5 biggest takeaways from the Season 2 premiere of Big Little Lies

Big Little Lies returns for its highly-anticipated second outing and Meryl Streep steals every scene as the deliciously unhinged Mary Louise.

Despite loving the first season of Big Little Lies, I was incredibly apprehensive upon the announcement the HBO miniseries would continue on for another. I have no qualms admitting I am no sitting here eating a pile of crow.

If the season two premiere is indicative of how juicy and sensational this season of television is going to be then, I will gladly succumb to the powerful minds of Liane Moriarty and Jean-Marc Vallee.

Meryl Streep is the biggest draw of the sophomore season as Mary Louise, the late Perry’s mother. She arrives as a looming dark presence in Celeste’s life, both literally and figuratively. We are introduced to her character in a somewhat terrifying moment in which Celeste wakens from a nightmare to see Mary Louise standing above her. She is every bit the inimitable antagonist you could ever want.

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The series wastes no time diving into the maelstrom of Monterey Bay during the first day of school. Each woman is striving to move forward in their life, but the dark uniting secret of Perry’s death keeps resurfacing.

5. Celeste is experiencing debilitating nightmares.

As I mentioned briefly above, Celeste has begun experiencing intense nightmares on an almost nightly basis. Often she sleeps with her two twin sons in the bed beside her. You can imagine how frightening it would be to hear your mother screaming in her sleep. Perry is the central figure of her terror. The nightmares startle her enough to make a return to therapy. It quickly becomes apparent that Celeste blames herself for Perry’s death.

“You’re still married Celeste, and the husband is dead,” her therapist points out. Even with Perry out of the picture, his message lives on. How can it not when she is under the constant watchful eye of Mary Louise? A woman so calculated and conniving, she’s almost like a giant bat waiting to swoop in on the carrion of her daughter-in-law at the opportune moment.

Come episode’s end, Celeste experiences another nightmare and Mary Louise is there as a comforting presence, a system of support. Only when Celeste’s heartbeat has  begun to slow back to normal and her guard has fallen, does she pounce and deliver the final sentence of the episode – “So, who are we killing?” She listens to everything, even Celeste’s shouts of distress become fodder in her canon of evidence that she had more to do with Perry’s death than she wants to let on.

4. Abigail doesn’t want to go to college.

As eager as Madeline is to put Perry behind her and move forward with her life, her family isn’t necessarily on the same page. At least not in the way she wants them to be. Abigail, her eldest daughter (played by The Society’s Kathryn Newton) doesn’t want to go to college. The notion is unacceptable to Madeline who didn’t go to college herself and doesn’t want her to daughter to go down the same path.

How can Madeline put her life on track and move forward if the pieces aren’t fitting where they’re supposed to? Abigail isn’t aware she’s throwing off her mother’s gravitas. Her outburst about not caring about homeless people is likely not even entirely about her daughter’s decision, and it’s about her perfect plan crumbling around her. Bonnie acting strange and potentially attracting unwanted attention in addition to Mary Louise’s sly comments and now Abigail lashing out all form a storm Madeline will have to weather.