| 'Sister Wives' may not be great television but view of polygamist family offers intrigue | |
|
By David Hinckley DAILY NEWS TV CRITIC New York Daily News | |
The first thing most people wondered last year when they heard a polygamist family was starring in a reality show was why they would want to do that. This opening episode for season two suggests some members of the family will be asking the same question. While this still doesn't make "Sister Wives" great television, it does shift the central drama to the fundamental question of how Kody Brown, his four wives and their 16 children can coexist with outsiders who frown on or condemn their lifestyle. For TV purposes, it also doesn't hurt that many in the family, particularly Brown himself, have become visibly more confident and comfortable in front of the cameras. Anyone who saw the family talking with Meredith Vieira on national TV last year saw Brown responding like a deer in the headlights - an awkward moment revisited in detail on opening night here. Brown says he suffered a disconnect between brain and mouth at the wrong moment. That's not something that seems to have recurred once he's back home in Utah, where he's more conversational than ever about his story and his life. Part of the appeal of the first "Sister Wives" season, remember, was that it threw a curveball. While popular curiosity about plural marriage tends to focus on the husband/wives aspect, "Sister Wives" spent much of its time on the dynamics of the extended family. The wives became mothers to all the children, who in turn mostly seemed to accept that this large crowd of siblings and parents is just the way a family is. If you buy that premise, then the Brown clan scores high for family values. It seems to pull together in ways that families with three fewer wives and a dozen fewer children might envy. This season, however, the camera seems to pull a little further back to put the Browns in the larger context of a society that considers plural marriage wrong. Specifically, two things happen. One, the family decides to send the children to public school for the first time. This means exposing them to other children and perhaps opening them to judgments on their family. Christine, the third wife, says that when she fills out forms about family, she lists the other wives as "aunts" because it's just easier all around. But she, too, acknowledges the family is coming out, and no one can foresee all the consequences. Then at the same time, Kody learns he is facing possible charges of bigamy. The implication is that this could blossom into a serious issue. By the end of tonight's episode, fourth wife Robyn and others are asked if they would do the show again. It speaks to the lure and danger of television that they don't all answer the same way. But this train is rolling. dhinckley@nydailynews.com | |
|
NYDailyNews.com Originally published Wednesday, March 9th 2011 | |
| Back | |
| For more information email: | |
