Big Love - TV Fanatic

Big Love Creators Speak on Finale

matt@tvfanatic.com (TV Fanatic Staff) — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 15:51:25 EST

BIG LOVE SPOILER ALERT: stop reading now if you have not yet watched this show's series finale, reviewed by TV Fanatic HERE.

On the concluding episode, Bill was killed, but he also got his wish: all three wives remained a tight-knit, loving family. Why did creators Mark V. Olsen and Will Scheffer end things this way?

"The best thing that could be said of this kid who grew up on a polygamist compound and struggled all his life with that legacy was the creation of a marriage and a family that would endure," Olsen told TV Guide. "What's the best test of that? It endured on the other side of your passing, of your death."

Among other excerpts from a revealing interview:

What did we witness in Bill's church on Easter Sunday?
Olsen: In Mormon-speak, it's called a revelation. Mormon theology allows for that, and it's often used for abusive purposes and it's manipulated, but every once in a while, I think it's probably real, and that's certainly what we intended here. It's the emotional opening-up of this character, the rendering of Bill at a different level. It is the receipt of grace. [His sermon] is about family, and he has a vision of that.

Why didn't Barb go through with her baptism?
Olsen: It was emotional-based reason. When she said, "I can't do this. I'm not Barbara Dutton; I'm Barbara Henrickson," she wasn't saying, "I'm Mrs. Bill Henrickson." She was saying, "I'm married to two other women and I have seven, eight, nine other children, and that means the world to me." That doesn't mean she's not going to progress on her journey. It doesn't mean she was going to capitulate. It just means this wasn't the choice for her.

What do you want viewers to take away from the show?
Scheffer: It had a lot of ambition. It was about faith, it was about feminism, it was about a lot of things, but ultimately, we were always showing that marriage was something valuable in a culture that often idealizes it in a spiritually unrealistic way or throws it away as a kind of disposable value, and I think we actually accomplished that.

Big Love Finale Review: A Major Letdown

Mon, 21 Mar 2011 00:00:04 EST

Well, that was a letdown.

"When Men and Mountains Meet," had some shocking scenes, but overall I felt disappointed with how the show ended. This was the final episode, after all, and I felt that the writers held out in some areas, while rushing to complete other storylines. Case in point:

It was left for us to believe that Lois is killed by Frank.

Throughout the years, Frank and Lois had been each other's worst nightmare, but as the series dwindled down, they became closer than ever. Lois made Frank promise to end her life when things got really bad, but I was shocked to actually see him go through with it. I felt that the writers needed to prove that Lois and Frank really loved each other so very much after all, but really it just made these characters past interactions seem fake.

I knew that Carl would play a role larger than the minor cameos we had been given, but it wasn't until the final scene with Bill meeting him in the street that I knew what was going down. The writers added a layer here primarily for shock value because we all knew it was Alby that we expected to be holding that gun.

Speaking of Alby, besides the quick mention of him and Adaleen, we never got to see any closure to his story.

How much time will Alby spend behind bars? What will happen to Juniper Creek? Who became the new prophet in his absence? It was odd that the writers would leave his storyline filled with so many holes and unanswered questions.

Barbara's mission to become a priesthood holder almost tore the entire family apart. It took finally getting the chance to have the power she so desperately wanted for her to realize that it wasn't worth a dime without her family being there.

Out of all that happened on the finale, having Bill request Barb give him a dying blessing was by far the most memorable scene.

He knew how important it was for her to be taken seriously, especially by him, and this action caused quite the reaction as we found out eleven months later that Barb took over Bill's church. In an odd way, Barb finally got the freedom in her religion for which she yearned.

Margene figured out that her life's purpose wasn't just to be Bill's third wife. She mentioned to him that as time passes she would want to go on missions to help the poor and unfortunate. At first, we watched Bill struggle with this idea, but eventually he was willing to accept her life's choice. He even told Nikki to be supportive.

Margene was by far my favorite character, but I wasn't happy to learn that after eleven months after Bill died she cut off all her hair and left her children to go help others. A part of me believed that if Bill were alive, he wouldn't want the mother of his children to be gone for such long periods of time.

