They only had nine eps this season, but damn, they used them so well!

Uh, this is a really long ramble that hopefully has some intelligent thoughts in it.



Where to begin?

Ah, yes, the new intro! At first, I wasn't sure how I felt about it, especially since I didn't know the intro was being changed. I caught the symbolic aspect right away, of course--it's pretty obvious! The members of the family in a literal free-fall on a black background, the music isn't so upbeat anymore, the lyrics: Home / Is this my home / Been starting over. And most intriguing of all, at the end, one hand reaches out to Bill. After this episode, that part looks like it does actually mean only one of the wives will stay with Bill. And at this point, it looks like that wife will be Nicki.

Did not see that coming. But it's brilliant. And I think it sums up the season so well.

Nicki
Nicki's always been my favorite character (along with Alby), so I've been really happy with the attention to her story arc this season. She's conniving and manipulative because she grew up in a family that did nothing but plot and scheme rather than love, and treated her like a pawn. Last season, she fell for Ray, and this season she finally allows herself to love Bill--and as a result, she wants to have him to herself, despite always being taught that's a selfish desire. This, along with her daughter Cara Lynn coming back into her life, is pushing Nicki more than ever to really question her upbringing and beliefs. (And how nice was it to see her mother apologize for letting her father marry her to JJ at 15?)

Nicki's still trying to figure out who she is, which has led to some great moments, serious and humorous. ("You have a ponytail on the side of your head! That's crazy!") I always found it interesting that Nicki has been portrayed as very agressive, and she is also very handy, fixing things up around the house, retiling roofs, and this season depended on to build some pretty big projects by herself. She likes working. If she hadn't been so damaged by her family, Nicki would be a very different person--a more overtly aggressive woman, but with the aggression channeled into something more productive, probably a career she's really passionate about.

With all the inner turmoil going on with Nicki, this is definitely screwing with her relationships in new, less intentional ways. I was struck this week by the thought that the one person she's loved this entire series is Barb. Nicki cared for her when she was ill, and even though it's not always smooth sailing between them, I've never once believed Nicki didn't care for her. In contrast, Nicki never seemed to get on board with Margene beyond fleeting alliances--she didn't want her as third wife then, and she still doesn't want her around now. I think when she and Barb called Margene a tramp and a floosy (lol), they meant it. Nicki also overtly hates Ana, and has antagonized her at every opportunity from the start.

Although some episodes this season made me a happy camper with some scenes focusing on Nicki and Alby's relationship. They've always been catty with each other, but they also seemed to gravitate to each other, and not just because the drama leads them there. Somehow, out of all their siblings, the two of them manage to actually behave like brother and sister. Whether they've discussed it or not, I think they can sense they're different, somehow. The end of last season had Nicki hiding out at the compound and the two of them half-joking about offing their parents, this season has Nicki telling Alby she loves him and even suggesting they leave and start a new life together (not in an incesty way, you pervs). Holy hell, that says a lot about their relationship. My heart broke a lot when Alby, going through his own stuff (and going a little crazy), runs her off and calls her a whore. Nicki has a huge family, but there aren't a lot of people she can depend on.

I'm not so sure Nicki will be able to stay with Bill happily. Her story is, oddly enough, forming some similarities to Barb's--she has three kids, then becomes infertile, and she has issues with sharing Bill. As long as Bill is gung-ho about plural marriage, Nicki's resentment towards Margene and any future wives is going to be exacerbated by the fact they can give Bill more children and she can't.

Barb
Barb, Barb, Barb. She was never my favorite character, and her constant back-and-forth about polygamy drove me a bit crazy sometimes, but I always understood the character and found her conflict interesting. I feel like it's really coming to a head now. Before, no matter how Barb felt about the marriage, she was a strong, confident woman. Right away this season, Barb is shown to be a wreck--she can't seem to do anything right, especially at the casino, while Margene is coming into her own and Bill is so focused on following his next brilliant scheme revelation that he's forcing the family to go along with his decisions. It was all summed up well when Barb "misspoke" about the Utah women feeling the need to be perfect and abusing prescription medications, then being brow-beat into retracting the statement, and her telling Bill to just tell her what he wants her to say. So sad.

The season progresses, and Barb begins to push back against Bill. He hates Marilyn, who then kisses up to Barb, so Barb goes against Bill's wishes and hires her. Which, unfortunately, goes terribly wrong. More fortunately, however, that doesn't set her back too long and this week she intentionally sabotages Bill's campaign after trying to talk to him like an adult and equal and being shot down. It doesn't matter whether she's backhanded or face-to-face with her concerns, Bill has shown they don't matter. Barb wasn't raised that way, so the conclusion she comes to is only logical: "I want a different life, I think...I've needed you for 22 years. I don't think I need you anymore."

And I don't think that's some idle threat. Barb's icy during Bill's speech. Two of her three children are adults, so she doesn't have to worry about supporting the kids. Barb's educated and has work experience, so she doesn't need Bill to take care of her. Then, of course, Barb/Tommy has been teased all season--he's single, she's soon-to-be-single. Barb's right, she doesn't need Bill.


Margene
I thought Margene was dumb at the beginning. And let's face it, she was. But lovable. I really got into her character in Season 3, and this season she's really come into her own rather than simply letting herself become absorbed into this family--or, more specifically, into Bill. She has her own business, and damnit, she's GOOD at what she does and is pulling in a hefty income now. And Bill doesn't like it, no matter what he says. He buys into the B.S. that he's the master of the family, and he's ego can't take the idea he's not needed to support Margene. Or, an even darker way of looking at it, he wants to do everything he can to keep her dependent on him. Let's not forget how they got involved in the first place--she was very young, only a bit older than Sarah and Ben, and obviously desperate for love. They have an affair and eventually he marries her, even though she doesn't know jack about Mormonism. Bill's intentions were far from pure with her.

