Synopsis
Includes:
Big Love: Easter (2006)
Big Love: Where There's a Will (2006)
Big Love: The Baptism (2006)
Big Love: A Barbecue for Betty (2006)
Big Love: Eviction (2006)
Big Love: The Ceremony (2006)
Big Love: Viagra Blue (2006)
Big Love: Pilot (2006)
Big Love: Roberta's Funeral (2006)
Big Love: Eclipse (2006)
Big Love: Affair (2006)
Big Love: Home Invasion (2006)
Big Love: Easter
Since being evicted from Juniper Creek, and then from the motel where they were staying, Joey (Shawn Doyle), Wanda (Melora Walters), Lois (Grace Zabriskie), and Frank (Bruce Dern) and his other three wives have all been staying at the Henrickson's. Bill refuses to let Frank stay in the house, which Wanda says is a good idea because "Bill hates him, he makes Joey crazy, and he doesn't pee in the toilet." What she means is, Frank, having lived with many women for many years, has decided that there's always a woman in the bathroom, and so he prefers to use the sink, wherever he's staying. Bill develops serious problems with his vision, and Margene (Ginnifer Goodwin) quietly brings him to the ER, where he learns that his overuse of Viagra is having serious side effects. Nicki (Chloë Sevigny) frets about her credit-card debt, and asks Adaleen (Mary Kay Place) to somehow make sure that Roman (Harry Dean Stanton) doesn't tell Bill about her situation. Barb (Jeanne Tripplehorn) has ended her "affair" with Bill, but she's not too happy about it. She feels even worse when Joey confides to her that he's not sure if he believes in polygamy anymore. "The only way I know what to believe is to listen to my heart," he tells her, "and it says that Wanda's it for me." Lois explains her short hair to Sarah (Amanda Seyfried), telling her that she cut her hair, like the women used to in biblical times, after her daughter, Margaret, drowned in Lake Mead. With everyone gathered in the house for Easter dinner, the scene is set for a dramatic confrontation. More drama occurs when Bill and Joey travel to Juniper Creek, with Bill determined to get Roman off the store's books, and get his family back into their homes. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi
Big Love: Where There's a Will
Wills have been drawn up for Barb (Jeanne Tripplehorn), Nicki (Chloë Sevigny), and Margene (Ginnifer Goodwin) determining who will get custody of their children if they die. It's supposed to be relatively simple, according to "wife order," but the wives have other ideas. Margene privately asks Barb if she can leave her children to Barb instead of Nicki, while Nicki secretly makes arrangements to have her kids sent to Juniper Creek in the event of her death. When these maneuvers come to light, it naturally increases the tensions between the sister-wives, tensions that are exacerbated by Barb's being named a finalist in the statewide Mother of the Year contest. Bill (Bill Paxton) gets a public accolade of his own when he's invited to join the Salt Lake Leadership League. He sees it as a great opportunity for his business, but others warn him that being involved in such a public organization will increase his risk of exposure. Ernest Holloway (John Ingle) agrees to sell Bill his shares in the UEB, which will give Bill access to a seat on the council. Roman (Harry Dean Stanton) finds out that the two are meeting, and takes swift and brutal action against Ernest. Rhonda (Daveigh Chase) comes from Juniper Creek to stay with the family while she competes in a local drama competition. Sarah (Amanda Seyfried), whom Rhonda horrifyingly describes as her "step-niece and granddaughter-in-law," and Heather (Tina Majorino) spend some time with Rhonda, and are increasingly horrified by the girl's ignorance of the outside world. Ben (Douglas Smith) is overcome by feelings of remorse after having sex with Brynn (Sarah Jones), and begins trying to avoid her. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi
Big Love: The Baptism
Bill (Bill Paxton), believing that Roman (Harry Dean Stanton) is responsible for him losing the site for the third Home Plus store, enlists Lois (Grace Zabriskie) and Joey (Shawn Doyle) in an effort to find a mole on the UEB council. They come up with one man, Ernest Holloway (John Ingle), who hasn't been given a new wife in over ten years. Thinking that Ernest must be out of favor with Roman, Bill and Joey go to meet with him, but Roman seems to be a step ahead of them. While Bill is at Juniper Creek, Wanda (Melora Walters) goes into labor. Back home, the family is preparing for Teenie's (Jolean Wejbe) baptism. Margene (Ginnifer Goodwin) fails in her assignment to wash Bill's whites when a red crayon ends up in the dryer. When she visits Pam (Audrey Wasilewski) for stain-removal advice, she gets an earful. Pam has apparently determined that Nicki (Chloë Sevigny) is a polygamist, and is none too happy about it. Margene exacerbates her laundry problem when Barb (Jeanne Tripplehorn) and Nicki (Chloë Sevigny) catch her trying to clean the dryer with a flammable spray. Margene contemplates running away, and is thrown for a loop when Sarah (Amanda Seyfried) tells her that when Margene first joined the family, Nicki bet Barb that she wouldn't last six months. Ben (Douglas Smith) is feeling tremendous sexual pressure from Brynn (Sarah Jones), who has decided that they're both ready to lose their virginity. Barb's disapproving sister, Cindy (Judith Hoag), visits town, and tells Barb that her estranged mother wants to spend time with Barb's children. This episode was directed by Michael Lehmann (Heathers). ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi
Big Love: A Barbecue for Betty
Bill (Bill Paxton) is in high spirits. Roman (Harry Dean Stanton) has been coerced into signing an agreement to allow his family back into their homes at the Juniper Creek compound, and the bank has agreed to give him a loan to open a third branch of Home Plus. He plans a big barbecue to celebrate, ordering lobsters flown in from Maine, and invites Don (Joel McKinnon Miller) and his family to join them to celebrate Don's taking a fourth wife, Betty (Melinda Allen). Because Bill's in a good mood, Nicki (Chloë Sevigny) decides to tell him about her 58,000-dollar credit-card debt. He's shocked and dismayed, and outraged when she tells him that Roman made a payment for her. Nicki starts to believe he might actually throw her out on the street, apparently a fairly common practice back in Juniper Creek. Bill finds out that Barb (Jeanne Tripplehorn) knew about Nicki's debts, and questions her loyalty to him. "I'm also married to two other people," she explains. Margene (Ginnifer Goodwin) learns that Betty was voted into Don's family unanimously, piquing her curiosity about her own vote. Ben (Douglas Smith) spills the beans that it took several votes before Margene was accepted. Already confused about her place in the family, Margene goes out to dinner with Pam (Audrey Wasilewski) and Carl (Carlos Jacott), who surprise her by fixing her up with Chad (Michael McMillian), a nice young man from their church. This episode was co-written by Jill and Karen Sprecher (13 Conversations About One Thing). ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi
Big Love: Eviction
Bill (Bill Paxton) contemplates an expensive new marketing campaign for Home Plus, including a new slogan ("Home Plus...is us.") and ads that include subliminal visual cues aimed at the Mormon consumer. Don (Joel McKinnon Miller) insists that they should disentangle themselves from Roman Grant (Harry Dean Stanton) before they put a lot of money into a new campaign. A couple of Mormon missionaries visit Nicki's (Chloë Sevigny) house, and she suspects Pam (Audrey Wasilewski) of sending them. Margene (Ginnifer Goodwin) doesn't believe it, and she later sneaks out of the house to join Pam and Carl (Carlos Jacott) for services at the local LDS church. While bulldozers idle ominously outside Lois' (Grace Zabriskie) gas station and her home, Joey (Shawn Doyle) calls Bill with some bad news; he actually did sign some papers involving Roman's real-estate deals, so if Bill exposes Roman, the Attorney General will also come after Joey. Joey also relays a message from Roman to Bill; he'll have his answer soon. Sarah (Amanda Seyfried) invites Heather (Tina Majorino) over to the house without warning the family. Because of the incident at Home Plus, Barb (Jeanne Tripplehorn) finds out about Nicki's massive credit-card debts, and confronts her about it. Nicki begs her not to tell Bill. In this episode, we also learn that Roman has always resented Bill's family, because Bill's grandfather was the original founder of Juniper Creek. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi
Big Love: The Ceremony
As the first-season finale of Big Love opens, Bill (Bill Paxton) and Joey (Shawn Doyle) are planning to take over Ernest Holloway's seat on the UEB Council. Joey will actually take the seat, because Bill can't be publicly connected to Juniper Creek. Barb (Jeanne Tripplehorn) is preparing for the Mother of the Year ceremony at the governor's mansion. Nicki (Chloë Sevigny) is annoyed by Barb's primping, and tries to persuade her to withdraw from the competition, for the good of the family. Margene (Ginnifer Goodwin) is far more supportive. Wendy's (Jodie Markell) snooping has uncovered evidence of Bill's polygamy, and she struggles with her conscience over what action to take. Alby (Matt Ross) drops by Joey's house uninvited for a visit. Joey's not there, and Alby warns Wanda (Melora Walters) that "brothers can get brothers into trouble," and he hovers threateningly over Wanda's newborn baby. Wanda turns out to be far more dangerous than Alby suspected, which creates further complications for Joey, Lois (Grace Zabriskie), and Bill. Rhonda's (Daveigh Chase) efforts to extend her stay in the outside world come to an end, and she blames Barb when she's taken back to the compound. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi
