Blogcritics Author: Miss Cordy

Too Many Shows, Too Little Time - Monday

Miss Cordy — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 17:29:03 EDT

Miss Cordy tells you what's on, what you should watch, what you should record and what you should catch online.
Okay, tonight starts the craziness of too-many-shows, too-little-time. And unless you have a DVR, in addition to several VCRs, you'll never be able to watch all of the good ones. But, have no fear! TVGirl is here! I'll tell you what's on, what you should watch, what you should record, and what you should catch online. Monday, September...

Announcement: Short-content feeds

Phillip Winn — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 12:00:00 EDT

Sunday, August 26, 2007, marks the switch of all Blogcritics.org article feeds from full-content to short-content. This is the result of several converging factors, and is unfortunately a permanent decision (as permanent as any decision can be on the web, that is). We are aware of all of the reasons that this is a Bad Idea, and we are aware that some of you will be quite upset about having to click on something to read the free content, and we're sorry. Unfortunately, despite great effort, full-content feeds are not currently economically viable. Two other factors are involved: full-content feeds have resulted in an unprecedented level of content theft, with BC content appearing on many websites, usually spam sites, without attribution or permission. This duplicate content causes a cascading set of problems, not the least of which is that search engines generally aren't favorable to duplicate content, and don't always guess correctly. Finally, our RSS advertising partner is strongly in favor of short-content feeds. We hope that you'll continue to subscribe to BC via RSS, and when an article grabs your eye, it's only a click away, still free on the BC website. Thank you for your understanding.

Heroes' Zachary Quinto Named the Next "Spock"

Miss Cordy — Sun, 29 Jul 2007 02:47:30 EDT

Well, it's official.Rumors have been circulating on the web for weeks. But at Comic Con in San Diego on Thursday, Paramount officially announced that Zachary Quinto, who currently plays Sylar on NBC's Heroes, will be playing the younger version of the famous Vulcan Spock, in the upcoming Star Trek XI. The film is set for a December 2008 release and is being directed by JJ Abrams, of Alias and Lost fame. The last film that Abrams directed was Tom Cruise's Mission Impossible 3. Abrams is also producing the film, along with his partner-in-crime, Damon Lindelof. Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci (Transformers) wrote the script. At the Comic Con panel, Abrams introduced Quinto to the cheering crowd, and followed up by introducing Leonard Nimoy, who was announced to be reprising the role of Spock that he made so famous. According to Variety, when asked what he thought of Quinto's casting, Nimoy said, "It was logical." Hee. You can check out some pictures and video footage, courtesy of IESB.net. Zachary Quinto has spoken out on the subject here, and TrekMovie.com reports on the news as well. As a fan of Heroes and a self-proclaimed mini-Trekkie, I could not be more thrilled by this news. I was already psyched for this movie after hearing that my man JJ was directing, but now friggin' Sylar is in it? AHHHH! Too much for a fangirl to handle. Not only does Quinto possess more than a passing resemblence to a young Nimoy, but his previous work has proven he's got some pretty decent acting chops, as well. Just watching Heroes, it's hard to get past the creeeeepy, but if you check out some of his work as the flamboyant Sassan on So NoTORIous, you'll really appreciate his acting range. And, I mean, he's just so pretty to look at. Ever since I saw him in person at the Florida Extravaganza right here in Orlando, I've been totally crushed out on him. Not just because he's sex on a stick, but becasue he seems like a really nice, funny guy. Not to mention that, with the glasses and jacket, he looked kind of like my good friend Shane:And playing Spock can only bring him good things in life, so I'm very happy for him as a person, too. It's just wonderful and exciting news for him, but also for us fans, both of Zach and the Star Trek fanchise. What do you think of the news?

Miss Cordy is a senior at the University of Central Florida in Orlando. She is seeking a double-major in Political Science and Advertising/Public Relations. She has written for her local newspaper, focusing on the world of entertainment -- movies and television. Her favorite movies are the Lord of the Rings series and her favorite TV shows are Heroes, Lost, The Amazing Race and Dancing with the Stars.

2007 Emmy Nominations - An Analysis

Miss Cordy — Sat, 21 Jul 2007 00:58:26 EDT

Well, the 2007 59th Annual Emmy Nominations were revealed this morning. Oh, don’t worry – I didn’t get up at the crack of dawn or anything. I stopped being that interested after Sarah Michelle Gellar was snubbed during the last season of Buffy. Or maybe it was when Josh Holloway was snubbed after the first season of Lost? Either way, I wasn’t up with Kyra Sedgwick and Jon Cryer when they read the nominations live. But, I have since taken a gander at the full list of nominees and, as usual, I find myself slightly disappointed.Let’s start with the good news: Heroes got an Outstanding Drama nod. This I was not expecting. Maybe because the shows I’m obsessed with never really get the recognition I think they deserve. But there it is: Outstanding Drama SeriesBoston Legal - ABCGrey’s Anatomy - ABC Heroes - NBC House - Fox The Sopranos - HBO You know what I’ll never understand? Boston Legal. How the hell does it continue to get recognized as one of the best shows on television? It’s just so silly and ridiculous and cheesy. And I get that it’s supposed to be like that, but are we really putting it in the same league as the other four nominees? Instead of Lost, which had an excellent return to greatness this year? Or even The Closer or the HBO powerhouses like Big Love, Deadwood or Rome? And don’t even get me started on James Spader as Outstanding Lead Actor. I mean, at least Shatner has the distinction of being, well, The Shat. But Spader? I just … don’t get it.Outstanding Lead Actor In A Drama Series James Spader as Alan Shore, Boston Legal - ABCHugh Laurie as Dr. Gregory House, House - FoxDenis Leary as Tommy Gavin, Rescue Me - FXJames Gandolfini as Tony Soprano, The Sopranos - HBOKiefer Sutherland as Jack Bauer • 24 • Fox Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Drama Series William Shatner as Denny Crane, Boston Legal - ABCT.R. Knight as George, Grey’s Anatomy - ABCMasi Oka as Hiro Nakamura, Heroes - NBCMichael Emerson as Ben, Lost - ABCTerry O’Quinn as John Locke, Lost - ABCMichael Imperioli as Christopher Moltisanti, The Sopranos - HBOBesides Spader, I don’t really have a problem with the other nominees, though I thought Patrick Dempsey did a pretty stand-up job on Grey’s this year. Now, Supporting Actor is another story.I’m thrilled that Oka, Knight (Does George have no last name now?) and Emerson got recognized. However, there are some major problems with this list, as well. First, while I adore Masi as much as the next person, I really feel that Jack Coleman would’ve been the better nod from Heroes. His performance in "Company Man" alone was so powerful and his chemistry with on-screen daughter Hayden Panettiere is phenomenal. He managed to turn a very two-dimensional semi-villain into a conflicted and loving father. I’m actually quite shocked that he wasn’t recognized for what I consider to be one of the best performances of the season from any actor on any show. I also feel as though Adrian Pasdar or even Milo Ventimiglia should have been contenders, as well. Maybe not in the place of the other actors in the category, but definitely instead of Oka. I think that because Hiro is such a popular character, and has thus become the face of the show in a sense, people want to see him get recognized and think that maybe he deserves to be in this category. But, stepping back from my adoration of Hiro and Masi, I really feel that both Pasdar and Ventimiglia gave much superior performances this season. Speaking of Heroes, let’s move on to my severe disappointment at Hayden Panettiere not getting an Outstanding Supporting Actress Nom. This girl is so hugely talented for her age, and with the whole “Save the Cheerleader, Save the World” thing, she sort of carried the whole arc of the first season. I mean, she can shed tears out of either or both eyes on command. That? Is talent. And Ali Larter can’t be forgotten either. Flipping back and forth between Niki and Jessica all season was quite an accomplishment. With both Panettiere and Larter, I think submitting their names under Supporting Actress may have hurt them, because they were put up against the heavyweights over at Grey’s Anatomy and The Sopranos. There is no reason why these two ladies shouldn’t be putting themselves up in the Lead category, seeing as how they are the only women on the show and are therefore the Female Leads. Of course, in the lead category, they’d still be up against the likes of Falco and Sedgwick. Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama Series Sally Field as Nora Walker, Brothers & Sisters - ABC Kyra Sedgwick as Dep. Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson, The Closer - TNTMariska Hargitay as Detective Olivia Benson, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit - NBCPatricia Arquette as Allison Dubois, Medium - NBCMinnie Driver as Dahlia Malloy, The Riches - FXEdie Falco as Carmela Soprano, The Sopranos - HBO Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Drama Series Rachel Griffiths as Sarah Whedon, Brothers & Sisters - ABC Katherine Heigl as Isobel “Izzie” Stevens, Grey’s Anatomy - ABCChandra Wilson as Dr. Bailey, Grey’s Anatomy - ABCSandra Oh as Cristina Yang, Grey’s Anatomy - ABCAida Turturro as Janice Soprano, The Sopranos - HBOLorraine Bracco as Dr. Jennifer Melfi, The Sopranos - HBOYou know who else is missing from the list? Kristen Bell and Lauren Graham. Seriously. What the hell are the voters smoking to not recognize these two fabulous women? In their last seasons and last chances to get nods? Bell is probably one of the single most talented actress on television right now and the only reason she’s not on this list is because Veronica Mars happened to be on The CW instead of one of the major networks. The same thing goes for Graham. If Gilmore Girls had been on ABC, she would’ve been a shoo-in. Last year, when the Emmy rules were changed, it was dubbed the Lauren Graham Rule because it was supposed to make it easier for actors like her to get recognized. I shake my head at the ridiculousness of this system sometimes. Luckily, Tina Fey and America Ferrara’s presence makes up for these erroneous omissions. Slightly. Really, I suppose Huffman is the only woman on this list that I would bump for Graham. Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series Felicity Huffman as Lynette Scavo, Desperate Housewives - ABCJulia Louis-Dreyfus as Christine Campbell, The New Adventures Of Old Christine - CBSTina Fey as Liz Lemon, 30 Rock - NBCAmerica Ferrera as Betty Suarez, Ugly Betty - ABCMary-Louise Parker as Nancy Botwin, Weeds - ShowtimeOutstanding Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series Jaime Pressly as Joy Turner, My Name Is Earl - NBCJenna Fischer as Pam Beesly, The Office - NBCHolland Taylor as Evelyn Harper, Two And A Half Men - CBS Conchata Ferrell as Berta, Two And A Half Men - CBSVanessa Williams as Wilhelmina Slater, Ugly Betty - ABCElizabeth Perkins as Celia Hodes, Weeds - ShowtimeAnd Praise the Lord for Jenna Fischer! She positively broke my heart this season. And Carrell and Wilson definitely deserve their spots, as well, but where the hell is John Krasinski?? Not only is he one of the funniest guys on television – nay, in the entire industry – but he’s supremely talented as a dramatic actor, too. Jim Halpert is probably one of the main reasons that The Office has enjoyed so much success in America and Krasinski should be recognized for that. The Piven, however, can be nominated for every award in the world and he will still kick everyone’s ass. Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series Kevin Dillon as Johnny Drama, Entourage - HBOJeremy Piven as Ari Gold, Entourage - HBO Neil Patrick Harris as Barney Stinson, How I Met Your Mother - CBSRainn Wilson as Dwight Schrute, The Office - NBCJon Cryer as Alan Harper, Two And A Half Men - CBSOutstanding Lead Actor In A Comedy Series Ricky Gervais as Andy Millman, Extras - HBO Tony Shalhoub as Adrian Monk, Monk - USASteve Carell as Michael Scott, The Office - NBCAlec Baldwin as Jack Donaghy, 30 Rock - NBCCharlie Sheen as Charlie Harper, Two And A Half Men - CBSOkay, that’s really all of my major issues. I’ll leave you with the other major category nominations and be sure to let me know what you think of this year’s list!Outstanding Comedy Series Entourage - HBO The Office - NBC 30 Rock - NBC Two And A Half Men - CBS Ugly Betty - ABC Outstanding Miniseries Broken Trail - AMC Prime Suspect: The Final Act (Masterpiece Theatre) - PBS The Starter Wife - USA Outstanding Made For Television Movie Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee - HBO Inside The Twin Towers - Discovery Channel Longford - HBO The Ron Clark Story - TNT Why I Wore Lipstick To My Mastectomy - Lifetime Outstanding Reality Program Antiques Roadshow - PBS Dog Whisperer With Cesar Millan - National Geographic Extreme Makeover Home Edition - ABC Kathy Griffin: My Life On The D-List - Bravo Penn & Teller: Bullshit! - Showtime Outstanding Reality-Competition Program The Amazing Race - CBS American Idol - Fox Dancing With The Stars - ABC Project Runway - Bravo Top Chef - Bravo Outstanding Directing For A Comedy Series Julian Farino, Entourage - "One Day In The Valley" - HBORicky Gervais, Stephen Merchant, Extras - "Orlando Bloom" - HBOKen Kwapis, The Office - "Gay Witch Hunt" - NBCWill Mackenzie, Scrubs - "My Musical" - NBCScott Ellis, 30 Rock - "The Breakup" - NBCRichard Shepard, Ugly Betty - "Pilot" - ABC Outstanding Directing For A Drama Series Felix Alcala, Battlestar Galactica - "Exodus, Part 2" - Sci Fi Channel Bill D’Elia, Boston Legal - "Son of the Defender" - ABCPeter Berg, Friday Night Lights - "Pilot" - NBCDavid Semel, Heroes - "Genesis" - NBCJack Bender, Lost - "Through the Looking Glass" - ABC Alan Taylor, The Sopranos - "Kennedy And Heidi" - HBOThomas Schlamme, Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip - "Pilot" - NBC Outstanding Writing For A Comedy Series Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant, Extras - "Daniel Radcliffe" - HBOGreg Daniels, The Office - "Gay Witch Hunt" - NBCMichael Schur, The Office - "The Negotiation" - NBCTina Fey, 30 Rock - "Tracy Does Conan" - NBCRobert Carlock, 30 Rock - "Jack-Tor" - NBC Outstanding Writing For A Drama Serie Ronald D. Moore, Battlestar Galactica - "Occupation/Precipice" - Sci Fi ChannelDamon Lindelof, Carlton Cuse, Lost - "Through The Looking Glass" - ABCMatthew Weiner, David Chase, The Sopranos - "Kennedy And Heidi" - HBOTerence Winter, The Sopranos - "The Second Coming" - HBO David Chase, The Sopranos - "Made In America" - HBO And, just because I love me some Louis Van Amstel: Outstanding Choreography Louis Van Amstel, Dancing With The Stars - "Episode 303A" - ABC Wade Robson, So You Think You Can Dance - "Ramalama (Bang Bang)" - FoxMia Michaels, So You Think You Can Dance - "Calling You" - FoxRob Marshall, John DeLuca, Tony Bennett: An American Classic - NBC

