For the entire episode, all I could think was two things: "When is somebody going to get shot in the face?" and "How in the world is the show going to tie up all the loose ends in two episodes?" Of course, the theory of Chekov's gun states when a gun is introduced to begin a story, it will be used by the final act, and sure enough, we see plenty of guns in use here as "Big Love" produces an incredibly dense episode filled with even more plot developments and some action sequences that are strangely out of place for a show like this. But it all works, and it all comes down to the acting, which was as good as anything the show has done.
The Cara Lynn plot wasn't my favorite thing in the world at first, but my dislike for that plot was quickly replaced by Marge's Goji plot (which was just god-awful and completely pointless) and if I would've known that the payoff for Cara Lynn's plot would've been this episode, I would've been more patient. Chloe Sevigney gives some of her best work, if not her best work, in this episode. Despite me saying that she should be nominated for last week's episode, I change my mind: this episode should be her nomination tape. Nikki goes off the wall in her attempts to keep Cara Lynn pure and keep her away from Mr. Ivey. When she finally realizes what she's done to her daughter, her breakdown and Bill's attempts to put it back together are heart-wrenching.
Meanwhile, we have Ben, who's been a non-factor for half of the season, showing up again and giving some great scenes. I think Rhonda is a giant snake who screws everything up, and it's too bad that Rhonda and Ben's little one night stand had to be responsible for Heather leaving, but it created an interesting scenario: we get to see Ben pleading to have Heather back, only to realize that Ben is his father; his claim that he can be with both Heather and Rhonda was eerily like Bill, which is definitely not a good thing. Just look at how Bill's life is in shambles.
All of those plots are fine and good, but I've been looking forward to Bill and Alby coming face to face, and while it wasn't nearly as insane as I would've thought at first, it certainly created two of the show's finest dramatic moments (in terms of action): Alby and Bill run into each other in a store where Barb ends up shooting Adalene. And finally, near the end of the episode, we see them come face to face again, this time armed with guns. There's one truly haunting moment where it appears Alby has shot Margene, but Bill gets his way and shoots Alby, leaving him alive for what should be an incredible finale face-off.
The show has so much ground to cover and I think this episode showed how strained the show has become to get everything finished up in time for a series finale. For instance, are we to see the end of Lois and Frank Henrickson? Lois' insistance that Frank kill her and he kill himself earlier in the season seems to be dangerously close to coming true, and I'm hoping we see some pay-off here. However, the acting and writing in this episode was just too good to overlook.moreless
Alby gets Adaleen on his side against Bill and his family. Rhonda asks Ben to marry her which results in Ben & Heather breaking up. Bill faces the possibility of a 20 year sentence, as his family tries to cope. Cara Lynn breaks down after Nikki tells her that Mr. Ivy never loved her.moreless
 Grace Zabriskie |
Lois Henrickson |
 Matt Ross |
Albert "Alby" Grant |
 Bill Paxton |
Bill Henrickson |
 Jeanne Tripplehorn |
Barbara "Barb" Dutton Henrickson |
 Chloe Sevigny |
Nicolette "Nicki" Grant |
 Ginnifer Goodwin |
Margene "Margie" Heffman |
 Gary Weeks |
Sheriff Dent |
Guest Star |
Kevin Scott Allen |
Polygamist Man |
Guest Star |
David A. Cooper |
Cop |
Guest Star |
 Bruce Dern |
Frank Harlow |
Recurring Role |
 Daveigh Chase |
Rhonda Volmer |
Recurring Role |
Keegan Holst |
Wayne Henrickson |
Recurring Role |
Watch Online
Featured Episode Clip
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Season 5 Sneak Preview Episode #9 Clip #3
3/13/11 (00:43)
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Season 5 Sneak Preview Episode #9 Clip #2
3/13/11 (00:38)
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Season 5 Sneak Preview Episode #9 Clip #1
3/13/11 (00:54)
Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions
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TRIVIA (1)
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When Alby comes out of the storage room at the general store, he drops half his water bottles when he sees Bill. However, when the camera cuts to a wide shot of Bill and Alby, he's still holding all his water bottles.
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QUOTES (0)
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NOTES (1)
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Original International Air Dates:
Czech Republic: August 31, 2011 on HBO 2
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Series Finale Discussion
10/27/1119
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Any questions about the mormons?
10/27/1136
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"Noose Tightens" Major gap in logic here?
03/22/114
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Bill Paxton
03/02/111
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Saeson 5 Episode 4 The Oath ending music
02/23/111
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When Men and Mountains Meet
S 5 : Ep 10
Aired 3/20/11 (1:02:58)
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Exorcism
S 5 : Ep 9
Aired 3/13/11 (56:37)
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Exorcism
S 5 : Ep 9
Aired 3/13/11 (56:41)
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The Noose Tightens
S 5 : Ep 8
Aired 3/6/11 (56:38)
Season 5 Episodes
See AllEp 10
When Men and Mountains ...
Ep 9
Exorcism
Ep 9
Exorcism
Ep 8
The Noose Tightens
Ep 7
Til Death Do Us Part
Ep 6
D.I.V.O.R.C.E
Ep 5
The Special Relationship
Ep 4
The Oath
Ep 3
Certain Poor Shepards
Ep 2
A Seat at the Table
Ep 1
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