Maybe I'm wrong and Bill was supposed to be an unsympathetic character, but it seems to me that the writers wanted him to be some kind of hero, very flawed but in the end doing it all for his family. It's hard for me to watch and see it that way though, due to Bill's selfishness. Maybe a character who had a wider range of emotion would have been better? Paxton is great but he's somewhat limited in that area.
shareI really think the blame mostly falls on the writing. I think they could have cast Tom Hanks or Dennis Quaid in the role and I still would have hated Bill and felt that his actions were all selfishly motivated.
shareActually, I think the writers were right on the mark when it came to how Bill Henrickson (the character) was written. Any FLDS male that I ever met always had a certain primadonna attitude, and their world always revolved around them, with a "me first" opinion of themselves.
Everybody else was secondary, and I feel that Paxton pulls it off very well.
It's not "primadonna"...
The Mormon church is patriarchal church, many are, they aren't alone in this. FLDS people, and some of the other breakaway Mormon people are really into being "traditional", and following the original teachings of the church. In this mindset, the father/husband is the final authority in the family, and everybody else's home is none of their business.
Mormons are very community-minded, they are involved with their community, but they don't want other people interfering. That doesn't make them "primadonnas" though, it's just a belief system.
I think all of Bill's unsympathetic qualities were on purpose, like the poster above me said. The writers did a good job of making him very morally questionable. They said that that was why (finale spoilers) they killed him in the last episode, to see if he had succeeded in creating a loving family. I got the sense Bill's drive was keeping his family from peace; after he had completed his mission, he had to go.
shareNo i think the character is just easy to dislike. The character is horrible for constantly preaching.
share[deleted]
I'm replying to your post rather late, desertdude1953, but I agree with you, Paxton was perfect for the role. I thought he also brought a venality, a conflicted spirituality and a certain naivety that worked beautifully. It was some of his best work.
shareNo, he was not miscast.
If you think Paxton can't play a range of emotions watch 'Frailty'.People should just watch that movie period. It's just a damn fine movie. share
This is the best work in Paxton's career. I think he is cast quite well. He comes off as sympathetic because he's constantly surrounded by hypocrisy and evil.
Paxton is perfect, and its makes the show.
I'm a civilian, I'm not a trout
I actually think that's why Paxton is perfect in the role--he's a great actor taking on a terrible character, one that any viewer with a conscience is going to hate. He's just as bad as his evil father in law, but dresses it up in prettier clothes. I'm sure there are other actors who could have pulled it off as well, but he did a great job of playing that unsympathetic character and making us detest him more and more with each episode.
BTW--I still love Bill Paxton as an actor. But Bill Henrickson? I'd punch him in the nose!