'Big Little Lies' S02E07 *Series Finale* Discussion Thread
[quote][italic]I Want to Know[/italic]
[quote]Celeste questions Mary Louise about a tragic event from Perry's childhood; Madeline worries their lie is tearing the Monterey Five apart.
9 pm ET on HBO. Join us as we watch Meryl and Nicole make television history together.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 255 | August 1, 2019 2:59 AM
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Here we go - one last ride.
by Anonymous | reply 3 | July 22, 2019 1:04 AM
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r4 You should report that as a homophobic attack, honestly!
by Anonymous | reply 5 | July 22, 2019 1:07 AM
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Meryl and Laura Dern in a scene together, fucking finally.
by Anonymous | reply 6 | July 22, 2019 1:10 AM
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Oh, wait, I forgot the coffee scene...
by Anonymous | reply 7 | July 22, 2019 1:10 AM
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It was nice Mary Louise told the barista to put Renata’s Americano in a bag(?) and that she’d take it to her because they’re going to the same place. Court. To watch her try to take her friend’s kids away.
by Anonymous | reply 8 | July 22, 2019 1:12 AM
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“Wearing nothing but your jahmmiez.”
by Anonymous | reply 9 | July 22, 2019 1:13 AM
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So Nicole could address the judge but Meryl can't?
by Anonymous | reply 10 | July 22, 2019 1:16 AM
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Greatest gasp in TV history, imho.
by Anonymous | reply 11 | July 22, 2019 1:17 AM
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Finally - god damn that was cathartic to finally see Mary Louise taken down. Wow - they unleashed it a ton of facts in 5 minutes after holding back all season.
by Anonymous | reply 12 | July 22, 2019 1:24 AM
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No, Zooey!!!!!!!!!!!! Ma, open y our eyes!
by Anonymous | reply 13 | July 22, 2019 1:26 AM
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Kravitz back to looking like absolute shit.
by Anonymous | reply 14 | July 22, 2019 1:27 AM
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Lol that cop out of Zoe cuddling with her mom instead of suffocating her was absurd.
by Anonymous | reply 15 | July 22, 2019 1:30 AM
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Reese is the worst. She’s lucky this show happened to her.
by Anonymous | reply 16 | July 22, 2019 1:32 AM
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Ed is the most pathetic man in Monterrey. He would be and have nothing without Madeline.
by Anonymous | reply 17 | July 22, 2019 1:35 AM
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I was hoping to see Adam Scott’s taint through sweatpants.
by Anonymous | reply 18 | July 22, 2019 1:36 AM
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Those two statements before the final judgment were completely unnecessary. We were just going in circles, writing-wise.
by Anonymous | reply 19 | July 22, 2019 1:43 AM
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Kravitz finally tells this third-rate schmuck she's too good for him and always has been. Good for her!
by Anonymous | reply 20 | July 22, 2019 1:44 AM
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Final fucking straw for Renata. Unleash the beast, Laura Dern!
by Anonymous | reply 21 | July 22, 2019 1:45 AM
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Renata is the only reason to watch this series.
by Anonymous | reply 23 | July 22, 2019 1:50 AM
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Wtf was that ending. Is this series really expediting to come back for a 3rd season?
by Anonymous | reply 24 | July 22, 2019 1:51 AM
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That was literally the best ending possible under the circumstances.
by Anonymous | reply 25 | July 22, 2019 1:51 AM
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Perfect closing song for the series finale.
by Anonymous | reply 26 | July 22, 2019 1:52 AM
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There will be no season 3.
by Anonymous | reply 28 | July 22, 2019 1:53 AM
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Meh. Nit a great finale. It started out strong with Kidman and Streep but the last 15 minutes were not good.
by Anonymous | reply 29 | July 22, 2019 1:54 AM
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Renata boss-humping that barista is what aspire to in life. Not the rudeness, but the no-nonsense approach.
by Anonymous | reply 30 | July 22, 2019 1:56 AM
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It was good. But I’d be surprised if they all agreed to come back. Definitely good - but I doubt the writing/story can hold up for another season. It was running thin by the end of this season.
by Anonymous | reply 31 | July 22, 2019 1:57 AM
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"Automobile crash." Is there some particular reason Celeste didn't just say "car crash"?
by Anonymous | reply 32 | July 22, 2019 2:07 AM
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I thought it stunk to shit. Almost unwatchable. I kept hearing about it from a lot of people, so I watched the entire first season to get ready for this season and I thought it was satire. No, really. I did. Especially Renata and her husband. Reese and her family were unnecessary. they were filler. I thought Alexander Sarsgaard was hot. He should have pushed Zooey down the stairs. She was useless. SO annoying. She cannot act. She looked like she was drugged for the entire season. And WTF did she tell her husband she never loved him. I liked him. He was hot. Much hotter than Reese's mediocre husband. The Renata character was way over the top. I bet Laura Dern thought this was a shitshow.
by Anonymous | reply 33 | July 22, 2019 2:24 AM
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Worst episode of the series. The idea of Mary Louise interrupting the judge issuing her judgment, and then she and Celeste making speeches, was ridiculous. Meryl was hammy and unbelievable.
by Anonymous | reply 34 | July 22, 2019 2:24 AM
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Is there a S3 with Mary Louise and the boys? I liked the finale except a couple of moments when I wished Reese and Nicole had real faces for natural reactions. Streep was amazing.
by Anonymous | reply 35 | July 22, 2019 2:25 AM
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If they aren't now, I hope some of these actors eventually will have the good judgement to be totally embarrassed about participating in this shit mess.
by Anonymous | reply 36 | July 22, 2019 2:26 AM
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Good acting but COMPLETELY underwhelming. I expected so much more.
The Celeste confrontation with Mary Louise would have been stopped a half dozen times for things they said. Just ridiculous with everyone looking around while they spilled the tea.
Too much was telegraphed. It was clear Renata would wreck those trains. It was clear they were all going to the police station at the end. I thought it was also clear early on that Madeline would stay with her husband. Meh.
Zoe Kravitz’ character found love for this awful abusive mother...but why??? And yeah, her husband was no prize, but neither the fuck is she. Shailene and the bf? Yawn.
Too many songs/musical montages. Too many waves crashing against the shore. Too many open shots of Perry getting pushed down the steps. The more I type here, the less I like it.
There’s no season 3 coming, that’s for sure.
by Anonymous | reply 37 | July 22, 2019 2:28 AM
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Beautiful final song for a mediocre end to a mediocre season.
R30 I will think of this scene the next time some moron asks me a question he could have just solved with common sense. “Room for cream? No, bitch! Use your damn brain!”
by Anonymous | reply 38 | July 22, 2019 2:28 AM
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Renata and Mary Louise in Starbucks was A+ and all of the meltdowns.
by Anonymous | reply 39 | July 22, 2019 2:28 AM
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Weird choice to turn a show about husband-on-wife domestic abuse to a show about how moms fuck up their kids.
by Anonymous | reply 40 | July 22, 2019 2:29 AM
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Aren’t fans loving it on Twitter?
by Anonymous | reply 41 | July 22, 2019 2:30 AM
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I wanted to see a coda where Mary Louise tried extremely passive-aggressively again to make it up with Celeste (while dissing her) after the verdict, and then to see Celeste just tell her to shove it up her ass and that she would never see the boys again. But I guess that would have been toio much.
I do agree the writing was a little insane (there is no way the judge would have let both Mary Louise and Celeste deliver speeches during the middle of her verdict), but I was really impressed with Streep all season, and it was fun to see her try YET AGAIN to try to take down Celeste.
I did think everything was wrapped up too neatly at the end. I guess it would have been too much if Madeleine's marriage ended since every other marriage ended, though.
by Anonymous | reply 42 | July 22, 2019 2:30 AM
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[quote] I will think of this scene the next time some moron asks me a question he could have just solved with common sense. “Room for cream? No, bitch! Use your damn brain!”
