Big Love Season 3 thread

[_beastie]

Anyone wanna bet that sarah will become an uber believer now that she's tasted the fruits of sin?

[_solomarineris]

What would you like to see on next Big Love episode?
I'll tell you mine:
Would be so great if we could see Nicolette, Margine, Barbara tearing off Bill's shirt, what a juicy love scene that would make. But even HBO isn't that smart to attempt this.
Wouldn't get any better than that! ♠

[_Bond James Bond]

Episode 3.7

Previously on Road Rules: Polygamy...every secret was unsecreted, with interesting results. We found out about Bill's Viagra, Sarah's baby (and dramatically inevitable miscarriage), and Nicki being on the pill for four years. Beyond that we got a literal buffet of Mormony goodies. This episode, The Fallout. To the points:

1)I would like to go on record saying that this is the best title sequence on TV. Seriously. Too many shows are going to title screens so that they can get more commercials into the show, and the title sequence is becoming a lost art imho. So kudos to the titles, which are steeped in Mormon secret hints while rocking the generally excellent Beach Boys tune “God Only Knows”.

2)The overall plot for this episode is that Kathy and Joey are finally getting married (were they living in sin? I don't know.) Wanda spends most of the episode being crazy, wetting the bed and whatnot. Bill is going to perform the ceremony (since Roman is the “Prophet of the Holiday Inn” to quote Joey) and that storyline bookends the episode. Wanda is worried about being first wife...cause she's crazy and stuff, so she decides to give up the title to Kathy. Good call. A funny in-joke happens at this time, when Wanda makes a schedule that includes a pictures of Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, and Jennifer Aniston. Love the love triangle metaphor. Meanwhile...

3)Ray (The DA, played by Chip Esten) puts the moves on Nicki. Nicki sees the goods, and not only goes to dinner with him but kisses him, like more than friends kisses him. Oh yeah, go Ray. 5 episodes left...Holiday Inn, room 203. That's code for “Love Shack”. Make sure to spring for two beds. Just in case you break one of them. Of course Nicki has bigger fish to fry...

4)The Marg/Barb/Bill triumvirate corners Nicki to try to get her to get off The Pill. The intervention/ambush collapses when Nicki faints. Isn't having children supposed to be a joy? What's next, a rape stand? Michael Vick's dog fighting property hasn't been auctioned off yet has it? Seriously...Barb is the baby Nazi. Why don't they just adopt a few more brats. There are starving pygmies down in New Guinea that would love to eat white bread in Utah...well....bad example. Note to barb...stop trying to live vicariously through the ovaries of your sister wives. On the other hand...

5)Barb and Bill do an excellent little bit of acting when confronting Barb's sister and her husband about the document Alby sold last episode. We thought it was a Mountain Meadow's Massacre document...not so much. Apparently it's a letter from Woodruff (a former LDS Prophet) that is a smoking gun saying the LDS Church never planned to stop practicing polygamy from 1890. Anyway the brother in law (name?) got the document for fifty grand and handed it over to the LDS Church...next stop for the document I'm guessing....The Shredder. And I'm not talking about the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle antagonist. Bill does have a copy though...

6)No sign of Teeny and Ben in this episode. The Margene/Ben issue stands fast till a later episode. Margene didn't do much this episode except start taking antidepressants and out Nicki for stealing her identity (Nicki of course was working at the DA under an assumed identity so that she could steal information during the trial). Marg then blackmails Nicki into going back to caring for the kids while Marg gets to go back to work. Seems fair. The best argument Nicki could come up with was to blame Satan. She should have saved Satan for the birth control pills.

7)Sarah...oh Sarah. She's trying to figure her life out. Having the miscarriage must have sucked mighty ass, so what does she do? Decides to not go to ASU. Heather now hates her after a big argument, I really thought there was going to be an admission by Heather that she loves her (more than friends style) and the whole Heather/Sarah raising a baby thing was going to be something for Sarah but more for Heather. Meh. Sarah got a car too. Barb and Sarah with some weird mother/daughter scenes...not sure if that's how it goes down. I'm a dude writing about women interacting. I'm outta my depth on if it's realistic or not.

8)I love the way Nicki rips on Barb about her “student psychology”. Best quotes from there interactions...”two classes do not a psychologist make” and “not now Barb, this is quick dry caulk”. I love the dialog in this show.

