After HBO aired “Big Little Lies” (based on the novel of the same name by Liane Moriarty) in February 2017, the show earned critical acclaim from critics and viewers alike. It went on to win numerous awards at “The 75th Golden Globe Awards,” “The 69th Primetime Emmy Awards” & “The 24th Screen Actors Guild Awards” ultimately winning “Best Mini-Series,” “Best Supporting Actor (Alexander Skarsgård) & “Best Actress. (Nicole Kidman) HBO surprisingly revealed a second season was in the works.
Big Little Lies Season 2 aired on June-July 2019. Like the first season, the second season earned critical acclaim from critics and viewers alike. I sense a possibility that Big Little Lies might earn numerous nominations at The Golden Globes, The Primetime Emmys & The Screen Actors Guild.
Today’s review contains no big fat SPOILERS. Feel free to read my non-spoiler review. SPOILERS from Season 1 are in this article. It’s a requirement to watch the first season before you watch Season 2. Tread carefully.
The Entire Season
Positive: The Main Leads including Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman & Shailene Woodley all reprise their roles as Madeline, Celeste & Jane. They all did a fantastic job for their respective performances. Both Reese & Nicole also served as executive producers of the second season.
Other Returning Cast Members such as Laura Dern, Zoë Kravitz, Adam Scott Kathryn Newton, Iain Armitage & James Tupper also reprise their roles and they all did a great job for their respective performances.
Newcomers to the series such as Douglas Booth, Denis O’Hare (a recurring cast member of American Horror Story) both did a good job for their respective performances. American Horror Story is one of my favorite shows.
Laura Dern’s character Renata, is my favorite. Laura deserves an Extra Point for playing a lovable jerkstore. (Seinfeld please don’t sue me)
Alexander Skarsgård reprises his role as Perry in flashbacks and previous recorded videos.
Andrea Arnold directed every single episode. She did a good job directing each one.
Author, Liane Moriarty contributed to Season 2 writing all seven episodes. David E. Kelly also wrote each episode.
Season 2 has some hilarious moments that made me laugh. Especially Madeline & Renata’s scenes.
Season 2 is set after the events of Season 1 with The Main Trio & their friends struggling to move on with their lives.
We learn more about Bonnie’s background.
Bonnie’s hippie parents factor in this season.
Celeste’s mother-in-law/Perry’s mother Mary Louise, factors in for the rest of the season.
Due to her violent marriage with Perry, Celeste suffers from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, (PTSD for short) as she struggles to move on in the aftermath of Perry’s death.
Negative: Product Placement featuring certain brands such as Apple, Starbucks & Cocoa Puffs. I’ll let this con slide, because I couldn’t find any other brand to shove down my throat.
Meryl Streep (my nemesis) is involved in the second season as Perry’s mother/Celeste’s mother/in-law, Mary Louise. Meryl is described as The Joker to my Batman & The Green Goblin to my Spider-Man.
Episode 8 – What Have They Done?
Big: Episode 8 shows us viewers what happened to the main leads.
Mary Louise is curious about the details of Perry’s death.
Bonnie struggles to cope with moving on after she killed Perry.
Somebody screams out loud. Which is given context.
Small: Cinematography suffers from Shaky Cam.
Episode 9 – Tell-Tale Hearts
Soft: An accident happened with one person.
Renata finds out about personal problems.
Somebody mentioned about faking Asperger’s, a possible reference to “Curb Your Enthusiasm?” It’s that one episode with Larry David pretending he has it, because he refuses to pay up for a car repair.
Two people have a fight.
A flashback is shown prior to Seasons 1 & 2.
Jane has a conversation with Ziggy.
Celeste & Mary Louise talk about their “everyday lives.”
Celeste has an eye to eye talk with her twin sons.
Madeline mentioned the word “endgame.” A possible alluded reference to “Avengers: Endgame?”
Without giving too much away, the second episode is bittersweet.
Rough: Cinematography continues to suffer from Shaky Cam.
Episode 10 – The End Of The World
Up: The Trio attend a parent teacher meeting.
A “husband” & “wife” visit a therapist.
Mary Louise gets into the main leads’ business.
Jane has dinner with Corey, a co-worker.
An individual seeks to recover from “an attack.”
Madeline has a speech about climate change.
Kermit The Frog’s song, “Rainbow Connection” is mentioned.
Down: The Camera never stays still.
Episode 11 – She Knows
True: 11th Episode is set on Halloween & Amabella’s (Renata’s daughter) birthday party.
Amabella’s birthday party has a 70’s theme.
Once again, Mary Louise continues to act nosy.
A character gets slapped. Made me put a smile on my face. That scene deserves an Extra Point! I need to loop this bit!
A drawing of a person made me laugh my rump off.
Something happened to one person. Can’t tell you why.
Tensions escalate with Celeste’s life.
False: When will the Shaky Cam ever stop? I’m always annoyed when it comes to camera not staying still!
Episode 12 – Kill Me
Open: Tensions further escalate over a legal battle.
An altercation happened at school.
Renata is contending with an ongoing conflict.
In a typical bitchy manner, Mary Louise snoops around.
If you’re a fan of “Grand Theft Auto V,” GTA V for short) Chicago’s “If You Leave Me Now” plays in one scene.
The group meet up before somebody testifies in court.
Celeste has a heartwarming moment with the twins.
Jane also has a heartwarming moment with Ziggy.
Ed meets an old friend.
Closed: What’s the deal with Shaky Cam? It’s really getting on my nerves!
Episode 13 – The Bad Mother
Legal: A legal battle in court begins.
The Stakes are drastically high.
Bonnie confronts her mother.
A shocking reveal turns out that one character is one sick son of a bitch. I refuse to tell you.
Somebody finally stands up for herself.
Illegal: How many times do I have to say about a camera suffering from shakiness?
Episode 14 – I Want To Know
Increase: Episode 14 wraps up Season 2’s seven part storyline.
Episode 14 picks up where the last episode left off.
An individual makes a fateful decision.
A previous recorded video serves as a plot point.
The Court ends who won the case. Can’t tell you who it is, you’re gonna have to see for yourselves.
Renata unleashes her destructive rage.
The Hulk is mentioned. Coincidentally, “Avengers: Endgame” came out around the same time Big Little Lies’ second season aired.
The Ending possibly sets up Season 3.
Decrease: I hate it when it comes to poor cinematography.
The Final Verdict: A-
Big Littles Lies’ second season is a slight improvement of the previous season. I would’ve given Season 2 an “A, FOR APEX” if it weren’t for the camera’s inability to stay still. The performances were excellent, humor had some good jokes, narrative was different from the first season, the stakes escalated among many other positive aspects listed. If you haven’t got a chance to watch all seven episodes interconnected to Season 2, I highly recommend it.
Nickthemoviecritic.com 