The Writing on the Wall (Big Love)
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Episode 2
| "The Writing on the Wall" | |
|---|---|
| Big Love episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 2 Episode 2 |
| Directed by | Sarah Pia Anderson |
| Written by | |
| Cinematography by | M. David Mullen |
| Editing by |
|
| Original release date | June 18, 2007 |
| Running time | 50 minutes |
| Guest appearances | |
| |
"The Writing on the Wall" is the second episode of the second season of the American drama television series Big Love. It is the fourteenth overall episode of the series and was written by series creators Mark V. Olsen and Will Scheffer, and directed by Sarah Pia Anderson. It originally aired on HBO on June 18, 2007.
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, Bill faces challengers when he finds a vandalized billboard, while Joey tries to protect his wife.
According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by an estimated 1.53 million household viewers and gained a 0.8/2 ratings share among adults aged 18–49. The episode received mixed reviews from critics, who criticized Bill's storyline and pacing.
Bill Henrickson (Bill Paxton) puts up many Home Plus billboards across the city as promotion. However, while being driven by Ben (Douglas Smith), he discovers that someone vandalized the billboard to include his polygamy rumors. Bill, Don (Joel McKinnon Miller) and Peg (Wendy Phillips) quickly dispatch a team to clean it up, but worry that the billboard may impact their business.
Barbara (Jeanne Tripplehorn) decides to begin taking classes at the University of Utah to earn a master's degree. Nicki (Chloë Sevigny) and Margie (Ginnifer Goodwin) reluctantly visit Juniper Creek when Wanda (Melora Walters) calls them for help in her case. Joey (Shawn Doyle) is also forced to become a pawn for Roman (Harry Dean Stanton), willing to risk his life to save his wife from prison. However, Alby (Matt Ross) is angry when Roman tells him he will not seek retaliation for his poisoning. Secretly, Alby meets with the police to incriminate Wanda.
While Bill and Barbara have an encounter in his office, they are called by Margie, who tells them that Nicki is angry as they forgot her wedding anniversary. This forces them to quickly prepare a party at home, just as Ben brings Brynn (Sarah Jones) to introduce her to the family. Ben has already revealed the family's polygamy, and Brynn accepts it. Barbara is also confronted by an injured Wendy (Jodie Markell), accusing the Henricksons of staging her car crash, but Barbara denies anything. When Nicki returns, Barbara apologizes for forgetting her anniversary, and they reconcile. Back at Juniper Creek, the police arrives to arrest Wanda. Joey steps outside, and declares himself as the real culprit, leading to his arrest.
Production
Development
The episode was written by series creators Mark V. Olsen and Will Scheffer, and directed by Sarah Pia Anderson. This was Olsen's tenth writing credit, Scheffer's tenth writing credit, and Anderson's first directing credit.[1]