Reese and Nicole and Laura and Audrey and Elvis: Thread for BIG LITTLE LIES on HBO

How great!!? So great right?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/tv/2017/03/15/190317STEBiglittle01-large_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqEr60ca48GGIZWmRLXLlk4DeeosFWPgY9ZYnSp5XdIv4.jpg

Things I loved, a list

1. All five women had nuanced human roles. They all brought their A game
2. Monterey scenery-porn holy crap so gorgeous
3. Those kids!! Esp Chloe.
4. The ending!!
5. All of it, I loved all of it. Except the greek chorus of dumb town people, and the teachers.

I'm only on episode 3 but really enjoy this show. Sometimes the music use feels a little on the nose though.

Aw! I kinda liked the music.

Great piece by Emily Nussbaum here, that kind of sums up a lot of how I feel in a serious way

http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/03/06/the-surprising-generosity-of-big-little-lies

Generous to its characters, even those who begin as clichés, the series becomes a reflection on trauma; at its best moments, it makes risky observations, especially about the dynamics of domestic abuse. Even when it doesn’t dig so deep, it’s still full of strong performances, including those by a terrific set of child actors, whose unforced sweetness is a reminder of who the victims are when family life turns ugly.

Chloe putting on Pj Harvey in the first episode did pique my interest though ;)

I loved Ziggy's solo choreographed dance to Papa Was a Rolling Stone for his Mom, it was the fucking BEST

I guess it would be wise to avoid this thread until I've caught up :)

happy posting everyone

Y'all come back now, y'hear

was solid, a touch on the nose and message-y for me idk, hard to discuss w/o getting spoilery

good thread title btw

I thought I was not going to be able to continue watching in episode 1 when the teacher made Amabelle point out her strangler in front of ALL THE KIDS and ALL THE PARENTS yep that is great you are a great teacher excellent job at making this very serious matter a J'Accuseathon jesus christ

Seriously all of the teachers in that dumb town should be fired.

I kind of feel like I should have called out the spoilers in the thread title

the whole thing's done I think we should be able to have some real talk about everything that happened

if a mod ever wanders by, it would be nice to get an edit there

[SPOILERS]

Good interview here with the director on the final episode
http://www.vulture.com/2017/04/big-little-lies-director-jean-marc-vallee-on-the-finale.html

[SPOILERS]

Okay, the praise here and the revelation of Zoe Kravitz's involvement might be enough for me to overcome the side-eye I've been giving to the previews for that show with Shailene Woodley in a central role. Laura Dern's presence should've been enough, though, I guess.

2. Monterey scenery-porn holy crap so gorgeous
right! almost makes me feel like I could live there but every time i've been there in person I get a strange feeling i'd go mad there after i few months.anyways...

I enjoyed the show a lot. the acting was good all around even Kidman who I don't usually care for had me really buying into her character's situation.

right! almost makes me feel like I could live there but every time i've been there in person I get a strange feeling i'd go mad there after i few months.anyways...

Huh -- very curious as to why you felt that way! (As mentioned on the other thread where this was discussed, it's where my parents live and my dad grew up -- Carmel rather than Monterey specifically, though, but hey, just on the other side of the peninsula -- and I've always loved the area ever since I was a kid.)

I've spent a good amount of time up there visiting friends and i can't pin it down other than strange restlessness that comes over before too long .

I couldn't make it through the first episode. parents don't talk like this.

feel like I've eaten a mediocre crepe at the coffee place they all hang out at, though it was redone for shooting this? Monterey sure is beautiful as shot in this. I wish I'd spent more time exploring and less time in cannery row when I was there.

extremely wealthy and attractive parents might talk like this, I don't know

I would and they don't. And the "Greek chorus" stuff is ridiculous, every rando parent having in-depth opinions about the psychological make-up of others etc. gtfo

oh would you now

I am a parent in one of the wealthiest cities in the country and deal with rich helicopter parents all the time so yes.

when the teacher made Amabelle point out her strangler in front of ALL THE KIDS and ALL THE PARENTS

and THIS scene! ugh gtfo that teacher would be fired immediately

seems like the becomes wealthy and stays in the city crowd would be different from the becomes wealthy and moves to monterey, cambria, etc. crowd

Mentioned this on the other thread, but it's less of a 'moves there' crowd than a 'commutes there on the weekend' crowd. Trust me, I know.

