Big Love and Real Life

I have been pleasantly surprised by a new program that I have been watching this spring on HBO. Big Love didn’t seem like a show whose premise would be one that I enjoy. I have been pleasantly surprised.

The producers have said that Big Love is basically a drama about a family and their problems, as well as basic family values. The big twist is that they are not a traditional family. It is the story of a Utah polygamist and his daily dealings with his three wives, who all live next door to each other and share each others lives.

It is smartly written and superbly acted. In particular, Chloë Sevigny does an excellent job playing Nicki, the middle wife and shopaholic. The entire cast, which also includes Bill Paxton, Jean Tripplehorn, and Ginnifer Goodwin, make Big Love a compelling story and something that I can’t wait to turn in to every week.

However, this past week real life seemed to imitate reel life. The FBI placed Warren Jeffs, the leader of a polygamist sect in Utah, on their ten most wanted list. Jeffs is accused of arranging plural marriages between older men and under age girls. In addition he himself is accused of having relationships with underage girls as well. He was wanted in Utah and Arizona before the FBI stepped in and placed him on their ten most wanted list.

The Utah Attorney General is also looking into the finances of Jeffs’ Utah sect to see if there were any financial wrongdoings.

One of the main point plots on Big Love is the main character’s financial and personal struggles with a similar sect leader named Roman Grant, as played by Harry Dean Stanton. Roman leads a sect of followers who believe him to be their prophet; Roman sanctions marriages between underage girls and the males of his group. Roman’s most recent wife, of I believe 13 wives, is underage as well. (It also doesn’t help that Roman is the father of Nicki.) In the program the Utah Attorney General has begun looking into the dealings and finances of Roman and his group to see if there have been any illegal activities.

In hearing about the real life troubles of Jeffs I immediately thought that Big Love has further fodder to feed into Roman’s storyline during the program’s second season.