironic that Nicki should be so disgusted by Margene's plan to donate an egg to her ("Your egg, Bill's sperm in me? It's disgusting!") yet what nearly happens to Nicki in Roquet's care is far more revolting as JJ unveils his master plan: to reunite with Nicki by implanting his sperm and their daughter Cara Lynn's egg inside her. It's a jaw-dropping revelation that points to just how sick and twisted JJ really is. His idea of family is an offspring that unites mother, father, and daughter, a perversion of the Principle and the laws of nature, a sick idea of family planning (as April Blessing tells Larry King) that is horrifying.

Just what lies ahead for Nicki remains to be seen but her sudden reversal about polygamy is an intriguing direction. Her unerring belief in the Principle has been one of the guiding hallmarks of her character, yet to find her suddenly wanting to keep Bill to herself, to not share him, to change the status quo, points to a new direction for this always fascinating character.

Margene. Margene meanwhile struggled to uphold her promise to Ana and Goran even as she found herself increasingly attracted to Goran... and caught up in Bill's decision to expose the family, which would likely result in the loss of the business she had built up in the last few months. Playing Bill against the couple, Margene was caught between maintaining an escape route and falling into old patterns.

But it was the final scene between Ana, Goran, and Margene that points towards some major developments last season. Ana and Goran are acutely aware of Margene's attraction towards Goran and they seem quite fine with it, almost encouraging it in a way. The warm embrace that the trio shares seems more than just friendship and I couldn't help but feel a sense of frisson between them; I wouldn't have been surprised if all three ended up in bed together afterwards.

Just what does marriage mean to Margene? She slept with Bill despite the fact that he was already married to Barb and Nicki. She married Goran ostensibly to help the family but she signed a legal document binding her to another man. And now, despite the fact that Ana and Goran are engaged, she finds herself drawn to another man who is already attached. What future do these three have together? Will they too be drawn into the already growing Henrickson clan?

Alby. As for Alby, he destroys Roman's office, ripping down the blue sky wallpaper that his father put up, cuts up Lura's face in payment for her betrayal, and announces that he is going to name himself as Roman's successor. While the "ghost" of Roman is nowhere to be seen, it's clear that he hovers over the action here. While Bill's purpose is to place the family in the light, to stop the darkness growing inside of them, it's clear from these scenes that Alby has given himself over completely to the darkness, reveling in destruction, punishment, and vengeance. Yes, we're seeing the series' ultimate Big Bad finally emerging from the ashes of loss, grief, and self-loathing.

Adaleen. Loved that Adaleen managed to escape, thanks to a well-timed slam to Malinda's head. (Nicely played, Adaleen.) After everything that she had stood by and watched happen to Nicki, is able to rescue her daughter from suffering a similar fate. (Adaleen is, after all, pregnant with the offspring of brother and sister JJ and Wanda.) Does it reverse the decades of abuse that Nicki went through? No but it does prove beyond a doubt that Adaleen does love Nicki, does care for her, and is willing to sacrifice herself to save her child. She's also willing to serve as an instrument of vengeance, raining death upon JJ and Malinda, whom she ties up inside the clinic and then sets on fire. (An an aside, I thought the image of JJ and Malinda tied together was both beautiful and horrific, setting the two as mirror images of each other, both bald, as the flames consume them.)

Marilyn. I'm still not sure what to make of Sissy Spacek's Marilyn. She was so filled with anger towards Bill, so willing to destroy everything he held dear, but why? Was it that she couldn't charm him? That he saw her for what she was, a venal criminal in lobbyist's clothing? I had a feeling that she wasn't behind the adultery story (too easy) and her flatness in the scene where Bill confronted her in the hotel room confirmed that. I'm hoping that Spacek will be back as I think there's more to Marilyn than meets the eye... and I love that she waltzes into Bill's house and tells him a "sad, stupid man." A fitting proclamation from a woman who abuses the system yet who is utterly, completely alone in the world.

Wanda. Wanda finally regained her voice, just in time to save Nicki and warn Bill about what JJ was going to do with her. I'm hoping that we're finally seeing a Wanda who is more stable and honest than she has been, finally able to speak out about what has been done to her, able to shine a light on the abuses that the Walkers have perpetrated. We finally learned just what it was that JJ had of Wanda's--at least one of her eggs--but I can't help but wonder just what she'll do if Adaleen gives birth to that child. Shudder.

All in all, "End of Days" was an explosive season ender that tied up many of Season Four's dynamic storylines and presented some tantalizing story threads for next season to tackle. While this season has been less warmly embraced by many viewers, I found it to be gripping, controversial, and--to borrow a term from creators Mark V. Olsen and Will Scheffer--"operatic." (You can read my exclusive morning-after interview with Olsen and Scheffer here.) It positioned the Henricksons into a new and exciting place and shook the very foundations of the series in a way that opens up entirely new story possibilities in the future, exposing the Henricksons and forcing them to live a life that's no longer closeted. But as the Henricksons will likely find out next season, there's every reason to be careful what you wish for...

I'm curious to hear just what you thought about last night's season finale and the fourth season of Big Love as a whole. Head to the comments section to discuss.

Season Five of Big Love will air next year on HBO.

The Quilt: Leaving and Those Left Behind on "Big Love"

The honeymoon is over.

Much this season has been made about Bill's shifting vision for his family, whether that be his decision to begin his own church, or launch a political campaign, or out the family as public polygamists. But the wives have, for the most part, held their tongues when it's come to outwardly disagreeing with the direction Bill is taking their collective family, even though most of them have dealt with their own inner turmoil in various ways.

Barb has struggled to keep it together, even though she's been thrust once more into the role of the public spouse, the politician's wife, and a casino owner all at the same time. Nicki has finally realized that she loves her husband and will support him, though it's clear that she is suffering from a massive identity crisis, and Margene has sought security through her own business and through a fraudulent marriage with Goran that will give her some leverage when it comes to their inevitable exposure as polygamists.

Eldest daughter Sarah has never believed in Bill's vision quest nor in the Principle that he holds so dear; she has seen first-hand the consequences of her parents' polygamist relationship both for her mother and for herself. If anyone was going to escape the never-ending cycle of plural marriage that the Henricksons are enmeshed in, it was going to be Sarah herself: headstrong, independent, and more than willing to slay her father's sacred cows.

This week's episode of Big Love ("Next Ticket Out"), written by Patricia Breen and directed by David Knoller, featured just that moment as Sarah Henrickson opted to leave her family behind for different pastures, announcing her intentions to move to Portland, Oregon with her husband Scott.

While I'm quite sad to see the stunning Amanda Seyfried leave the series, it's also a fitting end for her character and a triumphant one at that: she got out. It's what Sarah has always struggled for and failed to achieve as she was dragged back in time and time again. This time, she and Bill are able to make peace with one another and move past their issues to show their mutual support and love for one another, even if they don't see eye to eye on the choices that each of them are making in their respective lives.

But that's the point, ultimately. Sarah is now an adult, capable of making her own decisions and her own mistakes, just like Bill. She wasn't given a vote when her parents decided to marry Nicki or Margene and she was dragged along into a polygamist family without a say as to whether she was for or against this development. And it's been clear since the very beginning of the series that Sarah was very much against a polygamist lifestyle and couldn't ever quite wrap her head around why Barb even considered opening up her marriage in the first place.

To put it bluntly: Sarah wanted out. With the election looming and a possible public outing as polygamists on the table, Sarah wanted desperately to cling to some refuge of normalcy, to not get caught up in the age-old battle between the polygamists and the general public, to remove herself from the playing field. Her so-called honeymoon to Portland wasn't that at all but an escape route, an effort to start over somewhere else, somewhere where she wasn't the daughter of polygamists or the sole dissenting voice in a household.

Sarah's departure represents, coming on the heels of her turning up to support her family during the television interview, the hope of understanding and solidarity but also the need to become truly independent and to stop fighting someone else's war. She's chosen herself but it doesn't seem at all like a selfish decision but a wise one, a brave one, and an honest one.

I'll admit that the family's gift to Sarah of a handmade quilt, with each of them getting a square (including Bill's, which had his oft-seen apron), was extremely touching and brought tears to my eyes. As did Sarah's final scene here, as she prepares Teenie's birthday cake and takes one last look at her sprawling family, tears springing to her eyes. It was the scene of the ultimate outsider, a woman looking through a window at a world she didn't belong to, perhaps not truly ever.

Barb. Barb won't be taking over Sarah's role in the family as the speaker of hard truths any time soon. Her speech to the Eagle Rock Forum was based on facts about the over-dependence of many Utah women on prescription medications (and, apparently, Benedryl) but it was was the result of her own emotional breakdown in the face of the pressures from the casino, the campaign, and the sense of impending doom looming over their heads.

Barb has tried so hard to be so perfect for so long that it's only fitting that huge cracks would be forming in her facade at this point. The Eagle Rock speech was connected narratively to her breakdown in the bathroom a few weeks back, an act of catharsis that's desperately needed for the Boss Lady. The pressure of keeping everything together--her family, her marriage, her business--is too much of an onus to bear. She's also not helped by the growing lack of communication between her and the partners in her marriage; Barb ends up telling Nicki that Joey killed her father, believing that Bill had already told her. Not so.

Barb has attempted to flee this marriage before and, unless things change quickly, I could see her attempting to bail on her husband's vision. Her frustration, sorrow, and anger were never more keenly felt that when she acquiesces to Bill's demands that she recant her statements, saying, "I certainly have no voice of my own."

But much of Barb's anger this episode is also directed at herself for failing to see Marilyn for who she really was and allowing her access to the safety net that is their business by hiring her. She's quick to point out to Tommy that she acted out of spite and not business acumen but what kills her is that she may have made the casino and the Blackfoot tribe vulnerable because of her mistake. There's a brief moment once more of connection between her and Tommy at the casino that speaks volumes about their shared grief, their muffled voices.

Nicki. I'm not quite sure what to make of Nicki's sudden transformation from uptight and prudish prairie woman to full-blown sexpot but I can't help but wonder if the trigger isn't so much the realization that she wants to be free from her past as the child of Roman Grant and Juniper Creek and more to do with whatever JJ and Roquet are doing to her. (After all, Adaleen also spoke of a euphoric and positive feeling once she went on the mysterious treatment regimen as well.) Nicki claims that she has realized that she loves Bill, but I wish we had just one more beat to see where this epiphany has come from and why she has come to this conclusion now...

Though her feelings may have changed, given the fact that Bill concealed that Roman's murderer was in fact his brother Joey. It was the slap heard round the world (or at least the Sandy neighborhood where the Henricksons live) as Nicki walloped Bill for keeping this from her, after she had given him her heart. It's another betrayal in an already tenuous marriage, but it's oddly reversed by the end of the episode, as Nicki tells Bill that she loves him and wants him for herself. Given that Nicki was raised in a polygamist environment and never questioned the Principal, this is an intriguing development, to say the least. She promises Bill that they would never leave Barb but her voice is less certain when it comes to Margene.

Do we believe that this sudden change in her belief system is brought on by her wanting a husband, anything, to herself? Is it the result of Roquet's suspicious treatments? Or is something else going on here? Something far more worrisome that speaks of a personality shift underway within Nicki herself, the result of that awful confrontation with her brother Alby, destroyed, infected, and cursed by his association with Juniper Creek? Hmmmm....

Margene. I definitely believe that Margene is playing with fire when it comes to Goran and Ana. She might have claimed last week to be doing this for altruistic purposes (to keep Bill's unborn child in the country) but this is her version of a potential escape hatch, a way to distance herself from the rest of the Henrickson clan if they are exposed, as she could claim to be married to someone else. But it's also placed her in a bit of a legal and ethical situation as well. Fraudulent marriages, if detected, can result in hefty fines and even jail time... and Marilyn knows that something is going on between Bill and Margene already, after she spied them kissing at the casino.

The fact that Marilyn is already sniffing around Margene isn't a good thing; she knows too much about Bill's investment and the way that they pretended not to know one another at the fundraiser. Not good. Add to that a fake marriage, an intense rivalry between Bill and Goran, and Margene may as well light the first match. Worse still, Margene herself is now having second thoughts, ones that might point to her own attraction to Goran and ability to, er, stray into other people's marriages. Not good. Not good at all.

