Last night I half-watched Big Love – a new show that has just been released in Australia, a year after it was released in the US. It was described as “not your average family drama”, mainly because the main actor, Bill Paxton, has three wives, three houses and three families.
Watching Big Love is a weird experience. It’s a modern day setting, but the relational setting is so abnormal. Whilst every scenario on television is different, most relationship types have been and are explored on television. Except polygamy. How many television shows can you think of where the lead character has three wives?
According to the SBS site, Big Love claims to “explore the evolving institution of marriage through a typically atypical family”. It got me thinking – is marriage an ‘evolving institution’, and if so, what causes it to evolve?
Slightly related…just before the credits started to roll, a statement appeared on the screen – 20,000 – 40,000 Americans are currently involved in polygamous relationships. I’m not quite sure what to think of that statistic…
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