View source for Rock and a Hard Place (Big Love)

{{Infobox television episode
| series       = [[Big Love]]
| season       = 2
| episode      = 4
| director     = [[Adam Davidson (director)|Adam Davidson]]
| writer       = {{Plainlist|
* Jeanette Collins
* Mimi Friedman
}}
| story        =
| teleplay     =
| music        =
| photographer = Haskell Wexler
| editor       = Byron Smith
| production   =
| release_date = {{Start date|2007|7|2}}
| length       = 54 minutes
| guests       = * [[Mary Kay Place]] as Adaleen Grant
* [[Brian Kerwin]] as Eddie
* [[Jim Beaver]] as Carter Reese
* [[Tina Majorino]] as Heather Tuttle
* [[Aaron Paul]] as Scott Quittman
* [[Sarah Jones (screen actress)|Sarah Jones]] as Brynn
* [[Margaret Easley]] as April Blessing
* [[David Norona]] as Neal Berger
* [[Lawrence O'Donnell]] as Lee Hatcher
* [[Audrey Wasilewski]] as Pam Martin
| prev         = [[Reunion (Big Love)|Reunion]]
| next         = [[Vision Thing (Big Love)|Vision Thing]]
| episode_list = List of Big Love episodes
}}
"'''Rock and a Hard Place'''" is the fourth episode of the second season of the American [[Drama (film and television)|drama]] television series ''[[Big Love]]''. It is the sixteenth overall episode of the series and was written by supervising producers Jeanette Collins and Mimi Friedman, and directed by [[Adam Davidson (director)|Adam Davidson]]. It originally aired on [[HBO]] on July 2, 2007.
The series is set in [[Salt Lake City]] and follows Bill Henrickson, a [[Mormon fundamentalism|fundamentalist Mormon]]. He practices [[polygamy]], having [[Barbara Henrickson|Barbara]], [[Nicolette Grant|Nicki]] and [[Margene Heffman|Margie]] as his wives. The series charts the family's life in and out of the public sphere in their suburb, as well as their associations with a fundamentalist compound in the area. In the episode, Bill tries to get his brother to testify against his wife, while the Henricksons have to deal with Rhonda's presence.
According to [[Nielsen Media Research]], the episode was seen by an estimated 1.63 million household viewers and gained a 0.8/2 ratings share among adults aged 18–49. The episode received positive reviews from critics, who praised the character development and writing.
==Plot==
With [[Rhonda Volmer|Rhonda]] ([[Daveigh Chase]]) now secretly living with them, the Henricksons consider what to do, fearing that Roman ([[Harry Dean Stanton]]) may believe they took her. Rhonda refuses to leave, and even threatens [[Nicolette Grant|Nicki]] ([[Chloë Sevigny]]) to tell the family that Roman exposed [[Barbara Henrickson|Barbara]] ([[Jeanne Tripplehorn]]) at the "Mother of the Year" ceremony.
Two Juniper Creek officers arrive and search the Henricksons' houses looking for Rhonda. Don ([[Joel McKinnon Miller]]) manages to sneak her off, but Nicki is insulted for her actions. Barbara and Nicki then place Rhonda in a temporary shelter against her will. While visiting Joey ([[Shawn Doyle]]) ahead of his trial, Bill ([[Bill Paxton]]) is furious upon learning that Joey helped Roman in getting an incriminating tape against Bill in exchange to spare Wanda ([[Melora Walters]]). When Joey refuses to change his testimony, Bill contacts Lois ([[Grace Zabriskie]]) to warn her they both might go to prison if the testimony comes to pass, and threatens Roman into giving up the tape or he will contact authorities over his marriage. When Lois expresses interest in shooting the District Attorney, Wanda hides a gun in the baby's carrier before leaving for the hearing.
