'Big Love' recap: The beginning of the end

The end is near, “Big Love” fans. After a frenzied Season 4 that seemed crammed tighter than a size 8 in size 2 skinny jeans, it now seems that the show has taken some lung-clearing deep breaths out in the desert and returned for Season 5 — its last — in top form. Let’s open a box of Russell Stover chocolates to celebrate, shall we? Have a chew.

Loved that the season opened with a clear breath of fresh outdoorsy air. The family was sitting comfortably around the campfire listening to patriarch Bill (Bill Paxton) singing a yarn about mining for gold in the Yukon. There were no casinos, no D.C. lobbying, no ostrich farms in Mexico, no parroting on the black market. This premiere took us back to where it all started, and back to where we could love them best: to the family. Just a husband, three wives and their children (who were themselves also streamlined: Teenie has apparently gone away to live with Sarah). Back to basics. Back to nature. Back to the core of things. It seemed like the election, the coming out, all the stuff that happened out on the reservation, was all just a bad dream.

Or was it? As the cameras panned through the campsite, there were the salacious headlines, splashed across the newsprint. Only, they were yesterday’s news, now old and dated and in a receptacle, set aside as kindling for the fire. It’s been just a week since Bill won the election as state senator and came out to the world about his plural marriage. After the prying media circus descended upon them and their suburban Salt Lake City cul-de-sac, the entire crew took off in the middle of the night to get away, lick their wounds and feel like themselves again. It seemed to do the trick, though Bill was keen to get a move-on back to the city before temperatures dropped. “There might be flurries in the patches passes,” he remarked. Barb, however, foresaw something far stormier and threatening. “An avalanche,” she remarked. “Won’t that just take the cake?”

Chloe Sevigny and 'Big Love' creators talk about the final season

 
"I'm a bigger person now, and I won’t go back to being small”: That could be the manifesto for Nicki Grant (as played by Chloe Sevigny) in the final season of “Big Love,” which returns to HBO on Sunday.  

She should also have added, “And I won’t wear those long skirts and puffy braids anymore,” because this season Sevigny has been freed from her character’s prissy prairie skirt and allowed to move into 21st century fashion (or at least 20th century). Which is no small thing, considering that Sevigny, one of the coolest actresses on TV, is a fashion icon and designer. In fact, her new collection is available from boutique Opening Ceremony this very weekend. (See a full profile of Chloe Sevigny here.)

Sevigny has an ambivalent relationship with her public image: “Looking at myself on the Internet is like a form of self-flagellation,” she say. “It's torture. I would rather hammer a nail through my foot than Google-image myself.”

She claims similarly mixed feelings about  her “Big Love” wardrobe. On one hand, it helped define her character.  On the other hand, it was a bummer to look so dowdy week after week. “You want to be desirable to a certain extent, and here I am wearing these horrible outfits and this horrible hair!” She remembers sometimes coming to the set in short shorts and a T-shirt and getting shocked double takes from the crew. “They’d be so startled, like, oh, my God, you have legs?”  

Talking about the final season of “Big Love,” Sevigny says Nicki’s energy is channeled into her daughter, and saving her from Nicki’s fate (being forcibly married off at a very young age, among other things).

So long, Henrickson family: HBO announces the final season of 'Big Love'

Sister wives across America are gonna be crushed: "Big Love" is coming to an end. On Thursday, Michael Lombardo, president of HBO Programming, announced that the show's fifth season, which debuts Jan. 16, will also be its final one.

“It has been an honor and pleasure to work with series creators Mark V. Olsen and Will Scheffer on this unique and provocative series, and I’m happy that they will be able to bring the story to its close the way they always envisioned,” Lombardo said in a statement.  “We look forward with great anticipation to collaborating with Mark and Will on their next venture.”

Olsen and Scheffer explained that the Emmy- and Golden Globe-nominated series -- which follows the lives of Salt Lake City businessman Bill Henrickson, his three wives Barb, Nicki and Margene, their nine kids, and three houses -- had simply reached a natural conclusion. “When we created 'Big Love' in 2002, we had a strong conception of the journey the Henrickson family would make over the course of the series, of the story we had to tell,” said Olsen and Scheffer in a statement. “While we were in the writers’ room this year shaping our fifth season, we discovered that we were approaching the culmination of that story."

The series' creators promised that this would be "the most vibrant and satisfying final season of a television series that we can produce.” Both Olsen and Scheffer will continue to work with HBO, though their next project has not been announced yet.