TV Review: Big Love - "Rock and a Hard Place" and "Vision Thing"

Miss Cordy — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 07:04:38 EDT

Season 2, Episodes 4 and 5. Aired on July 2, 2007 and July 9, 2007. “Rock and a Hard Place”Previously: Rhonda turned up at the Henrickson house and Joey took the fall for Wanda’s poisoning of Alby. Nicki found out that Roman exposed the family. Rhonda is causing all kinds of trouble at the Henrickson household. There are police searches and she’s blackmailing Nicki to let her stay, or she’ll tell Bill that Roman exposed them. Nicki’s not sure what her family will do if they find out this little bit of info. Nicki’s issues get worse when Roman threatens to tell Bill himself if he finds out that Nicki had anything to do with Rhonda’s disappearance. Meanwhile, Roman is threatening to give the DA the tape of Bill implicating himself and Joey in Alby’s poisoning and Joey refuses to betray Wanda. Bill tries to get Wanda to confess and Lois tries to get her to shoot up the courthouse. Heh. The Henricksons end up putting Rhonda in a runaway shelter, where all three wives, plus Adaleen with a court order, end up and wackiness ensues. Nicki tells Adaleen that Roman exposed them, and Adaleen promptly disowns her. Aw man, poor Nicki. Speaking of Adaleen, Bill calls her and pleads with her to give him the incriminating tape. Adaleen has been hiding it from Roman all along and she destroys it, which clears both Bill and Joey because now the DA has no case. Rhonda ends up running away for good, but I think we all know she’ll turn up again next week. In other family news, Ben and Brynn celebrate their anniversary with Margene and Alby decides to stalk Sarah and Scott. Pam tries to make up with Margie but that doesn’t end well when Margie decides to change her story to her being a surrogate mother. Oh, and Nicki finally tells the other wives and Bill that Roman exposed them. However, we don’t actually get to see that or Bill’s reaction. “Vision Thing”The boring plotline of Bill and the gambling machines continues to my utter disappointment. And Bill’s dragging Don and Uncle Eddie into it with him, even though the company’s owner is acting really strange. He makes the final deal against Don’s wishes and without his consent. Oh, Bill, I cannot stand you. Even more so because he’s flirting with a waitress named Anna. Joey’s life is still sucking, what with Lois having committed Wanda to a mental hospital and trying to set him up with a second wife. He turns to Barb because Bill isn’t talking to him due to the whole taped phone call thing. Barb gets all overprotective and finally talks Bill into talking to his brother and offering him a job. Meanwhile, Wayne is now attending a Catholic school that is far enough away from home that Bill can be a public father for his son. Nicki starts to freak when she thinks the school is practicing indoctrination, so she pulls him out, even though Wayne loves it there. So, he runs away and Nicki gets in a huge fight with Margene because Margie is praying for his safe return. Hee. I knew Margie wasn’t really Mormon. Anyway, Wayne is found and Nicki allows him to go back to school, where he plays an angel in the school play and Bill gets to introduce himself as Wayne’s father. Aw. Rhonda returns, to the surprise of no one, but Sarah is the only one who knows. After dumping her at one of her co-workers’ houses and then with Scott (who Rhonda ridiculously claims tried to rape her), Sarah agrees to let her stay with Heather, who is not very happy that she’s a last resort. And finally, Margie’s cravings for pie lead her to the diner, where she sees Bill and Anna striking up a flirtation. Proving once again that she’s no dummy, Margie takes it upon herself to get to know Anna. Whew. I really liked this last episode. Hopefully, I’ll get around to recapping these babies fully, though it might be a couple weeks. See you next time!