When Nicki is approached by child services agents, she is confronted by Adaleen ([[Mary Kay Place]]) over lying to her family. Nicki hits back by claiming that Roman exposed Barbara, causing Adaleen to disown Nicki as a daughter and bans her from ever returning to Juniper Creek. At the court hearing, Bill deduces that Roman's lawyer does not have the tape and tries to negotiate with his attorney over not accepting his terms. He calls Adaleen to ask for the tape. Heartbroken, Adaleen denies having his tape and destroys it in Roman's office. Wanda suddenly gives the gun to Bill, causing him to quickly drop it at a trash bin. Without any evidence, Joey is released from prison. Bill returns home, discovering Barbara and [[Margene Heffman|Margie]] ([[Ginnifer Goodwin]]) consoling Nicki, who prepares to tell Bill of the recent events. At night, Rhonda grabs her stuff from the shelter and flees to an unknown destination.
==Production==
===Development===
The episode was written by supervising producers Jeanette Collins and Mimi Friedman, and directed by [[Adam Davidson (director)|Adam Davidson]]. This was Friedman's third writing credit, Collins' third writing credit, and Davidson's first directing credit.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://directories.wga.org/project/910468/big-love/|title=''Big Love'' – WGA Directory|website=[[Writers Guild of America West]]|access-date=May 7, 2024}}</ref>
==Reception==
===Viewers===
In its original American broadcast, "Rock and a Hard Place" was seen by an estimated 1.63 million household viewers with a 0.8/2 in the 18–49 demographics. This means that 0.8 percent of all households with televisions watched the episode, while 2 percent of all of those watching television at the time of the broadcast watched it.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ratingsryan.com/2020/12/broadcast-cable-nielsens-20070708.html|title=Broadcast & Cable Nielsens: Week Ending July 8, 2007|work=Ratings Ryan|date=December 24, 2020|access-date=May 7, 2024}}</ref> This was a slight decrease in viewership from the previous episode, which was watched by an estimated 1.66 million household viewers with a 0.8/2 in the 18–49 demographics.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ratingsryan.com/2020/12/broadcast-cable-nielsens-20070701.html|title=Broadcast & Cable Nielsens: Week Ending July 1, 2007|work=Ratings Ryan|date=December 23, 2020|access-date=May 7, 2024}}</ref>
===Critical reviews===
"Rock and a Hard Place" received positive reviews from critics. Dan Iverson of ''[[IGN]]'' gave the episode a "good" 7.2 out of 10 rating and wrote, ""Rock and a Hard Place" may not have been the best episode of ''Big Love'', but it did continue many big storylines as well as create some interesting new ones as well. But, while we would like to say that we were compelled by the whole thing, we just weren't. Between some of the slower storylines and a pace which slows down the action and real drama, we were twiddling our thumbs in preparation for the larger events of the episode. Once again however, this wasn't a bad episode, in fact it was a decent hour of television - and we would recommend it whole-heartedly to fans of the series."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2007/07/03/big-love-rock-and-a-hard-place-review|title=Big Love: "Rock and a Hard Place" Review|last=Iverson|first=Dan|work=[[IGN]]|date=July 3, 2007|accessdate=May 7, 2024}}</ref>
Trish Wethman of ''[[TV Guide]]'' wrote, "I have been consistently pleased with the acting and writing on ''Big Love'' this season. Each episode seems to get better, and I think we are building some promising story lines. I say keep it coming."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://community.tvguide.com/blog-entry/TV-Show-Blog/Big-Love/July-2-2007/800017976|title=Big Love: Viva Las Vegas|last=Wethman|first=Trish|date=July 2, 2007|access-date=May 7, 2024|work=[[TV Guide]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080601184447/http://community.tvguide.com/blog-entry/TV-Show-Blog/Big-Love/July-2-2007/800017976|archive-date=June 1, 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref> Emily Nussbaum of ''[[Vulture (website)|Vulture]]'' wrote, "This second stellar episode of ''Big Love'' in a row featured plenty of plot turns. But for all the legal byplay, ''Big Love'' has always been at heart a festival of feminine subversion, like ''[[Mean Girls]]'' in sack dresses. These nervy manipulations are the show's true engine, fueling its theme: that women forced to scrap for influence will develop perverse superpowers, from meekness jujitsu to the laser-focused deployment of secrets."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.vulture.com/2007/07/big_love_paper_always_covers_r.html|title=‘Big Love’: Paper Always Covers Rock|last=Nussbaum|first=Emily|work=[[Vulture (website)|Vulture]]|date=July 3, 2007|accessdate=May 7, 2024}}</ref>
