I am – Hercules!!


“Big Love’s” fourth season is not only Beach Boys-free, it’s also only nine hours long. And the finale airs during the Oscars, so don’t expect a huge rating.

And don’t worry about a huge rating. HBO greenlit season five last month.

Really enjoyed seeing the Hollis Green justice system in action this season (especially the reaction of Bill’s dad, played by Bruce Dern, to all the creepy madness). And I love that Bill thinks Margene having more than one husband is “unnatural.” But I have a few questions:

* What’s taking the Sissy Spacek and Perry King characters so long to discover Bill’s a polygamist? Hundreds of people in Greater Salt Lake City – polygamist and non-polygamist, Juniper Creek residents, law enforcement officials, drive-in attendants, neighbors – must know by now, no? At the end of season one, Barb admitted to an assistant to the governor’s wife that she was “involved in a polygamist lifestyle.” (But then again, nobody seemed to catch on to what a petty little idiot Sarah Palin was before John McCain snatched her from obscurity. Maybe a Utah state senate race simply doesn’t invite a ton of scrutiny.)

* Where did Barb’s concern about Mormon pill-popping come from?

* Is the Adam Beach character going to lay a big wet one on Barb?

* How hot is Nicki now that she’s slutting it up a little?

HBO says of tonight’s season finale, titled “End of Days”:

With the State Senate election only days away, Bill (Bill Paxton) puts the squeeze on Paley (Perry King) in an attempt to protect his candidacy. But Marilyn (Sissy Spacek) has an ace up her sleeve that threatens to wreck Bill’s chances, or so it seems. At the casino, Jerry (Robert Beltran) and Tom’s (Adam Beach) tribal leadership is jeopardized by the illegal actions of family members. Caught in a tangled family web, Margene (Ginnifer Goodwin) weighs her allegiance to Bill with her desire to keep Ana (Branka Katic) and Goran (Steve Bacic) in her life. Desperate to get pregnant, Nicki (Chloë Sevigny) gets news from Dr. Roquet Walker (Eric Ladin) – J.J.’s son – that seems too good to be true. A late-breaking polygamist scandal in Kansas becomes national news, forcing Bill and his three wives to rethink their bold post-election plans. Written by Eileen Myers; directed by David Petrarca.

9 p.m. Sunday. HBO.
(It also repeats at 11 p.m. for everybody busy with the Oscars.)