The Televangelist: ‘Big Love’ Season 4, Episode 2 (1)
Distancing itself from the chaos of the first episode, “Big Love” settled down this week back into its natural rhythm, nicely weaving together several story lines, and setting up some much-anticipated upheavals. As some seasons-long troubles came to an end (battling with Roman, the FBI, the DA’s office), Bill, in typical fashion, refused to allow the peace to last long. As his daughter Sarah aptly put it, “oh, you know ... another day, another revelation.”
With the compound drama at his back, Bill believes he has received a testimonial from God to run for State Senate. While his motivations are at first primarily angled to prevent a strong anti-polygamist from taking the office, Bill later finds conviction from his family’s disapproval (oddly enough) to know “for certain” that this is the path he will take. For those of us scratching our heads and reminding Bill as his family did, “uh, Bill, you’re a polygamist,” Bill quickly explains, “polygamy is a misdemeanor. It won’t cost me the office. I want to put a new face on The Principle ... that’s what this has been about.” He might as well have been talking about the entire series thus far. The Henricksen’s life has sanitized the fundamentalist practice of polygamy for viewers, even though the dark side of The Principle is never far from view (does anyone else still get chills at the very mention of the “Joy Book”?)
Last week I mentioned how “Big Love” is at its best when it focuses primarily on the wives. As if hearing my call as a testament, this week’s “The Greater Good” was full of drama for Barb, Nicki* and Margene, all of whom were asked to sacrifice personal gains for that of the fold.