Marilyn. As for Marilyn, I'm extremely concerned that she will end up undoing everything the Henricksons have built with one stroke. She's made it her mission to destroy Bill but I'm not really sure why. Because he was suspicious of her? Because he saw through her fake charms? Because he's not playing her game?

The drunken phone call she made to Barb creeped me out more than anything else this week, just because it revealed just how calculated and morally repugnant Marilyn is. She's been nosing around the Henricksons' tax returns, their bank account information, and she's likely close to figuring out that they're polygamists after she realized that Barb wasn't shocked or surprised that Bill was having an affair with Margene.

But what her final game plan is remains a mystery for now. Will she out the family and destroy Bill's campaign? Is she going to offer her support and information to Bill's opponent, Leslie Usher (the always superb Amy Aquino), and truly squash his campaign from every angle? We'll find out next week, though I have to give Bill and Tommy credit for managing to lift information from Marilyn's computer like that. Nicely played.

Adaleen. We'll also have to wait to discover just what Adaleen found at Roquet's office, something shocking and terrifying enough that JJ chloroformed her and is likely now keeping her imprisoned, lest she speak out about just what he's been doing to her, Nicki, and likely countless others. It turns out that Roman had recalled JJ from Kansas to censure him... and that was why he was at Juniper Creek before Roman was killed. Whatever JJ was doing in Kansas, it's got to involve fake pregnancies, embryos, the treatments, and something truly, truly horrific. (The true tip-off was JJ's insanely freaky mother expressing her reluctance to toast Adaleen's miraculous pregnancy.) And the new state-appointed trustee on the UEB board is already sniffing around Kansas. Which means that whatever it is that JJ's been up to is about to come tumbling down. I just hope Adaleen isn't collateral damage...

Alby. As for Alby, he's coming apart at the seams. He had no problem lying at the investigatory hearing about his relationship with Dale and scarily was able to just pin the blame on his former lover, incriminating him for embezzling money and using it to rent an apartment. Which made absolutely no sense to the investigators, either. But privately, Alby is a wreck. (You would be too if you were haunted by visions of your vengeful dead father.) The scene where he listens to "These Boots Were Made for Walking" and dances with and kisses the illicit photograph of him and Dale in bed together was outright Lynchian. I'm concerned that Alby is going to do something self-destructive before the season is out... or step all too easily into the role of the ruthless prophet of Juniper Creek.

Wanda. And then there was Wanda, who has been stricken mute by the appearance of her twisted and creepy family coming out of the woodwork. While JJ is blackmailing her about Roman's murder, she clearly has information about JJ's scheme in Kansas but she can't bring herself to say anything about it and is reduced to little more than knitting frantically. I can only hope that Wanda doesn't get left behind--or worse--in the coming storm.

What did you think of this week's episode? Sad to see Sarah go? Wondering what Marilyn has up her sleeve? Curious to see how the writers can wrap up all of these diverse storylines in just one episode? Discuss.

Next week on the season finale of Big Love ("End of Days"), Bill tries to protect his candidacy; Jerry and Tom's tribe leadership is jeopardized; Margene wants to keep Ana and Goran in her life; Nicki is desperate to get pregnant; a polygamist scandal in Kansas makes national news.

Ep. 43: End of Days - Preview

The Road to Perdition: Acts of Vengeance and Forgiveness on "Big Love"

"I'm not that person that you think I'm becoming." - Bill

This week's stunning episode of Big Love ("Blood Atonement"), written by Julia Cho and directed by David Petrarca, featuring not only one of the most shocking moments so far on the series to date but also offered an exploration of the characters' innermost psyches by focusing on their past mistakes.

Both Bill and Joey have been beset by feelings of vengeance, but both carried them out in different ways. Bill has long attempted to escape the squalid filth and treachery of the Juniper Creek compound but far too often finds himself dragged right back in. He never chose to leave in the first place; that decision was made for him by Roman Grant and his father Frank Harlow and that moment has haunted him for the rest of his life. Joey, meanwhile, murdered Roman as an act of revenge for the death of Kathy Marquart and his quest for payback extends to the twisted Hollis Greene as well, even if it means placing his entire family at risk.

In other words: we can't escape our pasts, no matter how hard we try. Bill might have been pushed off the compound as a teenager but it's in his blood and he's connected to it via an invisible thread. Once flicked, he can't help but be drawn back into its clutches. But, as Bill discovers this week, we do have the power to forgive, to keep the past where it belongs--behind us--and not let it define us in perpetuity.

This week's episode was absolutely riveting and emotionally resonant as each of the characters made discoveries that challenged both their sense of self as well as the world around them. It also featured one of the very best Lois Henrickson scenes in existence (kudos to Grace Zabriski) and explored the nature of sacrifice, forgiveness, and family.

Bill and Joey. We can choose to forgive or we can choose to avenge. Sadly, each of the Henrickson brothers takes a different path this week, a choice that results in, yes, the freedom of the imprisoned bird smugglers in Mexico and the dismemberment of one Hollis Greene, but also in the scales being dropped from Bill's eyes: he sees truly now just what his expulsion did to his family and how the sickness of the compound has infected even his brother.

Secrets seem to be the Henrickson clan's stock in trade. Far too often one or more of them is going off on a little side mission, a scheme, that they keep from the others. I understand why Bill would want to keep Ben's kidnapping from his wives, given everything that has happened, the stresses of the campaign and the casino, and the sting of his own complicity in what happened. After all, if there hadn't been a misunderstanding between him and Ben in the first place, Ben wouldn't be in danger now. His rescue mission is an effort to shield Barb, Nicki, and Margene from the truth of what is going on in Mexico (he fakes a meeting with a lumber supplier in Seattle) but things are not quite as simple or as easy as Bill imagined.

For one, the situation in Mexico is already perilous. The drug war has resulted in frequent kidnappings, roadside hostilities are the norm, and the Greenes are walled up and have gathered quite the arsenal of weapons. The Mexican authorities can't risk going in guns blazing and yet Bill can't sit there and do nothing. It is, no pun intended, a Mexican standoff, made all the more dangerous by Joey's quest for revenge for Kathy's death. It's a path that places all of them in serious jeopardy as Joey's quest seems rooted in a self-destructive impulse that is at opposition with Bill's rescue efforts.

Bill is finally able to forgive Frank for what had been done to him all of those years earlier. Frank's confession to Lois--that Roman ordered him to expel Bill from the compound--offers a very different portrait of Frank than we've seen thus far; while he's still guilty, his sin wasn't greed or jealousy but allegedly cowardice, being unable to stand up to Roman Grant and being afraid of having everything taken away from him. Is it an excuse to dump your fifteen-year-old son on the side of the road? Hell no. But it does explain just what happened and why a little more, offering us a deeper picture of the Henricksons at the time and how the incident scarred everyone involved, from Bill to Lois, Joey, and poor, doomed Maggie. Bill could have left Frank to rot in that cell, to be punished by the Greenes, but he chose the path of forgiveness, choosing instead to rescue everyone. ("No one gets left behind this time.")

It's a moment of real progress and character development for Bill, especially after his speech about the "cesspool" of the compound to Joey. They may have been warped by their experiences, by what they've lived through, but there still exists in all of us the ability to change, to cast off our old patterns, and to offer a chance at redemption. But it's a path that's denied to Joey, who is more focused on making Hollis pay for what happened to Kathy than in freeing his family. His actions have irrevocably corrupted him; his soul has been broken by Roman's murder and his quest will only push him further into darkness.

But for Bill, there's a chance not to only make amends with Frank but also with Ben. In the moment of reunion between them, there is no animosity, no recriminations, only the unbreakable bond between a father and son, each realizing the love that the other has. Likewise, the scene at the episode's very end, in which the wives gather on the porch to welcome Ben home may have been silent but it was overflowing with unspoken emotion and a palpable sense of relief.

The Greenes. I dare say that this won't be the last time that the Henricksons cross paths with the Greenes. After all, Selma too chose to forgive (for now) and save Hollis' life rather than punish the Henricksons for their actions. She chooses life over death and destruction. That the act of vengeance would come not from Joey but from Lois was one of the episode's most delicious surprises. As she swung that machete down on Hollis and sliced off his right arm, Lois' single line of dialogue ("no one lays a hand on my son") was absolutely fitting. Bill was willing to sacrifice himself to save his family, to exchange his life for theirs. It's a father's duty and a son's honor, perhaps, an act of contrition designed to balance the scales.

But Lois isn't having that and Hollis laying his hand on Bill's shoulder, acting as his judge, jury, and executioner, was too much for Lois to handle. And she swiftly enacted her own judgment: lowering the blade and getting splattered with the results of her own blood atonement.

The Greenes won't let this go lightly. Hollis, who perceives himself to be the one true prophet, has been perhaps mortally injured by Lois. Does Selma get him to the hospital in time to stave off death? It's unclear, but if I were a betting man I would say that they'll be back...

Margene. My wife actually said to be during the episode's opening credits that it would be insane if Margene offered to marry Ana's fiance Goran... yet that's just the solution that Margene dreams up, allegedly to keep everyone happy: to keep Goran and Ana in the country and, most importantly, keep the baby here. (After all, we learn that the kid is most definitely Bill's, thanks to a paternity test.) But is that really Margene's sole concern? Is she doing this for Barb, Bill, and Nicki? Or is there something else at work here, something less altruistic and more selfish?

It's only fitting that Margene's solution should present itself just as the family is preparing to go public with their polygamist lifestyle... and Barb offers to have a home office set up for Margene in the new house. She's making moves to protect herself. In the event of an avalanche of negative publicity, Margene can distance herself from the family and use her paper marriage to Goran as proof that she's not connected in polygamy to the Henricksons. It's an easy out, a chance to keep the business she's worked so hard to create, but Barb and Nicki see right through this little plot.

However, they are too late to stop Margene from going ahead with marrying Goran. It might be a somewhat practical (if absolutely insane) solution to keep Goran and Ana in the country so that Goran can get his green card and become a doctor and keep the baby around but this is Big Love, so there will be some major complications. That Margene would go ahead with this plot without even consulting Barb and Bill speaks volumes about her desperation. I loved Barb's line about her "cope container" being full when she does learn about Margene's decision. This will end badly.

Barb. It's not just on the homefront where Barb has the wool pulled over her eyes. The situation at the casino has become untenable, with protesters waving guns and planting fake bombs on the premises. Worse, Barb and Tommy's efforts to get evangelical Ron Reed to disavow violence results in nothing less than a standoff. It's clear that they are on their own and that they are facing bigger opponents than they dare thought. In fact, everything that has happened has been set in motion by a cabal of power brokers: Marilyn, Senator Paley, and Reed are all in bed together, as Barb discovers by connecting the dots. But whether this scenario is an act of vengeance on the part of Marilyn or just business as usual remains to be seen.

Loved the scene between Barb and Tommy in which she asks why he came back to the reservation. While he says it was to help his father out after Jerry and Bill got the approval for the casino, there's something else going on, something "personal" that Barb senses, likely something to do with the death of Tommy's wife and kids. Over the past few weeks, I have to say that I've gained an appreciation for Adam Beach's Tommy; he adds a nice new dimension to the series and gives Barb a simpatico soul up at the casino.

Nicki and Adaleen. The week's biggest mystery has got to be that surrounding Adaleen's miraculous pregnancy, a discovery that comes just as Nicki learns that she has secondary infertility and an "unhappy uterus." While I doubted JJ's diagnosis of Adaleen's condition (after all, they've barely been married a week), a home pregnancy test confirmed that Adaleen is in fact with child. But... how? Adaleen isn't exactly young and even she was surprised when she learned about her pregnancy. Plus, the sudden vibrancy and optimism she is experiencing seem to coincide with JJ's miraculous hormone injections. There's got to be a connection between the two.

Worse still, Adaleen advises Nicki to go see JJ's son Roquet, a doctor who is apparently a cutting-edge pregnancy guru able to achieve the impossible. Which worries me to no end. There's something in the hormone compound that Roquet has prescribed for both Adaleen and Nicki, something that is tricking Adaleen's body into a false positive. But why? And for what end? And is this connected to why JJ had to leave Kansas so suddenly? What could possibly be gaining by tricking Adaleen into thinking she's pregnant? Hmmm...

