SPOILERS for Big Little Lies 2.
Big Little Lies 2 is just a full-on soap opera and it bugs. I’m still watching, of course, because last night was the penultimate episode and they’ve set it up so that the finale is going to be BONKERS. But BLL2 stresses me out. Aren’t you guys stressed out watching it? Like, I feel like we *should* be seeing Renata as the cartoonish comedic relief (and I did chuckle a few times) but honestly, the sh-t is SO HEAVY. Bonnie confessing to her comatose abusive mother, Celeste being confronted by photos of all of the randos she’s been banging for months, Jane freaking the f–k out at Mary Louise’s door and just everything about Mary Louise entirely. It’s awful. It’s compelling, for sure, but damn.
One of the biggest issues of BLL2 is how unnecessary it really was, and how the women never needed to lie or act like Perry’s death was anything other than an act of self-defense. I pointed that out before the show even aired – by framing it as a criminal procedure, I fear that the wrong message is being sent to women who do act in self-defense to protect themselves, and to abused women who stand up for themselves. In any case, at least all the sh-t will be resolved next Sunday, because the president of HBO says we’re absolutely not getting a Big Little Lies 3: Bigger and More Lie-Filled.
Could the Monterey 5 come back for thirds? That will likely be the question on the minds of Big Little Lies fans as the HBO hit nears the Season 2 finish line. And while no one connected with the Emmy-winning series is ruling out the possibility of a Season 3, all signs point to a renewal being very, highly, extremely, infinitely unlikely.
“I love this group of people – I would do anything with them,” HBO president Casey Bloys maintained to TVLine earlier this year when asked about Big Little Lies‘ renewal prospects. “But the reality is, they are some of the busiest actresses working in Hollywood. We have deals with some of them — Nicole [Kidman] is doing her next show [The Undoing] with us. I just think it’s not realistic. Look, if they all came to me and said, ‘We worked out all of our schedules!’ – then sure,” Bloys added with a laugh. “But I just don’t think it’s realistic.”
Luckily, it sounds like the seven-episode second season — which wraps on Sunday, July 21 — will go out on a more closure-filled note than Season 1 did. Teased Bloys: “Season 2 was a chance for everyone involved to end [the franchise] in a way that feels satisfying.”
I’m glad that there’s at least the promise of closure, although I’m still traumatized be the “closure” given to us by the Game of Thrones finale. I swear to God, if the BLL2 finale is Mary Louise on the stand, saying “and who has a better story than Bran,” I will burn Monterey down.
Photos courtesy of HBO.
I actually think this season is better than season 1.
I prefer the direction of Andrea Arnold this season over the guy who did it last year, especially with the drama involving all of that which came out over the weekend.
Andrea actually said that HBO edited this season without her, to keep it close to first season, and her style was lost during edition.
I’m loving this season.
I’m loving this season too! I think it’s way better than Season 1 and that was a hard one to top! Hopefully, they do work out all their schedules! Nicole is just fantastic, give her all the Emmys and Golden Globes already!
Yeah, speak for yourself. This season has been awesome!
I’m VERY nervous about them wrapping up everything in one episode next week but looking forward to Celeste Hulk-smashing Mary Louise on the stand.
I am too, I was shocked when it said next week is the finale.
I’ve really enjoyed the series, and I hope it ends well. I really hope Celeste prevails because although she has been a mess, she has been through some serious trauma, and Mary Louise is just toxic and cruel. Her scene at the door with Jane, wow.
I wonder if one of them is going to break. Bonnie seems really close to cracking. Her confession and speech to her mother was so heartbreaking.
Renata needs to dump that husband, pronto.
They have to wrap up a lot of loose ends. I hope it’s a satisfactory conclusion to the story.
I squealed when Celeste said she wanted to cross her. I’m waiting for the so how did you raise Perry and oh yeah what happened to his brother…hmmmm
She has to know more about the brother who died! I can’t understand how her lawyer isn’t looking into that and bringing that up.
Nicole Kidman was really setting up her Emmy reel during her time on the stand. I cried a couple times. But then I felt so defeated when she started drinking the vodka – I know she’s going through a hard time, but I do feel that she’s struggling a bit in her parenting. And since we haven’t seen her with her therapist for quite some time, I don’t know whether she’s discussing her substance abuse with her.
