Big Little Lies - HBO

Anyone else catch this show? It has such a great cast (Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Laura Dern, Shailene Woodley) and with David E. Kelley writing it, I had to check it out.. It's based on a 2014 novel, originally set in Australia, but changed to Monterey, California.

It involves a murder, which is immediately referenced in the opening ep, though we don't know who's the victim or the perpetrator yet. But while this is the main hook into the story, I found it to be almost beside the point at this stage, because of what happens across the main characters and t heir various circumstances and interactions.

This is shaping up to be very good miniseries (just 7 eps).

 

I watched it. An interesting ep. I'll probably watch all the way. Another soap, eh?

jerol

 

It's hard to be positive at this early stage, but I don't think it's a soap at its heart - it's based on a well received book, so it should be plot based. I think it's more of a dark comedy/satire with a dramatic twist and yes, some soapy elements too.

 

I'll go along with that.

jerol

 

Cool. Have it recorded but haven't watched yet. How's the acting?

 

Excellent.

 

Watched this last night. I appreciate storylines from a woman's perspective, but the characters seem...like an dated cliche' of how women are & relate to each other. But maybe cliche's are cliche's for a reason? Dunno *shrug*

Cool music & direction though.

 

I enjoyed it.

 

It's part satire of well-to-do school moms fighting to outdo each other for social status (while hiding their darker sides). Don't forget David E Kelly's adapted this for the screen, someone who has quite a quirky, dramatically comedic track record.

 

Watched it this afternoon after reading this thread (HBO on demand).

I'll watch another episode, but got my doubts. Good acting, but this seems a bit too "Soap Opera"-ish to me.

 

Great second episode. It's really picking up steam, and fast (I guess it has to at 7 eps total). There are so many things bubbling away either just under the surface or starting to breach the surface that it feels like an emotional rollercoaster. And it's so very well done.

The domestic violence scene in Celeste's house was confronting and her reaction afterwards... unexpected. It's a powder keg situation.

Reese Witherspoon is killing it as Madeline, with her persnickety, exasperated retorts as she's being pushed and prodded in various directions that she'd rather not be in.

Another stand out scene, in subtlety this time, was the scene where Madeline's husband (Ed) and her ex-husband meet for a civil conversation but end up exchanging not so veiled insults. The responsible, steady-Eddie is starting to grow a pair. I loved that scene.

Can't wait for the next one.

 

I heard this was quite good. I intend to check it out.

 

Just watched the first episode and really enjoyed it . Thought Reese W. was terrific. Reminded me how well Kelley writes for women. Dug it.

 

Only seen one episode so far but I don't understand the soap opera comparisons some people are making here. Seems like good human drama to me.

 

Interesting read on this character, who in my opinion seems to do most of the pushing and prodding and is introduced as someone who can't mind her own business. Don't get me wrong, though--I like her character the most so far and enjoy the show more than I expected to.

 

Yes, she is definitely pushy and argumentative but that doesn't mean that she isn't being prodded in directions that she'd rather not be.

For example, she has big-time issues with her ex-husband, who was apparently a bit of a douche to her and a deadbeat dad, who has now traded her in on a younger model and who is much more attentive to her and his new family.

On top of that, Madeline's daughter, Abigail, is on very good terms with Bonnie. Bonnie even takes her to a distant Planned Parenthood clinic for contraception, behind Madeline's back.

And now Abigail decides to live with Nathan & Bonnie, abandoning her mother (at least in part).

There's a lot of simmering anger in that whole dynamic which bleeds out in her wider interactions (who can forget the memorable quote "You can go f*** yourself on the head", LOL).

Madeline's also pushed in another direction. She's made a new friend in Jane and when the unfortunate incident happens at school, Jane's son, Ziggy, is accused and pretty much ostracized by the mom-community. This places more tension on Madeline because of her friendship with Jane, whom she feels the needs to defend, thus risking her social standing.

 

question:

who is dead?

and i know that is exactly what they want me to think.......any ideas?

 

Well, we don't know. I guess you can speculate, but I'm quite happy to let the show unfold at its own pace (just another 4 eps to go).

 

I agree with this to an extent, but I think the show is also suggesting that many of the same problems you've just laid out are in no small part due to Madeline's own need for control and her own relentless prodding into the lives of others. Take the daughter for instance. Your interpretation suggests that Madeline is essentially being pushed toward dealing with her ex-husband and his wife because of Abigail's behavior or other factors out of Madeline's control, but it could easily be assumed that Madeline's somewhat overbearing parenting pushed Abigail away in the first place. That's not to say Madeline's doing anything wrong per se, but the fact that Abigail sort of innately recoils from her mom's intrusive parenting style is palpable is almost every scene between them and kind of speaks for itself. And just because Madeline made a new friend doesn't mean that literally hours later she should feel compelled to essentially go to war on a relative stranger's behalf. You keep placing the emphasis on this idea that Madeline suddenly finds herself in the eye of all these different storms or conflicts, but I think the show is very much suggesting Madeline is frequently the cause of or at the very least a catalyst to all these very same conflicts, even if we the audience are on her side and think she's doing the right thing. The first line spoken out loud about her character in essentially the second scene of the show states firmly that she has her nose in everyone else's business. I think the central idea here is that Madeline frequently sticks her nose into situations, escalates them and then feels obliged to deal with the fall out in her own confrontational way. Even the conflicts that seem completely out of Madeline's control--things like the play or the yoga class--could be de-escalated. Instead she turns them into small wars.

 

This show is smartly written. They're setting it up so there could be one of many potential killers. Every episode I get more and more invested.

 

I've only gotten around to watching part of the first episode so far but I was enjoying it as "California porn" -- I just went to the Monterey area last year and loved it, and the show was making my mouth water with shots of the coast and swanky seaside houses.

 

Absolutely. That's the benefit of adapting a preexisting work (book in this case) - all the work has already been done and evaluated. Then it 'just' becomes a matter of adapting it to a different medium (TV) in a short, tightly focused series of episodes. Of course, it also takes great skill to be able to successfully pull off that adaptation, as this show has done (The Expanse is another great example).

 

It's funny, before The Night Of...I would have suggested that I might not have any interest in something referred to as a "limited series". But after that fine show, and now this one, I'd say HBO is on to something. If only they'd have limited True Detectives to one season they'd be batting 1000.

 

While I am more critical about The Night Of than you appear to be, I still liked many aspects of it. That HBO may be 'onto something' isn't without precedent. Apart from Netflix, British shows have always had short seasons of 6 - 7 episodes, including one off mini-series. While this can be a little frustrating for fans of the series (who want to see more), I think it's beneficial to the creative process as you're forced to tell the main story without any fluff. It also frees up the actors, who may be movie actors, to commit a short amount of time to the project and still be free to take on other work.

I think True Detective is a different kettle of fish because season 2 had nothing to do with season 1. They started with a blank sheet, so it was effectively a different mini-series. The problem was the writer, who's inherent weaknesses were left unchecked (unlike in S1) and so we ended up with the mess that S2 became.

 

Really liking this series a lot. Dying (no pun intended) to know who is actually dead. It could be anyone at this point.