TV Review: Big Love - "Reunion" Part 2

Miss Cordy — Mon, 2 Jul 2007 22:43:47 EDT

Season 2, Episode 3. Aired on June 25, 2007. Part 2:Grant Family Picnic. Adaleen is explaining how to eat curry. Bill tells Nicki that he wants to sit front and center (near Roman) and Nicki doesn’t look pleased. Adaleen is now handing out biscuits from a laundry basket (heh) and explaining her incestuous relationship with herself to a young girl. Adaleen: I’m 32 of 56 children, and when I married Roman, I became my own step-grandma because my father married Roman’s daughter, Bayleen. Would you care for a biscuit? Mary Kay Place is fabulous. Seriously. One of Nicki’s sisters plops down next to her to tell her about Roman and Rhonda. “We’ll have a new mother by tomorrow night.” Speaking of, Rhonda is sitting with her mother, who busts her for checking out a young man. Again, why are there strapping young men running around and enticing the young girls? Her mother tells her to go and sit by Roman.Alby comes and sits next to Nicki, telling her that she’ll never be Daddy’s little girl. “No,” she says, “I’ll leave that privilege to you.” You kind of walked into that one, Alby. Adaleen is continuing her lesson about how when she had Alby, he became her great-uncle and she became his great-great grandmother, which of course made her her own grandmother. She asks Bill if he brought his whites for the family photo, but he tells her he doesn’t take a good picture. Then he should take down all those billboards so the rest of Sandy doesn’t have to look at him. Adaleen says this could be the last family photo, seeing as how Jesus could be back by Labor Day. And she says it completely seriously. She goes on to say that she’s so glad her “dear, sweet son survived the vicious attack.” Bill asks if they know who really did it. Adaleen gives him her best Dr. Bailey stare-down before getting up and leaving. Alby reaches over and takes Nicki’s biscuit. And for some reason that I can’t put my finger on, the way that they look at each other gave me a whole lot of vibes of awk-ward. Roman tells Bill that he scheduled another UEB vote for tomorrow. Bill says that the minute the charges against Joey are dropped, he’ll cooperate. Roman looks at Alby pointedly and says that there wouldn’t be much of a case without a complaining witness. Alby gets up and walks over to his father. Nicki looks like she might even feel a bit bad for him. Roman tells Alby that he will clear Joey’s name by morning. Alby says that it’s disgraceful and Roman tells him to calm down. “I will not do it,” Alby maintains. “You should consider your own son’s well-being.” Adaleen stomps over to him and slaps him across the face. Everyone shuts up and watches as Alby storms off. Aw, I feel bad for him, which is something I never thought I’d say.Rhonda gets up and forces herself in between Roman and one of his other wives. He takes her hand. Nicki looks upset.Sister Wife Central. Brynn is playing Risk with Ben, Sarah and some of the munchkins. Barb walks over just as Ben is opening his birthday cards. He decided to open them early because Sarah told him that Lois put a $100 bill in her card. Barb asks what Cindy’s card says, but Ben lies that it doesn’t say anything. Brynn says she has to go, and puts a hand on Ben’s knee to let him know that he’ll be going with her. Brynn gets herself invited over next week and Ben says he’s going to walk her out, putting the card in his back pocket. Grant house. Nicki admires her white dress. Downstairs, Bill is eyeing what looks like a coconut cake in the living room. When he gets in there, he sees Roman watching Newlyweds with a baby in his arms. Bill tries to talk business, but Roman ignores him by introducing him to his youngest, Emmett Grant. Roman reminds him to not let all of the troubles they’re having get in the way of their family. Bill just tells him to fix this thing. Sister Wife Central. Sarah is taking laundry over to Margene’s house, where she spots Ben and Brynn totally doing it on Margie’s couch. When I fist watched this, I just assumed they were in Nicki’s house because, duh, Nicki’s not there. But they’re definitely in the middle house, which begs the question: Where the hell is Margene? Anyway, Sarah is substantially grossed out and she rushes back to her house, where Barb can totally tell that something is up. She assumes that Sarah saw Ben and Margie staying up late and when she moves to go over there and yell at them, Sarah quickly says that she’ll go and get Ben. Juniper Creek. Bill is making his way through dozens of white sheets hanging up in the backyard. He finds Nicki sitting in a huge blue tractor tire, sticking up vertically from the ground. The way he just seems to know she’s there suggests that this was maybe a favorite spot of hers when they were both still living at the compound. This episode does a good job of explaining how these two relate to each other, seeing as how they’re the only ones who understand this kind of life.Bill tells her that Barb called to say goodnight and that he’s going to vote for Roman’s “dirty little poker machines” to get Joey out of trouble. She asks him if he ever misses this place and he says, “Sometimes. What about you?” “I’ve given up hundreds,” she says, “to live in the suburbs with ten.” But she doesn’t regret it. He then tells her that he can’t be in the picture with her tomorrow and she says she knows. Then, he starts sexing her up, right there in the yard. They run through all of the sheets (just like in the opening credits) and start getting naked. Now, I don’t like to see any Bill Paxton nakedness if I can avoid it, but this scene is cute and it’s one of the few times that I’ve bought that these two love each other. Nicki wraps herself in one of the sheets and asks Bill, “Do you think a man should have to love a woman to marry her?” He says yes, and the other way around. Then, as tinkly music plays, he lifts her and lowers her to the ground, singing about pleasing Jesus, which is weird, but since it’s Nicki he’s dealing with, makes sense.Alby sleeps next to one of his wives, when Roman and his henchmen bust in. The wife leaves and Roman tells one of his men to pull out a suit for Alby. He will go to Meeker and admit that he drank the antifreeze himself, in a desperate plea for attention, and that Wanda and Joey were just his scapegoats. He will do this before the vote tomorrow, or else. Alby argues that they’ll try and kill him again, but Roman says that by rejecting his holy authority, Alby is threatening his own legacy, his wives, his property and his eternal salvation. “Capitulate now,” says Roman. Sister Wife Central. Barb walks in to Margie’s, carrying some blue and yellow paint. She stops short when she sees Ben standing in the living room, shirtless, and Margie on her knees in front of him. Of course, Margie is only measuring his waist for a sweater that she’s making for Bill and they’re practicing Ben’s Spanish, but Barb still orders him to go put a shirt on. Barb tells Margie that Sarah saw her and Ben up at midnight. Margie obviously is confused by this and says, “No way.” Barb says then one of them is lying and that her and Margie are going shopping. “What did I do?” Margie calls after her.Juniper Creek. Margie has called Bill in a panic, knowing that a shopping trip is not good. She says she doesn’t know what she did and when he mouths “shopping trip” to Nicki, she demands the phone. She asks what Barb thinks Margie did, and Margie hilariously says that Barb is blaming her for Ben getting a C in Spanish. Hee. Nicki says it must be something else, but Margie has no idea what she did. Nicki says the shopping trips are horrible and tells Margie to use the “it’s difficult being third wife” line. Margie begs them to come home, but Nicki just tells her to not back down. Margie takes her up on her advice, and she walks out to stand in her background, calling out, “Barb, I’m not going shopping with you! If you have something you need to say to me, you can tell me right now!” Barb pokes her head out, all ready to go, but Margie stands firm. She apologizes for being loud and embarrassing Barb at her book club and says that she’ll be stricter and that she wants Ben to get into the Academy, too. Barb says that that’s only one little thing and Margie asks if it’s her sister and the phone call thing. When Barb asks what phone call thing, Margie says, “Nothing! I’m not going! I’m not gonna go!” Barb tells her to get dressed and get in the car. “Why are you doing this to me?” Margie pleads. Barb finally tells her what’s been bothering her and says that she thinks Margie’s relationship with Ben is inappropriate. Margie is confused and Barb clarifies that she’s worried about what conclusions people will draw about their relationship. “Like --,” Margie starts and Barb tells her, “Yes.” Margie is shocked and asks how she could even say something like that about her and Ben. “That’s so disgusting. I’ve just been trying to be a good mother, to my boys and to yours! You’re wrong! And you’re gross! And that sweater thing was my idea! Not yours! Just like the nursery! Knit your own sweater, Boss Lady!” Ohhh, snap! She pulled out “Boss Lady.” She runs back inside her house and locks Barb out. When Barb turns to leave, Margie opens the door and throws all of the nursery stuff outside on the lawn, including the yellow paint, which smashes all over the grass. Bill and Eddie are checking out the poker machines and Eddie is defending the Laundromat idea, by saying that it will be Lois’ road to independence. Bill plays with the machine.Outside, Nicki is hanging up more sheets, when Alby saunters over and helps her hang up an end. Nicki teases him about his brown suit, because they’re supposed to be wearing white for the family photo. He asks after Roman and she asks what he’s done. “I’m the victim here,” he tells her. She tells him to get over it. “You didn’t die.” Hah! She then tells him to go play make-believe with his wives, which is the second comment she’s made in this episode that leads me to believe that she suspects that he’s gay. He then drops the bombshell on her that Roman was the one who exposed them and put them in harm’s way without a second thought. Rhonda had told him about the ceremony. He goes on to say that he did go to the police, but that he told them all about Bill and Roman’s deal and that Bill was at Juniper Creek right now. “There will be no peace here today – not at my expense. A message for your husband: There are repercussions for robbing a man of his dignity. Remember that I was kind to you today. I warned you that the police were on their way.” Then, he leans in and kisses her on the cheek and I’m skeeved out again.Ben is in his room, listening to some rock music while he peruses a Straight Edge website and draws an “X” on his hand. Sarah comes in and tells him that she saw him and Brynn having the sex. “Benny, remember Sunday School -- when they said it was better to have your children come home in wooden boxes than to lose their chastity?” He asks her if she thinks he’s going to hell. She says she doesn’t think so, but she’s not Mom and Dad. “Just be careful,” she tells him. After she leaves, he looks devastated, so he calls Beaver and tells him he wants to go to the concert and make the Pledge. What I like about these two is that they seem to really get each other and care about each other. As soon as Ben called him, Beaver knew something was wrong with him. I want more of the Beaver-Ben friendship without the drama of this whole Straight Edge thing. Nicki barges into Roman’s office and asks him if he exposed Barb and her family. “We don’t live here on the compound. We’re not protected like you are. We could all be put in prison or worse. Papa ...” She’s in tears at this point and while I’m not fond of Nicki most of the time, Chloe kicked some major ass in this episode. Roman tells her she will not go spreading false rumors and she just leaves. Upstairs, she’s on the verge of a panic attack as she packs up. She hastily takes her dress off, in a scene reminiscent of Cristina cutting her wedding dress off in the Grey’s Anatomy finale. Bill comes in and she tells him they have to leave. He starts to argue about the UEB meeting, but she says NOW! She then tells him about the police coming, but not about Roman exposing them. She says Roman doesn’t know about the police and he helps her pack.Adaleen follows them out of the house, telling Nicki that she WILL be in the family photo. Nicki and Bill just keep walking. “Always a scene. Always trouble,” Adaleen rants. “One day you will realize the importance of family and won’t it just be too late? Shame. Shame, shame, shame!” Bill does tell her that the state police are on their way, also implicating Alby. Adaleen runs off to tell Roman. In the car, Bill sees a single police car heading out to Juniper Creek. Nicki looks out the window, eyes red and puffy, and looks terrified. Bill takes her hand. Aw.Margie comes walking into her house, followed closely by Ben, who looks embarrassed and a little beaten up. There’s really pretty music playing. I’m not sure if it’s a song or just score. While Ben cleans up at the kitchen sink, Margie looks out her back window and sees Barb rubbing the paint even more into the lawn. That may or may not have been her intention, but really, that’s what she’s doing.Margie walks in to Barb’s house, asking Sarah if they can have a minute. Sarah mutters, “Drama,” but when she gets a Look from both moms, she leaves. Margie tells Barb that she’s not sorry about the lawn and that she’s not even paying for it because Barb was wrong. She says she knows that she and Ben are only five years apart (which makes her 21? Last season, I heard 23 or 24 …) and that she’s attractive, but she’s his mother. She then tells him that Ben got beat up at the concert and asks if he called Barb. “He called me,” Margie tells her. “And I picked him up. Most kids would’ve hidden that from their moms, but he called me … I’m just saying, maybe I’m close to him in a good way. He needs you. But maybe he needs me like a third mom, too.”Barb says that he has to sleep in his own bed from now on, and then Ben walks in. She just asks if he’s okay and doesn’t yell at him. He gives her a kiss on the cheek and goes up to bed. Margie says she’ll tell him, which I guess is about the whole not-sleeping-over thing. Bill and Nicki arrive home and Nicki just walks over to her house without a word. Bill calls Don, telling him to come into work tomorrow. He’s thinking about pulling the plans for the third store and tells Don about the poker machines and how the clients don’t mind that they're polygamists. Don is wary, but Bill tells him that they don’t have the same options as other businessmen. Don says he’ll think about it. After he goes inside, we see the back of the Monstrosity open up, and someone in a white dress and stockings hops out and walks up to the door. When Barb answers the door, we see that Rhonda has stowed away. She throws herself into Barb’s arms and looks suspicious over Barb’s shoulder. Barb lets her come in. Next week is all about Rhonda. And Sarah kisses Creepy Scott.

