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| Douglas Smith and Bill Paxton-Big Love |
Judith Klassen
February 2010
Movie Entertainment
So, I’m at a party in Toronto and the person I’m chatting with keeps looking past me at someone across the room. “Do you recognize that young guy? I feel like he’s someone famous.”
I turn to see wholesomely handsome Douglas Smith who plays Ben, the earnest 18 year-old son of Bill Henrickson (Bill Paxton) on HBO’s Big Love, talking to some friends of mine. Having interviewed Douglas at the HBO Canada launch, I knew he hailed from TO but it was still surprising to see him in casual party context.
Coincidentally I had spent that afternoon watching the last few episodes of Big Love season 3, and had Ben and his “sister-mom,” Margene (Ginnifer Goodwin), on the brain. You’ve heard of MILFs—well, let’s just say that thanks to the kooky polygamist Mormons of Big Love, we now have the splinter group, “SMILFs’ as in sister-mom I want to… (say no more).
TV has long hooked viewers with a tidy trick called URST—Unresolved Sexual Tension. It’s typically straightforward and introduced almost immediately (think Rachel and Ross on Friends) but Big Love has had a remarkably slow build to this relationship. Three years ago when Ben was 15, it would have been completely taboo—even in a show rife with taboos—but now that he’s a strapping young adult, all that splashing around in the swimming pool with Ben and Margie from earlier seasons is paying off.
When I asked Douglas if things were going to finally heat up with Ben and Margene, he said, “Hmm, well, last season Margene told Ben that she saw him as a son and nothing more—after Sunday’s episode, Margene can no longer live in denial about how she really sees Ben.”
A little URST goes a long way and Big Love is dishing up steamy servings of impossible love for a few characters this season. Who doesn’t pine for Nicky (Chloë Sevigny) getting together with the attorney in the cardigans, or Alby (Matt Ross) adding a brother-husband to his legion of sister-wives? There’s even some kind of love/hate bonding between Lois (Grace Zabriskie) and Frank (Bruce Dern). Wow, I must confess, religion has never been so sinfully entertaining.
Judith Klassen is a Toronto writer and podcaster.