Big Love (prophet, LDS, Roman)

[!Fluffy!]

I get so mad having to wait between seasons. They'll have to end this with a cliffhanger or several and I think it's going to be a really dramatic final episode this season.

If I had to guess judging by the snakes and Alby's threats, I'd say it's going to be all out war between the compound and the family but the Greenes could be mixed in there too. I get the feeling Barb's mom (Ellen Burstyn) will develop a bigger role, like maybe Barb will take her kids and go live with her temporarily while the family is in danger. As a storyline, this would kill several birds with one stone. Aside from the immediate danger posed by the Compound people and the Greenes, Barb knows her kids are in big trouble emotionally. We'd all be wondering if she will be influenced to draw a line in the sand with Bill. Maybe their son will become active in the LDS church and become more influenced by his new granddad to pursue the Air Force Academy. Maybe the daughter will find out she's pregnant, go through a bad breakup with her sperm donor boyfriend, and consider becoming a lesbian with her supportive girlfriend.

It looks like Bill is going to be drawn into the middle of compound politics, his mother and brother will be urging him to take over if Roman dies or remains incapacitated. Barb won't stand for it, but Nicki will love the idea.

Margene will either go off on her own and become a professional surrogate, or hook up with somebody we haven't seen yet. I can't see her tolerating anything about the compound.

Bill might become the next Roman...

I love this show. The possibilities are endless. And the juxtaposition within the characters of outward righteousness and piety while living out a life of total deception and constant subterfuge is fascinating.

[Nanda]

I can't see the family falling apart and going their separate ways. The whole point of the show has always been how they ultimately band together despite their problems.

[rojse]

Big Love is one of the few shows that I watch on television right now, and thought I would post my opinions up here (it's what the internet is for, right?). Because I am not watching this in America, I am up to the start of Season 3, so I would not appreciate any more spoilers.

Big Love has got good actors, presents religious ideas and moral debates from a variety of perspectives (I think each of the wives with their own opinions on a subject gives a depth of thought on ideas not present in many shows). I also enjoy how they portray life on the compound and life living as polygamists quite entertaining. The only thing I do not like is the "Desparate Housewives" plots, but this is a small complaint.

I would like to know what the complaints are about how Mormons are portrayed, because I haven't heard anything about that (seeing as though Mormons are not prominent here, and the show is a minor show on a culture channel in my country).

[Katzpur]

Originally Posted by rojse

I would like to know what the complaints are about how Mormons are portrayed, because I haven't heard anything about that (seeing as though Mormons are not prominent here, and the show is a minor show on a culture channel in my country).

First off, I'm assuming that you realize that the polygamous family portrayed on Big Love is NOT a Mormon family. The fact that so many people outside our faith seem unable to distinguish between Latter-day Saints (i.e. Mormons) and the various polygamous offshoots of Mormonism is pretty frustrating for us. So, I do hope you understand that Bill and his wives are not Mormons.

When the show first debuted, I was one of the many Latter-day Saints here in the U.S. who was very much opposed to it. I assumed, as did most of us, that the show would lead people to believe that these polygamous families are a legitimate faction of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, when in fact the word "faction" can NEVER be correctly applied to any denomination that broke off from the Church headquartered here in Salt Lake City. A person is either a Latter-day Saint or he isn't. There is no such thing as being "sort of" LDS. Anyway, I didn't watch the show since I don't have HBO. But after the first season ended, my curiosity got the best of me and I decided to rent the first three episodes of season one. I watched them and was hooked.

I agree with everything you've said about the show. The acting is excellent, the plot lines intriguing, and the character development fascinating. In my opinion, about the only negative thing about the show is the way "real Mormons" (i.e. Latter-day Saints) are portrayed. For the most part, I think they come across as pretty fanatical and narrow-minded, which most of us really aren't. They are almost parodied in an attempt to gain sympathy for Bill and his wives. I have seen polygamous women in the supermarket near my home and they're always extreme versions of Niki. I'll admit that when I see them, I sort of snicker behind their backs at their appearance, and if I were to find out that the president of the company I work for, for instance, was actually living a double life as a polygamist, I'd probably be the first to spread the news. I just wish that the few Mormons who are portrayed would be more like the vast majority of us are, and not like the self-righteous neighbor who wants Margie to surrogate a child for her.

