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Big Love - General Discussion

FormerMod-a1

By FormerMod-a1
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Avaleigh

Avaleigh

I understood why they delved into JJ as a character and that particularly unsavory compound. (The Walker family on Big Love was loosely based on the polygamous Kingston clan and they are indeed a twisted bunch. The show's Green family is loosely based on the LeBaron clan and the Grants are obviously the Barlow/Jessops. Bill's father was loosely inspired by Rulon Allred.) I thought it was actually brave of the show to include a character like JJ because it ended up shining a light on a disturbing subculture that's in America's own backyard. Unfortunately, the way that they decided to tell the story was a totally unrealistic misfire and they ruined the character of Joey in the process. Bill's run for senate was too absurd for words. 

I also thought Sarah's story stopped being good once she had her miscarriage. I understand that they wanted to use Amanda Seyfried because they had her under contract for season 4, but they really should have just wrapped her story in the first two episodes of season 4 rather than having her going around accidentally kidnapping kidnapping a Native American baby. All she did was tag along with Barb and attend a couple of family meetings. 

If it had been up to me I would have had the fourth season be about the Henrickson family gaining power with the casino and Bill making a play to become the next prophet against the opposing factions of Alby and JJ. Have Bill become the prophet at the end of the fourth season and have the fifth season (and even a sixth) about them working to make the compound a completely different place.

Have Barb open the school that Alby shut down during his reign of terror and have her making a difference by teaching as opposed to having her trying to rent wombs in India. Have Nicki do her social work but also have her struggle with the way Barb and Bill (and Margene) want to completely change the compound where she grew up. Show how Bill deals with the men who are looking to put their daughters in a Joy Book and how the men respond to the change in leadership where the old guys aren't getting a new wife every couple of years. Have Margene work in the casino rather than Barb, and have Margene conflict with Bill over the wholesome business model with Margene's decisions making sense and making them even more money. Maybe Margene meets someone and finally decides to leave the family. The jewelry business story was boring and ultimately led nowhere.

This idea is controversial, but I think it would have been interesting to see Ben actually follow through with being a polygamist. Have the reward of having Sarah escape but have it be bittersweet for Barb that Ben is going to be a man like his father. A guy who tries to be a 'good guy' in a system where it's basically (IMO) impossible to be one in any basic sense. Have Heather experience a conversion to fundamentalism that is similar to what some real life women who were raised in the mainstream LDS church have had. Have her read about the history of the church and decide that she wants to believe in the original word of their faith. Have Barb be completely torn over seeing a young woman doing exactly as she's done but not stopping her because some part of her wants to bring in another 'normal' person into their messed up set up so that she feels more normal. It would be similar to how she felt with Ana. Her thought that if Ana chose their life that it wouldn't seem like as much of a gigantic mistake. 

Have Rhonda be Ben's second wife and she's essentially Nicki 2.0. 

Other random plots or developments that I would have liked. 

I would have like a side plot or mention of Don's son (Ben's friend) being gay and how Don is dealing with that. 

I would have liked to see more of the Joey/Jodean relationship. 

I would have liked to see Adaleen get her book published and use the money to leave the compound and use her resources and cleverness to create a network to help people escape from whichever compound.

I would have liked to have had more of Teeny's rigid LDS side come through with her eventually breaking Barb and Bill's hearts by asking if she can live full time with Cindy and her husband. 

Have Nicki bring Wayne to a birthday party where she has to interact with parents from different cultural backgrounds. Maybe have her freak out over some random bit of pop culture like Harry Potter. 

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Avaleigh

Avaleigh

On 8/15/2016 at 11:54 PM, SparedTurkey said:

I don't see her inability to testify against her father as being at odds with pushing him down the stairs. That compound is shown to be secretive, not to trust the outsiders and generally paranoid. If Nikki had turned state's witness, well, that would have been more out of character I think. Especially given the lack of support she received (and really, if Barb knew Bill was messed up just being a lost boy, I can't imagine why she wouldn't have assumed Nikki was just as damaged, if not moreso).