The scarier possibility is that Adaleen is pregnant and was impregnated unknowingly with someone else's egg and that she is effectively a brood mare carrying someone else's child. But whose? And just what does Wanda know about this? What did she make JJ "promise"? And what could be so dark and nefarious that JJ is willing to blackmail his sister into silence?

The mind shudders to think.

All in all, an absolutely fantastic installment of Big Love that pushed the plot into overdrive. With only two more episodes remaining this season, things are about to explode for the Henricksons and I'm terrified to think of just what new and shocking twists series creators Mark V. Olsen and Will Scheffer have up their sleeves. The wait until next Sunday is going to be torturous...

Next week on Big Love ("Next Ticket Out"), Sarah shakes up the family with an announcement; Nicki makes an all-out attempt to be the woman Bill wants her to be; Margene is put on the defensive when Bill questions her real reasons for getting married; Marilyn looks to bring down Bill as his campaign winds down; Barb jolts Nicki with news about Joey that Bill was supposed to deliver; a suspicious Bill looks for clues about J.J. in Kansas, while Adaleen finds them closer to home.

Ep. 42: Next Ticket Out - Preview

A Terrible Foreboding: Psychic Damage on "Big Love"

"I'm damaged." - Nicki

"I think I can understand how difficult this must be, keeping a secret." - Bill

Last night's exquisite episode of Big Love ("Under One Roof"), written by Coleman Herbert and directed by Dan Attias, was the halfway point for the fourth season of Big Love and it built on the slow burn approach of the last few episodes to deliver a staggering and heartbreaking installment about the struggles of several characters, each of whom has attempted to overcome their imperfections to attempt to become worthy of the celestial kingdom they each hope to ascend to.

The quest for perfection and the damage done by the polygamist lifestyle the characters have been either born into or (in some cases) thrust into has always been lurking in the background on Big Love, but never has this intriguing theme been so perfectly explored than in last night's episode, which continues to haunt me the morning after it aired.

A sister's love, a lover's grief, a mother's fury, a husband's sorrow. All of these emotions bubbled to the surface in an episode that will mark a major turning point for the fourth season of Big Love, a tipping point in which the already fragile relationships explored this season might just come crashing down around them all.

"Under One Roof" paid off a number of long-standing plot points from the third season of Big Love as well as some simmering subpoints that exploded last night with boiling intensity: the return of Ana, now pregnant with Bill's child; Lura's suspicions of her husband Alby; the truth about Alby's feelings for Dale; Barb's fears for the future; the sealing of JJ and Adaleen; and the potential vengeance of the sadistic Greenes.

Nicki. Operating once again as Big Love's swirling maelstrom of emotion, Nicki provided the connective tissue between the domestic storyline unfolding at the Henrickson homes and the madness of the compound, where The Principle was once again twisted to ensnare a young girl in its patriarchal grasp. Realizing that her experiences on the compound have shaped her in some terrible ways, Nicki admits to Bill that she is "damaged" by what has happened to her. It's a huge admission for Nicki and major growth for her character; her manipulative ways, the darkness inside of her, what she has witnessed and been a part of have resulted in who she is today and this is the first time that Nicki really comes to terms with just who and what that is. While Roman was alive, I don't think we could have ever seen her so calmly and rationally realize what has been done to her.

But Nicki's sudden twinge of self-awareness also raises the stakes for her protection of daughter Cara Lynn: Nicki doesn't want the past to repeat itself and yet that's just what nearly happens here. Learning that Adaleen is about to be sealed to her ex-husband JJ, Nicki sets out for La Esperanza but there's a growing suspicion in her mind, a sympatico foreboding expressed by Wanda. History is repeating itself once more and Nicki must retrace her steps to the place where her soul was destroyed as she, then just a teenager, was sealed to JJ, a man twice her age.

What she discovers is horrifying and heartbreaking. Before his death, Roman had ordained that Cara Lynn would be sealed to a middle-aged man, Toby, and would become his seventh wife. And Adaleen, who had stood by and allowed Nicki to be sealed to JJ, is willing once more to let the same thing happen to her granddaughter because the prophet had willed it. In tearing Cara Lynn out of that hotel room and away from Toby and JJ, Nicki saves not just Cara Lynn, but also herself.

It's interesting too that Nicki would show up at the sealing ceremony wearing a side ponytail and a mini-skirt, casting off the modest clothing of her religion for something inimical, something shocking and tawdry. Is it an act of rebellion, the ultimate transgression for a belief system that enforces female repression? Or is it, as Nicki suggests, an element of her true self finally emerging from within the shell she has constructed out of a desperate attempt at self-survival?

Barb. While Nicki's eyes are forced wide open, she's not the only one grappling with the truth this week as Barb is forced to confront her husband's hypocrisy and her own, very valid, fears about the future. Bill has become so focused on winning the election and on exposing themselves that he's willing to jeopardize the very things that are meant to provide them with a means to live the future he so desperately wants for them. With Home Plus and the casino potentially in jeopardy, Barb realizes that the fears lurking in the back of her brain are overwhelming, no matter how she might put on a brave face. She wants to stand by her man but the crack in her voice as she recounts all of her fears belie more than just uncertainty about what they're doing and what they've all signed for.

It's further tested when she learns that she has been blind to her husband's behavior. His exclusion of her at the casino is made all the more apparent when she learns that she's been shut out of Marilyn's formal presentation; her position on the board being nothing more than a technicality, a ghostly whisper on a ledger. Ana's reappearance, however, does more to further weaken her perception of Bill, especially when she learns that Ana and Bill conceived this child out of wedlock and that Bill had a sexual relationship with Ana before they were sealed. (It's a behavior pattern that he established with Margene and which goes against every precept of their religion.)

Signing her name to the contract, effectively siding with the Flutes to hire Marilyn, is an act of independence by Barb. But I'm still not sure whether Barb is right to trust Marilyn. Bill's suspicions about the powerful Washington lobbyist may be founded in his personal dislike of Marilyn but there might just be something to his concerns as well. She sees the casino as a major cash cow, though it's the lifeline of both the Henrickson family and the Blackfoot tribe. Just what they'll be left with after Marilyn has picked over the corpse remains to be seen but I also worry about Bill's decision to "rebrand" the casino in Idaho. There are problems aplenty brewing there.

Margene. I loved that Margene joined Toastmasters and is now conducting seminars about her experiences as a single mother, something that Nicki takes great offense to, given the fact that Margene is neither single nor raising children on her own. The whole reason that Margene can be able to pursue her career and now these public speaking engagements is because she has two sister-wives to help cook, clean, and look after the children. Margene seems to relish the communal aspect of their marriage but, as Bill says, seems to want to throw away their relationship when it is convenient for her. Still, her fears about exposing the family as polygamists are valid ones; it could jeopardize everything they've worked so hard to achieve and Margene is not ready to say goodbye to her burgeoning career and the independence it's brought, nor her status in the community. Bill might not want to hide in plain sight but Margene doesn't want to be cast into the shadows, either.

Ana. I can't help but be suspicious of Ana. Yes, the Henricksons stumbled onto Ana in the restaurant and not vice-versa but she's being awfully secretive about a number of things. For one, she concealed her pregnancy from them but now is willing to accept financial contributions from Bill to care for their child, a decision she makes only after she learns that he's running for political office. After all, a sex scandal would make Bill quite a target and she offers him potential visitation rights in exchange for money, with a possibility for more in the future. She's got him over a barrel... and she doesn't tell him that she's engaged to another man. Which makes me wonder if the kid is even Bill's in the first place. After all, Ana did see someone while she was dating Bill and even had sex with him. Who is to say that he's not the father? Ana was particularly anxious that Barb not discover that someone else was at her place, after all and she's particularly keen as well that a lawyer draw up paperwork as quickly as possible. Not good...

The Smugglers. I was extremely wary of Lois, Frank, Ben, and Jodean's trip to Mexico, especially as this quartet is in way over their heads and the Henricksons don't even know that their teenage son is part of a bird-smuggling ring that has crossed the border into another country. Lois' efforts to cut out the middleman and take control of their own destiny is yet another foolhardy get-rich-quick-scheme on her part but, while her previous efforts have been motivated by self-preservation, this one seems slightly more altruistic as she wants to create a better life for Ben, offering him a place to live, a car, a chance to build a new family with her, Frank, and Jodean.

I loved that Jodean speaks fluent Spanish (have I mentioned that I love Jodean?) in addition to being Lois and Frank's de facto work mule, chauffeur, and general gopher. But I had a bad feeling about Don Dona, especially when he wanted to touch Ben's hair and seemed to be stalling when asked about the birds. Sure enough: they're set up by the Greenes, who show up at the market and kidnap them. It's a twist that I'm extremely nervous about (while also surprised that Selma was able to get out of prison, given what went down at the end of Season Three), given that no one knows that Ben is in Mexico... and the Greenes are pure, unadulterated evil and likely want payback against Bill Henrickson. They now have his son and his parents in their clutches and they have no compunction about killing.

But it's also Jodean's presence there that concerns me, seeing as her twin sister Kathy was intended to be forcibly sealed to Hollis Greene and killed when she fled the ceremony. Will Hollis take a liking to her lookalike?

Wanda. I'm also concerned that we're finally learning more about Wanda's madness, which seemed to return when her horrifically backwoods family showed up for JJ's sealing. Just what JJ has that belongs to Wanda remains to be seen but I wouldn't be surprised if she had a child out of incest. The creepy way that her father touched her (and called her "babydoll") gave me shudders and made me question whether there had been an inappropriate sexual dimension to Wanda's relationship to her family. Certainly, her response to Nicki when asked where Cara Lynn was ("She's in the nursery with the ponies") leads me to believe that Wanda is coming apart at the seams once more. Just where is Joey through all of this?

Alby and Dale. I was wondering just who had tipped off the trustees about the improper relationship between Alby and state trustee Dale and half-wondered whether Alby had done it himself in an effort to sell out his lover but this week's episode also showed the depth of Alby's devotion and love for Dale, as he goes so far as to buy an apartment for their secret rendezvous. So I was a little confused who else would have known about their relationship until we learn that the saboteur is none other than Alby's wife Lura herself. There have been signs that Lura knew more than she was letting on about Alby's extracurricular activities and last night demonstrated that Alby's wife is just as crafty and manipulative as he is. She follows him to the apartment, tells Bill about the affair (though Bill doesn't quite get it at first), and goes to see Dale's wife at home.

Are they the actions of a desperate wife or a woman scorned? Does Lura feel that she's been played the fool or is she trying to get Alby away from Dale in any way possible? For his part, Alby is clearly head over heels in love with Dale; he even (rather tragically) admits that he is in love with him on the phone. But for Dale, his relationship with Alby is eating away at him, even as he continues to fall for him. The portrait of Alby that Bill paints is a very different one to the man he's come to love: a dangerous sociopath prone to putting snakes in people's bed, stalking teenage girls, and attempting to murder his parents. But Alby attempts to dissuade Dale from believing the "lies," spinning his own version of reality in which he's misunderstood and persecuted.

Dale knows from persecution. He's lived his whole life tormented by his homosexuality, struggling to contain his true self (echoes of Nicki) and besieged by the church that is meant to be helping and saving him. His anger at the Mormon Church and Alignment for failing to do anything to help him was palpable, as was his shame when Bill admits that he knows about Dale's "homosexual affair" with Alby. It's a shame that he's lived with his whole life, through aversion therapy, electroshock treatment, group counseling. And it's a shame that he can't live with anymore. Prompted by the fear of exposure (echoes of the Henricksons) should there be an investigation, Dale hangs himself in the love nest that Alby has bought for them. It's a heartbreaking end to a man who grappled with his "imperfections" and who sought to be worthy of Heavenly Father, to see his true nature as a test to be overcome, a cross to be carried through this imperfect world.

Whether he knew that Lura has been to see his wife before he hangs himself or not is unclear. Did she tell Dale's wife about the affair? Is this knowledge too much of a burden for Dale to shoulder? Big Love has done a phenomenal job at offer a metaphor for persecuted minorities and for so-called alternative lifestyles. Never has the show dealt so honestly with the brutality and persecution experienced by gay Mormons than it did here, offering a heartbreaking end to Dale and Alby's love story and to Dale's conflicted life.

Bill. Dale used the phrase "tested" to explain his struggles in life and so too does Bill, who admits to Barb that he too had been tested and failed. In their own way, each of the characters struggles to become perfect but the series reflects the truth that each of us are imperfect creatures, each of us damaged by own experiences in life, unable to escape the past or anticipate the future. But while the wives are confused by Bill's vision of their future, by his latest testamony and calling, he reveals everything to them with a startling and heartfelt honesty.