TV Review: Big Love - "Reunion" Part 1

Miss Cordy — Mon, 2 Jul 2007 07:21:34 EDT

Season 2, Episode 3. Aired on June 25, 2007. Part 1: Previously: Roman needed a unanimous vote on the UEB council, but Joey screwed that up when he turned himself in for Alby’s poisoning. Ben introduced Brynn to the family. Way back in the first season, Barb’s sister didn’t approve of her polygamist lifestyle and she pleaded with Ben to “choose the right.” Rhonda missed Barb and someone exposed Barb and the whole Henrickson clan. Also? I spelled “Henrickson” wrong. There’s no “d.” I apologize. Moving on.Credits. God only knows how Chloe Sevigny cooks up some of her fugly outfits. Bill is visiting Joey in the slammer. He asks why Joey confessed to the poisoning, so Joey confesses that he had a deal with Roman, who needed a unanimous vote to buy some company. But then the State got involved. So Joey improvised, because he knew that Wanda wouldn’t make it in prison. Bill: Now, listen to me. No more decisions without talking to me first, okay?Joey: (tearfully) I only slipped up the one time, Bill. That’s all. Oh, I hate Bill for making Joey feel like this is somehow his fault. If anything, it’s Bill’s fault for dragging Joey into his war with Roman in the first place. GAH!Sister Wife Central. Barb is knocking at Margie’s backdoor, trying to rouse her. When Margie finally answers, Barb pesters her about getting to bed early because she’s pregnant and how she has to get on a schedule and then she wanders off as Ben appears, shirtless and carrying little Lester. Barb just gapes at him as he hands the baby off to Margie and heads over to his house. Margie doesn’t seem to think this is strange. Barb asks why Ben’s not in his own bed. He says that Teeny shakes her feet and hits the wall, so he camps out on Margie’s couch. Barb tells him to get earplugs, but he just shrugs and says he likes the couch. Barb, realizing she’s getting nowhere, tells him to open his birthday cards from Lois and Aunt Cindy, but Ben wants to wait for his actual birthday. In other news, Barb is still going to school and is apparently in a book club, and Margene is finally putting together a nursery that involves stencils. Somewhere in the Utah desert. Bill pees outside his monstrosity of a car (ew), while Nicki hangs her head out the window, all “Hmmm, that’s interesting.” Or, she just tells him that three of her brothers will not be attending the Grant family reunion, to which they are currently on their way. Bill expresses his concern about the Joey case and when Nicki asks him how involved he is, he tells her that they very well could call him to testify, but that they can’t let it get that far. Nicki asks him to try to have a good time. Sister Wife Central. Barb steams open Ben’s birthday card from her sister. And … scene. Bill and Nicki arrive at Juniper Creek, where there are actual bleachers set up, presumably for the massive Grant Family Photo. Nicki greets her family, including two mothers, a sister who does her hair exactly like her, and Adaleen, who welcomes her by asking if she brought the potatoes. Adaleen greets Bill with a warm hug and kiss and says it’s nice to see him.Adaleen: When was the last time? Oh, yeah, when you broke through our window. Hee. I love her. She gets some of the best lines in the whole damn show. She also mentions an emergency lane and how they’re putting out night patrols in case of a raid. She’s like the Queen of Juniper Creek. She’s in charge of everything. Then, to prove that I can, in fact, love her more, she lifts the huge bag of potatoes on her shoulder and hauls it up the stairs. Upstairs, Rhonda is watching everyone from her window. Her mother comes in and gives her a hard time about how she had to drive all the way there from Mexico because Adaleen called her. I guess Rhonda’s been having second thoughts about getting sealed to Roman, though we haven’t really seen evidence of that, besides her wanting to be an actress in New York. Anyway, her mother tells her that being sealed to the prophet is a great honor and that she better still be “intact.” Ewwwww. Roman is composing a letter to the Republican Caucus, opposing marriage being defined as a union between one man and one woman. He then cites Moses, Jacob, and Abraham as holy figures who were polygamists. Nicki interrupts to discuss the situation between her father and Bill. She says that she knows he’ll hold up his end and settle things. He says that of course he will. Sister Wife Central. Barb is having her book club meeting with Don’s three wives and some random redhead that I’ve never seen before. They never tell us who she is, either, but I guess she’s a polygamist because Barb is harping about Cindy and how she wrote in Ben’s card that what happened to his family wasn’t his fault. Cindy has also not answered any of Barb’s calls since the Mother of the Year incident. We hear Margie squealing outside, and Random Redhead glances through the backdoor. Maybe that’s why she’s here? Because Don’s wives would already know what Margie’s like? I … don’t know. Random says that it’s all Larry King and Anderson Cooper’s fault because they make them look like retards and perverts. Retards? Really? More squealing and we see that Margie and Ben are running around, squirting each other with the hose. Barb looks bothered. When they finally fall in the pool, Peg just looks at Barb and Random asks which one is older, “your boy or your girl?”’ Barb purses her lips and heads outside to do some scolding. Margie is actually on Ben’s back, holding him under the water. Barb yells at her to let him up NOW. She then barks at Ben to do his homework and when he says he did it already, she just demands that he get out. Isn’t it summer? Didn’t they just sign Teeny up for summer school? Is Ben also in summer school?? I’m too anal for these screwy timelines. Grey’s Anatomy gives me fracking anxiety attacks with everyone saying “last night” when stuff actually happened two or three days ago. Not to mention setting up an entire clinic in eight days. Ahem. Back to your regularly scheduled recap. Barb then orders Margie back into her house to finish the nursery. I’m surprised she’s behaving this way. Usually Nicki is the one to treat Margie like one of the kids. She tells Margie that they need to teach Ben priorities. Margie nods and says okay. Barb goes on to say there needs to be play time and work time. Margie looks confused. Barb adds friend time versus family time very pointedly. She asks if Margie knows where she’s going with this. Margie smiles and says, “Of course.” She totally has no clue what Barb is talking about. Juniper Creek. Nicki and two of her sisters, who look exactly like her, peel potatoes while Adaleen attacks a pig with a bone saw. Heh. She is so awesome. The girls talk about the poisoning and Nicki tells them that she doesn’t think Joey did it. One of the sisters says she thinks Wanda did it and asks if Nicki is still close to her. She then says that Wanda is a nutcase. Nicki looks troubled.UEB Meeting. Roman is describing the company he wants to buy, which distributes “touch-screen gaming devices to six states.” Bill, sitting in for Joey, correctly assumes they’re talking about gambling machines. He asks if it’s moral for the UEB to promote liquor and gambling. Roman explains it away as taking money from people who live unholy lifestyles. Hee. He also says that the company is fully aware of their “background” and has shown no hesitation. Bill looks thoughtful. They vote. Bill is the only one to vote “nay.” After the meeting, Bill and Roman discuss the state of their affairs. Roman says he has no control over what the state police do with Joey, but Bill just tells him to figure it out. Sister Wife Central. Barb calls her sister and gets one of her kids. Kim-Li puts her on hold, and music starts playing. Oh, man. Cindy won’t come to the phone. Barb tells her to tell Cindy that she loves her and that they can make it better. When she hangs up, she turns around to find Margie standing in the doorway. She definitely heard enough to know who Barb called. Barb looks a little abashed and Margie just smiles and leaves.A tattoo parlor, where loud, screechy rock music is playing. We see Ben sitting with a shirtless someone, who is getting a tattoo on his lower back. From the depths of the couch, the Adorable Princess Sammie (the sisterly unit) squeals, “Nekkid Beaver!” and points excitedly at the screen. Yes, Beaver is getting himself a Straight Edge tattoo that looks like this: sXe. But I know that what you all are really interested in is his hair. It’s quite a bit longer than it was last season. He asks about the Brynn situation and if they’re still “doing it all.” Ben says yes, but not as much. Beaver stands up and checks out his new tattoo in a mirror. I’m kind of surprised that Kyle Gallner takes his shirt off as often as he does, given that he’s quite a scrawny fellow. I happen to like scrawny guys, but I imagine that’s not the mainstream. He asks Ben if he thinks his father is leading him down an unrighteous path. When Ben says no, Beaver admits that he believes that his father is. Oh, so he’s become disenchanted with polygamy and the Principle. I’m following. “Most people believe you should only have one wife. Smokers, drinkers, sex, fags. What our dads are doing -- you and I, we can’t have it.” I have no idea what he’s talking about. Is he saying that smokers and drinkers believe in having one wife? And what can’t they have? Beaver goes on to bitch about Margie always running around in a short robe and Ben asks if he’s complaining. Uh-oh, someone’s hot for his third mommy! Beaver says she’s hot, but that she’s also Ben’s mom. “It’s the house your dad made for you.” He then invites Ben to come pledge Straight Edge at some concert. No drugs, meat, liquor or cigarettes. Ben begs off and promises that he’ll fix the Brynn situation. Ok, I know I said I wanted a plotline for Beaver, but I was thinking more of the sexing-up-Heather variety and not the scary, long-haired cultist thing. Because in that scene? He came off more serial-killer than Straight Edge. Kind of like he was gonna start blowing up busses, raping his friends and jumping off of roof ledges. Juniper Creek. Rhonda has come to tell Roman that the Holy Spirit has told her it is time. Roman makes sure to tell her that it has to be of her own free will and she says that it is. She also assures him that he’s “some old rake” to her and then he kisses her hands. Was anyone else scared we were gonna have to see them “get sealed?” “Angels will sing for us,” Roman tells her. I vote for “Sweet Child O’ Mine.” The Guns N’ Roses version, not Sheryl Crow. Bill drives up to Lois’ cabin, where he sees an RV parked in front of her house. He walks in and first spots some new leather furniture, then a pair of boobs attached to a youngish girl, drying off after a shower. “You’re not my mother,” Bill says stupidly. I should hope not. A guy calls for him and out walks Brian Kerwin, only his name is Eddie on this and he’s Lois’ brother. The girl is his newest wife. They catch up a little, but then Lois walks in talking about double-load dryers. She stops short when she sees Bill. Eddie starts talking about the Laundromat and is shocked when he realizes that Bill didn’t know about it. Lois says she got a loan for the startup money and that Eddie has been advising her. She tells Bill not to worry about it. “You’ve got your own life. Elsewhere.” When Bill asks about Wanda, Lois says she doesn’t know where she is and Bill yells at her that she can’t be left unsupervised. Lois has had enough and tells him to stop attacking her. She then tells the girl to get off the leather because she’s wet. Cindy is primping little Kim-Li, though she looks old enough to dress herself, in my opinion. Margie calls to give her a piece of her mind and Cindy just tells her that what goes on between her and Barb “stays in Vegas.” Margie argues that it is her business because they’re all family and she and Cindy are sister-in-laws. “We most certainly are not!” Cindy says, appalled at the mere thought. Margie says that Barb needs her sister right now and then sings Barb’s praises and says that she loves her so much. Cindy just tears into her about her age and how this isn’t a junior high sleepover. “Grow up and never, ever call my house again.” Why does Barb even want this horrible person in her life?More to come!