I can buy her not testifying. That makes perfect sense. It's that she makes this choice and then pushes him down the stairs so that she completely erases in Roman's mind everything she risked and went through for to help him. All she did with the push was sabotage herself and she knew that and didn't even attempt to conceal the fact that she was the one who pushed him. If nothing else I feel like she should have played it off and rushed to his side like it was an accident or like someone else had done it. 

I agree with you though that all of Nicki's character development seemed to vanish in seasons 4 and 5 and all of the progress that she'd made was basically non existent by the time we get to the fifth season. She was positively insufferable and all of the love that I developed for her character was pretty much torpedoed by the way she treated her daughter, Barb, and pretty much everyone but those first two especially. 

Deep down I thought that Nicki had some genuine affection and love for Barb but IMO season 5 stomped all over that. As much as I despised Margene at certain points she was never quite as awful as Nicki was when Nicki was at her worst. 

Out of all three of the wives Barb is the only one who didn't delight in the misery or misfortune of the other two. 

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Adeejay

Adeejay

Quote

Have Nicki bring Wayne to a birthday party where she has to interact with parents from different cultural backgrounds. Maybe have her freak out over some random bit of pop culture like Harry Potter. 

They had a storyline in Season Two where Wayne was allowed to attend a summer camp that was run by a Catholic church.  Nicki was extremely awkward around the other moms with their trendy clothes and chic hair cuts.  She freaked out when Wayne brought home a necklace with the crucifix.  She called it a voodoo symbol and threw it in the garbage.  As an Episcopalian, that scene was difficult to watch.   

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movingtargetgal

movingtargetgal

I am currently binge watching this show and am now into season 3.  I had forgotten how great it was. I think the weakest part of this show is Bill and his business and political career.  The real strength of the show is the relationship of the 3 wives, in particular the relationship between Nicki and Barb. These two women had their issues but they love each other deeply.  I wish they would do a sequel to Big Love that would explore how these three women have moved forward after Bill's murder.  It has been a few years and it would be interesting how they have evolved.  Would they still all be living in their homes?  Do they still believe in the principle?  Have any of them remarried and how would that have impacted the family?  There is still a lot of story to be told.

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Scarlett45

Scarlett45

On 11/15/2016 at 6:31 PM, movingtargetgal said:

I am currently binge watching this show and am now into season 3.  I had forgotten how great it was. I think the weakest part of this show is Bill and his business and political career.  The real strength of the show is the relationship of the 3 wives, in particular the relationship between Nicki and Barb. These two women had their issues but they love each other deeply.  I wish they would do a sequel to Big Love that would explore how these three women have moved forward after Bill's murder.  It has been a few years and it would be interesting how they have evolved.  Would they still all be living in their homes?  Do they still believe in the principle?  Have any of them remarried and how would that have impacted the family?  There is still a lot of story to be told.

I think a sequel movie would be great. I know Ginny Goodwin is busy with OUAT but if they could get everyone's schedule together it would be epic. 

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Avaleigh

Avaleigh

I would LOVE a follow up sequel that shows where the family is now. 

I know it would upset people because of how much they like Heather, but I'd enjoy watching a follow up series where Ben and Heather decide that they believe in the original word of the Mormon faith and see everything that goes along with them making that choice. It would almost be like seeing Bill and Barb in the early days of their faith. With someone who is as devout as Heather is, it never seemed impossible for me to believe that she could be persuaded to think that it's somehow better for them to follow the original word. She would hardly be the first mainstream LDS woman who looks into the history of the church and decides that Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, etc were "right". In terms of converts, it seems like mainstream LDS women can be especially susceptible. 

I could see Heather, Rhonda, and maybe Cara Lynn being the new trio of wives and have Teeny be a kind of Cindy in that she's chosen to be mainstream LDS and completely rejects everything that Ben & co are doing. If not Cara Lynn then some new character. 

Have Ben take over his father's church and have that lead to Ben, Heather, and Cara Lynn working to make the compound a better place.

Have the character of Frankie come back to cause conflict with Rhonda. 

Use Rhonda's Mexican polygamist background to touch on the LeBaron side of polygamy. (We got a dose of it with the Greens but there's a lot more to tell that they could incorporate if they wanted.)