I don't think the point of the series is somehow to set Renata up as a role model, hon.
by Anonymous | reply 43 | July 22, 2019 2:31 AM
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You're not going to be happier in life by terrorizing baristas (of all people).
by Anonymous | reply 44 | July 22, 2019 2:32 AM
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r41 Yes, Twitter is enraptured with it. Both Mary Louise and Renata trended.
by Anonymous | reply 45 | July 22, 2019 2:32 AM
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I think they left the door open for a Season Three.
by Anonymous | reply 46 | July 22, 2019 2:33 AM
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r44 She didn't terrorize him, she told him to stop wasting her fucking time with foolishness.
by Anonymous | reply 47 | July 22, 2019 2:34 AM
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R43 Did I say I would reenact it or did I say I would think about it?
by Anonymous | reply 48 | July 22, 2019 2:34 AM
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Btw I'm late to answer this but someone in the previous thread asked about the courthouse. It was a set built on stage in Hollywood at The Lot which is at Formosa and Santa Monica Blvd.
by Anonymous | reply 49 | July 22, 2019 2:38 AM
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r49 It was me, and thank you for the answer! It's so beautiful to look at.
by Anonymous | reply 50 | July 22, 2019 2:39 AM
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I thought it kicked ass. I like this kind of tension, well-written characters and the cast was incredible. Best tv I've watched in a good while.
by Anonymous | reply 51 | July 22, 2019 2:41 AM
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You know, if I may, I don't think too many people start out in life saying I want to be a Barista. They work for minimum wage, often with no benefits, they get up early, and then they go in to be greeted by a lot of people who are in a bad mood, impatient, just woke up, late for work, and plain assed RUDE> The best they may get is someone says thanks when they're handed their order. It is a crap job. And the Renanta's of the world who shit on the help, they ought to be fried. I would have thrown that coffee right in her f ace and fucked up her make up. Fuck her. Yeah, sue me. Arrest me. WTF.
by Anonymous | reply 52 | July 22, 2019 2:43 AM
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r52 You're awful. If you order an Americana, you're ordering exactly what Renata said - an espresso with hot water added to it. If she wanted milk, she'd ask for it. That barista should be crucified, imho.
by Anonymous | reply 53 | July 22, 2019 2:45 AM
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r51 Agreed. Now for that Sharp Objects season 2...
by Anonymous | reply 54 | July 22, 2019 2:46 AM
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[quote] I think they left the door open for a Season Three.
Storywise, perhaps, but it's very, very unlikely to happen.
by Anonymous | reply 55 | July 22, 2019 2:47 AM
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“The lie is the friendship.”
That’s the truth. None of those rich cunts would have been friends with Bonnie or Jane. Especially Jane.
by Anonymous | reply 56 | July 22, 2019 2:47 AM
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Ed (after Madeline returns from the police station): “You lied to me again??!?”
by Anonymous | reply 57 | July 22, 2019 2:48 AM
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I still think they should do a spin-off with Mary Louise and the kids and not the parents. Like a summer vacation in the Bay Area without any of the other moms. Maybe Jane but I would be okay saying goodbye to the others.
by Anonymous | reply 58 | July 22, 2019 2:51 AM
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Season 3 is a crossover with Orange Is the New Black. Now with double the pussy-licking.
by Anonymous | reply 59 | July 22, 2019 2:52 AM
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I realize I have serious mother issues because of the intensity of hate I had for Mary Louis - my blood pressure rose and I got physically ill when she pulled her shit. Way too close to home.
by Anonymous | reply 60 | July 22, 2019 3:03 AM
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Overall I'd say they stuck the landing as well as they could have. Meryl's gasp was better than her scream. That alone should win her the Emmy. When it's all said and done, however, I didn't need this season. I don't know that I cared more or less about these characters now that I've spent 7 more episodes with them. That first season really was more than enough for me.
I did like all of them going into the courthouse together though. There will be implications, but whatever they are I don't want to see them in a third season. They're lucky they mostly got away with a second.
by Anonymous | reply 61 | July 22, 2019 3:04 AM
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Season three isn’t even on Kidman’s IMDb. But it did well enough for HBO so never say never. Even though I think it’s unlikely. The story has been told. So since Zoe’s character is confessing, do you guys think she will implicate the others that they knew or leave them out of it?
by Anonymous | reply 62 | July 22, 2019 3:04 AM
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Uh right. You didn’t need it but you watched the whole thing! Mary Louise is like many moms out there who don’t know their adult children.
by Anonymous | reply 63 | July 22, 2019 3:10 AM
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Well in the novel she's given community service and that's that. To what degree the other women will be implicated I'm unsure. Like, will Celeste's parental fitness be brought into question again after fighting so hard to keep her kids? Mary Louise will undoubtedly find out about it and descend on Monterey like a hawk, fully justified in her initial suspicions. Ed will find out that the woman he renewed his vows with was complicit in a lie to cover up a murder. Renata's already starting over with a damaged professional reputation, and I wouldn't be surprised if people in her industry found out about it.
Jane, I'm sure, will be fine... Cory's already peripherally aware of her dirty laundry, and Perry was her rapist, so I can't see him being bothered.
by Anonymous | reply 64 | July 22, 2019 3:13 AM
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I feel for whoever said Mary Louise is like their mother. It’s unfortunately common for that generation to be in denial, not recognize pain, or take any responsibility.
by Anonymous | reply 65 | July 22, 2019 3:19 AM
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Guess Mary Louise is going to get the boys after all once Celeste gets tossed into jail for perjury
by Anonymous | reply 66 | July 22, 2019 3:38 AM
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R64 shows us exactly why there shouldn’t be a season 3.
by Anonymous | reply 67 | July 22, 2019 4:10 AM
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Mary Louise is the neurotic mother who was “doing the best she could” but refused outside help or any self-awareness that she is a needy, emotionally abusive person who is in fact a horrible mother and who would have been better off never having kids. But she is righteous in her “rightness” and can sit and judge everybody else. So many mothers are toxic but we’re supposed to celebrate them like martyred saints.
by Anonymous | reply 68 | July 22, 2019 4:10 AM
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I agree, r51. The caliber of actors here and their phenomenal performances (especially by Nicole, Meryl, and Laura), made up for any weak or underdeveloped plot points. I actually preferred this season to the first. Big Little Lies and Euphoria have had some of the most riveting moments I've seen on television in recent memory. Great viewing combo.
by Anonymous | reply 69 | July 22, 2019 4:26 AM
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[quote] I agree, [R51]. The caliber of actors here and their phenomenal performances (especially by Nicole, Meryl, and Laura), made up for any weak or underdeveloped plot points. I actually preferred this season to the first.
I agree.
by Anonymous | reply 70 | July 22, 2019 4:35 AM
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I can see a Season 3 that jumps a year or two and the relationships have frayed or developed. Renata makes a financial comeback Plus Mary Louise goes to therapy and learns to apologize and adapt. I think they will do one more.
by Anonymous | reply 71 | July 22, 2019 4:43 AM
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I actually think this show is significant in the me too era. Most of the cranks dismissing it are men. Maybe they will let Andrea Arnold actually have creative control next time. Live to dream.
by Anonymous | reply 72 | July 22, 2019 4:46 AM
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They are definitely coming back for season three. I found the Bonnie character mopey like a heroin addict.
by Anonymous | reply 73 | July 22, 2019 4:47 AM
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I liked both seasons but where is the show to go? As Celeste said: “The lie is the friendship.” In the end, they all experienced some sort of catharsis: they confronted their demons in their personal lives, the secrets that shaped their marriages and relationships with parents, and it's implied that they confess to what really happened to Perry. S1 was more about their journey to becoming friends in spite of their previous histories, conflicts between children, etc, based on the shared secret. Now that the secret is out, they go back to rebuilding their own lives and the friendship born out of necessity has no real reason to exist.
by Anonymous | reply 74 | July 22, 2019 4:54 AM
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Way too much praise here.
It’s a fascinating watch because of the actors and the acting. The season 2 plotting was a problem, and the finale was blah. Anyone excited about a season 3 is losing it.
