After two years of waiting, Big Little Lies is back on the TV screen. The show was renewed by HBO after the first season won a slew of Awards, and became a pop culture sensation. With an award winning cast that includes the likes of Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, Laura Dern, and Shailene Woodley and a killer soundtrack to boot, the world of Monterey came jumping out of the screen. And what started as a limited series has become an integral part of the network's programming, with Big Little Lies Season 2 kicking off rather strong.
Still, there are a ton of questions that Big Little Lies must answer in its sophomore run on the small screen, and I'm taking a look at five major plot points that need to be wrapped up before Season 2 is completed. Luckily, Big Little Lies author Liane Moriarty helped to craft Season 2's story.
Which Big Little Lies Character Will Break The Pact In Season 2?
The titular fibs of Big Little Lies went from big to much larger in the show's second season, largely due to how everything went down during Trivia Night in Season 1's finale. The women of Monterey found common ground and sisterhood in their shared trauma in the "final" Big Little Lies episode, with Bonnie pushing Perry Wright to his unexpected death in order to stop him from beating Celeste and the other ladies. Their lie to protect Bonnie has been slowly eating the women of the group from the inside -- in particular Zoe Kravitz's signature character.
Detective Quinlan and Meryl Streep's Celeste Wright are just two major Big Little Lies characters who are investigating what happened on Trivia Night. They both realize the stories told by the Monterey Five are too similar, and something just isn't adding up. As The Five's respective personal lives continue to spiral out of control, it feels like a matter of time before one of them breaks, and spills the beans sometime in Big Little Lies Season 2.
While Bonnie originally might have gotten off with self-defense or manslaughter, the communal lie surrounding Perry's death makes all the women criminals. And when things go from bad to worse throughout the course of Season 2, it'll be fascinating to see which of the main characters finally tells the truth about Trivia Night.
What’s Up With Bonnie’s Backstory?
Zoe Kravitz's Bonnie was one of the lesser-explored characters in Big Little Lies' first season. Now, she's emerged as an even more complicated figure during Season 2. Nathan's wife and Skye's mother has become super distant in the time leading up to Big Little Lies Season 2. She's clearly working through a ton of trauma and guilt as a result of stepping in at Trivia Night and accidentally killing Alexander Skarsgard's villainous character. While she saved Celeste in that moment, she wasn't intending on murdering the abusive husband and stripping the twins of their father.
Something tells me the handling of her guilt and trauma has to do with Bonnie's parents, who made their debut in Big Little Lies Season 2. There's a strange family dynamic going on, including alcoholism and spiritual practice. In Liane Moriarty's Big Little Lies novel, Bonnie's father was abusive toward her mother, which is what triggered her response to Perry. This hasn't yet been seen on the show, although every episode of Season 2 is slowly pulling back layers from Bonnie's history and character. Let's just hope she can find some peace and keep it together.
What Will Detective Quinlan Do In Big Little Lies Season 2?
Detective Quinlan might not have had a major role in the first season of Big Little Lies, but she's got a presence that continues to motivate and terrify the women this year. She was featured in brief clips throughout Season 1, revealing details about the mysterious murder victim. In the Big Little Lies finale, she's shown watching the Monterey Five give their respective statements about Perry's death. Quinlan doesn't buy any of it, claiming their stories are too similar for them to be true. And while she had no evidence, she was seen watching the women on the beach in the final sequence.
The tough character is back for Big Little Lies Season 2, and is once again shown watching the women from afar. While Renata maintains that the case is basically closed, it's clear that Quinlan isn't backing down from her search for the truth. She'll presumably have an ally in Meryl Streep's newcomer Mary Louise, who is similarly searching for the truth about her son's death. Big Little Lies characters like Renata think Quinlan is out to get them all, so it should be interesting to see what that paranoia does to them, and how it affects the detective's investigation.
Is Someone Else Going To Die During Big Little Lies Season 2?
Season 1 of Big Little Lies was centered around Trivia Night and the mysterious circumstances that resulted in an Otter Bay School parent dying. Who died and how/why wasn't revealed until the very final moments of the finale, and it was a set of plot twists that didn't fail to impress and take the wind out of audiences. In contrast, Big Little Lies Season 2 doesn't have the same framing device; there isn't one event the entire season is leading to-- at least not from what we've seen in the first few episodes.
Yet, that doesn't mean that the cast of Big Little Lies is safe. Tensions for the show rise every single episode, and will likely get much more escalated as we get into the meat of Season 2. As such, it sees like another death might happen before the second season of Big Little Lies comes to a close. It would certainly make sense given the contents of Season 1. And since the second installment isn't framed around a mysterious murder, another death might take people by surprise and be extra effective emotionally.
What Are Mary Louise's True Intentions?
During the long wait between Big Little Lies Season 2 and the first season's finale, there was one bit of information that helped the fandom deal with the hiatus. Namely, that Meryl Streep would be joining the cast of icons, playing the mother of the late Perry Wright. This is a groundbreaking move in Streep's long career, as she isn't typically seen on the small screen. While most of the narrative seemed wrapped up in the Season 1 finale, Mary Louise's arrival in Monterey provided a clear conflict for the second batch of Big Little Lies episodes.
Throughout her first few episodes, Mary Louise has proven herself to be a fierce woman, staunchly dedicated to the memory of her son. She's also the most mysterious character in Big Little Lies Season 2, as the audience isn't sure what her intentions are, and which characters she does/ doesn't like. She's the true wild card of the season, and smart money says she's going to be given some epic scenes as the episode count continues on. You just don't cast Meryl Strep without giving her plenty to do.
Are there any Big Little Lies questions I left out? Let me know in the comments section below. Be sure to check out our Summer Premiere List to plan your next binge watch.
