Certain Poor Shepards

Season 5, Episode 3, Aired

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8.9
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Christmas means trying times for the Henricksons as Barb, Margene and Adaleen come forward with shocking information. Cara Lynn looks into the disappearance of her father. Lura tries to stop Alby's extreme measures.
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Fan Episode Reviews (3)

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  • 503

    9.5
    "Superb"
    By Canogaparkcindy, Oct 24, 2011
    An amazing episode of Big Love tonight. The first actual superb episode of the season. A lot of things were brought to light here, and this episode just completely took me by surprise. One thing Big Love has never been is predictable and things weren't different here.

    A lot of things are beginning to make sense. Margene reveals to the family that she was 16 when she married Bill, that was definitely the most surprising part of the episode. I had no idea what Margene's secret was, and I'm surprised the family barely found out 5 years later. I guess Margene flirting with Ben is beginning to make a lot of sense now, since they're probably almost the same age.

    The moment when Bill punched Alby, I began cheering. Anne Dudek is doing a wonderful job with her role, and I haven't been this impressed with a recurring character since Rhonda Volmer in season 2. The return of Heather seemed kind of pointless, unless the writers are trying to get Heather & Ben together which I'm not sure I'm a big fan of.

    Drunk Barb was hysterical. Cara Lynn finds out that her father is dead. Glad they didn't drag that out for too long. Overall, just a superb eventful amazing episode. The best by far of this season.moreless

  • Alby loses a wife, gains a mother, while Bill seems to be losing his wives and his mother.

    9.2
    "Superb"
    By JaCkKbAuEr2424, Oct 24, 2011
    If last week was a glimpse at how "Big Love" seems to be returning back to its roots, this episode was almost a reminder to how absolutely mind-blowing the show can be in just an hour. In a way, this episode reminded me a lot of "Come Ye Saints" from Season 3, an episode that I still consider the best the show has ever written. Both episodes find Bill Henrickson stuck between his faith and his family, unsure of how exactly to proceed and both episodes end with some huge game-changing moments.

    If there are people who aren't watching the show right now because of the bad taste Season 4 left in their mouths, let me say this: Season 5, in just three episodes, has reminded us of how great the show is. So far, not only do we have a healthy amount of plots circling around, but it actually feels like each one of them is being focused on a good amount. We have some huge reveals in the form of us learning that Margie was underage when she got married and that Barb is actually getting drunk now. It was also nice to see Ben at the forefront of the show and Heather make a return. It seems like the show is pulling out all the stops here in its final season.

    For me, the climax of the episode occurred right near the end when Alby came to get Lura at the shelter, where she was hiding from him. Alby has gone off the deep end and is poisoning dogs and purifying the camp. However, Lura wants nothing to do with him and leaves. As a result, he shows up at the shelter she's at and faces off with Bill. In the end, Bill ends up punching him in the face and taking a stand, something that will obviously come back to bite him in the butt.

    It's difficult to track every single tiny plot that happened here, but it seemed like a lot was happening without it feeling crowded. Cara Lynn also learns that her father is dead and that Nicki has been lying. Where this will lead the characters now remains unknown, which makes this season that much more exciting,moreless

  • 503

    6.5
    "Fair"
    By thefanof, Oct 24, 2011
    It is a little bit hard for me to get invested in a Christmas-themed episode way past that holiday, but this was still an oaky episode of the show and it featured a very storyline with Bill's mother having dementia. Other shows have tackled this issue in the past, but not by showing the woman stuck in a drive-thru line screaming randomly. Big Love pushes the envelope in every since and did it again here tonight.

    Now, the rest of this show is still a little bit stale right now. Just not getting into the whole Alby kingdom thing either.moreless
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