Big Little Lies has been one of the most highly-anticipated TV returns of the summer, as the show once sold as a limited series (and scored a bunch of awards in that category) would go beyond the novel source material for Season 2. Legendary actress Meryl Streep signed on for the second season, and one of the scenes fans were most looking forward to was supposed to go down between Streep, Reese Witherspoon, and an ice cream cone. Specifically, the ice cream cone Witherspoon would throw at Streep.
A scene featuring Reese Witherspoon's Madeline heaving a full ice cream cone at Meryl Streep's Mary Louise was spoiled via set photos that leaked last summer. Naturally, fans wanted to know what was happening, and it didn't take long for the memes to hit social media. The fifth episode of Season 2 was the one that seemed like it would feature the big throw, but it was nowhere to be seen, and Meryl Streep was as surprised as anybody to learn that it was axed from the season. She weighed in, saying this:
[Reese] just told me it's not in the show! It's [going to be] in the DVD extras.
Well, the ice cream shot heard round the Twitter-verse may not have aired in the latest episode of Big Little Lies, but it's not going to remain a mystery forever. Meryl Streep revealed in her chat with ET that fans will just have to wait for the DVD of Season 2 to release so they can get their hands on the extras. She didn't reveal whether or not there were any bloopers from the scene, but we can always hope, right?
When the photos first leaked, there was no context for what was happening, although it seemed pretty likely that it was for the show and not Reese Witherspoon hurling ice cream at Meryl Streep just because.
In the pics, Reese Witherspoon throws the treat at Meryl Streep as Streep walks away. Not very sporting of Madeline, but now that the first five episodes of Season 2 have aired, it's easy to understand why some of the Big Little Lies ladies might be ready to throw things at Mary Louise. Waste of ice cream, though, if you ask me!
There's plenty of tension between Mary Louise and other Big Little Lies characters even without food fighting, and it's possible that including the ice cream cone would have ruined some of that tension. After all, even if the scene wasn't played for a joke, we can bet that people would be laughing and meme-ing ASAP, and it might overtake the rest of the episode.
Remember that Game of Thrones coffee cup gaffe? It almost feels like more people will think fondly of Game of Thrones Season 8 for the coffee cup mistake than... well, most of the series finale.
That's not to say that Big Little Lies Season 2 is as divisive as Game of Thrones Season 8 to the point that one minor event would take over the narrative, but the episode was no worse for not featuring Meryl Streep getting smacked by an ice cream cone.
What's in store next for Mary Louise, Madeline, and the rest on Big Little Lies? Find out when new episodes air Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO.