The one roof of the title refers to Bill's endgame: a single home for all of the Henrickson clan to live in together, to be who they truly are without worry or care about society's disapproval. It's a utopia that Dale could never dream of achieving, an opportunity not to live in the darkness but to embrace life in the shining light of day.

Everything Bill has done, no matter how misguided or seemingly foolhardy, has been in pursuit of this goal. He knows the pitfalls of their religion, he knows that the Principle can be twisted by those who claim to uphold it for their own ends. The white-trimmed house, with its promise of unity, is an inversion of the squalid and backward world of Juniper Creek: it's not a compound, but rather a temple.

All in all, the very best installment of Big Love so far this season and a brilliant and heartbreaking episode that finds the Henricksons grappling with their imperfections and attempting to come out of their earthly tests worthy of their deity's grace and love.

What did you think of this week's episode? Is Ana attempting to get one over on Bill? Can Marilyn be trusted? What will Alby's reaction to Dale's suicide be? Is Lura safe from Alby's wrath? And will Bill's dream of one roof for his family ever come to pass? Discuss.

Next week on Big Love ("Blood Atonement"), Bill makes an emergency trip to Mexico after Lois and Frank’s latest smuggling escapade backfires; Nicki is jolted by a doctor’s news, but even more flummoxed by Adaleen’s shocking revelation; Margene offers up a potential remedy to keep Ana from leaving the country with her fiancé; Barb finds some disturbing answers after an incident at the casino.

Ep. 41: Blood Atonement - Preview

Channel Surfing: Production Shut Down on "24", Kathryn Bigelow to Direct HBO Pilot, Ben Koldyke Talks "Big Love" and "Mother," and More

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing. Just a few headlines to get through today, which is Presidents' Day here in the US. (If you're lucky enough to have the day off, get out there and do something fun.)

Los Angeles Times' Maria Elena Fernandez is reporting that studio 20th Century Fox Television has temporarily suspended production on FOX's 24 in order to accommodate a medical procedure for series lead Kiefer Sutherland involving a ruptured cyst. Production on the series, likely in its final season, is thought to begin again in roughly a week and will not affect scheduling for Day Eight of 24. "While Kiefer Sutherland is frustrated to miss even one day of work, he and Fox decided together that it would be best to complete this minor elective procedure now as a precaution as opposed to six weeks from now when production wraps," said Sutherland's publicist Evelyn Karamanos in a statement. "He looks forward to returning to work next week." (Los Angeles Times' Show Tracker)

Academy Award nominee Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker) will direct HBO family drama pilot The Miraculous Year. Project, written and executive produced by John Logan (Any Given Sunday), revolves around a "charismatic, self-destructive Broadway composer and his family in New York. Bigelow, who will receive an executive producer credit on the project, will direct the pilot but will not remain involved beyond that point, should the pilot be ordered to series. (Variety, Hollywood Reporter)

New York Magazine's Lauren Waterman talks with Big Love and How I Met Your Mother co-star Ben Koldyke about his simultaneous breakout performances on both an HBO drama and a CBS comedy... and why he still doesn't have a Wikipedia entry. [Editor: avoid this article if you haven't yet seen last night's episode of Big Love. But if you have viewed it, take a look at what Koldyke has to say about Dale's relationship with Alby.] (New York Magazine's Vulture)

Beau Garrett (Tron Legacy) has landed the female lead on CBS' untitled Criminal Minds spinoff, which revolves around a team of profilers who work outside of the FBI and report to Cooper (Forest Whitaker). Garrett will play Gina, described as "a tough girl and recent FBI recruit who is loyal to Cooper and the object of Mick's (Matt Ryan) flirting." (Hollywood Reporter)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello talks to House executive producer David Shore about the relationship between House (Hugh Laurie) and Cuddy (Lisa Edelstein). "Eventually, it’s going to happen," Shore told Ausiello. "This is the thing we’ve been dancing around — even before we knew we were dancing around it. They’re two very flawed people, but they’re two people that are very attracted to each other. I’m a Huddy fan, [too]. Just keep watching the show. It’ll happen eventually." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Stephen Martines (The Closer) has been cast in a recurring role on the CW drama Vampire Diaries, where he will play "a bad-ass vampire named Frederick who is locked in the tomb where Katherine (Nina Dobrev) was once thought to be and is up to no good when released," according to The Hollywood Reporter's Nellie Andreeva.

BBC One have commissioned a second season of Reggie Perrin, starring Martin Clunes. The revival of the classic 1970s comedy, which launched last year, will return this autumn for its second season. (Broadcast)

Spike is looking to compete with World Wrestling Entertainment's WWE Raw (airing on USA) by moving its own wrestling franchise, TNA Impact, to Monday night. As part of the deal, TNA Impact will air live telecasts every other week. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

There Will Be Rest in the Hereafter: Fathers and Sons on "Big Love"

"You are on the wrong path, brother." - Joey

Last night's episode of Big Love ("Sins of the Father"), written by Seth Greenland and directed by David Petrarca, focused squarely on the choices made by Bill Henrickson, both in the present-day as it related to his decision to exile Ben and in his own distant past. The people we are today are forged by the choices we make in our lives and by those made for us by others. Bill's formative years were shaped by Frank's decision to throw him out by the side of the road and force him to fend for himself on the streets, one of the so-called Lost Boys, the detritus of a polygamist society that had been corrupted and run on fear and jealousy.

Bill has long since sought to find a different path for himself in life, one that included following a belief in the Principle that wasn't as twisted and evil as his father's or Roman Grant's, an inclusive spiritual quest that was about family, unity, and empowerment.

Lately, however, Bill has taken a journey that has led him to abandon many of his callings, turning his back on the church he built to instead pursue political ambitions and forgetting his own past by giving into seething jealousy and transforming his once democratic family into a tyrannical authority over which he presides. Over the course of this week's episode, Bill realizes his transgressions and attempts to undo them but his greatest sin--being doomed to repeat his history because he has forgotten his own--proves out of his control to take back.

Bill. While some viewers have questioned Bill's motivations this season, I'm glad that the writers are allowing Bill to be a flawed individual, one who makes mistakes--often monumental ones--and who is clouded by the same sort of pettiness and emotion that we all are. I was glad to see that he recognized that he had made some pretty gigantic mistakes this week and fell into some of the same traps that he has often accused the wives of falling into: allowing personal jealousy to cloud his judgment.

While he may not have meant for things to get as bad as they did between him and Ben, there was no mistaking his intention when he said at the end of last week's episode that he thought a change of scenery would be good for Ben. For Ben--who had idolized his father and followed him without question--it was tantamount to banishment. Bill may not have meant it that way; after all, he was banished from Juniper Creek as a teenager and forced into a life of criminal activity, a Lost Boy cut adrift from the only home he had known, pushed out by a jealous father and a weak mother who fearfully couldn't act upon her child's defense.

Fortunately, Ben does have a support network in place that Bill didn't have as a Lost Boy; he turns to Sarah for help and therefore very luckily has a place to stay. Bill wasn't so lucky. I do believe that there was some level of miscommunication going on between Bill and Ben. For his part, Bill calls Ben repeatedly over the next few days but doesn't get any reply to his numerous calls and he never tells Barb that he has "banished" or "exiled" Ben; he seems to think that they are spending some time apart to work through their issues. It's not a belief shared by Ben, however.

Swept up by the stress and climate of the political campaign, Bill is making decisions that are far more personally-motivated than he should be doing. His jealousy leads him to push Ben away and to place Margene in the doghouse. He also wrongly makes an enemy out of Marilyn (Sissy Spacek). Arriving in Utah to show her support of Bill during the nomination process, Marilyn manages to coerce him into taking her to the Blackfoot Casino, where she wants to make a presentation to Tommy about representing their interests in Washington.

Rather than allow the meeting to unfold naturally and allow Marilyn to get her point across, Bill allows his personal distaste for Marilyn and her methods to influence him. Wanting a negative outcome, Bill sets Marilyn up and tells Tommy that she is a liar and a thief, leading Tommy to decline her offer. Marilyn, however, is not that easily defeated; she goes above Tommy to his father Jerry and then confronts Bill. He's very unwisely attempted to knock Marilyn out of the game but she's not having it. Not at all.

But Bill does make one act of recompense: he pays for the proper burial of the Lost Boy killed in a police shoot-out. It's an act of kindness that's deeply personal for Bill and one that perhaps places the past into perspective. As for why he does it: "I would have wanted someone to do the same for me," he says. Perhaps the past won't repeat itself, after all. Except that he's denied the chance to make it up to Ben, who has fled with Lois.

Barb. Poor Barb attempts this week to take on the role of the dutiful politician's wife but discovers that she's in the dark about everything that's going on under her own roof. As much of a shock as Margene's feelings for Ben were to Bill, they come as a total betrayal to Barb, a gut-wrenching realization that the circle of trust surrounding the sister-wives has perhaps been irrevocably broken. Her efforts to get Bill to discuss the Ben-Margene incident during their home-schooling was classic Barb passive-aggression but she's shocked to learn that her knowledge about the incident is wholly lacking. Her castigation of Margene--both her "flirt" speech and her vindictive kicking of Margene's jewelry stand--show a seething pit of anger within Barb, a feeling that her family is once more on the wrong path.

I thought it interesting that Barb escaped the claustrophobic atmosphere of the political campaign for the casino, a place where previously she felt vulnerable and out of her element. And yet, there's an honesty, a silence, an easiness about the casino that she can't find at home. (I also loved the small touches: her Boss Lady mug was a lovely memento of bygone seasons.) I was glad to see as well that she and Tommy have reached not just an understanding or a tolerance of one another but something approximating true friendship and respect, as Barb comes to know Tommy's tragic backstory--the death of his wife and two sons, killed by a drunk driver--and sees a very different side of him during the sweat lodge.

It's the sweat that gives Barb something close to release, the solemn silence of the lodge transforming into her own bathroom as the steam releases everything that is pent up inside of her: the rage, sadness, frustration, betrayal, and loss that she's feeling. It's a moment of transcendent release and beautifully played by Jeanne Tripplehorn, who lays bare those emotions without any artifice. A heartbreaking moment of loneliness.

Nicki. Bill's mistreatment of Nicki also comes into play in this week's episode, as Nicki confronts Bill about why he uses her for "morally ambiguous" missions but would ever think of asking Barb or Margene to do the same. Yes, Bill's using Nicki's "dark gift" for what he believes to be a righteous cause but he's casting her in the role of a spy, something that her father Roman did often. Even the language of their discussion--in which he calls her a "good girl" and his "spy"--seems to echo that of Roman in Season Three, when he placed her undercover at the D.A.'s office. I was glad to see that Nicki is thinking about her propensity for manipulation and lying and why she continually gets put into these positions.

The exchange Nicki shares with Barb at the casino (as she enjoys a sundae) about who she is could be taken at face value as a comedic dialogue about the many guises Nicki is forced to wear this week, from Bill's assistant Daphne to his sometimes-but-not-in-public-wife to Bill's ace in the hole. But it's also an honest expression of her own identity crisis at the moment. Does Bill see her as a wife and mother? Or as a saboteur?

Margene. Margene, meanwhile, finds herself cast out of everyone's good graces but doesn't hide like Nicki but confront Bill head on and beg for forgiveness, something he's not ready to give her. But she doesn't stop supporting him either, sticking close to his side in various guises of her own, the single mother/creator of Hearts on a Sleeve but it's clear that Margie's own heart is on her sleeve. She deeply regrets what happened and she doesn't apologize for having needs greater than Nicki or Barb; in fact, she demands an extra night with Bill and offers to buy it from one of them.

Are things done between her and Ben? Perhaps, now that they've both been honest about their emotions. And the final scene between Margene and Bill proves that there's still hope for the two of them after all of this. Mending those fences will take time but there's a willingness on the part of Bill that points to an epiphany on his part.

