AllMovie

Bill (Bill Paxton) gets Margene (Ginnifer Goodwin) her own car, much to her delight. Nicki (Chloë Sevigny) is making some extremely elaborate plans for Wayne's (Keegan Holst) fifth birthday celebration. Bill is upset when he finds out she plans to invite 153 people to a fancy hotel, and he's even angrier when she tells him that Roman (Harry Dean Stanton) has agreed to pay for the event. Bill insists that the party be a small event in their home, and lets her know that her father is not welcome. The security system he's installed to protect the family from Roman causes its own problems. Margene is excited about the prospect of meeting her mother-in-law, Lois (Grace Zabriskie), for the first time, but Barb (Jeanne Tripplehorn) warns her not to get her hopes up. Someone, probably Alby (Matt Ross), barges into the offices of Henrickson Home Plus, and forces Wendy (Jodie Markell), a junior executive, to sign over a check for 20,000 dollars that Roman feels he's owed. Bill's partner, Don (Joel McKinnon Miller), expresses his concerns that their connection to Roman and the notorious Juniper Creek leaves them vulnerable to being exposed as polygamists, which would, among other things, destroy their business. Friendly new neighbors, Carl (Carlos Jacott) and Pam (Audrey Wasilewski), move in across the street from the Henricksons, and this is also cause for concern. On the day of the birthday party, cultures clash, as Roman shows up after all, and brings along young Rhonda (Daveigh Chase), who explains to Sarah (Amanda Seyfried) that she's in "pre-marriage placement" with Roman, a way to "get around the law" until she's 16. When Sarah asks about Rhonda's personal happiness, the girl tells her, "The greatest freedom we have is obedience."