Shakes, I really encourage you to try and watch it all the way through. It's so much richer than it seems at first watch

drifting into strawman territory here. how about wealthy parents in Marin, I know those people too

xp

hell, just watch the first 10 minutes of the final episode

haha I thought of including Marin but thought you probably had a better chance of knowing someone from there. I just don't know how you always extrapolate such distances from your own experience, and so frequently into works of fiction, and manage to enjoy anything ever.

hey shakey it's cool you superficially engaged with the first episode of this show and all. your opinions are noted.

the last episode of this was just gripping.

honestly, i feel that this show was amazingly thought out and structured, to the point where i think the early episodes purposefully cast all these people as the cardboard cutout stereotypes you're prepared to hate watch then slowly unfurls so much emotional and psychological depth.

i think it's the only time i ever felt like a therapy session in a show or movie felt really authentic to me.

was really cool to see kidman be so good again, i'd kind of forgotten how good she could be

really the whole cast was great\

<3 little ziggy

My partner is a 2ndary school teacher and was *fuming* during those scenes and basically praying the teacher would be the murder victim

She teaches at a helicoptery place in the UK and found the parents quite realistic

How fucking awful that Laura gets stuck with that asshole st the end though

Ums otm - they set everyone up as stereotypes so that they can shade them in more meaningfully as individuals as the story unfolds

and yeah, the therapy scenes are so good. Y'all caught that the therapist is Robin Weigert aka Calamity Jane from Deadwood? I love her. She was great in Sons of Anarchy too. But I loved how direct but sensitive and compassionate she was as a therapist. And Kidman played those scenes so well.

props to Skarsgard too. I was a fan of him as eyecandy because he's so goddamn gorgeous, but I don't know that I've seen him play anything this layered and complicated before. Just goes to show how good material brings everyone to the party.

Y'all caught that the therapist is Robin Weigert aka Calamity Jane from Deadwood?

i know! that was nuts, it was driving me crazy who she was the whole time, my wife told me this morning...just the characters are so different she's so buttoned up and rational in this role

yeah it makes you appreciate what she had to do vocally and even physically to get to Calamity as a character

omg I remember looking her up after Deadwood to see if I'd seen her in anything else. This was the first one, and I didn't even notice that it's her!

On episode 5, this show is also really funny in its breakdown of human behaviour

This was a really solid show

i get why some people didn't like this; I got 'i'm not interested in privileged white people' a number of times. but I still thought it was good. things aren't bad just because they're about rich white people. fuck.

anyone else think the soundtrack was like a boomer's dream come true? Mostly filtered through Chloe as well, which made me laugh..

that hurts, I'm only 40 ;_;

Ah VG, you're so awesome

A lot of it was still boomer music though

A couple of things:

Had Perry and Jane met before the fundraiser (besides the rape, of course)? I cant remember.

Also I was partly convinced the whole time that ed was going to be the killer. Just with the staring at Madeleine's oldest daughter then the quick looks away and whatnot. Seemed like something was going on there.

Also: Ziggy ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Yeah I totally expected Ed to end up schtupping the stepdaughter, there were a lot of weird lingering looks & furtive glances between them

Don't think Perry and Jane met before the fundraiser

Has anyone read one of Liane Moriarty's books? Could def give one a go after this (I've read that it's a fairly literal adaptation)

Glad a thread was finally started for this series. I'd be lying if I said I didn't look forward to each episode of this more than anything else I've been watching for the last 2 months. Was really taking back with Kidman's performance.

i'm avoiding this thread but just saying I'M IN - feel sorry for nicole kidman's poor face, and for basically all the kids. really impressive how in just one episode they introduce reese witherspoon as this hateful hosebeast and by the end you just want to hug her and take her home. just finished ep 4 and i have an inchoate theory about the bullying but really no idea where this is all heading. excellent job sowing seeds of doubt and anxiety everyone, A+

my inchoate theory was OTM :)