I also think season 2 is a mess because of 2 directors’ vision on the screen, badly edited.
by Anonymous | reply 75 | July 22, 2019 4:56 AM
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Reese seeing the suspicious message on Ed’s phone - likely from the stalker who wants him - is one storyline. Bonnie’s freedom/regret is another. But neither is that interesting. But then who would have predicted a custody battle would be the plot of S2. The real issue is Nicole - and Meryl - has better things to do.
by Anonymous | reply 76 | July 22, 2019 5:00 AM
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I only could see Meryl doing it again if they agreed to take off Jean Marc. He ended up being a male control freak despite women producers. She has not talked at all about Mary Louise and I have questions.
by Anonymous | reply 77 | July 22, 2019 5:04 AM
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I didn't much notice the tonal shifts from a directing standpoint, but then again, I think this has always been more of a performance driven vehicle and it's been the performances that have stood out from the very beginning, much more so than the overly stylized devices employed by the director(s) to play up the affluent coastal setting.
by Anonymous | reply 78 | July 22, 2019 5:08 AM
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The plan was always to involve Jean Marc. I don’t think Andrea anticipated though that she would be completely shut out by him. Streep has done no press on this due to being a new grandma, but I would love to hear her impressions.
by Anonymous | reply 79 | July 22, 2019 5:19 AM
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[quote]Reese seeing the suspicious message on Ed’s phone - likely from the stalker who wants him - is one storyline.
That was Madeline receiving Bonnie's mass text message.
by Anonymous | reply 80 | July 22, 2019 5:40 AM
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Meryl does not need to return if there is a season three.
by Anonymous | reply 81 | July 22, 2019 5:41 AM
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R81 I personally would like to see her burned at the stake like in AHS:Coven.
by Anonymous | reply 82 | July 22, 2019 5:44 AM
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R80 - I think the poster was suggesting a plot line for a third season.
I agree with most of you who say a third season is unlikely. As wonderful as the acting was, the story had already run out of steam with this season.
by Anonymous | reply 83 | July 22, 2019 5:53 AM
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Meryl Streep overacted so much in this episode, she really should not be encouraged with an Emmy nomination. All the other actresses seem like their characters whereas Meryl always seems to be playing “Meryl Streep as Mary Louise.” She was terrible.
No worse than the bloody script though. This was a BIG. LITTLE. NOTHING.
by Anonymous | reply 84 | July 22, 2019 6:29 AM
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I didn't really care for her during the rest of the season, but I thought she knocked the finale out of the park. Sure, it was hella technical acting, but it worked on me way more than anything she'd done up 'til that point.
by Anonymous | reply 85 | July 22, 2019 6:34 AM
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I’d watch Season 3 if it was just Celeste and a parade of hot guys she’s fucking.
Also, if Michelle Pfeiffer comes to town.
by Anonymous | reply 86 | July 22, 2019 6:38 AM
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That was a huge letdown.
And who the fuck is the editor/writer for this mess? Remember when Dern and Streep had their first scene together in Dern's house? Just when Meryl shaded her enough for Dern to open her mouth in disbelieving shock - the scene ends!
Really, writers? Are we supposed to believe nothing else was said and Meryl immediately got up and walked out in silence with Dern sitting with mouth still agape? Lazy writing
Shitty season.
Oh, and for the idiot upthread who was SO ANTICIPATING Streep's flashback with another actress playing her young self BWAAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!
by Anonymous | reply 87 | July 22, 2019 7:32 AM
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I've only caught a clip here and there on youtube.
The court room scenes were great.
Renata in the coffee shop is sublime.
by Anonymous | reply 88 | July 22, 2019 11:19 AM
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Laura Dern was everything and more
by Anonymous | reply 89 | July 22, 2019 11:40 AM
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I don't watch this show but I enjoy seeing the Laura Dern GIFs on the front page. So thanks OP. Your hard work ain't been in vain for nothing.
by Anonymous | reply 90 | July 22, 2019 11:42 AM
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They should do BLL3: Amabella Comes Home!
Set it 25 years in the future so we can see what a nutcase she turns out to be, continuing this season’s theme of bad mothers.
by Anonymous | reply 91 | July 22, 2019 12:41 PM
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No. BLL 3: The trial of the Monterey 5.
Due to public outrage (stemming from the fact that most people in the area hate these women...and for good reason) they are put on trial (together for no sensible reason) for the murder of Perry. Mary Louise comes back to get revenge, and the judge, Mbumba Imani-Smith (Philicia Rachad) does not seem friendly, but hides a secret all her own that may make a difference in the outcome.
by Anonymous | reply 92 | July 22, 2019 1:09 PM
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^^^ Ah NO! That sounds to much like the last episode of Seinfeld and that was no picnic!
by Anonymous | reply 93 | July 22, 2019 1:14 PM
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Renata is a domestic abuser, too. She shoves paper towel/tissue in her husband’s mouth while he’s driving? She hits him in the torso with a baseball bat?
And everyone cheers. Yeah, Gordon is a primo asshole. But I didn’t see anything where he calls her names or lays a finger on her.
by Anonymous | reply 94 | July 22, 2019 1:22 PM
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Young Sheldon: “He wants to be with you. And you want to be with him. And I want you to be with him.”
BARF!!!!!
by Anonymous | reply 95 | July 22, 2019 1:31 PM
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R95, every kid on this show has to be a frigging woke precocious child prodigy.
Except those serial killer twins. Celeste’s family is straight outta VC Andrews.
by Anonymous | reply 96 | July 22, 2019 1:35 PM
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After the 5 go to the police, Mary Louise gets the kids. So the whole courtroom proceedings was a bizarre digression.
The plot never made sense. Why did they lie to begin with?
by Anonymous | reply 97 | July 22, 2019 1:44 PM
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If I was the judge, I'd award custody to whichever woman would get those little brats a haircut.
S3 will find the womens' friendships fractured when they have to testify against each other in order to stay out of jail.
by Anonymous | reply 98 | July 22, 2019 1:48 PM
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What Young Sheldon should’ve said...
Young Sheldon: “Ma, those bangs...never again. And wearing a woolly hat in hot weather just makes people think you smell bad...”
by Anonymous | reply 99 | July 22, 2019 1:56 PM
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That theme song and opening cinematography of the CA coast will always be the best thing about it. It captures the feel of the northern CA coast- which is my favorite place in the world - perfectly.
by Anonymous | reply 101 | July 22, 2019 2:06 PM
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R98 Eh, there are two of them just give one to each I say. They would be less sociopathic split up anyways.
by Anonymous | reply 102 | July 22, 2019 2:06 PM
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Hopefully Zoe will go to jail and Shalene will run away with the fish guy so that they can be off the show for season 3. Those characters are boring and those actresses are awful.
The show should be about Nicole, Reese, and Laura.
by Anonymous | reply 103 | July 22, 2019 2:12 PM
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Streep and Dern came off the best. Nicole has a frozen face and Reese is not far behind. I totally think Streep will win an Emmy. Mary Louise was the hit of Summer. Unusual and weird character.
by Anonymous | reply 104 | July 22, 2019 2:24 PM
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The little guy playing Ziggy was overcoached this season. It always makes me think there’s a stage parent involved.
by Anonymous | reply 105 | July 22, 2019 2:27 PM
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The biggest drama in the show was Kidman's struggle to bring her lips together.
by Anonymous | reply 106 | July 22, 2019 3:03 PM
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I’d like to see the Andrea Arnold cut. We missed out on longer scenes and a different point of view.
by Anonymous | reply 107 | July 22, 2019 3:11 PM
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Agree R103 - Shailene and Zoe were almost painful to watch. Not sure if it was just the horrible bangs or what, but hopefully Shailene finds a role that can redeem her before her “career goes down the shitter”
by Anonymous | reply 108 | July 22, 2019 3:22 PM
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Ziggy is a dumb name for both dogs and kids. Too precious. And I know it’s Ziggy Stardust which makes it even more pretentious. What grown man would want to be called that?
by Anonymous | reply 109 | July 22, 2019 4:03 PM
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Season 3 should be about the gals making a road trip, but never reaching their destination, because of Renata freaking out over fucking everything. Just kidding.
[quote] “The lie is the friendship.”
I disagree with that statement. That lie was a chain which tied them together and it burdened them and it tested their established friendships (like Renata and Madeline). Going to the police together (and get rid of that chain by coming clean), THAT was true friendship.
WTF happened to Iain Armitage? He was so amazing in season one and on Young Sheldon, but he was a total ham in pretty much every scene this season. And all the stuff he had to say seemed so out of place for a young kid. Like, what kid wants his mom to be happy and insists that happiness involves another adult whom mom is supposed to date? That was a total bullshit.
