I am – Hercules!!
To review:
“Big Love” is a generally fascinating take on all the wackiness going on out there in Utah, likely this nation’s reddest state.
And wackiness it is. Mormons, who apparently do not look kindly upon caffeine and alcohol, pretty much run Utah. So in “Big Love” the wilder Mormon teens have to get loaded on bottles of cough syrup.
In real life, Mormonism was founded by a notorious polygamist, a guy named Joseph Smith (1805-1844). Smith said his practice of polygamy was God’s idea. As I understand it, Smith said if he didn’t marry all of his 30-odd wives simultaneously, God would kill him. (As it turned out The Almighty was the least of Smith’s worries; he was shot to death in Illinois by a huge mob of anti-Mormon activists.)
So bigamy became all the rage among the Mormons. Under the direction of church president Brigham Young (1801-1877), a Mormon named Orson Pratt in 1852 publicly announced that the church was practicing plural marriage under commandment of God. (A ballsy move; this was just four years after Mexico ceded to the U.S. the Great Salt Valley on which the Mormons had settled.)
Now get this. Today, Mormons disdain polygamy! They banned the practice in 1890. This is presumably because the nation’s (far more populous) monogamist Christians, who probably thought Brigham Young was a maniac, pressured the U.S government to outlaw polygamy via the Edmunds-Tucker Act of 1887.
But many a diehard polygamist Mormon fundamentalist, rather understandably, called bullshit. Was the U.S. government now a higher authority than God Himself? They split from the church and segregated themselves from monogamist society. These fundamentalists are something akin to the fundamentalist sect that produced both Roman Grant and Bill Henricksen.
Anyone straddling that line between the Fundamentaist Mormanism and the government-approved “real” Mormonism is going to lead a complicated life, and probably an interesting one. “Big Love” has many interesting characters.
Chief among these is Roman, the fundamentalist uberbigwig with a penchant for new teen wives younger than his own grandchildren. Fascinating also is Rhonda Volmer (Daveigh Chase), Roman’s latest teen fiancée, a snotty brat who enjoys the prestige afforded by Roman’s interest but may secretly hope to use showbiz to flee Utah before the repulsive and elderly Roman can paw her.
Bill’s first wife, Barb (the wonderful Jeanne Tripplehorn, of "The Firm"), grew up a regular Republican Mormon, but got sucked into Bill’s weirder world via a cancer scare. The management skills fostered by her teaching background serve her well in her post-monogamy life.
Bill’s second wife, Roman’s daughter Nicki (the wonderful Chloe Sevigny, of "Boys Don't Cry"), was introduced as a major flake with a credit-card addiction, but as the series wore on we learned she was likeably steely and resourceful, and fearless in the face of adversity – whether that adversity be Roman’s menacing thug of a son (her own half-brother) or Barb’s judgmental sister.
Bill’s third and youngest wife, Margene (the wonderful Ginnifer Goodwin, of "Walk the Line"), fascinates in part because she remained such an enigma even after the first season ended. Bill met her while she was working in his store, but her background seems to be neither Mormon nor Mormon fundamentalist, and she seemed at one point to be contemplative of throwing in with the monogamists across the street. So was it just Bill’s good looks that lured her into her strange circumstances, or is there more to it?
The HBO promos suggest we’ll learn a lot more about Margene’s secret origins via flashbacks this season. So I’ll be tuning in for that at least.
Fans of “Veronica Mars” might be willing to check out the series just for the young-adult supporting cast, which features in recurring roles Amanda Seyfried (Lilly Kane), Tina Majorino (Mac Mackenzie) and Kyle Gallner (Beaver Casablancas). (“Waterworld” fans will remember that a much shorter Majorino worked with Tripplehorn 11 years ago as well.)
What did the talkbackers have to say when “Big Love” first hit HBO May 12, 2006?
“Cosmik” said:
Made it 34 min before the boredom was too much to take. The show stinks.
“HypeEndsHere” said:
yeah, i got around 34 minutes into it too. maybe it was the psychological breaking point when you felt investing the next 26 minutes wouldn't be worth it.
“Killaarmy” said:
How Boring. Moving on to the Flava Flav and the Flavor of Love!!!
“phaedrus007” said:
It was boring. What a snoozefest.
How does HBO describe the series’ June episodes?
JUNE 11 - Episode #13: "Damage Control." In the aftermath of her "Mother of the Year" debacle at the governor's mansion, Barb (Jeanne Tripplehorn) retreats into her own world, leaving Nicki (Chloë Sevigny) and Margene (Ginnifer Goodwin) to take up the slack. Hell-bent on learning who betrayed the family, Bill (Bill Paxton) gathers evidence against Home Plus employee Wendy (Jodie Markell). Having nearly succumbed to Wanda's (Melora Walters) poisoning, Alby (Matt Ross) urges Roman (Harry Dean Stanton) to take revenge against Joey (Shawn Doyle) and Bill. Continuing to track suspects, Bill makes dinner plans with neighbors Carl (Carlos Jacott) and Pam Martin (Audrey Wasilewski), but Barb wants no part of the evening. Meanwhile, Wanda faces an inquisition at Juniper Creek, and Joey feels the squeeze from Roman, despite Bill's assurances that Roman will drop his charges in the wake of a state investigation. At home, Sarah (Amanda Seyfried) meets Scott (Aaron Paul), an older suitor, at an ex-Mormon meeting. Written by Mark V. Olsen & Will Scheffer; directed by Daniel Minahan.