The parade of Audreys in the intro is creepy. You have those cute kids dancing and then it goes to that. Some weird backlit outdoors thing. Nicole Kidman looks mannish, showing off her adam's apple. At the end it blurs out and cuts off Perry. I wonder if it was just something they put together in a hurry, or if it was carefully planned out.

i think it was all pretty planned out. i read they initially wrote the gala as happening inside, in a school gym, but changed it when they found that location (which is actually in LA)

the parade of audreys after the kids doing the same was amazing wtf

The credits end on the main character, cutting out before the bad guy - that seems purposeful surely?.

laura dern in partic was hypnotic in that sequence xp

holy heck this was good

man a-list actresses get so much shit for one reason or another and then you watch reese witherspoon and nicole kidman take a tv role and realize they're just light years beyond even a decent tv actor.

my takeaway is how much better roles for women are when the actresses are producers on their own shit and/or collaborate with each other to make great content

both last posts otm

then you watch reese witherspoon and nicole kidman take a tv role and realize they're just light years beyond even a decent tv actor.

Kidman is reliably amazing basically all of the time but some of the best performances in any medium right now come courtesy of Leftovers and Americans actors

Great performances
I feel like I knew these characters almost too well though, like I got bored caring about Madeleine's problems (sorry Reese <3 u), maybe because I watched the whole thing in a few nights.
Great direction, little touches throughout
Less funny than I anticipated though and didn't shake the 'that kind of novel*' vibe.
Felt a bit like a beautiful distillation of mumsnet in a way. Enjoyed it enough though. My OH has been giving me the side-eye for recommending it though :/

*I don't know what you call this kind of novel, focusing on relationships/family/parenting/working mother/class issues - usually with big reveal at the end and someone innocent suffering for the good of others - but I don't think they're my thing, I usually guess the big reveal and get irritated by it. (I guessed one early on here, in part due to the extreme unlikeliness of certain roles acting in the ways depicted - and the other I found too pat.)

amazing to watch a series with a bone fide GOOD ENDING.

great performances. I don't have any preconceptions of Reece W but she's brilliantly, comically, subtle here. what a clever actress she is. kidman was a revelation. its just really great to watch excellent female characters and female actresses be basically the whole thing and the whole point but I agree with kinder there^ - we've had rich white women's stories a lot and i think it needed to breathe out a bit. or a lot.

Fucking great show, just finished. damn. Thought it started off real corny (the interstitials with the parents in the police station were really grating at first - also whoa, Todd Bridges)- but it went way further and into heavier terrain than I was expecting. Everyone was great in it. And yeah the ending ruled. No second season please. It was great.

honestly, i feel that this show was amazingly thought out and structured, to the point where i think the early episodes purposefully cast all these people as the cardboard cutout stereotypes you're prepared to hate watch then slowly unfurls so much emotional and psychological depth.

Such a great observation, that is an excellent way of putting it. I watched it over 5 days, and as I watched the last couple episodes I thought about how much my perception of Reese's character especially had changed.

i think it's the only time i ever felt like a therapy session in a show or movie felt really authentic to me.

otm

GUYS!

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/meryl-streep-star-big-little-lies-season-2-hbo-1064801

amazed this thread isn't all about the insane wig that nicole kidman wears in every scene.

So I just finished binge watching this and yeah it was pretty great. Not thrilled by the idea of a second season though as it was so satisfying as a whole, and because the director of S1 won't be helming it this time. But I guess the final shot of someone watching the women on the beach through binoculars was intended to set the scene for the second season (sorry for alliteration), even though they can't have known S2 was in the bag when they included that shot.

oh wait, that Vulture article explains that it was the policewoman watching them right at the end, because she suspects something's not quite right. I hadn't caught that.

I hope the second season isn't about them being re-trialled for what happened in the first. That way lies Broadchurch madness.

Also I don't know why but my head has confused elements of Big Little Lies and Logan Lucky. I guess they both have open-endings with strangely prescient detectives going "hmmmmmm..."

