SPOILER ALERT: This post contains spoilers for Big Little Lies season one and season two… If you don’t want to know what happened in the finale, look away now!
So, Big Little Lies season two turned out to be a bit of a ‘careful what you wish for’ slap in the face for every fan who prayed that the A-list filled prestige drama would return for the second season.
Yes, the follow-up to the award-winning and critically acclaimed first season of Big Little Lies was not without a few highlights, namely the exquisite tension-filled scenes where the characters played by Nicole Kidman and Meryl Streep faced off, along every show-stopping Laura Dern scene, but in all honesty, this second outing felt very disjointed from start to finish.
Of course, many of these missteps can be traced back to the drama that was happening behind-the-scenes of the show.
As IndieWire reported recently, multiple on-set sources had confirmed that the uncomfortable editing and feel of this new season were due to an internal struggle where Big Little Lies showrunner David E. Kelley and season one director Jean-Marc Vallée had re-edited the show behind the back of season two director Andrea Arnold.
Whoever the culprit may be, the truth is that the season two finale of Big Little Lies left many viewers a little unsatisfied.
Here are the six burning questions we still have for Big Little Lies.
Take a look at the trailer for season two of Big Litle Lies. Post continues after video.
1. What is the endgame for Bonnie and her marriage to Nathan?
Bonnie (Zoë Kravitz) had arguably one of the meatier storylines coming into season two, having been the one who pushed the abusive Perry (Alexander Skarsgård) to his death and all in season one.
However, her storylines this season appeared to be haphazardly all over the place. That’s why it felt like an unearned moment of character development in the season finale when Bonnie told her husband Nathan that although he is a good father and a good man, she has never been in love with him.
Now, maybe the scenes that eloquently built up to his moment were among those that ended up on the cutting room floor, but it also left us wondering, was that the end of the couple’s marriage? Or was it more of a moment of pain and confusion followed by her mother’s death? Or was Bonnie spurned into confessing her feelings because she knew she was about to turn herself into the police?
2. Speaking of Bonnie, is there more to the story of her mother’s abuse?
By introducing Bonnie’s mother Elizabeth (Crystal Fox) in season two, Big Little Lies attempted to fill in a storyline that appeared in the book but was barely hinted at in the first season. That is, that Bonnie pushed Perry to his death because she was triggered by seeing his abuse after being abused as a child.
The revelation of Elizabeth’s abuse towards Bonnie is hinted at during the season, but ultimately this storyline remains detached from the other main season dramatic character arcs. And what was the real significance of Elizabeth’s spiritual ‘woo woo’ sayings, talismans and the gifts she left around the house, is there more to this story of abuse we didn’t get to see?
3. Did Ed cheat on Madeline? Was that the real catalyst for the couple renewing their vows?
If you cast your mind back to the earlier episodes of Big Little Lies, you’ll remember that Ed (Adam Scott) had a very pointed (and awkward) conversation with a woman named Tori about her breasts in the grocery store.
In a later episode, Ed is approached by Tori yet again following the news that his wife Madeline had cheated on him, a scene where she propositions him again. The conclusion of this storyline is never really addressed and we cannot help but think there’s more to this story than meets the eye.
The Spill is Mamamia’s daily entertainment podcast that catches you up on everything you need to know in the entertainment world. And on the show today, everything from Big Little Lies star Nicole Kidman’s sex life to how influencers killed the silent supermodel. Post continues after audio.
4. What will become of Renata, the one true queen of Big Little Lies?
I don’t know a whole lot about bankruptcy, but real talk for a second, did Renata (Laura Dern) mess up her family’s bankruptcy settlement by smashing up that train set and the other man-toys that a generous collector had paid a lot of money for? Or was she so far gone into her (totally justified) rage blackout that she just didn’t care?
And while we are on this train of thought, is her marriage to Gordon over? Beating him with a bat seemed like a pretty good indicator that she was done with her marriage, but she’s lashed out of him before and then relented, like when she left him by the side of the road.
I am sure fans are hoping that she has left him for good, but we don’t know for sure.
5. So, are the Monterey Five really going to jail, or will they be able to slink out of any lasting consequences?
Big Little Lies season two left us with the image of the Monterey Five somberly and wordlessly walking into the police station. The determined looks on their faces were all that was needed to inform the audience of their intention to finally confess to the true set of events that led to Perry’s death.
The hard part about this is that we’ll potentially never know the outcome of their confession. Will Bonnie be able to avoid any charges by pleading self-defence or will the women all be spending some time behind bars?
6. And the biggest question of all…will be getting a third season of Big Little Lies?
While there has been no solid confirmation around whether or not Big Little Lies will return for a third season, there are some glimmers of hope on the horizon.
On one hand, HBO programming chief Casey Bloys told TVLine in early July that a third season would probably not be greenlit.
“I love this group of people – I would do anything with them. But the reality is, they are some of the busiest actresses working in Hollywood,” he said. “We have deals with some of them – Nicole is doing her next show The Undoing with us. I just think it’s not realistic.”
On the other hand, Nicole Kidman recently said the cast would love to come back for a third outing, but only if everyone was involved.
“I think we would love to do a season three because there is certainly ideas,” she told the Daily Telegraph. “But we would not do it without all of the same people involved… even the kids.”
You can watch seasons one and two of Big Little Lies now on Foxtel.
Top Comments
Ed had a very pointed conversation with a woman named Tori...
Tori is not just some random woman - that character is the wife of the man Madeline had an affair with. She propositioned Ed as some sort of duel payback at their respective spouses. The fact that he then asked Madeline to renew their vows told me that he had rejected the offer. I understand that there may have been some editing issues behind the scenes but I didn't find this season as bad as some articles are saying. I enjoyed Season 2 just as much as the first series.
agree re Bonnie