Big Love – Episode 4 (“Rock And A Hard Place”)

The episode title is appropriate here, except for its use of the singular. First of all, Rhonda’s stirring shit up at the Henrickson homes, attracting police searches and playing off Barb’s sympathies while simultaneously blackmailing Nicki in secret to let her stay. Nicki’s terrified of what will happen to her if the family finds out that her father was the one who exposed them. And if Rhonda doesn’t get to stay, she threatens to tell Bill that Roman did it; at the same time, Roman says that if Rhonda’s there and Nicki had anything to do with her flight from the compound, he’ll tell Bill. Margene knows something’s up due to her accidental eavesdropping skills, but she’s not entirely in the loop. Meanwhile, Bill’s got issues of his own, over and above harboring a teenage runaway in his houses and looking into buying that poker machine company. Roman’s threatening to give the D.A. his tape of Bill implicating himself on the phone to Joey, and Joey’s not about to roll over on Wanda to protect Bill. So Bill goes to work trying to get Wanda to confess, and Lois goes to work trying to get Wanda to go on a shooting rampage in the courthouse. Hey, whatever works.

Ben and Brynn celebrate their three-month anniversary with Margene. And then Sarah and Scott celebrate their three-second anniversary with Alby. If by “celebrate” you mean “endure creepy stalker vibe.”

Apropos of little else, Pam tries to make up with Margene, but then later when Margene changes her story to claim she’s a surrogate mother, Pam cuts her dead. I think we’ve all learned an important lesson.

Once the Henricksons get Rhonda parked at a runaway shelter, a French farce (but with more yelling) ensues where all three wives end up there at the same time with a child advocate, as well as Adaleen, waving a court order. Things get ugly, and when Nicki tells Adaleen that Roman exposed them, Adaleen disowns her. And then she gets back to UEB in time to take a call from Bill, who begs for the incriminating tape back. Which Adaleen had been hiding from Roman all along, and which she now destroys. So then Bill and Joey both walk now that the D.A. doesn’t have a case.

And then Rhonda runs away for real, with a smile on her face and a stolen coat on her back. I’d say good riddance if I actually thought she was gone.