Big Love - Second season begins.

Zephyr_Fate

So I'm watching the episode right now, so hide your spoilers!

I love this show, it's controversy as well as it's good writing and sometimes great humor. Plus, Bill Paxton is sexy naked.

Anyways, what do you all, the fine folks of D&D, think of this Mormon-derived polygamist show? :P

Malkor

I liked the first season. I think it was the only show on TV that I watched that didn't involve explosions, guns, and/or swords and such. I like the characters a lot. Unfortunately, I missed the first episode of this season. I'm looking forward to watching it later in the week.

Zephyr_Fate

Yeah it'll probably be on On-Demand tomorrow.

Yar

Sometimes to me it really seems like they are trying to legitimize polygamy. The scene last season where the son decides to take on multiple wives is quite touching... and then you're like, "But, polygamy!"

Zephyr_Fate

Erm, in the context of a show it doesn't really matter.

Yar

Zephyr_Fate wrote: »

Erm, in the context of a show it doesn't really matter.

Yeah I know I'm just saying, I can't help thinking there is some polygamist behind the production of the show who is trying to win us all over.

DarkCrawler

The funny thing is, I don't really have anything against people marrying multiple times if they really want to do so (no forcing or anything). Wouldn't do it myself, but I wouldn't hunt down people who do it either. Guess it is touchier subject on States, though.

Like so many things.

the Togfather

Thanks to On-Demand, my wife and I rolled through Season 1 in about a week and managed to catch up just in time for the premier last night. I like it. It's funny, well written, with plenty of interesting characters.

I hardly think they're trying to legitimize anything what with showing how difficult it is for them to live their lives, especially during the second half of last season and last night's.

It also provides for plenty of 'just wait till I get my second wife' jokes that typically get me slapped.

Malkor

Yes... Jokes.

DeForce

My wife is the one who actually got me into the show. I was like "eh fundies with lotsa wives". But the characters turned out to be fairly deep. The show is well written and has a good balance of light and dark humor. I don't really see it as an attempt to legitimize anything, more of a slice of how the lifestyle is.

I've never had a lot of experience with the lifestyle or lived close to it. I can only imagine this is a pretty accurate depiction of a family who's left the hardcore fundies (the compound) but kept the core belief system of plural marriage.

Great show, give it a chance if you haven't already.

Gigaton

Yar wrote: »

Zephyr_Fate wrote: »

Erm, in the context of a show it doesn't really matter.

Yeah I know I'm just saying, I can't help thinking there is some polygamist behind the production of the show who is trying to win us all over.

The creators of the show are a gay couple, which is interesting since various times in the first season polygamy and homosexuality are compared.

Loren Michael

I don't see a problem with polygamy. I understand how patriarchy has been tied to it in the past (and still is in most places where it's practiced), but I don't see an intrinsically wrong thing about it. If three or more people want to establish (or at least try) a permanent relationship, I don't see a problem.

DoctorArch

While I don't agree with, or even like polygamy, the fact that there are laws outlawing bigamy (multiple spouses, such as multiple wives or husbands) in the U.S. are basically religious-based laws being placed on others who do not believe the same thing in what is essentially a government-endorsed religiously-based morality. Separation of church and state my rear end.

Pretty much the same situation with laws banning sodomy, or sex between minors (especially when oral sex carries a larger punishment than intercourse).

lilylidou

I like it too.I hope APAS

Tastyfish

Archgarth wrote: »

While I don't agree with, or even like polygamy, the fact that there are laws outlawing bigamy (multiple spouses, such as multiple wives or husbands) in the U.S. are basically religious-based laws being placed on others who do not believe the same thing in what is essentially a government-endorsed religiously-based morality. Separation of church and state my rear end.

Pretty much the same situation with laws banning sodomy, or sex between minors (especially when oral sex carries a larger punishment than intercourse).

Not really, I suppose it could partly be due to this originally in the same way that theft and murder (to use extreme examples) are both religious and secular laws, but if people can have multiple partners who can also have multiple partners things are going to get hideously complicated as you could technically have the entire population part of one family. All that would happen is all the benefits that are usually extended to couples are now restricted to two named people or would disappear.

Yar

Gigaton wrote: »

The creators of the show are a gay couple, which is interesting since various times in the first season polygamy and homosexuality are compared.

See, I didn't know that, but I seriously suspected it. It's like there is an ulterior motive to show us how an alternative marriage can still be a respectable one.

Anyway, polygamy isn't really a prosecutable crime. What can they charge him with? In the eyes of the law, he has one wife and two mistresses and lots of children by them all. None of that is illegal.

