‘Big Little Lies’: What You Need to Know Before Season 2

Step aside, all of you boring procedurals and cop shows. There’s only one show on television that truly understands drama, and it revolves around the life and lies of five elementary school mothers. Big Little Lies is coming back this week, and it’s coming back with a passive aggressively laced vengeance

Just looking at the cast list for Big Little Lies is enough to excite any savvy TV viewer. Reese Witherspoon. Nicole Kidman. Laura Dern. Shailene Woodley. Zoë Kravitz. And now Meryl freaking Streep. These six could read the phone book, and it would be awards worthy. But Big Little Lies is one of the few juicy projects that truly lives up to its insane cast.

We know you’re excited for Big Little Lies Season 2, and we’re right there with you. But ahead of June 9, you probably need a bit of a refresher about what happened two years ago in Monterey. That’s where we come in. Here’s your cheat sheet to everything Big Little Lies.

Who killed Perry Wright?

That would be a team effort. If you need a refresher, here’s how Perry Wright’s (Alexander Skarsgård) big murder went down. All of Season 1 dealt with two complicated abuse narratives. As Jane (Shailene Woodley) tried to cope with her rape, and her need to take revenge, Celeste’s (Nicole Kidman) seemingly perfect marriage was secretly a den of domestic abuse. Most of Season 1 followed Celeste and Perry’s twisted cycle of fighting and then making up. That was until Celeste decided she had enough. At the urging of her therapist, Celeste rented an apartment so that she and her two boys had somewhere to go the next time her husband hurt her.

That was the complicated backstory looming over the elementary school’s Audrey and Elvis party. The night of the party, Celeste and Jane left to comfort a crying Madeline Martha Mackenzie (Reese Witherspoon). They were later joined by Renata (Laura Dern) while Bonnie (Zoë Kravitz) watched from afar. Everything was warm and fuzzy until Perry approached.

As Perry begged his wife to stay with him, Jane recognized Perry as her rapist. Wordlessly, Madeline understood that Perry was the monster they’ve been looking for this whole time. So when Perry hit Celeste, Jane and Madeline immediately and ferociously fought back. Renata even joined in the fray. But it was Bonnie who delivered Perry’s death blow.

Bonnie pushed Perry off the edge of the balcony, a fall that ultimately killed him. Though it’s unclear why she did this in the series, Liane Moriarty’s original novel explained Bonnie’s motivations a bit better. According to the book, Bonnie was raised in an abusive household. Seeing another man hurt an innocent woman triggered a sort of primal response within her. That’s why the ever-peaceful Bonnie turned to murder than night.

Who knows the truth behind Perry’s death?

At the moment it’s just the Monterey Five. Celeste, Jane, Madeline, Renata, and Bonnie told authorities, family, and friends about Perry attacking Celeste and their attempts to stop him. However, all five conveniently left out the fact that he was pushed to his death. The way they’ve been telling it, he just fell. Whoops.

Do the police suspect anything about Perry’s death?

The most certainly do. Big Little Lies‘ first season ended with Detective Adrienne Quinlan (Merrin Dungey) suspecting that these five women know more than they let on. But what she can’t figure out is what they’re lying about and why they’re lying about it. If Season 2’s trailer can be believed, this new season will likely see the police investigate this case further.

Who knows that Perry is Ziggy’s father?

As that explosive finale proved, Ziggy’s father was actually the horrible Perry. Perry, who was using a pseudonym at the time, went back to a hotel room with Jane after a flirty meet up. It’s when they got back to the hotel that Perry brutally raped the young woman.

Ziggy was born out of that assault. For most of Season 1, Madeline and Celeste were the only ones who knew about Jane’s assault and Ziggy’s real father, though they only knew his fake name. After the murder of Perry Wright, that circle has likely expanded. Going into this new season, Renata and Bonnie likely now know that Perry was Ziggy’s father.

By the way, when Jane first met Perry she knew he was married. This in no way detracts from Jane’s assault and abuse, but when considering her close friendship with Celeste, it’s important to remember all of the complicated pieces.

