OK after reading all the reactions to Bill "kicking out" Ben, I was expecting some huge emotional confrontation/outburst with Bill shouting "And I never want to see you in this house again!" as Ben slams the door on his way out. Instead I get a "I think you leaving is for the best right now" with a quiet turn and walk away.
I am not suffering the same issues with believability or frustration with the actions of the family members as some posters are, but I also just read "Under the Banner of Heaven" so it makes everything on this show, no matter how fucking crazy or ridiculous, seem within the realm of possibility. We are talking about Fundamentalist Mormons, whose faith is based on the prophecies of a guy who found gold tablets that he translated with seer stones in a hat. If they believe that, they will find a way to justify ANYTHING in their warped minds as a commandment from God, a prophecy, a vision, whatever. We started down this road with Bill having the vision of his own church, so him continuing to go further off the deep end is simply a natural progression for someone who is creating their own separatist branch of fundamentalism and living the principle.
I will agree that asking Don to take the fall was totally heartless and selfish of him, so anything I had previously found relatable or decent about Bill has completely vanished. If the new opening credits are any indication, I think things are headed for total ruin for the Henricksons. Realistically, the show is probably going to end in a year or two and that is probably where the creators saw this family ending up. It's all a matter of getting us there, though it sounds like a lot of people will abandon it along the way because of the route they're taking.
It's definitely nowhere near the quality of last season, sadly. I re-watched the Cumorah road trip and Kathy's death episodes and was struck by the immense impact those still had on me, even though I knew what was going to happen.
I am not suffering the same issues with believability or frustration with the actions of the family members as some posters are, but I also just read "Under the Banner of Heaven" so it makes everything on this show, no matter how fucking crazy or ridiculous, seem within the realm of possibility. We are talking about Fundamentalist Mormons, whose faith is based on the prophecies of a guy who found gold tablets that he translated with seer stones in a hat. If they believe that, they will find a way to justify ANYTHING in their warped minds as a commandment from God, a prophecy, a vision, whatever. We started down this road with Bill having the vision of his own church, so him continuing to go further off the deep end is simply a natural progression for someone who is creating their own separatist branch of fundamentalism and living the principle.
I will agree that asking Don to take the fall was totally heartless and selfish of him, so anything I had previously found relatable or decent about Bill has completely vanished. If the new opening credits are any indication, I think things are headed for total ruin for the Henricksons. Realistically, the show is probably going to end in a year or two and that is probably where the creators saw this family ending up. It's all a matter of getting us there, though it sounds like a lot of people will abandon it along the way because of the route they're taking.
It's definitely nowhere near the quality of last season, sadly. I re-watched the Cumorah road trip and Kathy's death episodes and was struck by the immense impact those still had on me, even though I knew what was going to happen.
