Big Love, and other HBO endeavors

The girlfriend's family was in town over the weekend, so last night was our "HBO Night," where we caught up on Entourage, Flight of the Conchords and Big Love. We enjoyed all three, in general, and - through the magic of DVR - managed to sidestep John From Cincinnati completely. We wonder what Nick Lachey thinks about such an awful show kicking mud in his hometown's eye. Probably not much. We doubt he's ever pressed to think about much, and for that we'll envy him until the grave. Anyway...

Entourage
- We loved the idea of staging the entire episode as one of those "making of" specials. And the deliberately horrible Pablo Escobar makeup on Vince was the best - maybe the only? - sight gag we've ever seen on the show. But there was one element this episode was lacking in, and we all know what it was: Ari and Lloyd. Ari and Lloyd's back and forth has become the spine of this show, and without it the rest of the cast are just limbs flailing about.

Flight of the Conchords
- The pilot episode of this "fish out of water" comedy has been viewable online for a few weeks now, but we waited until last night to check it out. We liked it. Flight of the Conchords is no Extras, and we're not sure how the humor will resonate with the audience left over from its lead-in, yet we're intrigued enough to extend its grace period.

Big Love
- The second episode of this young series' second season may have been the best written in the show's short history. Bill's Homeplus billboard defacement was hilarious, Barb and Nicki's power struggle remains bubbling beneath the surface, and - in our minds - Ginnifer Goodwin became Big Love's most watchable performer last night. Her scene with the state police - complete with Joey's nutbar wife screaming in the background - was a masterclass in understated comedy. She played it completely serious, which is what made the absurdity of the situation even more resonant. This show gets better each week, something not many shows on TV can claim, let alone prove.

"I don't know if I can be married to Nicki and Bill if I'm not married to you"

You know the tagline: Polygamy loves company. Last night, with fallout from The Sopranos finale still lingering in the air, HBO's "other" family show, Big Love, began its second season. No, we didn't get an answer to last season's lingering question, "Who outed Barb and the gang at the Beehive Teacher of the Year ceremony?" But the show's writers set up several intriguing plotlines for the coming episodes.

Bill vs. Barb
- It turns out Barb was semi-forced into a plural union with Bill at the beginning of their marriage, and has resented him for it for years, culminating in her leaving the house. She must've repressed this during their "affair," last season, but everybody has blinders on sometimes, right?

Roman and Alby vs. Wanda
- Poor Joey, it turns out Bill's brother not only married a mentally imparied poisonist, but she may get him pinched by the Juniper Creek polic. Bill and his lawyer acquaintances are trying find his brother a way out of what would normally be a legal minefield, but the polygamist community doesn't like to make headlines.

Sarah vs. "The Church"
- Bill and Barb's oldest daughter is thinking of following her mother's lead and leaving the polygamist lifestyle behind. The only problem is, the discussion group she turns to views her as a leper.

Nicki vs. Margene
- This one has been slowly brewing since the series premiered. Nicki sees Margene as a child, and Margene sees herself as being every bit as important to the family as Nicki. Last night's was the first episode in which Margene actually stood against Nicki (refusing to sit in silence as Nicki addressed Barb), something that should be explored further in the near future.

Home Plus vs. Disgruntled Employee Wendy
- The polygamy-hating store manager went on the offensive after finding out Bill had ordered her phone tapped - threatening a lawsuit - but a mysterious Hummer following her in the parking lot may have frightened her into silence for the time being.

Bill vs. Roman
- As the blurred lines, "good vs. evil" crux of the show, their struggle seems to have been tabled for the moment, Roman even gracing Bill with a conciliatory phone call at episode's end. But this conflict won't stay buried for long. A "tailies vs. Others"-style showdown looms in the distance.

And we couldn't be any more excited about any of it.