Big Little Lies makes its return this Sunday on HBO setting up what will likely be an explosive showdown between Mary Louise Wright (the mother of Perry who died in the last year’s finale played by Meryl Streep) and the Monterey five. Just when it seemed that they were going to get away with what happened at the school fundraiser to Celeste’s (played by Nicole Kidman) husband, his mother has now arrived, and it seems she has some questions. Madeline (played by Reese Witherspoon) doesn’t seem to dwell on the past and is more concerned about keeping up appearances. Renata (played by Laura Dern) is as eccentric as ever! However, it does seem in the first episode that one member of this seemingly tight group is starting to crack, Bonnie (played by (Zoë Kravitz)
photo: Jennifer Clasen/HBO
Bonnie has retreated from interacting with anyone (including her husband and step-daughter). The guilt of what happened to Perry weighs on her heavily. There’s even a scene where she’s seen outside the police station pondering whether to walk in. Could she be the reason they all get caught? If the others knew she was going to crack, would they try and silence her? There’s also some turmoil between Madeline’s daughter Abigail (played by Kathryn Newton) and her mother. She lets it be known that she doesn’t want to go to college, which of course is unacceptable to her mother.
Celeste is barely holding it together and is only functioning because Mary Louise is helping around the home. Kidman’s character is besieged with nightmares about what an awful person she is (of course tied to what went down that fateful night) which makes her both exhausted and less aware about the true intentions of Perry’s mother. Madeline and Mary Louise have the best interaction of the episode (a genuine laugh out loud moment), and it laid the groundwork for what’s to come.
Matthew Tinker’s writing in the first episode was effective and signaled to the audience what’s coming up. There’s going to be an epic showdown, and someone could very well answer for Perry’s death. Overall, Big Little Lies is off to a solid start, and it seems that those juicy moments are just around the corner. Anyone who is looking to get caught up on the first season, might I suggest getting it on blu-ray by click on the highlighted “first season” which also will go towards helping out our site.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCWevZV945M
Dewey Singleton has been reviewing new releases in television and film for many years. Dewey's reviews have been heard in multiple markets (Houston Atlanta, Tampa). Dewey's past work has been with awardswatch.com, awardsradar.com, and bleeding cool. Dewey is a proud member of the CCA.