Overall I love season two. Renata and Marie Louise made that season so exceptional.
by Anonymous | reply 110 | July 22, 2019 4:04 PM
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I watched this the way I'd read some pulp fiction paperback on a plane or a summer beach read. The acting was over the top, hammy, overly emotional, the characters were all stereotypes, and the whole thing had to have been a lark.
It is not smart. Even the opening theme reminded me of the 80's Falcon Crest or Dynasty or some other prime time soap. I call this garbage TV. Fun, but crap. I was not a fan of Sharp Objects. I found it very gruesome and disturbing. But it was a lot smarter and better executed than this.
In fact Sharp Object looks almost like high art compared to this. I felt like it was my guilty pleasure, but I'll never watch it again, and I have no desire to revisit that crew for a Season 3. This is serious Frau TV.
by Anonymous | reply 111 | July 22, 2019 5:02 PM
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I absolutely loved this season after being bored the first season. I only watched it because my partner made me.
Streep is an acting genius. She would just move a facial muscle here or there and you can see every emotion her character was feeling. So much subtlety.,
In contrast, the other actresses acted in broad brushes.
Plus, Kidman can't move her face
by Anonymous | reply 112 | July 22, 2019 5:12 PM
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No, r110, it's after Tom Wilson's Ziggy.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 113 | July 22, 2019 5:29 PM
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I watched Getting On before the BLL finale. Now THAT is good writing. Every written line and the plot line were brilliant. Then watching BLL felt like a trashy pulp novel.
by Anonymous | reply 114 | July 22, 2019 5:56 PM
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[quote]The little guy playing Ziggy was overcoached this season. It always makes me think there’s a stage parent involved.
His father is Tony nominee Euan Morton. He's been precocious since he's been reviewing Broadway shows.
by Anonymous | reply 116 | July 22, 2019 6:04 PM
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Didn't like the season. Boring, implausible, no good surprises.
All the fr- uh, women on Twitter were yesgal-ing Renata for the train-smashing scene, which I thought was unoriginal and not interesting or cute at all. Lots of "Renata is my spirit animal," etc. Really? Is she?
by Anonymous | reply 117 | July 22, 2019 7:16 PM
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[R117] Yes, I absolutely knew she was going to smash that train set several episodes ago and was just waiting for it to happen. Yuck to the spirit animal thing. The husband was written to be a one dimensional childish jerk so Renata could explode all over the place with her f-bombs and be cheered on by all the put upon wine o clock ladies. Ho hum and yawn. Next there will be Renata merch for sale at Whole Foods in the doo dad aisle.
by Anonymous | reply 118 | July 22, 2019 7:33 PM
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I enjoyed Shailene Woodley’s performance in Adrift
by Anonymous | reply 119 | July 22, 2019 8:01 PM
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R118 I didn't exactly catch Renta's husband's explanation how he got money for selling the train set, but at the same time was allowed to keep it? What was that loop hole?
by Anonymous | reply 120 | July 22, 2019 8:14 PM
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[R120] A lazy writing loophole. It was supposed to be an investor who wanted the trains but didn’t want to store them or maintain them.
by Anonymous | reply 121 | July 22, 2019 8:23 PM
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Big Little Lies will definitely be back for a 3rd Season. The ratings for Season 2 have been higher than the 1st outing. This season will most assuredly garner multiple nominations once again, at least for acting and most likely series. It’s also currently the highest rated series HBO currently has airing now that GOT his done, HBO needs a hit. Jean Marc Vallé also has a clear schedule and will be available to direct a 3rd season. The actresses won’t be able to resist the the 3rd season paychecks and the raises they will receive in addition to the fact that they all get along and genuinely like one another. Reese and Kidman each got $1M per episode, Meryl $800k, Dern $600k, Shailene $500k, Zoe $400k. Big Little Lies S3 will be announced in the next few months, you’ll see.
by Anonymous | reply 122 | July 22, 2019 8:30 PM
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I hope that there's a season 3 and that Laura Dern gets more to do. She should go back to fighting with Reese--those battle scenes in season 1 were fun.
by Anonymous | reply 123 | July 22, 2019 8:43 PM
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Ugh, "Zoe $400k," all that money for a bunch of moping! How do I get that job? The book was originally Australian right? In the novel was Bonnie Aboriginal? Or in some way an outsider?
by Anonymous | reply 124 | July 22, 2019 8:52 PM
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The fact that Mary Louise requested Renata's Americana be put IN A BAG is proof that this show takes place in an alternate universe.
I'm a guy but I want to have Laura Dern's hair. Is that weird? I feel like I could accomplish anything I wanted, if only I had her hair.
by Anonymous | reply 126 | July 22, 2019 9:19 PM
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Ridiculous. Celeste had no proof of Mary Louise causing a car accident because of her temper. The word of her DEAD husband? Yeah, I have a dead husband too, and he says you are supposed to give me a million dollars. Like, right now. Mary Louise whose been the clever psychopath and insulter-in-chief this whole season is going to crumble on the witness stand when Celeste accuses her of killing her son? All she had to do was say, "No, of course not. How awful if you to make such a terrible accusation. You're lying. Anyone can claim a dead person told them something because it can't be disproved."
It wouldn't have been admissible in a regular court; why would it be allowed in family court?
I got distracted by a text and missed the part where Celeste got the smartphone video from the kids. Did she just find that? How did she get it?
Who the hell would open the door to Mary Louise when she showed up after the court scene? Not me, I'd be afraid she'd have a gun. This is the 21st century. I'd try to get an order of protection from her.
What a lame Renata story. Yeah, a rich guy bought all this stuff from me but let me keep because I'm such a great steward, even though my house is empty of furniture and has a for sale sign on it. Even if it doesn't have a for sale sign on it, you think the buyer isn't going to be as curious as Mary Louise was about how empty the place is and look it up on Zillow? And wouldn't the collector do a search on this guy if he was going to let him keep the collection in his home? And find out he's a dirtbag who was arrested for insider trading and is being dragged through bankruptcy court? Who would leave a $410k investment with someone like that?
Why did Bonnie's husband call her mother and ask her to come stay with depressed Zoe to cheer her up? Bonnie never told her husband that her mother abused her? I was the child of an abusive mother and you better believe my husband knew about it. Is that part of her husband being an asshole? And how was she so much better than her husband, who wasn't good enough for her? She was a zombie flower child even before The Big Push (I was glad her husband because he called Ed a smug prick. Ed *was* a smug little prick.)
Ziggy's grandfather IRL is Big League GOP operative Richard Armitage, who took the fall for Dick Cheney in the Plame Affair. Seriously. The guy is a traitor
by Anonymous | reply 127 | July 22, 2019 9:27 PM
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Apologies for my typos. I have arthritis and am using a substitute med until my dr renews my dickifenac.
by Anonymous | reply 128 | July 22, 2019 9:30 PM
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Omg, that was autocorrect that turned diclofenac into dickifenac. What the hell is dickifenac?
by Anonymous | reply 129 | July 22, 2019 9:31 PM
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[quote]Ridiculous. Celeste had no proof of Mary Louise causing a car accident because of her temper.
No, but she had proof of Mary Louise causing an [italic]automobile[/italic] accident because of her temper. Big difference!
by Anonymous | reply 130 | July 22, 2019 9:32 PM
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[quote] What the hell is dickifenac?
I don't know, but I want some!
by Anonymous | reply 131 | July 22, 2019 9:35 PM
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I fear that everything R122 said could be true.
by Anonymous | reply 132 | July 22, 2019 9:40 PM
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[quote] I still think they should do a spin-off with Mary Louise and the kids and not the parents. Like a summer vacation in the Bay Area without any of the other moms. Maybe Jane but I would be okay saying goodbye to the others
We heard you the first time. And in case you weren't watching, Mary louise didn't get custody
by Anonymous | reply 133 | July 22, 2019 9:45 PM
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[quote] Ridiculous. Celeste had no proof of Mary Louise causing a car accident because of her temper. The word of her DEAD husband?
Well, she admitted to it. And yes, if someone admitted to it in court the defense would be able to run with it
The End
by Anonymous | reply 134 | July 22, 2019 9:48 PM
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R127, that infuriated me, too. Wouldn’t that be hearsay? Something someone else said to a now-dead person? I hope Season 3 shows those little freak twins skinning squirrels alive. You know they do.