TV Review: Big Love - "The Writing on the Wall" - Part 2

Miss Cordy — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 15:41:52 EDT

Season 2, Episode 2: Aired on June 18, 2007.Part 2 (Pt 1)Juniper Creek. Margie looks around curiously and watches as a family runs down into a cellar-type thing for no apparent reason. She is intrigued, to say the least. Nicki hands her a long skirt to put on, so that she won’t stick out so much. They arrive and call for Wanda. She comes running out with Joey crawling on the floor behind her. Nicki jumps to the not-far-fetched conclusion that Wanda has done something to him, but Wanda insists that it must be food poisoning. However, when Margie goes to investigate, she determines that he is drunk. Wanda argues, not wanting to believe that he’s fallen off the wagon, but eventually has a little freak-out along the lines of “I can’t do this again!” Margene drags Joey to the bathroom by herself, while Wanda begs Nicki to get them to the bus station. Nicki agrees and goes to tell Margie the plan, just as the state police pull up. Wanda and Nicki have a fit.Bill and Don, still figuring out what to do and discussing Owens. Bill calls Margie to ask her to help Barb with dinner, so she clues him in to the fact that she and Nicki are at the compound and the police are there. While Nicki and Wanda try to shove Joey out the back door, Margie stays cool as a cucumber and completely handles the situation. She tells Nicki to explain everything to Bill and tells Wanda to come help her with the police. Bill just tells Nicki to keep Wanda under control. Thanks for the help, Bill!Juniper Creek. Roman is listening to Adaleen and sister wife Emmylou Harris sing for their album, Keep Sweet. Some randoms come running in to warn Roman that the state police are on the compound. Alby asks, “Is this the end of days, Papa?” Lois is talking to her pet chicken (there’s something I never thought I’d write) when Bill calls her, demanding to know if she ratted out Joey. He also tells her that the police are at Joey’s. Wanda is now talking to a couple of officers, holding the baby to make herself look more sympathetic. She tells them that she’s already told all this to the JCPD and that someone must have a vendetta against her. She goes on to tell them that this is not the first poisoning that has occurred and tells them that Lois can tell them all about it. Margie has been nodding her head behind Wanda up until this point. She looks like she’s going to be sick. Her phone rings and she tells Bill that the cops are headed to Lois’ right about now. He gives her some unheard instructions (presumably to head off the police and go handle Lois) and Margie channels Barb when she answers back quickly and calmly, “On it!” Sister Wife Central. Ben is introducing Brynn to his little brothers and Teeny as he shows her their impressive backyard. They end up at Nicki’s, where Barb is hanging up a “Happy Anniversary” banner. Barb looks shocked to see them and Ben cutely pulls Brynn closer to him, like he’s afraid Barb’s going to scream or something. He introduces them and both are super polite to each other. Brynn asks about the anniversary and how many years Barb’s been married.Barb: Six. Sixteen! Nineteen! It’s nineteen. Heh. Ben tells her that Brynn knows. Barb visibly eases up and inquires about her studies and then asks if she cooks. When Brynn answers in the affirmative, Barb smiles. Sarah is eating a whole box of donuts with Scott, the group leader from last week. He’s talking about his fraternal twin brother, who became a bishop at age 27. Hold the phone! This guy is older than 27? Okay, I no longer like him. Even if he thought she was in college, which apparently is what she told him at first, that’s still quite an age gap, if we’re assuming he’s at least 29 or 30. Sarah has to come clean about her age and tells him she’s only 18, which obviously upsets him. Then she says that a ten year age difference isn’t that bad, which means he’s 28. Um, when you’re in your 20s or 30s, a ten year age gap isn’t that bad. When you’re 18, it’s pretty bad. He tells her that she should be honest with people that she starts relationships with and that they still could’ve been friends. Then he looks at her all lovingly and … ew. Juniper Creek. The cops are leaving Lois’ and when she walks back inside, we see that Margie is indeed there. Lois thinks Wanda fingered her, but Margie insists it wasn’t intentional. Lois asks, “What is happening to this family?” Margie just picks up wedding photos of the first two wives and tells Lois that it’s Nicki’s anniversary. Lois remarks that Nicki went after Bill like a spider, which is interesting, because I was always under the impression that Roman sort of shoved her off on Bill after he paid for all of Barb’s treatment. Margie’s face says she agrees with me. Lois goes on to say that she doesn’t understand how the three of them can like each other so much, seeing as she and her sister wives don’t get along at all. Then, she says that she tried in the marriage. That she had so much to give. Margie smiles at her, understanding completely, but Lois goes stone cold.Sister Wife Central. Barb is leaving for her class, but is sidetracked by a black-eyed and neck-brace-wearing Wendy. Wendy tells her that she was not responsible for the exposure, but that Bill won’t believe her. She does not approve of plural marriage, but she could never do that to Barb. She goes on to explain about the Hummer and the accident and asks Barb to tell Bill to stop having people follow her. Barb insists that Bill would not do that, but says she will talk to him. At one point, Raymond pokes his head out and Barb identifies him as “our son.” I’m not sure if she’s just being open because she knows Wendy already knows or if she’s assuming Wendy doesn’t know exactly how many children she has, which would be silly. Barb decides to go back inside instead of going to class.Bill and Don are at Owens’ office and are not doing well. Owens keeps going on and on about First Lady Johnson and how she wanted to ban billboards. They try to tell him that the billboard needs to be taken down immediately, but Owens keeps giving them the run-around. Bill’s had enough and yells at him about respecting the First Lady and fixing their sign. Sister Wife Central. Rhonda calls Barb and tells her that she misses her and that she is sorry for the things she said to her. In case anyone is wondering, she said she hated her when Barb wouldn’t let her stay at the house with her and made her go back to Juniper Creek with Adaleen. Anyway, she says she’s sorry about what happened at the Governor’s Mansion and that she hopes she feels better. Then she just hangs up. Barb is rightfully creeped out by the creepy girl. Don and Bill watch as people paint over the graffiti. Bill goes on and on and on about how he just wants to be normal and whine, whine, whine. Don shuts him up when he says he has sixteen mouths to feed. Wow. I had no idea. We’ve never seen any Embry children besides Beaver. No wonder he’s always sleeping over with Ben. Bill finally tells Don that he is aware that he is affected by this and that he takes responsibility for his family, as well as his own. Don tells Bill he’ll stick with him until the end, but that end needs to be later rather than sooner.Sister Wife Central. Barb walks into the kitchen and sees that Bill is home, helping with dinner. I guess Brynn went home. She watches as he engages in a cute lesson with Wayne and Raymond about telling time. Speaking of, where the hell are Margie’s boys? They were outside before, but was Teeny watching them while Barb cooked? I feel as though she’s too young for that. Bill tells her that Nicki and Margene are at the compound and then tells her about Joey falling off the wagon. “Oh, Bill,” Barb sighs, as she puts her hands over her mouth and basically looks ten times more upset than Bill has during this entire fiasco. Bill then gives her a watch as an anniversary gift. It’s waterproof, which I think is a reference to all the swimming she did last week. He acknowledges all the sacrifices that she’s made and is sorry that she missed her class. “I didn’t mind,” she admits. That’s because she’s awesome. Nicki and Margene arrive home. Nicki is concerned for Joey and Wanda because they only have each other and no other spouses to lean on. “How are they going to make it through this crisis with only each other?” This really shows how narrow Nicki’s worldview is. I mean, normal married people handle crises all the time, you know? But she just can’t even fathom that kind of world outside Juniper Creek. Margie just smiles at her.The four spouses have a nice dinner, with Margie telling them funny stories of the compound and some teasing about the forgotten anniversary. Nicki tells Bill, “Thank God I was (at the compound). Thank God. I can only imagine what would’ve happened if I hadn’t been.” Um, you mean with all the screaming and freaking out and running away you did? Yeah, thank God. Shut up, Nicki. And what does Margie do after this pronouncement? Just smiles sweetly, picks up her dishes and lets Nicki have her night. Once they’re alone, Nicki tells Bill that she saw the billboard and he tells her not to tell Barb and Margie. Later, Barb walks outside to apologize to Nicki about forgetting. They say they love each other, but Nicki admits that she didn’t marry love. She married for the Principle. Barb says she didn’t and that she loves their family more and more. “That frightens me,” Nicki tells her. She doesn’t understand how a marriage can survive on love alone. She argues that without the sanctity of marriage, it’s just random couplings that have no purpose. Nicki: I mean, how will we survive the bad times on just love?And she really doesn’t get it. This is another great scene that shows how differently Nicki sees the world, as opposed to the other three people in the marriage. And it all goes back to her upbringing. I think that of the four them, she’s the only one who really believes in the Principle and who is in this marriage for the right reasons. Barb doesn’t even try to argue with her. She just wishes her a happy anniversary and tells her about Wendy Hummer. “You can’t do that, Nicki.” Nicki says she knows. Barb: You would do anything for this family. Nicki: You would, too.Nicki kisses Barb on the forehead and goes inside, where Bill gives her an electric drill for her anniversary. She is ecstatic. I liked that scene. It didn’t really make me more sympathetic to Nicki, but it made me understand where she’s coming from a little better. Also, with all this talk of the Principle, I’ve decided to do some research so that I know what the hell I’m talking about. Juniper Creek. The police show up outside Joey’s again and when he goes to answer, he just turns himself in. He lets himself get handcuffed and led away, while “Oh, Happy Day” leads us into the end credits. Oh, Joey. That was a great episode, minus the boring Bill parts. I’d be happy if the show just focused on the wives, like how West Wing was supposed to just focus on the staff and not the President. Next Week: Ben and Margene! Woo! About time!

