Big Love

A friend of mine asked me if I had seen "The show about the guy with three wives," and I had no clue which show he was talking about. He told me it was called "Big Love" and I should catch it. Well, now having watched the first two seasons, I can confidently say this is the best television show I've seen in years. The polygamy is not even close to what the show's all about-- even though that part is extremely interesting.

First off, Bill Paxton is charged with a tough duty-- he's really the backbone of the show, and he is flawless scene after scene after scene. The same can be said of Tripplehorn, Sevigny and Goodwin. Amanda Seyfriend also really shines in a quiet but emotionally conflicted role as the teenage daughter battling religious self-esteem and monogamy vs polygamy for a life path. Douglas Smith demonstrates great promise as a young actor whose character is in a state of constant awkwardness and whose introverted nature is taken to the backseat when a great personal challenge for him begins to arise in the second season.

The stories are fantastic, with wonderful characters at every level. Harry Dean Stanton as Roman Grant is an absolute masterclass in acting; his tiny, shriveled exterior does nothing to prevent us from fearing his powerful, commanding leadership role as the so-called prophet of the compound.

Boasting plot lines consistently intriguing and aiding in character development rather than mere shock value, it refuses to make overt caricatures out of characters easy to keep one-dimensional. For me personally as an atheist who is fascinated with the study of theology, it's rousing fun to cheer for the polygamist and his loving family. The part that sucks me in the most is definitely the "right" decisions characters make, albeit justified with religious convictions. Don't just "give it a chance"-- watch it and you will love it. It's smart, funny, emotionally impacting and extremely well-written.

I'm surprised no one has written about this great show yet! I've always liked HBO's original programming, from Video Jukebox back in the early 80's (before Mtv!), to Taxicab Confessions, OZ, Sopranos, and Six Feet Under. I really had little interest in watching a show about Mormons and polygamy in Utah, but I knew HBO would make it interesting. I love the cast! Bill Paxton is perfectly cast as the lead. He was always an underrated actor. Same goes with Jeanne Tripplehorn as his first (and favorite) wife. Chloe Sevigney is almost unrecognizable as the manipulative second wife, with her long hair and prairie outfits. I first noticed her in Kids. Newcomer Gennifer Goodwyn is quite good as the overwhelmed and lonely youngest third wife. She reminds me of a young Sherilyn Fenn. It doesn't hurt that all of the wives and eldest daughter are quite attractive!

One would think Bill's character would be envied, but the more we see into his everyday life, the more I say "No thanks!" Imagine dealing with three moody wives and children coming out of the woodwork! Everything has to be written in a daily planner, otherwise things get extremely chaotic. On top of dealing with his huge family, living in three adjacent houses with one back yard, he also has to run a growing chain of Home Depot-type stores, deal with the rest of his oddball family (parents and brother) still living on a polygamist compound run by an evil Harry Dean Stanton who keeps extorting money from Bill and harassing him and his family. Oh, and they also try to keep their polygamy secret from the nosy neighbors, and one of the wives has run up huge credit card debts! Plus almost everyone the family deals with is an over-religious meddler! I also like the relationship with the eldest daughter and her straight laced but good hearted friend, who played Napolean Dynamite's love interest. Overall, I really like this show and hope it becomes as popular as the other great HBO series.

I don't want to spoil anything. This is one amazing show. There aren't many of any shows out there they are better done than this.

Great writing. Stellar performances. One of the best dramas by HBO, thanks to the amazing cast. Coincidentally finished watching the last episode on Bill Paxton's fourth death anniversary.

It may be an indicator of my and my wife's "Age & Stage" - but we have become hooked on Big Love! In the UK we managed to catch Season 1 some years ago - may have been on E4 or some channel like that. We found it intriguing, odd, quirky, believable, fun. Most things from HBO are worth the watch and this delivered as a soap with an edge. But then it got discountinued. Boo Hoo.

Years passed and then we got Sky and were delighted to see it on Sky Atlantic. Joy! So we have now re-watched Season 1, added Season 2 and are now half way through Season 3.

The backdrop is a fictional fundamentalist Mormom sub-sect in Utah. In the centre is the interplay between Bill and his 3 wives who have a fully functioning polygamus family complete with children. The wives are distinctive and edgy, each very different one from the other. In Season 1 we see the chemistry of this set up. All the way through into Season 3 we see extensive development of this family and it's good stuff. Even has spicy bedroom scenes! Surrounding this central text is a dangerous power struggle within the sect which develops into a main "soap" theme.

All of the characters are damaged to a lesser or greater extent by their contact with the sect and in some cases with each other. The subject of polygamus marriage, forced marriage, under-age relations and the ramifications are never far away. Some characters are manipulative or can dip into manipulation as it suits them or their agendas, making trust difficult, even within the family unit. Others are downright twisted malevolent and dangerous. Because we get a feel for the characters, we sense not only the threats - but how they might react even though the situations are fairly well outside what would be considered to be "our normal frames of reference". Bill - the husband appears as the most normal of the lot of them, but even he has huge baggage. He is a very good TV creation for so many reasons.

Without trying to say too much more (impossible for a multi-seasoned soap in any event), and without trying to be too patronising - Big Love is probably for the viewer who is over 30, 40 even, who is in or has been in a long term relationship, possibly with children. There are strong insights into why people stay together, why people fight, about power influence and control - sexual and otherwise. Religion, surprisingly, is not a strong feature.

I commend Big Love - but it may not be for everyone; it's complex, deals with characters in situations that are on the verge of unbelievable. But it IS believable. The script writers and researchers have done clever work with this. It's worth following just to see how the subject is handled.

Well done HBO - we're hooked!