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Big Love - Circle The Wagons 6 August, 07

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Big Love - Circle The Wagons 6 August, 07

Old 08-07-07, 07:54 AM
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Big Love - Circle The Wagons 6 August, 07



Spoiler:
This week, Bill enlists Nicki to sell Barb and Margene on Weber Gaming. Meanwhile, Alby steps forward to "channel" Roman in his hour of need, and Lois decides to hit Frank where it hurts. Tune in Monday at 9 and 11pm for Episode 21: Circle the Wagons.


Did anyone else watch this last night?


Also:

Old 08-07-07, 08:16 AM
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It was another great ep, except for Barb. She's been really annoying me the last couple weeks. Lois is annoying, but that's normal.

It's funny how Bill is just about the only person on this show who is always making the best decisions for his family, but is also the most chastised for the decisions he makes. Kind of like the "real" world - decision makers get bitched at whether they make the right or wrong decision.
Old 08-07-07, 08:17 AM
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I did. I think Bill is taking the family down a dark road and has strayed from his righteous path. Barb seems to be moving away from the Prinicpal more and more. I also believe Barb's simple gesture of putting her hand on Heather's father's hand was misunderstood as a pass. Heather's father seemed to perk up when she did that.

Albie is power hungry and his power play last night will have bad consequences.
Old 08-07-07, 08:26 AM
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I loved the Albie power play last night, and Nikki playing bingo.

I can't decide who was more stupid, Albie, for pulling the prophet / hat thing, or the people at Juniper Creek for believing in that stunt.
Old 08-07-07, 08:32 AM
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Nicki was great. She's got bingo fever.


I can't decide who was more stupid, Albie, for pulling the prophet / hat thing, or the people at Juniper Creek for believing in that stunt.
It worked for Joseph Smith so why not?
Old 08-07-07, 10:00 AM
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Albie's Power play was great. Ben is a jealous hateful little kid, Barb has been having some issues, and I think was surprised at Sara's responses to her.

I love the show and really enjoy the writing. Nikki was a little naive taking the cash, as Albie will know it was her. Based on her not being there for the testimony.
Old 08-07-07, 10:56 AM
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Remembering Niki's spending habit(addiction) in the first season I knew when i saw the look on her face when they were in the "casino" that we would see her there again. I also loved the look on Lois's face when she was looking at sara's boyfriends thigh.
Seems like Barb has noticed that the whole manipulation thing has worked when Niki does it so i guess she trying to go down that road.
Old 08-07-07, 11:34 AM
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I was reminded of nikki's 30K or whatever it was in debt, that seems to just have been resolved? Bill paid it I guess, and we move on.

I did also like her battering the Fridge so her mom couldn't use it.
Old 08-07-07, 11:40 AM
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It's amazing how this show straddles the fine line right in between comedy and creepy. It's masterful, because it's just enough of both, without being too much of either.
Old 08-07-07, 12:34 PM
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Bill is definitely a "bad guy" in my mind. He's exceptionally greedy. The only adult characters who can really be empathized with in my mind are Margene (so naive that she cannot be bad) and Barb. Barb got shuffled into this mess due to her illness and we're seeing her step back from letting Bill call the shots. She realizes she made a mistake and now is doing her best to rectify the situation. I would call Barb the moral center of the show - as far as that can be done in her situation.

All the kids are going to turn out a little bonkers, as Ben's girlfriend realized in the last episode. Now Barb is seeing this first hand and she's realized her mistakes.
Old 08-07-07, 02:46 PM
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The music playing when Nikki took the money - anybody know what that was?
Old 08-07-07, 03:08 PM
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I think I realized last night where this show is headed this year:

Spoiler:
Barb will leave Bill, and possibly take Sarah and Ben with her. The runaway lady early in the season that specialized in saving children from polygamy, and had "escaped" hersld was viewed with contempt by Barb. But as time goes on, I think Barb is finding it harder and harder to live the "principle" and at season's end will leave. Possibly for good. And might enlist her help. Oh, and Lois will be very rich at the end of the season as well I think
Old 08-07-07, 03:43 PM
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Originally Posted by Gunde
The music playing when Nikki took the money - anybody know what that was?