Elsewhere, Nikki didn't get any closure. She remained same old Nikki throughout. Maybe the writers were trying to show that she was the glue that held this crazy family together.

Cara Lynn was completely absent in the final minutes, only leaving us to guess where she could be. The meeting that Bill had with Cara Lynn was super strange and felt like he was trying to show her that he was okay wither her relationship with her teacher.

We all knew something had to happen before Bill got rushed off to jail and dethroned from the senate, but I wasn't expecting him to open up a can of worms about making polygamy legal. It was strange to watch him be so proud of what he created by imagining himself speaking to his forefathers. The writers never let us know what he was writing on his patio, nor if anything ever happened with the amendment.

As great as it was to see Sarah and her beau, whatever happened to Joey and Wanda? What about Tinny? All season long these people remained MIA, but I was certain that they would have made a cameo for the finale. Oh well. I guess the writers didn't deem them worthy enough for the send off.

It was sad to say goodbye to such a beloved show, but I am happy that it ended with the sister-wives together and the original song revamped and sung by a woman. God only knows what we'll be without you, Big Love.

Big Love Review: "Exorcism"

Sun, 13 Mar 2011 23:19:05 EST

Big Love brought all the drama and left very little anticipation for the series finale on "Exorcism," as Alby became a wanted man, but that did not stop him from his one mission: kill Bill.

The feud between these two men has gone on since the beginning of this show and who did not expect it to end in a glorious showdown? They both knew that each wanted the other dead, but it surprised me to see Bill give away his perfect opportunity.

Even Nikki begged Bill to just go ahead and be done with it, but Bill did not shoot him. This action clearly proved that Bill is in his right mind and is not madly acting out. He probably realized that having Alby thrown in jail would cement to his followers the type of monster he really is.

The hardest character to understand is Nikki. She has always been a bit nutty, but never would I have thought she would say such horrible things to her daughter. Even the way she did it was beyond creepy. Poor Cara Lynn. She had to wake up in the middle of the night to find her mother waiting to make her feel worthless.

Yeah, so maybe Cara Lynn should not have fallen in love with such an old man, but I don't think Nikki should have gone through such extremes to keep her daughter away from Greg. Wouldn't he be thrown in jail anyway?

Speaking of jail time, what would the sister-wives do if Bill heads to jail? Barb clearly wanted them to start thinking and making plans, but how would their marriage survive such turmoil?

It was interesting that Nikki brought to light the comparison between Bill's relationship with Margene and what Cara Lynn was doing with her much older teacher. On one hand, both relationships are morally and legally wrong, yet Bill never knew Margene's real age. It would be hard to believe that if Bill did, he would not have kept it in his pants.

Am I the only one who found it odd that after all the attempted murders between these two that Lois and Frank are all of a sudden BFFs? So Lois went crazy. Why would Frank want to be her caretaker now? Don't they hate each other? What gives?

Rhonda made it clear to Ben that the sex meant nothing to her, yet she wanted to marry him regardless. She used her only chance to inform Heather of what transpired between her and Ben.

Naturally, Heather would not want anything more to do with Ben, but why on earth would he say he would take care of them both? Does this mean he also wanted to follow in his father's footsteps?

With only one more episode left, will we get the pleasure of a Sara cameo? And what ever happened to Bill's brother and his wife? Hopefully, all will go down in beautiful flames.

Big Love Review: "The Noose Tightens"

Sun, 06 Mar 2011 23:32:42 EST

The writers of Big Love were able to cram over five different storylines into "The Noose Tightens" without it feeling too overwhelming. In fact, by the end of the episode, all I wanted was for it to be next Sunday so I could see what will happen next.

Barb got word that they are looking into her involvement into how Margene became a part of the family. I was surprised to see Heather admit to Barb that it was because of her that the cat came out of the bag. Barb's reaction wasn't surprising, but it was sill shocking to see her throw her beautiful cake across the kitchen. The old Barb would think twice about ruining such a wonderful desert.