We could meet more of Cara Lynn's crazy family, get an update on Joey (it always annoyed me that the showrunners just made it seem like he's wandering around Mexico forever and ever), see Lura successfully transitioned to the outside, see how Wayne and Raymond worship their father but how Nicki doesn't want them to be polygamists. I'd also like to see Jodean doing well. Oh, and I'd like to hear that Adaleen made some money with her book. 

I feel like there are so many worthwhile stories that they could tell. 

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SunnyBeBe

SunnyBeBe

This was perhaps my favorite tv show of all time.  That's saying a lot because I LOVE Breaking Bad.  I do miss it.  IMO, they had great writing and a great cast.  I'm considering watching it over a again from the start.  Seeing Bill......it will be bitter sweet.  Two of my favorite videos from the series are:

 

Happiest Girl in the whole USA indeed. lol 

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ghoulina

ghoulina

I love Amazon Prime. I live out in the country; so other than food, I do most of my shopping online. The free 2 day shipping is a big plus. I probably use Netflix more than Amazon, but once in awhile I find a show I want to watch that is on Amazon, not Netflix (most recent example : White Chapel). My kids use it a ton, though. They love PBS Kids shows, and Amazon has a lot of those. 

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Anela

Anela

8 hours ago, SunnyBeBe said:

How do you like Amazon Prime? I'm considering it.  

It's good for TV shows. I can't really afford to keep it, when I lose it next month, but I'm going to try, now that they have the monthly payment as an option. I like it when I find things like Sneaky Pete on there. I've heard that they will only have HBO shows for another year, though - that HBO will be putting everything on their own site/app - so it would be less of a draw for me if they do that. Most of the shows in my list are from HBO or Showtime. 

Since I sorted out my amazon account (finally - had problems with the internet part of it, ordering things), I've found yoga programs on there, too, among other things. 

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SunnyBeBe

SunnyBeBe

Thanks for the comments.  This is a tough decision.  I have Spectrum, but, I really feel like I'm paying for a lot that I don't get to use, since I can't use the On line On Demand, UNLESS, I download Adobe Flash.

Do you have to download anything in order to view Amazon Prime or Netflix?  

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oceanblue

oceanblue

You don't to use it on your computer.  I also hate to pay cable prices.  I have a roku device and I use it to make my tv a smart tv.  roku was about 40$ and i use it for netflix, amazon and hulu.  this covers me for almost anything i really want.   i also have hbo now.

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kokapetl

kokapetl

(edited)

I just finished the series. Seasons 4 and 5 were a real struggle. The logic and attention to detail on the show was always sub par, but things became absolutely idiotic. What happened to their share in Chakotay’s casino? How the hell did no one ever link Nicki’s huffy hardline yet fickle and inconsistent attitudes to the shit going on in her personal life? Why did they always forgive her?

And I know he’s dead and all, but Bill Paxton was a terrible actor. “Disappointed and annoyed” was all I ever got from him. 

Edited by Kokapetl
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LeGrandElephant

LeGrandElephant

I binged the first few seasons of this and then got tired of it. One thing I never got was how Margie could have joined their polygamous family without even being Mormon, apparently? I was shocked in the episode where they were going to baptize Teeny and suddenly Margie jumped in to be baptized. How could any of them have been ok with one of the wives not even being baptized into the religion that says they should all be in this polygamous arrangement in the first place? Margie always seemed like she was raised in the regular world and I never understood why she would want to agree to this or why they would want her given how she behaves (except Bill would want her because she’s hot). I got tired of watching when it became clear they weren’t going to explain that kind of thing. But there was a line when she said she was trapped because she had two little kids and no other income, and that really rang true. The whole situation seemed very sad  to me on behalf of Barb, Margie, and the kids. It only seemed like Nicki and Bill actually liked the polygamy thing. 

