It’s quite possible that the coming second season finale of Big Little Lieswill be the last time we’ll check in with the Monterey Five. Earlier this year, HBO’s president, Casey Bloys, said that the prospect of a third season was “not realistic”. “I love this group of people – I would do anything with them,” Bloys told TV Line. “But the reality is, they are some of the busiest actresses working in Hollywood.” He may be bluffing. I imagine, if it dominates awards season again, they might all find time in their schedules.
But perhaps not, and perhaps that’s for the best. After a strong opening episode, something has felt a little off about season two. It has seemed soapier than it did in the first place, and even then it sure was soapy. The plot, cut loose from the source material of Liane Moriarty’s novel, has lacked a sense of urgency. It has seemed, at times, to be framed as a whodunnit, except we know whodunnit, and its pleasures, while still enjoyable, have felt more disposable, more quick-fix junk food than fine dining. Each episode has survived on a must-see moment – Mary Louise’s now-infamous scream, Renata’s creatively crude meltdowns – but one that has stood out and stood alone, rather than feeling like part of a whole.
Reports emerged last week of director Andrea Arnold losing creative control over the season after shooting had wrapped; the full story is a bleak read, particularly given that this is a show so focused on women both in front of the camera and behind the scenes. In light of the news, its lack of cohesion makes sense, and so too does its resemblance to Sharp Objects, given that its director Jean-Marc Vallée, who directed season one, was, according to Indiewire, brought in to recut what Arnold had shot. It’s hard not to feel as if the finale is somewhat sullied by this news.
Still, we’ve come this far. A teaser for the finale sets up the inevitable Meryl/Nicole showdown, as Celeste has been given permission to question her mother-in-law on the stand in their increasingly vicious battle for custody of the violent twins. The clip doesn’t give much away, but the notion that the five women might end up having another idyllic picnic on the beach with their kids running around them blissfully may be fading into the sunset. “The Monterey Five, or whatever we call ourselves,” says Celeste, in voiceover. “The lie is the friendship.”
According to Bloys, the second season “was a chance for everyone involved to end [the franchise] in a way that feels satisfying.” If their friendship is on the line, that’s because the secret will be unleashed, and for once, it won’t be the loose lips of the children setting the truth free. One, or all, of the women will crack. It looks likely that Bonnie will hand herself in to the police, now she’s told her dying mother that she blames her for it almost entirely. Madeline is sure to tell Ed, hopefully in time to prevent him from sleeping with her ex’s partner. (It’s a small town, isn’t it?) I’m less sure that Jane and Renata have anything to gain by coming clean, though maybe Jane will come to trust Corey enough to tell him what happened, even if I am still suspicious about his late-night visit to the police station.
Celeste, meanwhile, is a loose cannon. She was utterly eviscerated by the intrusive and awful questioning last week, but even so, it is hard to fully root for her to win custody of the boys, given that she is clearly struggling. Her questioning of Mary Louise, on the stand, is the World Cup final of Big Little Lies, and this, rather than who will take the fall for Perry’s death, is the moment we’re all waiting for. My predictions are that Mary Louise will go full Mommie Dearest, and we might be given some indication of where Perry picked up at least some of his abusive nature. On the flip side, Mary Louise’s eminent calm, screaming aside, could prove impenetrable; Celeste might go in for another slap, and find herself locked up with Bonnie. Let’s just imagine the Big Little Lies/Orange Is the New Black crossover that will never be.
Or, alternatively, it goes for the jugular. Laura Dern, Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, Zoe Kravitz and Shailene Woodley all scream, for 60 minutes, in Renata’s empty mansion, while a chorus of people with sleep apnea do pilates to Chicago’s If You Leave Me Now in the background. Meryl Streep uses the distraction to leak the Andrea Arnold cut while listening to Roy Orbison at top volume. They all have a morning coffee. Waves crash. Farewell, Big Little Lies. You’ve been big, glossy and outrageous.
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