I went back to November of last year and couldn't find a thread, so I thought I'd start one. Here's a link (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11765953/site/newsweek/) to a clip. I'll be watching tonight, as I'm 26 miles from the Utah border.

It looks like the lead guy is the marshall from "Deadwood"

I'll be watching and I'm nowhere near Utah.

I thought Bill Paxton was the main guy on the show. :confused:

I love that Tina Majorino as the uptight Mormon girl at Deb's. (Which is, intentionally or not, a reference to he Napolean Dynamite character.)

I recorded it on the DVR, will watch tommorow.

Sherrif Bullock IS NOT in this SHow.
It is without a doubt Bill Paxon (Chet)..

Sheriff Bullock...? Timothy Olyphant is not in this show, where did that come from..? Bill Paxton is the lead character, Bill Henrickson.

This show has a bevy of good actors, Harry Dean Stanton, Bruce Dern, to name a few...show looks interesting so far, I'm definitely going to catch it next week.

Sorry, Tombstone, not Deadwood.

The maneuvering over who gets to sit in the front seat was funny, and summed up the dynamics between the wives. The compound and the scenes with "Roman" were extraordinarily creepy. As to Bill's home life, it looks like a case of be careful what you wish for. I laughed (hooted) out loud a few times, especially when wife #1 wanted to sleep after he took the little blue pill. I was sure he was going to go next door, but his smile at the irony of the situation was much wittier writing.

I think they did an outstanding job of introducing a big cast, three locales and the whole modern polygamy scene. I think this show is really going to p*** off a whole lot of "Morbots." I'm addicted.

Between "Big Love" and "The Sopranos" it looks like HBO has it's own little twisted version of Family Night programming. :)

I had to laugh when Bill Paxton was sitting alone poolside in his robe (ala Tony in the first Sopranos episode). I kept waiting for some ducks to fly in. And then later on the Mormon mob shows up to basically shake him down. Too funny.

This could be a fun tandem. I wasn't wowed by the initial episode like I was by the first offerings from The Sopranos, The Wire and Deadwood, but there was enough to keep me coming back for more - especially with Harry Dean Stanton and Bruce Dern, two of my favorite character actors alive.

I thought it was pretty good but I'm not sure how people from outside of Utah will stay interested. There is quite a bit of Utah specific, inside info in the show.... Pretty funny for us 'locals' but not sure about from the outside.

Well coming from someone with little experience with Utah and its citizens (except for the occasional visitors to my front door ;) ) - I have no problem finding the subject matter interesting.

I was disappointed that the "Nudity" tag yielded only a shot of Bill Paxton's ass, but I'll keep tuning in trusting that HBO got the appropriate nudity clauses signed by all the females in the cast. :)

Well coming from someone with little experience with Utah and its citizens (except for the occasional visitors to my front door ;) ) - I have no problem finding the subject matter interesting.

I was disappointed that the "Nudity" tag yielded only a shot of Bill Paxton's ass, but I'll keep tuning in trusting that HBO got the appropriate nudity clauses signed by all the females in the cast. :)

Maybe we should start a translation thread... People from Utah could translate the Utahn into english and explain the unusual phrases used in the show. :)

And yes, the nudity was a disappointment! :D

The first episode was OK but didn't really grab me. I've felt that way about other HBO shows, though, and will give it some time. What the pilot episode failed to do, for me, was explain at all why anyone would want to live like this. What's the upside? Getting to have sex with three different wives? He didn't seem particularly interested in that. It just seemed like the whole lifestyle was nothing but a huge pain in the ass.

The storyline about Chloe Sevigny being a shopaholic also felt very forced.

i like how thrifty he is... getting one pool for 3 houses. man his property tax bill...... not worth all the sex.

i like how thrifty he is... getting one pool for 3 houses. man his property tax bill...... not worth all the sex.

No kidding, plus the pressure to perform nightly to avoid them feeling like they are getting shafted (or not ;) ) on their particular night. I'd rather have 2 nights at a time with each with only the first night being a sex night. :)

So, I have this show recorded. Is it worth my time in watching or no?

The first episode was OK but didn't really grab me. I've felt that way about other HBO shows, though, and will give it some time. What the pilot episode failed to do, for me, was explain at all why anyone would want to live like this. What's the upside? Getting to have sex with three different wives? He didn't seem particularly interested in that. It just seemed like the whole lifestyle was nothing but a huge pain in the ass.

The storyline about Chloe Sevigny being a shopaholic also felt very forced.

I think it's a cultural/historical anachronism. This lifestye made sense when the Mormons were trying to populate the vast emptiness that was the west, (remember the second to last scene in Dr. Strangelove when the ex Nazi guy was explaining how they would need 10 sexually attractive women for each male to repopulate the earth?), but just a few generations later it's doesn't make much sense, especially after you've escaped the compound and moved to suburbia.

Just an aside, there are old stone Mormon houses around here that have a balcony that goes all the way around the second floor that allowed the husband to go discreetly from bedroom to bedroom at night. One of those would have come in handy during last night's final scene. BTW, as I understand it, the hotbed (no pun intended) of polygymy is in Arizona, not Utah.

I think this will be a great show. I find it very interesting. I hope that it is accurate in it's portrayal of the average polygamist. I will definitely watch next week.

Scott

Yup, in the Arizona Strip area, Colorado City AZ and Hildale UT. Arizona and US law prohibits polygamy but I guess they get around it by claiming only one "civil union", the legal one, with the rest being "spiritual unions". Evidently this area of AZ/UT is pretty much the middle of nowhere on the north side of the Grand Canyon.

If so I've only heard about it in northern Arizona near the Utah border. I figured they moved there to be just outside Utah's jurisdiction and in a sparsely populated area.

Found an article on the web about the area, a few quotes from it are below,

Nowhere else in the United States is there a state-sanctioned town that is overwhelmingly controlled by a religion whose current leader performs polygamous marriages and who himself has anywhere from a dozen to 70 wives.

Cloaked in the legitimacy of town government and public schools, FLDS polygamists receive more than $6 million a year in public funds to support these institutions.

Although Congress required Arizona to include an anti-polygamy clause in its Constitution as a condition for gaining statehood, the Legislature has never enacted a corresponding law making polygamy a crime. The glaring loophole has frustrated efforts to prosecute sexual-abuse crimes against teenage women in polygamous unions.

I don't know the The Phoenix New Times well enough to know whether they are slanted one way or the other, but the article has some fascinating stuff it, unbelievable actually...

http://www.polygamyinfo.com/plygmedia%2003%2011newtimesaz.htm
Bound by Fear: Polygamy in Arizona

the show was alright. I just don't know how they can come up with enough content to last an entire season, seemed like they provided a heck of a lot in the pilot last night.

Just an aside, there are old stone Mormon houses around here that have a balcony that goes all the way around the second floor that allowed the husband to go discreetly from bedroom to bedroom at night. One of those would have come in handy during last night's final scene. BTW, as I understand it, the hotbed (no pun intended) of polygymy is in Arizona, not Utah.

At the beginning the guy walks out of the front door of wife #2's house to go to work...his daughter in wife #1's house sees him and tells him later he was "bad". I can only guess that's because he didn't go around the back yard so he wouldn't raise suspicion?

Artice is 3 years old, I don't follow it much but last I heard the leader is hiding in Texas somewhere and the state took control of the school.

Just watched it. I think its safe to say that I wont be a weekly viewer. Everything about the show pissed me off. The blond wife and the other one that acts like a hurt puppy are about as abnoxius as they can be. All the screaming from all the babies and wives complaining and such.. One of the worst shows I have seen from HBO..

It just seemed like the whole lifestyle was nothing but a huge pain in the ass.
That pretty much sums up the whole show for me. A big cluster F*ck.

Everything about the show pissed me off. The blond wife and the other one that acts like a hurt puppy are about as abnoxius as they can be. All the screaming from all the babies and wives complaining and such.. One of the worst shows I have seen from HBO..

Obviously you aren’t married, and in your case, I recommend you don’t or you will be in divorce court soon. ;) :D

I thought the show was okay and I’ll give it another week or two, but I didn’t find much that left me wishing for more.

Ginnifer Goodwin, who plays the nervous wreck mother, is getting plenty of experience dealing with children after playing Johnny Cash’s first wife in Walk the Line. I can’t put my finger on it, but I find Chloe Sevigny attractive and have for some time. Maybe because she isn’t drop dead beautiful and just an average looking woman, but I’ve always found her to be rather sexy. Oh well, I guess I got something out of the show after all. :)

Count me in with those not feeling the love for Big Love. I'll give it a few weeks to see where it goes, but right now all I can feel is "what an idiot". Who would want that lifestyle?

Hopefully the show will delve into the legal and social aspects of polygamy and the power struggles within the group. That old article I posted above is just loaded with possible storylines that could be used. If all we see are Bill and his 3 families each week I could see this show getting very dull very fast.

The show has great potential, and numerous story opportunites to be mined by the writers. It's really up to the writing crew to make it happen, as the cast seems able to deliver on their end. I like the fact that it approaches the usual issues of family life from an off kilter premise. I hope the writers can bring forth some good work.

... but right now all I can feel is "what an idiot". Who would want that lifestyle?

Uhh, maybe it's because they were born into that social "norm" and don't really know any other way to live ... I thought the scenes at the "compound" made that point pretty clear.

While I'm no "expert", I have a gut feeling that monogamy is a relatively recent development in humans.

Uhh, maybe it's because they were born into that social "norm" and don't really know any other way to live ... I thought the scenes at the "compound" made that point pretty clear.

While I'm no "expert", I have a gut feeling that monogamy is a relatively recent development in humans.
I dont agree. They obviously know how to live differently as they moved away and sent there kids to school and so on. He has a job in the real world and has access to how "normal" people live all the time.

Quote: "has access to how "normal" people live all the time."

I thought the show was set in Utah. Rim shot please.

Quote: "has access to how "normal" people live all the time."

I thought the show was set in Utah. Rim shot please.
haha, ya i agree. im originally from North Jersey, (about 10 minutes from NY City) and I did have a hard time relating to the Utah lingo in that show.

I dont agree. They obviously know how to live differently as they moved away and sent there kids to school and so on. He has a job in the real world and has access to how "normal" people live all the time.

True ... but if I were to say to you that everything you learned as a child and believed to be "Truth" and "The Right Way" were 100% wrong, how would you react? Would you suddenly be "enlightened" or would you "close ranks?" The vast compendium of recorded human History would seem to suggest that the latter response is more likely.

More to the point, do you think that because Saudi/Kuwaiti/UAE (etc) society has access to western/Christian culture they will just suddenly change their way of life? Religion is a powerful force to overcome. ;)

BTW, evidentally "Boss Lady" wife does appear to have significant issues with *some* of what's going on at the "compound."

True ... but if I were to say to you that everything you learned as a child and believed to be "Truth" and "The Right Way" were 100% wrong, how would you react? Would you suddenly be "enlightened" or would you "close ranks?" The vast compendium of recorded human History would seem to suggest that the latter response is more likely.

More to the point, do you think that because Saudi/Kuwaiti/UAE (etc) society has access to western/Christian culture they will just suddenly change their way of life? Religion is a powerful force to overcome. ;)

BTW, evidentally "Boss Lady" wife does appear to have significant issues with *some* of what's going on at the "compound."
yes, i can agree with that. but like you said, "boss lady" and the husband (forget his name) are just far to normal. its just not really belivable to me. the other wives i can believe.

That's the beauty of it. The contrast between boss lady and the husband verses the new arrivals and those still living at the compound. It's one of the main themes of the show, as far as I can tell.

This show stinks.........I'm betting this dog will only run one season.