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Scarlett45

Scarlett45

On 7/18/2018 at 4:11 PM, LeGrandElephant said:

I binged the first few seasons of this and then got tired of it. One thing I never got was how Margie could have joined their polygamous family without even being Mormon, apparently? I was shocked in the episode where they were going to baptize Teeny and suddenly Margie jumped in to be baptized. How could any of them have been ok with one of the wives not even being baptized into the religion that says they should all be in this polygamous arrangement in the first place? Margie always seemed like she was raised in the regular world and I never understood why she would want to agree to this or why they would want her given how she behaves (except Bill would want her because she’s hot). I got tired of watching when it became clear they weren’t going to explain that kind of thing. But there was a line when she said she was trapped because she had two little kids and no other income, and that really rang true. The whole situation seemed very sad  to me on behalf of Barb, Margie, and the kids. It only seemed like Nicki and Bill actually liked the polygamy thing. 

I think Margie was attracted to the family. If young women in similar positions are fine with being mistresses/side chicks etc I can see why Margie would be okay with polygamy. I think they liked that Margie had a good heart, was nurturing and warm in a way that Nikki wasn’t so she did add something as a mother figure. Barb also never had to compete with Margie the way She did with Nikki. Margie was younger and “hotter” but not competition for number 1 spot in Bill’s heart. Also Margie could be a pseudo little sister to Barb. 

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Avaleigh

Avaleigh

On 7/18/2018 at 2:11 PM, LeGrandElephant said:

 It only seemed like Nicki and Bill actually liked the polygamy thing. 

I don't think that any of them really liked the polygamy thing. If I had to choose which character seemed most at peace with the arrangement it was probably Margene particularly in the later seasons. She wanted the family to stay together no matter what. She was even supportive of Bill getting an extra night off from the wives. She happily accepted the arrangement and was rarely jealous. In fact she wanted Bill to get a fourth wife and even spoke of him one day having a fifth wife and had no problems with it. 

I think it's entirely possible that Bill would have stayed in a monogamous marriage with Barb if Barb hadn't got sick. I think the fear of losing her and potentially being a single parent made Bill revert back to what he'd been taught as a child. I think it made him start believing again in the Principle because his interpretation of it was that the arrangement of Principle makes it so that the family is always growing. There's never really an empty nest, he can justify his desire to be with other women (and get Heavenly Father's approval for it! lol), his kids would still have maternal figures if something happened to Barb or one of the other wives, etc. It was a completely selfish move obviosly, but it didn't strike me as unrealistic given his upbringing. Still, I definitely got the impression, particularly in the first two seasons that Bill preferred life with Barb. Nicki was a cross to bear and caused the family nonstop grief. He liked Margene mainly for the sex and the idea that she somehow made him feel younger. That being said, her lack of maturity was annoying and there were definitely times where he preferred being in Barb's company and house to Margene's.

Nicki HATED polygamy, she'd just been brainwashed since birth to believe that accepting polygamy was the only way she'd make it into the Celestial Kingdom. She wanted nothing more than to be the first wife and eventually progressed to wanting to be the only wife. She didn't want her daughter to be a polygamist and found herself attracted to the idea of having a monogamous relationship with Ray Henry. If we could see where these women are ten years after Bill I can't imagine that Nicki would marry another polygamist man. 

If Barb hadn't been LDS I think she more than likely would have dumped Bill the moment he floated the idea of marrying Nicki. It was her LDS background that made her especially vulnerable to being manipulated into believing the original word of the faith. It wasn't some thing that was completely alien to her. Her not too distant ancestors were polygamists (her mother's grandfather was a polygamist) and this is something that has happened with real life LDS women, so it wasn't hard for me to believe that Barb struggled with whether or not to believe. I thought her crisis of faith was one of the most interesting stories of the series because it struck me as very real and complicated. Reading the real life stories of women going through similar conversions only made it more fascinating to me.

If ever there was a show that I wish would get a reboot or a sequel series it's this one. So many interesting stories they could tell. 

I agree with others that seasons 4 and 5 were weak in comparison to the first 3 but I still think Big Love was one of the best shows I've ever seen and it well earned its spot in the Golden Era of television. 

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SparedTurkey

SparedTurkey

13 hours ago, Avaleigh said:

I don't think that any of them really liked the polygamy thing.

