Blog Master G

On the surface, having three or more wives might seem like a good idea for some people. But there’s far more than meets the eye, as HBO’s excellent new series Big Love explores. It follows the lives of a Utah polygamist, Bill Henrickson, and his three wives and many children. The family lives in three adjacent houses on a quiet suburban street, and Bill moves between the houses, spending rotating shifts with each of his wives, Barb, Nicki, and Margene.

I’ve watched the series since the first episode, and although it’s hard to watch at times — Bill’s enemy, who also happens to be one of his fathers-in-law (Nicki’s father), Roman, is the leader of the polygamist compound and has many wives, one who isn’t even 16 and proclaims in one episode, “Obedience is the greatest freedom of all!” — it just gets better with each episode.

I know it’s unpopular to say, but I don’t think Sopranos is the best show HBO’s ever had. When it was on, Six Feet Under was far superior. I watch Sopranos just to keep up on it since it seems like everyone else watches it and it is a well done show, but HBO has had far better series. It’s too early to say with Big Love, but I’d definitely recommend checking it out.

This past Sunday’s episode of Big Love examined power — the hierarchy within the family and the relative position of seniority of each of the wives within the family. There are some interesting dynamics at play, and a hell of a lot more to having multiple wives than one might think.

So if you’ve ever considered having more than one wife — for the record, I couldn’t be happier with the one perfect wife I’ve got! — or just want an excellent HBO alternative to the Sopranos, tune to Big Love.