Big Love - Season 5 episode 45: A seat at the table (viewed online)
Synopsis: The Henricksons are a mormon polygamist family who live in Utah. They secretly lived this life until the 5th season. The family went as far as having three houses side by side with a joining backyards to make it look like they were just neighbors.
The show is actually based on the morals and values of the polygamist sector. The creators of the show spent three years researching this particular lifestyle with the intent of creating a fair portrayal of polygamy in America. I feel that, drama set aside, this is a great way to see a population of America that isn't really portrayed. It is an important to depict the lifestyle fairly since many people are not exposed to it, even though Mormonism is one of the fastest "new" growing religions in the world. The show portrays the conflict that is consistently arising between the modern Mormons and the polygamist modern Mormons and the compound polygamist Mormons.
Bill (the husband) who owns a large hardware store, a casino, and now holds a political office. After he was elected Bill comes out to the press stating he live a polygamist lifestyle.
Barbara (first wife) was the first woman that Bill married and the only legal marriage in the family. She is the mother of three children. Originally, Barb's marriage to Bill wasn't going to go the pologimist route. It wasn't until Barb was diagnosed with cancer and a woman (Nicki) from the compound Bill grew up on volunteered to help Barb during her treatment. As Barb started to get better, Bill told her that he had a sign from God and God wanted Bill to take Nicki as his second wife (Barb relevancy agreed).
Nicki (second wife) was wedded to Bill after her help during Barbs sickness. Nicki was born and raised on the same compound as Bill. Nicki's father was the Priesthood holder of the compound (the president). Nicki is the mother of two of Bill's children and a child of a previous marriage; which was dissolved because she was forced to marry the man at the age of 16. Nicki struggles with her life in the modern world, while trying to keep the traditional polygamist mormon rules and traditions alive amongst her children and sister-wives (whom she thinks doesn't take the mormon life seriously).
Margene (third wife) married Bill after meeting him at the hardware store. Margene had no ties to the mormon religion until she married Bill. She is the youngest and "prettiest" of the wives which causes some jealous from her "sisters". Margene grew up with an alcoholic mother and no father. She hide her marriage from her mother. Margene feels trapped within the marriage (both with Bill and the marriage she has with her sister wives); she thinks that non of the others take her seriously and believes the only way she can get what she wants and have her voice heard is by having sex with Bill. Margene has three children with Bill.
In the episode being discussed here, Bill finds out that many of his fellow politicians are pushing for a bill to go through to make polygamy illegal forcing anyone that holds political office be stripped of their title. Margene is struggling with there family being "out" because she is forced out of her job. She feels trapped and tells Bill she no longer wants to be apart of the family. Bill tells Margene that he would allow her to leave. Barb hates the fact that Bill forced their family out of the shadows and has told Bill she doesn't feel right with the direction their family is taking; thus sending their children away to live with another family member. She has also started drinking and dancing; which are both forbidden in the mormon religion. Nicki is happy that their family has come out. Her daughter just won a math competition and wants her to focus more on math, especially since she has been seen snuggling up with a mormon boy. Nicki isn't happy with the direction Barb is taking and feels that Bill needs to put a stop to it; causing a major rift between the wives.
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