The Ceremony (Big Love)

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"The Ceremony"
Big Love episode
Episode no.Season 1
Episode 12
Directed by Julian Farino
Written by
Produced by
Cinematography byRuss Alsobrook
Editing byCarole Kravetz
Original release dateJune 4, 2006 (2006-06-04)
Running time47 minutes
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
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"The Ceremony" is the twelfth episode and first season finale of the American drama television series Big Love . The episode was written by series creators Mark V. Olsen and Will Scheffer, and directed by Julian Farino. It originally aired on HBO on June 4, 2006.

Contents

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 and Joey face Roman with a seat at the table, while Barbara prepares for the "Mother of the Year" ceremony.

According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by an estimated 4.55 million household viewers. The episode received extremely positive reviews from critics, who praised its cliffhanger ending as a highlight.

Plot

Bill Henrickson (Bill Paxton) and Joey (Shawn Doyle) prepare their plan against Roman (Harry Dean Stanton), wherein they will use Ernest's seat at the table to gain access to his documents. Meanwhile, Barbara (Jeanne Tripplehorn) is preparing for the "Mother of the Year" ceremony at the Governor's mansion, although Nicki (Chloë Sevigny) is worried about her presence.

Alby (Matt Ross) visits Wanda (Melora Walters) at her house, believing that Bill is staying with her. Fed up with him, she provides him with a drink that poisons him. When Joey returns home, he is shocked to discover Alby unconscious. He arrives late to meet with Bill outside the UEB Priesthood Council meeting, but they proceed with their plan anyway. Roman objects to their roles in the council, but Bill leaves with Roman's financial documents anyway. After leaving, Bill is told about Alby's poisoning, and discovers that she is also responsible for Frank's poisoning. He consoles Joey, instructing him to secretly drop Alby at a hospital.

Rhonda (Daveigh Chase), still believing to be part of the acting competition, decides to stay to attend school. Adaleen (Mary Kay Place) arrives, and forces her to return to Juniper Creek. Roman confronts Bill at his office, threatening to retaliate. Bill dismisses his threat, explaining that he now has enough evidence against him stored in his computers. Bill warns that if anything happens to him or his family, he will send Roman's financial records to the Internal Revenue Service. Roman is forced to accept his terms, but also questions his role in Alby's disappearance, with Bill pretending not to know anything. When he returns home, Roman decides to call an unspecified person about the day's "ceremony."

Nicki is not content with Barbara's decision to go, and refuses to attend her ceremony. She is convinced that this is important for the whole company, and changes her mind. However, Barbara is notified that two tickets were not sent for "her sisters", so Nicki and Margie (Ginnifer Goodwin) decide to go out to a restaurant. As the ceremony begins, the First Lady is interrupted by a new revelation from Barbara and privately questions if she practices polygamy. Barbara confesses, and she is disqualified from the ceremony. As Bill asks what happened, he is told to discuss it with his wives, causing the crowd to deduce it. The Henricksons are forced to return home, and Nicki and Margie return to comfort a crying Barbara at her bedroom. As Roman visits Alby at the hospital, Bill sits alone outside his house, questioning what to do.

Production

Development

The episode was written by series creators Mark V. Olsen and Will Scheffer, and directed by Julian Farino. This was Olsen's eighth writing credit, Scheffer's eighth writing credit, and Farino's second directing credit. [1]

Reception

Viewers

In its original American broadcast, "The Ceremony" was seen by an estimated 4.55 million household viewers. [2] This was a 10% increase in viewership from the previous episode, which was watched by an estimated 4.10 million household viewers. [3]

Critical reviews

"The Ceremony" received extremely positive reviews from critics. Jay Christianson of IGN gave the episode a "good" 7 out of 10 rating and wrote, "As season one of Big Love concludes we're treated to a standard HBO end-of-season cliffhanger; someone's damn near dead, and the world's about to come crashing in on the family." [4]

Michael Peck of TV Guide wrote, "I think this is where I check out of this show. It was intriguing enough in the beginning, and it gets points for overcoming my initial doubts since I came in figuring HBO was just trying to come up with an attention-getter by putting together a polygamy show. Early on, I was pulled in by the solid writing and excellent acting. But y'know, I don't think they know where to go from here. And I'm hoping they prove me wrong next season." [5]

Michael Sciannamea of TV Squad wrote, "All in all, it was a good first season for Big Love. What started out as a bizarre story turned very compelling over the last 12 weeks, and the writing and actors have come into their own. I'm looking forward to the next season, and seeing how this whole thing shakes out." [6] Television Without Pity gave the episode a "B" grade. [7]

The Futon Critic named the episode as the 45th best TV episode of 2006. [8]

Related Research Articles

<i>Big Love</i> American drama television series

Big Love is an American drama television series that aired on HBO from March 11, 2006, to March 20, 2011. It stars Bill Paxton as the patriarch of a fundamentalist Mormon family in contemporary Utah that practices polygamy, with Jeanne Tripplehorn, Chloë Sevigny, and Ginnifer Goodwin portraying his wives. The series charts the family's life in and out of the public sphere in their Salt Lake City suburb, as well as their associations with a fundamentalist compound in the area. It features key supporting performances from Amanda Seyfried, Grace Zabriskie, Daveigh Chase, Matt Ross, Mary Kay Place, Bruce Dern, Melora Walters, and Harry Dean Stanton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill Henrickson</span> Soap opera character

William Orville "Bill" Henrickson is a fictional character in the HBO series Big Love, portrayed by Bill Paxton. The protagonist of the series, he is the head of a polygamous family. He is married to three wives, Barbara Henrickson, Nicolette Grant and Margene Heffman. He has fathered nine children with these three women, and a tenth child with Ana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nicolette Grant</span> A main character on HBOs Big Love

Nicolette Eugenia "Nicki" Grant is a character in Big Love, an HBO television series set among contemporary polygamists in Utah. The role is played by Chloë Sevigny. The show focuses on the family of Bill Henrickson; Nicki is the second of Henrickson's three wives, and the mother of three of his children: Cara Lynn, Wayne, and Raymond.