Not sure..

I'd guess
this though from HBO, as the other 2 options from the episode are Bowie's Changes, and a KC And the Sunshine Band track.

Song: Iron Swan
Artist: The Sword

http://www.hbo.com/biglove/music/episode21.html
Old 08-07-07, 04:34 PM
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Originally Posted by paradicelost
. I also loved the look on Lois's face when she was looking at sara's boyfriends thigh.
.
I don't think she was staring at his thigh.
Old 08-07-07, 04:38 PM
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Originally Posted by Iron Chef
I can't decide who was more stupid, Albie, for pulling the prophet / hat thing, or the people at Juniper Creek for believing in that stunt.
I've been reading up on mormonism a little lately. This is from wiki:
" Beginning in the early 1820s, Joseph Smith was paid to act as a "seer" in (mostly unsuccessful) attempts to locate lost items and find precious metals hidden in the earth.[4] Smith's procedure was to place the stone in a white stovepipe hat, put his face over the hat to block the light, and then "see" the necessary information in the stone's reflections.[5] His favored stone, chocolate-colored and about the size of an egg,[6] was found in a deep well he helped dig for one of his neighbors"

I'm pretty sure that's what Albie was doing, except with his father's cowboy hat.
Old 08-07-07, 07:04 PM
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Originally Posted by DamingR
Bill is definitely a "bad guy" in my mind. He's exceptionally greedy.
I agree. He's showing more and more how greedy and power hungry he can be. It seems that he's deceived every other character on the show over something. He comes across as the most selfish character and he looks worse when he always hides his selfishness behind other BS reasons.

Last edited by Coral; 08-08-07 at 08:04 PM.
Old 08-07-07, 07:58 PM
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This season has really pushed the show from the very good that it was in s1 to incredibly great. Like, 'Six Feet Under' or 'Battlestar Galactica'-level great.

I'm loathing Bill more than any other character on TV, and that includes 'Deadwod' and 'The Sopranos.' And that's a good thing. Plus, Nickie is just fun-on-a-stick. That girl NEEDS to have an action figure.

plus:
http://boards.hbo.com/forum.jspa?forumID=700000143
Old 08-07-07, 08:08 PM
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It's weird how you guys seem so anti-Bill, while here I am thinking he's the only truly good/non-fucked-up person on the show. I think he's all about protecting and making his family better off, even though it ain't easy going...I admire that in the "real world," and this show seems very real to me.

I think that's just another part of what makes this show so good - it's not like "Lost" or "Deadwood" where there's a pretty clear good and bad.
Old 08-07-07, 08:46 PM
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Originally Posted by aktick
It's weird how you guys seem so anti-Bill, while here I am thinking he's the only truly good/non-fucked-up person on the show.
I find him incredibly selfish, childish, misogynistic, corrupt and hypocritical. And what makes him REALLY dangerous is that he thinks he's a good guy! He'll do anything (short of spending time with, or listening to, his kids) to "protect his family." And he feels justified in that.

This guy had his boat set on fire on his own property and STILL didn't feel the need to warn his family that he was setting one dangerous cult against another, and that all their lives may be in danger. He tells his son to talk to him, and then barks orders about how sex is a natural and healthy thing, but that acting on it is the most unholy thing you can do to your body. He brags about letting his wives think that they have a say in what happens in their lives and he believes he's taking the moral high ground when he tells his uncle that he's keeping ALL the profits from the gambling business he's buying with money stolen from a not-dead-yet woman. He controls his wives through financial insecurity and playing them against each other sexually. And he's proud of himself for it.

He's a mini-Roman in training, and he feels just as much in the right on any of his actions as Roman does. He's arrogant and ignorant and manipulative and naive. That equals dangerous.

