The Writing on the Wall (Big Love)

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"The Writing on the Wall"
Big Love episode
Episode no.Season 2
Episode 2
Directed by Sarah Pia Anderson
Written by
Produced by
Cinematography byM. David Mullen
Editing by
  • Meg Reticker
  • Stephen Prime
Original release dateJune 18, 2007 (2007-06-18)
Running time50 minutes
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
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"Damage Control"		Next →
"Reunion"
List of episodes

"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.

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 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.

Plot

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]

Reception

Viewers

In its original American broadcast, "The Writing on the Wall" was seen by an estimated 1.53 million household viewers with a 0.8/2 in the 18–49 demographics. This means that 0.8 percent of all households with televisions watched the episode, while 2 percent of all of those watching television at the time of the broadcast watched it. [2] This was a 31% decrease in viewership from the previous episode, which was watched by an estimated 2.21 million household viewers with a 1.1/3 in the 18–49 demographics. [3]

Critical reviews

"The Writing on the Wall" received mixed reviews from critics. Dan Iverson of IGN gave the episode an "okay" 6.8 out of 10 rating and wrote, ""The Writing on the Wall" may not have been the best episode of Big Love that we have ever seen, but the show continued to show the quality of writing and acting that continues to pull us in - even when there are glaring problems to be found within an episode. So, gripes aside, this episode was still worth viewing for those interested in the lives of the Henricksons... just be warned that this isn't the program's best effort." [4]

Trish Wethman of TV Guide wrote, "Things definitely heated up this week for the Henrickson clan. After last week's slow-moving debut, I was excited to see all the cards falling into place for some interesting developments. Unfortunately for Bill and the ladies, it's definitely not all good news." [5] Emma Pearse of Vulture wrote, "Here's why Big Love is one of the most exasperating shows on television: It builds and it builds and at the moment you think it's going to explode into a big, frightening, seductive mash of sex and religion and state troopers, someone forgets an anniversary and entire episodes give over to the petty domestic crises of three otherwise intriguing women." [6]

Emily St. James of Slant Magazine wrote, "While the main plotlines all focus on Bill, writers and creators Mark V. Olsen and Will Scheffer use the hoary old device of a husband forgetting he and his wife's anniversary to illuminate the least-developed Henrickson." [7] Shirley Halperin of Entertainment Weekly wrote, "We didn't get a ton of Ben and Sarah on this episode, but I expect that they'll be debating the legitimacy of plural marriage more and more in the weeks to come. Meanwhile, they're letting their friends and significant others in on the secret, but can all these outsiders be trusted? After all, Don's got 16 mouths to feed; the last thing he and the Home Plus team need is any more negative exposure. Bill insists that being family owned gives the store an edge, but at what cost? Has he gone over the edge with this latest PR mess?" [8]

Meredith O'Brien of TV Squad wrote, "Like with Barb, I feel for Joey's character as he seems like yet another pawn, a quiet, nice guy who's pushed around and influenced by more powerful people who are promoting their own interests." [9] Television Without Pity gave the episode a "B+" grade. [10]

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.

"Eviction" is the seventh episode of the American drama television series Big Love. The episode was written by supervising producers Mimi Friedman and Jeanette Collins, and directed by Michael Spiller. It originally aired on HBO on April 23, 2006.

"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.

"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.

"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.

"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 7, 2024.
  2. ↑ "Broadcast & Cable Nielsens: Week Ending June 24, 2007". Ratings Ryan. December 22, 2020. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
  3. ↑ "Broadcast & Cable Nielsens: Week Ending June 17, 2007". Ratings Ryan. December 21, 2020. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
  4. ↑ Iverson, Dan (June 19, 2007). "Big Love: "The Writing on the Wall" Review". IGN . Retrieved May 7, 2024.
  5. ↑ Wethman, Trish (June 18, 2007). "Big Love: Homegrown, Family-owned". TV Guide . Archived from the original on September 8, 2007. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
  6. ↑ Pearse, Emma (June 19, 2007). "Oh, 'Big Love,' You Frustrate Us So". Vulture . Retrieved May 7, 2024.
  7. ↑ St. James, Emily (June 19, 2007). "Big Love Recap: Season 2, Episode 2, "The Writing on the Wall"". Slant Magazine . Retrieved May 7, 2024.
  8. ↑ Halperin, Shirley (June 19, 2007). "Big Love: Signs Point to Mess". Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on June 23, 2007. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
  9. ↑ O'Brien, Meredith (June 19, 2007). "Big Love: The Writing on the Wall". TV Squad . Archived from the original on August 13, 2007. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
  10. ↑ "Big Love: "The Writing on the Wall" - Big Day". Television Without Pity . June 23, 2007. Archived from the original on May 7, 2008. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
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