I loved this but is it too late to talk about how bad the high school internet sex plot was

i loved this too but i am starting to be tire of the thrilling, televised escapades of the extremely rich (cf McMafia)

oh man that show is really bad compared to BLL

personally i dug the luxury porn and felt like the characters had some resemblance to people i knew, in spirit if not in wealth

also i used to live near monterey so it's beautiful nostalgia (although i guess mostly filmed in southern california?)

i'm perpetually behind the times but i just watched all of this over the last few days. nicole kidman is just fantastic. i cried my guts out. the therapy scenes (especially the first session in episode 3) were so good that i said "this is some of the best television i have ever seen" out loud as i was watching it. i too am getting sick of extremely wealthy families and neighborhoods being the setting for so many creative works, and i'll spare everyone reading this my trite feelings on that because they've already been expressed upthread and it's a problem that many shows have, not just this one.

episode 3, though. that one just blew my mind. and somehow in the midst of all that wrenching turmoil rising to the surface, it was the "dreams" sequence in the van that tore me up more than anything. what a wonderful show.

wow people really love this show. i thought it was just all right! potentially i just really dislike the director

also, when laura dern is one of the leads and she's not the first person you think of in terms of standout performances (and she was so good! god, that part where she throws the phone in the pool and then raises her hand up to signal to her partner that she's ok...she can do no wrong), you know you are in the presence of a ridiculously good ensemble

the therapy scenes (especially the first session in episode 3) were so good that i said "this is some of the best television i have ever seen" out loud as i was watching it

otm this scene was absolutely extraordinary

i may be a total weirdo but if the entire show was just 7 hours straight of those therapy scenes i'd still be happy. i'm not sure if anyone's mentioned how good the therapist is but she goes toe-to-toe with kidman, which is saying a hell of a lot.

https://www.thecut.com/2017/03/real-life-therapists-love-the-big-little-lies-therapist.html

I think the fact that this wasn't all just about rich people problems helped alleviate a lot of the issues I might've otherwise had with the setting. It's mostly a very human story that could've been dropped into a different setting without losing a whole lot.

i'll stop serially posting, but it's interesting that those counseling scenes weren't in the book the show is based off of - http://www.vulture.com/2017/03/big-little-lies-robin-weigert-therapy.html

Oh, that's so strange. But, yes, Robin Weigart is truly great (as anyone who's seen Deadwood can attest).

yeah the actress that played the therapist was fantastic. just saw her in a sorta shitty movie last week in a very small role

i may be a total weirdo but if the entire show was just 7 hours straight of those therapy scenes i'd still be happy

did you ever watch In Treatment?

In Treatment was so fucking creepy and not in a good way.

my mom loved that show but i could never imagine watching it, i get enough out of my own therapy

yeah I only watched the first season and it was years ago...I had actually forgotten about the plot which I think you're referring to as creepy.
It's too bad though, as BLL shows, it's an interesting dramatic situation that so often rings totally false when I see it dramatized.

Dr Melfi obviously the prime example of how it should be done.

A friend I wouldn't expect to said he watched this, so I picked up a bootleg on the weekend. Of course the thing that caught my attention in the first episode was Babe Ruth. I'd never heard Babe Ruth in my life, but as the tiny image of the album cover flashed by on the daughter's cell phone, I did a double-take--"Is that actually what I think it is?" (I was familiar with the album cover)--and backed up. At which point I guessed correctly that that was also what I was hearing. Bizarre. A little far-fetched, maybe, but interesting.

Couple of episodes to go--fascinating, especially (what else) the music. I just read the second season will be directed by Andrea Arnold...excellent. And Meryl Streep will be added...not sure what to say there--could be good.

So, season 2...?

First ep was fine, pretty much in line with what came before. Streep bringin' some quality pass agg into the mix.