Malkor

Yar wrote: »

Gigaton wrote: »

The creators of the show are a gay couple, which is interesting since various times in the first season polygamy and homosexuality are compared.

See, I didn't know that, but I seriously suspected it. It's like there is an ulterior motive to show us how an alternative marriage can still be a respectable one.

Anyway, polygamy isn't really a prosecutable crime. What can they charge him with? In the eyes of the law, he has one wife and two mistresses and lots of children by them all. None of that is illegal.

I think really the big problem the law has is when brides are assigned 'when they come of age' and the definition of 'of age'. Like when Roman opened up his book for Joey.

geckahn

Archgarth wrote: »

While I don't agree with, or even like polygamy, the fact that there are laws outlawing bigamy (multiple spouses, such as multiple wives or husbands) in the U.S. are basically religious-based laws being placed on others who do not believe the same thing in what is essentially a government-endorsed religiously-based morality. Separation of church and state my rear end.

Pretty much the same situation with laws banning sodomy, or sex between minors (especially when oral sex carries a larger punishment than intercourse).

Completely false comparison. Yeah, it'll apply to well pulled off polygamy, like the family in Big Love, which I have absolutely no problems with on any level . . . but then you have Roman and the UEB, where its horrible and is absolutely justified being against the law. Its systematic abuse, plain and simple.

Polygamy can work in a perfectly fine way in a non-polygamous society, but in a society where its the norm it results in all kind of fucked up things happening.

Plus anyone who knows the history of mormonism knows that its the most bullshit part of the religion.

Zephyr_Fate

Yar wrote: »

Gigaton wrote: »

The creators of the show are a gay couple, which is interesting since various times in the first season polygamy and homosexuality are compared.

See, I didn't know that, but I seriously suspected it. It's like there is an ulterior motive to show us how an alternative marriage can still be a respectable one.

Anyway, polygamy isn't really a prosecutable crime. What can they charge him with? In the eyes of the law, he has one wife and two mistresses and lots of children by them all. None of that is illegal.

I'm wondering if you're trying to say that alternative marriages can't be respectable..

Yar

Zephyr_Fate wrote: »

I'm wondering if you're trying to say that alternative marriages can't be respectable.

Oh jeez. Let's no go there.

the Togfather

Malkor wrote: »

Like when Roman opened up his book for Joey.

Heheh, can't remember if that was first season or was in this last episode, but that part was great.

Roman: you can be with me, and be rewarded...

Opens 'bridal registry' to cute girl

Roman: Or you can be against me, and be punished...

I TOTALLY thought he was going to flip the book to an ug-o at that point...kinda disappointed he didn't.

Picardathon

Yar wrote: »

Zephyr_Fate wrote: »

Erm, in the context of a show it doesn't really matter.

Yeah I know I'm just saying, I can't help thinking there is some polygamist behind the production of the show who is trying to win us all over.

The guys who make the show think Polygamy should be legal.
They aren't polygamists but they think that it should be legal.

Picardathon

geckahn wrote: »

Archgarth wrote: »

While I don't agree with, or even like polygamy, the fact that there are laws outlawing bigamy (multiple spouses, such as multiple wives or husbands) in the U.S. are basically religious-based laws being placed on others who do not believe the same thing in what is essentially a government-endorsed religiously-based morality. Separation of church and state my rear end.

Pretty much the same situation with laws banning sodomy, or sex between minors (especially when oral sex carries a larger punishment than intercourse).

Completely false comparison. Yeah, it'll apply to well pulled off polygamy, like the family in Big Love, which I have absolutely no problems with on any level . . . but then you have Roman and the UEB, where its horrible and is absolutely justified being against the law. Its systematic abuse, plain and simple.

Polygamy can work in a perfectly fine way in a non-polygamous society, but in a society where its the norm it results in all kind of fucked up things happening.

Plus anyone who knows the history of mormonism knows that its the most bullshit part of the religion.

The thing is that in real life Big Love probably never, ever happens. I would think that the majority of polygamy is just like with Warren Jeffs and his sect, and that can be prosecuted by underage marrying off, usually giving 14 year old girls to middle age guys.

The Cat

Picardathon wrote: »

The thing is that in real life Big Love probably never, ever happens. I would think that the majority of polygamy is just like with Warren Jeffs and his sect, and that can be prosecuted by underage marrying off, usually giving 14 year old girls to middle age guys.

It really, really is, and the other thing most people forget to pay attention to in a system like this is the surplus of leftover males inherent in that distribution of partners, who are generally treated terribly.

The TwOP recaps point out a lot of the problems with the structure of privilege among the ranked wives. Thinking that the arrangement in that family is benign in terms of power differentials is pretty silly.