-- Melissa Maerz

Photo: Chloe Sevigny, Bill Paxton, Jeanne Tripplehorn and Ginnifer Goodwin in HBO's "Big Love." Credit: Lacey Terrell / HBO

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Bless this 'Big Love' mess

Amanda Seyfried says she's 'gonna go back' to 'Big Love'

Amanda Seyfried, who exited “Big Love” earlier this year after the show’s fourth season, says she'll likely make  return appearances to the hit HBO series.

“I’m gonna go back, probably at the end of the year,” the actress said during a recent interview, where she was promoting her new film, “Letters to Juliet.”

Seyfried, who on "Big" plays a teenager trying to understand her family’s polygamy, said she left the show because she wanted to pursue film opportunities.

“The commitment [of ‘Big Love’] would have kept me from doing anything this summer, and that’s just not fulfilling enough,” she said. “People were throwing opportunities my way, and I was like, ‘Oh, sorry, I can’t.’ But I was talking to Bill [Paxton] the other day, and he was like, ‘You’re coming back, right?’ And I was like, ‘Absolutely, if I’m not busy working on something crazy, of course I would.’ ”

And what does she have to say about her former cast mate Chloë Sevigny, who notoriously called the show’s fourth season “awful” and “very telenovela”?

“Oh, gosh,” she sighed. “We all make mistakes like that and say things that people take out of context. She was probably saying, ‘Oh, that’s awful,’ because she was probably envisioning herself on the show and saying how bad she thought she was. I don’t think she was saying anything bad about the show itself.”

As far as the 24-year-old is aware, Sevigny didn’t burn any bridges by making the remark.

“As long as she ties it up and calls everybody and apologizes for whatever she did, everybody’s cool,” Seyfried said. “She and the writers are all good. It’s not a big deal. I just felt so bad for her because I was like, ‘Ahh, it’s so easy to be in that situation.’ ”

-- Amy Kaufman (follow me on Twitter @AmyKinLA)

Photo: Amanda Seyfried. Credit: Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times.

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'Big Love': The family outing

Well, he did it. This episode was called “End of Days,” but really, this Season 4 finale just set up the series for a whole new beginning. Not to say that there weren’t more than a couple moments in this jam-packed episode that made it seem like the apocalypse was nigh (hello, hell-raising Adaleen!). But the big game-changer, of course, was that Bill made good on his word and announced that he was a polygamist after winning his bid for Utah State Senate. At his press conference, Bill publicly presented an alternate version of the American family in his red, white and blue wives. And with this, he effectively changed the crux of the show as we know it.

Alas, there will be no more hiding out in the sunny suburbs of Salt Lake City after this. And Bill, his family, and by extension, the show, is banking on what we’ve already come to know and love of them so that we’ll follow them as they enter into this new public phase. As Bill said, “I thought when people saw you, they really saw you, they couldn’t help but love you.” 

Part of me, however, wished Bill’s whole campaign was just some kind of fevered snow globe dream, as this season has really challenged much of what we knew and loved about the Henricksons. But maybe that’s because I missed more of the interaction between the wives and the slow-building character development that had been glossed over in favor of the driving plot this season. We did get a taste of some of these moments in this episode, like when the wives all went out dress shopping at Dillard’s, and Nicki made that power move and put on Barb’s red suit to see what first wife felt like for size. Or when Margie brought up the idea of giving Nicki one of her eggs in that meeting behind closed doors. “I don’t want one of your big-headed babies!” the second wife lashed out indignantly. Barb tried sensibly to assuage Nicki with the idea that “We’re more than just our ability to conceive.” Of course, Nicki would not have it, as she adamantly refused her membership into the We Who Are Infertile Club.

'Big Love': All aboard

It’s the penultimate episode in this fourth season, “Big Love” fans, and after last week’s crazy, south-of-the-border detour, it’s nice to see all the action has been brought back to Salt Lake City and focused squarely on the family.

This episode, titled “Next Ticket Out,” had the Henrickson clan bursting at the seams. Never mind the opening sequence of domestic bliss, which had everyone coming together at the dinner table and Bill proudly sporting his World's Greatest Dad apron and serving up platter of barbecue — all to the tune of the Build With Bill campaign jingle, which was so cheesy it could have been manufactured in a Velveeta factory.

No, this supper was just a flimsy scrim that unveiled the rampant dysfunction that was gurgling just beneath this well-scrubbed surface. And this was the episode in which everyone was brought up to speed and all season's ducks were lined up in time for next week's finale. Although, with all the story lines going on this season, there was a lot to catch up on: Margie’s paper marriage to Goran. The discovery that Joey killed Roman. Teenie's entry into teendom. Nicki's problems conceiving. Marilyn’s extortion of the casino.