I enjoyed the first one a lot - cast were amazing - but I sort of file it with bloodline, stranger things, that recent one that was a bit like this and had a title almost as bad as big little lies: decent shows that really, intensely do not need a sequel. I sort of feel like if tv really is where it’s meant to be at we can be as sceptical of these things having second series as we would be of like phantom thread 2 or 2nd reformed

(sort of)

hard agree

killing eve kinda in this category for me too, can't believe how little i care about watching it after having loved S1

2nd reformed lol

Sequel title jokes are the lamest played-out shit and anyone who makes or enjoys them should be ashamed except when I do it: boogaloo’s gold

I don't mind the continuation of these types of shows if there's some intention informing the decision, either a long game arc planned out in advance or some specific idea of why there should be another season beyond 'because that's what's expected'. I think shows like this (ie those which are more focused on character/relationship development than on weaving some intricate, high-concept plot) can more easily get away with perpetuation sans some lofty notion of where things are heading. In this case, I'd personally be more concerned about their reach ultimately exceeding their grasp (see: the evolution of Big Love from small-scale character piece to showcase for bugfuck psycho cult shenanigans).

The show I was trying to think of was dead to me, which isn’t as bad a title as big little lies obv but still seems pretty determined to communicate “you can skip this”

They all work so well as self-contained stories and the follow-ups come so soon after that it doesn’t feel as if any thought has gone into whether they should continue it, never mind how they can. Getting back on topic the only interesting avenue for further exploration in BLL I can think of is Adam Scott being kind of a creep, felt like that might be going somewhere, but even there I think the suggestion was enough

I'm pretending the second season of Killing Eve doesn't exist, but I'm enjoying BLL season 2 so far. Streep vs. Witherspoon is fucking hilarious.

hard agree

killing eve kinda in this category for me too, can't believe how little i care about watching it after having loved S1

Re BLL on the other hand, bring it on. Unperson otm

I was dubious, mainly because the first season was based on a novel, and I wasn't sure how they'd extend this beyond the novel; of course HBO did exactly that with the Leftovers and it arguably improved upon itself season over season (at least in my opinion). But so far I think there's enough there to keep exploring. Not sure it would need to go beyond this one, but the aftermath of those events is worth looking at. Also Adam Scott's character shaping up to be one of the only non creeps on the show.

I was so goddamned mad at their little daughter!

Wow. Lotta explosions this week, and it's only episode 2.

Yeah, I have no problem with the way they're continuing the story, particularly since Kelley & co. clearly have no intention to softpedal the potential ramifications of what came before.

I have really liked it so far

Ugh this season is kind of Broadchurching and the dialogue isn’t just too on the nose, it’s *only* on the nose, even the nice therapist is behaving weirdly

Careful, now. 'Broadchuching' is quite a strong pejorative, to be used in only the most egregious instances of contempt for an audience.

I think they're doing a fine job of continuing the narrative. And this might be the role Streep was born to play (inasmuch as her performances rarely elicit much interest for me while this show has me all OMG SERIOUSLY WHAT THE FUCKING FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU LADY every time she's onscreen and talking).

It’s Broadchurching in the sense that it’s boringly re-litigating the first season’s narrative, when I’d rather watch the same set of characters in some Wacky New Adventure. And the dialogue... everyone’s lost their mystery and talks too much.

Streep is great but her WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU-ness is bending the other characters out of wack. Hard to believe Kidman or Woodley would be so sanguine about herder so long.

ok, 'm supposed to believe that a schoolteacher is teaching Scott's Marmion to seven-year-olds.

Also, the writers in this have never attended a therapy session because that's not how therapists do their job. They mostly don't say anything.

I’ve had very chatty therapists. But the bluntness is very offTM.

Streep's character is so fucking awful I hope this ends with them throwing her down the stairs

the scene with Dern and the principal this past week was *maybe* the best scene of either series.

Dern in the hospital was great, too. I appreciate that one of the greatest actresses alive is willing to play second fiddle on this show, but I'm definitely glad she's getting more to do this season.

ah, now this season makes sense

'Big Little Lies’ Season 2 Turmoil: Inside Andrea Arnold’s Loss of Creative Control

HBO and David E. Kelley took the show away from Arnold, as executive producer Jean-Mac Vallée tried to return it to his S1 style.

https://www.indiewire.com/2019/07/big-little-lies-season-2-andrea-arnold-lost-creative-control-jean-marc-vallee-1202156884/

loved the first season, but i quit after the 4th episode this time

dont' really feel like this season is as big a mess as some people think.

No, although the behind-the-scenes bullshit is bullshit, for sure.

