Big Love was groundbreaking in two distinct, almost contradictory ways. First, it shed light on practicing American polygamists, who are now said to comprise a notable percentage of the population and still conjure up images of depravity and insanity. It presented a cross-section of those who live the original principle of Joseph Smith, struggling to balance a normal life with that demonizing image. The fictional Hendrickson family showed us the fringe pushing its way into the respectable—prosperous, all-American, and totally closeted, still haunted by the criminal element while aiming at heavenly salvation. Which brings us to the second surprise: its characters are devout people.

I would suggest that it was a greater risk to put out a drama about people living religious lives than a drama about polygamists. Television's religious characters are nearly always one-dimensional, either handy villains or mushy do-gooders. HBO went out on a limb and said yes, there is an audience for a high-calibre series with feature film stars and intricately woven plots dealing with faith, and it can exist in harmony with sex and power and attempted murder. It is HBO, after all.

If Mormons are outsiders in secular society, Bill Henrickson (Bill Paxton), his wives Barb (Jeanne Tripplehorn), Nikki (Chloe Sevigny) and Margene (Ginnifer Goodwin) and their assorted children are the outsiders of the outsiders. Season One saw the Utah family struggling to carve out their own niche between the dominant Church of Latter-Day Saints and the sinister polygamist sect Bill grew up in. It ended with the family exposed to the former by the latter, and in sophomore year, the four lead characters are dealing with the fallout and questioning the rightness of their peculiar path.

Tensions between Bill and the Juniper Creek sect, ruled by the "prophet" Roman Grant (Harry Dean Stanton), continue to boil as they compete to buy a gaming business, with Roman's psychotic son Alby (Matt Ross) frothing to avenge his poisoning by Bill's sister-in-law. Meanwhile, Barb still feels put upon by her sister wives, with prickly Nikki jockeying for position and Margene resentful of being treated as a child and playing the fool. Nikki's connection with her family on the compound (she's Roman's daughter) frays even further. Margene, several months pregnant, starts conspiring to bring a fourth wife on the scene. And now Bill and Barb's eldest children (Douglas Smith, Amanda Seyfried) are reacting against their parents' lifestyle.

To call Big Love a layered drama is a paltry understatement. There are more  intersecting threads and shifting alliances in each episode than some shows manage in a season—I haven't even mentioned Bill's mother (Grace Zabriskie) and her new business, or Roman's child-bride (Daveigh Chase) worming her way into the Hendricksons' lives. The season as a whole starts feeling a bit soapish after a while, especially in the constant tension wearing the viewer down, but there are no easy soap answers, and no character is wasted. Expert direction and scripting keep a tight rein on this sprawling zoo.

Viewers' fascination with the Hendricksons will be teased by three special features revealing some of their back story. These are complete scenes, scripted and shot in the style of a regular episode, dealing with events previous to Season One. "Post-Partum," set five years earlier, finds Barb helping Nikki deal with the birth of her baby; "Meet the Baby-Sitter" shows Nikki's first encounter with Margene, setting the argumentative tone of their relationship. The idea is laudable—everybody loves an "origin" story—but each scene runs a few minutes, barely establishing context before fadeout. It’s all setup, no payout.  

A show that deserves a higher profile than it's gotten, Big Love rarely hits a false note in its second season, though it holds some notes far too long. It's the most riveting study of what we believe and what makes a family to hit TV in many a year.

Review By Michael Rottman