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.

Big Love - "For Better Or For Worse"

I want to preface all of this by saying that I think this season of Big Love has been phenomenal. I wish that I hadn't gotten so out of touch with writing so that I could discuss how much has happened in this show since it returned from its strike extended layoff. There was Roman's trial, which spawned threads ranging from Bill's attempts to trust Albie to his growing separation from Nicki. The show had so many different stories going on that you don't feel bogged down in one storyline to heavily. It's diversity helps keep it interesting, which I love. That being said, too much is being squeezed in to every 50 minutes. There is clearly a lot that the writers want to accomplish this season, but they're rushing through things that could be drawn out. I'm not saying they should be season arcs, but some of these episodes could have easily been stretched to two without giving up any of the integrity of the plot.

This brings me to "For Better or for Worse." It was wonderful to see Anna accept Bill's proposal, but I shared her look of surprise when the decided to have the wedding the next day, and again when they all rushed off at its conclusion. For a show that harps on how sacred the bonds of marriage are, this was out of place. I understand the goal was to show Anna's reaction to such a non-traditional lifestyle, but it seemed contradictory to the message the shows tries to present in the first place.

From there, the episode centered on finding the harmony, not between the wives and Bill, but between the wives themselves. Anna represented something for each of the wives. For Barb and Margie, she was a friend. For Nicki, she was someone to take the pressure off her to deliver more children to the family. In the middle was Anna, who was fighting just as much as her new sister wives for independence in a family that calls for constant selflessness. Her outburst at Bill over her tips was fantastic: Bill always asks his wives to step up to play for the team, and they all seem to have lost elements of themselves as a result. In the end, the bickering and the homogenization of the family was too much for Anna, who asked a crushed Bill for a divorce. It's really a shame because I liked Anna and the direction her story could have gone. The show started with three wives already in place, and I would have loved to see the family adjust to a fourth. Unfortunately, it looks like we won't get that chance, at least not with Anna.

The rest of the show had the other plots shoved in. Nicki responded to the crush that her boss, the guy from Whose Line, had on her, which will be interesting in the coming episodes. I really like that they've set up an alternate story line with Ben and Sarah also. They often were forgotten, and now that they have their own gang with their own direction which is separate from that of their parents, they're far more interesting. By my calculations, Sarah better tell her parents about the pregnancy soon before they figure out she's preggers. Roman also appears to be slowly returning to power. Albie is scary and weird, but if Roman can get himself out of jail time, he'll get himself back into power on the Compound.

Like I said in my preface, I have greatly enjoyed this season, but this episode was great at showing why it's moving too fast. Everything in this episode took place in about three days. That's insanely fast for so much on a show that's not Lost. What sets Big Love apart from many shows is that it's a family drama with external drama on the periphery. Family drama in the real world doesn't get resolved that quickly. My suggestion? Take a big breath Big Love. Slow it down and you'll have a stellar season on your hands.

B