With the conclusion of the first season of Big Little Lies, the “Monterey Five” were bonded together after taking part in the death of Perry following many horrendous revelations that were brought to light. The catharsis that this event brought to these ladies was very welcome for the audience, but ultimately short-lived as the final seconds revealed they were being surveilled by a detective from a distance. Originally pitched as a limited series, Big Little Lies was the perfect summer mystery that brought a head-spinning amount of star power to the small screen and racked up countless awards for HBO. The ending of this original story left a few dangling plot points, but the conclusion was satisfying and exciting. Despite this, HBO could not resist and renewed the show for a second season while upping the star power in the form of Meryl Streep. The experience had while watching the first season will ultimately determine if the second season is deemed a necessary endeavor for the viewer.
The premiere of the second season eschews the happy-ish ending of the previous season in order to give the narrative a leg on which to stand. Part of the joy of the first season was watching these women come together and support each other through difficult moments even when their own lives were far from perfect or relationships were strained. For much of the first half of the season, the five ladies are very much separated into their own worlds with their own set of problems with significantly less time together. In a reversal from the previous season, it is newcomer Jane (Shailene Woodley) that is in arguably the best place out of the women as she picks up the pieces from finally receiving a form of closure to her assault many years ago that resulted in her son, Ziggy. On the opposite side of the spectrum, we get much more time with Bonnie (Zoe Kravitz) as she struggles greatly with being the main cause of Perry’s death and the secrets that entails.
Between these two spectrums, we have the remaining three women that are all being put through the wringer to varying degrees. The liveliest of the bunch is Renata (Laura Dern, who would channel the same energy into an Academy Award for her role in Marriage Story), who, thanks to her no-good husband, finds herself hurdling towards complete financial ruin and an imploding marriage. Her arc provides some much needed levity to the season, but at times it goes a bit too far into eye roll-inducing territory. Besides Jane, the character that seems to have the least to do this season is Madeline (Reese Witherspoon). This season tries to recreate issues with her teenage daughter, Abigail, by declaring she does not want to go to college. This is a storyline that thankfully does not take up too much screen time; instead focusing on another dissolving marriage after Ed (Adam Scott) discovers Madeline was unfaithful to him. Although her storyline with Ed is slighter than others, it is one of the ones that feels the most satisfying by the end.
Finally, we have the main focus of the season, Celeste (Nicole Kidman) versus her mother in-law Mary Louise (Meryl Streep). Mary Louise has come to help out her grandsons in the aftermath of her son’s death, but she is not there to make life easy for Celeste. Mary Louise believes there is more to Perry’s death than has been revealed. Meryl plays Mary Louise with a reserved cunning that tears through the town before they even knew what hit them. It is both fascinating and deeply uncomfortable as you see her defend the reputation of her son at the expense of targeting his victims and giving them a verbal beat down. Celeste has to deal with this onslaught as she tries to reconcile losing the husband she loved and abused her. This balancing act of emotions is deftly portrayed by Kidman in a sympathetic and realistic manner that culminates in an electric courtroom finale.
In the end, was the second season of Big Little Lies necessary? One would be hard-pressed to find anyone who believes that this season surpassed the original. It was less focused on a lot of the elements that made the first season so addicting. What the second season did deliver are some rich character moments that moved beyond the rosy finale and delved deeper into the impact of trauma. All of the actors from the leads to the supporting characters are turning in some fantastic work. The season may not have been completely necessary, but hardcore fans of the show will find a lot of moments to really savor in this season.
Video Quality
The second season of Big Little Lies comes to Blu-Ray courtesy of the Warner Archive Collection in an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. This disc is a noticeable step up from the HBO GO stream, with lighting being displayed more naturally and colors popping a little more to showcase the beautiful landscape and house interiors. While not always perfect, blacks are handled a lot better here as you get a lot more depth and detail in the night time scenes. The cinematography of this show is intentionally on the softer, hazier side and this Blu-Ray disc does a great job of accurately representing how it was meant to look.
Audio Quality
As with the video quality, Warner Archive does a great job with the audio by providing a DTS-HD Master 5.1 track that provides some very nice surround sound activity, especially when the ladies are out in nature. The show has a great soundtrack that fills up the room without overpowering the dialogue in the center channels. Everything presented here is crisp and clear without any observable issues.
Special Features
- The Lies Revealed: A Conversation with the Cast of Big Little Lies: The five main ladies are joined by Meryl Streep in this 37-minute casual discussion that ranges from thoughts on the show and their characters to goings-on in their actual lives. While there is the occasional stiffness of knowing your conversation is being filmed for promotional reasons, the interactions between the ladies provide some thoughtful moments and off-the-cuff silliness that makes this worth a watch.
Final Thoughts
The second season of Big Little Lies is a worthwhile journey for fans of the first season that want to delve even deeper into the lives and emotions of these characters. The Warner Archive Collection provides a technically impressive Blu-Ray that should please anyone hoping to see and hear this show presented in the best way to date. Recommended
Big Little Lies: Season 2 can be purchased directly through Warner Archives or many other digital retailers.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray disc.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