Mike :eek:

dissapointed. I started fast forwarding hoping for some breasts, and got nothing.

I mean c'mon. HBO, a guy who has sex with three different women, premiere episode.....

No breasts. Weak. the story wasn't that great either. I usually like any show that pushes religious people's buttons, but I wasn't into this one. Mormons are an easy target too.

but like you said, "boss lady" and the husband (forget his name) are just far to normal. its just not really belivable to me. the other wives i can believe.

Humm ... So it's improbable that the immediate "family" would have managed to distance themselves from the older generation and evolve somewhat in their beliefs/actions? Right. That *never* happens to anyone in real life ;)

Which is just my way of saying that it's unlikely that we'll get a full explaination of the current family dynamic and how they got there from just the pilot episode of the series. So far, all we have are hints. :)

So far, all we have are hints. :)
and thats all i will ever have because i damn sure wont be watching anymore. :)

LOL ... Well, bye, bye then ;) :)

BTW, a lot of these, "how did they get there," questions are answered on the show's website (at hbo.com) ... And the forums are already hoppin' too. :D

Does anyone know how many eposides there will be?

HBO's original series usually run 10-13 episodes, I would imagine that at least half of those have already filmed.

dissapointed. I started fast forwarding hoping for some breasts, and got nothing.

I mean c'mon. HBO, a guy who has sex with three different women, premiere episode.....

No breasts. Weak.

Wow, that's one piece of insightful critique there. Yeah, the lack of naked breasts is really crippling both the narrative and character development.

the story wasn't that great either. I usually like any show that pushes religious people's buttons, but I wasn't into this one. Mormons are an easy target too.

Um, they aren't Mormons, which was pretty clear. The only actual Mormon who was a featured character was the girl working with the older daughter at the fast food place, and I thought she was portrayed quite sympathetically... much more so than the two non-Mormon co-workers.

lets See:

Sacrament (meeting) - this is basically Sunday Church, the 1 hour long period where mormons conduct Church business, sing songs, pray, take sacrament (eat a peice of blessed bread, drink blessed water ), sunday Church is composed of 3 hours:

1. sacrament, 2. Learning/teaching 3. "focus groups"

1 Sacrament - sacrament meetings usually are arranged in a structured sense like follows:

-opening Prayer, opening Hymn, church business (announcements, blessings), sacrement hymn, sacrament prayer, ***Lessons / or testimoney meeting*** closing hymn, closing prayer.-

*Lesson - lessons are given by members whom are directed to give a lesson on "x" topic by the bishop (director/Pastor/preacher/etc) of the church.(usally 3 persons present 5-10 minute topics)

*testimony - Testimony meetings are the 1st sunday of Every month, the entire church fasts for the day, and during the period normally for lessons, the members would share their testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel. this testimony is nothing like the testimony of the Baptist, or Similar southern religions...
usually they are short and sweet (repative) sounding something like "i know this church is true, i know Joesph Smith is a true prophet, i know our prophet is true, and i know that Jesus has suffered for our sins " - usually some small personal experience or thankfulness for Families are mentioned breifly amongst these common phrases.

2. Learning/teaching - The members then Arrange into Groups based on Age, or marital status, each taught lessons of the gospel. YSA is one of the groups meaning "young Single Adults"

3. "focus Groups" The members then go into Sex based Groups (male or female)
and disscuss their duties in the gospel:

Elders Quorom - The men over 18 discuss the business of running their homes, famlies, and church business, they also learn a lesson on Family values or following
the doctrine. soon after they discuss mission work ( on converting in new members and ways to do that )

Releif Soceity - the Wifes learn how to be a proper mother, they are told they should stay home and raise their children, clean and cook, and even told to obey and take care of their husbands... You can imagine with the Cattiness of women and how the business of being a woman can be competitive, sometimes it becomes a "show off contest" amongst the members ( this is made aparent by the movie "the RM" (return missionary).

High Preist Council - Priests, Bishops, and holders of the Melcheizdek Preisthood, that are usually older than 50 meet and discuss the most important business of the church... these meetings are private, and much is not known as to what happens in these meetings...

********QUICK TERMS**********

Mission - ALL young men are heavily pressured into going on a mission ( young women can if they wish) *ages 18-26* - a mission Can be to a foriegn land ( see movie "the other side of heaven "), or even locally in the us (see "orgasmo").

Relief Soceity - The women's "club" they all meet and have activities.
YSA - Young Single adults 18-28 (somtimes 30 ??) - they meet weekly and have fun youth activies, most often are Dances, the purpose to put two members together for marriage...
Institue - a Wednsday night meeting for the YSA where they learn "college level" doctrine, a more comprehensive study.

Seminary - a Bible course that meets for students From middle School to Highschool, they meet every morning from 5 am to start of school...

Moroni - a Prophet, and chosen man of God, he Wrote in the Book of moron, and Sealed it away to ensure its survival.

Joesph smith - the Angel of God Moroni Appear to Joesph soon after an Earnest Prayer to find out which religion is true, moroni urged him to find and protect the Truth. Joesph smith revealed the Truth and Brought back the Lord's True church to the earth.

i hope this helps break it down...

also, The bishop HATES the Poligamist, because its no longer supported by the LDS church

LDS - latter Day saints (mormons)

-Brine

I especially enjoyed this as I've been living in Sandy, Utah for the past 16 years. I grew up in Soprano land so HBO has me covered nicely right now.

I thought is was very good, by the way.

Some obvious errors:
1) It's the Wasatch Front and the Salt Lake Valley (not Wasatch Valley).
2) Utah is chain-store world and is ruled by Wallmart, Home Depot and Lowes. There is no way in heck (that's Utah speak) that an independent hardware store would exist here.
3) I could be wrong, but I suspect that polygamists do the deed only to procreate. Also, they would have way more kids.

Anthony

Brine,

Pretty hard to take a post with so many grammatical and spelling errors seriously; not to mention your version of the Mormon value system. Sigh.

Willie

Brine,

Pretty hard to take a post with so many grammatical and spelling errors seriously; not to mention your version of the Mormon value system. Sigh.

Willie

Willie, I think he's just trying to give a honest definition of some Mormon terms without any agenda. If he wanted to opine negatively about their faith he would have started with Kolob and the undergarments.

lets See:

Sacrament (meeting) - this is basically Sunday Church, the 1 hour long period where mormons conduct Church business, sing songs, pray, take sacrament (eat a peice of blessed bread, drink blessed water ), sunday Church is composed of 3 hours:

1. sacrament, 2. Learning/teaching 3. "focus groups"

1 Sacrament - sacrament meetings usually are arranged in a structured sense like follows:

-opening Prayer, opening Hymn, church business (announcements, blessings), sacrement hymn, sacrament prayer, ***Lessons / or testimoney meeting*** closing hymn, closing prayer.-

*Lesson - lessons are given by members whom are directed to give a lesson on "x" topic by the bishop (director/Pastor/preacher/etc) of the church.(usally 3 persons present 5-10 minute topics)

*testimony - Testimony meetings are the 1st sunday of Every month, the entire church fasts for the day, and during the period normally for lessons, the members would share their testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel. this testimony is nothing like the testimony of the Baptist, or Similar southern religions...
usually they are short and sweet (repative) sounding something like "i know this church is true, i know Joesph Smith is a true prophet, i know our prophet is true, and i know that Jesus has suffered for our sins " - usually some small personal experience or thankfulness for Families are mentioned breifly amongst these common phrases.

2. Learning/teaching - The members then Arrange into Groups based on Age, or marital status, each taught lessons of the gospel. YSA is one of the groups meaning "young Single Adults"

3. "focus Groups" The members then go into Sex based Groups (male or female)
and disscuss their duties in the gospel:

Elders Quorom - The men over 18 discuss the business of running their homes, famlies, and church business, they also learn a lesson on Family values or following
the doctrine. soon after they discuss mission work ( on converting in new members and ways to do that )

Releif Soceity - the Wifes learn how to be a proper mother, they are told they should stay home and raise their children, clean and cook, and even told to obey and take care of their husbands... You can imagine with the Cattiness of women and how the business of being a woman can be competitive, sometimes it becomes a "show off contest" amongst the members ( this is made aparent by the movie "the RM" (return missionary).

High Preist Council - Priests, Bishops, and holders of the Melcheizdek Preisthood, that are usually older than 50 meet and discuss the most important business of the church... these meetings are private, and much is not known as to what happens in these meetings...

********QUICK TERMS**********

Mission - ALL young men are heavily pressured into going on a mission ( young women can if they wish) *ages 18-26* - a mission Can be to a foriegn land ( see movie "the other side of heaven "), or even locally in the us (see "orgasmo").

Relief Soceity - The women's "club" they all meet and have activities.
YSA - Young Single adults 18-28 (somtimes 30 ??) - they meet weekly and have fun youth activies, most often are Dances, the purpose to put two members together for marriage...
Institue - a Wednsday night meeting for the YSA where they learn "college level" doctrine, a more comprehensive study.

Seminary - a Bible course that meets for students From middle School to Highschool, they meet every morning from 5 am to start of school...

Moroni - a Prophet, and chosen man of God, he Wrote in the Book of moron, and Sealed it away to ensure its survival.

Joesph smith - the Angel of God Moroni Appear to Joesph soon after an Earnest Prayer to find out which religion is true, moroni urged him to find and protect the Truth. Joesph smith revealed the Truth and Brought back the Lord's True church to the earth.

i hope this helps break it down...

also, The bishop HATES the Poligamist, because its no longer supported by the LDS church

LDS - latter Day saints (mormons)

-Brine


You forgot "MorBot". The term the one teen girl used for the totally commited to the church girl.

That pretty much sums up the whole show for me. A big cluster F*ck.

Exactly. Too much trouble. I was having a discussion with my wife about polygamy. Technically, I don't have a problem with it. Must be the libertarian in me, but I could give a crap if a guy has 3 wives. Anyway, the already awkward discussion came to a screeching halt when I forgot my place and remarked that I can barely stand living with one woman let alone three. :p

Willie, I think he's just trying to give a honest definition of some Mormon terms without any agenda. If he wanted to opine negatively about their faith he would have started with Kolob and the undergarments.


Mormons certainly have a unique culture; within that culture resides language and customs specific to it. I am sure Brine's intent was harmless, and you are right he doesn't seem to have an agenda.


Willie

Anyway, the already awkward discussion came to a screeching halt when I forgot my place and remarked that I can barely stand living with one woman let alone three. :p

LOL ... I was going to type a similar pithy response to the original question, but opted for the more serious, thoughtful version instead. :)

Can you say Stress, Stress and more Stress! Makes my one wife, two kids Life a Cakewalk!!! I'll watch again next week just to remind me how good I've got it!

Exactly. Too much trouble. I was having a discussion with my wife about polygamy. Technically, I don't have a problem with it. Must be the libertarian in me, but I could give a crap if a guy has 3 wives. Anyway, the already awkward discussion came to a screeching halt when I forgot my place and remarked that I can barely stand living with one woman let alone three. :p


Wow! See you in divorce court

Finally watched it last night...for all the publicity and hype this show got, the wife and I were underwhelmed. The show seemed to plod along with no clear direction or purpose. It seemed to ramble on trying to show us as much as possible about the strain and pressure of being in a polygamous (word?) relationship.

The compound scene was creepy. If anyone thought that this show was going to be a cheerleader for polygamy or polyamory, well, showing the compound over and over will certainly douse any enthusiasm some might have.

The Mormon shakedown bit was overdone. When the scene came up I was like, "Of course, of course there has to be some mafia-like relationships in these Mormons communities." With no set-up the scene came across rather limply.

Then again, this was the pilot episode.