Oh I think Bill absolutely liked the polygamy thing. I think if Barb never got ill there would have been some reason he would have gone back. He could have got a carer from anywhere but Juniper Creek - there was definately a reason he went back. I think for him it was a matter of time. It fit his grandiose sense of self that also came through from multiple franchises, a casino and the (stupidly plotted) political run. Joey was the only Henrickson male that didn't like polygamy and took it on after a sense of obligation.

I agree Barb hated it and would have left Bill if she hadn't been raised Mormon. I agree Nicki liked it until season three and she met the DA (Ray Henry) and actually saw the Joy Book. (I also would have loved more Barb/Nicki and Nicki/Sarah). I think the Joy Book was more of a turning point than the bloke.

I think Margene never bought into the religious side of polygamy but loved a big family. I think she viewed Barb & Nicki and sisters, not sister wives. Especially if she was only 16 when she married Bill, she was as brainwashed as the other two, to some degree.

I think the only one who hated polygamy from start to finish was Sarah. Certainly Ben wasn't convinced until he realised he could marry twins. I do wonder how Teeny would have gone. And Nicki's kids.

I would have liked to have seen more of Don's wives. I still can't believe he is Scully in Brooklyn 99!

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Avaleigh

Avaleigh

5 hours ago, SparedTurkey said:

Oh I think Bill absolutely liked the polygamy thing. I think if Barb never got ill there would have been some reason he would have gone back. He could have got a carer from anywhere but Juniper Creek - there was definately a reason he went back. I think for him it was a matter of time. It fit his grandiose sense of self that also came through from multiple franchises, a casino and the (stupidly plotted) political run. Joey was the only Henrickson male that didn't like polygamy and took it on after a sense of obligation.

I agree Barb hated it and would have left Bill if she hadn't been raised Mormon. I agree Nicki liked it until season three and she met the DA (Ray Henry) and actually saw the Joy Book. (I also would have loved more Barb/Nicki and Nicki/Sarah). I think the Joy Book was more of a turning point than the bloke.

I think Margene never bought into the religious side of polygamy but loved a big family. I think she viewed Barb & Nicki and sisters, not sister wives. Especially if she was only 16 when she married Bill, she was as brainwashed as the other two, to some degree.

I think the only one who hated polygamy from start to finish was Sarah. Certainly Ben wasn't convinced until he realised he could marry twins. I do wonder how Teeny would have gone. And Nicki's kids.

I would have liked to have seen more of Don's wives. I still can't believe he is Scully in Brooklyn 99!

I have always maintained that the Margene being 16 when she married Bill was a retcon. In season 1 she explicitly stated that she was 23 in a seemingly truthful, almost confessional style conversation with Sarah. She also indicates at least twice that she graduated from high school, once during a conversation at the Mexican restaurant when she and Nicki went out to dinner. Furthermore, if the writers had genuinely always planned for this to be a thing, it really should have come up in the episode where Margene's mom Ginger visited since Ginger was the only person who knew Margene's true age (apart from Margene). 

As for Bill liking polygamy, I agree that he enjoyed it because he had to sacrifice the least. Some would argue that he didn't sacrifice at all and I'm inclined to agree. 

Where I think I disagree is the idea that he was always destined to go back. I think Barb's illness caused him to have  a crisis of faith and he wondered if not living the Principle was the reason for her getting sick in the first place.  (In the pilot, when Rhonda is in the same room with Barb, she tells one of Roman's underlings that Barb and Bill were divinely punished for being "regular married" and that this is why Barb can't have any more babies.) When you read about some of the people who manage to escape extreme Mormon Fundamentalism, many of them struggle with whether or not they made the right choice and initially blame or fear that difficulties they are subsequently encountering are due to abandoning the religion and it being a kind of judgement and punishment from Heavenly Father. I think Bill couldn't understand why their perfect life was suddenly falling apart and turned to religion to get through it.

Roman and Nicki likely both saw an opportunity to worm their way in after Bill came to Roman for the loan for the store. (Considering how Roman treated Bill's grandparents it never made sense why Bill would go to Roman for a loan in the first place knowing the kind of person Roman is.) Nicki herself says that she brought herself into Bill's life and we know how manipulative she can be.

