REVIEW: Big Little Lies (S2 E1/7)

When you have a series that boasts copious Oscar and Golden Globe winners (Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, Laura Dern), dazzling locations (Monterrey, California) and an experienced showrunner (David E Kelly), Big Little Lies couldn’t really go wrong.

On the surface, that award-winning first series was all about the perfect life – beaches, California air, upwardly mobile and affluent women who bicker, compete at the school gates and outdo each other with cupcakes. It was easy to dislike them. Madeline (Witherspoon), especially, with her constant buzzing around and highly-strung demeanour, always expecting to live the perfect life.

And of course, it wasn’t the perfect life. It was far from the perfect life, because a murder at the local school and the emergence of newcomer into the community (Jane, Shailene Woodley) revealed a toxic nest of social anxiety, bullying at the school, affairs and terrifying spousal abuse and sexual abuse, all culminating in the murder of Celeste’s (Kidman) nefarious, violent husband, Perry.

It could have been easily dismissed as a melodrama, but this exploration of familial and friend dynamics provided a dark underbelly. It was terrific.

This second series kicks off with the Monterrey Five (as they find out they have been called) are coming to terms with what they did and how to keep it a secret. Celeste, especially, is finding things tough – like many survivors of domestic abuse, she’s blaming herself for her husband’s demise. Bonnie (Zoe Kravitz), who did the murdering, has disconnected with her husband and withdrawn from life. She can’t tell him why. Jane, whose son Ziggy was the result of being raped by Perry, is also nervy.

The real change in this series is the appearance of Mary Louise (Meryl Streep), Perry’s mother. On the surface she looks like a kindly grandmother, but she has a habit of putting her foot in it. Especially with Madeline. Their scenes are hilarious and you never know if Mary Louise is being bitchy or not, whether she has emerged from San Francisco to poke the hornet’s nest.

What she is here for to find out is what really happened to her son. She’s just not buying the whole ‘fell down some stairs’ story, and she surveys all with a beady eye. She’s like a withering version of Miss Marple.

With the cool breeze of the Pacific once again permeating all around, it’s great to have it back and with the addition of Streep, it could hit new heights in this series.

Paul Hirons

Sky Atlantic confirms Big Little Lies transmission date

We know that series two of the star-studded Big Little Lies will be returning to HBO in the US on Sunday 9th June.

Now we have confirmation that the series, starring Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Laura Dern and, now, Meryl Streep, will start a day later on Sky Atlantic.

READ MORE: Nicole Kidman shares first image of Meryl Streep in Big Little Lies II

Based on Liane Moriarty’s bestselling book, and featuring Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Laura Dern, Shailene Woodley, Zoe Kravitz and Meryl Streep, the darkly comedic Big Little Lies tells the tale of three mothers whose seemingly perfect lives unravel to the point of murder.

We voted the first series in our top five of crime dramas in 2017.

Here’s a trailer.

READ MORE: Big Little Lies gets first trailer and transmission date for series two

In series two, Streep plays Celeste’s mother-in-law, Mary Louise Wright alongside other new cast members, Bonnie’s mother Elizabeth (played by Crystal Fox) and second-grade teacher Michael Perkins (actor Mo McRae).

Series two will continue to explore the malignancy of lies, the durability of friendships, the fragility of marriage and, of course, the vicious ferocity of sound parenting. Multiple characters will be dealing with Perry’s death, and the prospect of moving past a life-altering event.

Big Little Lies II: Monday 10th June, 9pm, Sky Atlantic

 

Big Little Lies gets first trailer and transmission date for series two

Hot on the heels of mega-smash, US cable giant HBO, will be wheeling out another of its big guns – Big Little Lies.

The show, whose first series came in at number five in our end-of-year-chart in 2017, stars the likes of Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon and, this year, Meryl Streep.

Based on the same-titled best-seller by Liane Moriarty, series one of Big Little Lies weaved a darkly comedic tale of murder and mischief in the tranquil beachfront town of Monterey, California. Amid doting moms, successful husbands, beautiful children, and stunning homes existed a community fueled by rumours and divided into haves and have-nots, exposing fractured relationships between husbands and wives, parents and children, and friends and neighbours. Told through the eyes of three mothers – Madeline, Celeste and Jane – the series’ narrative explores society’s myths regarding perfection and its romanticization of marriage, sex, parenting and friendship. 

Now we not only know when series two will be broadcast in the US – which usally means a day-after date for us in the UK on Sky Atlantic – but we also have a trailer.

Series two of Big Little Lies will broadcast on HBO in the US from Sunday 9th June.

Nicole Kidman shares first image of Meryl Streep in Big Little Lies II

It’s a new world these days, where social media rules and news and information is communicated to the outside world through these different channels. These channels also allow for people who we once thought were untouchable to communicate directly with fans. Take Oscar-winning actress Nicole Kidman, for instance. She’s posted the first image of Meryl Streep from the set of series two of Big Little Lies on her instagram account. Which is nice for everyone.

Big Little Lies recommissioned for second series; Reese Witherspoon and Nicole onboard

HBO’s Big Little Lies (it was shown on Sky Atlantic in the UK), has been one of the crime dramas of the year so far. The tale of affluent, Californian women in meltdown was a brilliant whodunit with each episode unpeeling the layers of feuds, insecurities and strained family relationships. It boasted a stellar cast (Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman and Laura Dern among them), and the news is this: it’s coming back for a second series.

Why Big Little Lies won big at the Emmys

HBO’s Big Little Lies – shown in the UK on Sky Atlantic – won big at the Emmys on Sunday night. It won Outstanding Limited Series, Outstanding Lead Actress In A Limited Series Or Movie (Nicole Kidman), Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Limited Series Or Movie (Alexander Skarsgard), Outstanding Directing For A Limited Series, Movie Or Dramatic Special (Jean-Marc Vallée), and Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Limited Series Or TV Movie (Laura Dern). That’s quite an impressive haul, and there’s no doubt the buzz around it and subsequent reviews of the show were very good. However, it was one of those shows that slipped through our net a bit – it premiered back at the start of the year, one of the busiest times in crime drama land. With that in mind, we thought now would be a good time to doff our cap and pay tribute to one of the starriest and unlikeliest crime drama hits of the year.