Big Love Season 4

Yes! I can't remember anything about where we left off, but am excited non-the-less.

OMG, I seriously can't wait. It left off with Roman being killed by Paxton's brother.

What a great ep. As soon as the show started, everything came rushing back. I know people hate Nikki, but she's the most interesting person on the show. I am riveted to the screen whenever she is on. Same with Bill's mother. She is such a trip. Barb's craziness didn't sit well with me because she's usually so on top of everything. But I guess between her being outed as a polygamist and being kicked out of her church, her entire worldview was crumbling down around her. I did appreciate Marge's role in pushing her to pick herself back up via the casino, though I still consider her the weakest part of the show. Ben's Jesus rock band was high-larious! Yay, Big Love is back!

This show is just pickles on top of more pickles. I'm not looking forward to seeing a lot of time devoted to Margie's career(s) imploding but I think everything that is going to happen with Bill this season will overshadow it. I hope they either limit Adam Beach's screen time or that he's learned how to act. That guy is terrible.

Great season premiere, but I don't understand why Bill didn't hand the body over to the authorities. Sure, the story is crazy, and maybe hard to believe, but he and Nikki both commented on the unknown whereabouts of Roman making life miserable for the entire family. Bill even goes to see the DA about leaving the family alone.

They'd probably pin the murder on Bill. And there's no proof otherwise. Even if he eventually gets acquitted, the DA will rake him over the coals tarnishing his rep even more than it already is and potentially costing him his businesses.

That's really flimsy though. If Bill had just stopped and called the moment he saw the body at the bottom of the construction site I don't think there would be any way to try and pin the murder on him. There were obviously plenty of alibis available saying he wasn't driving hours away to drop off a body that was still frozen and blue when they arrived. I just keep going back to multiple characters referencing how big a pain in the ass Roman's disappearance has been, and not taking advantage of clearing that.

Of course, if I was Bill I would have Nikki's head for not telling him before Albie. Bill could have had the DA storm Juniper Creek, find the body, and clear his name. Also, would hurt Albie's fight to get the trust back in his name. Nikki is the most aggravating character in the show.

Holy crap.

I guess since there are only nine episodes this season just about every scene is going to have a "what the what!" moment? Thoroughly great show tonight. When the casket lid smashed Roman's face I cracked up. Even with the goal of eventually going public I don't see how Bill will be able to keep everything under wraps- especially with what happened at the end of the episode.

Is that the same Teenie that has been in past seasons? I say no but my wife says yes.

My DVR must have missed last week's ep because I had no idea what was going on this week. I'm feeling kinda blah with this season. Everyone is doing their own separate thing and the conflict between Bill and his family, and the compound craziness is just getting way over the top. I prefer it when the family pulls together in an "us against the world" way. As it stands, they neutered Barb, made Nikki even more troublesome by adding in her crazy ex-husband, and turned Bill into a gassed-up, ego-maniac.

I was also annoyed that the show didn't let Bill know Nikki was behind him getting the campaign contribution. I mean for all the trouble she causes, she also does a heck of a lot to help Bill.

I'm starting to hate this show. There's no one to root for. Bill is a selfish asshole, Barb is a bumbling idiot, Nikki yells a lot, Margie cries a lot, and Alby likes to have sex with dudes. The gambling reservation plot is boring and the Congress plot seems completely asinine given all the heat Bill's been under since Roman was murdered. They are just throwing insane plot twist after insane plot twist without a cohesive story that makes sense. These aren't the same people who last season renewed their vows to each other.

Totally agree with you, Diva. Everything was moving along OK until last night. Once Bill had his best friend take the fall for the wives being on the books I was super pissed. I want to see Bill lose everything at this point! How do you tell us the guy has two kids that need specialized medical attention, make him take the fall, then expect us to look at Bill as having any kind of redeeming characteristics?

Not to get into a theological debate, but prior to this season I enjoyed the show for giving me the insight to a world I didn't agree with, but even more so, a world I really didn't know anything about. Obviously it's highly exaggerated in order to be entertaining, but Mormon couples with multiple wives and huge immediate families definitely exist. But now Big Love is just aggravating me. The religion that made the show interesting is now making me annoyed. Bill jumps from one drama to the next, with no regard as to how it affects the family, and all for his righteousness in the eyes of god. At least his son in law told him "This isn't that type of marriage" when they went to find out about the baby.

Oh, but Roman's ghost torturing and talking shit to Alby is ten tons of fun.

I'm pretty sure its the same girl. She just blossomed from that awkward 'tween years look.

Teeny was replaced.