Big Love: Viagra Blue
Bill (Bill Paxton) has started using Viagra to treat his impotence, and the results are quickly noticeable to Barb (Jeanne Tripplehorn) and Nicki (Chloë Sevigny) because they have to leave the backyard so their kids won't hear Margene's (Ginnifer Goodwin) screams of passion coming from the bedroom.Nicki volunteers to talk to Bill about how thoughtless they're being, and ends up going at it with Bill herself in Margene's bedroom. Margene overhears and is horrified, leading to increasing tension between the three wives. Margene also tells Bill that she needs her own car. Bill lets Roman (Harry Dean Stanton) know that he doesn't feel their old loan agreement extends to his newly opened second store. Roman clearly sees Bill's success as part of his own personal empire, and Bill is worried that the dangerous old man might take some kind of drastic action, so he hires a security consultant to install an alarm system in his three connected houses. Bill goes to drive Frank (Bruce Dern) home from the hospital, and Frank realizes that Bill suspects that it was Lois (Grace Zabriskie) who poisoned him. Ben's (Douglas Smith) non-Mormon girlfriend, Brynn (Sarah Jones), seems eager to get physically intimate with him, and he struggles against his natural desires. Heather (Tina Majorino) makes it clear to Sarah (Amanda Seyfried) that she knows about her parents' polygamous lifestyle, and still wants to be friends with her. "I should tell you," Heather warns her, "I don't agree with polygamy." "Yeah, well," Sarah responds, "Neither do I." Seyfried, Majorino, and Kyle Gallner, who plays Jason Embry, all also had recurring roles on Veronica Mars. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi
Big Love: Pilot
In the Big Love pilot, we are introduced to Bill Henrickson (Bill Paxton) and his complicated family. Bill, who lives in a suburb of Salt Lake City, UT, owns Henrickson's Home Plus, a successful retail store that is about to open its second branch. Bill is having problems performing sexually, and blames it on the stress. Having three wives vying for his attention probably doesn't help. Margene (Ginnifer Goodwin) is insecure, and needs frequent reassurance from Bill. She seems lost when he is with his other wives. Nicki (Chloë Sevigny) appears to be doing a lot of surreptitious luxury shopping, and often asks her husband for extra money. Barb (Jeanne Tripplehorn) is the only wife who has a job. She works as a substitute teacher, part-time, and balks when Bill asks her to put her paycheck into the family pot. Bill searches for a solution to his impotence on the Internet. More trouble rears its head when his sister-in-law, Wanda (Melora Walters), calls to tell him that his father, Frank (Bruce Dern), is apparently gravely ill, and that his mother, Lois (Grace Zabriskie) refuses to take Frank to a doctor. Bill, who has not seen his family in a while, wants his brother Joey (Shawn Doyle) to handle it, but Wanda points out that calling Bill was a last resort. Bill convinces Barb to accompany him and Nicki to attend to his parents at the hated UEB compound at Juniper Creek, run by Nicki's father, Roman (Harry Dean Stanton). While Bill is on the compound, Roman confronts him about a business dispute. Meanwhile, Heather (Tina Majorino), a new girl at Sarah's (Amanda Seyfried) fast-food job and a devout Mormon, takes an interest in Sarah. The pilot was directed by Rodrigo García (Nine Lives). ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi
Big Love: Roberta's Funeral
Nicki (Chloë Sevigny), realizing that something sneaky was going on between Bill (Bill Paxton) and Barb (Jeanne Tripplehorn), has announced her desire to "bring a new soul" into the family. This enables her to manipulate the wives' schedule according to her menstrual cycle. But she's secretly taking birth control pills. Bill and Barb continue their affair. Barb confesses to Peg (Wendy Phillips), who disapproves. Bill obtains the state file on Roman's (Harry Dean Stanton) shady real-estate ventures. Bill visits Juniper Creek to attend the funeral of Frank's (Bruce Dern) first wife, planning to also meet with Roman. Bill is outraged to learn that Frank refuses to make Lois (Grace Zabriskie) his first wife, as he once promised, because, among other things, he thinks she tried to kill him. Bill tries to persuade Frank to change his mind. He also checks with Joey (Shawn Doyle) to make sure Joey's name won't appear on any of Roman's real-estate deals before going to Roman with a cash offer and a threat to expose him if he doesn't take the money. "God will have a humble people," Roman warns Bill. "Either we can choose to be humble, or we can be compelled." Meanwhile, back in civilization, Nicki creates a scene at Home Plus when she demands the "family discount" while buying a garbage disposal, and Ben (Douglas Smith) chastises Margene (Ginnifer Goodwin) for inviting Pam (Audrey Wasilewski) over to watch a DVD. This episode was directed by Mary Harron (American Psycho). ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi
Big Love: Eclipse
Bill (Bill Paxton) has a dream in which he's being chased, and suspects it might be a revelation. There's tension between Nicki (Chloë Sevigny) and Barb (Jeanne Tripplehorn) when Barb asks Nicki to take care of Teenie's (Jolean Wejbe) costume for a school play about the upcoming lunar eclipse, and Nicki, claiming that she has a family emergency, hands the job off to Margene (Ginnifer Goodwin), with predictably disastrous results. Nicki is facing a crippling amount of credit-card debt, and sneaks into the city to get a bit of help from Roman (Harry Dean Stanton). In desperation, she even calls Suze Orman for advice. Bill and Don (Joel McKinnon Miller) check out a promising site for a third Home Plus store, but Don is worried about Roman because he's served them with legal papers demanding to audit their books. Sarah (Amanda Seyfried) gives Heather (Tina Majorino) her version of why her parents decided to become polygamists after Barb survived cancer. "She loves my dad too much," Sarah says, "and was afraid of losing him." Donna (Lyndsy Fonseca) invites Sarah to a party at the local college. Much to Heather's chagrin, Sarah decides to go. On a hunting trip with Ben (Douglas Smith), Don, and Jason (Kyle Gallner), Bill makes a major decision about his dealings with Roman. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi
Big Love: Affair
On the way home from a public event one afternoon, Bill (Bill Paxton) and Barb (Jeanne Tripplehorn) find themselves overcome with passion, and make love in the car. Later, feeling a bit guilty, Barb points out that "It's Margie's (Ginnifer Goodwin) night." "It's not like we planned it," Bill responds, but soon enough, the couple are planning more little private encounters. They meet during lunch breaks, and even in the middle of the night. Nicki (Chloë Sevigny) realizes something's going on, and tells Wanda (Melora Walters) she suspects that Bill has found a potential fourth wife. Nicki and Barb find out that Margene has been socializing with Pam (Audrey Wasilewski), the neighbor across the street, and they confront her about it. Nicki calls Margene "the weak link" in their efforts to keep their lifestyle hidden. "You can't keep a secret like me," she tells Margene, "and you're not a good liar like Barb." More drama ensues at the store, where Wendy (Jodie Markell) alerts Bill to her suspicion that Don (Joel McKinnon Miller) and Peg (Wendy Phillips) are polygamists. Bill tells her, essentially, to mind her own business, but that doesn't seem likely. Bill and Don also plot to have the Attorney General's office investigate Roman's (Harry Dean Stanton) shady real-estate dealings. Ben (Douglas Smith) struggles with his sexual urges, and decides to start attending seminary after school. This does not meet with Brynn's (Sarah Jones) approval. "They'll brainwash you," she laments. One night, while Bill and Barb are out having a secret tryst, Alby (Matt Ross) pays an unwelcome visit to the Henrickson homes. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi
Big Love: Home Invasion
Bill (Bill Paxton) gets Margene (Ginnifer Goodwin) her own car, much to her delight. Nicki (Chloë Sevigny) is making some extremely elaborate plans for Wayne's (Keegan Holst) fifth birthday celebration. Bill is upset when he finds out she plans to invite 153 people to a fancy hotel, and he's even angrier when she tells him that Roman (Harry Dean Stanton) has agreed to pay for the event. Bill insists that the party be a small event in their home, and lets her know that her father is not welcome. The security system he's installed to protect the family from Roman causes its own problems. Margene is excited about the prospect of meeting her mother-in-law, Lois (Grace Zabriskie), for the first time, but Barb (Jeanne Tripplehorn) warns her not to get her hopes up. Someone, probably Alby (Matt Ross), barges into the offices of Henrickson Home Plus, and forces Wendy (Jodie Markell), a junior executive, to sign over a check for 20,000 dollars that Roman feels he's owed. Bill's partner, Don (Joel McKinnon Miller), expresses his concerns that their connection to Roman and the notorious Juniper Creek leaves them vulnerable to being exposed as polygamists, which would, among other things, destroy their business. Friendly new neighbors, Carl (Carlos Jacott) and Pam (Audrey Wasilewski), move in across the street from the Henricksons, and this is also cause for concern. On the day of the birthday party, cultures clash, as Roman shows up after all, and brings along young Rhonda (Daveigh Chase), who explains to Sarah (Amanda Seyfried) that she's in "pre-marriage placement" with Roman, a way to "get around the law" until she's 16. When Sarah asks about Rhonda's personal happiness, the girl tells her, "The greatest freedom we have is obedience." ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi
