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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?
Part of it had to do with the build-up to the final, triumphant moment when Bill not only wins elected office but frees himself from the burden of lying and hiding to the world what he truly is and what his family truly believes. The whole episode played out as an action-packed soap opera with Bill literally running from one problem to the next as villains unfurl their dastardly schemes and the heroes race to clean it up in time.
It’s hard to fault them for writing themselves into this corner. The season has built up a pretty dramatic storyline to points that were bound to explode into final action, such as JJ’s slow scheming to impregnate Nikki with one of his other wives’ eggs and Marilyn’s unquenchable thirst for vengeance. And they have to end, but they don’t have to end at the end of the season.
It would have been fine, even more dramatic to let them linger a bit into the next season, particularly the one with JJ. Not that I want to see any harm come to Nikki or her mother, but the script didn’t have to kill him and his wife off in such a throw together way, burned alive in the clinic at the hands of Nikki’s furious mother. It would have been more fun to let him get away and grow in anger and scope into the next season as a continuing villain.
It also would have made him a new and more interesting villain than crazy Alby. Sure he’s been ineffective up until this point or at least at the caliber of his late father, but he’s bound to either bury himself or them both under a giant pile of crazy.
Even the angle with Barb being the “Deep Throat” who leaks the mistress story to the press because she can’t deal with going public feels tacked on and unnecessary. Sure it heightens the tension early on in the episode, but it just comes as a needless shock to something she’s been uneasy with since it started. Sabotaging Bill’s career and reputation just screams “last minute.”
Things with Ana and her soon-to-be-deported husband got interesting when news of the paternity test broke. They always felt like a loose end just waiting to unravel the whole affair, but the bond they forged with Margie was surprising, genuine and heartfelt. Besides, if they created one more problem, Bill would have had an aneurysm and that would just have thrown the whole episode into a suck spiral.
Download ‘End of Days’ Episode Online
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.
This week, there was no happy ending, no minor resolution to a family problem in the Henrickson household, no finding common ground in a conflict and achieving minor peace in a home that houses more drama than the White House, the House of Commons and the ‘House of Payne’ combined. Just about every plot line ended in pain, tragedy and heartache or near-heartache and will undoubtedly cause more around the corner. It’s a cornerstone of the series and even if it can be a bit predictable, the endearment it creates for its characters keeps you checking in on them.
It all starts when Ana, the lost Henrickson wife, returns to the family she turned behind because of their never-ending drama, only to be sucked back into the all drama. Ana seems to be carrying Bill’s umpteenth baby and naturally, Barb and the other wives want to take her back under their wing out of some divine mothers of the yaya pants or whatever, but Ana wants no part of it.
Even though it wouldn’t drive the plot as well, it always amazes how the farther the people are from the Henrickson family, the smarter they are when it comes to matters of the mind and heart. She eventually asks Bill for help, but at a distance only for Barb to discover that she has her own fiancee and Bill’s baby was conceived out of wedlock. Hooray, more drama. It felt so unnecessary and over the top that I would not have batted an eye if Ana hunkered down into her best Al Pacino and uttered, “Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in.”
Dale and Alby continue to have their “thing” until Bill, almost out of the blue, confronts him on his “inappropriate contact” with the Juniper Creek “prophet.” Of course, Dale denies it in a way that Bill easily interprets as a lie and naturally, the entire truth comes out when one of Alby’s wives catches them leaving their fling pad.
The plot line here got a little predictable, but it was hard not to feel sorry for Dale, thanks in part to actor Benjamin Koldyke’s powerful and heartwrenching performance that reached out of the screen and stuck my heart in a juicer. He’s torn by his church, his alliances to Bill and ultimately to Alby and put it all in a very familiar context that even people who haven’t been going through Dale’s trials can understand.
It made it even all the harder to watch when Dale finally admits to Bill that he has been sleeping with Alby and leading up to his tragic suicide in the very apartment Alby picked out for them. Not only did it feel like a needless and preventable death, but it will only fuel Alby’s hatred and vengeance for Bill and his brood.
Meanwhile, Sissy Spacek has cemented herself as another thorn in Bill’s hide now that she’s officially a partner in the family’s casino venture. Her plot may feel resolved, but something still feels unaddressed, like she knows something that she’s not telling. After all, she’s a high-powered D.C. lobbyist with ties to everyone on K-Street. I wouldn’t let one of them walk my dog without putting a shock collar on them and the dog.
Watch ‘Under One Roof’ Episode Online
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Bill is on air talking about his potential run for State Senator. Bill answers some questions regarding hiring illegal immigrants. Back at his store, the INS shows up to check out the legality of Bill’s employees. Someone gave an anonymous tip. Bill knows that it had to be his opponent Colburn.
Everything checks out clean with illegal immigrants, but they find a discrepancy with health insurance coverage. It is because both Don and Bill have all their wives and their children covered. Bill ends up asking Don to do the unthinkable – take the bullet for the sake of his candidacy.
In front of all the local media Don admits living a double life and having more than one wife. Don also turns in his resignation.
Barb was asking Margene about why Ben was shown on her station as Margene’s husband. Margene is a terrible liar and Barb can see something is up. Margene ends up telling Barb that she accidently kissed Ben on the lips, but it meant nothing.
Meanwhile, Sarah has had the Indian woman and her son stay with her at her place. The woman leaves Sarah a note that she will be back and wants to cook them breakfast. The woman never comes back and Sarah is happy she has the little boy to take care of.
Bill’s casino partner, Tommy gets wind of this and confronts Barb at her house. Bill walks in and demands to know what is happening. Barb tells Bill the reason why she kept it from him was to not add additional stress to his busy life. They go to Sarah’s home and tell her that she must return the baby to his mother.
Alby meets with JJ who tells him that he would like to have Adaleen become his new wife. Alby happily agrees and grants JJ’s request. Adaleen is furious, but as a woman has no choice but to accept God’s plan for her.
Nicki goes to pick up her daughter at JJ’s house and sees her mother. She is beyond disgusted and does not know what to do. She leaves furious with JJ and goes home to vent.
Alby then goes off to Dale’s house. He is not home, so Alby decides to sneak in through the back window. When Dale does arrive home he is surprised to see Alby sitting on his living room couch. Alby tells him he knew that Dale was home alone and wanted to bring him some jam and cooked him dinner. Obviously Dale is mad, but gets over it because he likes him so much.
Dale goes up to take a shower, and it gives Alby the time to snoop through Dale’s briefcase. Roman shows up as the voice in Alby’s head and tells him that he was stupid for trusting the enemy. Alby confronts Dale about his plans and he tells him that he has nothing to worry about. That the government will not try to destroy Juniper Creek.
Ben confronts Margene about the kiss. She admits that the kiss meant something. He grabs the cocoa for her and she looks at him intensely with bed eyes.
The next morning, Teenie tells her parents that Ben wrote a love letter to Margene and she believes that they are in love. Bill is mad at Barb because he feels like he is out of the loop. Bill confronts Margene and Ben about the kiss and the letter. Ben lies and said that he was the one who kissed Margene and it was his stupid crush.
Lois and Frank go to the Mexican boarder to collect the birds illegally. On their drive back, Frank’s wife unlatches the lock and lets all the birds go.
Right before Bill is to announce his run for State Senate, he sees that Margene is hysterical. She admits to Bill that she kissed Ben and she meant it.
That night, Ben is in his room and is packing up when Bill enters. Ben tells his father that he thinks it would be best for him to leave for a while – and Bill agrees.
Download “The Mighty and Strong” Episode here