I'll double down and say this is probably Streep's best role ever. I can't recall the last time I felt such visceral dislike for a character.

I'm enjoying this season and Laura Dern is absolutely killing it.

Of course. Every scene where her character unloads on her husband has been magical.

Would like to see all of the female executive producers on this show give Kelley & Vallee a metaphorical push down the stairs if there's gonna be a season 3.

She gets all the best scenes. Scene in the car this week was amazing! It was obvious hubby was fucking the hot young french nanny the second she appeared.

IMO the season has gotten better as it progressed; possibly Arnold was actually problematic or just not a good fit.

This season is also the first time I've realized that Zoe Kravitz has some actual chops (I think I'd only ever seen her in genre stuff before this show). Everybody's tearing it up (except for Shailene Woodley, who's been okay but generally continues to elicit a big ol' 'IDGI' from me).

I like her a lot but mainly from her work in the Spectacular Now and the Descendants and not this. She had a decent scene with Streep this week.

Every week I hope they toss Streep out a window or something but doesn't look like that's going to happen.

I can see Bonnie smothering her mother just to get caught and take the punishment.

Streep's character is one of those people who makes me all like HOW IS IT POSSIBLE THAT YOU'VE BEHAVED LIKE THIS INTO YOUR DOTAGE WITHOUT PEOPLE BEATING THE EVERLOVING SHIT OUT OF YOU ON A REGULAR BASIS?!?

I'm liking Woodley this season. The scene where Jane confronts Mary Louise over coffee and the scene between Jane and Ziggy in his bedroom ("he salted you") both really got to me.

The acting from all 5 of them has been great

I love this show, and am enjoying this season as much as the first. I will be sad when it ends

Woodley is better this season than last, I'll grant you that.

i catch eps of this on occasion when my gf is watching, don't really love it tbh.

seeing in the credits a director credit for the excellent andrea arnold and created/produced by that hack david e kelley seemed v incongruous to me. not surprised there was some friction

streep is the most awful character ever in this tho, brava to meryl

I was enjoying this for a while but it's ending up feeling kind of unnecessary. They're dropping threads, too - I felt like they were setting up Ed to start something with Bonnie, and then it just...faded away. But Streep deserves her own Emmy category - Most Punchable.

I don't think they were intending on doing anything with Ed and Bonnie other than giving him a way to be passive aggressive towards Madeline and wind up Nathan at the same time.

Also for real Ed is like the Usain Bolt of passive aggression.

I am still watching s2 but I am pretty disappointed.

The behind the scenes story doesnt surprise me, the whole thing feels so off.

The writing is my main gripe though bc it feels like such a first draft story. Or very rushed. All these random outbursts in place of earned drama, everyone’s yelling & slapping & crying it resembles fkn Dynasty more than the show itself. The depth to the characters is gone & they’re just doggy paddling in a circle around the death of peter & it’s dumb as shit.

Big Little I Know What You Did Last Summer

ugh

Yeah. Even the remixed theme tune is a slow bummer

I love that song

The proper version is great - local Muswell Hill boy makes good! the S2 version loses the drums and only primes me for an hour of drear

agree the proper version is better.

maybe the writing wasn't as strong but I thought the drama this season has made sense. I have enjoyed how much more somber and emotionally dark this has been than the first season

it could be so much better tho

i mean, Laura Dern is amazing & i love seeing her character go nuclear & lose her shit, but in ~every~ scene? i dunno

lol I confess I have really enjoyed all of her scenes. to me she is the comic relief in the midst of all of the suppressed guilt and anger

Well, that wraps everything up, I guess.

that was .... a giant wet fart of an ending. As much as I enjoyed watching laura dern smash shit up and meryl streep lose: the courtroom shit was absurd, no custody hearing goes like that; I love poorna jagannathan but she's obviously the worse lawyer on earth; everybody hates nathan; the stuff with zoe kravitz' mom never had any dramatic tension; what happened with reese witherspoon's daughter deciding not to go to college (also why is that actress in every single thing I watch all of a sudden?); and at the end what, did zoe decide to confess? did they all? why did they all? WTF?

*IF* this comes back they'd better figure out how they want to present the story and stick to it.