TV Review: Big Love - "The Writing on the Wall" - Part 1

Miss Cordy — Sat, 23 Jun 2007 10:07:13 EDT

Season 2, Episode 2. Aired on 6/18/2007. Part 1 (Pt 2) Previously: The last episode. And Ben had sex with his girlfriend, Brynn.Credits. God only knows why Bill Paxton chooses to act well in some of his movies, but not others. The episode opens with shots of the various “Home Plus Is Us” billboards that are strewn all around town, all of which have Bill’s smiling face plastered on them. Sister Wife Central. Nicki is preparing two gifts at her kitchen table, which we later learn are for Barb and Bill to celebrate their anniversary with her. Elsewhere, Bill is talking on the phone with Lois, who wants to talk about Joey. She doesn’t want to be a part of the cover-up anymore and she wants to tell the truth. “Well, we’re all telling the essential truth,” Bill argues. Does he actually believe the bullshit he speaks? Anyway, Bill asks what she’s doing at a laundromat and Lois tries to lie that she’s at the gas station, so Bill fills her in on the wonders of Caller ID. Lois looks at the back of the pay phone she’s on, in search of this so-called Caller ID. When she can’t find it, she just hangs up, scandalized by such a thought. Hee. They never let us in on why she’s at the laundromat or why she felt the need to lie about it.Barb is dressed for her first day of class. Nicki walks in and happily tells Bill and Barb, “Good morning!” She has a plate full of some sort of baked good, which Bill and Barb just take, like it’s normal for her to randomly bake stuff (I don’t think that it is). Barb asks Nicki to cook tonight, since she has a class at 4:00, and instead of opening her damn mouth, Nicki just meekly asks, “Tonight?” and doesn’t protest. Everyone leaves for the day and she looks sad. Ben is driving himself and Bill to work, while Bill preaches about work and how we finish the work the Lord did and blah blah blah. Ben is starting work at Home Plus and wants no special treatment. He then informs his father that he wants Brynn to meet the family. The whole family. He assures his father that she already knows about their situation. “She kind of figured it out.” Which is believable, given that she’s seen both Nicki and Margene pick him up from school. Bill sees one of the new billboards and points it out to Ben excitedly. Only, someone has spray-painted “+ US” on it three times, so that it now reads: “Home Plus Is Us, + Us + Us + Us.” Bill understandably freaks and demands that Ben pull over, remembering to add “Check your blindspot!” Hee. Oh, the days of learning to drive. Juniper Creek. Joey is walking home with some groceries when a Hummer comes rolling up, blaring “Tainted Love.” Alby steps out. Hah! I knew he was gay, and he’ll prove me right later in the episode. His thugs force Joey into the vehicle.Home Plus. Don and Peg have seen the billboard and are obviously upset. They want it taken down immediately because it is clearly bad for business. Peg thinks Wendy did it and Bill seems ready to believe her. Juniper Creek. Roman listens as Rhonda records “Oh, Happy Day” for her upcoming album. Wait a sec. Didn’t Roman ban music just one week ago? Maybe a couple weeks ago in show time? I guess music is allowed as long as it’s sung by sister wives? I … don’t know. Alby and Joey interrupt and Roman has Joey call Bill so that he can listen in on the call and record the conversation. Bill tells Joey about Lois wanting to defect and that he needs to go talk to her, basically implicating all three of them in the poisoning. He even mentions all of the crimes he’s committed. Heh. Roman tells Joey that there will be a vote on a UEB matter tomorrow and that he is not to tell Bill. “After that, we’ll see. Everything’s going to work out just fine.” Joey looks like he’s going to throw up and leaves. Aw.Alby is thrilled that they can now prosecute the lot of them, but Roman says that they will do no such thing, seeing as how Joey is now their pawn and that is much more important than Alby getting justice. Alby argues that they poisoned him and Roman says that he doesn’t care if “they hop up on the table and dance the tootsie-wootsie!” HAH! Roman should say “tootsie-wootsie” in every episode. He tells Alby to drop it and Alby looks like he’s only just now realizing that his father could not care less about him.Sister Wife Central. Barb has called for Nicki, and in a nice touch, Nicki gets this smile on her face because she clearly thinks that Barb has remembered and has called to wish her a happy anniversary. Barb has actually called to inquire after some money that she gave Nicki to deposit, because her tuition check bounced. Nicki is the last person I would ever trust with my money. I’m just saying. Of course, Nicki did not deposit it so Barb asks if she could do that today then. Barb: And I hope you’re still going to your Debtors Anonymous classes. (Oh, own!) Nicki: I’m not saying we’re not happy to have you back, Barb, but I find that really offensive. Nicki is so far up her own ass, she can’t see straight. I mean, she doesn’t have the money to deposit. She spent it. And she has the nerve to say Barb is offending her? Then she asks Margie for $60. I really don’t like Nicki. I just don’t like her and not in that I-love-to-hate-her way, either. I don’t find her enjoyable to watch. Alby is at an actual police station, presenting all of his evidence. They are dubious, seeing as how his attackers took him to the hospital and they haven’t heard anything about the investigation from the JCPD. I’m curious about how Juniper Creek can have jurisdiction over a criminal case. I’m also curious as to why the state doesn’t just go in and arrest all of the polygamists. I’m going to have to do some research. Throughout this whole thing, Alby keeps shiftily checking out the officers. At first, I thought he was eyeing their guns, but he is definitely checking out their asses in their tight pants. I wonder if this is why he couldn’t kill that gay prostitute last season like Roman wanted him to. Sister Wife Central. Nicki needs another $40 from Margene, who just hands it over with a smile, like the good sister wife she is. As much as I dislike Nicki, I loooove Margene. Wanda calls, begging Nicki to come help her and Joey. She says it’s dangerous there and that they need to get away but their car is broken. As she talks, we see Joey sitting on the couch, calmly drinking straight from a bottle. Oh, Joey. I find this whole situation terribly sad. Nicki tries to avoid actually going out there, but Wanda begs and cries until Nicki says that she’s on her way.Margie wants to come and help and see Nicki’s home. Nicki relents and when Margie asks if Wanda really poisoned her brother and why she would do that, Nicki just says, “You met him.” Wait, they don’t know about the whole poisoning fiasco? Does Bill tell them nothing?Nicki and Margie drive and eat Twizzlers. Nicki sighs dramatically and says, “Well, Happy Anniversary to me.” Margie looks very upset and apologizes. Nicki: Oh, no. It’s too late. It’s ruined. Shut up, Nicki. Margie defends Bill and Barb, but Nicki’s not having any of it. She tells Margie that she’ll never understand until she’s been “hurt like this.” Also, it is very pretty out in rural Utah. If these scenery shots are even really Utah. Home Plus Warehouse. Brynn shows up to chat with Ben at work, which I think is kind of inappropriate, especially on his first day. She asks what’s so important and he looks like he’s going to pass out. He tells her that his family believes in the everlasting covenant of plural marriage. Brynn just stares blankly and says, “What?” He goes on to explain the family history of how Barb got sick and Nicki came to take care of her, and that the whole family really liked her. “You’re a polygamist?!” Brynn snaps. She is shocked, says it’s not normal over his protests, but then asks how many moms he has. Brynn looks prettier this season. Thinner in the face, maybe, and more make-up or something. University of Utah. Barb sips coffee and is happy. I am happy for her. And ... scene. Don waits by the defaced billboard, which no one has come to fix yet. He asks the employees of a nearby restaurant if they saw anything, but they do not speak English. Home Plus. Bill tells Peg to call Billy Owens, the guy in charge of the billboards. Peg flat out refuses and explains to him that they don’t want to draw attention to this problem by getting angry at Owens. They can’t take their business elsewhere, as he owns all the billboards in Utah. Bill doesn’t understand why she’s so upset, seeing as how it’s his name and his face up there. “Maybe that wasn’t the best idea,” Peg tells him. Barb shows up and Peg leaves. Barb is just so excited and says today has been the best day of her life. “I signed a petition to ban animal testing just because I felt like it!” Aw, she's so cute. Bill seems genuinely happy for her. Margie calls from around the corner of a gas station and tells Barb about Nicki’s anniversary. Barb curses, “Oh, jiminy crickets.” Hee. She tells Bill and he’s all, “Why didn’t you remind me?” Barb just looks at him and says, “Excuse me?” Barb asks her to make dinner tonight and Margie says she will and she has to go. Nicki knows what she was doing and asks which one forgot first. Margie says they both forgot, smiling beautifully. Seriously, Ginnifer looks gorgeous in this episode. Barb laments that she’s never forgotten an anniversary and she’ll make Nicki’s favorite foods for dinner. Bill doesn’t want her to miss her class, but she assures him that she’ll get dinner ready and then go to class. She gets home with groceries and Sarah is in a mood, probably a mix of getting stuck babysitting the boys and her general anti-polygamy attitude of late. Heather surprises Barb and genuinely asks her how she’s doing, while Sarah berates her mother for putting her sister wives above herself. Barb argues that it’s her anniversary, too, and Heather is cool with it, like always. Sarah drags Heather out and calls Barb “sister wife.” Heather looks at Barb apologetically. I’m sorry, I know Sarah is going through stuff right now, but that rude behavior is just uncalled for. Bill and Don have a pow-wow beneath the infamous billboard. Bill asks Don if he thinks his (Bill’s) face should be up there. Don says that it’s Bill’s store but that they’re vulnerable and there are limits to what they can do. Bill goes on to bitch about how he can’t tell Barb because she still fells so guilty and how he forgot Nicki’s anniversary and like, does he think Don doesn’t have problems? Does he think that this whole billboard fiasco isn’t affecting him or his life? He’s just so selfish. Bill: My son saw the sign. (angry pause) This thing’s coming down now.Part 2 is on its way!

