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Big Love Season 5 Episode 5

The Special Relationship

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8.7

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Episode Summary

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AIRED: 2/13/11

Bill finds success in the Senate but finds new roadblocks set up by the Mormon church. Barb comes to a new conclusion about her life. Cara Lynn's adoption faces a new obstacle. Lois recalls her past with Frank.

Fan Episode Reviews (3)

505

7.0

By thefanof, Feb 16, 2011

I was surprised that the character of Don had not been killed off prior to this. He is such a clueless, goofy sidekick to Bill and it just amde sense that Roman, Alby or even someone in the government, would have taken him out at some point, but I guess now they felt as if it was the time to pull the trigger. Definitely an entertaining scene despite the poorly choreographed fight.

The show is starting to find some momentum after a slow start to the season. This was a good episode, but it still is not as great as we have come to expect from Big Love.

The fighting between the sister wives just seems so tired at this point. They were not even able to make a huge issue like a paper divorce entertaining.moreless
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Bill works some more on getting SafetyNet running while Alby puts a plan in motion.

8.5

By JaCkKbAuEr2424, Feb 16, 2011

For me, half of the episode was thrilling and filled with interesting plot developments and the other half was filled with your typical random "Big Love" moments that plagued last season and dragged it down a bit. Luckily, by the time the episode ends, you're left with that uneasy feeling that accompanies most great episodes of "Big Love."

Bill and Barb are still trying their hardest to get the Safetynet thing going to keep women and children away from the compound and keep them safe. I sort of like the of Bill being this big reformer, but this clashes with my irritation with the show focusing so much on political stuff. I like it when the show focuses on family drama and tensions within their complex system. The show still had some of that (especially with Nikki, who seems to be losing it lately, particularly with Cara Lynn), but for the most part, there's a lot of "lobbying" and meeting with Senators and slightly pointless stuff.

One strange development is with Alby, who seems to see the only way to get rid of Bill as killing off the people close to him. I wonder how far Alby will take this little game of his. I was really worried that the show would kill off Don in this episode, but it's nice to see him still alive.

By the time the episode ended, I found myself hoping that Barb would just stand up and ask for a straight-up divorce. I like her arc this season and the way she's becoming independent and separate from Bill, who is clearly a doofus and has no idea what he's doing half of the time. His feelings on faith, family and politics are a bit mixed up, and as much as I love Bill Paxton as an actor, I'm starting to grow annoyed with him as a character on the show.

The show seems to be heading towards dark times here, and that's a lot, considering some of the dark moments we've had in the past. I think the show's best days are behind it, but with this impending divorce and Alby's new plans, there's a lot to pay attention to here.moreless
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505

7.0

By Canogaparkcindy, Feb 16, 2011

Good episode of Big Love, yet some scenes just got too political for me, and I was beginning to fear that this show would get away from itself again like it did in season 4, but by the end of the episode, I was for the most part satisfied with it.

From Cara Lynn's adoption stirring up a possible divorce between Barb & Bill to Rhonda's husband working for Alby and on the way attempting to murder Bill's best friend, we got a lot of eventful scenes here even if some did drag out for quite some time.

I'm interested to see where Cara Lynn's friendship with her teacher will go, but I'm liking the slow-paced development this season. It's not whirlwind pacing like this show did last season, which is always good too see. The end of the episode was heartbreaking.

Bill & Barb getting a divorce? I'm really curious too see how this show will end, from the looks of it, it's not looking great for the Henricksons.moreless
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Cast & Crew: STARS

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Matt Ross	Albert "Alby" Grant
Grace Zabriskie	Lois Henrickson
Bill Paxton	Bill Henrickson
Jeanne Tripplehorn	Barbara "Barb" Dutton Henrickson
Chloe Sevigny	Nicolette "Nicki" Grant
Ginnifer Goodwin	Margene "Margie" Heffman

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Cast & Crew: RECURRING AND GUESTS

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Grant Show	Goji Guru	Guest Star
Robert Clotworthy	Elder McCrackle	Guest Star
Kevin Rankin	Verlan Walker	Guest Star
Bruce Dern	Frank Harlow	Recurring Role
Daveigh Chase	Rhonda Volmer	Recurring Role
Joel McKinnon Miller	Don Embry	Recurring Role

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Featured Episode Clip

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Season 5 Sneak Preview Episode #5 Clip #3

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Season 5 Sneak Preview Episode #5 Clip #1

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Season 5 Sneak Preview Episode #5 Clip #2

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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TRIVIA (1)
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- Although credited, Mary Kay Place (Adaleen Grant), does not appear in this episode.
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NOTES (2)
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- Original International Air Dates:
  Czech Republic: August 3, 2011 on HBO 2
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- Featured Music:
  Snowbird by Anne Murray
  Cosmic Love by Florence + The Machine
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