Last week on Big Love, Bill Henrickson appeared to cross over to the dark side--betraying his best friend and banishing his oldest son. This week's episode, "Sins of the Father" pulled Bill back from the brink, but it may be too late to undo the damage.

As the episode opens, the Henrickson-for-state-senate campaign is in full swing, but chaos is brewing on the home front. Bill still won't forgive Margene for her near-indiscretion with his son. Nicki is still a mole inside the campaign of Bill's rival, Colburn--a role she resents. Barb learns that Margene actually meant to kiss Ben in the TV studio and she, too, turns cold to the youngest wife. Ben, meanwhile, is hiding out at Sarah's apartment, firm in the belief that his father exiled him from the family home.

In the midst of all this, Marilyn Densholm, the lawyer and lobbyist from D.C., calls Bill to wangle an introduction to Tommy and Jerry at the casino. It turns out she not only has Congressman Paley's ear, but she's well-connected in Native American political issues. Nonetheless, Bill blows her off, an instance of poor judgment that snowballs throughout the rest of the episode.

As the title indicates, this episode is about the paternal ties that bind--and burn. In one story thread, Bill learns of the shooting death of a teenage "lost boy" in a robbery gone wrong. The boy, who was ejected from Juniper Creek by his father (just as Bill was), becomes the center of a political firestorm when Colburn use the crime to pander to the all-important delegates at the party convention. But instead of joining Colburn, Bill seeks out the mortician looking after the boy's body and offers to pay for the burial.

Meanwhile, Bill's father Frank (does anyone do mean and decrepit as well as Bruce Dern?) bemoans the fact that Bill hasn't invited him to his casino. Conveniently forgetting that he ejected a 14-year-old Bill from the compound, Frank whines to Lois that he deserves more respect. After all, he took Bill skating! (What a guy!)

Lois, still guilty over not protecting Bill all those years ago, is appalled to learn that Ben was asked to leave his house. She can't believe Bill would do to his own son what was done to him. Bill, however, doesn't see it that way. He denies there was banishment or exile--that it's was all a big misunderstanding. This misjudgment, too, will snowball against the would-be politician.

After Bill secures Congressman Paley's endorsement (presumably with Marilyn's help), an almost farcical group, including Paley, Marilyn, Bill's brother Joey, and all three of Bill's wives head to the casino to celebrate.

Unfortunately, Frank and Lois are there, too. Lois makes it's clear that Ben's "banishment" is unforgiveable, while Frank ends up getting thrown out of the casino after drunkenly picking a fight with Joey. Despite his anger at their father, Joey is angry at Bill as well. He reminds Bill that things were never good after Frank exiled Bill from Juniper Creek, so how could he do the same to his own son?

The next day, Bill and the family enter the convention hall, only to find pictures of an old mug shot of a teenage Bill plastered on the walls. Ted (Bill's brother-in-law) announces morosely that "it's all over." Bill denies it, but asks Sarah to find Ben and bring him back to the family.

Sure that he has nothing to lose by revealing his past to the delegates, Bill confesses that as a homeless, hungry lost boy, he stole food and was eventually arrested for assaulting a shop clerk during a robbery. But he has climbed back from the shame, thanks to his loving family.

"My opponent's right," Bill says in his finest moment in the hour. "These boys aren't lost--they're thrown away like trash. There are crimes associated with them--committed by fathers who throw their sons out of their homes and by mothers who stand by silently unable to speak out of fear. But the greatest crime is committed by a society that says, 'they're not us--we're not responsible.' Till we embrace them--our shadow, our state--we will never be free of our history."

The next day, Bill learns that he's won the nomination, but lost his son: Ben has left town with Lois. Just when we think a stricken Bill may be repenting his recent wrongs, however, Marilyn confronts him with the knowledge that he slandered her reputation to the tribe. Neither she nor the audience knows why he hates her. Whatever the reason, it's clear she intends to get revenge--their story isn't over.

This episode, a fitting follow-on to last week's powerful show, leaves plenty of questions to tackle in Season 4's remaining episodes. Will now-nominee Bill be too proud to make amends with Ben? Will Margene and Bill repair their relationship? Will Nicki finally stop allowing Bill to push her into doing the "morally ambiguous things" he needs done? Will Barb forgive Bill for driving their son away?

Will Bill's family survive?