Lois and Frank. I was glad to see that Bill's actions towards Ben drew Lois and Frank back into his orbit as he was forced to contend with the results of his exile on Lois and Joey and on the twisted patriarchal rule that his father Frank imposed and still does, treating Jodean as little more than a work mule to cater to his every whim. (Her disgust at Frank--as evidenced by the peanut shells--is apparent from her every expression.) Lois has lived with an enormous amount of guilt that she stood and allowed Frank to cast out Bill, to throw him away like little more than garbage. But she's quick to stand up to Bill, to express horror at his behavior and to say that she had nothing to do with Ben's exile and that he's too good for Bill. For Lois, it's history repeating itself all over again... and this time it's Bill throwing his father out of the casino, a symbolic about-face that's utterly ironic.

Jodean and Joey. Loved the scene between the two in which Jodean expressed her gratitude to whoever killed Roman Grant, saying that she was "at peace" since the death of the prophet. I was glad to see Joey and Jodean interacting again; the last time they really shared a scene was after Kathy's death as, in a Vertigo-like twist, Joey attempted to recreate Kathy in her twin. There's still tension between them and likely attraction but there's precious little that they can do for one another in their current circumstances. Here's to hoping that we see more Jodean in the very near future... As for Joey, I'm glad he told Bill that he is on the wrong path. Joey believes that Bill should be the next prophet of Juniper Creek but is he acting here on behalf of JJ or out of his own convictions? Just what are JJ's plans for Bill and how do they involve prophethood?

What did you think of this week's episode? Glad that Bill finally came to his senses? Just what will happen to the Henrickson family and how much more pressure can they take before breaking? Discuss.

Next week on Big Love ("Under One Roof"), Ana resurfaces with a surprise revelation that shakes up the family; Bill tries to rebrand the casino and expand its advertising into Idaho; Lois, Ben, and Frank go south of the border to visit a bird vendor; Margene worries about the impact of Bill’s future outing on her booming business.

Ep. 40: Under One Roof - Preview

Channel Surfing; HBO Renews "Big Love," Elizabeth Mitchell Talks "Lost," Cynthia Watros Heads to "House," "V" Adds Cast, and More

Welcome to your Thursday morning television briefing.

Break out the carrot and raisin salad (and mix up some fry sauce)! HBO has renewed drama series Big Love for a fifth season, with ten episodes set to air next winter. The long-running drama series has been on a roll of late, with ratings up 13 percent among viewers this season and some well-earned awards recognition, with Chloe Sevigny walking away with a Golden Globe for her performance as Nicki. "We've taken the show deeper and darker over the last couple of seasons," said executive producer Mark V. Olsen, "and we're overjoyed that HBO has come along with us." Production is expected to begin on Season Five in June or July. (Variety)

E! Online's Kristin Dos Santos and Jennifer Godwin have an interview with V and Lost star Elizabeth Mitchell. "I feel really bad for Juliet all the time," Mitchell told E! "I feel like, you know, karmically, maybe she's due, because when she was a prisoner, instead of being morally upright, she was Ben's (Michael Emerson) little henchman. But oh, she really has redeemed herself, so I feel like she's deserving of a lovely end. We'll see what happens. We've got another reality going on, and I'm sure she's probably tortured herself in that one, too, but hopefully in that reality we will get to see her happy and vibrant and excited. That to me, would be fun." (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Cynthia Watros (Lost) has been cast in a multiple-episode story arc this season on FOX's House. Watros, who will first appear in April, is set to play the first ex-wife of Wilson (Robert Sean Leonard), "who comes back into his life as his new girlfriend." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

TV Guide Magazine's Will Keck is reporting that Charles Measure (Crossing Jordan), Nicholas Lea (The X-Files), and Lexa Doig (The 4400) have been added to the back half of ABC's sci-fi series V. Mesure will play mercenary Kyle Hobbes, described as "an in-demand black ops expert who forms an unlikely alliance with the resistance when he’s hired by Erica (Elizabeth Mitchell), Ryan (Morris Chestnut), Jack (Joel Gretsch) and Georgie (David Richmond-Peck) to strengthen their fight against the Vs." Lea will play Eric's ex-husband in a two-episode story arc. Doig will play Dr. Leah Pearlman, "an OB/GYN treating Valerie Stevens (Lourdes Benedicto)." (TV Guide Magazine)

E! Online's Kristin Dos Santos is reporting that Rob Lowe (Brothers & Sisters) could be circling a role on CBS' untitled Criminal Minds spin-off, though reps wouldn't comment and publicists for CBS and ABC Studios shot down these rumors. However, citing an unnamed source, Dos Santos is reporting that Lowe would join the already cast Forest Whitaker in the spin-off series. "Lowe's casting would not be as a replacement for Whitaker, but as a costar," writes Dos Santos. "So maybe he could play the good-looking Thomas Gibson type to Whitaker's older and brilliant Mandy Patinkin type?" [Editor: in other words: take this rumor with a grain of salt.] (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

Major changes afoot at AMC's upcoming drama series Rubicon, where creator/executive producer/co-showrunner Jason Horwitch has departed the production and has been replaced by executive producer Henry Bromell. Series, which stars James Badge Dale, revolves around an analyst at a national think tank who becomes enmeshed in a conspiracy. Project was ordered to pilot in August 2008 and is production on the series is set to begin in March and is scheduled to launch this summer. [Editor: I watched Rubicon's disappointing pilot last year. It definitely needed a lot of major work. Hoping Bromell can get this project back on track.] (Hollywood Reporter)

Virginia Madsen (Monk) has been cast as the lead in ABC's eight-episode series Scoundrels, based on Kiwi drama series Outrageous Fortune. She'll play the matriarch of a family of criminals who are forced to go straight after their patriarch ends up in prison. When ABC previously developed the project with executive producer Rob Thomas, the character was played by Catherine O'Hara. (Hollywood Reporter)

Elsewhere, Gary Cole (Entourage) has been cast as the titular character in TBS hour-long comedy pilot Uncle Nigel, where he will play Nigel Wells, described as "a veteran Philadelphia homicide detective who takes on his inexperienced, incompetent nephew as a partner." The attachment of Cole lifts the casting contingency on the project, written and executive produced by Andy Breckman (Monk). (Hollywood Reporter)

Former Scrubs star Sarah Chalke has been cast in ABC comedy pilot Freshman, about a bunch of newbie politicians who live together in Washington. Chalke will play Jane, a former businesswoman turned freshman congresswoman who is unlucky in love. Project, from 20th Century Fox Television, is written/executive produced by Greg Malins and executive produced by Arianna Huffington. (Variety)

ABC announced that supernatural/mystery drama series Happy Town will launch on April 28th at 10 pm ET/PT, assuming the Wednesdays at 10 pm timeslot currently occupied by Ugly Betty, which will wrap its run earlier that month. (HitFix)

CBS has ordered a pilot for multi-camera comedy Team Spitz, which will star Rob Riggle (The Daily Show) as a high school football coach. Project, from Sony Pictures Television and CBS Television Studios, is written by Bill Martin and Mike Schiff, who will executive produce alongside Peter Principato, Paul Young, Eric Tannenbaum, Kim Tannenbaum, and Mitch Hurwitz. (Hollywood Reporter)

FOX has given a pilot presentation order to sketch comedy Naked But Funny, which has begun casting. Project, from Peter Engel Prods. and New Wave Entertainment, is executive produced by Peter Engel, Barry Katz, and Eric Weinberg. (Variety)

Season Seven of dance competition series So You Think You Can Dance is set to launch with a two-hour season premiere on Thursday, May 27th on FOX. (via press release)

Mo'Nique will host Showtime comedy special Shaquille O'Neal Presents: All-Star Comedy Jam, set to air this summer on Showtime. (It will also be made available via pay per view, DVD, and online.) Special will include such comics as George Willborn, Mike Epps, Paul Mooney, Muchael Blackson, and Corey Holcomb. (Variety)

Reality shingle A. Smith and Co. is developing a series based on the life of Tad Skylar Agoglia, who founded First Response Team of America and a recipient of CNN's 2008 Top 10 Heroes of the Year kudos. Project, executive produced by Arthur Smith, Kent Weed, and Frank Sinton, will follow "Agoglia and his team as they travel to communities impacted by natural disasters." (Variety)

Mark Pedowitz, the former president of ABC Studios, has signed a producing deal with Warner Bros. Television. Terms of the deal are still being discussed and both sides declined to comment. (Variety)

Scott Free, the production company owned by Ridley and Tony Scott, is expanding its UK television operations and has added BBC Films development executive Jack Arbuthnott and BBC television drama script editor Surian Fletcher-Jones (Little Dorrit) to its ranks. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.

A Yellow House: Unquiet Souls on "Big Love"

"There's no law against crazy." - Bill

Do we become our parents in the end? Regardless of the rights and wrongs of our forebears' actions, are our fates sealed from the moment we're born? Are we forced not to follow our own paths, but rather to fall into old patterns determined by those who have come before us?

These are questions brilliantly unearthed and examined in the latest episode of HBO's Big Love ("The Mighty and Strong"), written by Melanie Marnich and directed by Dan Attias.

Throughout its four seasons so far, the drama series--created by Mark V. Olsen and Will Scheffer--has done an incredible job at painting the struggles between multiple generations of believers, setting in motion an exploration of family destiny and a personal journey. Last night's episode brought these conflicts to the fore, exploring the relationship between fathers and sons and mothers and daughters and offering a shocking reveal at the episode's end that might point to the blindness of men when it comes to their pasts.

With the halfway point of the season already in sight, this week's episode of Big Love ramped up the tension and offered us a series of brutal revelations, many of which centered on the deeply conflicted Bill Henrickson. Belief is a dangerous thing, especially when it is accompanied by blind faith and an inability to see the consequences of one's actions.

Bill believes himself to be on a righteous path, one ordained by Heavenly Father, that has compelled him to run for political office. But he's stumbled into a moral quagmire, one that enables him to take a decidedly wrong ends-justify-the-means approach to his campaign... and his life. His decision to send Nicki on a recon mission at his opponent's campaign headquarters flies in the face of reason, considering that Bill was meant to keep Nicki on the straight and narrow. Why is his use of Nicki's skills here any worse or better than Roman drafting his manipulative daughter into going undercover at the D.A.'s office during his trial? While it's not illegal, it's just as morally reprehensible. Yet Bill does so without any compunction.

Likewise, he's only more than willing to throw poor Don Embry to the wolves. Don who has stood by his side for years, endured Bill's egocentricity with little more than a sigh, and done everything that his "partner" has asked of him, all while his own personal life has fallen apart around him. That Bill would ask his long-suffering friend to "take the bullet" and out himself as a polygamist is just too much. That Don would willingly go along with this, to endure the hostile glare of the polygamist-loathing media, and still show up at Bill's announcement, is the sign of a true friend. If only Bill would ever return the favor...

But it was Bill's behavior at the episode's end that truly shocked me to the core. Having been sent away by his own father Frank as a teenager, Bill does the very same thing to his own son, effectively banishing him once he learns that Ben's feelings for Margene are reciprocated. It's this falling into old, familiar patterns that made Bill suddenly seem as weak as Frank. That his actions--and his decision not to stop Ben from leaving--should come so soon on the heels of Lois introducing him at the rally and his words about how the man he is today is due to her influence alone is all the more ironic. Has Bill truly not learned from his past? Is he becoming Frank before our eyes, a tyrannical priesthood-holder whose will is ultimate among his wives and children? Is he so weak and jealous that he fears a wife being taken away from him by his teenage son?

It was interesting to me that Bill only perceived Ben as a threat after Margene tearfully admitted that it was she who kissed Ben and not the other way around. Bill could handle his teenage son having a crush on his youngest wife and learning, thanks to Teenie, that he had given her a love letter on their trip to Cumorah, but the moment it became clear that those feelings were reciprocated by Margene, the danger signs began to flash before his eyes.

I was proud, however, that Margene came clean about her feelings for Ben to Bill. The old Margene would have let Ben take the blame for the "blooper" at the television station in order to keep the peace at home. But Margene is transforming before our eyes too, becoming a strong woman who refuses to keep her feelings bottled up or lie about her own past. (Perhaps to a fault, her on-air confession about her parents may not have gone over well with "shiny things" purchasing viewers.) Her tearful display of honesty to Bill ("I kissed him. And I meant it.") spoke volumes about her inner conflict as much as when she subconsciously looked at Ben's stomach as he stretched to retrieve the hot cocoa mix for her earlier. She can't help the way that she feels. Despite striving for perfection, she is imperfect and has deep feelings for Ben that she can't control.