[[Emily St. James]] of ''[[Slant Magazine]]'' wrote, "The fourth episode of ''Big Love''{{'}}s second season, “Rock and a Hard Place,” was kind of clumsy in a lot of ways. It reduced most of the show's villains to malevolent stereotypes, hell-bent on giving the Henrickson family a hard time. Most of the subtext that makes the show so entertaining was thrown out the window. And things that should have been built up more resonantly or build to more logically were just blown by, including major plot points that have been big parts of the season so far."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.slantmagazine.com/tv/big-love-tuesdays-season-2-ep-4-rock-and-a-hard-place/|title=Big Love Recap: Season 2, Episode 4, "Rock and a Hard Place"|last=St. James|first=Emily|work=[[Slant Magazine]]|date=July 3, 2007|accessdate=May 7, 2024}}</ref> Shirley Halperin of ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' wrote, "Several viewers commented last week that they found the "Reunion" episode confusing. And while Monday's show did resolve a couple of key plot points (namely, Joey's trial), I'm still perplexed about certain characters' motives."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0%2C%2C20040769_20040772_20044504%2C00.html|title=Big Love: God Only Knows|last=Halperin|first=Shirley|date=July 3, 2007|access-date=May 7, 2024|work=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070809131921/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20040769_20040772_20044504,00.html|archive-date=August 9, 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref>
Meredith O'Brien of ''[[Weblogs, Inc.#TV Squad|TV Squad]]'' wrote, "The many disparate storylines that flowed through the fresh episode of ''Big Love'' reminded me, for some reason, of a spider web, with the Henrickson family playing the role of the web. No matter what was happening, it all led back to the Henricksons and their three homes sitting in a tidy row."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tvsquad.com/2007/07/03/big-love-rock-and-a-hard-place/|title=Big Love: Rock and a Hard Place|last=O'Brien|first=Meredith|date=July 3, 2007|access-date=May 7, 2024|work=[[Weblogs, Inc.#TV Squad|TV Squad]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070817063937/http://www.tvsquad.com/2007/07/03/big-love-rock-and-a-hard-place/|archive-date=August 17, 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref> ''[[Television Without Pity]]'' gave the episode a "C+" grade.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/show/big_love/rock_and_a_hard_place.php|title=Big Love: "Rock and a Hard Place" - Mother-Out-Law|date=July 7, 2007|access-date=May 7, 2024|work=[[Television Without Pity]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080415220436/http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/show/big_love/rock_and_a_hard_place.php|archive-date=April 15, 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref>
[[Chloë Sevigny]] submitted this episode for consideration for [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series|Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series]], while [[Mary Kay Place]] submitted it for [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series|Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series]] at the [[60th Primetime Emmy Awards]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Official 2008 EMMYS Episode Submissions|url=http://goldderbyforums.latimes.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/1106078764/m/340102161|publisher=The Envelope Forum, [[Los Angeles Times]]|accessdate=May 7, 2024|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081008112622/http://goldderbyforums.latimes.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/1106078764/m/340102161|archive-date=October 8, 2008}}</ref>
== References ==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
* [https://www.hbo.com/big-love-lwm/season-2/4-rock-and-a-hard-place "Rock and a Hard Place"] at [[HBO]]
* {{IMDb episode|0876668}}
{{Big Love}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rock and a Hard Place (Big Love)}}
[[Category:2007 American television episodes]]
[[Category:Big Love episodes]]
[[Category:Television episodes directed by Adam Davidson (director)]]