The Happiest Girl
Big Love (LWM) | Season 2 | Episode 10

The Happiest Girl

TV-MA | 49 MIN

Directed by Tom Vaughan
Written by Doug Stockstill & Jennifer Schuur


With Alby and his wife Lura, Adaleen retraces her steps around the UEB office to figure out what happened to the cash. Convinced that someone broke in during the testimony meeting, Alby demands the sign-in sheets for the day. The hospital calls during their search-Roman is talking and feeling better. "Thank the Lord," gasps Adaleen in relief, but Alby and Lura don't share her excitement.

On the phone with Wanda, Nicki helps her plan Kathy's commitment ceremony. Armed with mail order catalogs, Nicki mentions she's having a few things sent to Wanda's address-items Bill thought they needed, but she doesn't want Barb and Margie to feel jealous. "We thought it'd be better if we sent it to you," she explains. Just then, she spots Benny climbing back over the fence, in violation of his curfew.

Barb and Nicki sit Ben down. Dejected because Brynn refused to see him, he lashes out at Barb, "I might want to have more than one wife. But you're so ashamed of yourself, you can't handle it." When Nicki grabs his ear for being disrespectful, Ben snaps, "You're not my mother." Nicki sets him straight: "You can't choose what part of the Principle you like. Plural wives, plural mothers."

Bill comes home with brochures for Wendover Hotel and Casino. As Margie coos over the spa menu, Bill asks Barb to join him at the bar owner's convention so they can meet Weber's gaming clients. Still unhappy about the deal, Barb suggests he take Nicki instead, "if we're not pretending anymore." Catching the disappointment on Bill's face, Nicki declines to attend as well. After Barb and Bill leave, Nicki confides to Margene she feels slighted by Bill's reaction: "He's embarrassed by me."

Over at Margene's, Bill complains about Barb's stubbornness. Eager to make up for their honeymoon that got cut short, Margie suggests she go instead, and Bill agrees.

The following morning, Nicki calls Alby to clear a visit to Juniper Creek, arguing that she's been banished from seeing her family, not the compound. Alby, who expected her at his testimony meeting, refuses: "If you attempt to enter, you will be arrested."

Both Barb and Nicki are taken aback when Margie and Bill head out for Wendover. "This is a disaster," seethes Nicki. "We can't have Margene representing our marriage!" But Barb washes her hands of it, "There's nothing to do."

As Kathy and Joey plant flowers outside, Wanda is on the phone with Nicki. Nicki insists the ceremony is too important for the dingy compound and offers to host it at a restaurant, her treat. Kathy tells Joey Wanda hasn't slept in days. He asks her to keep that to herself and let everyone think Wanda's fine. Kathy assures him she will: "I love you and Wanda."

Interrupting Sarah and Heather hanging out, Rhonda invites Sarah to join her at her survivor's group: "I'm the lynchpin in bringing old Roman down." Sarah rejects the offer and excuses herself from Heather's bedroom. While she's gone, Rhonda says to Heather, "I bet you’re happy you can see Sarah again...I knew women like you on the compound." Heather denies the innuendo, but Rhonda is insistent: "Get her to come or I'll tell her your real feelings for her. Even if it's not true, most people will believe it." Heaping on the blackmail, Rhonda adds she wants Heather's bedroom.

Frank pulls into Lois's gas station in a new convertible, flaunting his newfound wealth. She retaliates by serving him with divorce papers. "Page 4, list of community property," she says jubilantly, "I get half." Enraged, Frank chases her indoors with a shovel.

At the hospital, Alby insists that Roman be discharged into Lura's care. Lura is a registered nurse, but Roman's doctor advises against the move. Alby won't take no for an answer.

Frank calls Bill and accuses him and Joey of setting Lois on him for his assets. The two exchange angry words: "There's a reason a father would never want a son like you, or your pitiful brother," snarls Frank. "We are not done here."

"There's no party," Alby tells his sister. Having already ordered a band, a chocolate fountain, and a marquee declaring her hostess, a defiant Nicki insists that she can do as she pleases. But Alby, who considers the union unsanctioned, tells her it's within his authority to shut it down. The restaurant will refuse them; her ice sculptures are already melting in the parking lot.