Sending Ben away might remove temptation for now but it won't fix anything in the long-term and it's only further sending Bill down a dark path towards the ideology of Frank. I was surprised that Frank turned up at Bill's announcement but he's quickly dispatched by Bill's glowing remarks about Lois, a surprise about-face considering his issues with his mother. But Bill's whole candidacy would seem to be based on a false foundation of traditional family unity, a lie that will corrupt his campaign from the beginning.

Others have plans for Bill as well. It's not immediately clear just what JJ wants Joey to do but he has Bill's brother under his thumb after he and Malinda photographed Joey and Wanda digging up Roman's body and burning it. Joey shows up at the rally and makes an entrance that plays up his own lost past (football hero) and his own morally fractious present. Will Joey sell out Bill in order to ensure JJ's continued silence? Most likely, yes. He yearns to give Wanda the life she wants and, rather touchingly, her dreams aren't big or lavish. They involve a yellow house, a sanctuary for her and her family away from interference.

But JJ isn't likely to allow that future to come to pass. He has plans for Juniper Creek and for the empire that Roman Grant built. His first request of the newly installed heir to the prophethood Alby is to request placement of Adaleen in his household, a marriage "for time" rather than eternity. Just why he wants Adaleen is a mystery but his twisted nature must find some "perverse" humor in the fact that he will marry the mother of his ex-wife and become, essentially, Nicki's father on earth.

As for Adaleen, her pained keening on the phone to Nicki was diametrically opposed to her out of character Zen-like calm when Nicki learned that she was to be sealed to JJ. Adaleen purports to be on a path of righteous obedience, but that's never been the case with Nicki's mother; she operates out of self-preservation more than anything. Was that why she turned her trailer around and returned to the compound? Did she realize that she couldn't exist on her own outside of Juniper Creek?

(Addendum: Also wanted to say how much I loved the moment where Jodean freed the Mexican parrots while Lois and Frank slept in the back of the car. Her satisfied smirk was the icing on the cake after her efforts at rebellion, payback for being treated like little more than a work mule. Nicely played.)

Alby, meanwhile, went to a whole other level of crazy when he broke into Dale's house in order to give him a present of grape jelly and cook him dinner... only to flee when he found proof of what he believed to be a grievous betrayal. I had wondered if Alby was playing Dale but he seems to have become obsessed with the UEB state-appointed trustee. His return to Dale's house signals perhaps a more honest union between the two but one that's doomed to come crashing down around their heads.

Our futures aren't always set from big actions but sometimes the small ones. I was glad to see that the writers dealt head-on not only with Ben's love letter from the Cumorah trip but also Sarah's miscarriage, turning it into something poignant about false second chances. Sarah's efforts to keep Leila's son after she abandons him (and tells the reservation authorities that Sarah took the baby) isn't so much the result of wanting to care for this child but the consequences of the loss of her and Scott's unborn baby. Unlike her mothers, Sarah has a supportive husband who isn't a dictator in their household; I was happy to see Scott offer Sarah his unwavering support and understanding, no matter what she decided to do.

Could it be then that there is hope for the next generation of Henricksons? Or are they too doomed to follow in their parents' footsteps? I don't think that Ben would have thought that his father--who earlier said that they shared an "open door" policy of trust between them--would have supported his exile from the Henrickson household. Is this breach a potential sign that Ben might have second thoughts about the Principle? Or that he sees his father clearly now, perhaps for the first time?

All in all, a fantastic installment that continues to see Bill sacrifice everyone around him to achieve his ends, even as his family continues to unravel at the seams. With only five episodes of Big Love remaining this season, I dare say that Barb may be right: the sugar is about hit the fan in a very big way.

Next week on Big Love ("Sins of the Father"), Bill tries to win Paley's support for the state Senate nomination; Marilyn makes a pitch to represent the casino's interests in Washington; Frank drops by the casino with Lois and Jodean.

Ep. 39: Sins of the Father - Preview

Mr. Henrickson Goes to Washington: The Politics of Relationships on "Big Love"

At its core, HBO's family drama Big Love has been about the often complex and always complicated interpersonal relationships that we encounter in our lives: the bonds between family, spouses, lovers, the pangs of unrequited love, the enmity between rivals. In other words: the series is a microcosm through which we can explore our own relationships, a rubric for understanding the Gordian knot of love and hate between ourselves and others and, often, the conflicting natures within our very being.

This week's episode of Big Love ("Strange Bedfellows"), written by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and directed by Adam Davidson, found the Henricksons separated in more ways than one. While Bill headed to Washington D.C. with Nicki and Cara Lynn, Barb and Sarah's efforts to spend some time together resulted in a car accident involving a young woman on the reservation and Margene gave into temptation, a subconscious action that will likely have lasting repercussions for several of the characters.

It was this fateful moment between Margene and Ben as well as parallel storylines involving Alby and his secret lover Dale (the newly appointed state trustee on the UEB board), Barb and Sarah, and Nicki and Cara Lynn that gave the episode its emotional resonance. Is it sinful to be imperfect or is it the greater sin to give into your imperfect nature? In other words: can we help who we are or are we doomed to give into our impulses?

It's these impulses that offered a strong throughline to the season's third episode, one that was split among the political powerhouse of Washington, in the Henrickson's suburban home, on the Native American reservation, and in the backwater of Juniper Creek as several secrets spilled out, actions were taken that can't be undone, and the twin vipers of Alby and JJ made their opening move.

Bill. I'm glad to see that Bill attempted to reconcile his relationship with Nicki but his plans for rekindling their relationship were derailed by Nicki, who brought Cara-Lynn along for the weekend. I had almost written off Bill and Nicki's marriage as irreparably damaged but Bill seems to be making an effort to get things back on track, even if he doesn't quite realize just how unhappy Nicki is. Her betrayals last season, both with Ray Henry and with her efforts not to get pregnant, speak to larger issues within their marriage that can't be solved with a weekend getaway to D.C. or some sexy bottomless lingerie.

For a man with three wives, Bill still isn't the the most knowledgeable guy when it comes to women. In addition to misreading Nicki's signals, he botches an important liaison when he meets Marilyn (the fantastic Sissy Spacek, here a strawberry blonde spitfire), a key Washington lobbyist who holds the keys to accessing an endorsement from a prominent Utah Congressman. Mistaking her for an assistant, Bill berates Marilyn for making him wait in the lobby and then blows an opportunity to get a ticket to a fundraiser where Congressman Paley (Perry King) would be. Marilyn isn't one to be charmed by Bill's aw-shucks attitude nor his slightly chauvinistic view of women in the workplace... and she manages to block his access to the Congressman at several turns. But it's not Bill who manages to undo his actions.

Nicki. We've long known that Nicki has a manipulative streak that can't be controlled but in this episode she actually applies those traits to something positive: namely, winning over Marilyn and convincing her that she needs to help Bill. While Nicki believes that she's won the lobbyist over by talking up Bill's strengths, it's really the mention of the Indian gaming casino that sparks Marilyn's attention. Still, Bill wouldn't have gotten to the Congressman if it hadn't been for Nicki's interference...

But while she saves the day here with a Hail Mary, Nicki isn't exactly known for her judgment, such as her decision to bring a concealed weapon with her to Washington "for protection." (She truly is her father's daughter.) As soon as Nicki pulled out that firearm, which she checked separately on the plane, I knew that it would come back to haunt her. I just never expected that it would be Cara Lynn who would (metaphorically) pull that trigger.

It's their estranged relationship that provides one of the best illustration of what I was discussing earlier. Nicki's main character trait is her manipulative nature; she can't help who she is but she can choose whether or not to give into her nature... or to use her powers for good, as she does with Marilyn. But Cara Lynn has inherited her mother's nature: she's devilishly manipulative. Despite her agreement with Nicki, Cara Lynn doesn't tell JJ that Nicki and Bill are taking her Washington because she knew he wouldn't agree to it; rather, she lets Bill and Nicki receive the irate wrath of her father rather than stand up to him herself. (That wrath includes a surprise and rather menacing visit at Margene's house.)

Likewise, angry that Nicki forced her to wait downstairs in the lobby for so long, Cara Lynn brings up Nicki's abandonment of her as a baby. When Nicki attempts to explain, Cara Lynn storms off, leading to a tantrum in which Cara Lynn tells the security guard that Nicki has a gun. A classic Nicki move, really. Cara Lynn might pretend to be sweet and naive but she has as much of a gift for emotional subterfuge as her mother. It's in her nature, really... and as much as Nicki might want her daughter to turn out differently, they might be doomed to the same fate.

JJ. Understandably furious at learning that his daughter has been flown across the country without his consent, JJ flies off the handle and confronts Margene, who is home with the Henrickson kids and Jodean. His threatening manner and anger recall Alby during Season Two of Big Love, a shadow forcing its way through the cracks in the Henrickson home.

But despite his anger toward Bill and Nicki, JJ has bigger plans that involve Wanda and Joey and he manages to convince them that the authorities are suspicious about Roman's death and intend to exhume his corpse. Knowing that Roman has his DNA under his fingernails, Joey panics and digs up Roman's body himself... while JJ's cancer-stricken wife Malinda watches nearby. (If this whole scheme weren't creepy enough, we learn that it's JJ who is acting as Malinda's physician, performing her blood transfusions and biopsies himself.)

Alby. Alby's twisted relationship with Dale got even more complicated this week as they continued to give into their mutual attraction to one another, both at the compound offices and in a hotel room. Despite his hunger for Dale, Alby maintains that he is not gay but just "likes fooling around." Dale, however, believes that his homosexuality is a test from Heavenly Father and that he must try not to give into his base desires, knowing that same-sex attraction doesn't exist within the celestial kingdom and is only limited to their time on Earth. The sin, he says, isn't being gay, which is in their nature, but in giving into those feelings.

While it's clear that Dale is falling for Alby despite his efforts to remain pure (loved the scene where he asked about his facial scar, the result of his aborted attempt on Adaleen's life last season), I can't help but question Alby's devotion to his lover. The fact that he snapped a photo of them naked in bed together raises some looming issues: Alby can now hold this proof of their relationship over Dale's head if he needs to should the state trustee go against his authority down the line.

However, Dale now has something over Alby as well: he knows that the UEB has spent $100 million of the trust in building a top secret satellite compound in Kansas. It's this compound that JJ alluded to when he urged Nicki to make sure Bill doesn't start poking his nose into Kansas. But just what is going on there? Why is Malinda in such a rush to return. Hmmm...

And then there's the little matter of Roman's spirit hovering over the action, manifested all the more three-dimensionally by Alby, who appears to have absorbed Roman into his subconscious, hearing the hateful sting of his scorn following his night with Dale. As he dresses in his Temple garment, Alby pictures his father sitting in an armchair, watching him, judging him, loathing him. Yes, things just got a hell of a lot more insidious...

Jodean. I was so happy to see Mireille Enos return this season as the sullen Jodean Marquart. Still reeling from her sister Kathy's death, Jodean seems to have nothing to live for and exists firmly under her husband Frank's thumb. But there are signs of a friendship blossoming between her and Margene, one that I hope continues to be explored. The palpable sense of relief and comfort that washed over Jodean when she and Margene embraced spoke volumes about the isolation and loneliness she feels now that her twin is dead. Sad and touching.

Barb and Sarah. Barb and Sarah's efforts at reconciliation didn't so much as hit a wall as they did a woman... meth trafficker Leila Stilwell (Frozen River's Misty Upham). After Barb's sensitivity seminar crashed and burned (loved that woman's fiery reply to Barb's insistence to tell her how she really felt), the mother and daughter got their own taste of racial sensitivity training. Despite Tommy's insistence to let them handle this issue, both Barb and Sarah return to the reservation to check on Leila and get sucked into the drama without really having an understanding of the underlying issues. Tommy tells Barb that Leila is a mule bringing meth onto the reservation from Canada and that the tribe has a strict policy about meth: houses used to store it are razed and traffickers are banished. That Barb would offer Leila an inroads to the casino is mindboggling to him; they are trying to keep meth as far away from the casino as possible.

But it's too late for Sarah, who feels some personal responsibility for Leila. Besides for giving her money at the clinic, she returns to the reservation and is seen at Leila's house looking after Leila's baby. Considering her own brush with motherhood last season (and her eventual miscarriage), I'm concerned about Sarah's involvement with Leila, especially if there are drugs involved. Sarah is in way over her head but doesn't quite realize it yet...

