Big Little Lies: One Dead Person Is Probably Enough

Watch Keri’s video breakdown of Big Little Lies Season Two premiere, “What Have They Done?”

You cannot be involved in death, even the accidental death of a bad person, and not have it affect everything.

Season One of Big Little Lies ends the same way as the book by Liane Moriarty. It was a storyline with a finite conclusion, but David E. Kelly and Moriarty decided to explore what happens after the death of a husband, son, and father in another season of HBO’s drama.

Celeste and the boys are still reeling with nightmares and loss. Yes, Perry was abusive, but he was still their dad. And while they were obviously picking up on their dad’s abuse and acting out at school, they were not personally abused. Their loss is probably the most innocent. Celeste is still in therapy which is good, but she has conflicted feelings as well. After all, she was sometimes turned on during the abuse and it is all mixed up. Thankfully, she is still in therapy. And that is where she should stay for a very long time…not only because of the traumatic death of her husband, but because now her mother-in-law is with her.

Meryl Streep plays Mary Louise, and of course, well she is Meryl Streep and the acting is fabulous. Her grief over a son she thought was perfect is illustrated in a very real way. She is grieving the loss of a child who she wants everyone to remember as perfection, but she is also suspicious.

It’s not like her son died of natural causes, and she thinks there were nefarious deeds behind his death, so is working with the investigator. At one point in the episode she screams out her grief and it is pretty insane. Unlike Mary Louise, though, the women are keeping their mouths shut.

While the whole event is traumatic for everyone who watched him fall to his death, Bonnie was the one who gave the final push, and she is having the hardest time. She is withdrawn, she is running. Her carefree attitude about life is gone and her husband is worried. So, he conferences with Madeline about Bonnie at the first day of school.

Can we just take a minute and think about the first day of school? They have trauma every year to deal with. I’d just be a bad mom and start skipping the first day in Monterey.

One person who has decided that school is not for them is Madeline’s daughter, Abigail. Madeline is not happy about it and it comes out that the reason is personal. She didn’t go to college and so she wants her daughter to do what she didn’t.

Nothing like projecting your demons on your kid. That always ends well!

Renata is still winning at life, but her husband is now drunk all the time and playing with trains.

Bonnie is mad at Madeline for concocting the whole story about Perry’s death. She wishes she had just told the investigator what happened. She would have gotten off and she wouldn’t be keeping this soul-crushing guilt and secret to herself.

(Speaking of, Madeline is a natural born ringleader. She could have worked with Hugh Jackman on The Greatest Showman.)

Jane and Celeste are also having to come to terms with their new relationship given that their sons are actually brothers. Kind of awkward, but the women are moving ahead.

At the end, Mary Louise asks Celeste after she wakes up screaming from a nightmare: “Who are we planning to kill?”

Nobody I hope. I think one dead person is probably enough.

Big Little Lies airs Sunday nights on HBO.