D.I.V.O.R.C.E. (Big Love)
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| "D.I.V.O.R.C.E." | |
|---|---|
| Big Love episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 5 Episode 6 |
| Directed by | Howard Deutch |
| Written by | |
| Cinematography by | Rob Sweeney |
| Editing by | Chris Figler |
| Original release date | February 20, 2011 |
| Running time | 59 minutes |
| Guest appearances | |
| |
"D.I.V.O.R.C.E." is the sixth episode of the fifth season of the American drama television series Big Love. It is the 49th overall episode of the series and was written by series creators Mark V. Olsen and Will Scheffer, and directed by Howard Deutch. It originally aired on HBO on February 20, 2011.
The series is set in Salt Lake City and follows Bill Henrickson, a fundamentalist Mormon. He practices polygamy, having Barbara, Nicki and Margie as his wives. The series charts the family's life in and out of the public sphere in their suburb, as well as their associations with a fundamentalist compound in the area. In the episode, Barbara gets into a conflict with her mother and sister over the priesthood, while Bill seeks to maintain control within the compounds.
According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by an estimated 1.04 million household viewers and gained a 0.5/1 ratings share among adults aged 18–49. The episode received mostly positive reviews from critics, who praised the conflicts and second half of the episode.
As she prepares her divorce with Bill (Bill Paxton), Barbara (Jeanne Tripplehorn) goes to the University of Utah to talk with ex-Mormon feminist Renee Clayton (Judith Ivey), hoping to help her case of priesthood. Margie (Ginnifer Goodwin) assembles a pro-polygamy children's rally, and asks Michael Sainte (Grant Show) to sponsor the rally.
After discovering that Don (Joel McKinnon Miller) is still alive, Alby (Matt Ross) demands that Verlan (Kevin Rankin) return the money. When Verlan cannot complete the debt, he instead kisses Alby to settle his debt. Bill is later called by Bud Mayberry (Robert Patrick), who reveals that Alby will no longer cooperate with the State and plans to "abolish" Bill from his "purist" compound. Nicki (Chloë Sevigny) is worried over Cara Lynn (Cassi Thomson) spending more time with Greg (Christian Campbell), unaware that they have started a secret relationship. Despite Bill's insistence, Lois (Grace Zabriskie) decides to move back with Frank (Bruce Dern), but the latter is angry that his wives left him after Barbara told them he gave herpes to Lois. Lois makes Frank promise to kill her
Concerned over her meeting with Renee, Nancy (Ellen Burstyn) and Cindy (Judith Hoag) talk with Barbara, and Nancy even suggests Barbara is having an affair with Renee. They subsequently have dinner with her, and Renee makes another suggestion at lesbianism. Bill and Don meet with Alby, and Bill threatens to pull funding from Juniper Creek if he leaves the Safety Net, but Alby is still not scared. Later, Bill and Barbara talk to Nicki, revealing that while Nicki will now be his legal wife, Barbara will still be in charge of the family's finances, leading to a severe argument between Nicki and Barbara. Bill and Barbara also have another argument over her priesthood, and Barbara decides that she cannot attend his church as she no longer believes in its foundation. Ben (Douglas Smith) goes to a strip club bar, discovering that Rhonda (Daveigh Chase) works as a pole dancer.
Production
Development
The episode was written by series creators Mark V. Olsen and Will Scheffer, and directed by Howard Deutch. This was Olsen's 20th writing credit, Scheffer's 20th writing credit, and Deutch's first directing credit.[1]