And Sarah moving to Portland. After the news had been revealed that that actress Amanda Seyfried was leaving the series, part of me was afraid that Sarah would meet some untimely demise and be left for dead as the hapless victim of some tribal meth war. So it was with relief to discover that Scott just found a job in Oregon, and the newlyweds had merely decided to make their way west. Basically, Sarah was intent on getting herself the heck out of Dodge before the runaway campaign train reached its inevitable end.

'Big Love': A call to arms

After last week's great churning drama, this episode, titled “Blood Atonement” took a detour south of the border, off the map and into a heart of darkness that set up the third and final act of this season. And though the Mexican aviary plot was all a bit too out there and fringey for my taste, I was glad to see it made a bloody show of tying up the telenovela bird-smuggling Hollis Greene entanglement and transported the family out of Mexico and back to Utah. Not to mention that it set forward Marilyn’s true motives for getting involved with the casino.

Before we get to that, however, just wanted to say that the new opening credits have grown on me, despite some initial reservations. Given how isolating this season has been, it's particularly fitting to see these characters floating by themselves in their own outer darkness.

OK, back to the episode: A lot of this hour dealt with Bill’s own reconciliation and coming to terms with who he is and where he came from. But not without fighting and disparaging it first. He spent nearly the entire episode in an outrage, spitting on Lois and Frank (and Joey) for dragging Ben (and now himself) into this mess, barely concealing his disgust and stopping short of spitting out “you people” over their crabby compound ways. Never mind the fact that it was Bill who basically pushed Ben into their arms in the first place. “My son gets dragged right back into the same cesspool I got away from, and here I am stuck in the middle of who knows what?” he raved. “And I end up cleaning up the mess. Because you’re all broken.” Oh, Bill. The sanctimonious hypocrisy was so glaring, it makes the neon lights of Vegas look downright dull in comparison. But Bill was on a vicious tear: Not even the gun-toting drug dealer bandit dared stop and kidnap him when he looked into Bill’s demonic eyes.

'Big Love': "Behind every man there's an exhausted woman"

There's a lot going on this weekend: the Olympics, Valentine's Day, Presidents Day, the Lunar New Year. And a new episode of “Big Love!” And maybe the writers were trying to give us the best Presidential Olympic Valentine Year of the Tiger gift ever, because “Under One Roof” was pretty great – it fired on all cylinders and had a super strong finish. In the words of the Mexican bird man, this episode was super bien.

A lot of the greatness had to do with the women of the show being front and center, supporting one another and asserting themselves all over the place. For example, Marilyn Densham, who plowed her way into Blackfoot Casino, Bill be damned. While there’s no doubt that Marilyn’s got some of her own tricks up her sleeves (maybe something that has to do with the Nez Perce tribe of Idaho, which was not happy with the Blackfoot infringing on their territory), it was great to see her go toe to toe with Slick Willie and knock him off his high horse. My favorite was when she defended Barb and ripped Bill a new one, all in one fell swoop: “It just so happens I like your wife. I respect her,” she said. “Heaven only knows what she’s doing with a horse’s ass like you.” Booya! It may have not involved pig’s blood, but it sure was effective nonetheless.

Though she couldn’t have done any of this without Barb. And again, there’s no doubt that Marilyn was getting chummy with Barb to achieve her own end, but it was nice to see the unmoored, harangued and put-up first wife being bolstered and acknowledged for once. “Behind every man there’s an exhausted woman,” Marilyn commiserated. And it’s no surprise that Barb was crushing on Marilyn: Here’s this strong woman who speaks her mind, has ambitions and is not afraid to follow them. Perhaps more alluring — she doesn’t have to be attached to any sort of man to do it. Barb looked so comfortable and so carefree over a round of root beer floats when she hearkened back to her old life and shared that story about her Rockefeller Republican mother and seeing the ocean for the first time. “You never told me that,” said Sarah. “Well, there’s a lot of things I haven’t told you,” Barb answered.

'Big Love': The lost boy

Can you believe we're already more than halfway through the season, “Big Love” fans? And this episode, appropriately titled “Sins of the Father,” brought it all back to Bill: His lost-boy past, his current state as a husband and a father and so-called reformer, and whether he was doomed to repeat his father's transgressions by banishing his own son.

And no doubt all of the ruthless self-preservation Bill exhibited in this hour stemmed from his own sob story of being kicked out of the truck at Liberty Park at the tender age of 14, being forced to fend for himself and doing things for cash “that haunt me to this day.” But I am still having the hardest time finding this lost boy worthy of my forgiveness.

