‘Big Love’: The one we’d all be talking about

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Last week, HBO promised that this week’s ‘Big Love’ would be the one we’d all be talking about. And, in spirit, it delivered on its promise: In the closing moments of Monday night’s episode, Roman Grant (Harry Dean Stanton), the conniving so-called Prophet and the closest thing the series has to an archvillain, was gunned down by the unhappy wives of a rival polygamist family.

Roman’s shooting was certainly unexpected, but offing major characters has become a bit of an old standby for HBO. ‘Sopranos’ kicked it up a notch when Tony capped Big Pussy in its second season. And remember Nate’s death a few episodes from the end of ‘Six Feet Under’? Just once wouldn’t it be great for HBO to promise a shock and then really deliver something unexpected? You know, like an alien invasion over Utah, or maybe the entire family contracts a flesh eating supervirus, or even a special appearance by Donnie and Marie Osmond.

We still don’t know for certain if Roman is truly gone from the show -- we last saw him lying in a pool of blood on the sidewalk -- but I’ve learned that unless you actually see the body in the coffin, no death on TV is a done deal. If he is gone, it’s just as well. The rivalry between Roman and his son-in-law, Bill (Bill Paxton), had pretty much run its course. There’s no way their infighting would have ever resulted in anything more than a smashed window and hurt feelings.

(Photo courtesy of HBO)

Not so with the new super-creepy polygamist sect, the Greenes. Though Bill helped the Feds run them over the state line into Arizona, it’s a safe bet that the brand-happy, cross-dressing, awfully deadly family will be back for vengeance against Bill and his family.

In other developments, the jealousies of the three wives sharing Bill are finally starting to flare up. That’s one of the show’s ongoing themes, but this time it appears Bill’s controlling, manipulative side is really starting to poke through. Maybe it’s the awful behavior of his father (Bruce Dern) against his mother (Grace Zabriskie) in recent episodes, but we’re finally getting a warts-and-all peek beneath Bill’s close-cropped hair and impish grin. Do you think it’s possible one of the wives is going to crack this season and try to separate from Bill? If so, I predict it’ll be Nicki. The (possible) death of her father may be all that’s needed to send her flying over the edge.

This was a big episode, no doubt, but not for the reasons HBO may think. The shooting of a major character may be a jolt, but it’s the steady build-up of the tension between the Henricksons’ three houses that’s really got us riveted.

-- Patrick Day