I'll record it again this weekend to see a regular episode and what happens. Hopefully the show pulls back a bit.

BTW - best scene...Paxton's character takes the viagra and climbs into bed and you know we all do this, starts cuddling up close giving her some business and he's got that lok like, "Yep, that's me, baby, you know want some play." And then when rebuffed, he just sits back and for a moment admires his newfound "wood" as if thinking, "Ah, yes, the new me, uh-huh, I'm back!" Instant classic!

BTW - best scene...Paxton's character takes the viagra and climbs into bed and you know we all do this, starts cuddling up close giving her some business and he's got that lok like, "Yep, that's me, baby, you know want some play." And then when rebuffed, he just sits back and for a moment admires his newfound "wood" as if thinking, "Ah, yes, the new me, uh-huh, I'm back!" Instant classic!

I agree, that was hi-larious. However, the instant reaction wasn't exactly truthful; it's "my understanding" that Viagra, the ultimate recreational drug, takes about an hour to "kick-in" as it were. Or so I've heard. ;) So, a little dramatic license there, but a really funny scene.

when he got rebuffed, doesn't he have like...... two other options to go to?

what a waste of a single blue pill. what a waste of polygamy.

when he got rebuffed, doesn't he have like...... two other options to go to?

what a waste of a single blue pill. what a waste of polygamy.

Had the same thought...put your robe on and take a walk.

when he got rebuffed, doesn't he have like...... two other options to go to?

what a waste of a single blue pill. what a waste of polygamy.

And those little suckers (the pills, not the other wives) cost $12.50 a pop (no pun intended), recently up from $10, uh, so I've heard. Be a shame to waste one... :o :p

And those little suckers (the pills, not the other wives) cost $12.50 a pop (no pun intended), recently up from $10, uh, so I've heard. Be a shame to waste one... :o :p

And he's on a tight budget. Time to do a little tiptoeing thrrough the tulips. Seems like that's the only upside of his situation.

…it's "my understanding" that Viagra, the ultimate recreational drug, takes about an hour to "kick-in" as it were. Or so I've heard.

And those little suckers (the pills, not the other wives) cost $12.50 a pop (no pun intended), recently up from $10, uh, so I've heard.

Okay, we know how long it takes to kick-in and how much it costs...now we need to know how long it lasts...from what you’ve heard. Oh...Oh...are there any interactions when you take Viagra with other pills; you know, like penile enlargement pills or something...from what you’ve heard? ;)




This is the kind of in-depth discussion Big Love has spawned...learning about Viagra. :)

The best Viagara is to just add a new wife into the mix. :)

add a new wife into the mix. :)

amazing..... you probably predicted the season's shocker.

Not sure a mormon practicing polygamy adding a new wife would be considered a "shocker". :) The real shocker already happened - 3 wives and only 7 kids. The only 2 mormon friends I had growing up (military families - guess they aren't pacifists) had many brothers and sisters - 1 family had 10 kids, the other 12 kids (1 wife each).

Yep, in these parts if you are a married women 30 years old or older you are considered a slacker if you don't have at least 6 kids. :D It seems that you need to be either pregnant or working on it 24/7!

The best Viagara is to just add a new wife into the mix. :)

That's all I need. Another woman complaining about me!

Oddly enough, the next episode is called "Viagra Blue." I missed the first 15 minutes of the pilot (my wife makes us all sit down to a family dinner on Sundays) so I'll have to catch it tonight in SD. Bummer.

Well, I recorded the show Sunday night and watched it Friday night. As others have mentioned, if the writers can flush out different story lines outside of Bill and his 3 wives, then we may have something. A story line involving the older daughter has a lot of potential.

I also thought that the funniest scene was Bill lying in the bed admiring his newfound 'wood'. If I had three wives I would have just went next door to the other wife. She surely would have sufficed. I don't know about Viagria, but maybe he should take some Cialis. He'll be able to throw his 'football' through the 'hole' repeatedly without stopping. ;) At least that's how the commericials during the NFL games make it appear.

For anyone taking Cialis, can you throw your 'football' through the 'hole' repeatedly without stopping? :) Inquiring minds would like to know! Now, don't ask me what hole. The commercials don't specify but I'm assuming the makers of the drug meant all 3 holes. ;)

Now we're talking nine holes! Tee it up.

As usual I record everything, so this was no exception. Did last nights episode get any better than the first or should I hit delete before I start?

If the first episode was interesting to you, watch this one. There's much more development of the relationships between the spouses, and we get beginnings of character development with the oldest son. It's still not a homerun, but it's getting better. As I posted last week, there's so much opportunity here in terms of story, we have to be patient as the writers take us on on their tour.

I thought the best part was the development of the Bruce Dern character and the revelation of the history and relationship he has with Bill. That was a pretty powerful scene when Bill picks him up at the hospital. Banishing the young men at puberty - harsh. Oh, and enough of Bill Paxton's ass already! Can't we men get a little equal time here?

1) Last night's episode kept the wife and I interested. Will watch again next week.

2) Like I, and others, suspected, the pilot laid out several different paths for the show to evolve toward.

3) Enough with Paxton's ass.

I'll give it another week and maybe longer if it still keeps me interested. So far I like the show.

Scott

Well, once again, I watched the show and once again I had to take a Tylenol after watching. The show is a huge cluster fu*k with a bland story line. After 2 shows they have already made it very boring and annoying to watch a man with 3 wives and about 40 kids. The one thing that would make this stinker worth watching would be a little bit of T&A from the girls and all the show wants to do is show bill paxtons hairy stomach and ass. As the character from the cartoon The Critic used to say, IT STINKS!

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00008EY6Q.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

One more thing to add, I think its easy to see that the 2 boys in the show are gay. Talking about there boners to each other. The one kid was getting mad when the other boys girlfriend was all over him in the car. LoL.

My wife is in total denial about the two boys being gay...

I predict Bruce Dern is going to steal the show. This is the role he's been waiting for. BTW a few minutes atHBO's cast pages (http://www.hbo.com/biglove/cast/index.html) greatly increased my enjoyment with the show.

Having watched the first 2 episodes, I'm fairly puzzled that anyone outside of Utah would "get" most of what's going on. Somehow I don't think this one will last very long. I like the characters. I especially like that the Mormons are in a huff over the show, meaning every politician in the state. But there simply isn't enough of a story whatsoever. I'm only watching it because it's been deemed so offensive by the locals.

I'll admit to living in a Mormon fringe area (26 miles from the Utah border), and I even had one working for me for a while (he INSISTED I meet his family) but I grew up on the south side of Chicago in an Irish/Italian/Jewish neighborhood, and I can't get enough of this wierdness. BTW, the Mormon guy's house was absolutely stockpiled with food in every room, to the point where you could hardly get around. I heard that's fairly common.

Why are they still recruiting? I heard heaven's full.

Having watched the first 2 episodes, I'm fairly puzzled that anyone outside of Utah would "get" most of what's going on. Somehow I don't think this one will last very long. I like the characters. I especially like that the Mormons are in a huff over the show, meaning every politician in the state. But there simply isn't enough of a story whatsoever. I'm only watching it because it's been deemed so offensive by the locals.

I agree - I can't this show lasting too long... I doubt I would continue to watch it if I didn't live in Utah.

Maybe things will pick up in the show but as it stands now it's not exactly the most exciting show on tv.

I'll admit to living in a Mormon fringe area (26 miles from the Utah border), and I even had one working for me for a while (he INSISTED I meet his family) but I grew up on the south side of Chicago in an Irish/Italian/Jewish neighborhood, and I can't get enough of this wierdness. BTW, the Mormon guy's house was absolutely stockpiled with food in every room, to the point where you could hardly get around. I heard that's fairly common.

Why are they still recruiting? I heard heaven's full.

I don't know of ANY religion that isn't over-flowing with 'weirdness' do you?

I know a lot of Mormons and don't know of any that have food stockpiled in every room. Many of them do have a 'food storage' plan but I have never seen food stockpiled in every room. Having some kind of food storage doesn't sound like such a bad idea to me - it's obvious that the government is not ready for disasters maybe we all should have some supplies ready just in case. As far as hearing that it's 'fairly common' I guess you heard wrong.

All religions must recruit or they die. Recruiting is the norm for religion - I just think that Mormons are better at it than most.

I think the show is over doing the Mormon-Polygamy connection. I see polygamists once or twice a week or so around town and non of them are Mormons... Mormons do not practice Polygamy. I also know of no one that has to circle the Mormon temple several times just to get to work as Bill does!

Wow what a switch - me trying to defend a religion? Damn...

How do you know they're polygamists?

How do you know they're polygamists?

'casue they wear T-shirts that say "Sister wife #2" etc... :)

'casue they wear T-shirts that say "Sister wife #2" etc... :)
ahahahah

Actually, the Mormon knack for storing food and supplies for times of need recently came in real handy after Katrina hit. They haven't publicized it much, but 287 semi-truck loads of food and emergency hygiene supplies were sent to the Gulf Coast from the Mormon Church in Utah, within 24 hours after the storm passed. This wasn't just for Mormon use, but for anyone in need.

There were 4 gasoline tankers also sent, of which two were immediately gobbed on to by FEMA who had no gasoline to get their people around (for all the good they did). My neighbor volunteered some time up at the warehouses where the goods were accumulated and loaded on the trucks and told me about the Mormon Church efforts.

I saw two of the "Big Love" episodes and agree that it is boring as hell. Most people don't understand that being a polygamist will get you excommunicated from the Mormon Church, and it has been this way for over a hundred years. I have met several polygamists (men) in southern Utah while working briefly down there and they seemed like real salt of the earth, honest, sincere people.

But the polygamists are not Mormons. These people are no more "Mormons" than Southern Baptists are. And they aren't just one group. There are many flavors of them, about 30-40 splinter groups with several of the larger ones getting all the press.

The way HBO keeps trying to tie the Mormon church to the polygamists in not so subtle ways, like constantly showing the Salt Lake City temple in the background of scenes, is what makes the locals furious as the Mormon church has tried for over a century to distance themselves from the "Big Love" type groups.

The way HBO keeps trying to tie the Mormon church to the polygamists in not so subtle ways, like constantly showing the Salt Lake City temple in the background of scenes, is what makes the locals furious as the Mormon church has tried for over a century to distance themselves from the "Big Love" type groups.

Which I don't really understand. I'd bet the majority of non-Utahns could care less about the lives of people in Utah. I don't think any of the Mormon stereotypes will ever go away. I frequently sit on chairlifts with people from out of town & they are clueless about anything in Utah, aside from the typical Mormon (and mostly justified) stereotypes.

Bill Paxton has always cracked me up, but he's just not fit for a serious role. I think that makes the show even more of a farce than it is. I just can't get his character from Aliens out of my head. That's the true Bill, as far as I'm concerned.

Bill Paxton has always cracked me up...I just can't get his character from Aliens out of my head.
That, and when he made the penis confession to Arnold at the bridge in True Lies when he thought he was going to be killed.

The wife bailed after last night...I think I’m going to give it one more shot – just not sure yet. If they don’t start giving the women equal booty time I’m definitely gone.

New Yorker review of the show says "And for a lot of viewers “Big Love” is going to need time to settle in; it doesn’t have much dramatic texture until about the fifth episode."

I, for one, am going to hang around until then. A number of issue have already come up that I would like to see answers to.

I frequently sit on chairlifts with people from out of town & they are clueless about anything in Utah
I would be one of those people. Im from North Jersey, about 10 minutes from NYC and I had no idea about any of this kind of thing. To be honest, I dont care to know much about it either. :P

Bill Paxton has always cracked me up, but he's just not fit for a serious role. I think that makes the show even more of a farce than it is. I just can't get his character from Aliens out of my head. That's the true Bill, as far as I'm concerned.

