By Jennifer Larson

After the dramatic ending of last week’s episode of BIG LOVE, it appears that the Greenes aren’t going to slip away quietly. With the horrific and brazen shooting of Roman (Harry Dean Stanton), Bill (Bill Paxton) isn’t as safe as he thought he was, and this fact is beginning to take a toll. That being said, Bill is still dead set on completing his video-gaming deal, but tonight, he realizes that he may need to lean on his wives more than he thought. Meanwhile, Bill’s mother Lois (Grace Zabriskie) decides to take matters into her own hands with Frank (Bruce Dern.) Lois’ failed attempt at getting help from her son, Bill, causes her to plot her own revenge on her conniving estranged-husband.

Apparently, having so many wives to care for and look after him has given Roman enough fortitude to survive three gun shot wounds to the chest. But, this act of violence sends Juniper Creek into a panic. And, with their fearless, (and decrepit), leader convalescing, one of his many sons, Alby (Matt Ross), had to infiltrate the UEB to protect his father’s interests. We all know what a slimy little character Alby is, but he all but deflated under Bill’s intimidation. Meanwhile, Nikki had to sneak onto the compound in order to grieve with her family, after being disowned by her mother a few weeks ago. Of course, family is a relative term on this show, especially when we see Alby use his father’s dire predicament to his advantage.

Honestly, I don’t know whether to cheer or cry over Roman’s brutal attack. I mean his character is diabolical, but he does provide much of the grit, drama and humor in the show. I guess having him linger near death for a while is a good compromise. But come on, how realistic is it for a 70-something year old man to survive something like that? A better scenario might have been to have his wannabe assassins just push him over the curb and have him break a hip. Ok, not daring or provocative enough for HBO. Still, I can’t see Bill taking over the compound, so really their only other option – should Roman die – is to have that weasly son of his take over the sect.

With Bill hanging his mother out to dry, she turns to her naïve granddaughter, Sara (Amanda Seyfried), to plead her case with him. This poor woman can’t get a break. I mean she only took the money her brother bilked from a dying woman to get out from under the thumb of her horrible husband. And, she only laundered the money to keep her business afloat. Really, you can’t blame her; she’s a victim of her circumstance. And, with Bill having a difficult time convincing his first – and most powerful – wife Barb (Jeanne Tripplehorn) that buying a video gambling business isn’t a sin, he really doesn’t have time to bail his mother out of this jam.

And, as if Barb didn’t question the sanity of her decision to be a plural wife enough, she has her two eldest children pointing out how much it effects their lives. Sarah feels sympathy and pity for her mother’s situation, while Ben (Douglas Smith), believes he can marry his girlfriend now and take another wife later when he gets sick of her. Nothing like our children to show us how stupid we can be sometimes.

That being said, the sister-wife love between Barb, Nikki and Margene (Ginnifer Goodwin) is real, but so are the rivalry, jealousy and competition. This is actually my favorite aspect of the show. Watching these three women share one husband is like reliving my childhood. With three kids in my family, we were in a constant battle for our parent’s time and attention, much like these sister-wives are with Bill. Barb, the smart but sometimes bossy eldest, Nikki, the insecure, moody middle-child and margene, the fun and bubbly baby of the family.

Than there’s poor Joey (Shawn Doyle) - Bill’s baby brother – who seems to be leaning closer and closer toward taking a second wife. This is all for his crazy wife’s well being. After spending time in a mental institution, Wanda (Melora Walters) believes it may be in her family’s best interest to have some help around the house. I mean trying to kill two men by poison takes a lot out of a girl. But, you gotta give her a break, she’s exhausted from lugging all those buckets of water around the Juniper Creek compound.

In the end, Bill and his family wind up looking like the most grounded, well adjusted group in the bunch. The question remains, can these four crazy kids work it all out and make it throughout eternity together?