Yes, Bill finally came clean about his past and tried to make reparations for exiling his son. But not without lying through his teeth first to keep himself from fault. The worst, though, was how he refused to take any sort of blame and acknowledge that he even kicked Ben out. “Clearly, you misunderstood me,” Bill said to his son. Hey, guess what, Bill? Denial is not just a river in Egypt. And your son’s not dumb enough to buy it. The more that Bill insisted he wasn’t repeating the sins of his father and lied his way around it, the more he was doomed to repeat it.

Ultimately, Bill admitted his fault. But only after being faced with his criminal past, being yelled at by his family members and receiving a direct threat to his state Senate run. And although I usually like when the show revolves around the immediate family, this one focused a bit much on the unlikable, conniving megalomaniac that Bill had become and, sadly, exposed the family’s separation more than ever. (Kudos, though, to Bill Paxton – it can’t be easy playing this guy, who is at turns ambitious, earnest, greedy, self-serving, manipulative and somber, and yet he does it all so convincingly week after week.)

HBO renews 'Big Love' for fifth season

Despite all the marital upheaval that's going on in the show this season, the bond between HBO and "Big Love" is stronger than ever. The cable network has just renewed its vows with the Emmy-nominated drama about a man and his three wives, so it will return for a fifth season. 

According to Variety, HBO has picked up 10 episodes for Season 5 (as opposed to Season 4's nine episodes), with a premiere date set for sometime next winter.

The critically acclaimed extended family drama has had a rush of good fortune as of late. The series (whose fourth season premiered on Jan. 10) has experienced an uptick in viewership from last season, and Chloë Sevigny, who plays prickly second wife Nicki, was awarded a Golden Globe for best supporting actress last month.

"We're so happy," said Will Scheffer, who co-created and executive produces the series along with Mark V. Olsen. Particularly now that "our fans will get to experience what we have planned for next year."

—Allyssa Lee

Photo credit: Lacey Terrell / HBO

'Big Love': Crazy hearts

“There’s nothing we can do. They’re both consenting adults, and there’s no law against crazy.”

So Bill said about the mind-boggling would-be union between Nicki’s mother and her ex-husband. Though let's face it: J.J. and Adaleen weren't the only ones taking trips over to Crazytown. This episode had more nuttiness than a 10-ton Snickers. And if there really was some rule against being totally bonkers, more than half the characters would definitely be behind bars.

Though Bill himself should be incarcerated for all his low-down, dirty dealings. Bill announced his candidacy for state Senate, and dadgum if he didn’t step over, use, alienate and destroy whomever and whatever got in his way to do it. He’s always been self-serving and overly ambitious, but now he's really crossed the line.

He chided Rep. Colburn for calling the INS on Home Plus and playing dirty pool, but Bill is splashing around in the muckety muck along with him. He pulled a Roman and got new, eager worker bee and head cheerleader Nicki to don plain clothes again as a mole in Colburn’s campaign. He sent reports to Dale on how to redistribute the UEB’s assets. Moved up his announcement by three days. Eliminated healthcare for the other wives. Fed Don to the fishes. And threw his son out of the house! Build with Bill, my foot. How can one guy have his fingers in so many puddings and inflict such destructive force on them all? It’s enough to send one off to the cellar in a huff to sift weevils.

The most disgusting part: that he did these underhanded things while insisting his wives, children and friends all come clean.

'Big Love': Making contact

Sometimes, all it takes is a little connection to get things moving. Characters came together throughout this episode, titled “Strange Bedfellows” — some for the better, and some for the worse, but all of which set forward a nice, exciting momentum for the rest of the season.

First, Bill trekked out to Washington, D.C., to try to get an endorsement from Congressman Paley (Perry King of “Riptide”!). Bill was oozing confidence in spades; he knew that if he could just get an audience with the Congressman he was sure he could win him over.

Of course, all this confidence could only end in hubris for our overly ambitious polygamist. After getting the runaround from Paley’s office, Bill tried another tactic to secure some Congressional face time: Crashing a fundraiser put together by lobbyist Marilyn Densham (hello, Sissy Spacek!). Too bad he showed up at her office and mistook her for a receptionist. And then made things worse by disingenuously trying to balm things over. And then lashed out when she didn’t fall for his smarmy charm. (“Lady, at this point, I wouldn’t give you $1,000 if you were Nancy Reagan herself.”) Oh, Bill. All that condescending talk is not going to win you any favors. And I loved how Marilyn took him to task for it. “You’re out of your league,” she said point blank.

The D.C. trip was also supposed to be a romantic getaway for Bill and Nicki to reignite the old, wavering flame. Only, Nicki decided to tote Cara Lynn – and a small gun (“I checked it in separately,” she said as explanation – ha!) — along as protection.