HBO, Returns Sundays beginning Jan. 18
Blending quietly in their normal suburban neighborhood is so a thing of the past for Bill Henrickson (Bill Paxton), a closeted polygamist, and his three wives — Barb (Jeanne Tripplehorn), Nicki (Chloë Sevigny) and Margie (Ginnifer Goodwin) — and their eight children.
Season 2 concluded with Barb choosing her family over starting over, when she made a “coming out” confession to their neighbor Pam. “We’re all ONE family,” Barb told Pam in defense of why Margie can’t be a surrogate for her. The all-too-creepy Alby (Matt Ross) succeeded in edging himself in as leader of Juniper Creek by pushing his father, prophet Roman Grant (Harry Dean Stanton), out. Alby engineered Roman’s arrest and Roman’s now being held by authorities for transporting women across state lines for immoral purposes. As for the Henrickson offspring, we saw Ben (Douglas Smith) making amends with his mother and reaffirming his commitment to the family, and Sarah (Amanda Seyfried) choosing otherwise — looks like she’ll pursue college out of state.
Season 3 is looking to be the best yet, as everyone has something to hide. Series creator Will Scheffer says that he’s stretched each of the characters to their limits and claims this season to be “really powerful.”
And, from what we’ve seen, we agree. It looks like Bill’s business is in the red, Roman’s going to be sitting in jail, Alby’s a target of many and Barb’s health could be threatened. And, the idea of a fourth wife looks more promising than ever. The first episode finds Bill still locking lips with Ana (Branka Katic), with Barb and Margie excited about the opportunity to expand their family.
“I feel like I’m on some out-of-control roller coaster,” Paxton says of his character. “I’m trying to put Roman away, and then I’ve got the Greenes [the underground polygamist group] — they’ve come back to town and they’re into blood atonement.”
And that’s just the beginning of his worries, as insiders share that this season will find the wives engaging in a power struggle and Nicki possibly shifting alliances. — Barb Oates
Credit: Lacey Terrell/HBO