Margene. She's not the only one in over her head, though. After everyone bailed on showing up to the television station to support Margene's primetime appearance, she's ecstatic to see Ben show up for offer some emotional support... especially after he came to her rescue earlier with JJ. She's so happy in fact that she gives into the seething sexual tension that has existed between them since the start of the series and they share a kiss.

Margene is horrified by what she has done and immediately realizes that she has made a huge mistake, but that mistake is compounded when Ben is identified on television as Margene's husband while Barb watches in shock. This storyline has been four seasons in the making and I'm glad to see that Mark V. Olsen and Will Scheffer are delving into this plot headfirst. I only wonder just what the fallout will be from this illicit kiss, a move that both surprised and shocked Margene. Has she crossed a line that can't be uncrossed? Will her actions further splinter the already fragile Henrickson clan?

All in all, another fantastic installment of Big Love that doled out some tantalizing tidbits about this season's many mysteries, amped up the tension, and kept the characters questioning their true selves. Next Sunday can't come quickly enough...

Next week on Big Love ("The Mighty and the Strong"), an audit uncovers insurance discrepancies at Home Plus, forcing Bill to take drastic steps to protect his secrets and save his candidacy; J.J. approaches Alby with a potential solution on how to dispose of a “flock cast adrift,” flummoxing Nicki; Sarah gets a taste of motherhood, albeit with someone else’s child; Bill decides that a change of scenery might be best for Ben.

Ep. 38: The Mighty and Strong - Preview

Eternity: Til Death Do Us Part on "Big Love"

"It's always complicated with you." - Heather

"There's work to be done." - Joey

"Without an eternal marriage, this is just all there is." - Barb

This week's phenomenal episode of Big Love ("The Greater Good"), written by Paul Redford and directed by David Knoller, picked up many of the series' weightiest themes--family, marriage, fidelity, eternity--and ran with them, offering an intelligent and gripping installment that pushed several characters past their breaking points and advanced the season's overarching plot.

While the focus fell primarily on the domestic sphere this week, the episode also picked up the larger forces operating around the Henrickson clan, thrusting their stories against a larger backdrop of destiny and free will, the secular and the spiritual, matters of church and state, and pre-determinism. Will their little nation of polygamists be able to chart their own destiny? Can they take rein of their own political future? And can the light of prophethood ever truly be snuffed out?

Add in several new mysteries coming to light and you have the makings of a remarkable installment that effortlessly set up the season to come.

The title of this week's episode is clearly meant to bring up a discussion of utilitarian principles: what does one man's--or one family's--happiness matter compared to the happiness of the larger group? It's a question that's lain at the heart of the series since the very first episode. In a marriage or in a family, one's own happiness is often second to that of the group and we've seen this explored through the multiple wives and characters of the Henrickson clan. The path they've largely been on throughout the series has been one of secrecy and fear: each of the wives attempts to hold onto their individuality by retaining control of their own inner mysteries while each is terrified of being exposed for what they are and what they believe.

In this week's episode, Bill made a decision that will affect not just each of their own personal lives but also the lives of the polygamist nation at large. In attempting to run for public office and eventually expose his true self, he's taking the first steps towards creating a new political destiny for the believers of The Principle, hoping to not only seize control of their own political power but also offer a public face for polygamy, one that isn't bound up with the abuses of Juniper Creek or the relics of a bygone century.

But not everyone believes that Bill's testimony should point him toward a state senatorship. Margene is outright opposed to the idea for her own personal reasons as her lucrative business gets off the ground (she has a projected yearly revenue of over $130,000) while Barb hates the idea of groveling and lying to the Mormon Church in order to pretend to be reconciled against polygamy and on the side of singular marriage. Lying is lying, even if it is only temporary but a strong public facade is what is needed for this campaign, the promise of family values and Mormon belief.

It's Nicki who believes Bill is destined for great things but not the grubbiness of public service; she--like Bill's brother Joey, newly returned from Arizona--feels that Bill should be the next prophet of Juniper Creek. Roman wrongly wrested control from the Henricksons and Bill should be the rightful heir. It's a sentiment that's strongly echoed by Joey, who gives Bill a copy of their grandfather's testimony. But it's a celestial kingdom that the pragmatic Bill doesn't want control of--he believes he can better help the 10,000 believers in Juniper Creek through bureaucratic rather than spiritual means. But, as in many a Shakespearean tragedy, Bill may not have control over his path; kings and prophets are ordained by God, after all, and a throne is a hard thing to refuse.

Besides, Bill's rival for control of Juniper Creek is Alby, who is already using Roman's death as an opportunity. His hunger for power knows no bounds and we see him approach Adaleen about a power grab using spiritual leverage: he can continue to disseminate Roman's words and wishes from beyond the grave. But Alby's quest will perhaps be tempered by his own carnal desires as he's fallen head over heels for the UEB's newly appointed state trustee Dale (with whom he previously enjoyed some, er, parkside sex). The scene between the two of them at Alignment spoke of a powerful attraction that can't be diverted, no matter what the consequence. Could it be that Alby is more human than we realized?

Joey and Wanda's return from Arizona, meanwhile, kicked up suspicion in Nicki's ex-husband JJ (who happens to be Wanda's brother); he knows that Joey was involved in Roman's death (even if he doesn't know the specifics) and claims to have seen him at the big house the night of Roman's murder. But there's something else going too, another mystery to be solved at a later date. Just what did JJ mean when he said that he had "something precious" of Wanda's? And why did she freak out when she heard him say this? Hmmm... Could it be that Wanda herself has an unknown child? Or is it a secret even more damning?

As for JJ, Zeljko Ivanek infuses him with more subtle horror than I thought possible. The dinner scene in the Henricksons' backyard was palpably filled with tension and with the threat of violence. Add to that the fact that Margene subtly noticed that the cruciform vegetable-averse JJ had no fingernails and we have ourselves the start of yet another intriguing subplot. Just what is going on in Kansas and why does JJ want Bill to stay away? What did happen to JJ's fingernails? Were they forcibly removed during torture? Did they fall off of their own accord? (And why can't I stop shuddering when I think about it?)

Plus, JJ doesn't quite seem to be done with Nicki. He's letting her off too easily, really, after she kidnapped Cara Lynn and has placed her back in mainstream schooling. Cassi Thomson's Cara Lynn has been a fantastic addition to the series so far this season. Her mattress-flipping scene with Nicki, where they discuss questioning their faith, was absolutely fantastic. It's good to see Nicki have someone to bounce off of, even if Nicki seems blinded that Cara Lynn is going down the same path she did. But Nicki herself is trying to feel, even in the face of her upbringing. She's questioning her feelings for Bill while acknowledging her ongoing attraction towards Ray Henry (Charles Esten), even when he slams the door in her face.

But it was the final scene of the episode, which depicted Sarah's wedding to Scott, in which Nicki's true feelings came to the fore. After Sarah attempted to secretly wed Scott in front of a justice of the peace--a ceremony to be attended only by Ben and Heather (a very thankful reconciliation, I might add)--and threw off Barb and Bill's desire to see her sealed in their newly consecrated church, she finally came round to understand that she did want her parents at her wedding, even if they don't share the same belief system that she does. But it was her decision to arrange a secular wedding, free from the eternal sealing, that struck home for Nicki.

As Barb says earlier, without the promise of eternity, life on earth is all that there is. For Nicki, the notion of Sarah parting with her husband upon death is absolutely heartbreaking and one can't shake the sense that she truly believes that our lives are akin to the blink of an eye, a flap of butterfly wings in the face of the eternal and immortal. But, even if that is the case, Nicki would seem to finally understand that life on Earth also means giving into your feelings, whether that be mourning the passing of one's parents or the pangs of love and loss.



Next week on Big Love ("Strange Bedfellows"), Bill, Nicki, and Cara Lynn travel to Washington, D.C., where Bill tries to obtain a Congressional endorsement and repair his relationship with Nicki; Margene's product line heads to primetime but her on-air triumph is tempered by a case of mistaken identity; Barb and Sarah lead a series of seminars on sensitivity training at the casino and hit a young Native American woman with their car, prompting Sarah to personally compensate the victim and her baby.

Wet, Wet, Wet: The 67th Golden Globe Awards

Just a few quick words about last night's Golden Globes.

I spent the evening watching the (thankfully) live telecast from home and then went over to the Beverly Hilton for HBO's Golden Globes after-party at Circa 55. As usual, HBO did an incredible job transforming the outdoor space (right at the poolside)... but, rather sadly, the network's handiwork was undone by the weather, rendering the glass-enclosed firepits and open-air seating unusable.

But the party must go on and it was moved under the tents and inside Circa 55 itself, where executives, celebrities, and bon vivants sipped Copper-tinis and Moet et Chandon champagne. Those celebrities included Mad Men's January Jones and Entourage's Jeremy Piven, Modern Family's Eric Stonestreet, Big Love's Chloe Sevigny (Golden Globe-winner Chloe Sevigny, I should say), Ginnifer Goodwin, and Mary Kay Place, True Blood's Anna Camp, Hung's Natalie Zea (with whom I chatted about her role in FX's upcoming drama series Justified), Grace Jones, and many, many others. Spotted at the Hilton on the way into the party: Tina Fey, the cast of Glee, White Collar's Tim DeKay, Busy Philipps, Aaron Paul (of HBO's Big Love and AMC's Breaking Bad), Flipping Out's Jenny Pulos, True Blood's Kristin Bauer, Mad Men's Christina Hendricks (and husband Geoffrey Arend), and... I'm forgetting a ton of others. (Forgive me, I'm still recovering.)

As for the actual telecast itself, it was a mixed bag, really.

I thought that Ricky Gervais' self-deprecating opening bit was absolutely hysterical but there was too little Gervais sprinkled throughout the ceremony, which seemed oddly stiff and rudderless at the same time. After the Hollywood Foreign Press Association made such a big deal about hiring a host for the awards telecast (the first time since 1995), it was odd that the evening seemed so, well, hostless.

I think that Gervais' humor, despite the copious amounts of alcohol flowing at the relatively more laid-back Golden Globes, is perhaps more suited for the Emmys in the end, where his seemingly impromptu comedy killed last fall. Here, there are so many categories to cover in two mediums, a host of celebrity presenters, and a hell of a lot of confusion. I didn't quite feel like Gervais had the MC role over the entire evening but rather just offered a comedic introduction to the evening's festivities.

As for the television awards themselves, I was happy to see both Alec Baldwin and Chloe Sevigny take home statuettes for their respective work in 30 Rock and Big Love. Considering that Big Love got shut out in the other categories--losing Best TV Drama to AMC's Mad Men--I was glad to see that Sevigny was recognized for her honest and soul-baring performance on the last season of Big Love.

I figured that Glee and Mad Men would take home the top prizes in their categories as well, so I wasn't surprised, though I was hoping that Modern Family would have won for Best TV Comedy. Yes, Glee fuses together comedy and music (thus making it perhaps the first honest double contender in the comedy or musical category) but Modern Family definitely deserved to win for its winning comedic chops.

Was happy to see Michael C. Hall win for Showtime's Dexter (would have loved to see Bill Paxton win an award for a change) as well as that for John Lithgow, but I was surprised by Julianna Margulies' win... but then again the HFPA does love to give awards to new series and The Good Wife was the only new drama in that category. Additionally, I was pulling for Edie Falco to win for Best Actress (Comedy) but that accolade went to Toni Collette. Still, very happy with the love very deservedly heaped on Grey Gardens, which won for Best Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television and Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-series or Motion Picture Made for Television for Drew Barrymore's amazing turn as Little Edie Beale. (Which, incidentally, must be seen and heard to be believed.)

What did you think of the awards? Who were you happy to see win and who would you have rather had take home the statue? Which winner surprised you the most? And who had the best ensemble? Discuss.

New Beginnings and Old Ghosts: All is Well on the Season Premiere of HBO's "Big Love"

Some baggage can't be left behind.

It was a particularly harsh lesson for the Henrickson clan to grasp in last night's sensational season premiere of Big Love ("Free at Last"), written by series creators Mark V. Olsen and Will Scheffer and directed by Daniel Attias, which also featured a new opening title sequence and a new theme song ("Home" by Engineers).

