Big Love: The Complete Second Season

I love this show! I really got a kick out of the first season and the second was even better. The wives are a delightful mixture of devils and angels. The second season is a bit more risque in that the sexual scenes are much more graphic. Definately not for children. As a member of the LDS Church that does not condone polygamy, I was at first interested in the show because I wanted to see how it portrayed the Mormon Church. But it really skirts the issue although there are subtle inuendo like LDS Church icons and landmarks in scenes of the show.
I love the way the wives interact with each other but most of all, love how they gang up on Bill or turn on him to get what they want.
The twists and turns with members of the sect at the compound and the power struggle between the two "prophet" heir families is interesting. Also bringing in another Polygimist sect "the Greens" was a completely new twist which I think we will see much more of in future episodes.
Overall it is a great show and I have my DVR set to watch or record each episode.
Thanks
Kate

SPOILERS!! In the second season of this unique series, things get even more complicated and difficult for polygamist husband Bill Henrikson and his three wives, Barb, Nikki, and Margene. Their oldest son is tempted carnally and then turns to the polygamy principle for sustenance, the oldest girl goes the opposite direction, Bill considers a fourth wife, Margene wants to be a surrogate mother, Nikki's family makes things dangerous for the Henriksons, one of Roman's intended young brides blackmails some of the Henriksons, and Bill wants to expand his financial empire to include video game slot machines.
What's most fascinating about this series is that the family is portrayed as struggling to live in the modern suburbs, outside of the compounds that most polygamists these days might live in; and that they have tried to hide their lifestyle from many people. However, one can only hide such a thing for so long. Imagine how it would be having four partners in a marriage, seven kids among you, and three neighboring houses to coordinate, as well as a high-profile home improvement business.
The cast is spot-on, especially the temperamental and conflicted second wife, played by Chloe Sevigny; and the stalwart Harry Dean Stanton as her father, the powerful patriarch who believes himself to be a prophet.

In Season Two of Big Love, the Henrickson family finds that the challenges of being one, big, polygamous family is just beginning.

Season One of the show leaves off with Barb - Bill's first wife - not winning the mother of the year award, Margie (Margene) discovering that she is pregnant, and Roman Grant (leader of the polygamous compound at Juniper Creek) being seriously wounded. But Season One turns out to be child's play in comparison with the events of Season Two.

In Season Two, Nikki (Nicolette) - Bill's second wife - is more manipulative than ever, leaving the audience wondering just how far she'll go to become first wife. Bill, who for all of his faults appears to be a decent person in Season One, also becomes more deceptive (both at home and in his business dealings) as he secretly courts a woman that he considers for a fourth wife and wrests a gambling company named Weber Gaming away from two polygamous factions.

The political intrigue surrounding Juniper Creek and the Grant family also becomes more pronounced in Season Two, with many unexpected twists from characters such as Alby Grant (Nikki's brother), and Adaleen Grant, Nikki's biological mother.

The most notable difference between Season One and Season Two however is the focus on how the Henrickson's secret life of polygamy affects Barb and Bill's two oldest children, Ben and Sarah. Sarah, the Henrickson's oldest child, becomes resentful of her parent's choice as the season progresses and takes action in the last episode of the season to ensure that she never makes the same choice as her parents. In contrast, Ben, (now sixteen in Season Two) begins to romanticize the idea of leading a polygamous life like his father. He ends his relationship with his girlfriend and beings to court two girls (twin sisters) from the compound at Juniper Creek.

With each event that unfolds in Season Two, Big Love fights past being just entertainment and tackles the hard questions of polygamy and the LDS fundamentalist lifestyle.

The bottom line is that Season Two of Big Love does not disappoint; there is no adequate way to express how tastefully, artfully, and successfully the staff of Big Love portrays what is considered difficult subject matter. Each event that unfolds in Season Two of Big Love fights past being just entertainment and tackles the hard questions of polygamy and the LDS fundamentalist lifestyle.

While some individuals may find certain aspects of Big Love offensive, I hope that people will be willing to look past something that might make them uncomfortable to an experience that is both entertaining and highly enlightening. It is especially a must-see series for anyone who is interested in shows that deal with religion or the psychology of cults.

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