Big Little Lies aired last night, and the title of the episode should have been when the bleep hits the fan. It’s incredible that with all of the lies and deceit that it just took the gossiping of a middle schooler to begin unraveling it all. To make matter worse, it seems that Mary Louise (Meryl Streep) appears to be piecing this whole puzzle together at quite the rate. If anything, this episode gave off the vibe that nothing lasts forever and that even lies have an expiration date.
Well, the episode took an unexpected turn when Renata (Laura Dern) witnessed her husband being cuffed by the FBI and charged with wire fraud (among other things). What we didn’t realize is that there was so much more tied to this. Because of her husband linking their assets to the wire fraud, she is on the path to being completely broke. Who is to say whether or not this breaks her and she lets slip some other secrets that she’s been hiding.
photo: Jennifer Clasen/HBO
Madeline’s world is starting to become unhinged as well. Amid a discussion with her daughter (played by Kathryn Newton), the subject of her affair happens to come up just as Ed (her husband played by Adam Scott) walks in). This shocking revelation, of course, leads to more tension and him effectively ending their union. So now this lie is out in the open, could it all begin to unravel?
Celeste (Nicole Kidman) is having trouble sleeping and resorts to using Ambien (which leads to her taking the family car for a joy ride and crashing it). The guilt of what happened is beginning to cloud what type of man Perry was. After a particularly emotional session, she begins to share things with Mary Louise, which is a huge mistake. Perry’s mother isn’t truly there to help her during an emotional time in her life, and she wants answers. How do we know this? Cause later on the episode she uses all that information against her and let’s be known that she doesn’t trust any of her friends (especially Madeline).
photo: Jennifer Clasen/HBO
The x-factor of the whole episode was Mary Louise. Even though she’s been helpful, she’s slowly starting to put the puzzle of that fateful night together. I also think there’s a darkness inside of her (perhaps the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree). Could she want retribution towards those she feels directly responsible? At the very least, Madeline and Mary Louise will come to blows, and you can take that to the bank.
Overall, this was another well written and well-acted episode which set up this storm that’s about to rip apart these ladies. Lies don’t last forever, and the truth eventually comes out.
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.