Renata is an asshole. Anyone who treats service people like that is an asshole. You’re taking out your frustration on an innocent barista? You’re an asshole. Not to mention a domestic abuser. There is no excuse for smashing up someone else’s property because you’re mad. That’s abuse. If Perry ripped all of Celeste’s schoolmarm dresses in a rage, that’d be abusive, right?
And nobody’s “healing” anything.
by Anonymous | reply 135 | July 22, 2019 9:49 PM
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Yes, R122 is probably right, especially if they get Emmys. The pay checks are great and who doesn't want to add more Emmy noms & Emmy wins to their legacy? It's a win-win for all the leads. As far as husbands are concerned, they're all disposable, including Ed. Next season's Reese story could be about temptation -- Reese wants to fuck a hot Uber driver, will she do it?
New love interests for Celeste, Renata and Bonnie. And Celeste could go on a sex bender, bringing in the requisite animal fucking scenes that HBO craves. We know she's a slut. Mary Louise could also get a new love interest and he might be the father of Celeste's new luvvah. Or he could be someone Celeste banged in a drug fog. At any rate, it's a way to continue the Mary Louise-Celeste conflict. Bonnie can get a character who's a hot, dark skinned British actor with a pretend-American accent.
Renata deserves to drown, she's an awful character and always has been.
by Anonymous | reply 136 | July 22, 2019 9:52 PM
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[quote] Well, she admitted to it.
1) Why would she? She's been shown to be a cold, calculating troublemaker who's expert at turning things around into others. Why would she admit to something that would destroy all of her machinations when there's no proof? Her character has been drawn as much smarter and less emotional than that.
2) Why would her lawyer allow her to answer that question in the first place? He should've objected as hearsay and the judge should've sustained the objection.
by Anonymous | reply 137 | July 22, 2019 9:56 PM
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[quote] The plan was always to involve Jean Marc. I don’t think Andrea anticipated though that she would be completely shut out by him. Streep has done no press on this due to being a new grandma, but I would love to hear her impressions.
It's Meryl Streep. She has a history of supporting the people in power or waiting a week or two until she sees what direction the tide is going and then jumping on the bandwagon
by Anonymous | reply 138 | July 22, 2019 9:58 PM
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[quote] Well, she admitted to it. Why would she?
I don't know. That's how it was written. That she was so shocked that she blurted out an admission
People do and say all kinds of stupid things on the stand in court
by Anonymous | reply 139 | July 22, 2019 9:59 PM
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[quote] Wouldn’t that be hearsay? Something someone else said to a now-dead person?
No it would not, because Meryl's character ADMITTED to it right away. She didn't give her lawyer the chance to object. And as long as she wasn't incriminating herself in a crime that is within the statutes of limitations, the line of questioning would go on. This wasn't a criminal trial either. There are different standards in all types of trials. Criminal courts, civil courts, family courts. All different in their own ways. Civil court doesn't even have "beyond a reasonable doubt", They have a "preponderance of the evidence" standard. Family court has a lot more leeway than both civil and criminal courts. And you can only plead the fifth amendment (right not to incriminate yourself) in a criminal trial. You have to answer all questions (not sustained by a judge) in family and civil courts.
Like I said before, if someone admits to something in court, the other side would jump right on that. That's how court works and that's how attorneys win trials
by Anonymous | reply 140 | July 22, 2019 10:14 PM
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[quote] No it would not, because Meryl's character ADMITTED to it right away. She didn't give her lawyer the chance to object
Which is ridiculous. Goes against everything we know about the character and didn't she first deny it? Which would give her lawyer a chance to object.
by Anonymous | reply 141 | July 22, 2019 10:31 PM
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Why didn't the judge sustain that hearsay objection? Then again, she allowed the lawyer last week to talk about the physics of a man falling down the steps in an unrelated criminal case for which the charges haven't even been put forward, so... I think she might just be a fan of juicy drama.
by Anonymous | reply 142 | July 22, 2019 10:36 PM
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In a cost saving measure they should dump the Shailene character and that creepy bf. I had to look away when they kissed. Don't let that happen again. The Jane story is over. She's not afraid of having sex with creepy men anymore, so she's done. Ziggy's annoying.
by Anonymous | reply 143 | July 22, 2019 10:39 PM
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I love Cory and his beautiful hair.
by Anonymous | reply 144 | July 22, 2019 10:42 PM
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I don't mind Cory but I hate his hairstyle because it makes him look like a lesbian.
by Anonymous | reply 145 | July 22, 2019 10:47 PM
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If they go on for another season it will truly become the new Desperate Housewives.
by Anonymous | reply 146 | July 22, 2019 10:51 PM
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It’s a nighttime soap with better art direction. So schlocky.
by Anonymous | reply 147 | July 22, 2019 10:57 PM
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Laura Dern is going to need a bigger paycheck.
by Anonymous | reply 148 | July 22, 2019 11:33 PM
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Marie Louise had two agendas: Finding out what happened to her dear son (and put those who killed him in jail) and defend his honor. Marie Louise couldn't paint her beloved Perry as liar when she was on the stand and Celeste shared with her what Perry told her. When Marie Louise tried to paint both Celeste and Jane as liars who like it rough she was totally destroyed by the found footage on the kid's smartphone. That caught her off guard and she tried to get back on top with her final statement right before the judge wanted to deliver her judgment in the case. But it was all too late. She lost.
by Anonymous | reply 149 | July 22, 2019 11:38 PM
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[post redacted because linking to dailymail.co.uk clearly indicates that the poster is either a troll or an idiot (probably both, honestly.) Our advice is that you just ignore this poster but whatever you do, don't click on any link to this putrid rag.]
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 150 | July 22, 2019 11:40 PM
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Maybe it was Nicole’s frozen face or maybe the character was poorly written, but I just didn’t get Celeste. She didn’t seem to have a personality. She wore weird clothing that no one else would wear. She did nothing with her time, it seems. What did she DO all day?
by Anonymous | reply 151 | July 23, 2019 12:35 AM
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Remember when Madeline was a real estate agent for like two episodes?
by Anonymous | reply 152 | July 23, 2019 12:38 AM
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Shalene was the only one that did anything. Celeste was a trophy wife getting facials and boob augments and waiting for her psycho husband all day so I don’t feel that sorry for her. Her kids are creepy too.
by Anonymous | reply 153 | July 23, 2019 12:48 AM
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It’s a TV show not a documentary. This was the first time anyone brought up Mary Louise killing her kid so of course she was caught off guard. It took her a while to develop a game plan but she did by the next day. I give Streep credit for never trying to make Mary Louise sympathetic, apart from the fact that she was right all along.
by Anonymous | reply 154 | July 23, 2019 1:17 AM
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Big Little Lies Season 3: The Revenge of Perry's Father! With new co-star (and real life lady batterer) William Hurt!
I agree with the general sentiment here that this was a big downgrade from Season 1, which I loved. Disjointed, choppy, chock full of poorly executed back-story and not-very-believable developments.
The first season felt like it was playing out in a real community. I really missed the Greek Chorus aspect of the cuts to other Monterey residents making judgey comments about the women. What happened to Robin Weigert? What happened to the bitchy school principal? Reese's teenage daughter also disappeared almost completely this season.
I was still happy to tune in every week, and of course I'd do the same with a S3. I would watch Laura Dern reading the phonebook. And Meryl was fun to watch. I thought Reese was great in Season 1 but she kind of faded into the background this season.
If nothing else, this season was perhaps a reminder that David E. Kelley is at heart a TV hack. Also wonder if Laura would be up for S3 given what apparently went down with Andrea Arnold ...