My inability to take him seriously dates back to the jackass, whiny brother he played on Wierd Science. True Lies and Aliens only cemented it. Twister, Apollo 13 and Titanic were a stretch for me.

Not as bad as Bill Pullman going from Spaceballs to Independence Day (the POTUS, no less), however. ;)

My inability to take him seriously dates back to the jackass, whiny brother he played on Wierd Science.

I had totally forgotten about that. Then again, I've only watched that once, and that was when it first came out in the theater. He's one of those actors who always seems to play the same character, much like (choke) Kevin Costner.

Not as bad as Bill Pullman going from Spaceballs to Independence Day (the POTUS, no less), however. ;)

ID was perhaps the worst movie ever. Bill Pullman was really bad, but I think it had more to do with Wil Smith (another actor who never deviates from the same character in every movie).

but I think it had more to do with Wil Smith (another actor who never deviates from the same character in every movie).

"Oh, HELL NO!" - you didn't just say that. ;)

The way HBO keeps trying to tie the Mormon church to the polygamists in not so subtle ways,

Rubbage ... Have you actually watched the show? They're constantly pointing out that these folks are *not* members of the Mormon (LDS) church.

Surely, it would be hard to ignore the large and stately LDS buildings/landmarks if one were shooting a series that is located in and around Salt Lake City, no?

My inability to take him seriously dates back to the jackass, whiny brother he played on Wierd Science.

yep, everytime I see him I see him saying "did you spit in this?" :)

My wife is in total denial about the two boys being gay...

Oh, they're gay for sure. That one kid was getting all jealous and stuff when his 'friend' had that hussy all over him in the car at the drive-in theater. You could also tell b/c the one kid checked out his 'wood' when they awoke that morning. :eek:

Oh, they're gay for sure. That one kid was getting all jealous and stuff when his 'friend' had that hussy all over him in the car at the drive-in theater. You could also tell b/c the one kid checked out his 'wood' when they awoke that morning. :eek:

Well it wouldnt be an HBO show unless there were at least one gay subplot

I would be one of those people. Im from North Jersey, about 10 minutes from NYC and I had no idea about any of this kind of thing. To be honest, I dont care to know much about it either. :P
Then why do you keep posting?

We get the message.

As others have mentioned, I tried over seeing Bill Pullman's arse. I mean, c'mon. In the immortal words of Ryan Leaf: 'Give me a break, knock it off, alright"! More T&A from the youngest wifey.

You could also tell b/c the one kid checked out his 'wood' when they awoke that morning. :eek:
There was a time or two when I was younger and awoke in the morning and checked it out as well – had nothing to do with being gay, but a lot to do with my fantasies of where I was going to plant that thing, especially after some of those early morning erotic dreams I had as a teenager. :D Then again, some people are so uptight they have a difficult time washing that area, so it isn’t surprising some can’t look at their own body without being repulsed. Of course if there isn’t much to look at, I can see how psychologically disturbing it would be to sneak-a-peak. ;) I’m not saying that is how you are, just making a comment. :)

It's not looking at your own that's up for debate - it's the interest in showing it to your buddy.

It's not looking at your own that's up for debate - it's the interest in showing it to your buddy.

That wasn't how I read his post. It could be that I don't remember correctly, but I don't recall him asking the other kid if he wanted the check it out - just a sense of pride. Regardless, I still don't have a problem with it.

There was a time or two when I was younger and awoke in the morning and checked it out as well – had nothing to do with being gay, but a lot to do with my fantasies of where I was going to plant that thing, especially after some of those early morning erotic dreams I had as a teenager. :D Then again, some people are so uptight they have a difficult time washing that area, so it isn’t surprising some can’t look at their own body without being repulsed. Of course if there isn’t much to look at, I can see how psychologically disturbing it would be to sneak-a-peak. ;) I’m not saying that is how you are, just making a comment. :)
Hell, I still admire it in the morning, 50 years after I was born with it.

Regarding the remark to his friend, teens are much more open nowadays about sex, I've read where many teenage girls don't consider oral sex as "having sex".

Then why do you keep posting?

We get the message.
I dont want to watch but I cant look away..

It's not looking at your own that's up for debate - it's the interest in showing it to your buddy.

That's what I meant.

I just watched the 3rd episode. Still no T&A but at least we didnt have to see Bill's hairy butt.

New Yorker review of the show says "And for a lot of viewers “Big Love” is going to need time to settle in; it doesn’t have much dramatic texture until about the fifth episode."

I've found this to be almost universally true of the HBO dramas -- they all start off fairly slowly in a dramatic sense, even if a fairly major event plot-wise happens (what happens to the dad in SFU, or Seth and Sol arriving in Deadwood). I was not overly impressed with the first episodes of either of those shows, or The Wire, or Rome, and they've all ended up among my favorites.

I think HBO just takes an entirely different approach to dramatic storytelling than the networks do -- it's one that rewards patience and approaching a TV show like a novel, rather than like a small-screen version of a movie, where you get instant gratification each 45 minutes. I don't read a book to get immediate gratification at the end of each chapter, and I've learned not to watch HBO dramas that way.

I'm not overwhelmed so far, but I am interested, and I'll keep watching for now.

Regarding the remark to his friend, teens are much more open nowadays about sex, I've read where many teenage girls don't consider oral sex as "having sex".

Harumph. Kids today... :( ...have it made!

As Paxton's character said, "Oral is Moral" :)

I dont want to watch but I cant look away..


So now it's not a clusterf***, it's a trainwreck.

"I've read where many teenage girls don't consider oral sex as "having sex".

I was born 30 years too early.

"I just watched the 3rd episode. Still no T&A but at least we didnt have to see Bill's hairy butt."

How did you manage that?

It's on Comcast Indemand already.



"I just watched the 3rd episode. Still no T&A but at least we didnt have to see Bill's hairy butt."

How did you manage that?[/QUOTE]

So now it's not a clusterf***, it's a trainwreck.

"I've read where many teenage girls don't consider oral sex as "having sex".

I was born 30 years too early.

"I just watched the 3rd episode. Still no T&A but at least we didnt have to see Bill's hairy butt."

How did you manage that?

TWC HBO On Demand.

I've found this to be almost universally true of the HBO dramas -- they all start off fairly slowly in a dramatic sense, even if a fairly major event plot-wise happens (what happens to the dad in SFU, or Seth and Sol arriving in Deadwood). I was not overly impressed with the first episodes of either of those shows, or The Wire, or Rome, and they've all ended up among my favorites.

I think HBO just takes an entirely different approach to dramatic storytelling than the networks do -- it's one that rewards patience and approaching a TV show like a novel, rather than like a small-screen version of a movie, where you get instant gratification each 45 minutes. I don't read a book to get immediate gratification at the end of each chapter, and I've learned not to watch HBO dramas that way.

I'm not overwhelmed so far, but I am interested, and I'll keep watching for now.

Well stated, and I too am interested in the show so far ..

You guys keep refering to Bill Paxtons character in Weird Science as "the brother"

His name was CHET

IIRC, he was also one of the morons in the original Terminator that told Arnold to kiss off when he was looking for some clothes.

IIRC, he was also one of the morons in the original Terminator that told Arnold to kiss off when he was looking for some clothes.

Yup, he even had a spiky punk mohawk!

yep, everytime I see him I see him saying "did you spit in this?" :)
"Get yourself some dickweed" :D
"It doesn't take a genius to figure that out monkey dick. Start talking little man." :D
I love Chet. He rules.

I remember reading somewhere that Paxton is a very close friend of James Cameron so he always puts him in his movies.

"Get yourself some dickweed" :D
"It doesn't take a genius to figure that out monkey dick. Start talking little man." :D
I love Chet. He rules.

"How would you like a greasy pork sandwich served in a dirty ashtray?"

To the above debate on "checking your junk out":
You ain't gay if you look at your own and you're straight. period.
You ain't straight if you look your own and your're gay.
A male should admire his "tool".
It is just like women checking their butts out in the mirror.
my 2 cents.

It just seems like it's turned into a theme, Bill admiring his at the end of the pilot, and the kid admiring his in the second episode. That's a lot of boner admiration for two shows.

Aliens; "We're all gonna die man!"

Hmm, I wonder if we'll see a new catchphrase in this series?

Aliens; "We're all gonna die man!"

"Game over, man!" (That's the role I'll always remember him for.)

Thought the first episode was okay, nothing special. I thought the second episode was much better though. I'm going to stick with this show for at least a little while longer.

Hmm, I wonder if we'll see a new catchphrase in this series?

"Oral is moral"

"Oral is moral"

Well, oral is in moral. ;) :D

Found an article on the web about the area, a few quotes from it are below,


http://www.polygamyinfo.com/plygmedia%2003%2011newtimesaz.htm
Bound by Fear: Polygamy in Arizona


This sentence from the article was played pretty well in the second episode:

• Many young men deemed unworthy of the Priesthood are driven out of town with police assistance so that they cannot compete with men in polygamous marriages.

That's what happened to the Paxton (Paxon?) character at the age of 14. Crappy stuff man.

Show's not too bad after two episodes - I've always hated Paxton in almost every movie he's ever been in, but the three wives are interesting enough to keep the show going...

I am getting sick of the what seems to be required shot of Paxton's ass in every episode so far....

My wife is in total denial about the two boys being gay...


I'm thinking that only one of the two boys is gay - the one that warned his friend to slow down with his new girlfriend (she wasn't ugly...). The one in the front seat is Paxton's son right? Also think they'll start a story line about the two wives from the other guy's family - probably a lesbian subthread going on there?

Curiuos about the oldest of Paxton's wives and the history of her - I'm wondering if maybe she wasn't from the compound growing up - she seems more like someone he met on "the outside" after being kicked out and then maybe they spent some time there after they were first married? Might be some interesting back-story on that one as well...

So yeah, maybe enough to keep me interested watching for a few more weeks... I just got a couple of network HD stations and MAN there's really not much out there on network TV that's worth watching these days...

Curiuos about the oldest of Paxton's wives and the history of her - I'm wondering if maybe she wasn't from the compound growing up - she seems more like someone he met on "the outside" after being kicked out and then maybe they spent some time there after they were first married? Might be some interesting back-story on that one as well...
According to the character bio on HBO's website, she's from a "traditional Mormon family". They seem to have met in college.

http://www.hbo.com/biglove/cast/character/barbara_dutton_henrickson.html

http://www.hbo.com/biglove/cast/index.html

I'm thinking that only one of the two boys is gay - the one that warned his friend to slow down with his new girlfriend (she wasn't ugly...). The one in the front seat is Paxton's son right? Also think they'll start a story line about the two wives from the other guy's family - probably a lesbian subthread going on there?

I agree with both. The lesbian subplot will probably attract a few viewers wandering over from The L Word. In the industry, they call that "synergy".

Curiuos about the oldest of Paxton's wives and the history of her - I'm wondering if maybe she wasn't from the compound growing up - she seems more like someone he met on "the outside" after being kicked out and then maybe they spent some time there after they were first married?

No, I don't think so. Nobody as cool, classy and collected as her would possible embrace polygamy unless they were raised in it and thusly indoctrinated from birth. No way she would "convert"; do you know any woman who would? If so, can I have her number? :p

Does anyone else have the new episode available On Demand? My girlfriend is down stairs right now watching the 3rd episode On Demand HBO.

Is it in HD?

Is it in HD?
no, just SD. but why the heck is it even on??

BTW if anybody needs to catch up, the pilot and episode 2 are showing at 8pm eastern (that's 6pm Utah time) on HBO HD.