I've tried to hang with the show this season, but I'm with Diva on this one. This season has been nothing but annoying. My wife is a former member of the Mormon church and she can give me the lowdown on the stuff in the episodes, but even she's having trouble with this season.

Boy, this sure is Ginny Goodwin's "I want a friggin' Emmy nomination" season.

Past two episodes have been really weird, not in a particularly good way. The last 10 minutes or so of tonight's episode was much better but it seemed quite out of place from everything else that's happened this season. Unless they're going for the "OLOL, Mormon dudes are pretty delusional amirite" angle, I don't see how Bill could not have seen all this shit coming.

Big Love jumped the dead frozen prophet in the first episode of this season. I am watching now out of habit more than anything else.

I will give the show runners this much credit: They boldly continue to make Bill one of the least likable and most delusional leading characters on TV. I actively root against him most episodes. He did everything but pour a bucket of pig blood on Sissy Spacek this past episode.

Will this season end with Bill finally embracing becoming the Juniper Creek prophet?

This whole last episode had me screaming at the TV.

Barb fucking up the Senate chances.

Margine for being a slutty mcslutterson and then acting like a spoiled brat.

Nikki for being... well.. ok she was probably the best I've seen her in a while... no complaints.

Ben for being such a lying sack of shit! Bill didn't exile him!!

I"m all for Bill being a douche to that Washington bitch, fuck her man. She's just trying to get her money grubbin hands on the Indian casino cash! I still can't forgive him for throwing his friend \ partner under the bus though.. that shit was harsh.

Of all the character changes, Barb's is the one that hurts the most. I mean, she was the rock that held the family together and they've turned her into an insecure little girl. It's like she's not even the same person anymore.

As for Ben, I could see how he could mis-take Bill's comment as kicking him out. To be fair, Bill did say "leave for a little while" and when you're in the heat of the moment it is easy to read meaning where there is none. But for Bill, who has always been about family first, asking Ben to leave - even just for a little while - is a sign that the family dynamic has broken down big time.

Did anyone else think that Bill's brother was going to sabotage the election? Nikki's ex has dirt on him and he clearly wants him to do something against the family. I just can't think of what.

Ha! Ha! Awesome.

What show am I watching? I don't even know what is going on anymore. Why was Nikki's mom searching boxes and why did JJ try and stop her? I feel like the show throws more and more at us each week, and none of it is sticking with me. I'm on brain overload with all the subplots.

In any case, season finale is this weekend. I'm assuming they are going to warp up the Sissy Spacek storyline and the election. I'm not even sure what's happening with the UEB stuff. Do they wrap up the investigation? What does that even mean if they do? Where does Alby's arc go from here? Will Marge annul her marriage and "come out" as a polygamist with the family? Do I care about any of this?

Gah! What a frustrating season.

With this show, that may turn out to not be a typo.

Nikki's growing confidence was refreshing, especially with Barb and Marjene taking turns being hysterical nitwits. Too bad her scene with Alby seemed to dash that.

What an awful season. Some good acting, but the writing was laughable...to say the least. Wonder how they got so off the rails.

I liked how crazy the first few episodes were but, man, it went too far into the crazy zone by the end. What happened to showing how a polygamist tries to get through life unscathed? Damn.

They really embraced a cartoony level of soap opera this season. My real problem is that seemingly each week something completely insane happens (Mexico disarmament, Dead Romans, Firearms at congressional charities, everybody and their cousin knows Bill's secret except anyone who could hurt him) and yet there's no actual fallout the next week. It's just out of sight, out of mind.

The show's creators are very shrewd to have such extensive layoffs between seasons and also by keeping the seasons somewhat brief. This gives people enough time to forget the ridiculous stuff and just vaguely remember some of the decent aspects.

I had a conversation with a woman who thought this was the best season yet. I just looked at her like she was an alien. I just don't even have the words anymore to express what a clusterfuck this season has been. So insane, and not in a good way. I hope they can get this trainwreck back on the rails.

I enjoyed this season (except for Mexico) but it was extremely uneven and a lot of threads were left dangling. The craziness didn't really bother me because the show has been heading this way since last season. I will say that I was hoping that Barb wouldn't get up when Bill called her name at the press conference. After everything that Bill did it seemed like Barb would finally wise up. She even told him that she didn't need him anymore.

Chloë Sevigny's opinion of the season:

Exhaustion can not make you express views that you do not hold. It can make you express views that you know you should have perhaps kept private though

Her backtracking seems dishonest at best..

EDIT: And even though I had a bad experience on their talk backs, the AV CLUB is pure class. Shame on her for disparaging their reporting