As the fourth season opens, the polygamist family is closer than ever to achieving its dreams of financial security in the form of the casino deal that Bill brokered with the Blackfoot tribe. But the opening hour isn't just about the corporate but also the celestial, as Bill presides over a new storefront church, paying off the ending of Season Three in which he received a testimony to call together his own congregation.

However, even as the family looks towards a brighter future, their first steps towards claiming control of their own destiny are overshadowed by reminders of the past they've left behind, the seething power struggle about to erupt at the Juniper Creek compound, and cracks forming in their own solidarity.

You had a chance to read my advance review of the first two episodes of Season Four of Big Love but, now that the season premiere has aired, we can discuss the episode in specifics. (Note: while I've seen the first two episodes, I'll keep my thoughts restricted solely to discussing "Free at Last.")

After the intensity of last season, the premiere episode offered an opportunity for the audience to catch its breath a bit while it caught up with the Henricksons. Additionally, the slight jump ahead in time--six weeks--gave the writers just enough time to keep the status quo fresh enough while moving along some notable subplots such as the construction of the casino and Cara Lynn's new status in the Henrickson home(s). The sting of Nicki's betrayal last season continues to cast a pall over the communal environment, despite her admission of her wrongdoing... and the reveal that much of her behavior could be attributed to her underage marriage to JJ (Zeljko Ivanek) and her birthing of a daughter. (Her marriage, one might recall, was subsequently unsealed.)

Likewise, the blossoming of Margene into an independent and outspoken woman in her own right has continued apace as well. Given her success on a home shopping network, she's having to juggle the demands of her own career as well as that of Bill's, while also at least giving the illusion of lending a hand at home. Her handling of Barb--goading her into realizing that her problems at the casino stem not from anti-Mormonism or misogyny but from their dislike of her--end up producing an unexpected realization from Barb as well. Despite Margene making leaps towards fulfilling her potential, Barb feels rudderless, lost, drifting in the darkness.

But Barb isn't the only one finding herself in the darkness. Even with Bill's efforts to create a beacon of light for his family, some members of his flock are slipping further away. Sarah continues to pull away from her parents' chosen path; despite attending a service at Bill's new church, Sarah makes it clear that she and Scott will not be sealed there, regardless of Barb's not-so-gentle coaxing. The eternal question that the series poses is how a family--whether traditional or non-traditional--stays together or falls apart when faced by adversity. Sarah's tenuous connection to her family could weaken even further as the season goes on...

Bill and Nicki's relationship is fractured, possibly forever; they've yet to reconnect (emotionally or sexually) since the events of Season Three. Not that Nicki has adjusted her abrasive ways; she's just as argumentative and confrontational as ever but there are moments of clarity, such as her breakdown in the car ("fry sauce" not withstanding), which reveals a loosening of Nicki. (It's gently assisted by a looseness of her look as well, with her hair flowing and less severe and her clothes slightly more contemporary.) Still, Nicki's handling of her daughter Cara Lynn amounts to little more than kidnapping, especially given the fact that it takes JJ trespassing on the Henricksons' property to make her admit that she's been avoiding him and a discussion about Cara Lynn's future. As for Cara Lynn, she might just be her mother's daughter; the ease with which she tells JJ that she doesn't like living there was staggering. Just who is she lying to? And for what purpose? And is she serious about leaving the Henricksons when JJ goes back to Kansas?

I thought that Olsen and Scheffer did a remarkable job at keeping the plot moving while not revealing the fate of Roman Grant right off the bat. Despite the fact that we clearly saw Joey Henrickson smother Roman Grant to death in the third season finale, Roman is a slippery fellow; he's survived assassination attempts, a kangaroo court, and a tumble down the courthouse stairs in the last two seasons. But let's just mention the elephant in the room: Roman Grant is dead. There's no amount of manipulation, guitar-strumming, or cheese that can resurrect the former prophet of Juniper Creek.

Adaleen used the confusion about Roman's "disappearance" to keep the lid on his passing, stashing him in the walk-in freezer amid the bacon. (Naturally, it's Adaleen who has been depositing money into a bank account in Nicki's name, looking for yet another escape route in case of danger.) That Adaleen allowed Nicki to walk into the freezer and come face to face with her father's frozen corpse doesn't exactly make her a likely candidate for mother of the year, despite her intense desire to make Nicki a BLT sandwich. Desperate? You bet. Misguided? Hell yes.

Alby, ever the opportunist, used Roman's death as yet another way to get back at Bill and he and Lura deposit the corpse at the casino tent site. Not that Alby doesn't have enough to deal with already, considering that his one-time park hook-up ended being Dale (Ben Koldyke), the state-appointed trustee on the UEB board. The look of sheer horror as Alby realizes that he's been caught out--and Dale's own look of shock--was palpably played by Matt Ross. It's echoed subtly but provocatively when Bill thinks he's deflected Alby's attack on him by returning Roman's corpse to the compound... only to be handed undeniable proof of his involvement in a conspiracy in the form of Roman's hat.

It's a reminder that the past will always catch up to you, whether that be Alby coming face to face with Dale or Bill getting handed Roman's signature white cowboy hat. The effect is that of a scarlet letter, branding them both with a sense of shame that's keenly felt.

As to what the future will bring, that remains to be seen. Self-determination appears to be a major overarching theme of the season, with the family attempting to seize control of their own destiny (it's a theme that's subtly explored via their relationship with the Native American Blackfoot tribe). Whether Bill will be able to find the societal freedom for his family that he so desperately desires, along with advancing their own political status, seems like a compelling story that will unfold over the course of the next eight episodes. Let's just hope that the Henricksons can find the escape velocity to get past all of their baggage.

Next week on Big Love ("The Greater Good"), Bill contemplates running for the Utah State Senate; Sarah and Scott decide to forgo a wedding in Bill's church; Margene confronts Nicki about her feelings for Ray Henry.

The Daily Beast: "Big Love Returns"

Big Love returns on Sunday evening with its fourth season and a hell of a lot of neck-snapping plot twists to come.

Head over to The Daily Beast, where you can read my latest piece, entitled "Big Love Returns," which is actually a gargantuan Q&A-style interview with Big Love creators/executive producers Mark V. Olsen and Eric Scheffer.

And when I say gargantuan, I mean it. Olsen and Scheffer talk about the role of identity this season, the paths that Bill, Barb, Nicki, and Margene each take in Season Four, as well as subplots relating to Alby, Roman, Cara Lynn, the power struggle at the fundamentalist compound, Bill’s campaign for public office, Sissy Spacek's character, and more.

So head over there and check it out. And be sure to head to the comments section to discuss what you're most looking forward to about Season Four and where you think the story is heading.

Season Four of Big Love begins Sunday evening at 9 pm ET/PT on HBO.

Eternal Bonds: An Advance Review of Season Four of HBO's "Big Love"

Those of us who watch HBO's gripping drama series Big Love know that it's a series of contrasts: between light and darkness, love and hate, tolerance and injustice. The never-ending push and pull of these elements is what drives the series, which remains one of the most intelligent and emotionally resonant series on television today. (My only complaint: that more of you aren't watching it.)

Season Four of Big Love, which begins this Sunday evening, picks up the threads that were left dangling at the end of the series' outstanding third season, which I rank as one of the very best complete seasons of television ever. Taut, provocative, and gut-wrenching, Season Three of Big Love pushed the Henrickson clan past their breaking point, throwing them on a series of soul-searching exercises as varied as a family road trip, excommunication, a new wife, and the unearthing of some long-buried secrets. (Not to mention storylines involving murder, kidnapping, cult leaders, assumed identity, and adultery.)

One might wonder just how series creators Mark V. Olsen and Will Scheffer could outdo themselves then after such a truly remarkable season. Any fears (and believe me, they were minor, if they existed at all) were quickly allayed after watching the breathtaking first two episodes of Season Four of Big Love (entitled "Free at Last" and "The Greater Good").

What did I think of the first two episodes of Season Four of Big Love? Let's discuss. (Beware: there are minor spoilers lurking ahead.)

The opening installments of Big Love's latest season find the Henricksons once more under attack from numerous directions, not least of which is internal. The wounds from some of last season's betrayals--most notably the deception perpetrated by Nicki (Chloe Sevigny)--still sting, especially for Bill (Bill Paxton), who once more is trying to keep his flock together in the face of overwhelming obstacles. (There's an especially powerful scene for Nicki at the end of the second episode that points not only to the depth of her faith but the heartbreaking explicitness of her belief system.)

But while the Henricksons have always attempted to remain a united front, there are larger cracks growing in their unity. Decisions made by Bill in the first few episodes will have longstanding repercussions for every single member of the clan, each of whom is tested in new and unique ways this season. The family's casino business, a major focal point for Season Three, forces Barb (Jeanne Tripplehorn) into a new and uncomfortable position within the family while Margene (Ginnifer Goodwin) grapples with the first blush of success as her own business begins to take off. As for Nicki, she must deal with consequences of her taking Cara Lynn (Cassi Thomson) away from her ex-husband JJ (Zeljko Ivanek) and off of the compound.

As for Ivanek's JJ, look for a seriously creepy reveal about Nicki's former husband in the season's second episode. It's a quick character-defining moment that has me squeamishly thinking about it weeks later. And keep your eyes peeled for an appearance by Mad Men's Melinda Page Hamilton as one of JJ's wives, who shares a certain similarity with Barb. (A minor hint: there's a dinner scene that ranks up there with the series' most off-putting moments.) And Cara Lynn might not be quite as innocent as she appears as she might just share a certain trait with her birth mother.

Elsewhere, the consequences of Joey's actions in the season finale are dealt with pretty quickly but not in the way that you might expect. However, there is a concrete resolution to the matter of the mortality of prophet Roman Grant (Harry Dean Stanton) in the opening episode, one that proves to be quite surprising... and cold-blooded. There is no shortage of madness at Juniper Creek; look for some truly shocking moves from both Alby (Matt Ross) and Adaleen (Mary Kay Place) as a power struggle begins anew at the compound, one that's potentially fraught with complications after the placement of Dale (Ben Koldyke), a state-appointed trustee to the UEB board.

Additionally, the dangling plot thread about Lois (Grace Zabriski) inquiring about a bird from the deliciously loopy Wanda (Melora Walters) is dealt with head-on as Lois launches yet another get-rich-quick scheme and crosses paths with her dangerous husband Frank (Bruce Dern), who might not be all that pleased to see her after she attempted to kill him last season. (Ice cream, anyone?)

I was thrilled that the producers opted to bring back Tina Majorino's Heather Tuttle this season after her falling-out with Amanda Seyfried's Sarah last year. Look for some major drama involving Sarah and her boyfriend Scott (Aaron Paul) as Sarah makes a series of decisions that will spell out the direction she's heading in for the rest of the season. (That's all I'll say on the subject.)

The season seems to be setting itself up as a battle between the personal and the political, the domestic and the public, and the illicit and the divine. Caught in the center: the Henricksons, who must take sides, hold onto their true selves, and find something to bind them together in the face of unstoppable change. There's a sense that the family is playing with fire in more ways than one and likely none of them will walk away unscathed.

Ultimately, the first two episodes of Season Four of Big Love point towards a forceful and riveting season ahead as the various members of the Henrickson family are tested by new challenges as each attempts to find their place in a shifting world. Even as your heart breaks for the various Henrickson family members, their imminent freefall makes for captivating television that's at once unique and universal. Hold on, indeed.



Season Four of Big Love premieres Sunday evening at 9 pm ET/PT on HBO.

The Daily Beast: "23 Shows That Changed Television"

Wondering why I didn't compile a best of the decade list on Televisionary? Head over to The Daily Beast, where you can find my latest feature, "23 Shows That Changed Television," which looks at the cultural impact (both good and ill) of 23 series that launched this decade.

Those influential series include American Idol, Lost, Survivor, The Wire, Mad Men, Weeds, Big Love, Arrested Development, The Osbournes, True Blood, Laguna Beach, Family Guy and Battlestar Galactica.

And if you're wondering why some of your favorites got left off, it's because each of the series had to have premiered after January 1st, 2000 in order to be included in the list. Which negated the inclusion of such influential series from the late 1990s, such as The Sopranos, Sex and the City, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, The West Wing, and South Park, to name a few.

Head over to the comments section to share your thoughts on the list and your picks for the most influential series of the decade.