Meanwhile, Margene doesn't give up on her intuition that something may be going on between Cara Lynn and her teacher. She follows Cara Lynn and verifies this developments. This scene was tense, but not as intense as the one that followed with Nikki confronting Mr. Ivy in his home.

Cara Lynn isn't as dumb as she appears to be. She knew that even though Nikki doesn't approve of their illicit relationship, there is nothing Nikki can do from stopping them from seeing each other, especially because it would draw too much unfavorable attention.

If Margene didn't have enough to handle this week, her product guru, Michael, took time to confront Margene about her relationship with her family. He told her that he believed that she is in a cult. Ironically enough, her family believed that she is in a cult with the Gogi berry juice company. For a minute there, I felt like Margene would be swayed into believing her family is a cult, but Margene does end up choosing her family over her business. Whew! Close call there.

Speaking of a close call, Nikki really got a second life pass. I knew after all the years of the constant fighting with Alby, one day he would snap. And that he did! Alby tied her up, dressed her in compound attire, and put a gun to her head. As luck would have it, he decided to kill Rhonda's husband instead of his sister. I was happy to see that Nikki wasn't a goner, but was I the only one who was confused why he shot Ronda's husband? Was because he knew too much?

As bad as all Bill's wives situations may be, nothing can top Bill's current state of affairs. He tried to get out of the sticky situation by giving up his seat in the Senate, but it was a little too late. They are going to try him for illegal relations with Margene. He could be facing up to twenty years. Oh, and yeah, Alby tried to have him killed.

Bill has so much on his plate, I wouldn't be surprised if the series ends with him dead from a heart attack or by his own hands.

Lois made a brief cameo in the resident home, but Frank was no where to be seen. We also didn't get to see any crazy Rhonda. Overall, this week's episode was brilliantly executed and definitely left me wanting more.

EXCLUSIVE: Cassi Thomson on Shocking Big Love Finale

gabrielle@tvfanatic.com (Gabrielle Compolongo) — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 08:59:37 EST

Are you ready to be shocked, Big Love fans? In an exclusive interview, Cassi Thomson talks about her role on this HBO hit and prepares us for an exciting series finale...

Was it harder or easier than you expected for you to get into the mindset of Cara Lynn?
Probably easier than I expected because the creators were so great to me. I thought it was going to be a very challenging character to get into and understand, but after I sat with the creators Mark [V. Olsen] and Will [Scheffer] and had a talk about her, I really had an understanding of where she was in life. I read some books on polygamy. I just got right into it. I felt comfortable with the material they gave me.

Do you have a sense of responsibility for young girls that watch the show and can relate to your character?
Yeah. Every time you’re playing a character that’s a young girl, you’re always going to think about the audience and girls who are going through a similar thing with their parents. Maybe not similar as in dating older men, but she has a lot of turmoil going on with her mom and finding out about her father's death, so it's always a concern. As an actress, you always want to make sure your audience can relate to you.

Did the show change you’re perspective on life? Did you have prior knowledge of polygamy?
I didn’t realize how much polygamy is still going on in the world. I thought it was something that died out a long time ago. Once I booked the role of Cara Lynn and started doing my research, I realized that there are still many compounds in the U.S., in Utah and Texas, these places still exist. It definitely did shed light on a subject matter that I had no idea was still happening in this modern society.

Do you think your character finds anything wrong about being in love with a man 15 years her senior?
Yes. I think she knows that it's not quite right and the family could take a lot of heat for it, but I don’t think she feels like it's necessarily a bad thing to be in love with him. When you’re in love, you don’t think about it. She is aware that this could bring a lot of heat, with what’s going on with Bill and Margene. Another young girl dating an older man could be very detrimental.

Does Cara Lynn feel that her father’s death is partially her mother's fault?
Oh yeah, for sure. I think Cara Lynn holds a lot of resentment towards her mom. Maybe she doesn’t think it’s her fault he’s dead, but she definitely holds her at fault for lying to her about it. Nikki can sometime be naïve in her thinking, but Cara Lynn is not naïve at all. She’s very mature and intelligent. As we’ve seen she’s kind of a math prodigy, she’s very intelligent and can see through manipulations and tricks and lies. The fact that Nikki lied to her is a big thing, she feels very betrayed by her.

