That was exactly my thought.

It was nice to finally see Nikki be a bit human. There is a lot of teh gay in this episode, though. Ben needs to get back with his girlfriend and get away from the boner drivers.

This show really makes Mormons out to be brainwashed wierdos, though. Odd that the most normal and likeable people are the polygamists.

I'm sorry you live through this daily, groucho. :lol:

You do realize marrying Nickie was how Bill paid to keep Barb alive right? I think he just brought Margene into the fold to ease the tension between the other two. That plan seems to have failed though.


Yep thats the vibe I'm getting too.

This is really true. So far, we've seen four kinds of people on the show:

1. Horny/drunk high school students (normal, except maybe for the penis-driver)
2. Suburban polygamists (relatively normal)
3. Regular Mormons (weird)
4. Juniper Creek people (really weird)

I think Tina Majorino's character seems pretty normal/likeable and she is a Mormon.

First of all, I must say that my wife & I really look forward to seeing this show every week. The actors are excellent & IMO, I think they've put a lot of effort towards developing each one's personalities, etc. The expressions they give each other are superb. It's definitely one of the more interesting/captivating shows out right now, somewhat of a refreshing divergence from the usual mainstream crap.

I am a Mormon, although currently inactive, and I've never heard of the missionaries acting the way they did in the previous episode (i.e. making a note of the names of people who were "being difficult" & telling them that they were going to be banished from the celestial kingdom or something like that.) I'm not saying it doesn't happen, but that seemed extremely uncharacteristic of missionaries in my experience.

Because of that, I wasn't sure if they were actual LDS missionaries, or if they were impersonators hired by Roman to harrass Bill's family.

The show also interests me because of the LDS cultural references that they throw in throughout the show - I always chuckle whenever I hear them mention something like that.

I think the official church stance is that 1) they do not endorse polygamy whatsoever as it was banished from the church back in the late 1800s, 2) the show is for entertainment purposes only & isn't endorsed by the church, and people shouldn't watch this sort of banal sensationalistic fluff. (FYI, members are also discouraged from watching inappropriate movies as well, although it's not a commandment or anything like that.)

Out of curiosity, for those of you who think the show depicts Mormons as "weird" - what exactly makes them more "weird" than any other practicing Christian?

I don't think they've shown members of any other religion (at least not explicitly). But all the Mormons on this show seem to be excessively judgemental and nosey.

And they did show the magic underwear in BIll's office this episode.

She is weird. She will end up turning them in or something "for their own good." Even if she doesn't she is weird.

Moreso than Christianity, they seem to be big into personal revelation, current prophets, push to recruit, maintaining appearances, special underwear, and the like.

Whaaaaa?

Seriously though, please explain...Ive only known one Mormon in my life and yeah she was very nice but she did have that weird vibe going on.

Here you go: Wikipedia: Temple garment (Mormonism)

My take:

The missionaries were a bit abrasive and zealous, much more so than you might be used to seeing in “the real world” but you have to understand that this is Salt Lake City. The missionaries chosen to do their mission in SLC are the cream of the crop, similar to seminary students chosen to study at the Vatican. They would be the most zealous and fervent.

Additionally we are talking about the heart of Mormondom here. They may put on a happy face for the public but among their own they are much more intrusive into perceived impropriety. You’re talking about a city that has a majority of Mormons, including in every major public office and police, so they are much more involved in each other business.

Lastly, I think it was pretty clear that the missionaries suspected Niki was a polygamist, either from their first visit or a tip from the neighbors (or maybe even Roman). Mormons themselves are much more anti-polygamist than even law enforcement. They are very afraid of how Polygamy reflects on their own church.

Regarding Albie, I think Roman sent him on a mission that somehow related to Bill and his family. As soon as I saw the bag my first thought was “rape kit” or “kidnap kit”. So I think next episode we will see something major against Bill. Roman told Albie to rest up and sleep that night because he had work to do the next day. Since that “next day” hasn’t happened yet (he broke into the office that night) I suspect the mission will be revealed next week.

As far as the whole “Gay” subplot goes I think the meet was completely random. The dude was obviously a gay prostitute. Albie was clearly staring at him with interest. The dude was surely used to dealing with men who were hesitant or embarrassed about approaching a prostitute, especially in a religiously strict town like SLC. When Albie didn’t immediately tell him no, he knew he had a fish on the line. Once Albie got him back to the room he short circuited. Albie is obviously gay, but his ultra strict religious background directly contradicts that. I thought it was very well done and an extremely believable reaction considering.

Salt Lake City is actually the least Mormon part of Utah. "Only" 50% of the residents are LDS (low for Utah). And I've never encounter missionaries of that variety.

The most plausible explanation so far.

I don't know. She's just seems awkward and lacking in smooth social skills.

Maybe you would if you were a polygamyst, and sheep do not count.

I finally got around to last week's episode (Eviction). The situations all these characters get themselves into is bizarrely engrossing. There is that "how in the world is Bill going to fix things enough to keep the ship afloat.

So what really happened with Ben and the meatstick brigade? Hmm...

Margene is so getting converted to LDS.