bill henrickson

(S04E09) "I'm Bill Henrickson, and I believe in the principle of plural marriage. I am a polygamist." - from Bill's acceptance speech

With those very words, Bill released his family from four seasons of hiding and seclusion and finally brought his lifestyle and faith out in the open in a way very few fans could have seen coming. It was bound to go public somehow someway, but no one could have predicted it would have been on the steps of the state capitol as he accepts the keys to a state senate office.

So why did it feel so unfulfilling and empty?

(S04E08) "There is nothing about us that's the same and you know nothing about me." - Barb Henrickson

"Oh I know some...and I'm just getting started." - Marilyn Densham

The season is winding down and usually the plot endings that come to a predictable end do so just before the big shockers do. And that's what happened this week.

However, the surprise, one of many to come I'm sure, wasn't within the plot or the behavior of the characters or even the duality between good and evil of some of the supporting players in our little bigamy tragedy. It's the emotional reaction to the characters' connections and their endurance to endure that sneaks up on you and knocks your block off as you stand there all smug and self-aware that you were able to predict the ending. And it should. A show like this about much more than its plotlines and story shockers.

Sometimes a guy has to play a round of tetherball to get the testosterone pumping. That's what Bill did on 'Big Love' (Sun., 9PM ET on HBO) and, oh, the sweat was flying.

Love the steely gaze and slo-mo action, but even better was Barb's mouth hanging open in disbelief and her comment to Margie. "You are playing with fire, Margene." And sweat, too. Things get a little crazy in the compound from time to time.

Watch the video after the jump.

Oh dear. There's a situation on 'Big Love' (Sun., 9PM ET on HBO). We knew it would come to this eventually – a Mexican standoff in which Bill is willing to trade his own life for his family's.

You know, Bill, this might not have happened if you hadn't kicked your son out of the house in the first place. But you never listen to us. Just go ahead with your bad self, Bill. Be the hero. "Take me! Here I am!"

And whoa! We totally didn't see that coming! Your mom hacks Hollis' arm off like a scene out of 'Zombieland.' Awesome!

Watch the video after the jump.

(S04E07) "My cope container is full. Do you hear me? It is ... FULL." - Barb to Margie and Nicolette after hearing ... well, everything

Believe me, honey, I know the feeling. My cope container is one of those extra large "Big Gulps" from 7-11 that can only be held in a car cup holder the exact circumference as an elephant's foot. And this week, even that wouldn't hold it.

It's natural for a show with 2,000 plus running plot lines to feel more overwhelming than an IRS audit, but it's starting to get a little less believable. That goes for both for the plots' plausibility and the surprise that none of the main characters has suffered the kind of complete nervous breakdown that can create the kind of police scanner activity that attracts the local "eyewitness" news crew.

(S04E06) "I think I can understand how difficult this must be, keeping a secret." - Bill on discovering that Dale has been having an affair with Alby
"You can't imagine." - Dale

Some of the season's most interesting plot lines came to a screeching halt this week and by screeching, I mean literally just that. The stench of burning rubber won't come out of my couch no matter how well it's been Scotchguarded.

Of course, just because some problems have come to an end doesn't represent their means to an end. They only serve to create new and bigger ones.

(S04E04) "You wanted to play nice dolly with the nancy boy, but he's collaborating with your enemy. What a fool you've been." - Roman's ghost to Alby on discovering that Dale is working with Bill

This week's episode was full of moments that made my spine want to worm its way up my neck and straight out the back of my head like sp,e bizarre alien larvae working its way through my innards for a chance at breathing some clean air.

Sure, the tension was thick and coated the show in a gooey texture from the opening to closing credits, but this week also added an extra layer of pure visceral emotion that broke through the screen and made you feel the unspoken tension in places you didn't know had nerve endings.

(S04E03) "Dear Heavenly Father, I tested your calling and now you're testing me, but if this is what your plan is for me, you've got to help me out." - Bill

Last week, The Onion's AV Club did a supportive review of the episode but a scathing review of the characters. In fact, the reviewer flat out called Bill Henrickson "dumb."

It sounds like a gross simplification of a very complex man. After all, here's a guy who is not only guided by his faith and the directions that it points him in, but also in his undying devotion to his family, the influences of his business and even his politics.

But to be honest, dumb isn't far off. In fact, it doesn't go far enough. The whole Henrickson clan is dumber than a pile of unpolished doorknobs in a sack marked "hammers."

(S04E02) "It's clear that Bill has a calling, I'm sure of it. Just maybe the wires got a little crossed. Maybe you're meant to be the next prophet of Juniper Creek." - Nicolette on the revelations that he should run for the State Senate

Just when I thought I had a handle on everything surrounding the swirling complex vortex that is Big Love, Bill decides the best way to protect his already complicated family from slipping even further out of each other's grasp is to run for public office. Politics, it truly is nature's weed whacker. It aims to clean up messes, even if it destroys everything surrounding it in the process.

Now that Roman is dead and almost buried, talk of a new prophet is rising. In the red corner stands Alby, a frail, shadowy, smarmy little man with plenty to hide and expectations to live up to that everyone knows he can't possibly meet. And in the blue corner stands Bill, a rock of a man with just as much to hide but an ambition and willingness to stand and protect his beliefs, even in the face of unfathomable scrutiny and ridicule. Who does it sound like would come out on top in this sparring match?

(S04E01) "Tonight we share a new beginning." - Bill to his wives after seeing the profits from the new casino

I always figured a show like Big Love would be complicated. It just makes sense. Sometimes having to follow one married couple on screen can wear even the most focused man into a coma, but I had no idea until I sat down and watched my first episode. Mutant onions have less layers.

Season four of 'Big Love,' HBO's juicy drama about volatile life in a Mormon community, premieres Sunday, Jan. 10 at 9 PM. The tagline for the new season is "Hold on Tight," and we can't wait to do just that.

If you prefer not to know a single thing about the new season, do not read any further! Spoilers ahead ...