Television: The Logos, Ethos, and Pathos of "Big Love"

The HBO original series Big Love is probably quite different from what most people are used to in their television dramas. The hour-long episodes are full of domestic conflict between main character Bill Henrickson (Paxton) and his three wives-Barbara, Nicolette and Margene.
Barbara is his legal or "first" wife, and the two were wed ten years prior to the other two wives joining the family. The show incorporates well into its plot ethos, logos and pathos, as the family is guided by its faith, Mormonism (ethos), the calling of plural marriage, polygamy (logos) and lastly the pathos that is absorbed into the hearts of those who spectate from the sidelines, the couch as it were.
The family, the Henricksons, are depicted as a union of marriage just like any other, except for the number of parties involved. They struggle with spousal responsibilities and qualms, their children struggle with their sexual purity, and the family business is always at stake, especially since it is a cover-up for the family's multi-marital ways.
The series is full of dilemmas and conflicts between the Henrickson's and other polygamist parties and is too much to fit into a newspaper review. However, one main point worth making is the struggle between the Henrickson household and Juniper Creek, the commune in which Nicolette's father, Roman Grant, is considered Prophet (Pope of the Mormon world, also the one with the most wives).
Perhaps the largest fish to fry stemming from the cesspool of the polygamist community come from within, as Roman Grant and his son Albie make multiple attempts to kill parties of the Henrickson family as well as others. The idea is well conveyed that Roman Grant and his first wife, Adelene, run Juniper Creek like a multi-marriage Mafia. With their lifestyle being illegal, the name of the game is collecting any sort of blackmail possible and trying to manipulate it in one's favor. Every group on the show does it.
The wives are depicted as unhappy overall, each in her own way but with little bits of happiness here and there, each possessing her own unique personality. Ironically, there is a blonde (Nicolette), a brunette (Barbara) and a red-head (Margene.)
The characters are extremely dynamic and grow throughout the series. The audience sees a personal, likeable side in each, including Bill, who is shown as nothing but. Clearly, the man wishes to not only possess his cake, but also to indulge in it, too.
I cried my eyes out on the last episode, because I had grown connected to the characters and had seen them grow in many ways. That, and it is the only series I could watch during classes, and so it really is the only source of television characters at my leisure.
With many twists and turns, all of which felt authentic and not "soap box" or unbelievable, Big Love really brings out a big concept, which I think is true throughout all of religion.
"We're all crazy here; it's not a competition!"