Sunday, June 9, 2019

Episode 1 of "Big Little Lies"

I'm writing this literally five minutes after having watched the first episode of season 2 of HBO's Big Little Lies. Spoiler alert if you plan to watch and don't want details. Historically I'm pretty bad at accurately describing everything I think or feel about a Streep performance very shortly after seeing it, but I also think there's something good about a fresh reaction. So please bare with me and my tendency to ramble.

Suffice it to say, Meryl has done it again. She's managed to surprise me. I pictured the character of Mary Louise Wright as someone a little bit "off," and I think I'm right in that respect. But Meryl figures out a way to undermine our suspicions and expectations of who we think a character is going to be in the first few scenes. There's an unsettling quirkiness about Mary Louise as she settles in Monterey to get to the bottom of how her son died. At the same time, she's the most put-together and in control of anyone in the town. There are enough glints, however, of her own (obviously mistaken) perception of her son, and how that opinion will shape her need for answers.



Basically, the first episode showcases how Bonnie is struggling with the fact that she's killed Perry by pushing him down the stairs to save Celeste. Celeste is having nightmares, and OMG all I could think about seeing Nicole Kidman with Meryl was how fucking awkward it would be to have to be hugged by the mother of your abusive dead husband, especially when that woman happens to be a little cuckoo (see scream scene). Madeline is maddeningly able to just seemingly move on fret about forcing her daughter to go to college, while Renata is not-so-politely instructing a super sexy teacher on how to educate her daughter. Jane's got a romance brewing with a co-worker and is refusing to accept estate checks from Celeste (since Perry was Ziggy's biological father).

I like how the directing seems to be consistent with the style of the first season. It would have been strange to feel like it was a completely different mood. Andrea Arnold has done a great job of maintaining that feel, as well as fashion a sort of melancholy tone for what's supposed to be an angsty return to the first day of school for the Monterey Five--contrasting that with the necessity for the moms to put on a show of normalcy.

As it stands Sunday night, the second season is at a whopping 97% on Rotten Tomatoes and 82 on Metacritic. Both of those scores are higher than the very well-received first season, but could possibly go down a smidge as more reviews come in.

Two years ago I binge-watched the entire first season in one day on the advice of my friend Scooter. I'm mad I have to wait seven days to see episode two and six more tortuous weeks for the whole story. But it'll be fun taking in the slow burn of all the fun twists and turns that the show and Mary Louise have in store as season unfolds.


6 comments:

  1. In the UK a review said "This is now the Meryl show" after previewing just 2 episodes. So excited to see this!

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    1. Loving how much people are talking about her performance!

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    2. A great scene as Meryl tears a surprised Reese apart. Meryl is a terrific nasty .

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  2. Watching Meryl stun and shine in this series has made me pine for The Nix and for The Good House to get redeveloped for TV. It is clearly the place for Meryl (and so many wonderful actresses) to do such nuanced, complex, incredible performances. The narrative length and depth, as well as their involvement in the stages of production, allow(s) them to show every skill in their repertoire... Here's hoping the Hollywood bigwigs make dreams come true! Love the review-caps btw!

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    1. Darcy I could not agree more. I did a "looking ahead" post a while back where I thought The Good House could work wonderfully as a limited series. Not unlike the way they did Olive Kitteridge in two two-hour pieces of four total episodes. With the nature of television these days, it really may be the best way to get the best out of an actor. I've really enjoyed what's been happening with HBO and FX the past few years.

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