Did they make a mistake by putting the 3rd episode On Demand HBO?

Did they make a mistake by putting the 3rd episode On Demand HBO?

No, they did this with "Rome" also.

No, they did this with "Rome" also.

Perhaps it is a way to compete with starz that aires the "new" movies a few weeks before thier Saturday premiere.

Do you ON Demand subscribers get the Sopranos four days early as well? Did you get the season premier four days early? That just doesn't seem right somehow, even if it is in SD.

Do you ON Demand subscribers get the Sopranos four days early as well? Did you get the season premier four days early? That just doesn't seem right somehow, even if it is in SD.

Don't know. I don't watch the Sopranos.

Do you ON Demand subscribers get the Sopranos four days early as well? Did you get the season premier four days early? That just doesn't seem right somehow, even if it is in SD.
Im not an On Demand subscriber. HBO On Demand comes with my HBO subscription for free. No Sopranos is not ON demand until after its premier on Sunday.

I am getting sick of the what seems to be required shot of Paxton's ass in every episode so far....My guess why:
The powers that be figured the male audience would be a given, considering the subject matter, and to woo female viewers something would be needed.

My guess why:
The powers that be figured the male audience would be a given, considering the subject matter, and to woo female viewers something would be needed.

LOL ...

Amount of "straight male friendly" nudity available on TV/Cable/Magazines etc, etc: uncountable

Number of shots of "Bill's" rear: two

A little parity anyone? ;) What's good for the goose ... :D

My guess why:
The powers that be figured the male audience would be a given, considering the subject matter, and to woo female viewers something would be needed.
Im not sure that Bill Paxtons hairy ass is something that woo's the females. i dunno, maybe im wrong. lol

Im not sure that Bill Paxtons hairy ass is something that woo's the females.

In those shots of Bill’s ass, other parts of his body are pictured; yet by the comments in this thread, many guys are drawn to his butt. Hmmm.... ;) lol

Im not sure that Bill Paxtons hairy ass is something that woo's the females. i dunno, maybe im wrong. lolAs noted, it's only a guess.

I'll have to ask my wife, but I can't imagine that "Bill Paxtons's hairy ass" is something that gets her going.

Now as to that wench in the front seat at the drive-in...no comment.

Re. "Bill Paton's hairy ass"... lets just say that the program is written by a couple of less than straight individuals. And you wondered why Bill's hairy ass was being shown so much.

I'm warming up to this show. It's starting to fit into the Six Feet Under niche better as it goes.

Why was this a repeat at 10PM last night (3/26/06)?

I thought the 1st run shows air at 10PM Sundays after the Sopranos?

I watched this episode about the birthday party last Tuesday 3/21/06.

3rd epesode was the best so far. My Wife gave up on the show after last week, and I'm afraid she quit just as the show is getting good. I will definitely keep watching.

Scott

I like the flirting that goes on between his 3rd wife and his oldest son as they're so close in age. 2nd episode know where the 1st wife gets a little perturbed about it. :)

I think Wife #1 was perturbed because Wife #3 wasn't wearing any underwear as she was hugging the son, which was briefly noticable in the scene.

For those that were looking for 'equal time' with Paxton's butt, that was it.

I saw underwear under her short robe. (Not that I was looking ;) )

*L* Not that I was looking either, but you may want to look again.

Then again, I have D*, so it might be the poor PQ. :-)

Why was this a repeat at 10PM last night (3/26/06)?

I thought the 1st run shows air at 10PM Sundays after the Sopranos?

I watched this episode about the birthday party last Tuesday 3/21/06.

The birthday party episode was new last night. It was not a repeat. The show has only had 3 episodes:

3/6/06 - Pilot
3/19/06 - Viagra Blue
3/26/06 - Home Invasion

However, that episode was available on-demand on some cable systems in advance of its official airing. Is that how you saw it?

The old preacher dude and his young wife in training give me the creeps.
He is like the old timer from poltergeist. creepy.

I'm warming up to this show. It's starting to fit into the Six Feet Under niche better as it goes.
I hope more people will feel the way you're feeling. :)

It's a lot of fun to watch old pros like Harry Dean Stanton play these roles for all they are worth. It's nice to see Bruce Dern, period!

*L* Not that I was looking either, but you may want to look again.

Then again, I have D*, so it might be the poor PQ. :-)

I wasn't looking either, but I think they were baby blue.

I wasn't looking either, but I think they were baby blue.

yep. I'm another who wasn't looking who saw the blue.

Also, it wasn't just that, because in this past episode they were playing again "I got a car", "you got a car" as they were kicking each other and she smacked both of them upside the head.

Copied from Fred's HOTP thread,

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=7388226#post7388226
Hot Off The Press! The Latest Television News and Info - AVS Forum

TV Notebook
'Big Love': Real Polygamists Look at HBO Polygamists and Find Sex

By Felicia R. Lee The New York Times March 28, 2006

SALT LAKE CITY — Yuck, she said. A sex scene. And right at the beginning of the show, her friend chimed in.

"Big Love," HBO's new take on a fictional polygamous family in the suburbs of this city, was on the television. The Viagra-popping Bill Henrickson (Bill Paxton) was thrashing in bed with Margene (Ginnifer Goodwin), the youngest of his three wives. The five women watching the show — covering their eyes during the sex scenes, chiding the competitive wives, urging Bill to take control — were critics with special credentials: a current or past polygamous marriage.

And despite the show's flaws, these women called "Big Love" a cultural benchmark, one with the potential to cast a warmer light on their lives.

"It's a more realistic view of a polygamous family that lives out in society than people have known," said Anne Wilde, a widow who was part of a multiple family for 33 years. "It can be seen as a viable alternative lifestyle between consenting adults."

"Big Love," which had its premiere on March 12, has certainly made a noisy splash. Some television critics find it an intriguing twist on suburban family angst. The Mormon Church contends that the show glamorizes a practice it renounced in 1890. Vicky Prunty, the head of the leading anti-polygamy group here and herself a former polygamist, dismisses it as a Hollywood fantasy for men. The first "Big Love" episode was watched by 4.6 million people (following "The Sopranos," which drew 9.5 million), according to Nielsen Media Research. A week later, the number for "Big Love" was down to 3.4 million after "The Sopranos" attracted 9.2. million.

For the women gathered in a hotel room here at the request of The New York Times to talk about the intersection of their lives and popular culture, more is at stake than good ratings. "This is a glimpse of a family that is mainstream," Mary Batchelor, a 37-year-old mother of seven and director of "Principle Voices," a leading polygamy advocacy group, said of the Henricksons. "There are hundreds of these families. It shows an aspect of polygamy nobody ever sees. Before, you saw families in crisis." She referred to media images of men being carted off to jail for beating women or children or marrying child brides.

"This is making all of America say 'Why is there a law against polygamy?' " said a 55-year-old woman who wanted to be known only as Doris, because she feared repercussions at her new job after years of staying at home with her 14 children in suburban West Jordan. "This guy is just trying to support his family, and the family is just trying to make it."

While the women said "Big Love" had too much skin and not enough religion or humor for their taste, they agreed that it portrayed the Henricksons like any other American family, especially in an era of mixed marriages of all sorts, gay partnerships, single parents and serial monogamy.

In addition to Doris, Ms. Batchelor and Ms. Wilde, the women watching "Big Love" on this night included Linda, a 53-year-old widow and mother of four who said she lived for 30 years "in a plural situation" with 12 other wives; and another Mary, 52, who has been married for 10 years, has five children and whose sister-wife ("my best friend") lives up the street in a town called Bluffdale. She is an artist and high school teacher.

They did have some worries. "My concern is that this will stereotype and cause more prejudice from the mainstream Latter-day Saints Church," Mary said of the "Big Love" family. "People who are not Mormons will say, 'They are kind of normal,' but people in Mormondom will say, 'They are as disgusting as we thought' because of the sexual content." Like the characters in "Big Love," who talk about keeping their families below the horizon, these women were careful about providing private details. Ms. Wilde, for instance, declined to say how many sister-wives were in her family.

The personal and the political sometimes converge, though. Ms. Batchelor is a second wife who became an only wife after the departure of the first wife — that being Ms. Prunty, the co-director of Tapestry Against Polygamy. That nonprofit group's trustees and directors include formerly polygamous wives and family members, and its advisory board consists of legal and social-work professionals. Their main focus is to help people leaving polygamous families and to educate the public.

"Big Love" skims the surface of the intense dynamics in plural families, Ms. Prunty said. Their isolation, secrecy and complicated logistics make them breeding grounds for forced marriage, under-age brides and abusive men, she said. The writers of the series have said that those issues will be addressed.

"In reality, there's not a woman out there who's going to share a man without religion being a factor," Ms. Prunty said. "That's what's missing in the show. This seems like some male fantasy, some alternative marriage that is Hollywood."

While each episode, after discussions between HBO and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, includes a disclaimer that the Mormons long ago renounced polygamy, thousands of polygamists who call themselves Mormon fundamentalists say they are following the church's original teachings on marriage, called "the principle." Some live in religious communities, others live independently.

C. Michael Quinn, a historian and former professor at Brigham Young University, said his research shows that the devotion of fundamentalist Mormon teenage girls to polygamy helps keep the practice alive. Dr. Quinn, the author of several scholarly books on Mormons, said the girls from polygamous families cannot imagine another life. The boys, he said, cite the difficulties in supporting a big family but find wives among the girls in their community.

"They believe polygamy was a commandment from God to the Mormon founder, Joseph Smith Jr., in the 1830's," explained Dr. Quinn, himself an excommunicated Mormon from a Mormon family that goes back seven generations. He estimates that one-third to one-half of about 30,000 to 50,000 Mormon fundamentalists are also polygamists; Tapestry Against Polygamy estimates that there may be as many as 100,000.

The fictional Henricksons are portrayed as independent fundamentalists. Middle-class and attractive, their three households include seven children in total and discreetly share a backyard. Bill is hustling to open his second home-improvement store. The show's darkest element is a creepy father-in-law, Roman (Harry Dean Stanton), the patriarch of a polygamous clan, who wants a bigger cut of Bill's business profits.

The women gathered to watch the show liked that a distinction was made between such groups and more modern, independent polygamists. They laughed at Roman but admitted he represented a certain reality. "There's diversity," Ms. Wilde said. But Linda added, "Please, we don't believe in forced marriage or child brides."

They also liked the cool and collected first wife, Barb (Jeanne Tripplehorn); disliked the second wife, Nicki (Chloë Sevigny), a secret shopaholic and Roman's daughter; and empathized with the efforts of the newest wife, Margene, to fit in. Bill, they said, was mismanaging his time and not standing up to the women, who seem to fight constantly for his attention. In the show's second episode, Nicki and Barb are upset about the short robe that Margene wears to breakfast with the whole family and spar about the need for the women to stick to "the schedule" for visits from the Viagra-enhanced Bill.

"Viagra is not part of our culture," Linda said. "Our men don't need Viagra." She added that sister-wives would not put pressure on a man sexually.

Later in the show, when a friend asks Bill if he is thinking of "adding a fourth" wife, Bill demurs, saying that he has his hands full. "They're the path you've chosen; walk it with decency," the friend comments.

"That's a good line," Linda said, as the other women murmured their assent.

The creators of "Big Love," Mark V. Olsen and Will Scheffer (who along with the actor Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman are the executive producers of the series), said in a telephone interview that they were hearing all the criticisms and compliments. The show was conceived as a prism through which to look at the "struggle for the common good over the individual good" that exists in any family, Mr. Olsen said. He and Mr. Scheffer are partners in real life.

