| "Big Love" is an exceedingly well-written series. Part of a behind-closed-doors genre in which cable now specializes (see also: "The Sopranos", "Deadwood", "Six Feet Under"...), its portrayals are sensitive, its characters three-dimensional, and its situations largely airtight. Yet the series is just as fascinating for what it says about its creators' assumptions. For "Big Love" deals with a Mormon polygamist named Bill Henrickson (Bill Paxton) and his attempts to shuttle between secular Utah and the breakaway Juniper Creek sect from which he's been running. In fact, the show hinges upon us flip-flopping between acceptance and revulsion: it's proud of itself for ripping the lid off sensational subject matter, only to ratchet up the tension on whether Bill and his family will keep themselves together in the face of insurmountable odds. There's a certain amount of hypocrisy and condescension in the approach, but it can also be compelling to figure out where you stand on Bill, his beliefs, and the troubles they cause. Bill has reason to be nervous about those troubles. He owns a burgeoning chain of big-box retail stores (cheekily named "Henrickson's Home Plus") and wants to expand further: revealing that he has three wives could jeopardize his ability to support them and his seven children. And the wives aren't exactly seeing eye-to-eye. With cold and uptight Nicki (Chloë Sevigny) frequently clashing with Bill's youngest and most recent wife, the inexperienced Margene (Ginnifer Goodwin), reasonable first wife Barb (Jeanne Tripplehorn) lately finds herself walking on eggshells. Also an issue is the leader of that radical sect, Roman Grant (Harry Dean Stanton), who has a stake in Bill's business and no compunction about exercising the power he has over the Henricksons still living on the sect's compound. Thus the stage is set for "sister-wife" power struggles, resentful and confused children, and endless chicanery in the attempt to wrest free from Roman and his grasping confederates.
Beleaguered Bill (character and actor) is convincing as a man torn in several directions at once, hyper-aware of his tenuous position and the constant encroachments on his shaky middle ground. But the bread and butter of the series is the endless infighting and brinkmanship among the wives. Barb, who may or may not be putting up with polygamy as a means of holding on to her man, encounters a no-win situation in the controlling Nicki, who not only hails from Juniper Creek (giving Roman--Nicki's father--one more string to pluck), but also has a wicked shopping addiction and the $60,000 credit card debt to prove it. She in turn cannot stand the bumbling ditz that is Margene, who, try as she might (and she tries very hard), seems incapable of stepping up to become a competent member of the household. The interplay of this well-drawn trio is sharply-executed and very believable--presuming you take "Big Love"'s concept at face value.
A few things must be observed before we do. The series has two liberal impulses fighting within itself: the desire to moralize and the desire to patronize. In one corner is the very fact that most people consider polygamy an intolerable abomination--the show wouldn't have a hook if it didn't profess to throw open the doors on just such a transgressive relationship. On the other hand, it wants to be seen as "understanding," and therefore cuts itself a deal: it will create "nice" polygamists--just like you and me!--and contrast them with the monstrous Roman and his fellow travelers on the compound, who keep their girls ignorant and submissive. So we have our cake and eat it, too: we feel like we're being deeply understanding of Bill and his family because we have the moral out of the greater of two evils to despise.
By some miracle, this causes as many dramatic sparks as it does ideological problems. Much of the series consists of Bill trying to get Roman to stop harrassing him and his family on the compound--the latter of whom are repeatedly used as pawns. This means that Bill's mother Lois (a powerhouse Grace Zabriskie) can be utterly thankless and more interested in the contempt of her vile husband Frank (Bruce Dern) and possible future first-wife status. It means, too, that the space separating upstanding polygamist from misogynist monster is always in flux, as the infinitesimal degrees are redefined depending on what member of the family you're talking to. Every time he thinks he's out, Bill gets pulled back in--and if the impetus is not exactly noble, its attendant intricacy makes for riveting television.
Make no mistake, "Big Love" is a grabber, a show so well thought-out in diegesis that it never gives you a chance to consider its foggier motives in the moment. Creators Mark V. Olsen and Will Scheffer have assembled a crack team of writers who work endlessly sadistic variations on various wives, various business opportunities, and various ghosts from the past, intermingling it all in a way that looks remarkably like the chaos of life. It's another example of how TV could spell the end of movies--with the exception of Keane, I haven't seen an American film that tops "Big Love" in terms of craft, complexity, or compulsive viewing in a long time. Just be sure to watch knowing that some of the cards aren't quite on the table--and that some of those cards are probably barely known to the creators themselves.
HBO brings "Big Love: The Complete First Season" to DVD in a dazzling 5-disc spread. The 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen image retains fine detail while rendering the show's earthy palette with a lush softness that suits the domestic milieu. Attendant Dolby Digital 5.1 audio is superb, especially for a TV series: there's nice bass during the opening theme, and though there are never any real fireworks, the surrounds are often solicited for ambient sound and judiciously-used music. Overall, the A/V presentation is potent, powerful, and outstanding, not unlike "Big Love" itself. Extras begin with a commentary on "Affair" (1.5) featuring Paxton and Tripplehorn; they crack a lot of jokes at their own expense and point out favourite bits (such as the Tobacco Road ambiance of Margene's house), but no hard analysis is offered. A second commentary reunites Tripplehorn, Sevigny, and Goodwin to discuss the season finale, "The Ceremony" (1.12). There, the actresses applaud all the female cast members, laugh, and squeal; they haven't actually seen the episode before, and fifteen minutes in Tripplehorn announces that this will be less "commentary" than "reacting." She's right. Finally, a 12-minute featurette deals with the creation of the metaphor-laden title sequence. Subjects include the selection of The Beach Boys' "God Only Knows" to ice-skating in front of bluescreens and Paxton's revelation of a long-ago skating mishap. Character information is doled out via the talking heads interspersed throughout, but mostly the featurette is skippable. HBO propaganda cues up automatically at the start of Disc One.-Travis Mackenzie Hoover
© Film Freak Central; filmfreakcentral.net. This review may not be reprinted, in whole or in part, without the express consent of its author.
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DVD GRADES:
Image A
Sound A
Extras C |
DVD VITALS:
Running Time
60 minutes/episode
MPAA
Not Rated
Aspect Ratio(s)
1.78:1 ONLY, 16x9-enhanced
Languages
English DD 5.1,
Spanish Stereo
CC
Yes
Subtitles
English, French, Spanish
5 DVD-9s
Region One
HBO
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Published: October 31, 2006
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