Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
Like most HBO-subscribing women of America, I was damn excited to watch the finale of Big Little Lies last night. Who dies? Who did it? What other fabulously bitchy things will Reese Witherspoon say? All those questions were answered, but many more were not, and that’s why I’m highly disappointed with this hour of television.
Spoilers ahoy!
Our finale finds the elite parents of Monterey, California at their beloved Audrey and Elvis party, because rich white people want to pretend they are those iconic celebrities for just one night, and who would dare tell them no? Adam Scott relives his Step Brothers days and gets a singing voiceover while he stands on stage in a Hawaiian shirt. It is revealed that Amabella (a name that still makes my blood boil) was being bullied by Max, one of Celeste’s (Nicole Kidman) twin boys, and the mothers handle that accordingly amongst themselves. When they all gather outside the party to discuss and regroup, particularly Celeste who had been kicked in the stomach earlier in the evening by her husband Perry (Alexander Skarsgård), many pieces of information are revealed.
It was in fact Perry who raped Jane (Shailene Woodley) and is the father of Ziggy. He’s very angry and wants to talk to Celeste as she desperately tries to end their relationship and move into an apartment (still with that oceanfront view, of course). Bonnie (Zoe Kravitz), suspecting something is wrong, follows the group outside and watches…until it all devolves into a brutal brawl of Perry vs. ladies, with Bonnie “saving the day” by pushing him down the stairs; the same ones Madeline so frequently pushed police tape aside to teeter up and down.
Ok cool, so the abuser is “taken care” of and life goes on and everything is great so let’s sit on the beach and smile. Or, maybe not. For starters, abusive relationships so very rarely end this way. And if they do, someone goes to jail, even if it’s out of self-defense. For people that are not rich or are not white, there is a lifetime of struggle and bruises and if not physical then for sure mental abuse. This kind of abusive relationship is terrible for anyone, no matter their bank account. But the fact that this show tied it up so neatly in a pretty bow, really misses an opportunity to explain that these situations don’t just end with a tumble down the stairs. How many women really and truly get the chance to just put on a pretty dress and a pearl necklace and big sunglasses and get to kiss all that pain goodbye? Not for nothing, but it would’ve been interesting to take one more trip to Celeste’s therapist.
And the fact that of the whole group, it’s the non-white lady that commits the crime? It’s just a bit cringe-y. Bonnie’s going to have to do a whole lot of downward dogs to clear her mind of this action.
But the main, underlying theme of the entire show, is that it’s ok. Everything works out for rich people, and even friends of rich people. Jane’s rapist is gone, hooray! Celeste and the boys won’t have to live in a cramped overpriced apartment. Madeline (Reese Witherspoon) still carries the guilt of cheating, but sitting on a porch overlooking the ocean with a glass of wine sure takes the edge off that. They can all sit on the beach and smile their tight smiles, putting their past behind them.
But abuse and rape and cheating on your spouse don’t go away even if the culprit does. While the very last shot of the show suggested these women were being watched, and gave a glimmer of hope for a second season, that might make for the even more interesting story to be told. How DO these women move on? How do the struggles continue? And how much does the therapist raise her rate to deal with this group?
Oh, and let’s not forget that Celeste further perpetuates her misfortune by telling Max, the elementary school abuser, that what he did is ok as long as he tells the truth. Hi, Max? No it’s not. It’s not ok. You cannot put your hands on a classmate, no matter what terrible name their parents chose for them. Celeste has a lot to work through on her own, but setting her child straight should be a priority as well.
Big Little Lies was an incredible miniseries, with some of the best acting we’ve seen from these women in quite some time. Please, engrave Kidman’s name on any and all statues now. Witherspoon has become our nation’s collective BFF once again, and no eye patch can cover up the talent of Laura Dern. The show was so twisty and intriguing and delicious throughout, which is what makes this spoiled taste in my mouth from the finale so unfortunate. The Greek chorus of testimonies really made us think that something unexpected and surprising would happen. Could something actually happen to one of these pretty ladies, no matter how many dollar bills they have shielding them? Nope.
We leave this series believing, wow, rich people have problems too, but somehow, everything is still able to turn out ok for them. Well, except for the HBO miniseries telling their story, because that turned out to be kind of a bummer.