What secrets is Madeline Martha Mackenzie hiding?

Besides covering up a murder, the parentage of her close friend’s kid, and Celeste’s abusive marriage, Madeline Martha Mackenzie has one other, pretty massive secret. She cheated on her husband with Joseph (Santiago Cabrera), the director of Avenue Q. This was while her own husband Steady Eddy (Adam Scott) was having his own doubts about Madeline’s love of her first husband Nathan (James Tupper), by the way.

So far the only people who know about Madeline’s infidelity are Madeline, Joseph, Joseph’s wife — oh and Madeline’s daughter. She told Abigail (Kathryn Newton) during an argument while trying to prove that she makes mistakes too. That probably wasn’t the best move. But none of the other ladies know about Madeline’s months-long cheating mistake. After getting into a suspicious car accident, Madeline and Joseph stopped sleeping together.

Does Renata still hate Jane? And who was bullying Amabella?

But enough sex and murder talk. Let’s get to the petty feuds that make this show so delicious. Amabella (Ivy Klein) stood in the center of Big Little Lies‘ first big drama last year. On the first day of school, a little boy hurt Renata’s daughter. When asked who attempted to choke her, Amabella pointed to Jane’s Ziggy (Iain Armitage).

Naturally Renata had absolutely zero chill about this bullying, and she immediately took it out on little Ziggy by not inviting him to Amabella’s birthday party. But Renata should have known not to get into a petty brawl with a girl who’s besties with the queen of the game. Madeline countered Renata’s rude invitation move by inviting most of the class to Disney on Ice. Oh, and the free show just so happened to be the same day as Amabella’s birthday party.

Things ramped up to 11 after Renata found bruises on her precious daughter’s body. A couple of meetings with the exasperated principal and many insults later, Jane actually attacked Renata, hurting her eye.

The sweet Jane can never be a villain for too long. She apologized to Renata and the two reached an impasse, acknowledging that they’re both overprotective mothers trying their best, though they’re on opposite sides of this fight. Or so they thought.

It turned out that Ziggy never touched Amabella. The culprit was actually one of Celeste’s boys who picked up the behavior from his abusive father. Season 1 ended with Renata apologizing to Jane one last time for all the grief she caused over this fight. That’s when Perry showed up and they murdered him. Long story short? Renata and Jane were feuding before, but they’re cool now.

What’s the deal with Nathan and Ed’s beef?

The short version? Nathan has too much testosterone and Ed feels intimidated by his wife’s ex-husband. That long version? Actually… that’s about it. Apart from the stray insult and some unrelenting sarcasm on Ed’s part, these two don’t really have an actual feud. They’re just two dudes who DO NOT get along and who are majorly feeding off of the beefs Madeline has with Nathan and Bonnie. Marriages are complicated.

What’s going on with Madeline and Nathan’s daughter?

Last time we saw Abigail, Madeline had talked her out of selling her virginity to bring awareness to child trafficking. Right now she’s basically OK, but she’s still at odds with her mother and desperate to carve her own way in the world. Sine she’s a teenager with Madeline’s fury and Bonnie’s sensibilities, we can definitely expect some more mother-daughter clashes in Season 2.

Remind me, what happened with the community theatre’s play?

The better question is what didn’t happen. Madeline and Joseph wanted to bring Avenue Q to Monterey to add some culture and inspire some frank conversations about sexuality, class, and diversity. The fact that almost everyone in the community seems to be straight, wealthy, and white is irrelevant. The mayor fought against allowing Avenue Q, arguing that puppet sex was a bridge too far. But Celeste-the-lawyer countered with a freedom of speech argument that ultimately saved the production.

Really, the only question you should have for Big Little Lies Season 2 is: what is the community theatre putting on this year?

Big Little Lies Season 2 premieres on HBO Sunday, June 9 at 9/8c.

Watch Big Little Lies on HBO Go and HBO NOW