There are a few enchanting shows on television that are so good, their season finales actually elicit physical pain – the thought of months of and months without new episodes is just that devastating. Big Love is one such show.
There’s so much going on right now it’s kind of a slap in the face to make just 12 episodes at a time. Last night’s season-ender gave us next to no resolution for any of the subplots, and what closure we did get… was not exactly what I had hoped for. Sarah chose to assert her independence by screwing her future-pedophile boyfriend when she should have just moved in with Heather’s family. And instead of finally giving Bill the kiss-off she’s been considering all season, Barb took a big ol’ gulp of the polygamous Kool-Aid and fully embraced her life as one of several wives – as long as she can be the one with all of the power.
Bill is getting slimier by the minute, and last night’s unexpected return of potential fourth-wife Ana was not without some pantry-side canoodling. I like Ana and all, but the addition of another Lady Henrickson would drive me all kinds of nuts. Margene’s naive insistence on her inclusion won’t likely be placated by Barb’s grand gesture.
My love/hate relationship with Nikki dissolved this season when her antics went from whimsical to inexcusable. Her father, however, stopped creeping me out long enough to became one of my favorites. Roman returned from his coma slightly loony and definitely a lesser evil to his son Alby. Alby is good for drama, but he owes all of his success to what an idiot his sister is.
That brings me to my biggest gripe: the power struggle at the compound is never nearly as exciting as the conflicts that play out in the Henrickson’s communal backyard. Part of me hopes that the writers will find some way to include the Juniper Creek folks without spending too much time on political issues that follow them, and if they’re interested, I have ten months to think about how they might do it.