Yeah, this deflated really badly. I didn't want a second season and I am actively against the idea of a third.

i liked some of this season (ok maybe only meryl) but the finale was pretty bad

yep. shit loads of stuff dropped; what exactly are we to think of the non-stop Bonnie drowning scenes? Was that just supposed to be metaphor? if it was it was dumb, and if it was meant to foreshadow anything it didn't work either.

if this show comes back it should star ONLY Laura Dern yelling at people.

david e. kelley gonna david e. kelley

The euthanasia plot really took care of itself huh. And that judge really allowed herself to be interrupted for some monologues

The vow renewal was odd. It didn't seem like the show was suggesting we view it cynically, since it was presented as lovely and uplifting, yet the audience knows it's something of a fraud because Madeline never came clean to Ed about the cover up.

Except for popping up in the background of a few scenes, the detective didn't seem to really be still investigating at all. I thought that Mary Louis lash out in defeat by dropping some sort of new information with the detective rather than just slink away.

honestly this show is just bad

I assumed that Madeline came clean to Ed offscreen. I mean you figure her confession to the police would probably get back to him.

The show wasn't mindblowing but my expectations were tempered from go and it was fine.

Y'all need to maybe see some legitimately bad tv or something, I think.

she didn't confess to the police?

Didn't she?

I wasn't clear whether she did confess or just went with Bonnie out of solidarity or something. (Like, does that mean Celeste also came clean? Even though she just fought a big battle to keep her kids?) I figured they would have shown Madeline talking to Ed about it, since it seemed like a big conversation to have considering their whole plot was about trust, and that Ed would not have been particularly receptive to "So, I know you gave me all those chances to come clean, but let me slip one last thing in here..."

bonnie didn't go with madeline to the police station?

i mean the other way around

like the text she sends "hey guys I'm confessing" happens at the time the ceremony is happening?

just seemed like a straight bit of dramatic irony "oh things are all happy and great with everyone (apart from bonnie)" oh no here comes this news to undercut it for all of them

didn't seem to me like things were happy and great for everyone, despite the resolution of some story lines. I thought the final scene of them going to the police station together to confess was the absolutely necessary ending, they needed to put all of the lies and related misery to rest

yeah these bitches needed to go to jail for killing that upstanding young man

hmmm

Won't read anything till I get through the rest, but I thought the first two episodes were fine--although I died a little when "Down by the River" was cut short after 30 seconds at the precise moment the volume should have been turned up.

Two episodes left. Streep is so creepy (Streepy?)--and definitely, at least in part, based on Kael.

I liked most all of the second season. The finale for me was probably the weakest episode--not terrible, but a little pat in spots, and Dern with the baseball bat seemed redundant (her rage had been made quite clear by that point). Kidman is such a great actress sometimes. Streep, Dern, Witherspoon, even Adam Scott I'd say, all excellent. Somebody posted something earlier about Arnold having control taken away from her...I don't doubt it, but I've liked/loved three of her movies, and this seemed to fit with her earlier work.

finale was trash, the entirety of the courtroom stuff was a joke

every time nicole kidman insisted on what a good mother she was i was like... wellllll...

Yeah! Obviously Streep was conniving and awful re: her son, but it's not like there wasn't cause for concern, from the pills to the slapping. (I haven't seen the show since it aired--did any character express more than a passing concern about all that? I mostly recall Witherspoon treating it like not that big of a deal.)

i thought i had no interest in this show (rich white people, parenting, women who snipe at each other) but i actually really thought it was good! i thought S2 gave Bonnie a lot more depth and her moments of intrusive memories were very realistic. I also identified with her aimlessly walking through the woods looking dour.

and lil Ziggy <3 i figured whoever wrote the screenplay (and maybe the original author) had read Far From the Tree, where there is a long and difficult-to-read chapter about children of rape.

anyway, i enjoyed both seasons in spite of my original misgivings. the theme song grew on me too.

Great show

I find madeline very sympathetic, despite her flaws. Still in the middle of season 1.

I loved this series, both seasons, it wasn't perfect but in the end I wish I could find other tv shows that would mean as much to me

i can’t believe i watched THE UNDOING in full