Spoilery!

Ain't It Cool News

Personally, I think the "Harry Dean Stanton as a tame, religious Tony Soprano who is driven around in a giant Hummer" sounds like one of the most intriguing characters.

LDSfilm.com has some of Amanda Seyfried's casting sides for the pilot.

I find it most appealing because of all the (three! COUNT 'EM!) actors from Veronica Mars that are going to be there. Especially Tina Majorino as the uber-religious friend of Amanda Seyfried.

EmpressbyNature, I actually spotted a fourth although the fourth had a very minor role in "Return of the Kane" (he was the guy with the camera outside the Echolls estate).

God, I agree. Kyle Gallner and Tina Majorino (Beaver and Mac) are two of my favorite characters of the show.

ETA: Wait, what episode will Tina star in? I checked IMDB and I can't find out.

I think she's a regular, Karoline. I know she's in the pilot.. She's playing Heather Tuttle and some of the sides that I linked to have lines with her in them. Tina's also on the official site.

I get the idea that Sarah will become her friend, so she'll be a regular.

3rd episode is (or was) available on HBO on Demand. Nicki wants to throw Wayne a birthday party on the scale of a medium-sized wedding. Meanwhile Bill has a home security system installed. He and Barb meet their new neighbors and in attempting to throw off perceived suspicions, appear to create new ones. Roman, Adaleen, and Rhonda (who is in
"pre-marriage placement") come for the party. In the possibly creepiest moment ever, Harry Dean Stanton sings "Big Rock Candy Mountain" for the kids. There is some interaction between Sarah and Rhonda, Lois and Margene, and lastly in a very skeevy scene, Roman and Nicki.

I caught the 3rd episode on demand too. I think the pace really picked up a bit. But the scene between Nicki and Roman really gave me the creeps...

It's picked up, but it still feels off. That's the only way I can describe it. Maybe it's because they have so many characters to deal with.

Gods, I can't stand Nicki. Especially after ep 3. Ugh. UGH. I know - she's stunted emotionally because of abusive sister-wives and a father that very likely sexually and physically abused her, so I understand why she is the way she is, but...gods, she has the emotional development of a 6 year old. HATE.

Roman is astoundingly creepy. It's worth it just for him.

I just watched the third episode too and I agree that my Nicki hate has increased unbelievably. It's interesting how Nicki's mom keeps giving her the smackdown about her materialism and yet Nicki isn't getting it. Poor little Wayne and his crappy birthday party.

It was interesting when Bill's brother said to Barb that "he got into this (Roman and the business partnership) because of your illness". That would go a long way in explaining why Barb is accepting of the polygamy because Roman's money came with strings (Nicki). That way Roman would always be tied to Bill. After seeing this episode, I can't come up with any other explanation as to why Bill married Nicki - there's not one redeeming quality about her.

Something else I caught in the "all about Big Love" show, Margie comes out with a positive pregnancy test. I'm not sure if it's a flashback or a new scene.

She almost redeemed herself at the end of ep 3 - saying that she doesn't belong anywhere. I just wish she had some reasonably redeeming character trait. And yeah, it doesn't help that the cast CS in this particular role; if they had switched her and GG's roles, I think it would have helped me enormously.

The saddest thing about ep 3 - the birthday boy's asking if there were going to be any kids at his party. Man, ow.

I think that was a new scene it looked like Barb was holding Margie's youngest baby when she had the test....

My biggest problem with the show, other than the misogyny of it all, is Bill spends SO MUCH time trying to attend to the needs of his wives, the kids seem to get the "short end of the stick". heh. How many times already have we seen kids ignored or completely unattended to in 3 eps? Wayne's birthday party was so F'n sad. The women/wives/sisters (oh, I'm getting a headache) require massive amounts of attention even at a child's party. In ep 3, Nicki's mother somehow managed to come across as one of the more normal people on the entire show... And she was teaching her husband's 14 year old wife!!!


Why have I watched all 3 eps? It might have something to do with the fact Ms. SHOCKEY80TE is pissed at me for saying repeatedly last night I wouldn't mind hopping in bed with Jeanne Tripplehorn or GG.

I think with this polygamous set up - one man as head of household(s) and then sister-wives, it almost gets like a tiered system - he deals with the wives and they deal with the kids.

There's also the "footsie" scene with Margie and Ben when Barb tells Margie to get over to her own house because Sarah is babysitting and wants to come home. The kids really are getting the short end.

That's how it seems to me, too. I've been looking up Mormon stuff online all day, and also spent some time on the HBO site, so I can't remember where I saw this, but it seems that for some Mormons (the fundies, I mean, not LDS), the children take the surname of the mother, not the father, which lends some credence to your theory about the tiered system. I think it may be from the HBO site that I got that - Bill's mother's last name is Henrickson, but his father has a different last name. It seems the kids belong to the women, more than to the men. The men are the big-picture providers, and the women provide the moment-to-moment needs. Which is how it's set up in some traditional monogamous relationships, but I think that there is an extra layer of detachment between the father and the various kids in a polygamous relationship that isn't necessarily there in monogamous relationships - I guess because of shortage of resources on the father's part (trying to make enough money for three mortgages, trying to service his wives, etc.). That's conjecture, by the way, nothing more than opinion and hypothesis. I have no knowledge of this subject beyond how it appears to me.