"The pro-polygamists think it's too dark," Mr. Olsen said. "The anti-polygamists don't think it's dark enough. I think we've split the baby down the middle." The men said they spent almost three years researching the show, talking to experts and reading everything from sociological tracts to official Mormon records.

Mr. Scheffer said future episodes would explore some of the darker aspects of polygamy, like the abuses of patriarchy. There are already hints in the early episodes: Roman has at least one teenage bride.

Back in the Salt Lake City hotel room, where a light snow mixed with rain fell outside, Ms. Batchelor worried aloud about Bill and his wives. "I think they're a family in transition," she said. "I hope they're going to make it."

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/28/arts/television/28poly.html?_r=1&oref=slogin&pagewanted=print

Interesting read, Kennan. While it may open the eyes of some, I seriously doubt that anything will change. Especially if we continue to have politicians like Hatch who has been quoted as saying he has many polygamist friends & they are good people.

In reality, there's not a woman out there who's going to share a man without religion being a factor," Ms. Prunty said. "That's what's missing in the show. This seems like some male fantasy, some alternative marriage that is Hollywood."

Dear Ms. Prunty,

Not in the "real" world :) Out here, having to support 3(+) wives falls more into the nightmare realm than "male fantasy."

"Male Fantasy" is having a one night stand with three women (at the same time) then never seeing them again. :D

As always, YMMV ...

Dear Ms. Prunty,

Not in the "real" world :) Out here, having to support 3(+) wives falls more into the nightmare realm than "male fantasy."

"Male Fantasy" is having a one night stand with three women (at the same time) then never seeing them again. :D

As always, YMMV ...
DING DING DING, we have a winner!

Dear Ms. Prunty,

Not in the "real" world :) Out here, having to support 3(+) wives falls more into the nightmare realm than "male fantasy."

"Male Fantasy" is having a one night stand with three women (at the same time) then never seeing them again. :D

As always, YMMV ...


I am in total agreement. I looked at my brother after the first episode and said, "What a pain in the arse!". I you want that kind of heartache, you desearve it.

No love for 'Big Love' in e-mail campaign
Mormons protest portrayal
By Vince Horiuchi
The Salt Lake Tribune



Cable network HBO has been deluged with complaints about its new drama, "Big Love," many of them from Mormons who are part of an e-mail campaign aiming to shut down the series about a polygamous family.
In the past week, a chain e-mail has been circulating on the Internet, complaining that the series is full of "parodies of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints."
The alleged parodies include "belief in priesthood by a man blessing his hunting rifle [and] belief in personal revelation from the Holy Ghost by dramatic visions that the polygamous leader discusses casually with a friend," according to the e-mail. "Talk of 'celestial kingdom,' 'free agency' and the 'Choose the Right' slogan are included," it says.
wonders why they set the show in Salt Lake City, the church's world headquarters, and why they included distortions of LDS beliefs," the e-mail says.
HBO's corporate headquarters in New York has received "hundreds" of complaints since the e-mail began circulating, said HBO spokeswoman Nancy Lesser. But the network insists the show does not demean or misrepresent the Mormon church.
"The show in no way conflates polygamy with Mormons," the network said in a statement. "We respectfully disagree that any part of the show distorts or disrespects in any way the beliefs of the LDS Church."
The hourlong drama, which airs Sunday nights at 11 p.m., stars Bill Paxton ("Titanic") as a suburban polygamist living in Sandy who is married to
three women, played by Jeanne Tripplehorn, Chlo' Sevigny and Ginnifer Goodwin.
The series depicts the domestic complications of life with three wives and the pains the polygamist takes to keep his lifestyle secret.
The series, which premiered earlier this month, drew 3.7 million viewers nationally last Sunday, a 14 percent increase from the previous week, according to Nielsen Media Research.
In Salt Lake City, the show appears to fare better. While the national ratings dropped about 23 percent from the first to second episode, it only dropped 10 percent in the Salt Lake City market, according to HBO.
"We are really pleased with how well the show is doing," Lesser said.
The unidentified authors of the e-mail hope the campaign will give "Big Love" the ax in the way many conservative groups take credit for canceling NBC's "The Book of Daniel," a controversial drama about a pill-popping Episcopalian priest. (While NBC received more than 600,000 e-mails complaining about "The Book of Daniel," the show was canceled for low ratings, according to the network.)
While HBO has not yet announced whether "Big Love" will be renewed, the ratings make it likely.
That won't be good news for Nicki Rime, a 25-year-old project manager from Orem who received the e-mail Monday and instantly forwarded it to 30 of her friends and family, even though she hasn't seen the show.
"But I have seen some of the previews. There were clips that
were really distasteful and what I would not hope to see on television," Rime said.
"I just felt it was important that as citizens we take a stand and write letters that we have entertainment with high morals," she said. "Knowing how Hollywood tends to portray morality and sexual relations in general, I don't trust Hollywood to portray its take on polygamy."
Justin King hasn't seen the show either, but the 24-year-old Brigham Young University student also spread the e-mail to more than a dozen friends and family members.
"Whenever people talk about the Mormon church, there are quite a few negative views that the church still practices polygamy," he said.
It's not known where the e-mail campaign originated. LDS spokesman Scott Trotter said the e-mail did not originate with the church.
But Mormon leaders had earlier expressed concern that viewers might mistake the fundamentalist family depicted in the show as Mormon, even though a disclaimer shown at the end of the premiere episode described the differences.

HBO's new series, "Big Love", is about a polygamous family and is set in a Salt Lake City suburb. About the likely impact of this sexually driven show, the New York Times said, "We may never look at Utah and think white bread again."

Parodies of beliefs of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints occur - belief in priesthood by a man blessing his hunting rifle, belief in personal revelation from the Holy Ghost by dramatic visions that the polygamous leader discusses casually with a friend. Talk of "celestial kingdom", "free agency", and the "Choose the Right" slogan are included.

There is a brief disclaimer at the end of the pilot show stating that the polygamists don't have an active connection with the LDS Church. But if the writers don't intend for viewers to make the connection, one wonders why they set the show in Salt Lake City, the Church's world headquarters, and why they included distortions of LDS beliefs.

NBC recently cancelled a show about a dysfunctional Episcopal priest who saw a "Jesus", after almost 700,000 people emailed and complained.

Couldn't we do the same for this show? If you agree, will you:
- forward this email to a as many as of your LDS friends as possible
- print this out
- email a polite protest to HBO:

to www.hbo.com, scroll to bottom of page, click Contact Us, click on Other Programming Information (unless Big Love is listed when you do so), scroll to the light blue box near page bottom, on the line just under Submit an Email, click on Contact Us. Then enter your information, specify it's about Big Love, and leave a message asking them to cancel this offensive show.

One or two sentences is all it takes. Or feel free to copy or edit this message:

I am offended that you would produce the series Big Love. It demeans and distorts sacred beliefs of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. By setting the show in Salt Lake City, it blurs the line between the Church and the long renounced practice of polygamy. Please cancel the show immediately.

For "extra mile" effort and effect, call HBO's operator at 212 512 1208 from 9am to 5pm Mon-Fri EST and ask to leave a message asking them to cancel Big Love. Always remember to be civil.

Thanks!

I've always felt the same about network TV shows that virtually everyone can get, even more so with cable network stations: if you don't want to watch something, then change the f***ing channel or simply don't watch it.

Between Big Love and and the recent DNA contoversy, its shaping up to be a bad year for LDS.

funny how the article has 2 different people that hadn't seen the show, yet forwarded the email on and voiced their complaints in the article.

Nothing better than non-informed people trying to inform the rest of the non-informed.

That won't be good news for Nicki Rime, a 25-year-old project manager...even though she hasn't seen the show.

Justin King hasn't seen the show either...I can guarantee you that attitude wont help peoples perception of LDS.

What did Bill Paxton play in Titanic? I can't remember.

What did Bill Paxton play in Titanic? I can't remember.

I was wondering that myself. Then again, I struggled to stay awake the 1 and only 1 time I watched it. I just don't remember him, at least as his classic self.

He played a character called Brock Lovett, whoever that is, I never saw Titanic.

I was wondering that myself. Then again, I struggled to stay awake the 1 and only 1 time I watched it. I just don't remember him, at least as his classic self.

He was the ship captain leading the exploration of the Titanic's ruins in the lame present day bookend segments to the movie. Never understood the need to tack those scenes on, although not quite as bad as in Saving Private Ryan.

Both those segments served their purpose, but the "bookends" in SPR were far more integral to the story. In Titanic, they were more of a vanity piece for James Cameron as he's quite the deep-sea explorer in his "spare time". The movie could have done quite well without them - although Rose throwing the necklace into the ocean many years later brought many a tear to many an eye.

Duh, I totally forgot about that, I was trying to visually place him somewhere on the ship.

Both those segments served their purpose, but the "bookends" in SPR were far more integral to the story. In Titanic, they were more of a vanity piece for James Cameron as he's quite the deep-sea explorer in his "spare time". The movie could have done quite well without them - although Rose throwing the necklace into the ocean many years later brought many a tear to many an eye.

How were they more integral to the story in SPR? I actually don't think they even made sense in SPR. Consider that the opening piece zooms in on old man Ryan for a flashback of Omaha Beach-only problem is that the Ryan character was never even on Omaha beach in the movie.

I was trying to visually place him somewhere on the ship.

I think many of us were doing the same thing - preferably in steerage. :D

How were they more integral to the story in SPR? I actually don't think they even made sense in SPR. Consider that the opening piece zooms in on old man Ryan for a flashback of Omaha Beach-only problem is that the Ryan character was never even on Omaha beach in the movie.

Just seemed that way to me. Since the whole story was about "saving Private Ryan", it seemed logical to start and finish with the aforementioned Ryan and in between we get the story of how he was "saved". I know the same structure was used in Titanic, it just seemed to flow better in SPR. YMMV. Incidentally, the fade to the Omaha Beach landing wasn't supposed to be his personal flashback, only the beginning of the story of how he was saved.

Im not sure that Bill Paxtons hairy ass is something that woo's the females. i dunno, maybe im wrong. lol

Not this one.

Mark Antony on Rome? Another story entirely... though I'd watch Rome even if MA kept his clothes on all the time. I'm just glad he doesn't.

LOL ...

Amount of "straight male friendly" nudity available on TV/Cable/Magazines etc, etc: uncountable

Number of shots of "Bill's" rear: two

A little parity anyone? ;) What's good for the goose ... :D

This made me chuckle. The thought has crossed my mind every time Bill's butt has been brought up.

There is a Canadian show called "Bliss" that is supposed to be the soft-core equivalent of the kind of thing you see on HBO late-night, but produced with women in mind. I only saw a couple of them, but IMO, they weren't all that successful because the stories weren't that compelling.

I think that men and women are mostly just wired differently when it comes to this kind of thing. Nonetheless, in certain cases a little parity is appreciated, at least by some of us :)

NBC recently cancelled a show about a dysfunctional Episcopal priest who saw a "Jesus", after almost 700,000 people emailed and complained.

Couldn't we do the same for this show?

Well, no. It won't work.

NBC is a broadcast network that wants to widely appeal to as many people as possible. It has to answer to advertisers who sell things like soap and cereal and cars. It has to answer to local affiliates all over the country.

HBO is a pay network that people make a conscious decision to have in their homes. It has a mostly upscale audience. It has no advertisers. It has no local affiliates. Many subscribe to it specifically for its edgy, outside-the-mainstream original programs... programs you wouldn't find someplace like NBC.

NBC hates things like religious protests that create controversy. HBO probably loves every minute of it in the hope that protests by people who probably don't subscribe to it anyway will trigger the interest of people who actually might. The more this appears in the newspaper, the happier they probably are.