TV Review: Big Love - "Damage Control" Part 3

Miss Cordy — Sun, 17 Jun 2007 10:27:44 EDT

Season 2, Episode 1: Aired on June 11, 2007.Part 3 (Pt 2) (Pt 1)This is the last part, I swear!Home Plus. Don expresses his concern that things might be awkward, what with him having to work with Bill and then go home and hang out with Bill’s wife. Bill? Not concerned. “(Barb)’s making this into something much bigger than it is.” Don: Apparently, this type of thing happens a lot with regular married people. Heh. I really love Don. He’s just so nice and unassuming and the exact opposite of Bill, who says that he keeps thinking, “What would Abraham Lincoln do?” Wait a sec. Was Lincoln a polygamist and I somehow didn’t know? After consulting Wikipedia, it doesn’t appear that he was, so I really don’t know what Bill thinks he and ol' Abe have in common. Also, Microsoft does not like the word “wikipedia.” Anyway, Don wants Bill to come to his prayer group but Bill is not interested. Sister Wife Central. Nicki and Adaleen are having lemonade and gossiping. Adaleen says that Roman’s busy, of course, with all the banning of music that he’s been doing. Nicki approves of this, to the surprise of no one. Now they just need Kevin Bacon to come in, so that he can teach Chris Penn how to dance and plan a prom. Adaleen informs Nicki that Alby thinks his poisoning was a conspiracy involving “your husband’s brother,” which Nicki deems “ridiculous.” Adaleen admits that she and her sister wives all suspect each other, which I find really funny for some reason. Nicki reveals her marriage problems, what with Barb leaving and everything. “Margene’s care has fallen to me,” Nicki sighs heavily and dramatically. She’s worried that she’s not prepared to be first wife and says that she feels there’s a special place in hell for the person who did this to Barb. She assumes it was Wendy and wants to teach her a lesson. Adaleen: Do I understand what you’re asking, honey? Nicki just looks at her and I have to admit that I wasn’t sure what Nicki was asking until I saw the Hummer stalking Wendy later in the episode. Oops! Spoiler! Adaleen tells her to stay strong and then gives her a gun sent from Roman. “For your protection. Be careful, it’s loaded.” Home Plus. Don is listening in on Wendy’s phone calls and hears her discussing her sick cat with a friend. However, Don seems to have thought that she was talking about a person this whole time, so when she mentions a litter box, he is surprised and says “Oh god,” into the phone, which Wendy could apparently hear. She looks around and because Don is a moron (he’s sweet, but still a moron) and has left his office blinds open, she sees that he’s on the phone and looking guilty. Juniper Creek. Joey has gotten himself a lawyer, who tells Roman that they want the investigation taken out of Juniper Creek’s jurisdiction and transferred to the state. Roman will consider it and then interrogates the lawyer about his religious views. He is LDS and Roman clearly does not approve. He argues that you can’t change religion on a whim. Joey and the lawyer leave, walking by Rhonda who is playing … something with some young boy. Don’t they usually run the young boys off the compound? Why is Roman letting his young bride finagle with a boy her own age? Margie and Nicki are sitting in their car outside Home Plus, talking to Bill on the phone, who is standing across the parking lot. Margie is filling them in on her convo with Barb and the finality of her tone. Nicki tells him to either go bring her home or “cut her loose – a free break,” and make her first wife. Bill rightly tells her she’s being “a bit extreme and a little alarming.” Margie starts talking to herself, sounding slightly crazy: “I’m sitting around, happy as a clam. Poof! My family collapses around me. The story of my life.” Then, she quotes to Bill (by yelling in the phone, which Nicki is holding) what Barb told her about it “going further back than you think.” Wayne (or Raymond) takes this opportunity to poke his head out of the open window (child lock, ladies!) and scream at his Daddy. Bill tries to wave discreetly. Hee. As Nicki and Margie try to talk some sense into their ass of a husband, we see the back door of the car swing open behind them. Uh-oh. The boys hop out and neither mom is the wiser. Nicki says that he has to do something, right as he spots the boys running toward him and bugs his eyes out. Margie sees them too and gets this hilarious "oh shit" expression on her face before hopping out and running after them. Bill is trying to shoo them away when Margie runs up and grabs their hands and steers them back toward the car. That was really funny. I want more scenes like that, with children running toward their father and getting shooed away and ignored. Bill gets all woe-is-me and lists all of his burdens and it’s not worth getting in to. He blows off his second and third wives and storms inside, where he is confronted with Wendy telling him that she is getting a lawyer and that he cannot harass her. She resents Bill and Don ganging up on her and bullying her. You know, I like Wendy. Yes, she’s kind of a bigot, but she’s not afraid to stand up for what she believes in or to go up against Bill, and that I can always get behind. He tries to get her to calm down, but she knows that he’s trying to get rid of her “because of what happened at the Governor’s Mansion, which I told you I had nothing to do with, but you won’t believe me!” But, she says they both know that she knows who and what he is. “Now, you listen to me,” Bill says, standing up. Oh no, Daddy’s mad! He says he’s not asking anything of her and asks if she understands what he’s saying. “Yes,” she says. “You’re trying to tell me that I don’t know what I know I know.” Oh, let’s not get into the whole they-don’t-know-that-we-know-they-know-we-know thing. Friends has perfected it. He basically threatens that he’ll sue her to protect his corporate reputation, which, from some of my law and Ad/PR classes that I’ve taken, I think he can actually do. She really has no proof and she’d essentially be defaming his reputation, which could hurt Home Plus and for which he could therefore sue. She storms out. Sister Wife Central. Barb is trying to sneak in and get some things, but runs into Sarah, who asks if she’s back. Nope, not just yet. Sarah asks her if she thinks Bill will go with her if she leaves and Barb just says she doesn’t know. Sarah then admits that Bill is driving her to work and will therefore be there in five minutes. Barb says okay, kisses Sarah, and then bolts. “I’ll bring you some things!” Sarah calls. Aw. She’s a good daughter. Unlike her alter ego, Lilly Kane. Man, this show loves those Veronica Mars kids, don’t they? Juniper Creek. Roman is bullying and manipulating Joey. He wants Joey to promise him votes on the UEB Council, and he’ll make the whole investigation go away. Then, he shows Joey a scrapbook-type thing that has Wanda’s picture in it and some other information. The cover says “Bridal Registry.” I wasn’t sure what this was at first, but then Roman goes on to say that he could reassign her to another righteous man, like Alby or Joey’s father, Frank. So, I’m thinking that the book is a list of all the women at Juniper Creek and who they’re married to, and that Roman can basically dictate who they marry and how long they stay married. Or something. Joey looks concerned. Home Plus. Wendy is leaving for the day, wearing sneakers and carrying her heels in her hand. I find this adorable. No need to walk in heels when you don’t have to! A Hummer pulls up behind her and we all know what that means. But, in case you don’t, it means that Adaleen has sent someone to scare Wendy into submission. Roman’s henchmen typically drive Hummers. She gets in her car and manages to back out of her space, but then she totally freaks out when the Hummer comes charging at her and she crashes her car, getting knocked out by the airbag. We are at a church, in an assembly hall. We hear Sarah’s voice. “Hi, I’m Laurie. I know this is a group for ex-Mormons and I’m not really a Mormon anymore. I mean, my father and mother – they became fundamentalists. Polygamists. My little sister thinks it’s normal and I don’t. I just don’t. And I’m thinking about leaving this whole thing. Um … it’s not like – it’s not like the compounds you see on TV, we’re more like, we’re more like regular LDS, except for the fact that we have to … we have to hide from the church and from everybody. Um … and … I just really don’t have anybody to talk to. I hate it. I just feel like ... I’m living the most dishonest life … of everybody in Sandy, Utah.” Bravo, Amanda. Well done. When she finishes, there is silence. We cut to her storming out, with some guy calling after her. He has glasses, combs his hair to the side and generally looks like a big dork. He’s cute. He asks where she’s going and she says she’s going home to her 182 brothers and sisters. Hee. He introduces himself as Scott and asks if she’s okay. She says no, actually, she felt like a freak and he explains that they’ve never had a polygamist before. He doesn’t want her to leave all upset and further explains that the people in the meeting obviously just don’t know where she’s coming from and therefore don’t know how to support her. He wants to find someone who does, so he gives her his card and tells her to call him. I think I smell a romance. Anyone else? Embry House. Which is huge and gorgeous and is totally my dream house. The sister wives sit on the front porch and Barb tells them that she wants to get a Masters in social work. In fact, she’d like to be a marriage counselor. I actually think she’d be lovely at that. Nicki tries to get Margie to go away by asking her to go get more hot water, but Margie awesomely just says, “No.” Nicki gets all drama queen with her exasperated “Fine!” She then turns to Barb and demands to know what she’s doing. Barb and Bill were sealed in a temple and she can’t just leave. Nicki goes on to say that she didn’t just marry Bill. “I married you and Bill. And I need that back.” She tells Barb that Bill will do this with her or without her, by which I guess she means the plural marriage. I don’t understand Nicki. One second, she’s practically scheming to be first wife and now she’s all trying to talk her into coming home. The mind, it boggles. Bill is meeting with the guy from the First Lady’s Office. They don’t know who exposed them, or they’re protecting the identity of who did it. The Attorney General has no interest in pursuing the case, so Bill should just let it go. It’s been an embarrassment for everybody, but Bill has paid his taxes, so as long as he keeps his hands off of underage girls, he’ll be fine! Bill does not like the judgment, but he just wants to live peacefully with his family. He is told, “Then drop it.” Somewhere in the Nevada Desert. Oh, wait. This isn’t Heroes. We’re in Utah. Bill prays and gets a bit weepy. Embry House. Bill kneels on the living room floor with Don, Ben, Beaver and some other guys. Bill: I believe in the covenant of family. I believe in the covenant of plural marriage. I believe family is the key to celestial heaven. We’ve taken up our heavenly Father’s challenge – lived the principle of plural marriage at a time when it is most difficult. I believe it is my duty to keep my family together on this Earth and I pray for the guidance to do just that. To hold my family together. That was one of the few times I liked Bill. Also? They need to give Beaver something to do. He barely spoke in this episode and all he did first season was obsess over Ben’s sex life and his penis. Hey, I have an idea. They should hook him up with Heather. Wouldn’t that be great? Too bad we don’t know if they have good chemistry or anything. It’d be really convenient if they’d been in something else together. Bill heads upstairs to talk to Barb, who is locked in Beaver’s room. Peg tells him Bard doesn’t want to see him, but then points out which room she’s in. Heh. Peg is pretty awesome. No wonder Don can’t handle her like Bill handles his wives. Anyway, Barb will not answer, so Bill points out that she can’t blame him for something she signed on for. She argues that she only did it for him and that this isn’t supposed to be her life. He asks what she wants. Barb: Maybe this whole thing has been a mistake.Bill: Our family is not a mistake! Nicki, Margene, Wayne, Raymond, Ben and Sarah, Teeny, Aaron, and Lester are not a mistake. I’m kind of surprised he came up with all of those names off the top of his head. And it’s interesting that he listed his and Nicki’s kids first, as opposed to his eldest. Barb: Don’t you lecture me on my family! I sacrificed our love for the love I have for this family. Bill looks over at Don and his wives, and Don shuts their bedroom door. But, we don’t get to hear what Bill or Barb says next for some reason. Sister Wife Central. Roman calls and offers his condolences to Bill for the trials that the Hendrickson family has been going through. “On this, we stand as one. As family must,” he says and then just hangs up. Creeepy. Drums of doom. Wait, what? Why are there drums? Oh! Pam and Carl have planned a luau, you see. Because they are big dorks. They seriously have a huge tiki hut in their backyard and they are wearing Hawaiian shirts and leis. I just adore them. They engage in small talk and Pam asks about Margene, but in the way that you ask someone about a spouse. Bill looks alarmed and Pam clarifies by asking, “Do you see her much?” Bill just says he thinks she’s fine. You know, this scene kind of confirmed for me that Pam does know what’s going on but that she’s okay with it because she loves Margene. I may be wrong, but that’s the impression I got. Carl keeps babbling and I really have no idea what he’s talking about. Just then, Barb come hustling out and says that her meeting ended early. Bill looks at Pam and Carl awkwardly and says that he told them she had a headache. Barb totally plays it off, admitting that they had a squabble. She joins them and Pam brings up Mother of the Year, but in the wow-you’re-awesome way and not the you-got-outed way. Barb admits that it was a disappointment due to the disqualification, which she says was because of her grandmother’s fleeting past friendship with the Governor which brought up nepotism. I found this interesting because Pam and Carl look surprised to hear about the disqualification, which got me thinking that most people probably just think she didn’t win and don’t know about her being disqualified. Pam and Carl look suitably upset for her and then Pam admits that they didn’t think Bill and Barb liked them. Barb makes “Nonsense!” noises. But then Pam brings up Nicki (“A real polygamist living on our street!”) and how they thought Bill and Barb took her side. She says that’s why Margie broke up with them. Barb tells her no, Margie broke up with them because she’s pregnant again and she thought they’d judge her. HAH! Barb is so smooth. Pam and Carl don’t even know what to say. Bill and Barb walk across the street. He tells her she was great and asks her to come inside. She wants to discuss it right here. He says he’s tried to make things right but he needs to know if she’s with him – with this family. Then, he apologizes. I know. Pick your jaws up off the floor. Barb, smartly, asks him, “For what?” He admits that he pushed her into plural marriage because he knew she’d do it for him. He took advantage of her and her love and he’s sorry. I believe him. Barb: I’m not the wife I was for those first twelve years. That marriage ended. I can’t keep pretending to be who we were. What happened made me realize how angry I’d been at you.Bill: Something good is gonna come from all this. I swear. (pause) Are you coming inside? Barb opens her car door, but only gets her bag out. She walks right up to him and he takes her bag. Nicki and Margene watch from the window and only turn away when they see them heading inside. All is not well. But it will be. Okay, I promise that I’m really gonna try to keep it shorter next time! I just need to get used to it. Thanks for hanging in there and see you next week!