Albert "Alby" Grant, played by Matt Ross, is a fictional character from the HBO series Big Love. The character is loosely based on the real life polygamist leader Warren Jeffs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Grant</span> Fictional character

Roman Grant is a fictional character in the HBO series, Big Love, and is portrayed by Harry Dean Stanton. He was the prophet of the Juniper Creek Compound, and is the father of Nicolette Grant and Alby Grant. The character is loosely based on the real life polygamist leader Rulon Jeffs.

"Where There's a Will" is the eleventh episode of the American drama television series Big Love. The episode was written by supervising producers Mimi Friedman and Jeanette Collins from a story by Eileen Myers, and directed by Alan Poul. It originally aired on HBO on May 21, 2006.

"Pilot" is the series premiere of the American drama television series Big Love. The episode was written by series creators Mark V. Olsen and Will Scheffer, and directed by Rodrigo García. It originally aired on HBO on March 12, 2006.

"Viagra Blue" is the second episode of the American drama television series Big Love. The episode was written by series creators Mark V. Olsen and Will Scheffer, and directed by Charles McDougall. It originally aired on HBO on March 19, 2006.

"Home Invasion" is the third episode of the American drama television series Big Love. The episode was written by series creators Mark V. Olsen and Will Scheffer, and directed by Charles McDougall. It originally aired on HBO on March 26, 2006.

"Eclipse" is the fourth episode of the American drama television series Big Love. The episode was written by consulting producer David Manson and series creators Mark V. Olsen and Will Scheffer from a story by Manson, and directed by Michael Spiller. It originally aired on HBO on April 2, 2006.

"Affair" is the fifth episode of the American drama television series Big Love. The episode was written by co-executive producer Alexa Junge and series creators Mark V. Olsen and Will Scheffer from a story by Junge, and directed by Alan Taylor. It originally aired on HBO on April 9, 2006.

"Roberta's Funeral" is the sixth episode of the American drama television series Big Love. The episode was written by Eileen Myers, and directed by Mary Harron. It originally aired on HBO on April 16, 2006.

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"Easter" is the eighth episode of the American drama television series Big Love. The episode was written by series creators Mark V. Olsen and Will Scheffer, and directed by Steve Shill. It originally aired on HBO on April 30, 2006.

"A Barbecue for Betty" is the ninth episode of the American drama television series Big Love. The episode was written by producer Jill Sprecher and series creators Mark V. Olsen and Will Scheffer from a story by Sprecher and Karen Sprecher, and directed by Julian Farino. It originally aired on HBO on May 7, 2006.

"The Baptism" is the tenth episode of the American drama television series Big Love. The episode was written by Dustin Lance Black, and directed by Michael Lehmann. It originally aired on HBO on May 14, 2006.

"Damage Control" is the first episode of the second season of the American drama television series Big Love. It is the thirteenth overall episode of the series and was written by series creators Mark V. Olsen and Will Scheffer, and directed by Daniel Minahan. It originally aired on HBO on June 11, 2007.

"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.

"Reunion" is the third episode of the second season of the American drama television series Big Love. It is the fifteenth overall episode of the series and was written by Dustin Lance Black, and directed by Alan Poul. It originally aired on HBO on June 25, 2007.

"Rock and a Hard Place" is the fourth episode of the second season of the American drama television series Big Love. It is the sixteenth overall episode of the series and was written by supervising producers Jeanette Collins and Mimi Friedman, and directed by Adam Davidson. It originally aired on HBO on July 2, 2007.

References

  1. ↑ "Big Love – WGA Directory". Writers Guild of America West . Retrieved May 6, 2024.
  2. ↑ "Broadcast & Cable Nielsens: Week Ending June 4, 2006". Ratings Ryan. December 26, 2021. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
  3. ↑ "Development Update: May 22-26 (Weekly Round-Up)". The Futon Critic. May 26, 2006. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
  4. ↑ Christianson, Jay (June 7, 2006). "Big Love: "The Ceremony"". IGN . Retrieved May 6, 2024.
  5. ↑ Peck, Michael (June 5, 2006). "Big Love: The Ceremony". TV Guide . Archived from the original on June 18, 2006. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
  6. ↑ Sciannamea, Michael (June 5, 2006). "Big Love: The Ceremony (season finale)". TV Squad . Archived from the original on February 11, 2007. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
  7. ↑ "Big Love: "The Ceremony" - Don't drink with Wanda". Television Without Pity . June 11, 2006. Archived from the original on May 7, 2008. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
  8. ↑ Ford Sullivan, Brian (January 1, 2007). "The 50 Best Episodes of 2006: #50-41". The Futon Critic. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
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