Margene married into the family to create the family she never had, and that hasn't worked out so well. By the end of this season, it's clear that the arrangement is actively damaging to Margene. From the awkward sexual tension between her and Ben, to Barb and Nicki berating her for being a "tramp," to Bill pressuring her to risk her business for his campaign, to everyone piling on her for marrying Goran--when she was the only one who came up with a workable solution to keep Ana and the baby in the country. The season started with Margene soaring, but as it progressed she was broken down bit by bit and started to look more like Barb, and she wound up in tears over "becoming a terrible woman." My stomach turned at that...and I was relieved that Ana was there for Margene and to validate her very natural feelings.

Now, whether or not there is some manipulation on Ana and Goran's parts, there's definitely sincerity there. As Margene said, she and Ana always clicked. Though Ana wasn't as young as Margene when she got involved with Bill, there were similarities in their stories. Ana was on her own, perhaps too eager (even with her reservations) to join the family; she slept with Bill before marrying, and she didn't know jack about Mormonism. When Ana returned this season, her attitude had changed--she thinks of them as crazy cultists trying to trap her and get her to drink the Koolaid, and she'd run screaming in the other direction if they hadn't found out she was pregnant with Bill's child. Ana's the one who got out, and is a model to Margene of what she could have and could be if she does the same. (With her booming business, Margene has flexibility like Barb and leaving Bill can be more than an idle threat.)

I think the waters Margene will have to navigate next season will be very tricky. Whether or not she leaves Bill, she has two people welcoming her with open arms...should she make the leap or will she simply be making the same mistake as when she got involved with the Henricksons in the first place, desperate for love? If it works out, it would be beyond fantastic; if it doesn't, she will have dug herself another hole.



And can I take a moment to be wildly amused that Margene/Ana/Goran is canon? How fun will that be if the show decides to explore a polyamorous relationship in contrast to polygamist ones?


Bill
I'm with Lura: I hate Bill Henrickson. I'm also with Marilyn: "At least my sins are my own--I don't use God to justify them." If no one hates this man at this point, I'll be amazed. Bill's at his lowest this season, and just because he loves his kids, doesn't make it any better. He's betrayed his most loyal friend and ruined his life, all for his campaign. He's showing himself to be no different from the polygamists on the compound that he so reviles, running his son off and treating his wives like pawns. Every week the man has a new "revelation" that suspiciously looks like a way to stroke his ego. And when everyone tells him he's wrong or completely freaking off his rocker, Bill continues forward. Bill Henrickson is an asshole.

He uses Nicki to do "morally questionable" things for him. He treats Margene alternatively like a child and a sex toy. He treats Barb as an extension of himself, to run HIS casino business HE got into, and support him in his campaign (all on top of Barb running the household). He gets angry at Sarah for not "believing in the vision of this family" when she never signed up for this! When the wives call Bill on his shit, he even somehow turns it into a chance to chastise THEM. The audacity, it is stunning. His poor performance as a husband is really apparent when contrasted with Sarah and Scott's marriage. Scott has turned out to be a very good husband, communicating with Sarah, and pointedly telling Bill he doesn't order Sarah to do anything.

And most of all, Bill outs the family. They already draw all kinds of drama, but they're especially fragile right now, what with there not being certainty they'll be a family for much longer. But Bill is the type of person who prefers to forge forward even when they know they're doing something wrong or stupid, simply because they're unable to admit to it. And because of that, Bill has turned into the antagonist of the series.

Alby
Alby's been completely heart-breaking this season. He's so bizzarre and awkward, even moreso when he's in love. (Seriously? Breaking into Dale's house? How...romantic.) Alby previously told Bill that he had married Lura for love, which I do believe is true--granted, not like husband and wife, but I have always gotten the sense there is mutual affection between them. Lura may be after a power grab, but directing Alby what to do is also a vote of confidence, that she doesn't think he's completely useless, as his parents had.

When Alby's heart is broken, he's a complete train wreck. I don't think his behavior is entirely because of Dale's suicide; Lura's betrayal is contributing as well. And Lura's betrayal was fueled by her feeling betrayed by Alby's affair with Dale, because she loves him...in her own twisted way. She outs Dale in retaliation, and to hurt Alby--but not this much! She's spent the last couple of episodes begging for Alby's forgiveness, and in this one she lets him cut her face. (Which, by the way, what the fucking fuck?)

Alby didn't have a loving family, his parents always told him he's useless, and he's deep in the closet. He doesn't think of himself as a good person until Dale comes along and changes how he thinks of himself. Then he finds Dale, hanged in their love nest--the person he loves in the place he bought for them, dead because of who they are. In the fucked-up place Alby's coming from, how's he supposed to read this as anything but a condemnation? He's going back and forth between outright grieving and rejecting any further "inappropriate" behavior...and is having a psychotic break on top of it. I have no idea what's in store for Alby next, but it's been great to see the actor get to do more this season.

Miscellaneous
- I'm punching the next person who says the show jumped the shark. Actually, I'm punching anyone who uses the phrase "jump the shark" to mean "everything didn't go EXACTLY how *I* wanted it to go and isn't all sunshine and flowers so it sucks."
- EAT IT, ANA-HATERS. SHE'S BACK NEXT SEASON. <3
- Sarah's gone. Does this mean no more Heather? Her unacknowledged lesbianism fascinates me.
- Jodean. Fuck. Yeah.
- What is with me and OT3s lately? (House/Wilson/Amber, Miguel/Tulio/Chel, Ana/Goran/Margene, Sean/Christian/Liz...)