So these people who have never seen the show should go right ahead and keep on calling and emailing. Keep talking to the press about your uninformed gripes, too. HBO couldn't be happier.

Here's a better idea. If you wish to protest something HBO is doing... and you are actually a subscriber... go ahead and cancel the channel. Talk with your money, rather than trying to prevent other people from seeing something you happen to dislike (depsite never having seen it).

Sheesh.

Whitearrow you are entirely correct. HBO loves the controversy - no doubt about it. And pairing it with the Sopranos tells you exactly what they expect of Big Love: that it become the next big HBO franchise series.

I'm a big fan of Ginnifer Goodwin - I think she steals it. And Dern too. Great show - I'm hooked and will happily keep watching. I bet the show lasts years.

TM

Whitearrow you are entirely correct. HBO loves the controversy - no doubt about it. And pairing it with the Sopranos tells you exactly what they expect of Big Love: that it become the next big HBO franchise series.

I'm a big fan of Ginnifer Goodwin - I think she steals it. And Dern too. Great show - I'm hooked and will happily keep watching. I bet the show lasts years.

TM
Yep, the more of Bruce Dern and Harry Dean Stanton we see, the better this show will be, at least for me as I really enjoy both of those actors. I agree about Goodwin as well, when she's in a scene, she definitely draws the focus.

Yep, the more of Bruce Dern and Harry Dean Stanton we see, the better this show will be, at least for me as I really enjoy both of those actors.

Just not as much as we've seen of Bill Paxton. ;)

Well, no. It won't work.

NBC is a broadcast network that wants to widely appeal to as many people as possible. It has to answer to advertisers who sell things like soap and cereal and cars. It has to answer to local affiliates all over the country.

HBO is a pay network that people make a conscious decision to have in their homes. It has a mostly upscale audience. It has no advertisers. It has no local affiliates. Many subscribe to it specifically for its edgy, outside-the-mainstream original programs... programs you wouldn't find someplace like NBC.

NBC hates things like religious protests that create controversy. HBO probably loves every minute of it in the hope that protests by people who probably don't subscribe to it anyway will trigger the interest of people who actually might. The more this appears in the newspaper, the happier they probably are.

So these people who have never seen the show should go right ahead and keep on calling and emailing. Keep talking to the press about your uninformed gripes, too. HBO couldn't be happier.

Here's a better idea. If you wish to protest something HBO is doing... and you are actually a subscriber... go ahead and cancel the channel. Talk with your money, rather than trying to prevent other people from seeing something you happen to dislike (depsite never having seen it).

Sheesh.


Who let the smart chick in here? But seriously, that was amazingly well put. It sounds like you're in the business. It makes our "undies or no undies" debate seem kind of shallow.

Just not as much as we've seen of Bill Paxton. ;)
Uh..no, not "see" them that way.. :eek: :D

Who let the smart chick in here? But seriously, that was amazingly well put. It sounds like you're in the business. It makes our "undies or no undies" debate seem kind of shallow.

Aww, thanks :) No, not in the business, though I know some people who are.

Mostly I just read a lot... and one of the most interesting things I ever read about television was that you have to keep in mind what the product is that the commercial networks are selling. They aren't selling us programming... they are selling *us* to advertisers. We, the viewers, are the product. That sheds a whole different light on how I've thought about TV. And it's why network TV is so susceptible to Book of Daniel nonsense. It doesn't take much to start to worry advertisers like P&G and McDonald's.

Fortunately, HBO isn't like that. The viewers *are* the customers. So unlike the networks, they don't have to worry about what's too cutting edge for advertisers who are afraid of upsetting viewers in Biloxi or Bakersfield or wherever. They have to worry about pleasing the people who actually pay for the service. It makes them much less suceptible to nonsense like this, which I'm sure is totally driven by people who aren't subscribers and have no intention of becoming subscribers.

BTW, I don't mind the shallow, as long as nobody complains when I get my occasional fangirl on about Mark Antony or whoever :)

The 3rd episode was really quite good. I think it's hit it's stride and I'll continue to watch.

USA today indicated when it started that the 5th episode was when it got really going.

NBC recently cancelled a show about a dysfunctional Episcopal priest who saw a "Jesus", after almost 700,000 people emailed and complained.

Oh yeah, and don't forget... that show sucked as well. :D

Oh yeah, and don't forget... that show sucked as well. :D

I wouldn't know, they killed it before I got a chance to see it. Was it anything like "Father Ted'? I like really like that show.

Sorry, but "Book of Daniel" was one of the best shows on television-my wife and I watched it religiously. It was so over the top it was kind of like "Desperate Housewives goes to Church" - loved it.
In all honesty I'm getting really tired of uniformed people trying to tell me what I should or shouldn't watch. Book of Love isn't about the LDS church and if you think so-you're not paying attention or you haven't seen it. If you don't like a show-don't watch it. With all the crap in the world-these 2 tv shows are really worth your attention???
(Step down from soapbox and walk away quietly...)

Book of Love isn't about the LSD church...

I'm sure some LSD would definitely change their perspective. :D

I'm sure some LSD would definitely change their perspective. :D

Far out, man.

Dang it! I typed that 3 different times and still screwed it up :) (new glasses too...)

In all honesty I'm getting really tired of uniformed people trying to tell me what I should or shouldn't watch. Book of Love isn't about the LSD church and if you think so-you're not paying attention or you haven't seen it. If you don't like a show-don't watch it. With all the crap in the world-these 2 tv shows are really worth your attention???
(Step down from soapbox and walk away quietly...)

I'd go a step futher and say that even if it were about the LDS church, and a family that doesn't represent true church teachings, it's still entertainment that you are free to opt out of.

If we are hamstrung by 100% accuracy in all of our entertainment, Jack Bauer would spend 14 hours each "day" filling out incident reports and requisitions.

I know a good bit about the Mormons and often work with them, even though I'm not a member. They have a history of being persecuted, so they're justifiably concerned about their image and how it's projected on this show. They feel that some of it probably just feeds the stereotype, like the pushy girl who works with Paxton's daughter, and a lot of people still equate polygamy with the LDS Church in spite of their efforts to distance themselves from, and renouncement of, that practice.

I will say this. They are pretty darn good people, by and large, and I've met a lot of 'em. The Church is a huge part of their lives. A lot of so-called Christians these days just talk the talk; Mormons really walk the walk. A little too committed for me, but it works for them.

It will be interesting to see how HBO deals with their concerns, or not, in upcoming episodes of this series. I plan to stay tuned.

EVERYONE is concerned about their image and if every movie/show made got approval of every group portrayed 99% of them would be boring beyond belief. Every group has conflict-that's what makes an interesting movie. No conflict=no story.

I agree with what you said in a lot of ways. In countries where Christianity is the persecuted religion you don't have so many sunday Christians. If the shoe was on the other foot we'd see more Mormons that just talk the talk and more Christians that really walk the walk.

Another episode down and I'm wondering why I keep watching !
This show is really awful.
I can't get the image of Bill Paxton from Weird Science or Aliens out of my mind.When he starts spewing "the word" It's so not believable !
Chloe Svegny (sp) she make me itch. I cannot stand her in ANY roles she's ever played. There is something creepy about her. Making her Romans daughter was a perfect fit, he couldn't be creepier .

Oh well.

To those talking about the lack of nudity from the women in this show. You can get your fill of Chloë Sevigny in the film "The Brown Bunny". Its an X rated film. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0330099/

To those talking about the lack of nudity from the women in this show. You can get your fill of Chloë Sevigny in the film "The Brown Bunny". Its an X rated film. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0330099/

PULEEEZ , I'd rather watch grass grow then see her naked.
Is it me or there something very homely about her.

She isnt to bad when she is done up. http://1.im.cz/super/img/photo/00/07/08-article_v.jpg

The show gives her that homely look.

Just so people don't get the wrong idea about dear Chloe, "Brown Bunny" is an "art" film with some graphic sex in it (remember, oral is moral) and not a true porno.

Just so people don't get the wrong idea about dear Chloe, "Brown Bunny" is an "art" film with some graphic sex in it (remember, oral is moral) and not a true porno.
agreed.

She isnt to bad when she is done up. http://1.im.cz/super/img/photo/00/07/08-article_v.jpg

The show gives her that homely look.

Damn, NUT, if you are going to post a nice picture of her, at least post one where she doesn’t look like she is doing an impersonation of Anthony Hopkins in The Silence of the Lambs. :eek: :)

http://sapatosvermelhos.no.sapo.pt/chloe_sevigny_dogvillepremiere.jpg

Just so people don't get the wrong idea about dear Chloe, "Brown Bunny" is an "art" film with some graphic sex in it (remember, oral is moral) and not a true porno.

It is also my understanding that the famous "big scene" at the end was performed using a prostetic.

She's BAD even when she's done up.

I would take either of the other two wives over Chloe in a heartbeat.

It is also my understanding that the famous "big scene" at the end was performed using a prostetic.

Well, they did a great job, because Cloe looked absolutely real to me in that scene.

I know a good bit about the Mormons and often work with them, even though I'm not a member. They have a history of being persecuted, so they're justifiably concerned about their image and how it's projected on this show. They feel that some of it probably just feeds the stereotype, like the pushy girl who works with Paxton's daughter, and a lot of people still equate polygamy with the LDS Church in spite of their efforts to distance themselves from, and renouncement of, that practice.

I will say this. They are pretty darn good people, by and large, and I've met a lot of 'em. The Church is a huge part of their lives. A lot of so-called Christians these days just talk the talk; Mormons really walk the walk. A little too committed for me, but it works for them.

It will be interesting to see how HBO deals with their concerns, or not, in upcoming episodes of this series. I plan to stay tuned.

I had a number of Mormon friends where I grew up (not Salt Lake City, not UT). However, the difference between a Utah Mormon and a non-Utah "Jack Mormon" is pretty huge. The friends I had would cuss, drink, etc. Exactly NOT what a good Mormon should do. If you ever get the chance to come out to Salt Lake City, it will probably open your eyes to an entirely different Mormon culture than what you've experienced.

I totally spaced last Sunday's episode (April 2). What happened?

I totally spaced last Sunday's episode (April 2). What happened?
http://www.hbo.com/apps/schedule/ScheduleServlet
HBO Schedule: Search Results: big love

It's on again tonight in HD at nine o'clock Utah time.

It's on again tonight in HD at nine o'clock Utah time.

I found out a little earlier that it's on at midnight in SD. I don't get HBO in HD, but I do in SD. I don't pay for it either & have mentioned it numerous times to Comcast, mostly because if they are giving it to me free, they may as well give me the HD version. They won't give me the HD, but they could also care less that I get HBO in SD. Never had that happen with cable operators before.

The critics said this show would start cooking with episode 5, and I agree. I know everyone wants to see more of Margene's bod, but the "affair" with Barb wife was moving. Talk about a cheapskate - why would he bring the soap home? he's not exactly a master criminal type.

Margene's line, "I told her he died in the Gulf War" was priceless.

Nicky facing off her creepy brother her best scene yet.

I thought Barb's line about the city councilman's wife trying to look up her dress was a lesbo thing, which in turn got Bill all heated up - without Viagra no less. But alas, she meant that the lady was trying to see if Barb was wearing "temple garments" these wierd undies (http://www.algonet.se/~daba/lds/tgarment.htm) true Mormons wear.

The shop scene with the drill was pretty funny too.

I'm enjoying the story, but they are working very hard to ruin every possible advantage to polygamy on TV there is. No threesomes, little nudity (yet another shot of BP's ass), much more work than play in the relationships - now we have the anxiety of having an "affair" just to sleep with your own wife. :eek:

Guess there won't be growing grass roots support for polygamy coming as a result of this show. :)

I was on the fence about whether I was gonna keep watching this show until the scene with Nicki openin' up a can on the brother. Fantastic television. I'm hooked.

