HBO's "Big Love" - Polygamy Drama

[UndercoverGator]

Is anyone else planning on watching this new show when it premiers Sunday night after "The Sopranos"? If it's got the Mormons up in arms I have to see it.

Drama About Polygamy Causes Stir in Utah

By DEBBIE HUMMEL, Associated Press Writer Thu Mar 9, 3:43 PM ET

SALT LAKE CITY — The upcoming premiere of HBO's "Big Love" is causing a big buzz in the Beehive State.
ADVERTISEMENT

Everyone from practicing polygamists to the Mormon church — which shunned the practice more than a century ago — are anxiously anticipating the fallout from the show about a Utah polygamist and his three sometimes desperate housewives.

Some worry that the series will perpetuate stereotypes from which the state and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have long sought to distance themselves. Others fear it will diminish the crimes, such as child abuse, reported in some of the state's secretive polygamous sects. And polygamists say they're sure the series won't accurately portray the "boring" reality of their lives.

The program debuts 10 p.m. EST Sunday after the season premiere of "The Sopranos," which spawned bus tours of the show's locations in New Jersey and backlash from some Italian-American groups.

Public perceptions are a concern of the LDS church, which claims 12 million members worldwide.

In 1843, church founder Joseph Smith said he had a revelation from God allowing the practice of plural marriage. In 1890, a subsequent church president, Wilford Woodruff, made public a revelation declaring that church members should stop practicing polygamy. The federal government had required the Utah territory end its endorsement of polygamy as a condition of statehood. Utah became a state in 1896.

Polygamy isn't an issue for modern-day Mormons, said church spokesman Michael Otterson, adding that members understand why polygamy is no longer practiced.

What concerns the church is anything that might make light of the abuse of women and children alleged to occur in some polygamist communities.

"To make polygamy, given those circumstances, the subject of television entertainment is not only a bad idea, but it's going to add to the pain of those victims," Otterson said.

He's also worried that the church could lose some of the ground it has gained in educating the public about the differences between the mainstream church and splinter fundamentalist groups that practice polygamy.

"This, I think, is going to undo some of that. Because you only have to mention Salt Lake City and polygamy and Mormons in the same breath and people will start to get those old stereotypes again," he said.

Otterson said HBO has "gone out of their way to call journalists who got it wrong." But an epilogue statement, which is scheduled to air after the first episode, is inadequate, he said.

The statement says: "According to a joint report issued by the Utah and Arizona attorney general's offices, July 2005, `approximately 20,000 to 40,000 or more people currently practice polygamy in the United States.' The Mormon church officially banned the practice of polygamy in 1890."

HBO has said they feel the epilogue will help clear up any confusion and the show's creators say their program will reinforce the difference.

"We want to make it abundantly clear that our characters are not Mormon, that they wouldn't find any home in the Mormon church. And that works for the dramatic pull of the show," co-creator Mark V. Olsen told The Associated Press.

Olsen also said the show's depiction of a rural polygamist sect addresses the issue of child abuse.

"There is no way we want to whitewash the abuses. That's very important to us. Stick with us in our story lines. This is a concern that we are responsive to," he said.

The "Big Love" lead character Bill Henrickson (played by
Bill Paxton) runs a home improvement store in Salt Lake City and is just opening another. Besides the struggles of his expanding business, Henrickson faces the challenges of life with three women (Ginnifer Goodwin, Chloe Sevigny and
Jeanne Tripplehorn) and seven children, and the nefarious "prophet" (
Harry Dean Stanton) from a rural sect in fictional Juniper Creek who wants his share of Henrickson's success.

Vicky Prunty, director of the anti-polygamy group Tapestry Against Polygamy, said she's happy the show is addressing the abuse issue, but, based on script she's read, it doesn't go far enough.

"The abuse is not in just the isolated areas," she said. "(Polygamy) deals with power and control. Those individuals feel coerced into it, even if it's a subtle coercion, a religious coercion."

Prunty said even though the church tries to separate itself from the polygamy issue, the majority of practicing polygamists, including her ex-husband with whom she was in a multiple marriage, trace their beliefs to Mormon doctrine. Prunty's group has asked the Mormon church to get more involved in the issue.

Otterson said the role of the church is not to involve itself in allegations of criminal behavior.