I loved ep three. Poor little Wayne I felt for him. I don't understand why noone would sing for he's a jolly good fellow with Nikki. Did they all just recently see "Some like it Hot"?

"Barbara did mother invite any children to my party?" And Shoes? Really she couldn't get him more toys then just a bear?

Rhonda just really being a kid who goes with the flow. The Lois/Frank fight was so funny. I know alot of people hate them. But, I find them mighty amusing. Also I feel more for Joey then I do Bill. The writers need to get their butt in gear on that front.

I was also interested in Bill's mom being so upset that Margie was very young. She said something about teaching him that the whole thing with the really young girls isn't right. Since her father was the prophet before Roman, I wonder how different life was on the compound when he was there. I know we get a scene soon of Lois talking about her father being the "one true prophet".

Was it just me, or was there totally an implication of incest/sexual abuse when Nikki was upstairs in the room with Roman? Like they were a little bit too cozy with one another?

I'm sure I missed something. When did we hear that Lois's father was the previous prophet?

She was talking about it when she was upstairs at the party having a fit.

No, it wasn't just you. The way they blocked the shot pretty much suggested it. Roman is lying on the bed. Hair is mussed. He looked slightly sweaty. Nicki is lying on her stomach and her head was definitely near his groin. They were giggling. The way she reacted when Bill walked in clinched it for me. It was all very very skeevy and disturbing. Tie that in with the fact that he's married to a 14-year-old, looked at Sarah with great interest, and you have a strong implication of child abuse.

You know that if Bill still lived on the compound Sarah would be married to Roman. Ewwww.

Sarah actually looked like she was thinking about that, and looked appropriately grossed out.

I think Nicki is just absolutely starved for her father's attention, since she received so little of it growing up. (And her mother seems less than kind.) She has no inkling that Roman only wants to use her as a way to get to Bill.

I also think that Adaleen's advice to Bill about giving Nicki a "firm hand" indicated that Nicki has been abused physically, at least by her mother, but probably also by her father and his other wives.

More and more, I'm coming to really feel sorry for Nicki. She looked so sad when Wayne was opening his presents. I think she loves him and confuses love with money.

Dang. When Nicki said, "I don't fit in anywhere" at the end, it just made me feel sorry for her.

And here I was loving how much I hated her.

Stupid sympathy.

I don't know how many of you have hbo ondemand but I decided to watch the "About Big Love" which is a 4 minute preview of the season. I have no idea what's going to happen with the whole Roman/compound story line... but I think that at some point Barb is going to leave the family. She has an "affair" with Bill, but he won't leave his other wives and her family is confused and disapproves of the polygamy. I definitely think that one of the cliffhangers at the end of the season is whether or not Barb leaves (or if she leaves what the family's reaction will be).

That's interesting, because that family remembers what it was like to have their dad/hubby full time. I love that they consider it an "affair" even though they are married, simply because it's on another's night....

But is it as simple as that? She agreed to it and has stuck by it through 6 years and 4 other kids (all boys, anyone notice that?). What is the catalyst that sets all of it off? Is it all the revisiting compound stuff? And I'm veering into spec, rather than just commenting on spoilers, so I'll go now.

But, but, no! Please tell me that spoiler isn't true. Jeanne Tripplehorn is my fave person in the show.

Me too. I was also skeeved out by the scene of her with Roman. There's something not right with that family -- I think Nicki was abused by both her mother and father. And I felt so bad about the party.
Now, I'm starting to form a theory that Barb agreed to let Bill marry Nicki because Nicki would be sent back to the compound otherwise. That's just my theory.
I *really* liked Barb in episode 3. The way she handled a whole lot of situations was perfect. She had many opportunities to be catty, but she took the high road the entire time, and I was impressed.

That's my theory too. I think she, and Bill too because of his horrible experience growing up there, felt sorry for Nicki. A lot of people think that they can't stand her but Barb has said point-blank that she likes Nicki at least more than Margene, and Bill seems to like her well enough, too. I think Nicki is fascinating. Just think how different her and Bill's childhoods were from everyone elses'.

Barb's turning into a real prize - I didn't like her much the first episode, better the second, but the third really showed her character. I found it difficult to understand her motivations earlier, but they're getting filled in.

If Barb did indeed let Bill "marry" Nicki to save her from a life of abuse at the compound, it also explains a lot of the Barb/Nicki interactions. I think Barb probably feels she was performing a huge kindness and sacrifice to let Nicki stay, yet as we've seen, Nicki is still unhealthily attached to the compound in many ways, especially to her vile father. Thus she acts rude and resentful to Barb, who probably thinks, "You ungrateful brat. I saved you from being a Rhonda." But notice how Barb was one of the few people who stood next to Nicki when the rest of the party was being so rude to her. Barb also defended Margene. I think Barb has a heart. She probably thinks that she's saving these girls from a much worse life. Of course, she also naturally resents all the complications that arise when these girls aren't particularly grateful.