[rojse]

Originally Posted by Katzpur

First off, I'm assuming that you realize that the polygamous family portrayed on Big Love is NOT a Mormon family. The fact that so many people outside our faith seem unable to distinguish between Latter-day Saints (i.e. Mormons) and the various polygamous offshoots of Mormonism is pretty frustrating for us. So, I do hope you understand that Bill and his wives are not Mormons.

When the show first debuted, I was one of the many Latter-day Saints here in the U.S. who was very much opposed to it. I assumed, as did most of us, that the show would lead people to believe that these polygamous families are a legitimate faction of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, when in fact the word "faction" can NEVER be correctly applied to any denomination that broke off from the Church headquartered here in Salt Lake City. A person is either a Latter-day Saint or he isn't. There is no such thing as being "sort of" LDS. Anyway, I didn't watch the show since I don't have HBO. But after the first season ended, my curiosity got the best of me and I decided to rent the first three episodes of season one. I watched them and was hooked.

I agree with everything you've said about the show. The acting is excellent, the plot lines intriguing, and the character development fascinating. In my opinion, about the only negative thing about the show is the way "real Mormons" (i.e. Latter-day Saints) are portrayed. For the most part, I think they come across as pretty fanatical and narrow-minded, which most of us really aren't. They are almost parodied in an attempt to gain sympathy for Bill and his wives. I have seen polygamous women in the supermarket near my home and they're always extreme versions of Niki. I'll admit that when I see them, I sort of snicker behind their backs at their appearance, and if I were to find out that the president of the company I work for, for instance, was actually living a double life as a polygamist, I'd probably be the first to spread the news. I just wish that the few Mormons who are portrayed would be more like the vast majority of us are, and not like the self-righteous neighbor who wants Margie to surrogate a child for her.

Thanks for your reply.

The distinction between LDS and Mormons was quite lost on me, as I have had little to do with any religion, and have had nothing to do with Mormons socially. I can appreciate that they were not within the traditional church structure, but your clarification made it so much clearer.

I can appreciate that the show might not be fully realistic in their portrayal of people of different religious groups, because they are not just making a show that is a realistic portrayal of polygamy and cult religions, but they also have to make it so that they can get a large TV audience.

[Katzpur]

Originally Posted by rojse

The distinction between LDS and Mormons was quite lost on me, as I have had little to do with any religion, and have had nothing to do with Mormons socially. I can appreciate that they were not within the traditional church structure, but your clarification made it so much clearer.

Actually, the correct name for members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is "Latter-day Saints." But since we believe in the Book of Mormon, we have been nicknamed "Mormons." Most of us don't really mind being called "Mormons," but we kind of prefer "Latter-day Saints" or "LDS." But NONE of us practices polygamy. The people who do are not "Mormons" or "LDS." That's what we want people to know.

I can appreciate that the show might not be fully realistic in their portrayal of people of different religious groups, because they are not just making a show that is a realistic portrayal of polygamy and cult religions, but they also have to make it so that they can get a large TV audience.

And that they do. I absolutely LOVE "Big Love." By the way, season 3 hasn't started yet and I haven't heard when it's going to, so you're all caught up.

[Nanda]

They're filming it now.

[Watchmen]

I'd like to make the argument that Bill and #1 ARE Mormons. They are on church records that would be announced at general conference, right? Are they polygamists? Yes. What would happen if Mormon leaders found out? They would be excommunicated. However, technically, they are Mormons in that they were baptized and have not been excommunicated or had their names removed (so far as we know).

Thus, they are inactive Mormons practicing polygamy, which the Church stopped over 100 years ago and if they are ever caught, they're out.

[Nessa]

Originally Posted by DisneyMan

I'd like to make the argument that Bill and #1 ARE Mormons. They are on church records that would be announced at general conference, right? Are they polygamists? Yes. What would happen if Mormon leaders found out? They would be excommunicated. However, technically, they are Mormons in that they were baptized and have not been excommunicated or had their names removed (so far as we know).

Thus, they are inactive Mormons practicing polygamy, which the Church stopped over 100 years ago and if they are ever caught, they're out.

I don't recall any mention of that. I seem to recall that they stated on an episode that they were not LDS. But either way, I did some research on the net and found :

The show's fictional fundamentalist group, the "United Effort Brotherhood", or UEB, is similar to and was inspired by the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS) whose financial and legal wing is called the "United Effort Plan".[

Big Love - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

They shouldn't be on the Roll of the LDS Chruch.