I have been saying since the first episode that this show stresses me out. Mary-Louise is too much to take. I have enjoyed other parts way more than I thought I would though (like, renata’s freak out at her husband). So, I have been watching, but, like, hesitantly? I didn’t realize the show is almost over. I am definitely curious as to how it will end
THANK YOU. Kaiser, you have perfectly summed up my attitude toward this season. WHY do I think that the finale will include Mary Louise shooting Celeste in court (or vice-versa), Renata strangling her WORTHLESS husband, Bonnie giving her abusive mother her final wish, Madeline FINALLY driving her husband out of the house, and Jane packing her bags, loading Ziggy in the car and booking it to nice, normal inland Modesto? I JUST CAN’T WITH THIS SERIES ANYMORE (although of course I’m still watching; train wreck, can’t avert my eyes, etc.).
I read the book. Since I don’t have HBO that’ll have to do it for me.
This second season isn’t based on the book.
The book was the best one from that author, IMO, and the show was a great adaption of it. It’s been a different experience to watch the second season, since I’d read the book before seeing the first season.
Check your library eventually, maybe they’ll get the DVDs of the series!
The actresses are doing a really great job (although Meryl Streep isn’t quite landing for me, I’m not entirely sure why). But Mary Louise is so one-note awful that it’s a bit much, honestly.
I’m glad they ended up using the Gordon-was-sleeping-with-the-nanny plot from the book, although in the book it ended up being that the nanny was sleeping with several of the dads! Renata is something else.
Bonnie’s storyline is not landing with me, at all. And who WRITES DOWN THAT THEY MURDERED A DUDE. You want to confess to your comatose mother (who is obviously not going to stay comatose), fine, but don’t write it down like an idiot. Ugh.
All they had to say was “He was beating Celeste up. We tried to get him off of her, he started attacking the rest of us, and he fell down the stairs when we were trying to pull him off. She’s clearly beaten up, it was self defense.” Because if I’m the cop, I’m going “so he’s trying to kick you repeatedly, and he just slips and falls down the stairs while the other four women just watched? Seems weird.”
She said she wanted to confess to her mother “first” so I think she intends on confessing to the police too
I think in the middle (ep 4 especially felt like filler) this season was week, which is surprising for such a limited series. But ep 5 is awesome, and I hope final will be fascinating. And I cannot wait for this to be over too, because I hate Marie Louise, but I love Meryl, and it causes my brain to melt every time I watch an episode.
I’ve had trouble watching because of Streep, who I generally like. She does have a tendency to overact and that character is horrible but I am oddly bored when she’s onscreen.
That last line,Kaiser you’re amazing🤣🤣
I actually agree 100% with this! Although I am still watching, I am so stressed by it all. The lie is what is ruining it, there was no need to lie about the push. Sure hoping the finale gives proper closure and deals with the open issues.
I know. I do share your frustration about the key plotline this season, which is a big lie to cover up what was a self defence in the first place. But on the other hand this mirrors the frustration we all share about the reality. Which is – women are scared to step forward with the truth of abuse,assault and rape. When victims feel like they still will be turned into victims if they tell the truth. I also think that they did a good job with flashbacks to then Perry died. They start immediately taking blame and then Madeline steps forward and says this is no one’s fault. In that moment it is understandable that everyone panic and the cover up is the natural next step in that moment so that every woman in that groups is protected. Celeste, Jane and Bonie. So I don’t agree with your assessment, that “by framing it as a criminal procedure, I fear that the wrong message is being sent to women who do act in self-defense to protect themselves”. The stories are there to mirror and show us the reality more than anything else. The frustration when we watch it is probably something they aims for in the first place.
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Kaiser and Bran comment
This show is the oddest duck. Gorgeous cinematography and music, great acting– and a terrible, terrible script. Most abominable are the scenes with the children, who never talk the way these kids do. It’s all beautifully absurd.
Loving this season
My only quibble is that the episodes are short. Surely there was enough footage to warrant these episodes being a teeeeeensy bit longer.