If you all don't already know this, Deadwood Stage is a great site for spoilers. She's got the casting calls up for most, if not all, of the first season.

A little part of my heart also broke when Wayne asked if there were going to be any other kids at his birthday party. I'm actually lukewarm on CS, but that was a moment when I wanted to slap her for being a totally sucky mother in that instance.

I missed the part about Roman giving Sarah the eye ... must have been refilling my coffee cup. Ewwwww.

I was also about to opine that I didn't think the show would actually ever get rid of Jeanne Tripplehorne and guess as first wife, she's too intrinsic to the big picture for that. Then I remembered the hairball I coughed up when theL-Word killed Dana last week, so I guess nothing's ever written in stone. Still, my feeling is that the show just couldn't progress without JT.

Also, does anyone have doubts about Wayne's paternity? The way Nicki was jumping up and down when she got the news that Roman would attend the party was creepy. I *really* think what happened was that Nicki was pregnant with Roman's baby, and Bill and Barb knew that sending Nicki back to the compound would mean a life of abuse from Nicki's brutal mother and sexual molestation from her father. So Nicki stayed. The gentle but heartbreaking way Barb talked to Rhonda really makes me think that Barb let Nicki stay out of kindness.

Totally didn't think of that. Ewww. Have they ever said how long Nicki has been with the family? That would give us the answer.

Also, how old is Nicki supposed to be? She seems a lot older than Margene's 21. I'm guessing Barb is about 40-43.

I wish we could find out some real spoiler info!! I have looked everywhere on the web.

It was said somewhere (and I don't remember if it was in the show itself or on the HBO site) that Barb's operation was 6 years ago. Nicki came into the family at that time. The little boy is 5.

The Episode Guide from Movie Central has more detailed summaries. Looks like Bill will be getting more involved with the Compound rather than less.

Thanks for the epsiode guide link. Any idea why there's nothing listed for Episode 4?

So, the moviecentral.com Episode Guide says that on #4 "Nicki makes a happy announcement to the family" - sounds like a pregnancy announcement, right? If you watch "Making Big Love" on demand, they show a scene with Margene holding a test stick saying she's pregnant.

Think they're both knocked up? I'm betting the episode guide got the wrong name and it's really Margene, although I could be totally off base and that's not what it's about.

I'm pretty sure I saw them both at different times say essentially the same thing. In ... something, Nicki says she'll be bringing another soul into the family (which I assume to be pregnancy), and then the Margene test thing. So, maybe that's something in the missing Episode 4 summary?

Ooh, rainbowdarling, can you remember where you saw that??

If Margene makes her announcement in Ep4, then Nicki in Ep5....I wonder if Nicki tried to get pregnant to compete with Margene. We all know about her jealousy issues. Hmmm, juicy!

Oh, dear. It could have been in any number of things, because I've just been eating up things about this show lately. I think it was in one of the things in OnDemand, though. I'll have to go watch again later and let everyone know which one(s) it was.

No idea sorry. There's sometimes good info at the Deadwood Stage too. Maybe there's something there worth checking out...

I could be remembering this totally wrong, but I think Margene said, "It's positive" with no ownership of the test being stated. So she could be talking about a pregnancy test she took or she could be talking about Nicki's pregnancy test. I've sat with friends on different occasions waiting for the test results and sometimes they looked at the answer and sometimes they had me look and tell them what it said.

I believe it's in one of the videos on HBO where Margene has a pregnancy test in her hand. If anyone's getting pregnant, I'd hope it to be her, because well, I don't think Nikki should be rearing children. And Barb can't have anymore kids (sadness).

Also, the thing about Nikki wanting to bring another soul into the family? I'm pretty sure that too is on the HBO site. I took it to mean she wants Bill to have a fourth wife. And that's just the kind of craziness that Nikki would think up. She feels like she doesn't belong, she doesn't get on well with the other wives, she probably thinks Bill cares the least about her, so instead of doing something, like--I don't know--soul-searching, finding something fulfilling, something that'd trully make her happy, she'd go for a quick fix. Maybe wife #4 would like her. Maybe Bill's attention would be even moreso divided, taking away from his relationships with Barb and Margene. Maybe she'd have someone to kick around, someone Barb, who seems to already look out for Margene in regards to Nikki, wouldn't be able to protect.

Now, if Margene is pregnant and Nikki is supposedly making an announcement, I would totally buy Nikki spoiling the surprise of the pregnancy. You know she'd steal Margene's thunder and announce it herself. She's just heinous and bitchy enough to do it.

My thoughts on the iPod are as follows: If Rhonda stole the iPod, would she openly hold it in front of a sister-wife? Especially one so against materialism that it'd be bound to be a topic of discussion on the car ride home? I was totally waiting for Roman's other wife (what's her name? NAM [Nikki's Abusive Mother]?) to bring it up, seeing as how it was not two feet away from her and Rhonda was cradling it like it was the baby Jesus. I suppose if she stole it, she's also capable of lying about it. However, if Sarah did give it to her as a gift, maybe NAM was there for that, and thus the lack of interrogation.


Anyone know anything spoiler-y about Sarah and/or Heather? I need to know what's going on with those two.