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 155 | July 23, 2019 1:25 AM
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What HBO really needs to do is to give Laura a third season of "Enlightened."
by Anonymous | reply 156 | July 23, 2019 1:26 AM
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Remember when everyone thought Renata would end up fucking the black teacher? Remember when there was all that drama about Reese's daughter not going to college? Remember all the drama that didn't really matter for the majority of the season? In retrospect it was like they were just spinning wheels with peripheral characters so that they could get to that court room scene, which was also unrelated to their big little lie. At the end of it all it was like, "Oh yeah, we should confess, huh?"
by Anonymous | reply 157 | July 23, 2019 1:29 AM
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[R157] Tolstoy, it was not.
by Anonymous | reply 158 | July 23, 2019 1:33 AM
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HBO doesn’t care about your complaints since you watched the whole thing, post about it, and you will also watch Season 3. Chronic complainers are a bore.
by Anonymous | reply 159 | July 23, 2019 1:39 AM
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Overall it was fun and watchable, but I expected a bigger payoff for the last show. They probably should’ve done one more episode and ended all the episodes at the 55 minute mark to make it feel more fleshed out. Laura, Meryl and Nicole in the courtroom knocked it out of the park.
by Anonymous | reply 160 | July 23, 2019 1:45 AM
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Is it just me or did Renata's husband looked green-screened when he was sitting on the floor after she hit him? She also squeaks "oh my god" when that happens as if she's freaking out and concerned for him, but then the camera turns to her and she's just pissed off. Some weird editing choices right there.
by Anonymous | reply 161 | July 23, 2019 1:52 AM
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As much as it bored me, I do want to do a re-watch to see if what I remember is as bad as it was or as good as some are saying. The finale, mind you. The rest of the season wasted enough of my time. (Yes, I know, I'm the asshole. Trust me, I know.)
by Anonymous | reply 162 | July 23, 2019 2:03 AM
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Season 3 can have Madeline’s pothead sister roll into town to expose Madeline as actually being “Misty” from Fresno. This news will shake the Monterey 5 to its core.
The sister will be played by Jen Aniston.
by Anonymous | reply 163 | July 23, 2019 2:04 AM
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r72 thing is Andrea was not a strong director for this particular project. She may have looked good on paper but during filming there were many times where people just didn't understand what the fuck she was doing. She seemed like a big flake, she was just wrong for this.
by Anonymous | reply 164 | July 23, 2019 2:45 AM
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This review was pretty on the nose I think.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 165 | July 23, 2019 2:47 AM
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Interesting article. It seems like the writer wanted a pulpier season of television, which... sure may have been more interesting to watch, but I already thought the second season dipped into camp way more often than not. Also, I didn't necessarily think that the first season's strengths were in how soapy it was. Sure, they teased you with the fact that there would ultimately be a murder, but as the season progressed it revealed itself to be way more character-driven, and it was all the richer for it, which is something that the Slate author didn't appreciate in the second season.
I'd argue that the second season was worse not because it wasn't trashier, but because these characters weren't given anything worthwhile to do.
by Anonymous | reply 166 | July 23, 2019 3:06 AM
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So disappointing. Especially given how riveting season 1 was; I even remember being genuinely surprised and satisfied by the ending, which rarely happens.
This was.....a bunch of little scenes. I don't know.
by Anonymous | reply 167 | July 23, 2019 3:16 AM
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R101 That's not Northern California, it's Montery, Carmel, Big Sur. Central coast. Natives are really hoping this series goes away. The scenes with mom's driving "home" across Bixby Bridge (absurd on its own terms... the bridge in Big Sur is 25 miles away from Carmel/Pacific Grove where the school is etc. And there are fern-redwood-beatnik houses in Big Sur, but not the huger glass trophy homes that seduced BLL viewers). The show has drawn even more tourists to the bridge... now on Sundays it's packed, cars and food trucks, just a mess, The bridge is ugly. Big Sur is ugly. Please stay away.
by Anonymous | reply 168 | July 23, 2019 3:38 AM
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They have to do a Season 3 so Mary Louse can call Celeste a liar to her face and take away her children. Never surrender!
by Anonymous | reply 169 | July 23, 2019 4:26 AM
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Fuck, did we know that Cory is Gregory Smith's brother?! Of Everwood fame?!
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 170 | July 23, 2019 4:28 AM
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Tthe only two who had a grasp on what they were doing were Laura and Meryl. The others seemed to be drifting in Botox or uncertainty about how to play their characters. By the end, I didn’t care about Jane, Celeste, Madeleine or Bonnie.
by Anonymous | reply 171 | July 23, 2019 5:06 AM
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r98 their hair was the only thing I liked about those two Damiens, it reminded me of cute little Nicholas on Eight Is Enough
by Anonymous | reply 172 | July 23, 2019 6:27 AM
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Watching Shailene Woodley in Adrift, she really is a plain jane
by Anonymous | reply 174 | July 23, 2019 8:25 AM
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R170, big dicks run in that family.
by Anonymous | reply 175 | July 23, 2019 11:01 AM
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What happened to the flashback scenes involving Celeste's mother in law?
They filmed it then didn't use it?
by Anonymous | reply 176 | July 23, 2019 11:16 AM
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Mary Louise crumbling at the accusation that she would have prepared herself to rebuff was as hasty a resolution as Celeste's findind the video of her beating on the ipad while she was reminiscing about her abusive husband.
by Anonymous | reply 177 | July 23, 2019 11:18 AM
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The flashbacks were brief and at the beginning of the episode.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 178 | July 23, 2019 11:35 AM
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If I were a judge, I'd secretly award custody based on hair alone. Don't @ me.
Like, in this case, I'd just give those beasts over to Renata sitting in the visitor section and hold her in contempt if she refused.
by Anonymous | reply 179 | July 23, 2019 11:47 AM
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Not enough Robin Weigert S2. Maybe S3 is only Robin Weigert's sessions with every character.
by Anonymous | reply 180 | July 23, 2019 11:53 AM
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In Treatment reboot with Weigert's character when?
by Anonymous | reply 181 | July 23, 2019 11:55 AM
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R57 that is exactly what I was thinking. Renata has enough shit going on, Celeste almost lost her kids and Reese just got her husband back and NOW they go to the police??? So fucking stupid!
by Anonymous | reply 182 | July 23, 2019 12:02 PM
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I hated how every episode began with the stupid flashback of the husband lying at the foot of the stairs. The director sucked.
by Anonymous | reply 183 | July 23, 2019 12:04 PM
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Shailene has an amazing body so why is her face so fat?
by Anonymous | reply 184 | July 23, 2019 12:05 PM
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[quote]I hated how every episode began with the stupid flashback of the husband lying at the foot of the stairs. The director sucked.
I'm almost positive that that was Jean Marc Vallee's doing.
by Anonymous | reply 185 | July 23, 2019 12:29 PM
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That was definitely Vallée as Arnold was shut out of the editing process completely. And yes, everyone seems to have hated that repetition. We saw that shit so many times it lost whatever punch it had in the first season finale. I get it, he wanted to show that the reverberations of that event are felt throughout the second season. But man, come up with a new way to relay that to the audience.
by Anonymous | reply 186 | July 23, 2019 12:57 PM
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It might have been more effective if Mary Louise had the flashbacks, not Celeste who was only imagining them. Or if Mary Louise said, calmly, actually you are wrong Celeste and Perry told that lie his entire life. I think Celeste is in a weird dreamland of iPad masturbation.
by Anonymous | reply 187 | July 23, 2019 3:12 PM
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I love a good La Dern freakout as much as the next gay. But for a show that's about the terrible repercussions of domestic abuse, wasn't there something a little unethical about presenting a woman slugging her husband with a baseball bat as some kind of female empowerment moment?
by Anonymous | reply 188 | July 23, 2019 4:46 PM
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r188 No, I read it as comeuppance for Perry that we never got to see. And it was nothing, especially compared to what we saw earlier in the episode happen to Celeste. Honestly, I find it gross equating the two.
Also, she's no a pro player. Hitting someone from the side like that with her muscles carries little power. No one would get hurt to the extent that they collapsed to the ground.
by Anonymous | reply 189 | July 23, 2019 4:50 PM
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The easier way to put it was that it was an accident on her part. She was aiming for the display and her husband got in the way. She initially reacts as such... you can hear her whisper, "Oh my God," but then it immediately cuts to her yelling, "MAYBE YOU SHOULD HAVE SHOWN A WOMAN A LITTLE RESPECT!" This moment perfectly reflects a couple issues with the show.
