Big Love - "Come, Ye Saints"

If this season of Big Love doesn't get at least an Emmy nomination, it will be a travesty. This episode was easily one of the best in the show's short run. When the show started, I was passively interested. It was an entertaining show that required investment, but I didn't have a problem missing an episode and catching up later. Now I find myself counting down the days before a new episode. In its third season, Big Love has become like Mad Men, a show that, from week to week, is a short film in a series, not a television show. Last night's episode was one of the best hours of television I've ever seen. And without further ado, let's talk about it.

The family was off on a road trip across the country, with the ultimate goal of burying a family time capsule. For Bill, this was to be a huge moment. Finally away from the UEB mess, away from his mother, away from his business woes, and above all, away from Anna, he hoped to achieve a spiritual renewal that would save his family and help things make sense again. But so many things were happening, both known and unknown to him, that the journey would no doubt devolve into the disaster it did. As Bill sat in a field burying his capsule alone, telling God he couldn't feel his presence, it was the first time this show has ever made Bill seem truly vulnerable. Sure, he's had moments where's he's been foolish or brash and therefore vulnerable to be attacked, but never has his faith wavered. Always the confident father and husband, he's always had a grip on at least some part of his life, until he sat there as an "angel" was raised to the heavens behind him.

Everyone had about four different threads going, and it's hard to untangle them, so I'm going to break down individual happenings and discuss them.

-When Margie's mother's urn fell off the car, even I gasped. For as hard as she clung to those ashes, it was heartbreaking to see them simply fall in the middle of a road trip. It does however seem fitting, considering Margie's mother's seemingly whimsical life.

-Alright, Margie and Ben?! This has been brewing since season one, and their naked moment was classic, but seeing Margie put it to rest once and for all was pretty fantastic. Ginnifer Goodwin is a phenomenal actress, and it was really great to see her do something other than the fligthy character Margie normally is. Her performance carried that scene and made it believable when it very easily couldn't have worked at all.

-Nicki is still in to Captain Cardigan. I thought it was funny when she tried to sleep with Bill in his cardigan. Bill also finally found out that she was taking birth control (though he was taking Viagra), which was a long time coming. I understand that it's reasonable to get angry at her for this, but how many times is Nicki going to do something so bad that Bill isn't sure if he's going to forgive her? First there was her massive debt, and goodness knows what will happen when he finds out that she was helping her father, but she is consistently in the dog house.

-Amanda Seyfried was fantastic in this episode. Her breakdown when Barb accused her of taking the birth control pills was really terrific. It seems like when Sarah goes to college, she's going to be written out of the show so that she can go pursue her rising Hollywood star (she had a big song during the Oscars last night), because her character has a fantastic depth to it. It was crushing to see her lose her baby, but watching the family comfort her (especially Nicki!) was what makes this show so great. The pay off for threads that go on for a long time is always good, and the ending of this episode was terrific.

I can't say enough how great this episode was. The only reason I can see it not getting nominated is that a lot of it required an understanding of the show, and Emmy voters aren't always keen on voting for shows that require an understanding (see: Lost). But acting nominations should start pouring in this year. This is Big Love's big year, and I can only hope that it gets better and better.

A+

EDIT: If you missed it, check out the preview for next week's episode. It looks like things are going to get insane.