‘Big Little Lies’ finale: Much about too little
The “Lies” team, which includes creator and writer David E. Kelley, producers Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon and even the great Meryl Streep, could have learned a lesson from “Jurassic Park.” They were so preoccupied with whether they could make a second season of HBO’s Emmy-winning series, they didn’t stop to think if they should.
When I first reviewed the new season of “Lies,” I raved about the performances from the A-list actresses and the way the series was examining the after-effects of trauma and grief. I was delighted to see Laura Dern unleash every ounce of anger she possesses as Renata, who was forced to deal with financial peril and a loss of control. It was wonderful to see Kidman’s Celeste back in therapy sessions, an extension of scenes from Season 1 that rank as the Oscar-winning actress’ best work to date. And I was most eager to see the series expand the role of Bonnie (Zoe Kravitz), the show’s only woman of color and a character severely underserved the first time around.
But there may have been a reason that HBO sent only three of seven episodes for review. The promise in those initial hours was never realized in the second half of the season, all while stretching for story and drama that isn’t there. Season 2 justified its existence, until it didn’t.
Hacky courtroom scenes, a bad Streep character and repetitive storytelling have plagued this season, and things didn’t get better in the final episode. After the gorgeous Season 1 finale had left things so deliciously tangled, “I Want To Know” tied up every narrative
thread neatly with a banal bow. Celeste kept her kids and kicks her odious mother-in-law, Mary Louise (Streep), out of town; Madeline (Witherspoon) renews her vows with her husband; Jane (Shailene Woodley) commits to a romantic relationship; Renata leaves her criminal, unfaithful husband; and Bonnie persuades the whole Monterey Five to turn themselves in to the police for Perry’s
(Alexander Skarsgard) murder.
The biggest crime of Season 2 is it didn’t really say anything, while Season 1 was loquacious. The new episodes flirted with exploring trauma, but the writers shrugged when it came to finding meaning to suffering.
Bogged down in an absurd courtroom drama, the finale felt as if it was for a different show.It revisited scenes of the domestic abuse and exploited them for shock value, a stark contrast with the more sensitive portrayal in Season 1. Kelley tried and failed to trick viewers into expecting a matricide. And he tried to pack the biggest emotional punch with a resolution to the marital troubles between Madeline and Ed (Adam Scott), but the couple lacked any depth or chemistry .
For a series with such talent and juicy source material, “Lies” ended with little more than a resigned whimper. Next time these actresses get together, we can only hope it’s really worth their time.