Laura Dern's a great actress - there's no denying that - and she managed to execute the decisions the writers made for her character, but one thing I loved about her in season one was that her outbursts were limited. She did a lot of shouting in season two, but none of it came close to her, "I SAID THANK YOU!" That was an energizing moment piercing through the chilled out vibe of the season, and an understandable expression of the pressure she was put under. In season two her hysterics, while entertaining to watch, ultimately felt manufactured to elicit a, "YAAAAASSSSS, QUEEN!" from the audience at home. She's a meme now, and a highly exalted one at that. In the end, they transformed Gordon into a cliched manchild so that the viewers would have NO CHOICE BUT TO STAN A LEGEND!!!
Again, I get why they went this route, and Dern makes it work because she's a great actress, but they kept hitting the same exact beats with her character that by the time she was swinging a bat it was no longer surprising, and she'd ultimately turned into a cliche of herself.
by Anonymous | reply 190 | July 23, 2019 5:48 PM
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Did this shot make it to the final cut? It's in the first teaser for the season. Such a grand look from Laura!
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 192 | July 23, 2019 8:44 PM
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R191 She was miscast, it should have been one of the Gummer girls. That would be full circle.
by Anonymous | reply 193 | July 23, 2019 8:48 PM
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This Fall. On Lifetime. The Gummer Girls.
by Anonymous | reply 194 | July 23, 2019 8:54 PM
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[quote]Big Sur is ugly. Please stay away.
Oh shut up. Just ... shut up. I seriously doubt your town is being invaded by tourists fans of a moderately successfully show. You're just so full of shit you're about to explode.
We are not impressed that you live on one of HBO's sets.
by Anonymous | reply 195 | July 23, 2019 9:20 PM
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r192 Yes, I think it made it into the final cut. It's that look of confusion when the nanny mentions additional expenses.
Meanwhile, from someone who will never work again (paywalled article):
[quote]The only whiff of tension Jagannathan [Celeste's lawyer] reported from the set came from season two star Meryl Streep, who would push back on notes from her director. “Meryl wouldn’t entertain any comments that insinuated she was the villain,” Jagannathan explained. Streep wasn’t rude, but would protectively respond “that’s not of your business” when she got a note she disagreed with. That’s fine for a multiple Oscar winner—but Jagannathan jokes that she would be fired very quickly if she tried something similar.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 196 | July 23, 2019 9:26 PM
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It’s never okay to hit someone with a baseball bat. Plus Renata’s yoga arms would break a man’s ribs.
by Anonymous | reply 197 | July 24, 2019 1:29 AM
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There was a very good clip of Meryl Streep’s character driving at night, where the camera pauses on the car’s empty rear seats. I thought that was effective.
Poor young Sheldon got a string of really corny bogus dialog in that beach scene, typical of of the creepy inauthentic precocity of several of the young characters. That whole scene “I want you to be with him” was just yucky. Clumsy inept writing.
It was a good series, but stronger in the first season. Time for it to end, though. These milfs and dilfs are through.
by Anonymous | reply 198 | July 24, 2019 2:29 AM
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Kathy Griffin posted on IG that Renata is her spirit animal
by Anonymous | reply 199 | July 24, 2019 2:39 AM
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Everyone's calling Renata their spirit animal.
by Anonymous | reply 200 | July 24, 2019 2:43 AM
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Kathy Griffin's spirit animal is that little doll that terrorized Karen Black in Trilogy of Terror.
by Anonymous | reply 201 | July 24, 2019 2:51 AM
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On IG, Kathy Griffin refers to the scene where Renata trashes the Train Room as “feminist AF”
by Anonymous | reply 202 | July 24, 2019 3:15 AM
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May I make a statement before I'm judged? Is what an accused mean girl says in the bathroom of a suburban high school, addressing those who accuse her. NOT something said to a judge jut before a decision is handed down in an actual courtroom.
by Anonymous | reply 203 | July 24, 2019 3:29 AM
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You can say it but I don’t know what you are talking about.
by Anonymous | reply 204 | July 24, 2019 4:39 AM
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The best part was Mary Louise smiling at the twins right before the verdict, confident that she would win. Great character.
by Anonymous | reply 205 | July 24, 2019 4:42 AM
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I noticed on the credits there is an actress in the show called Poorna. Seriously.
by Anonymous | reply 206 | July 24, 2019 12:29 PM
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r197 For the record, yes it's okay to use a baseball bat on someone who lost all your fortune and was fucking the nanny behind your back for god knows how many years.
And Renata is a high-powered exec so she doesn't have time for yoga.
by Anonymous | reply 207 | July 24, 2019 1:53 PM
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Renata isn't a PC person I think that's why so many of us love her in the first place. She doesn't hide her anger, she is not afraid to express it.
by Anonymous | reply 208 | July 24, 2019 4:29 PM
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My take was that she accidentally hit him and was reflexively concerned for him, then thought, "Why am I caring? So long as he's alive, I don't give a shit."
I don't like her character and I don't think she's a great actress. Whenever I see her in anything, she's Laura Dern.
I liked it better when Shailene & Ziggy lived in the small rental house. Now everyone lives on the ocean. It's boring to make working class people middle or upper middle class, because it's equated with success. You can be successful and working class.
I hate the kids. All of them.
I never realized that Monterey isn't warm, like SoCal. Is it foggy, like SF and the northern coast of CA? Is there a decent amount of sunlight?
by Anonymous | reply 209 | July 24, 2019 9:36 PM
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I would hate to live in that cold foggy climate. You can have it!
by Anonymous | reply 210 | July 24, 2019 9:47 PM
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I have a friend who lives up the coast near the redwoods and she loves the climate. Mostly in the 50s and foggy all the time. I live near 6 miles from Atlantic and it only gets foggy in late spring and early fall and it's never a dense fog....more wispy.
by Anonymous | reply 211 | July 24, 2019 10:02 PM
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R209 It's horrible weather all the time. Mold grows on people. Don't go there under any circumstances.
by Anonymous | reply 212 | July 24, 2019 11:01 PM
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Oh, can it with the tourist drama. Monterey isn't a huge attraction because it was on tv anymore than Montauk was overrun after The Affair aired.
by Anonymous | reply 213 | July 25, 2019 4:37 AM
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Only 200 replies. Goes to show what an artistic failure this season was.
by Anonymous | reply 214 | July 25, 2019 10:33 AM
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[bold]HBO Programming Head Casey Bloys Addresses ‘Big Little Lies’ Season 2 Controversy[/bold]
[quote]“Let me clarify. There wouldn’t be a second season without Andrea. We’re indebted to her,” Bloys said at the Television Critics Association summer press tour on Wednesday. “As anybody who works in television knows, a director typically does not have final creative control.”
[quote]According to Bloys, Arnold had never been promised final cut and that she turned in her director’s cuts as expected. Upon receiving them, the show’s producing team then took their own pass at editing the series. “The entire producing team all asked Jean-Marc to come in and hone the episodes,” he said. “I would be hard pressed to point to any show that airs the director’s cut of any episodes.”
[quote]Bloys also touched on the fact that some episodes of the show’s second season had nearly a dozen credited editors. “[Jean-Marc] is an editor and he has a team of editors that he works with he is very particular about who he works with and how he works with them,” he said. “Jean-Marc was not given carte blanche [in Season 1]. He and [David E. Kelley] and the producers had an aligned vision on that they wanted to do.”
[quote]Speaking of a potential third season, Bloys said he has taken a “never say never” approach but at present there are no plans. “To me, there’s no obvious place to go, no obvious story,” he said. “I would certainly be open to it because I love working with all of them.”
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 215 | July 25, 2019 12:29 PM
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[quote]Jean-Marc was not given carte blanche [in Season 1].
Blatant backpedalling lie. Vallée had full creative control in the first season and even said so himself. That's why people had an issue with this Arnold drama in the first place - that the female director was not afforded the same freedom he had.
by Anonymous | reply 216 | July 25, 2019 12:36 PM
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Does R214 realize that this thread is specific to episode 7 and that there are long threads for each episode this season?
Epic Fail
by Anonymous | reply 217 | July 25, 2019 2:43 PM
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Yup, around 1.600 replies across seven threads. We would be on part 3 currently if I hadn't split the discussion for each episode.
by Anonymous | reply 218 | July 25, 2019 2:52 PM
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M is the villain of the second season, both onscreen and off.
by Anonymous | reply 219 | July 25, 2019 3:03 PM
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Yeah, I'd be surprised of Jean Marc didn't have full creative control over Big Little Lies considering the fact that his auteur-ship obviously extends into Sharp Objects and can be seen in both Dallas Buyers Club and Wild.