What can we expect on the series finale?
There’s not much I can say. It’s going to be good. I was really happy with it, and I know the four regulars were very happy with it so I think the fans will be too. Be prepared to be shocked. Every character will be affected by what happens.

Talk about your upcoming television movie, Rock the House.
It’s a movie that will be premiering on Hallmark around Father’s Day. It’s about a father/daughter relationship starring myself and Jack Coleman. Jack’s character is a lawyer who’s been busy and away from his daughter, so their relationship has taken a big blow. Their relationship is full of empty promises and my character, Carol has had it. She doesn’t trust her dad anymore. He realized he’s about to lose her, so they start bonding through music and he realizes she can sing. It’s a tearjerker.

Big Love Review: "Til Death Do Us Part"

Sun, 27 Feb 2011 23:54:39 EST

Wow! What a crazy episode.

With only so many more installments left before this show comes to a final close, I knew we'd be in for a ride, but I wasn't expecting such a wild one in "Til Death Do Us Part."

Was I the only one that didn't catch Heather's involvement in the implementation of the investigation against Bill until the end of the hour? Who was that man that Heather was talking to? Her father?

Now that the police have taken Barb in for questioning, what do you think she will say? The final scenes before the police came showed us that she wasn't exactly thrilled to find out that her sister-wives and Bill were going through with their resealment with out her.

I was shocked to find out that Bill, Nikki, and Margene would go forward in that regard. How could she not feel betrayed? The question that is now at hand would be whether or not she will use this betrayal to seek vengeance on Bill.
You kind of have to feel bad for Barb. Not only did she have to give up her legal rights as Bill's wife, but no one wanted to take her interest into being a priesthood holder seriously. It's pretty clear that as more time goes by, Barb is breaking further away from the family. I wouldn't be surprised when the series ends, so will Barb's marriage to them all.

Carolynn and her teacher have taken their relationship to a pretty serious level. She really isn't the brightest crayon in the box, is she? Why would she be so obviously flirt with her teacher at her mother's wedding? Someone was bound to pick up on it - and that someone was Margene. Will Margene tell Nikki or Bill what she saw?

Margene may feel a twisted type of kinship with Carolynn and, instead of doing what is right, I bet she will try to figure out how to fix this morally wrong situation without involving Bill.

Last week, when Rhonda kissed Ben, we were left unsure what would happen next. This week, we found out that these two slept together. Sleeping with Ronda was probably the dumbest thing Ben could do. Like what Nikki previously pointed out, Rhonda is toxic. Only bad things can come out of this situation and I bet Heather will not stick around once she finds out what extracurricular activities Ben was up to when they weren't together.

Lois proved that although she may be losing her mind, she is still as crazy as ever. Frank fell and instead of helping him, she left him there so that they wouldn't be taken away. Once Frank finally got the medical attention he needed, Lois again tried to kill him by stuffing a bunch of pills down his throat. Talk about a love/hate relationship. These two are so out there that it's hard to understand where they are coming from.

Alby showed Bill that he is not messing around. Well, not messing around in going after Bill. He is going in for the kill and wants Bill to pay. Taking Home Plus is just the tip of the iceberg. This showdown is going to be nothing less than epic.

Big Love Review: "D.I.V.O.R.C.E"

Sun, 20 Feb 2011 23:41:53 EST

There's only so many more episodes left of Big Love and I found it very surprising that the writers would take this unique show and bring in an overplayed plot line on TV these days.

I'm referring to the overused and quite morally wrong student/teacher relationship that is blooming between Carolynn and her math teacher.

We all knew that it was coming, especially with the looks Mr. Ivy had been giving Carolynn all season long, but gosh darn it, I really hoped the writers would have taken the high road and had Carolynn turn him down instead of falling for the guy.

This is the third time this network season that I've seen such a dysfunctional relationship unfold on TV. What kind of message does this send out to the youth of America?

