Affair

Season 1, Episode 5, Aired

Episode Summary

EDIT
go
Amazon
Buy
iTunes
Buy
Comcast
Subscription
VUDU
Buy
8.8
out of 10
EPISODE RATING: Great
140 votes
  • Your Rating: 10
    "Perfect"
  • Your Rating: 9.5
    "Superb"
  • Your Rating: 9
    "Superb"
  • Your Rating: 8.5
    "Great"
  • Your Rating: 8
    "Great"
  • Your Rating: 7.5
    "Good"
  • Your Rating: 7
    "Good"
  • Your Rating: 6.5
    "Fair"
  • Your Rating: 6
    "Fair"
  • Your Rating: 5.5
    "Mediocre"
  • Your Rating: 5
    "Mediocre"
  • Your Rating: 4.5
    "Poor"
  • Your Rating: 4
    "Poor"
  • Your Rating: 3.5
    "Bad"
  • Your Rating: 3
    "Bad"
  • Your Rating: 2.5
    "Terrible"
  • Your Rating: 2
    "Terrible"
  • Your Rating: 1.5
    "Abysmal"
  • Your Rating: 1
    "Abysmal"
Rate Now!
Nicki suspects that Bill is having an affair and is considering bringing a fourth wife to the family. Margene, feeling alone in the big house, befriends the new neighbor, Pam Martin. Bill goes after Roman and tries to expose him, but polygamy accusations also fly in the Home Plus. Meanwhile, Ben is trying to cope with his arousing sexuality and being a teenager.moreless
WRITE A REVIEW

Cast & Crew

See All EDIT

Watch Online

Amazon
Buy
iTunes
Buy
Comcast
Subscription
VUDU
Buy

Fan Episode Reviews (8)

See All

  • 105

    8.8
    "Great"
    By Canogaparkcindy, Oct 30, 2010
    A really great episode of Big Love tonight. Probably the best of the season by far. We've got an interesting story line and dynamic character with even quite a surprise ending. Chloe Sevigny is doing an excellent job with her role and it really shows here.

    Nikki thinks that Bill is sleeping with his future fourth wife. She has her suspicions throughout the episode. When really Bill is actually just sleeping with Barb on the other girls nights, which is technically having an affair. Meanwhile Marge connects with one of the neighbors, and is she argues with the other wives about it.

    We didn't get to see a lot of the kids here, which doesn't bode well for this show all the time. But in this case, it was understandable to see why the kids didn't get so much screen time. Ben has issues with sex in this one, and he is oddly very open about his urges to his friend, Jason. In thee end, Nikki reveals she wants to get pregnant. And her brother coming to scare the children was definitely worth watching. Overall, a great episode of Big Love, leaving things up in the air for next season.moreless

  • Eh..

    7.3
    "Good"
    By thefanof, Jul 28, 2009
    This episode just did not seem like Big Love. The concept of these moral individuals doing something so immortal and having an affair (even though it really wasn't) just seemed too weird by Big Love standards and it did not seem like something that would happen on the show. The ending was really the only thing that saved this episode as the prospect of Alby Grant showing up in a window scaring a kid is good TV. The tension at the end with Nicki and Alby was also great and hopefully something comes up between the two again in future episodes.moreless

  • really, really good episode

    9.6
    "Superb"
    By jpmhomie, Jun 04, 2008
    this is by far the most intreging episode yet. i love the whole secret affair thing between Bill and Barb, it shows that she's his favorite, and he really loves her while he only married Nicke, and Margene for the bible or something. now i've always hated Nicki, mostly becuase she's A **** and through most of this episode she was, AND A BIG ONE, but at the end she really made up for all that by telling of alby. it was awsome, and the back ground music was kick ass amazing, and i also thought margene's story is sad, and she's by far my favorite because she is so funny even when she's not trying, and i like how she's so not a paligamist, and compoundy like Nicki, becuase it makes for an intersting, and funny storyline storyline, in all this episode made me really exited to see the rest of the season, slam dunkmoreless

  • Brilliant

    9.9
    "Superb"
    By niptuckSean, Mar 14, 2007
    This episode is the best yet, Big Love continues to strut it's stuff.