I was listening to a podcast and in the end they said they wished they'd have just waited for Jean Marc to be free again. Sure, he wanted to move onto Sharper Objects, extending this season by another year, and HBO wanted to get going, but the show might have been better for it... at least they could have avoided this drama.
That being said, the major problems with the show have more to do with the writing than the directing overall.
by Anonymous | reply 220 | July 25, 2019 4:52 PM
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Bloys hemming and hawing that there’s a slim chance there will be a third season is laughable. Kidman and Woodley have already publicly expressed interest in a third season. Vallé is available, the second season ended on a cliffhanger, the ratings improved over the first season. Big Little Lies will be back. Didn’t they play this game after the first season too?
by Anonymous | reply 221 | July 25, 2019 6:37 PM
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The trial was ridiculous and Mary Louise's clever narcissist character fell apart. She wasn't very clever in the last scenes, so the character was written poorly. The whole 2nd season ended feebly, except for them marching into the police station.
by Anonymous | reply 222 | July 27, 2019 1:40 AM
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I would love to be behind R195 in line at Starbuck's when they repeat the order incorrectly.
by Anonymous | reply 223 | July 28, 2019 7:28 PM
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The problem with this show is there was no conflict to begin with. 50+ Celeste is married to the much younger and more attractive Perry, engages in some light BDSM and gets fucked til she can't walk anymore. Frumpy Jane manages to get deep-dicked by Perry, who is way out of her league. She gets a child out of it. Madeline trades up getting boned by the theater guy. A Norman Rockwell portrait if you ask me.
by Anonymous | reply 224 | July 28, 2019 7:42 PM
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Look at these two bitches trying to defend Season Two.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 225 | July 28, 2019 8:02 PM
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Season 2 was a giant success for HBO.
by Anonymous | reply 226 | July 29, 2019 12:33 AM
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What could they possibly do for season 3 in terms of story? If they wanted to have multiple seasons, they should've done an anthology.
by Anonymous | reply 227 | July 29, 2019 12:53 AM
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Season 3 is being planned around reconciliation between Celeste and Mary Louise, Bonnie doing hard time, and Renata making a comeback. Madeleine will be pregnant and Jane gets married.
by Anonymous | reply 228 | July 29, 2019 12:55 AM
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R34 It's family court, not criminal hunty. Put your granny panties back on.
by Anonymous | reply 230 | July 29, 2019 1:26 AM
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So you're saying anything goes in a family court?
by Anonymous | reply 231 | July 29, 2019 1:33 AM
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R231 There’s usually more latitude. I’ve honestly not seen a courtroom style hearing in family court. That was a bit dramatic. For a challenge to custody, I only say that conducted in what looked much more like your average meeting room - and it wasn’t open to the public as it involved minors.
Perhaps California is different or perhaps this was the big Hollywood ending that had skipped legalities for the big showdown?
by Anonymous | reply 232 | July 29, 2019 4:15 AM
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Didn't the TV show Judging Amy (with Tyne Daly) feature a family court? Anyone remember that one? Though I don't think it featured very many court scenes. Or maybe I hadn't seen enough of it.
by Anonymous | reply 233 | July 29, 2019 10:34 AM
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I would like to see a new season with Jessica Lange, Frances McDormand, Michelle Pfieffer, Glenn Close and Sharon Gless.
by Anonymous | reply 234 | July 29, 2019 12:11 PM
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I believe it’s the highest rated show right now in HBO with GOT gone? So of course HBO would want a 3rd season. And maybe 4th as long as viewers are tuning in, storylines be damned.
by Anonymous | reply 235 | July 29, 2019 2:04 PM
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So let's imagine for a moment that Meryl is out for good. Who would be that one guest actress who could generate similar excitement next season as Meryl has in the second? Aside from Glenn, that is.
by Anonymous | reply 236 | July 29, 2019 2:10 PM
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Oh, and I see now that r234 had some great suggestions already. I'd add Davis, Blachett, and Mulgrew to that list, although they're more my personal faves than who I think would drive people to automatically check out the third season.
by Anonymous | reply 237 | July 29, 2019 2:13 PM
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Sean Young as Perry's other crazy baby mama, who stalks and kills off the main characters.
by Anonymous | reply 238 | July 29, 2019 2:23 PM
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Maybe they all invest in a winery. It's run by a hot guy. (Would be nice to actually see a guy who is not a loser on here.) Renata and Celeste both get involved with him but don' know about the other. Their various personalities and flaws cause problems and solutions. They just need to figure out their strengths. Some international shipper they deal with is corrupt but it takes a while to figure it out. The first one that does figure it out is killed.
by Anonymous | reply 239 | July 29, 2019 3:00 PM
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[quote] I would like to see a new season with Jessica Lange, Frances McDormand, Michelle Pfieffer, Glenn Close and Sharon Gless.
One of these is not like the other.
by Anonymous | reply 240 | July 29, 2019 7:52 PM
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I'd rather see Mr. Pa Fieffer instead of Michelle.
by Anonymous | reply 241 | July 30, 2019 2:21 AM
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Was Sean Young actually crazy? Or did James Woods ruin her career with bullshit? I remember thinking they made way too much of a big deal out of her showing up in costume to audition for Catwoman. It sounded like she was playing a gag to me, not that she was insane.
by Anonymous | reply 242 | July 30, 2019 3:09 AM
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Sean Young was and is crazy. Every interview with her is vaguely hostile and weird. James Woods May have been an ass too - but Sean pissed off plenty of people, I can only imagine when she had a coke problem.
by Anonymous | reply 243 | July 30, 2019 3:14 AM
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James Woods broke Sean Young. Either the giant dick, the giant ego or the gigantic Dick this IS James Woods. Once of those broke Sean Young.
She didn’t deserve it. He deserves to be broken by an enormous dick.
by Anonymous | reply 244 | July 30, 2019 4:25 AM
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Never mind. I looked up Sean Young and yes, she's crazy. She was recently fired from a production in Queens and broke into the office with her son and stole their editing computers. There's surveillance video. It was definitely her.
by Anonymous | reply 245 | July 30, 2019 7:39 AM
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She would've KILLED for Darryl Hannah's role in Wall Street. She tormented her on set and drove Oliver Stone to distraction.
by Anonymous | reply 246 | July 30, 2019 11:46 AM
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Sean Young seemed perfectly fine on the first season of The Alienist last year, though I'm sure the crew has stories to tell.
by Anonymous | reply 247 | July 30, 2019 11:50 AM
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Sharon Gless = Madeleine's mom? Who embarassingly lives in a trailer park?
by Anonymous | reply 249 | July 31, 2019 1:58 AM
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Jessica Lange as Renata's mom. Who has even better one liners.
by Anonymous | reply 250 | July 31, 2019 10:27 AM
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Melissa Leo would be perfect as Madeleine's mother. Plus, they'd add another Oscar winner to their cast.
by Anonymous | reply 251 | July 31, 2019 11:18 AM
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Pam Grier as Zoe's lesbian aunt fucks Renata silly.
Mary Louise turns out to need Celeste's help. She's desperate. Something about the other son.
Another woman comes forward accusing Perry of raping her too, only the son from that rape is a scumbag. And he wants to get to know his brothers.
Madeline joins the police force.
by Anonymous | reply 252 | July 31, 2019 10:39 PM
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Stellan Skarsgard as Mary Louise’s ex and Perry’s dad. In the 7th episode, Celeste discovers a video of young Perry sucking on his daddy’s toes for a full seven minutes.
by Anonymous | reply 253 | August 1, 2019 12:15 AM
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The second season seemed to have missed so many story opportunities because it was so intent on having its stars interact as little as possible.
One thinks of the resentment/gratitude between Celeste and Bonnie, conflict with Renata and the other women because of Renata's changed economic status, and any of the women could have tried to get the others to go to the cops since Perry was killed to prevent him from hurting another woman.
The unity of the five destroyed any possibility for real drama.
by Anonymous | reply 254 | August 1, 2019 2:56 AM
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Remake the first season with CGI characters.
by Anonymous | reply 255 | August 1, 2019 2:59 AM
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