Meanwhile, "D.I.V.O.R.C.E" was the perfect title for the episode because Barb and Bill's legal relationship is heading towards splitsville. At first, I truly believed that Nikki didn't have any hidden motives, but as the storyline unfolded, it was clear this whole adoption matter came up only to become Bill's legal wife.

This was evident when Nikki let her true emotions show by yelling at Barb when Bill asked her to sign the prenuptial agreement. She may want to believe that she has Carolynn's best interests at heart, but every action she portrays proved otherwise.

Lately, Barb's actions affirmed that she no longer finds the same happiness she once did being married to Bill. Now that she believes that she, too, can hold the priesthood like Bill, I can't imagine this turn of events helping them come closer together. Barb has every right to go forward with finding the priesthood within herself, but I can't see her marriage being able to survive it. All the chips are falling into place for Bill and Barbara to finally part ways.

Could there be a new romantic interest for Alby? It really wasn't that outrageous having Alby and Verlan kiss. The way that they looked at each other a couple episodes ago pretty much confirmed that they'd one day get it on.

I almost felt bad for Rhonda. Being a young mother is hard enough, but stripping couldn't make anything easier. Then again, it's Rhonda and after her brief make-out session with Ben, I felt nothing for her again. That smooch was very strange and terribly inappropriate.

Don and Bill payed Alby a visit and let him know that they are on to him. I loved how Don took a stand against Alby by confronting him about trying to kill him. Alby now knows that Bill's on to him. What will he do next?

With all this going on, Bill added politics into the crazy life. No one is on his side and now he has the Mormon church on his case. Every now and again we get glimmers of hope for the man that there maybe just cause for his decision to run for politics, but it flickers and then goes dark again. I still can't wrap my head around why Bill ran in the first place. Can you?

Finally, Lois and Frank shared a strange, but endearing scene at the beach. They both realized that after every thing they'd done to each other, they only had each other in the end.

Loved this week's episode and can't wait to see what happens next. My only wish? That this awesome show wasn't coming to an end.

Big Love Series Finale Description: Read Now!

matt@tvfanatic.com (TV Fanatic Staff) — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 10:23:57 EST

We already know that the Big Love series finale will pit Bill against Alby.

But what better way to get the full scoop on the episode - which will be titled "When Men and Mountains Meet" - than to read the official HBO description of it? The network has released this synopsis, and we've posted it below.

With the specter of jail time looming, Bill charts out contingency plans for the family, while orchestrating a last-minute preemptive referendum on the senate floor. Meanwhile, Barb goes forward with her plan to join a reform-minded church; Margene contemplates taking a hiatus to serve as a volunteer abroad; and Nicki despairs being left alone as her family splinters.

Cara Lynn considers a return to her roots; Ben enlists Rhonda to help him win over Heather; Don shares some bad news with Bill about Home Plus. As Easter arrives, the Henricksons receive heartening support from their polygamist constituents, briefly lifting the dark cloud that’s been hovering over the family since Bill’s election. Finally, an unexpected vision leads Bill to a final confrontation with his most deeply-held beliefs.

Big Love Review: "The Oath"

Sun, 06 Feb 2011 23:23:45 EST

Sometimes, I find myself wondering what in the world was Bill ever thinking running for Senate. On tonight's episode, "The Oath," I came to realize that his pride isn't the only reason.

After getting run over tapped by Margene's car, Bill goes into some dreamlike world. There, he runs into a mysterious woman and his mother.

It's clear that he believes being a part of the Senate will change things for not only his personal family, but all Polygamists alike. This will be a long and hard road, but every fiber in his belief system knows that it is his right path.

Probably my favorite part of the episode had to be Barb and Margene taking a stand in front of the Senate for Bill. It showed that even though they personally may not agree with all of Bill's choices for their family, they believe in him and the strength of the family.

When all the chips fall, they are always there for each other no matter what.

That being said, it doesn't mean that this family can't be petty and argue.

The confrontation between Margene, Nikki, and Barb was extremely intense. Was I the only one feeling uncomfortable by the end of this scene?

