'Big Love' review
More wives. More drama. More pilgrim garb.
Posted January 15, 2009
Special to Metromix
At some point in last season of HBO’s “Big Love,” the series veered off from a whimsical, non-judgmental look at the lives of polygamists, to a backwoods, spiritual incarnation of “The Sopranos.” Lingering shots of Viagra and the snicker-inducing dilemma of “Which lady to sleep with tonight?” gave way to lies, murders and enough familial in-fighting to make Tony and Uncle Junior look like BFFs.
Instead of getting caught up in some tired formula for success, though, the changes have all reinvented “Big Love” in a way few might have expected when the series debuted. And the sinister storylines show no signs of slowing anytime soon. Roman’s trial, Alby’s underhanded rise to power and Lois’s overdue plan to assert dominance over the men in her life all take center stage early in the first few episodes. And just for comedy’s sake: last season’s newly introduced love interest, Ana, officially starts dating Bill—and Barbara and Nicki and Margene.
The buzz: For the Henrickson’s, life is all about making as many babies as they can, so that their heavenly BBQs in the afterlife will have the highest possible guest count… or something. The trouble is, they’re not all sold on baby-making. The new season finds one wife going out of her way to avoid another pregnancy, and another of the show’s characters finding herself with an entirely unwanted one.
The verdict: The more the merrier! "Big Love" can tack on all of the wives, pilgrim garb and criminal activity it wants, and it's still one of the most rewarding shows to watch today. And, at the very least, it's the dramatic heart of HBO’s increasingly unfamiliar lineup.
Did you know? It’s estimated that as many as 50,000 practicing polygamists live in the United States today. According to a somewhat unscientific poll conducted in our brain, absolutely none of them are as cute as Margene.
"Big Love" returns Sunday, Jan. 18, at 9 p.m. ET/PT on HBO.
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