Season 4, Episode 7
Original airdate: 2/21/10

Plot Summary:

Big Love finally started to bring some of it’s spiraling plot-lines together last night, most significantly Lois and Co’s ill-fated trip south of the border.

The show opens with Bill and Joey heading to Mexico…clearly, Bill has received word that his family has landed in the soup, and just as clearly he has chosen not to share the information with his wives, as Barb harangues him on the phone that she can’t take care of the casino and the campaign alone.  Bill feeds her a story about going to nail down contracts for Home Plus, and then he and Joey meet up with Jodean in Mexico and go to the local police.  I’m not certain how Jodean escaped capture last week, but she’s free, and she quickly reveals to Joey that not only was Lois smuggling birds, but Frank was using the trip to smuggle guns.  When the local police prove to be less then helpful, and when Bill’s expected arrogance rears it’s ugly head, they prove less than sympathetic as well.  (more…)

Season 4, Episode 6
Original airdate: 2/14/10

“You people are so damn complicated!” — Ana

The Plot:

While having dinner with the Republican Party chairman for Utah, Bill and Barb run into their ex-wife Ana (Branka Katic) who is waitressing at the restaurant and very much pregnant with Bill’s child. Barb tells the other wives –well, she tells Nicki while turning a cold shoulder to Margie- and the three of them go back to the restaurant to confront/welcome back Ana. Ana is overwhelmed to see Barb (eager), Nicki (suspicious) and Margie (concerned) sitting at her station and tells them she doesn’t want anything to do with them. Ana goes to see Bill at his office and tells him that she is willing to work out visitation rights in exchange for some money to help her with the pregnancy, as long as she deals with Bill only and not the wives. (more…)

Season 4, Episode 5
Original airdate: 2/7/10

The Plot:

Bill is dragging his family by the back of their necks into his political battle, with all members pitching in to help him in the days leading up to the party convention, some more reluctantly than others. Nicki is still doing undercover espionage within the Colburn campaign, Barb and Bill are meeting with delegates, Margie is back at home stuffing gift bags, and Ben and Sarah are handing out flyers. Everyone is overworked and on edge which makes their pent up personal issues with each other burst to the surface. (more…)

Season 4, Episode 4
Original airdate: 1/31/10

The Plot

They weren’t kidding around when they said this season would be stuffed to the gills to make sure that no fans felt cheated by a nine-episode run!

Bill spends this episode further preparing for his ill-advised Senate run.  Colburn is breathing down his neck, and ends up having Home Plus investigated…first for illegal immigrant employees, but in his investigation winds up figuring out that the store employs polygamists.  Bill and Don, in order to get their wives health insurance, put them on payroll…if I followed the scene correctly, since there were people on payroll that weren’t being paid any money, it raised a red flag for Colburn.  What follows is one of the most despicable things we’ve ever seen Bill do.  Earlier in the episode, Don pledges his loyalty to Bill’s path, and Bill takes him up on it.  (more…)

Season 4, Episode 3
Original airdate: 1/24/10

Plot synopsis:

Bill, Nicki and Cara Lynn spend the episode in Washington DC. Bill is there to meet with Utah Congressman Paley and try and get his endorsement but he keeps getting stood up by Paley. He tries to buy a ticket to a fundraiser that Paley is attending but he accidently pisses off Washington power player Marilyn Densham (played wonderfully by Sissy Spacek) and she pretty much bars him from the event. He manages to finagle himself into the event anyway, as does Nicki, who corners Marilyn in the ladies room and talks up Bill’s achievements. Marilyn looks unmoved until Nicki gets to the Indian Casino part of Bill’s resume and she suddenly does a 180, she finds Bill struggling with Paley and convinces the Congressman to help Bill out with a donation to his campaign. She tells Bill that she didn’t realize he was such a ‘big shot’ in Utah and mentions that she’ll be in that area sometime soon and she might look him up. This, of course, means that we’re not done with Ms. Spacek! (more…)

Season 4, Episode 2

Original airdate: 1/17/10

Three big events in this week’s Big Love: the burial of Roman Grant, the marriage of Sarah and the revelation Bill (although, as Sarah so rightly put it, “another day, another revelation”).  While nothing about the pace of this show could ever really be termed “leisurely,” after the “Ramming speed!!” feeling of the season opener, this episode felt almost relaxed.  The casino plot-line simmered at a steady boil, while other things were set in motion. (more…)

Season 4, Episode 1

Original airdate: 1/10/10

Photo: HBO

We pick up 6 weeks after the season three finale. Nobody knows that Roman Grant has been murdered by Joey Henrickson. The state froze Juniper Creek’s assets and appointed a trustee board to oversee the $200 Million UEB fund as the FBI frantically search for Roman.

Bill has formed a new church with Don as his second in command and the two families hold services in a small, unassuming building in suburban Utah. He is also preoccupied with the soft opening of his new ‘Miracle in the Desert”, a Mormon friendly casino in the Idaho desert, which is not going smoothly thanks to some tenacious FBI agents who are trying to implicate him in Roman’s disappearance. (more…)

Season Three Recap

Winter 2009

Okay all you Big Lovers out there…I know you’re waiting with bated breath for the show to start again, but I also know that you’re petrified that you’ve forgotten one of the approximately 14,000 balls that are up in the air at the start of Season Four.  Erika and I are going to be tag-teaming Big Love for you this season, and I cobbled together a little cheat sheet for us, which I happily share with you here. 

Bill:  After spending most of last season chasing after things he felt he had a revelation about (Ana, the letter from Juniper Creek) that were proven to not be as they seemed, the Henrickson patriarch spent the last episode being repeatedly told by Roman that he was fool.  (more…)