Bill is Hubris personified.
Old 08-07-07, 09:36 PM
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I agree with wergo about Bill, but Paxton makes him so likable with just his natural demeanor that it can be hard to see all of his character's flaws.
Old 08-07-07, 09:39 PM
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Originally Posted by aktick
It's funny how Bill is just about the only person on this show who is always making the best decisions for his family, but is also the most chastised for the decisions he makes. Kind of like the "real" world - decision makers get bitched at whether they make the right or wrong decision.
Totally disagree, I think he's making bad decisions for bad reasons. The smart thing for him would be to stay the hell away from Juniper Creek and Hollis Green et al. When she said that about gambling leading to guns and gangsters, that is exactly what happened.
Old 08-07-07, 10:03 PM
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Originally Posted by aktick
It's weird how you guys seem so anti-Bill, while here I am thinking he's the only truly good/non-fucked-up person on the show. I think he's all about protecting and making his family better off, even though it ain't easy going...I admire that in the "real world," and this show seems very real to me.

I think that's just another part of what makes this show so good - it's not like "Lost" or "Deadwood" where there's a pretty clear good and bad.
I tend to agree with this.

Where some characters on shows (Tony Soprano) will claim that everything they do is for their family, I think Bill actually follows through and believes this. Nothing he has really done has been for his own direct personal gain, he's always legitimately in the mindset that it is for his family.

When he helped cover up the Albie poisoning, it was to save his family from retaliation. He's getting Weber gaming in case people find out his (and Don's) family are polygamist and sales tank. He's not getting it so he can buy a new pool or personal items.

As for immoral he might be, I think we have to put that in context a little bit. So far, he has looked the most horrified when he's found out his son might have tainted his "temple," rather than when he nearly got branded by thugs. As for the misogynistic comment, look at how he treated Ana. She tried to jump him multiple times but he remained respectful and a gentleman.

Sure, he makes bad decisions, but I wouldn't out and out stamp him as immoral.

Originally Posted by Ginwen
The smart thing for him would be to stay the hell away from Juniper Creek and Hollis Green et al.
I believe this is what he was doing until they came after him for the profits from his second store. Everything he is doing is trying to set the situation up so he can be distanced from them.
Old 08-08-07, 04:30 AM
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Yeah but as wergo pointed out anyone can see where Bill is fast becoming a "Roman" even with all his "good intentions". I'm sure Roman thinks he's "good" too, but clearly both of these men are severely flawed.
Old 08-08-07, 08:00 AM
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I agree with wergo's assessment of Bill. He's basically Roman, but in a friendly, suburban package.
Old 08-08-07, 08:07 AM
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Originally Posted by Giantrobo
Yeah but as wergo pointed out anyone can see where Bill is fast becoming a "Roman" even with all his "good intentions". I'm sure Roman thinks he's "good" too, but clearly both of these men are severely flawed.
Didn't think about it that way, but now that you mention it I totally agree with this. Bill seems to be going down a slippery slope. In season one, I found all of his dealings pretty justifiable, but the second he started fooling with the Greens he crossed a line. He really put his family in jeopardy dealing with them. And weirdly by being so concerned with "providing" for his family, he isn't really shown as being there for his family. His oldest children are going through some serious shit (crisisisisis of faith and such), but Bill hasn't really been their for either in any real way.

I kind of hate Bill, but a lot of that is Paxton's dry ass acting. If Bill was played by say Dennis Quaid, Bill Pullman, or anyone more likeable I would probably feel differently. I did feel bad for him when the wives ganged up on him about not getting a night off though.

This show is amazing. It's one of the best shows on tv, and certainly the best show on tv now. I feel like the last two episodes were season finales, so I was really surprised to see that there are more episodes coming! This show never lets up the pace once the story starts rolling.

Last edited by boredsilly; 08-08-07 at 08:16 AM.

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