"All we can do is raise our moral voice," he said. "The church will always be reluctant to step into an area that is the preserve of government."

Anne Wilde, the community relations director for the pro-polygamy group Principal Voices, said she's worried too.

"I don't want it to represent our culture in a bad way," she said.

Wilde was in a plural marriage for more than 33 years, until her husband died about three years ago. She doubts the realities of most modern-day polygamists would interest TV viewers.

"I would like people to realize it's very similar to a monogamous family," Wilde said

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060309/..._big_love_utah

[AliceInWonderland]

no not me, never.

[Algernon]

I'd really like to see this show but we only have basic cable!! Dammit.

I am always curious about these types of things, and I love it that the Mormons will be upset. I am bitter. If you remember, I lost my second true love to the Mormon cause. (I lost my first true love to the Navy). My third true love...the truest yet, and he's not going anywhere. Third time's a charm, right?

I digress. But still, I find the Mormon religion scary and cultlike, no matter if they outlawed polygamy or not. And this show sounds hilarious. I was reading about it in the entertainment section of my newspaper, and it sounds quirky and cute.

[UndercoverGator]

I tried to watch it on Sunday night but the sight of Bill Pullman's hairy nekkid buttcrack and three different sexual trysts in the first twenty minutes was too much for me. The show is scripted almost like what a straight average guy must think polygamy would be like, three Brady Bunchian households with three horny wives panting to be bedded by hubby. Not very real. The women are dull doormats and that's being kind.

[PaintTheTownRed]

It's Desperate Housewives Mormon style. I can't figure out who the target audience is. Most women will find it annoying. Polygamy grosses me out but I really tried to give it a chance. I could only watch 5 min, it sucked.

[SVZ]

i saw some clips.....didn't spark my interest

[NoDayButToday]

I watched it. I didn't think it was too bad. The sex stuff wasn't the whole show, they set up a sort of interesting plot. I'm not exactly jumping to see the rest though.

[UndercoverGator]

It just wasn't interesting enough for me between the sex stuff. I'm not watching again, I dislike shows that ignore reality.

[MrsDark]

We watched it after Sopranos. It was interesting enough. Don't see what the huge deal is about not being able to stand/stomach it. There's plenty of shows where people who look grosser than Bill Paxton (not crazy about his ass myself heheh) are fucking more than one person and doing all manner of weird and violent shit that everyone seems to have no problem stomaching. It was interesting enough for us to watch til the end and probably watch more if it continues. You don't have to be *for* polygamy to find this show interesting. I wanna see what happens when the spendthrift's credit card bills start rolling in! Not to mention find out if Bill Paxton's crazy mama who still lives on the compound really has been poisoning the hubby.

[drama_queen]

I liked the show.

[UndercoverGator]

Finally got around to rewatching it. I must have been in a bad mood when I was tryign to watch it the first few times or distracted. It got progressively better. I'll be watching.

[NoDayButToday]

Once you get past the squicky Bill Paxton sex stuff, it was a good enough show. Unfortunately I don't have HBO at school anyway, so I guess I'll have to wait til they marathon it some weekend (like they did with Carnivale).

[Luna]

Originally Posted by MrsDark

We watched it after Sopranos. It was interesting enough. Don't see what the huge deal is about not being able to stand/stomach it. There's plenty of shows where people who look grosser than Bill Paxton (not crazy about his ass myself heheh) are fucking more than one person and doing all manner of weird and violent shit that everyone seems to have no problem stomaching. It was interesting enough for us to watch til the end and probably watch more if it continues. You don't have to be *for* polygamy to find this show interesting. I wanna see what happens when the spendthrift's credit card bills start rolling in! Not to mention find out if Bill Paxton's crazy mama who still lives on the compound really has been poisoning the hubby.

I don't think the nutty mom is poisoning the dad, the leadee of the camp is for some reason, he's also the dad of the blonde wife.
Not a horrible show.

[NoDayButToday]

I agree it was Roman (if that's his correct name...). He was giving the dad that tea or whatever when he came over to see how he was doing. My first instinct said the nutty mom did it b/c she just seems that crazy, but then I remembered that scene.

[Luna]

Gotta love "oral is moral". This show is a machismo man's fantasy. I like Chloe's character, she's a bit devious.