    While at some sort of landmark preservation assembly, Bill starts realizing how beautiful Barb is and how much he loves her when she is speaking to a city councilman and his wife. On their way out they make a journey far off to the side of the road and have sex in the car, without the assistance from Viagra. This happens with the two again, during the next day's lunch break, inside of Barb's house, and two more times at an extravagant hotel.

    Nicki suspects Bill is having an affair with a soon-to-be fourth wife after she catches him driving on his way home from Barb's during the middle of the day. So she spills the false beans to Wanda (Joey's wife), who later calls Bill about it and Bill denies it.

    At work, Bill and Don give a ring to the 'polygamy czar' anonymously and says that his mother was scammed by Roman, as well as ten other people. The 'czar' admits that he has been trying to find a way inside this case for a while now. Later on Wendy tells Bill that she spied on Don at a restaurant and 'knows' that he is a polygamist, Bill confuses her and tries to persuade her otherwise. This isn't enough to stop her from confronting and verbally attacking Don's first wife in the restroom. At Juniper Creek, Roman is angry because his son and henchman Alby has done a terrible job of auditing the books, Roman states that he doesn't need him any more. Roman's soon-to-be adolescent wife Rhonda and Alby then exchange words, with Alby ending up yelling at her, she then says to never talk like that to her again.

    Marg decides to befriend the new neighbor, and after a couple of exchanged visits, Nicki and Barb confront this and inform Marg that she has to be very careful. Nicki adds that Margene is the weakest link, she explains, that she can't lie like Barb, and cannot keep a secret like herself.

    When Nicki is in her bathroom, she finds a hotel soap wrapper, she asks Margene if Bill had sex before they were married and then confronts Barb and tells her that Bill has found a fourth wife. While Ben is in shop class, he has a 'moment' when he is watching a drill going in and out of a piece of wood. He then decides that he wants to go to a Mormon seminar, but his girlfriend is heavily against it.

    After Bill and Barb have another phone conversation, where they decide to meet up at the hotel again, Nicki decides to check the redial only to find out that he had called Barb, when she sees Barb closely tailing Bill down the road. Teenie wakes up in the middle of the night to find a man waiting outside the sliding door, everyone is awoken and with Bill not here Nicki is forced to handle the situation herself. Alby says that Bill only married Nicki to get a loan from her father, which in turn greatly pisses her off. She yells that if Alby ever comes near the house again, she will kill him.

    When the family is all sitting in the living room, she decides to tell everyone that they're ready to bring another child into the family. Nicki and Barb have a moment, refilling their love and trust for one another.

    More amazing writing to be found here, yet again I loved Nicki and Barb going in circles around each other. The relationship with Bill and Barb in this episode was quite beautiful, he showed her favoritism for her, as she is his first wife. Sarah didn't have a storyline in this episode, but she was still thrown in to show that she exists, Ben had some more hilarious moments with his sex issues, and I see a grim future with Margene and her new friend, she will find out sooner or later. Nicki finally grew a nut and spoke out for herself, now she just has to drop the bomb to the family that she indebted them $60,000.moreless

  • A great episode!

    8.8
    "Great"
    By attilasd, Jun 26, 2006
    I found it really funny that Nikki thought Bill was off looking for a fourth wife. Although I thought it was sweet how much he loves Barb, I thought it was really not fair to the other wives (I do not really care about Nikki, but I feel really bad for Margie).

    Poor Margie is having such a tough time adapting to life as Bill's wife. It was hilarious when she said her husband died in the Gulf War! Barb and Nikki do not make it any easier for her to be happy in the neighborhood.

    The scene with the son getting excited in woodshop was priceless!moreless
WRITE A REVIEW
 

Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

See All

FILTER BY TYPE

  • TRIVIA (3)

    ADD TRIVIA

    • Goof: Continuity error when Nicki and Margene are grocery shopping, a woman in a denim jacket with a ponytail walks past them. She exits the aisle and then reappears as Margene is choosing a box of crackers.

    • Highlight for a spoiler: Alby insinuates that Bill agreed to marry Nicki only for the reason that he could get a loan from Roman Grant to start the business.

