So did Barb... but a woman's got a right to change her mind. Perhaps neither of them realized they really had a problem with it until the Mother of the Year shenanigans.

A pretty good episode to start the season.

Nice shots of Barb in the pool, too!

Where was Bruce Dern?

I think the closest we got to see of Margene nude last season was a scene of her talking to Bill Paxton as she was peeing. I also remember a scene of her in her underwear checking herself out in the mirror because she was feeling like she had got fat.

That's not nothing. One of the things this show accurately portrays is the way that Utah society is very different than most of the rest of the country. If American society on the whole can be said to stress independance and individualism, Utah culture has a much more tight-knit, friendly and inter-dependant feel to it. It really matters there what people think of each other, and the respect of one's neighbors and community isn't something people feel they can take or leave.

Translation: Utah is more fucked up than the rest of America.

I was bored with Epis. 1 ...

Maybe you haven't noticed because the show only mentions it almost every episode but Polygamy is illegal in the US. The state may not "know" about his other marriages, but he and others certainly do and they consider themselves married. Back in the '50s the US government (or maybe just State of Utah, not completely sure) carried out several sting operations where they went in and arrested a bunch of polygamists. It ended up backfiring because hauling off nice members of the community while their children wail and cry on the porch doesn't sit well with a lot of people. It's also why Utah isn't going to do anything to Bill now that they know. It would be bad PR.

Barb is freaked out because of the huge embarassment, the fact that she could be ostracized by many people she feels are her friends and she may not be allowed to work again. I don't think she's concerned about the insurance.

Sadly,I saw in the most recent US magazine (which I'm getting delivered to my house for some reason now) a quote from Gennifer where she says something like "There's no way I'm showing my boobs or coochie. They're for my husband and my doctor only". So sorry, but no skin there.

Still, as long as the stars of The Brown Bunny and Basic Instinct are in the cast, there's always some hope for a sex scene.

On a side note, I didn't know the setting is supposed to be Sandy, UT. I guess I overlooked that last season. I spent 3 days in Sandy while attending the Sundance Film Festival one year. The hotel rates were cheaper there.

I don't entirely disagree. It's still 1950 somewhere in America--in the minds of suburban Utah. Very whitebread picket fences. At the same time, you'll never feel safer--or more welcome, if you fit the bill--walking down the street.

There's also the practical problem of Bill owning a growing franchise of big box stores. Their going out of business from the scandel would cause a lot of unemployment.

I'm watching the DVDs now, and in episode two she tells her friend that she doesn't agree with the polygimist lifestyle, despite her family practising it.. I don't know if she went back on that later in the season.

Good catch. Long time between first and second season. I didn't rewatch Season 1 as I should have before the Season 2 premier.

Nikki is a serious trip. On one hand she's looking at First Wife role like a diamond in Barb's absence, but then she's seriously begging Barb to come back. I think the point is both wives realized Barb is important to them, but still, Nikki is so "tricky" who knows what she's up to. She's one of those, "I can mess with my family but if anyone else does, I'll fuck 'em up!" type personalities.

I'll agree with you to a certain extent. This is true of Utah Mormon culture. Before you counter that 100% of Utah is Mormon, it's simply not true. In fact, in Salt Lake City Mormons are already in the minority.

Non-Mormons in Utah are fiercely independent, perhaps to a fault. For a good look at counter-culture in Utah see SLC Punk.

I felt the Mormonism of the culture extended beyond the Mormons to some extent. Maybe my impressions are idealized--odd for someone who hates the religion--but I found the communities across the state to be uncommonly friendly to strangers, outgoing and full of smiles, with a (now lost elsewhere) feeling of being safe on the streets and among people who always wished each other well... Very sweet and wholesome, or very Stepford, depending on your POV. Maybe a little nosy. Granted most of my time was in the mid-to-smaller cities, plus St. George & Park City.