TV Review: Big Love - "Damage Control" Part 2

Miss Cordy — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 14:00:51 EDT

Season 2, Episode 1: Aired on June 11, 2007Part 2 (Pt 1)Welcome back! Let's get this bitch started. Bill and Barb on the phone. He tells her that he hasn’t been liking how the neighbors (Pam and Carl) have been looking at them. So, he made dinner plans! Barb is as confused with this plan as we are. But Bill talks right over her concerns, telling her that he understands that she’s embarrassed and that she’s “been humbled.” Barb gets this look on her face like, “Oh no he didn’t!” And, seriously. It’s not like she’s a polygamist all on her own and it’s not like it’s all her fault that they got exposed. “Humbled” my ass. “Do I have a choice?” she asks him. “Of course,” he says, “but it would sure please me if you would just say, ‘On it!’” Oh, Bill, you ass. I hate it how he says one thing and then completely negates it with his next sentence. He does shit like that a lot and it makes it really hard for me to like him. Barb says she doesn’t think she can do it, which should be the end of the conversation. But, because she’s talking to Bill, it’s not. He tries to manipulate her into doing it by complimenting her on how good she is with people. Barb finally puts her foot down and just says she can’t and hangs up. Margie, who has been in the background doing chores this whole time, admits that she believes it was Pam and Carl who exposed them. Barb seems shocked. Margie unsteadily gets through her confession, clearly upset and guilty and a whole mess of other things. “So, Pam knew that ... Nicki was a polygamist. And I defended Nicki and that made her suspect me and then, I guess, you.” She pauses and looks like she’s about to burst into tears. “And … I think it’s all my fault.” Barb tells her that she’s sure that’s not true. Can I just say? Ginnifer totally kicked that scene’s ass. Barb is swimming again. Much more intensely this time, though. In fact, she appears to be swimming as much as she can without coming up for air, which is slightly worrisome. Nicki watches her from the window and gets this look on her face. I don’t know what it means, but it creeped me out. It was kind of an evil look, y’all. Juniper Creek. Adaleen, Roman’s wife and Nicki’s mother, is watching a news story about a fugitive polygamist, whose name is approximately Orline Abbott. He’s on America’s Most Wanted List for trafficking underage girls over state lines. Roman walks over and bitches about these “stupid, greedy perverts ruining it for the rest of us.” Well, there’s just nothing I can say about that. Then we cut to a weird scene where there’s this crazy woman outside some assembly hall, screaming about how Roman is the one true Prophet and everything else is sin and crap. I … don’t even know what she’s talking about. Why is she even here? She needs to get off my screen before I start drinking. And it’s not even noon. We see Joey, Wanda and Lois approaching, so this is apparently Wanda’s hearing. She’s clinging to Joey like a little kid and it’s pretty sad. Lois tells Crazy Lady to shut up. Heh. Lois kicks ass. Inside, Wanda is standing in front of everyone and Roman is telling her to answer the questions on the questionnaire. Wanda says it was in the morning and she doesn’t recall what Alby was wearing. Why does it matter what he was wearing? Curious minds want to know. Then, out of nowhere, “LIES!” Joey and Lois jump in their seats. Hee. Alby comes rolling in to the hearing, decked out with the latest trendy wheelchair. For a dead guy, he’s looking pretty good. As he rolls down the aisle, he babbles about witnesses seeing his truck outside her cabin for 6 hours and then seeing her and Lois driving his truck. Oh noes. Then he gets all smug. “You didn’t know that, did you?” You know, if Alby wasn’t so creepy, he’d be kinda hot. What? I’m just saying. Wanda could not care less about Alby and his wheelchair and says she’ll just have to stand by what she’s already said. Alby then stands up and turns to the audience, asking who else was involved in the attempted murder of him. What’s really funny is that behind him, Wanda is all leaning to one side so that she can still get a good view of the Alby Show. Sister Wife Central. Piano music plays, as Barb does her crossword and tells Nicki that dinner was delicious. Nicki has the decency to say that Margie helped. Barb looks over at her kids and it turns out that Ben is playing the piano. Did we know that he could play? I don’t think we did. Sarah is watching him and Teeny is singing “Hound Dog.” The girl has good taste. And hee. Elsewhere in the room, Bill is educating his and Nicki’s sons, Wayne and Raymond, about Mormonism. He tries to engage Barb in conversation about visiting the Holy Lands, but she’s too distracted by the fact that she doesn’t think the school wants her to come back and teach. Bill wants to know if they actually said that, but Barb flat out says she can’t go back there. That Julie woman was at the ceremony and everyone knows. Bill argues with her, which I’m not sure is the best course of action in this particular situation. Ben chooses this opportunity to approach his mother with the news that he wants to join the Navy, but that he’d need a Congressional recommendation to attend the Naval Academy and like do you think that’d be a problem with you and Dad being big polygamists and everything? I have no idea what he’s smoking, but how could he not realize that this was NOT the time? Barb brushes him off and goes on to list all the people that could have exposed them: Wendy, the neighbors, Nicki throws out Barb’s sister and Barb shoots back with Nicki’s father, Roman. Of course, no one pays particular attention to that suggestion, even though it makes the most sense. Bill says they’ll knock them down one by one, starting with Pam and Carl, and then he starts back in on the damn dinner. Barb cannot believe the assness of her own husband. She storms out of the room as the phone rings. Margie answers and she and Nicki follow Bill and Barb. Bill: This didn’t just happen to you, ok? It happened to all of us.Barb: I know that!Bill: And I am trying to make it better for all of us. The life we’ve chosen leads to eternity, but yes, there are consequences.Barb: We’re not in eternity, Bill. We are here, in Sandy, Utah and I don’t think I can live this life in Sandy, Utah.(pause)Barb: You may be our priesthood holder, but I still have a say in what goes on in this house!Bill: We are going to dinner at the Martins and that’s final. He goes to get the phone and Barb looks positively scandalized. She barges past Margie and Nicki, who is trying to block her way, and goes upstairs. That was a great scene, particularly for Jeanne. You can really feel how desperate she’s getting. On the phone, Joey and Lois panic about Wanda and basically demand that Bill fix it. Lois goes as far as blaming Bill for the whole situation. You know, sometimes I forgive Bill for his assy behavior because he has to put up with this lot. Bill’s going to send them an actual attorney and basically threaten Roman with the State coming in to Juniper Creek. Lois just doesn’t want to go to jail. Barb sits in her car for a few moments before starting it up and presumably leaving. Sister Wife Central. Bill, Marg, Nicki, Wayne and one of the other little boys (no, I don’t know which one) watch TV. The phone rings and Margie gets it. She walks slowly into the living room and hands Teeny, who is sitting on the floor, the phone. She sits down and looking straight ahead, like she’s scared something horrible is going to happen, whispers, “It’s Barb. She’s left.” She’s at Peg and Don’s and she’s not coming home. She needed some space. “From who?” Nicki asks, but by the way her and Margie both look at Bill, I think we know the answer. Bill tells Teeny to give him the phone and Margie warns him in this hysterical, almost sing-song voice, “She doesn’t want to talk to you.” Nicki takes charge and just grabs the phone from Teeny, which was rude. Barb: I cannot deal with him tonight, Nicki.Nicki: Fine. But come back, stay at my house and we’ll just lock the doors and we won’t let him in. HAH! Only, it’s kind of ruined when she looks at Bill and shakes her head all, “Not really, baby!” Embry House. Don knocks and Barb turns to look at him. She’s clearly in one of the kids’ bedrooms and – Beaver! Oh, how I’ve missed me some Kyle Gallner. He says he needs his cleats and ducks into his closet to get them. Barb waves awkwardly. Margie is now on the other phone. “But you’re gonna come back, right?” Margie asks. Nicki piles on with, “You can’t just walk out on this marriage just because you’re mad at Bill. You’re throwing Marg and me out with the bath water. How do you think that makes us feel? Awful! Irrelevant!” Barb: Good grief, Nicki. Hee. Margie leans over and tells Wayne to ask Barb when she’s coming home. “When are you coming home, Mother Barbara?” Hahaha. I love it. But that kid creeps me out with his formalness. No one calls her Barbara. And the whole “mother” and “father” thing squicks me out, too. Barb knows that was Margie’s doing and calls her on it. She just tells them that this is what she has to do and she hangs up. Margie and Nicki look at Bill accusingly, but he doesn’t seem worried, telling them to let her have her space. Now we’re back with the fugitive polygamist story on the news. The police got a tip that seemed credible, but yielded nothing. The family looks concerned. The next morning, Nicki is making breakfast and no one is talking. Wayne is strangely just kind of hanging on Ben, whose hair, by the way, is substantially longer than last season. It only bothers me because only two weeks is supposed to have passed. They couldn’t have given Douglas Smith a haircut? Sarah approaches the table and gives Bill a Look. Ben is staring at his dad, too. Wayne asks if there’s vanilla. Vanilla what? Extract? I… don’t know what he’s talking about. The point seems to be that everyone ignores him, including his damn parents, Bill and Nicki. Ben waits to see if any of the grownups are actually going to take care of their children before getting up to go look. I’m not sure what that scene was about. Besides making all three parents look pretty bad, especially Bill and Nicki, given that Margie is preoccupied with one of her own kids. It was just … weird. Bill’s phone rings and in a nice touch, Sarah immediately looks at him, clearly hoping it’s her mother. It’s not. It’s Lee, the maybe-lawyer. He found a guy at the First Lady’s Office who is willing to ask around and meet with him. Barb is at a college, registering for classes. Margie is at the playground, watching her boys just kind of sit there, because they’re really too little to actually play. She has that weird calm thing going on, like when she got the red crayon on Bill’s white suit, then almost blew up her washing machine and then calmly smoked a cigarette and told her boys that they couldn’t live there anymore. I think I see another slow meltdown coming. She calls Barb, who is still at the college but lies that she’s shopping. Margie tells her that she has a plan, which involves her going over to Pam and Carl’s and making up and finding out what they know. She would apologize for breaking up with Pam. Barb: Apologize for what?Margie: I don’t know … because I was wrong.Barb: Wrong about what?Margie: You know … I will figure that out. Barb: Margie, this goes so much deeper and so much further back than just dinner with the neighbors.Margie: I know! But will you be home tonight?Barb: No.Margie: Barb, I don’t know if I can be married to Nicki and Bill if I’m not married to you. Awwwwww. I love Margene! Barb just hangs up. Another excellent scene from the two strongest actors on the show, in my opinion. Margie is trying so hard to hold it together, but she desperately needs Barb to come home. Because seriously? Who would want to just be married to Nicki and Bill? Not me! And Barb feels guilty because she loves Margie, but she also needs to do what’s best for her. It’s a difficult situation all around and I applaud the show for making me sympathize with both sides. Oh my god, we’re only halfway through this damn episode. Part 3 is on the way!