I think it's very possible that Bill might have stayed with Barb if she hadn't become ill. That being said, I totally think that he would have gone midlife crisis on her at some point and cheated somewhere down the road. If that had happened I could see him trying to pull the polygamist card in order feel morally cleansed. In this scenario though I think that Barb would have had the strength to leave him.

I agree that Bill had a massive ego and having a big family was part of that. I seem to recall Bill admitting at some point that his ideal family would have been something like 25 kids. It's like what?! If that isn't ego then I don't know what is. 

I agree with you about the grandiose sense of self with Bill and it was always surprising to me that he didn't see being prophet of Juniper Creek as being part of his destiny. Having thousands of people following his words and believing in the things that he believes in--it's strange to me that he didn't jump at the chance for this. You'd think it would have appealed to his ego. 

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Kid

Kid

I have started it again to watch it for the second time. I just started season three.

I wanted to comment on just two things right now. The first is that I thought Bonnie Bedalia as Margene’s mom was great!  I just finished Parenthood and she was a very different matriarch in that series.  😂😂

The second was that Bruce Dern’s  Frank is just vile!!!   He is much more hateful than even Roman or his son!!

 

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Hathaway

Hathaway

By far my favorite episode was the family trip.  Sarah's miscarriage and the family reaction to that just beautiful writing.  Ben thinking he's in love with Margene?  Bill praying with the angel rising?  All the religious debates from the riverboat place and in the jail where Joseph died? The cars, picnic, Bill left behind...loved it all.

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movingtargetgal

movingtargetgal

Poor Margene brought her mother's ashes with them on the trip.   She wanted to leave them with her aunt and uncle but they were so awful Margene could not leave her mother with them.  Her mother's urn was accidentally left on the roof of the car and they spilled all over the casino's parking lot.  To help Margene, Bill baptized Barb, who was a proxy for Margene's mom, in the hot tub of their motel room.

That was the road trip from hell.

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Hathaway

Hathaway

On 5/17/2021 at 7:19 PM, movingtargetgal said:

Poor Margene brought her mother's ashes with them on the trip.   She wanted to leave them with her aunt and uncle but they were so awful Margene could not leave her mother with them.  Her mother's urn was accidentally left on the roof of the car and they spilled all over the casino's parking lot.  To help Margene, Bill baptized Barb, who was a proxy for Margene's mom, in the hot tub of their motel room.

That was the road trip from hell.

Yes, and that blond hair, and cute bikini while being Bill's Viagra!  So much greatness in that episode!  The birth control fiasco and reveal!   Loved every minute.

On 4/25/2020 at 9:00 AM, Kid said:

I have started it again to watch it for the second time. I just started season three.

I wanted to comment on just two things right now. The first is that I thought Bonnie Bedalia as Margene’s mom was great!  I just finished Parenthood and she was a very different matriarch in that series.  😂😂

The second was that Bruce Dern’s  Frank is just vile!!!   He is much more hateful than even Roman or his son!!

 

She was perfect, and so cringe worthy!  

Bruce Dern was so amazing, just made me want a bath each time he was onscreen!

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Avaleigh

Avaleigh

(edited)
On 5/13/2021 at 5:33 AM, Hathaway said:

By far my favorite episode was the family trip.  Sarah's miscarriage and the family reaction to that just beautiful writing.  Ben thinking he's in love with Margene?  Bill praying with the angel rising?  All the religious debates from the riverboat place and in the jail where Joseph died? The cars, picnic, Bill left behind...loved it all.

It's definitely a favorite episode of mine. Chloë's delivery of "Bill takes Viagara!" was so funny and perfect. 

Another episode I loved was the one with Wayne's birthday party. Nicki initially thinking that she's going to be able to have a five year old's party at some swanky lodge. Not only does she want it to be held at this expensive place but she tells Bill that she needs to invite 150+ guests. It's a great moment when she's brought down to earth and has to humbly ask Barb to borrow her folding chairs and tables for Wayne's party which will now be held in the family backyard. Plus she overhears Margene gossiping to Barb about Bill and Nicki fighting. Margene is (understandably) totally gleeful that Nicki got in trouble but doesn't realize that Nicki is behind her as she's basically giggling over the fact the the Bill/Nicki argument made Nicki cry. The Look that Nicki gives Margene as she lets her know she's been standing behind her the entire time is hilarious. Chloé was really good at giving these death stares at various points in the series. 

