Big Love Watch: Put a Ring(s) on It

HBO

Spoilers for Big Love coming up after the jump:

Good to have the show back, and good to see it wasting letting time establishing new storylines, since—despite the time that's passed—it pretty much directly takes off from the end of season 2. In that spirit: 

* I like the idea of having Bill become involved in the plight of his half-brother, bringing back to him the experience of having been thrown onto the streets as a teen himself. Bill is the character through which we most directly see both the faults of polygamy and its ideals, and I like how the show is willing to show both earnestly: it recognizes that polygamy can be a flawed practice, and yet that at least some of the characters' faith can be genuine. At the same time, it shows Bill as both a man trying to live a holy life, and also sometimes a selfish jerk—both in the little things ("Who's gonna give us another piggy?" to Nicki) and the big (first telling Ana that he needs a ring on her finger before sex, then giving in). 

* Excellent episode in particular for Nicki, and again Chloe Sevigny deserves credit. She could have been the most broadly unsympathetic of the wives, but we see the conflict in her as she is pushed to go undercover for the compound inside the investigation, and faults herself for her family's problems being accepted in a suburb she'd rather not even live in. The closing scene of her trapped on the roof was both funny and moving. 

* One of the open questions in Big Love has always been how much Barb really believes in the polygamist faith—whether she holds it in her soul or whether she made herself believe in order to preserve her marriage. However she came to it, though, facing her biopsy, for a possible recurrence of cancer, you can see that she holds to it to an existential certainty: she believes that she will be joined in eternity by her entire family and sister-wives, and that—the future of her family after her death and in the afterlife—drives her to take charge of courting a possible fourth wife. 

* As for Margene, she truly seems to be in her element handling Bill's plan to get into the Indian-casino business. It's curious how she, having had as rough an early life as anyone on the show, has come through it with utter optimism and faith in others (that both their neighbors and potential business partners will be won over once they get to know her)—and that, by and large, she's proven right. 

Other quick thoughts/quotes: 

* I was a bit surprised to see as much of the Greenes as we did in HBO's "previously" reel; I had guessed we were pretty much done with them, but maybe we'll be seeing more of them. 

* It's good that the show sent Roman to prison before the real-life polygamy-bust story broke; it lets the parallels play in naturally without shoehorning them in. Also: "Jane Does--what are they, sisters?"

* It's impressive how menacing and yet pathetic Alby can be at the same time. Calling Nicki to accuse her of outing him to Bill—"You told Bill lies about me, about rumors, about behavior... proclivities"—and causing his attempted murder, he's spiteful but also seems genuinely hurt at the perceive portrayal. (Chillingly, it looks like his mother is actually behind the hit.) 

* Loved the look on Lois' face when she learns Wanda's bird is worth $2000. "Dollars?" I missed Lois. 

* "She sits and fetches—and rolls over." Egggh. And yet I even missed Frank.