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Episode Recap: "Good Guys and Bad Guys"
Tonight's main theme was the interconnectedness of family in all its twisted forms, a theme that was played out on several fronts. At the Henrickson homestead, Margene’s mother Ginger (Bonnie Bedelia) showed up to bestow a little motherly wisdom on her daughter while seeking out temporary housing. Suddenly it's clear why Margene is so desperate for love and acceptance. Her trashy mother was so consumed with jealousy over the life that her daughter has built for herself that she actually tried (unsuccessfully) to seduce her son-in-law! This, after she had earlier condemned Margene for her choices. I thought it was funny how Nicki seemed to relish the motherly attention she was receiving from the decidedly unmaternal Ginger and how Margene and Nicki nearly came to blows over the situation. For a moment, it was like Bill was dealing with two teenagers. (Of course, in Margene’s case he practically is.)
Barb’s attempts to help Wanda and Joey get back on their feet brought her face-to-face with two of the men she despises and fears, Frank and Roman. Frank slithered back to the compound seeking out answers about Lois’ recent windfall and looking to collect his share. Barb’s “heart-to-heart” talk with Frank certainly showed that he knows how to push her buttons. His summation of Barb and Bill’s situation was probably uncomfortably close to reality. She had come so close to freeing Bill from his twisted legacy until she was felled by her health crisis, which brought Nicki, and polygamy, into their lives again. I hate to admit it, but from a purely pragmatic point of view, there is something oddly appealing about the idea of sharing the load (especially in times of crisis) and having those extra hands to rely on. (Barb herself noted this in an earlier episode when she was chatting with Sarah’s friend Heather.) In today’s world of working families, obligations and overwhelming demands, polygamy seems almost practical. At the very least, you can understand how a man who grew up in that tradition would fall back on those values during a time of crisis.
As luck would have it, Frank’s homecoming coincided with Wanda’s, and Frank was still harboring some ill will over his near-death experience at the hands of his daughter-in-law. I was genuinely afraid when Wanda, Barb and the overzealous Kathy were confronted with the sudden blackout. Thankfully, it was Joey who emerged from the darkness, but Barb’s reaction reflected the fact that she is terrified of what is lurking at Juniper Creek. But that did not deter her from confronting Roman. I'm glad she got a chance to speak her mind about what he did to her and the family.
As menacing as Roman can be, he still pales in comparison to the recently resurrected Greenes. It looks like Bill is getting ready to enter into a dangerous game pitting these families against each other. Tonight he proclaimed, "I'm the good guy." However, with each passing week, the lines are blurring.
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Jul 23, 2007 10:48 PM
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Ill tell you I enjoyed Bill kicking Albies ass. But was suprised by the dialogue between him and Sarah later. I expected more. He now knows she is dating a boy who while protective may not be okay with the whole polygamy thing, and he says nothing. Her responses were good though. Clearly she didn't buy his whole, "Im your papa and I'll protect you" line.
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Jul 24, 2007 12:12 AM
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He now knows she is dating a boy who while protective may not be okay with the whole polygamy thing, and he says nothing.
At no time did Sarah's boyfriend revel how he feels about polygamy, and in fact his comment about not involving the police probably convinced Bill that he may be OK with it.
I've been really disappointed in Barb these last few episodes, she used to be my fave but she's been making bad decisions left and right. And that weak attempt of standing up to Roman was pretty awful.
At first I thought Nicky was acting absurd, but when she made the comment "she's the last mother we have", I understood. The look on Nicky's face when Ginger compliments her hair, proves that Nicky really wants and probably needs some sort of loving parent. Though Ginger proved to be anything but. That said, I thought Nicky stepped WAY out of bounds telling Ginger about the family.
The scene with the phones were so funny, I laughed when Margie took the phone from Nicky and then talked with her innocent baby voice and told Barb Nicky was trying to steal her mother.
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Jul 24, 2007 2:05 AM
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I thought for sure Roman was going to keep Barb on the compound for what happened to rhonda.
I also loved it when Bill beat the living crap out of Albie...he deserved it.
Oh yeah, I didnt mention this last week, who were those 2 women who attacked Niki's mom like that? Are they part of the Green's? They are arsonists from last week who sat fire to Bill's boat.
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Jul 24, 2007 2:27 AM
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I only started watching this season (already hooked, thank you very much). Loved how Bill might as well have been breaking up a fight between his teenage daughters. I'm missing some background and history, but just from what I've seen so far, these Greenes might be the scariest people I've seen on TV in a long time.
They strike me as possibly equivalent to Islamic extremists, and while groups like Juniper Creek and scattered families like Bill's might disagree with their motives and methods, they're hesitant to speak up about it for fear of drawing attention to themselves from both the extremists and the mainstream (kinda like moderate Muslim groups). Of course, this whole thing is coming to a head due to a dispute over slot machines, which probably throws my theory out the window.
All I'm saying is, there's a certain "ick factor" inherent in Roman's compound, but what I saw during Bill's visit to Greene's compound creeped me out a lot more than anything I've seen at Juniper Creek.
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Jul 24, 2007 10:02 AM
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Oh man I forgot about the fight between the 2 sister wives Niki and Margi. I also tought it was so cute. Those 2 acting like teenagers over the phone.
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Jul 24, 2007 3:08 PM
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The problem I am still having with BL is that it DOES glorify polygamy. On a pragmatic level, as the mother of four, I agree that having lots of hands to help out is wonderful. But human nature is also a jealous creature, and I just don't see how these woman seem to love each other with such intensity, especially when Bill kisses or caresses another woman (or as Bill said in front of the other wives last night said, "..I love you Margene...") The producers of BL are clearly enamoured with the idea of polygamy. Fine, but I'd like to see a little bit more reality. The grappling over the telephone was childish. A little more sulking, bickering, complaining to Bill, storming out of the house, and possessiveness(spelling?)would be more realistic.
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Jul 26, 2007 7:06 AM
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I don't know what is going on with Bill and his goodness he is making an enemy of his business partner and that is going to prove to be an extremely bad move in the future I think. I loved the fight between the girls. This episode shows that Margene left that disfunctioned home in search of love and so did Niki. I so feel for them.
Karma
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Jul 27, 2007 4:16 PM
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