We finally know the answer to the mystery on ‘Big Little Lies,’ and it was so satisfying
HBO
Shailene Woodley and Reese Witherspoon in the “Big Little Lies” series finale.
Warning: There are spoilers ahead for the “Big Little Lies” series finale.
If you haven’t been watching “Big Little Lies,” watch it right now and stop reading — there are seriously big spoilers ahead.
On Sunday night, we finally found out the resolution to the big mystery that “Big Little Lies” has been leading up to ever since the first episode.
Every episode provided some clues via the Greek chorus of school moms, dads, and teachers — and Madeline (Reese Witherspoon) going up and down some stairs despite the caution tape — but it was all vague enough that we could never tell who murdered whom, and how.
The intense, thrilling, and chilling series finale answered every question we had in a completely satisfying way. (Just as satisfying as watching Sansa Stark leave Ramsay Bolton to his hounds on “Game of Thrones.”)
Most importantly, the murder didn’t take away from the show’s best and arguably most important storyline: Perry’s (Alexander Skarsgård) abuse of Celeste (Nicole Kidman) and Jane (Shailene Woodley). Perry’s death puts the women at the forefront and doesn’t diminish the domestic-abuse storyline that the show so impressively pulled off.
The twist that Perry was the man who raped Jane and was Ziggy’s father was expected. But the wordless and beautifully acted scene in which this is revealed was the perfect way to tell the audience. We didn’t need an explanation, because we’ve pretty much known the whole time. We just needed a confirmation with some of the best facial acting HBO has ever seen.
A lot of people also expected Perry to be the one to die, but expected Jane, Celeste, or Madeleine to be the one pulling the trigger. But there was no trigger, and none of the leading ladies killed him. Instead, it was Bonnie (Zoë Kravitz), a secondary character who, up until murdering Perry, mostly minded her own business. At some point, everyone who watched the show probably asked themselves, “What is Zoë Kravitz doing here?” Well, Zoë Kravitz was there to push Perry down some very violent stairs.
Another satisfying thing about the “Big Little Lies” finale, and the show in general, was the sense of female unity and empowerment. The limited series ends with all the women (Madeleine, Celeste, Jane, Bonnie, and Renata) on the beach with their kids, smiling and laughing and having a good time, as if they didn’t murder anyone. So often women in television and film are pitted against each other. And while throughout the series some of these women hated each other, it ends with them being friends — something that is sadly rare and a delight to see on TV. Sure, it took an abusive man getting impaled by some stair construction to get there, but here we are.
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