Edited by Avaleigh
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Scarlett45

Scarlett45

6 hours ago, Avaleigh said:

Chloé was really good at giving these death stares at various points in the series. 

I havent watched Big Love in years, but this is one of the things I distinctly remember. Chloe could give a death stare like no other.

 

I recently watched Sliding Doors, and thought that they REALLY frumped up Jeanne Tripplehorn for the Barb role, Sliding Doors was in 1999 and she was absolutely glamourous. Of course Barb was a pretty woman, but the hair and clothing made her look much older than Jeanne actually was.

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SunnyBeBe

SunnyBeBe

Nicki was my favorite character, besides Bill.  She was so funny.  It was like she couldn’t help getting in her own way.  I wish Bill was around to do a reboot, though I suppose they could do one without him, since his character did die.  That was tough. 

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Egg McMuffin

Egg McMuffin

I really didn’t like the show all that much, but Chloe Sevigny was the best thing about it and it was worth watching just for her performances. I remember when Barb was awarded “Mother of the Year” and then the award was rescinded when the committee found out she was a polygamist. Nicki, who previously (and sarcastically) referred to first wife Barb as “boss lady”, looked genuinely sad for Barb as she sincerely told her, “I’m sorry, boss lady.” It’s a sweet moment and Sevigny was great.

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Avaleigh

Avaleigh

2 hours ago, SunnyBeBe said:

Nicki was my favorite character, besides Bill.  She was so funny.  It was like she couldn’t help getting in her own way.  I wish Bill was around to do a reboot, though I suppose they could do one without him, since his character did die.  That was tough. 

This is the top show on my sequel/reboot wishlist. Unfortunately Big Love never got the buzz that other HBO shows did at the time. It lost its momentum during the writers' strike and even though it followed up that delay with its best season, it never really found a huge audience. People who'd read books about the fundamentalist subculture seemed to have more of an appreciation for the little things that the show got right. The showrunners really did their homework with this show but it didn't connect with people the way that a juggernaut like The Sopranos did. 

The Sopranos was actually what got me to give Big Love a try because HBO used Sopranos as a lead in during its final season. 

If they did a reboot I'd love to see Travis Fimmel in a role. It would also be interesting if we could see a contrast between two families who are living the Principle. Maybe one family is recently converted and the other is from a long line of polygamists. Both are modern and integrated into mainstream society but are challenged in different ways. Maybe one lives openly and one lives in secrecy. 

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SunnyBeBe

SunnyBeBe

Omg!  I was just looking at cast members and realized that two of them also appeared in two of my other favorite shows!  The actor who played Sarah’s husband Scott, also played Jesse on Breaking Bad!  And, the actor who played Barb’s BIL, played Howard on Better Call Saul!   

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xwordfanatik

xwordfanatik

Big Love was one of my favorite shows.  I have all 5 seasons on DVD.  One thing I noticed early on was that several characters from the Roseanne series (also a favorite) had part in Big Love.  Melora Walters, who played Wanda, was a character in the beauty salon that Roseanne briefly worked at.  Jackie's boyfriend Gary played Lois' brother.  Darlene's adult friend was in some Home Plus footage.  Roseanne's stuck-up neighbor (Megan Faye) played Heather's mother.

I'd watch a reboot with Barb, Nicki, and Margene.  Nicki was especially fun to watch, she was so sneaky.  I liked Margene and Barb, too.

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movingtargetgal

movingtargetgal

7 hours ago, xwordfanatik said:

I'd watch a reboot with Barb, Nicki, and Margene.  Nicki was especially fun to watch, she was so sneaky.  I liked Margene and Barb, too.

I just did a re-watch of the series and would love to see a reboot that focused on these women.  Bill was a good character but it was the relationships between Barb, Nicki and Margene that made this show so good.  

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