9)The wedding (between Kathy and Joey, and Wanda) gets a little sidetracked when Kathy goes off to pick some flowers. And for her trouble she gets kidnapped. By Roman. It's part of Roman's master plan to get back into power and get a little revenge. The kidnapping is orchestrated to get rid of Kathy by marrying her to Aullis Green (remember him? He who has a female bodyguard who wields a branding iron? I miss that branding iron.) We also learn that Selma (the branding iron lady) is Aullis's first wife, and is...dum dum dum....Roman's sister. I did not know that. Anyway, Kathy was going to be married off to Aullis and taken to Mexico to spite the Hendrickson's and to get rid of Kathy, who is sowing trouble with other malcontents on the compound. Anyway, Kathy makes like an action hero and grabs a pitchfork and stabs one of the female bodyguards in the leg while escaping. A pig (did I not mention the pig? It was freaking huge!) attacked the bodyguard at the smell of blood and is stabbed in turn with the previously referenced pitchfork. Dead pig. In the confusion Kathy escapes in a farm truck, while getting her pigtail stuck in the door. You know this is going to end badly right? Well anyway the Prophets (Roman and Aullis) ram her in their Hummer and she crashes into a light pole. Kathy snaps her neck due to her hair being caught in the door. Roman appears to have a soul by showing some regret at having this all come to pass. Or maybe he was fretting at having to replace that truck. Or maybe replace the pig. Who knows.

10)Best quote from Alby's chief wife to one of his other wives: “If you want to be in harmony with our husband, you ought to respect his desire not to have sex with you.” Ain't that the truth?

11)No nudity. That was a bigger downer than watching Kathy have her neck snapped. Are they airing this on BYUTV or something? Lame.

[_TAK]

Bond:

There are starving pygmies down in New Guinea that would love to eat white bread in Utah...well....bad example.

No perfect! LOL..

Great write up!

[_cinepro]

Death by ponytail? Ouch!

[_Bond James Bond]

Death by ponytail? Ouch!

Yeah. Too bad. I really liked the Kathy character. First character ever to die on the show that I can recall. I hope this signals an escalation in violence though...the writers from the Sopranos are probably out of work, perhaps they can be brought in to show the way.

[_neworder]

Well it looks like a lot of Mormon viewers are going to be in for a big surprise for one of the upcoming episodes of Big Love.

Check out one of the pages in the latest TV Guide

Warning! Shows Temple Content!

http://www.salamandersociety.com/temple/

I know that some people may think it is fake since is come from the salamandersociety but others confirm that it really is in there. I plan on checking it out during lunch today to see if it is really true.

I am sure a lot of TBMs are going to stop watching Big Love when this episode airs.

[_cinepro]

I am sure a lot of TBMs are going to stop watching Big Love when this episode airs.

For the TBM reaction, you can check out the Cougarboard.

Their comments raise the question: Is there a way for non-members to show the Temple ceremony that is "respectful"? Or do LDS just use the word "disrespectful" as a synonym for "embarrassing"?

I can understand how it is disrespectful to joke about it, or make fun of it. But other than the fact that LDS really, really, really don't want people to know what we are doing in there, why is it categorically "disrespectful" to discuss it or show it?

In the context of the show, the ceremony is something the Hendrickson's will likely treat as extremely sacred and important. If it is portrayed that way (as the baptisms and other ordinances have so far), why is that "disrespectful"? If the ceremony is, by its very nature, embarrassing, is it up to the filmmakers to not depict it accurately in telling their story so LDS don't get embarrassed?

[_neworder]

For the TBM reaction, you can check out the Cougarboard.

Seem like this is a hot topic on many Mormon related boards right now.

Exmormon.org
MA&D
FLAK

Heck, even a Jehovah Witness board is talking about it

www.jehovahs-witness.net

It will be interesting to find out how they make it part of the story. Maybe a flashback since I doubt Barb has a current temple recommend. HBO does talk about an excommunication with barb in an upcoming episode.

I wonder if the LDS Church will make some kind of official statement about showing the temple content or just ignore it. If they do say anything, it will just spread the news more I think.

[_Chap]

I wonder if anybody can tell me of any other significant religious body identifying itself as "Christian" that has as an important part of its religious practice ceremonies that may not be witnessed except by the initiated, which even the initiated are forbidden to talk about to each other outside the areas in which those ceremonies take place, and which may not be portrayed in fictional form without believers claiming to have been gravely offended by the mere fact of that portrayal?

(Clearly I am not talking about cases where religious worship is done in secret for fear of persecution, as happened sometimes in the former Soviet Union.)