"I'm Bill Henrickson, and I believe in the principle of plural marriage. I am a polygamist."

With those words, Big Love reaches the moment loyal viewers have waited for. And with Bill's speech, the fourth season of Big Love--shortened to a mere nine episodes of nearly non-stop action--comes to a close with a quiet bang. But before Bill "outs" his family following election to the Utah state senate, it isn't clear he'll have a family to reveal. The increasingly unhinged Alby calls it the "end of days," but in reality, it's just the beginning.

Among the highlights in the season ender:

The end of JJ. JJ Walker's evil was greater than we could have imagined. Adaleen's late-in-life pregnancy was part of a much larger plan to keep things "all in the family" back at the Kansas compound. For years, JJ had younger women's eggs and mixed them with his own sperm, then had the fertilized eggs implanted in other women's wombs. The Kansas compound is swarming with his inbred children. Not only was Adaleen's baby to be one of them, but JJ coerced his doctor son into trying to impregnate Nicki the same way.

Okay, I admit it--I've defended Big Love from detractors who say this season was "over the top." This plotline really turned out to be as over the top as you can get. But the payoff with Adaleen and a can of gasoline was worth it. (Buh-bye, JJ!) More believable was:

Marilyn and Bill's showdown. Bill and the Washington lobbyist go at it hammer and tongs. Although she shows her human side briefly when Bill accuses her of corruption, he won't back down from his threat to ruin her. Later, however, when Bill is nearly ruined by the leaked news of Ana's pregnancy, Marilyn quells the rumor and saves the election. But there can be no peace between them. Marilyn is stunned to learn that Bill is actually a polygamist (not just an adulterer). She gets off the best line of the night when she spits at him, "At least my sins are my own--I don't use God to justify them." Now that Bill has won the election, it's likely we'll see Marilyn (and the wonderful Sissy Spacek) next season. We're not sure what her role as a lobbyist will be, however, because: 

The future of the casino is in doubt. Barb learns that Tommy and Jerry made a deal with the devil to maintain their Indian gaming license--they lied to DEA agents about their family's involvement in the crystal meth trade. With her friendship with Tommy at stake, Barb offers to help them. But Bill, fearing legal liability, goes behind Barb's back to the tribal council and has the two men ejected from the casino management. This is particularly important because Barb's fury at Bill leads to:

Barb's rebellion. Barb, terrified at the thought of Bill putting the family at risk by exposing them as polygamists, turns out be the real source of the leak behind the rumors about Ana's baby. In a throwdown with Bill, she notes the family has grown increasingly dysfunctional, with "Margene's half-marriage" and Nicki's desire to have Bill to herself. Bill replies that he must tell the truth about the family. He says, "We've gone off the tracks. I've seen the darkness, in me too--with Don, with Ben, with you. I've fallen short. Completing this journey--stepping into the light--is the only way to redeem myself." Barb's still not sure she's buying it. Millions of viewers cheer as she says, "I don't know what's happening to me. I want a different life, I think. I've needed you for 20 years--I don't think I need you anymore." The audience is left to wonder, if Bill goes through with his "outing" speech, will Barb be there? We find out when:

Bill goes through with it. As a crowd cheers Bill on, he quiets them with his reveal of the family's polygamy. Though some people get up to leave in anger and dismay, one by one the wives take the stage. Each is introduced as a fine wife and mother, though Margene gets the added description of "a proud, strong businesswoman." Finally, when she's introduced as "my first wife, my first love," Barb rises slowly and joins her sister-wives. In a striking tableau, the four main Henricksons stand like a human American flag, with Barb in red, Nicki (with a new shorter hairstyle) in white, and Margene in blue. 

This week's tip of the hat goes to Jeanne Tripplehorn, who doesn't get enough respect for her restrained performance as Barb, the prototypical "good wife." Saddled with a character who can seem prissy and overly controlled, Tripplehorn does consistently good work. In the last few weeks, Barb has broken out of her shell--at the casino, at the Eagle Forum meeting, and finally in her confrontations with Bill. The excellent Tripplehorn has shown that the first wife isn't some kind of plastic Barbie Doll after all.