Nicki has always been clueless about the impact of her words and deeds on others, calloused to the point of rudeness, blinded by her own vision of things which she sees as being righteous and true.
So instead of being gracious about the fact that Barb has magnanimously decided to consent to a divorce — ending a 20+ year marriage (only nine of which have been in polygamy) — in order to allow Nicki and Bill to marry so they can legally adopt Cara Lynn, Nicki is being hostile and aggressive and not at all thankful.
“You’ll go to your grave trying to keep me from having my rightful place in this marriage!” Nicki yelled at Barb — a former cancer patient — after learning that she and Bill had decided (Bill under duress) that Barb would continue to handle the family’s books and bills. Nicki appears to be confusing what this marriage gesture was really meant to be and is instead deluding herself into thinking that she’s going to become the “first” Henrickson wife, entitling her all the “powers” Barb held, including meddling in everyone’s affairs, like telling Margene she doesn’t want her to have the pro-polygamy rally in Salt Lake and, when Margene refused to relent, trying to micro-manage what songs Margene was going to have played at the event.
“I’m going to finally be a full partner,” Nicki said.
While this whole divorce thing had been initially presented as meaningless, something the state was making them do in order to legally protect Cara Lynn, to Bill, Nicki and Barb, it now appears to be loaded with meaning and menace. “This paper divorce feels like it’s becoming a real divorce,” Bill said to Barb.
And he’s right, largely because not only has he been emotionally unkind to Barb — backing Barb into a corner to make her be the one to finally ask for it — but he’s also pushing her away with his steadfast refusal to allow Barb to be his spiritual partner at “The New Assembly of Mormon Pioneers” (formerly known in this space as the Church of Bill). As Barb refused to take sacrament and pleaded with Bill to build this church together as “our church,” where women’s callings to become priesthood holders are respected as much as men’s, she was met with brick walls of resistance everywhere, had her mother question whether she’d become a lesbian (after she sought the counsel of a lesbian university professor who advocates female priesthood holders) and faced Bill’s intractable stubbornness.
When you liken your wife to some street corner kook who thinks he can speak to God, while you think you personally can receive testimony from God simply because of your gender, you’re not going to score any points with your independent-minded spouse.
Is this the final straw for Barb, given that she’s no longer going to attend the Church of Bill? Will Nicki exploit this growing divide to maneuver herself as Bill’s loyal helpmate?
While the Henricksons struggled with issues related to gender, religion and divorce, there was a weird sexual vibe to this episode of Big Love with Rhonda working at a strip club and Ben, after watching her perform, following her into the back and making out with her. Rhonda’s got a baby and is married to a man who chose to kiss Alby as a means of negotiating. (I thought Ben was supposedly trying to become a priesthood holder in training.)
Then there was Cara Lynn, who’s 15, commencing an affair with her 37-year-old teacher Greg, exactly the type of thing Nicki was hoping to avoid by taking her daughter away from Juniper Creek: Getting involved with a much older man (ironically like Margene did with Bill as we recently learned). When Nicki finds out about this, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if she becomes violent and disposes of Greg’s body alongside her ex-husband’s ashes.
The Lois-Frank storyline also gave me the creeps as I kept waiting for one of them to attempt to kill the other, as they’ve done countless times before. Seeing Frank being nice to Lois is so alien to his character that I just don’t believe what I’m seeing.
Clacked by Meredith O'Brien 
on Feb 21, 2011 @ 14:00 EST5EDT