The bad guy (Roman) is good, too. I could use fewer shots of Bill Paxton's ass, though. Seems like that's mandatory for every episode.

Audiomagnate, your phrase "wierd undies" was uncalled for.
Please try to be more considerate in your postings.

What's wrong with saying that? I could list hundreds of nicknames given for them, but they all essentially mean the same thing: something not ordinary, something wierd to those who don't know of them.

I'm still hanging in there with this show, the wife, too. When is the bomb going to drop re: Chloe's character's huge debt? That has the possibility to explode into a great episode.

Audiomagnate, your phrase "wierd undies" was uncalled for. Simply put, there are markings on this garment that is worn under regular clothes that remind wearers of the vows one takes in a temple. Vows such as being completely faithful to your spouse. In other words, before you do the deed with a neighbor's wife, for instance, you would see the markings as you remove your clothing and be reminded of the grievious sin that you are about to commit. Thus , they are a protection to the wearer. A final reminder.

Please try to be more considerate in your postings.

If you get this upset by a simple comment as that you need to enter the real world. I would hardly call weird undies a big insult.

If you get this upset by a simple comment as that you need to enter the real world. I would hardly call weird undies a big insult.

Please remember that some people are extremely sensitive about their underwear – especially if it's a special religious undergarment. Yes, some people might think it's strange wearing secret underwear but others might think it's strange wearing a cross around the neck. To each his own.

I guess it depicted the Fundamentalist LDS groups (polygamists) as non-secret underwear wearers. I'm guessing it's because the founder and prophet Joseph Smith – who the FLDS groups base their teachings – abandoned his "garments" a while before being imprisoned in Carthage Jail and his subsequent death. Maybe the FLDS community doesn't believe in garments either. I'm not sure about that. I know actual Mormons are believers in the religious undergarment. And it is VERY common in Utah for Mormons to check people's clothing for "garment lines" as evidence of their membership in the religion. If a new person is seen at work or in the neighborhood, the Mormons instinctively look for "garment lines" in order to tell if they are fellow members.

Mormons also look for other signs, of course. Do they wear more than one set of earrings? Is their clothing modest? Do men have facial hair? (although that's not full-proof). Are they wearing any other "secret" items such as "CTR" (Choose the Right) rings or necklaces? A Mormon can scan an individual for garments and these other signs and determine -- to a very accurate degree -- whether they are "active" members of the "church" within about ten seconds or less.

LOL at the above post and the post by the guy who was offended LOL! :D

Chill, there's no need to LOL at this stuff.

LOL. ;)

Seriously, I like the show, and the LDS references seem forced on occasion. It appears the polygymy would exist without the LDS involvement in the story, but OTOH I can see why the history makes it more compelling to keep that component of the story.

Well... they're in Salt Lake City. It's a place that's deeply impacted by the LDS church. To set any kind of show there and not discuss it at all seems like setting a show in medieval France and never mentioning the Catholic church. Kind of impossible. It's part of the fabric of life.

Besides, I would think it would make LDS members "happy" (or less unhappy) that the show is highlighting the differences between the polygamists and the LDS church, and continually pointing out they are not the same, since their major gripe seemed to be that people would associate polygamy with the church.

The only major character who's a member of the LDS church is the girl played by the actress from Veronica Mars, and I think her character's been treated very positively.

I'm still hanging in there with this show, the wife, too. When is the bomb going to drop re: Chloe's character's huge debt? That has the possibility to explode into a great episode.Somehow I think Roman is gonna use that angle.

Audiomagnate, your phrase "wierd undies" was uncalled for. Simply put, there are markings on this garment that is worn under regular clothes that remind wearers of the vows one takes in a temple. Vows such as being completely faithful to your spouse. In other words, before you do the deed with a neighbor's wife, for instance, you would see the markings as you remove your clothing and be reminded of the grievious sin that you are about to commit. Thus , they are a protection to the wearer. A final reminder.

Please try to be more considerate in your postings.

Next time they come to the door I'm gonna ask them if its holey underwear.

The only major character who's a member of the LDS church is the girl played by the actress from Veronica Mars, and I think her character's been treated very positively.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the other two VM actors on the show ...

(Think Lily Kane and Cassidy Casablancas)

Is that Cassidy? He looked familiar but I wasn't sure. And yeah, I managed to miss Lily completely, but now that you mention it I know who she is. :)

I guess the producers are VM fans.

LOL at the above post and the post by the guy who was offended LOL! :D

I'm sorry. I'm with you on this... I'm compassionate --but LOL :D

From Today's Salt Lake Tribune: Warning Mild Spoiler Alert:
================================================
"TV: HBO's 'Big Love' takes more satirical jabs at LDS Church
Vince Horiuchi
The Salt Lake Tribune

To anyone worried that the HBO drama "Big Love" might give the LDS Church or Utah's image a black eye - wait until you see what's next.
While the controversial series thus far has been tame in its portrayal of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, several upcoming episodes take some hilarious - and I think fair - swipes at Mormon culture and procedure.
As we all know (unless you've been living in a ward basketball gym), "Big Love" is HBO's new one-hour drama about a polygamist living in Sandy. Bill Paxton plays Bill Henrickson, owner of a chain of home-improvement stores who juggles a growing business, three wives and seven children.
Since the debut of "Big Love, which airs Sundays at 11 p.m., polygamists and anti-polygamists, along with LDS Church leaders and rank-and-file Mormons, have expressed concern about how the series portrays our corner of the world.
In the last couple of weeks, critics of the series - most of them Mormon - launched an e-mail campaign protesting the series and sent hundreds of complaints to HBO.
Well, they'll have something to complain about now. In the April 23 episode, Bill seeks the help of a marketing team to advertise his stores. In one hysterical scene, the marketing executive pitching her idea to Bill and his partner shows them a picture of a frumpy woman whose sacred garment lines are showing. The marketer points out that Utahns will respect the woman because she wears temple garments.
Another scene that might steam LDS members involves two Mormon missionaries who visit Nicki, one of the sister wives played by Chloe Sevigny.
The two are portrayed as pushy, self-righteous and suspicious church representatives who won't take "no" for an answer. When Nicki literally kicks them off the porch, one of them pulls out a notebook and jots down her address as an "uncooperative."
"So what?" you non-Mormons might be asking right now. In my experience as a non-Mormon, I've met some missionaries who behaved that way, though not to the degree shown in that scene.
In one storyline, the Henricksons' neighbor, a Mormon ward bishop, and his wife befriend the youngest sister wife, Margene (Ginnifer Goodwin).
They're portrayed as nice but overly perky and nosy people who subtly try to get Margene to learn more about church doctrine. In one especially funny scene, the three go to dinner and - you never see this in a TV restaurant scene - order diet Sprite and 2 percent milk.
Anything can be parodied - even religion, death, disability or ethnicity - if the parody is truly funny and contains a kernel of truth.
Will some Mormons be offended by these scenes? Probably. Whether that will add fuel to the furor over "Big Love" is hard to say.
I don't think it should. After all, Mormon missionaries have been the target of some pointed parody, from "Saturday Night Live's" hilarious skit about missionaries trying to convert an Olympic skier on the slopes to the outrageous story of "Orgazmo," a movie about a missionary who becomes a porn star.
If we take a good, hard look at ourselves and Utah culture, we realize there's plenty to laugh at. And we're the ones who should be laughing the loudest."
---
======================================================
For some background and a few more yuks, try this site. (http://www.salamandersociety.com/dictionary/)

For those who haven't seen it yet, Orgazmo is truly worth the rental, especially if you have been following this thread.

What's wrong with saying that? I could list hundreds of nicknames given for them...

Don't bother, they'll just zap your post. BTW, you can't rent Orgazmo from Blockbuster. Hmm, who owns that outfit anyway???

Is that Cassidy? He looked familiar but I wasn't sure.

Yeah, he's the "upstanding, morals" cousin ... not to be confused with Bill's son. I had to go check the imdb to be sure I wasn't suffering from TiVo induced hallucinations. :)

Does anyone else think that Paxton's character would have a pretty decent deal going on if he didn't have wifey #2? Give me wife #1 and #3 and leave #2 out of the deal.

Does anyone else think that Paxton's character would have a pretty decent deal going on if he didn't have wifey #2? Give me wife #1 and #3 and leave #2 out of the deal.

Chloe makes my skin crawl. I cannot stand her or her character. I'll take wife 1 and/or 2 any day.

I think she became wife #2 as part of the deal with Roman when Bill needed money to start up his first store.


Anyone think there is potential for something to accidentally happen between Ben and Margine?

Fantastic episode tonight. The plot is actually starting to get moderately interesting, so I think I'm kind of hooked now.

Oh, and since I've never posted in the thread before: Ginnifer Goodwin (Margene) is adorable.

Ginnifer Goodwin (Margene) is adorable.
Yes she is, but her immature, whiny, teenage-type attitude is starting to really bug me - which is why I think something is going to happen between Ben and her, only it wont be accidental. Best episode yet.

Hopefully they get around to doing a flashback episode about how Bill met his other wives and whatnot cause it be interesting to see how he got with Margene.

Chloe makes my skin crawl. I cannot stand her or her character. I'll take wife 1 and/or 2 any day.

Gotta agree w/this....you could chop wood with that faccia.

Chloe is growing on me. :eek:

Chloe is growing on me. :eek:

I assume that's with beer goggles on?

Chloe is growing on me. :eek:

Yea, like a fungus.

"You want ketchup?"

"Of course I want ketchup."

I was disappointed. No mention of fry sauce whatsoever, which is breaking from the local realism.

Chloe is growing on me. :eek:

hey...she's got a nice rack...leave it at that... :rolleyes:

"You want ketchup?"

"Of course I want ketchup."

I was disappointed. No mention of fry sauce whatsoever, which is breaking from the local realism.

"Fry sauce"? Never heard of it. If she had said that, I wouldn't have gotten it. Would have just thought it was some kind of strange "Mormon thing" that Roman had taught his daughters. Since this is playing to the "uncleaned masses" who really don't know or understand the ways of "Mormon" or the culture around Salt Lake City, ketchup was probably a better choice.

Nice facial expression on Nicki when she was sitting between the two security guards when Barbara came up. Priceless!!

hey...she's got a nice rack...leave it at that... :rolleyes:

OH PLEASE !

Her rack rates third out of the three wives, with 1 and 3 tied for first.

she's got a homely look about her, maybe it's the long horse face and skinny lanky body.

I can't wait to see the wives flip out over her charge card bills this coming week.

OH PLEASE !

Her rack rates third out of the three wives, with 1 and 3 tied for first.


Agreed. She's thin, so at least she's got that going for her, but a raving beauty she is not. And she certainly comes with a lot of baggage for poor Bill - how could he ever have married into Roman's family?

You've got to feel just a little bit sorry for Nicky after this episode. Another round of "pass the buck" at the Hendricksons, and although last time she was the instigator, this week she was the victim. When I saw her lying on her back and yanking that dispose-all out, my esteem for her grew immensely. My wife has a better chance of levitating the dog than ever sticking her head under the kitchen sink. Getting your credit card declined, being denied a "family" discount at your husband's hardware store, being accused of identity theft, getting stared down by that closed minded shrew in accounting, having to to be "rescued" by Barb, and then the pies de resistance, having your car towed! -now that's a bad trip to the hardware store.

The fact that so many people hate her means Cloe's doing a great job of acting.

What's "fry sauce"? If it's a Salt Lake thing then I think it belongs in the show, just like "garmies" which reappear in next week's episode.

Fry Sauce (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fry_sauce)