Big Little Lies (HBO) Serious Mothering

This week shows again that Big Little Lies is off to a great start. The show delves more into the personal life of our three protagonists- Madeline, Jane and Celeste. And by doing so we see what drives these people- good and bad. We get a lot of insight into Madeline in this one, and like the Madeline of the book she's frank, loyal and thrives on challenging authority. Or what she sees as the "morally superior of this town." She's also not intimidated in the slightest by Renata, and the central conflict of the story is laid down here as both of them draw their lines in the sand.

Renata makes a point of inviting everyone in her daughters class to her birthday party, with the exception of Ziggy. The point is not just to exclude him because he supposedly choked Amabelle, but to do in a way that was unmistakable to all the kids. Madeline takes exception to that, and when her daughter Chloe tries to bring Ziggy and Amabelle together to straighten the air, it only makes a bad situation even worse. And sparks really fly when Renata and Madeline have it out at a local hotspot.

Can I just say Madeline was on fire in this one? From telling the woman behind her to "Get laid, bitch" when she honks at her, to giving her yoga instructor the double middle finger, Madeline is take no prisoners. And I love that- just like in the book. Reese Witherspoon nails Madeline to a tee. But she's also loyal AF when she sees something she doesn't like, and here Jane and Ziggy are going to take the heat now that Renata senses blood in the water. Madeline tells her husband Ed "The war is on."

We also learn more about Celeste and it's rather disturbing. Perry is rough with her but then they have sex, and it's clear this is not unusual. She tells Madeline "Sometimes I think that he likes to fight because it leads to sex. Sometimes I think I like it too." Madeline says that sounds a little twisted but kinda great too- not realizing that Celeste is talking about actual fighting, not just arguing.

They continue to nail the feel of the show, with the scenery and music coming together to set a certain tone. I like how they cut in and out with the police interviews, giving us an opinion of someone right after we see a pivotal scene. Often the view is clearly skewed, which just adds to the drama. "Renata was sending a message," we hear at one point after the birthday fiasco erupts. We see less of Jane but we know her backstory is coming. I feel really bad for Jane- if you've read the book you know where the story is going- and you can really feel for her as she tries to hold it together for Ziggy.

Random Thoughts

"I need to swap out my family for some vodka," Madeline tells Celeste after she has a fight with Ed. 

Did Bonny seriously take Abigail to Planned Parenthood- to get the pill- and not tell Madeline? Hoo boy. 

Ed and Nathan meet- Madeline's current and ex. That doesn't go well. 

Laura Dern as Renata is almost over the top- when she freaks out I was like taken aback. That's the risk of taking a character from the novel and giving her a perspective- I'm not sure it's entirely working, but we'll see where it goes. 

Speaking of Renata, when she tells Madeline not to "fuck with" her daughters birthday party, Madeline calls her out right there and says "why don't you get fucked?" Yeah this'll get out of hand a bit.