    • In Margene's yearbook: "Margene, Nice Custard Pie Please Save Me A Slice! David" "Margene -- Stay sweet. Have a cool summer. Scott" "No more Mrs. Bersil. We made it Margene! K.I.T., Teddie" "Margene, I can't believe we're here. We made it through without getting arrested or pregnant. Stay cool and don't fail to stay in touch BFF, Angela" "I don't know if you remember me but you were my lab partner six years ago and I thought maybe we could get together and I don't know my phone # is [number]" "Margene, It was so great getting to know you in dance class. I hope your dreams come true!"

  • QUOTES (7)

    ADD QUOTES

    • (calling the "Polygamy Czar") Don: (whispering) What's my cover? Bill: It's an anonymous tip!

    • Bill: Let's get off this subject. It's very unsavory. Wendy: But I know what I saw! Bill: What you saw was an action but you didn't necessarily see the label you're putting on it. Wendy: I don't know what you're talking about. Bill: Exactly!

    • Ben: I think about sex all the time! Brynn: But that's good. Ben: No, I can't control it. I get hard-ons in woodshop!

    • Nicki: He's been so happy! And he saw me in the car and pretended he didn't see me. And then he gave us flowers to throw me off the trail. I mean, don't you see? Do you see it? Wanda: You don't think he's...? Nicki: He is, yes! He is seeing a fourth wife. This is exactly what he did when he got interested in Margene. Honestly, I knew even before I knew, you know? Wanda: It's so easy to see through them. They're kind of cute that way.

    • Nicki: You're the weak link, Margie. Margie: What? Nicki: We have to be realistic. You can't keep a secret like me and you're not a good liar like Barb. Barb: (alarmed) What do you mean I'm a good liar? Nicki: With the neighbors. You're so effortless; you're pro.

    • Margie: (to his son who's prancing around with no pants on) Aaron! (to Pam) I'm sorry, he just discovered his penis. Pam: Don't they all!

    • Barb: (through phone on Bill's right ear) Honey? Honey, how long's it gonna take you? Bill: Not long. Pharmacist: (through phone on Bill's left ear) How many [Viagra do you need]? Bill: (to both) Just give me 20. Barb: All right, take the 600 South exit, then straight out Sunnyside. Pharmacist: When will you be picking this up? Bill: (to pharmacist) I'll swing by tomorrow. Barb: That's not funny. Bill: Uh, n-, uh, 20! Barb: See you soon. Bill: Love you. (The pharmacist looks uncomfortable.)

  • NOTES (3)

    ADD NOTES

  • ALLUSIONS (1)

    ADD ALLUSIONS

    • Barb tells Bill that, while the councilman may have been checking her out, his wife was "checking for my garment line." This refers to the sacred undergarment -- a plain white garment with four small symbolic marks sewn into it at the right knee, the navel and each nipple -- that all Mormons in good standing and of a certain age are required to wear. In this case it seems as if Barb was having the sincerity of her faith questioned. Also, perhaps Bill's polygamous offshoot does not wear the garments as there has been no mention of them, nor any scenes involving them.

Big Love Forums


Add a Topic See All
Last Activity
Replies

Watch Big Love Full Episodes

See All

Related Shows

Season 1 Episodes

See All
Ep 12
The Ceremony (f.k.a. A Fam...
Ep 11
Where There's a Will
Ep 10
The Baptism (f.k.a. Margen...
Ep 9
A Barbecue for Betty
Ep 8
Easter
Ep 7
Eviction
Ep 6
Roberta's Funeral (f.k.a. ...
Ep 5
Affair
Ep 4
Eclipse
Ep 3
Home Invasion
Ep 2
Viagra Blue
Ep 1
Pilot

Contributors

Become a contributor
More
Less

TV Listings

Full Listings
TV.com Properties | Shows | Videos | News | Listings | Forums | People | Photos | TV.com Blog

CBS Entertainment | About TV.com | About CBS Interactive | Jobs | Advertise

© 2012 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. | Privacy Policy | Ad Choice | Terms of Use