Enjoying their public status as man and wife at Wendover, Bill and Margie's happiness disintegrates when they run into the Paulsons. Old LDS friends of Bill's, they have since bought a chain of bars that carry Weber games. Eager to see Barb, they spot Margie: "Sarah?" Embarrassed, Margie is further devastated when Bill introduces her as his secretary. Back upstairs in their honeymoon suite with Margie dissolving into tears, Bill calls Barb and asks her to come.

Incensed, Barb eventually agrees to join them. Margie is inconsolable, even more so when she learns she won't be having dinner as Bill's wife. When Nicki gets the update, she's livid that Barb has surrendered, particularly after Bill passed over the two of them to take Margie. Once Barb leaves, Nicki changes the location of Wanda's party to her house.

Heather's mother calls, seething that neither Heather nor Sarah is at Rhonda's support meeting as promised. Sarah, who has already attended a number of LDS events with the Tuttles, tries to defend herself: "I just want to be Heather's friend."

Playing poker in the hospitality suite, one client tells Bill he's put off by his "squeaky clean behavior." "Name your vice," his bawdy tablemates press, but Bill refuses to bite. Continuing to up the ante in the game, he asks pointedly, "Are you in or not?"

Barb arrives at the hotel and tries to console a still upset Margie. But Margie blames Barb for deliberately cutting short her honeymoon because Teenie had a fever. When Barb points out that she is only at Wendover because Bill asked her to come, Margie's ire increases, "You didn't have to come just because Bill called you!" Taken aback by Margie's rage, Barb is equally angry when Bill walks in. "I miscalculated," he says. When he tries to give Barb her room key, she corrects him: "Margie and are staying here. You're the one going."

Once Roman is moved into his bedroom, Alby closes it off to all visitors and instructs Lura to bring painkillers and sedatives. Even Adaleen is barred from entry, but when she spots Lura coming out of the room, she grows suspicious. Alby heads out to meet with Frank. Sweetening him with compliments, Frank condemns his sons as dangers to Alby's authority. "They disgust me," he says, offering to be Alby's eyes and ears in exchange for Kathy.

In the hotel gift shop, Margie calls Nicki to complain about Barb's appearance. "This is how Barb always treats you and you're just waking up to it," Nicki opines.

Sarah and Heather show up at the TV studio where Rhonda's survivors' meeting is being broadcast. "I really hate you," Sarah tells her. When Heather tries to stop Sarah from participating, Rhonda blocks Heather's path and threatens her again.

Bill and Barb sit down with the Paulsons for dinner. Dressed to kill, Margie passes by in the company of the Weber clients Bill was playing cards with, piercing the room with her laughter. She stops at Bill's table to hand him a note: "Don't worry I told them I was your mistress." Bill tries to salvage the supper, while Barb sits quietly, ill at ease.

At home, Nicki hosts the party for Kathy. "I never thought this would be me," marvels Joey, while Wanda squirms and Kathy beams. Benny meets a flirty pair of twins- his soon to be aunts. The mood is spoiled when Alby shows up to tell Nicki that Kathy's been spoken for. As Nicki protests, Alby accuses her of stealing the $60,000; he spotted her name on the sign-in sheets. Nicki resists, "I don't need your money. We have plenty," and mentions they've gone into the gambling business. Realizing he has stumbled on to something even bigger, a pleased Alby heads out.

Rhonda's advocate, April Blessing, tries to win Sarah over. April hits a sensitive spot by mentioning Barb, "a good woman in a bad situation." "It's OK to let go of her," she tells Sarah, whose eyes begin to well up.

Finished with supper, Bill and Barb stop by Margie's table. Bill outs Margie-and their lifestyle- by revealing she’s his third wife. The clients are won over, Margie is elated but Barb feels like she-s been "sabotaged." Margie tries to set things right: "Let me be Bill's wife for Weber," she says. "You can have Home Plus."

Preparing for her solo, Rhonda watches as Heather speaks with Mrs. Tuttle on the other side of the studio. On the compound, Lura adds a large dose of morphine into Roman's IV. "Sleep papa," whispers Alby. "I'll avenge you." Roman turns towards the TV as Rhonda appears on the screen and her voice fills the room.

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