I knew Barb wasn't really ever a huge fan of Nikki, but when she admitted that Margene marrying Bill brought back the joy in her life, I was pretty speechless. Nikki's always been a bit outspoken, but she never really accepts her own faults. She is always quick to point her finger at one of her sister-wives.

Meanwhile, Carolynn wanted to get comfort from her family, so she set up a secret meeting with Verlin. Who knew who this guy was? All I know is that he's now Ronda's husband. She's baaaack. With baby in tow.

Did anyone else notice the weird eye contact Alby shared with Verlin? It was almost sexual, no? I wouldn't be surprised if these two guys ended up in the sheets, especially since Ronda made it clear that Verlin's love is what saved her.

On another strange romantic note, Heather and Ben took their friendship to the next level by making-out.

As much as I don't like Ronda, I'd have to agree with her that at one point it really did seem like Heather was romantically attracted to Sarah. What gives? I find this new found love to be a bit strange because of her past feelings for Sarah.

Poor Margene. The truth did not set her free. Instead, Bill can't even look at her when they are knocking boots. Can't blame him, though. I'd feel like a pedophile, too. Since the truth came out about her real age, nothing has been the same and I wonder if it ever will.

Bill finds out that Lois' dementia could have been created by untreated VD. Seriously? That's probably the strangest fact I've learned today.

With this being the last season and all, I guess I am just expecting more out of each character and I feel like they just aren't bringing it. Don't get me wrong, I am thoroughly entertained with each episode that passes, but I keep pondering more and more how the writers will be able to really tie everything up. What did you think?

Big Love Review: "Certain Poor Shepards"

Sun, 30 Jan 2011 23:16:16 EST

Although there were many shocking situations that went down on this week's episode, "Certain Poor Shepards," nothing was more surprising than finding out that Margene was only 16 when she married Bill, Barb, and Nikki.

Whoa! Who saw that one coming? I knew that Margene didn't want to show Bill her driver's license because of something to do with her past, but being a teenager when they got married was not something I expected to find out.

I net Alby discovers this secret first, which would be a major problem for Bill. Speaking of Alby, how scary has he become?

Like Laura said, something inside him has changed. He no longer has a care for anything or anyone but himself. I really thought that Laura would not have stood up to him. When Alby came to pick her up, I thought that she would have left obediently, but it turned out that she is a lot stronger than I gave her credit for.

Now that Bill put himself in the middle of Alby's relationship with Laura, I am sure Alby will seek vengeance for it. Really, like there wasn't enough heated circumstances between these two already.

It is really sad that Lois is coming down with some sort of dementia. One minute she's her usual old self, and the next, she's screaming into a fast food intercom demanding for Santa Claus. Why was she able to get as far away from the house as she did? Where in the world were the other adults? And goodness, why hasn't Frank shown his face at all this season? Where is the crazy old man?

Carolynn uncovered that her father is dead. Nikki tried for the longest time to keep it from her, but now that the truth is out there, Nikki wants her to acknowledge the real evil man her father was. I was surprised that Carolynn seemed to accept this news as well as she did.

Did anyone else get weird vibes from Carolynn's teacher? I really hope that the writers don't use this as another avenue for shock factor and put these two in some sort of unhealthy romantic relationship. I really like Carolynn with the young sweet boy who seemed to have the very best intentions. What do you think?

We didn't get any Christmas cameo from Sarah, but it was nice to see Heather back. She looked great. New hair, new attitude, and could there be a new love sprouting between her and Ben? That would be something I'd like to see.

Barb still has not been able to come to grips with what is happening in her life. This has to be the reason for her drinking. She told the family that she believed that they are all leading unholy lives. However, Bill tried to get her to see that they aren't doing anything wrong.

Poor Bill, he can't get a break! Even during the holidays, nothing in his life is working out. He even has a minor breakdown asking the heavenly father why he and his family have to go through so many hurdles. All he wants is to be able to live his life in public and not be ashamed for who he is and what he believes in.

The episode ends with the entire family creating the holy manger scene. No one looks happy to be there, while car after car drives by taking pictures of the spectacle. What did everyone else think of the episode?