JUNE 18 - Episode #14: "The Writing on the Wall." Home Plus billboards have been defaced, leading Bill and Don (Joel McKinnon Miller) to scramble for repairs and rethink Bill's public face on Home Plus. Registering for college courses, Barb's check bounces, and the culprit turns out to be Nicki. At Juniper Creek, Joey finds himself caught between a rock and a hard place, sending Nicki, accompanied by Margene, on a remedial trip to the compound. Rebuked by Roman, Alby looks to settle his vendetta. Now working at Home Plus, Ben (Douglas Smith) comes clean to Brynn (Sarah Jones) about his family, while Sarah is caught in a lie with Scott. In the midst of crises, Bill and Barb forget Nicki's anniversary, and Joey makes a decision that will have far-ranging implications. Written by Mark V. Olsen & Will Scheffer; directed by Sarah Pia Anderson.
JUNE 25 - Episode #15: "Reunion." Bill and Nicki drive to Juniper Creek for a family reunion - and a council vote that Bill hopes to leverage against Roman in Joey's case. Arriving at Lois' (Grace Zabriskie) cabin, they are surprised to find her brother Eddie (Brian Kerwin) in residence, overseeing Lois' new laundromat investment. At home, Barb catches Ben in a compromising position with Margene, and Sarah later catches him in an even more compromising one with Brynn. Ashamed, Ben considers pledging himself to Straight Edge, a group of hard-liners. Margene decides to call Cindy (Judith Hoag) about Barb, but ends up complicating their estrangement when Cindy changes her phone number. At the compound, Alby refuses to toe the party line, which results in Nicki and Bill cutting short their visit, just as a family group photo is about to be taken. Rhonda (Daveigh Chase) pledges herself to Roman, but ends up having second thoughts. Back home, Bill discusses a radical, polygamy-proof business option with Don. Written by Dustin Lance Black; directed by Alan Poul.
ABC Family’s “Kyle XY” also has its second-season premiere Monday night. I think it finally explains why Kyle has no belly button. 2.1 introduces Jessi XX, who is also naval-challenged and may be all slutty and evil as well!
Look! Another press release!
THE MYSTERY CONTINUES ON ABC FAMILY'S HIT ORIGINAL SERIES 'KYLE XY'
Burbank, CA - More questions and new dangers are in store for Kyle and the Trager Family in the second season of the hit ABC Family original series KYLE XY set to premiere on Monday, June 11 (8:00 9:00 PM ET/PT). The all-new thirteen-one hour episodes star Matt Dallas ("Wannabe"), Marguerite MacIntyre ("The Days"), Bruce Thomas ("Legally Blonde"), April Matson ("Quintuplets"), Jean-Luc Bilodeau ("Ill Fated"), Chris Olivero ("24"), Kirsten Prout ("Elektra") and new comer Jaimie Alexander ("Rest Stop").
After Kyle's (Dallas) long search for the secrets of his past, he finally comes face to face with the man that may hold the answers he longs for - Adam Baylin. With Adam's help Kyle begins to realize just where he came from and what his potential might be. But with a twist of fate, Kyle finds himself back on the door-step of the family he left behind. Now under strict training of Tom Foss (Nicholas Lea) he must learn the full scope of his abilities, but keep it a secret from the family who just wants to help him return to the life of a normal teenager. Back in the world of the Tragers, Kyle must come to terms with his new double life and the unknown dangers that lurk outside the family's walls.
The Tragers also have some readjusting to do when Kyle comes back into their lives. After Kyle left, the family struggled to deal with the loss. Nicole (MacIntyre) became despondent and quit her job, Stephen (Thomas) has had to step up to take over for Nicole, Lori (Matson) can't seem to figure out why Declan (Olivero) is so distant with her and Josh (Bilodeau) is up to his usual antics. Once Kyle returns, will the family be able to go back to normal or will his mysterious return leave some lingering issues?
The peril increases for Kyle when a mysterious corporation, Madacorp, gets their hands on the girl in the pod (Alexander) and decides to put her on the hunt for Kyle. Not only does the girl become a part of his world, but she also seeps into the lives of the Tragers, putting everyone at risk. Can Kyle keep the threats away or will they come straight through the Trager's front door?
The ABC Television Studio series is created by Eric Bress & J. Mackye Gruber ("Butterfly Effect," "Final Destination 2"). KYLE XY is executive produced by Chris Bender, J.C. Spink, Eric Tuchman and David Himelfarb.
“Kyle XY”: 8 p.m. Monday. ABC Family
“Big Love”: 9 p.m. Monday. HBO.
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