Big Little Lies Season 2: Everything We Know So Far

On June 9th, 2019, a new web of lies will be spun. Welcome to MsMojo and today we’ll be discussing everything we know so far about Big Little Lies Season 2. If you haven’t seen the first season of this HBO drama series, go watch it now before we spoil everything! Initially, “Big Little Lies” was intended to be a limited series that covered the entirety of Liane Moriarty’s novel. Aside from having no more source material to adapt, Season 1 director Jean-Marc Vallée felt the ending was “perfect.” In a Vulture interview, Vallée stressed that the show “was meant to be a one-time deal, and it’s finishing in a way where it’s for the audience to imagine what can happen. If we do a Season 2, we’ll break that beautiful thing and spoil it.” Shortly after the series swept the Primetime Emmy awards, however, Vallée had a change of heart, telling TV Line that “it’d be great to reunite the team.” 3 months later, HBO officially gave “Big Little Lies” the greenlight for a second season. According to the official synopsis, Season 2 will “continue to explore the malignancy of lies, the durability of friendships, the fragility of marriage and, of course, the vicious ferocity of sound parenting.” The sophomore season picks up where we last left Reese Witherspoon’s Madeline, Shailene Woodley’s Jane, Zoë Kravitz’s Bonnie, Nicole Kidman’s Celeste, and Laura Dern’s Renata, who find themselves in a police lineup. Still wearing their Audrey Hepburn garb, the ladies are brought into police custody immediately after the death of Celeste’s abusive husband Perry, who Bonnie pushed down a flight of stairs. As we learned at the end of Season 1, the ladies manage to convince the authorities that Perry’s death was an accident. They remain very much in the public eye, however, earning a reputation as the Monterey 5. In the midst of all the controversy, Renata faces a marriage crisis with her husband Gordon (Jeffrey Nordling). Meanwhile, Jane is still coping with the revelation that Perry was her rapist and the father of her son Ziggy (Iain Armitage). We’ll be seeing “a lot more of Bonnie in Season 2,” according to Kravitz, which isn’t surprising given the hand she played in Perry’s death. In addition to Kravitz’s expanded role, Kathryn Newton as Madeline’s oldest daughter Abigail and Sarah Sokolovic as Joseph’s wife Tori are being upgraded to series regulars. Also among the returning cast members are Adam Scott as Madeline’s husband Ed, James Tupper as Madeline’s ex-husband Nathan, and Merrin Dungey as Detective Quinlan. In addition to the original cast, a few new faces will be arriving in Monterey, California, including Denis O'Hare from “True Blood” as Ira Farber and Poorna Jagannathan from “The Night Of” as Katie Richmond. Crystal Fox from “The Haves and the Have Nots” has landed a series regular role as Elizabeth Howard, Bonnie’s mother. Rounding out the recurring players are Mo McRae from “Sons of Anarchy” as a school teacher, Douglas Smith from “Big Love” as a surfer who works with Jane, and Martin Donovan from “Weeds” as Bonnie’s father. Although Jean-Marc Vallée expressed interest in a second season, he’ll be handing directorial duties over to Andrea Arnold. Winning an Oscar for her short film “Wasp” in 2005, Arnold has gone to direct feature-length indies like “American Honey.” She’s no stranger to television either, having directed 4 episodes of “Transparent” and “I Love Dick” each. Arnold is helming all 7 episodes of “Big Little Lies” Season 2 while Vallée remains an executive producer. Creator David E. Kelley had nothing but praise for Arnold at a TV Critics Association panel, saying that she “really mines the emotional center of character and story.” Kelley penned every episode of Season 1 and he’ll be doing the same for Season 2. At the TCA panel, Kelley discussed the pressure of scribing a follow-up season worthy of its acclaimed predecessor. “We didn’t want to do this unless we could at least have fair shot of living up to the bar of what we set in year one,” he stated, “We didn’t finally agree to set sail until we had the commitment on bank from all of us that this was storyline that we were all passionate about.” Although there isn’t a sequel to the 2014 novel, author Liane Moriarty provided Kelley with a novella that served as a guide for Season 2. [12] According to Reese Witherspoon, “It helped that the characters were alive in [Moriarty’s] mind.” Witherspoon also touched upon the themes that’ll be explored this season, with trauma being at the story’s core. As seen in the previous season, Jane is still dealing with the trauma of her sexual assault and confronting her rapist is bound to open old wounds. Bonnie must deal with the trauma of being responsible for another person’s death, giving her character whole new dimensions. Although Celeste is finally free from Perry, that doesn’t mean the emotional and physical scars he inflicted are going away anytime soon. On top of the trauma brought on by her abusive marriage, Celeste must also deal with the arrival of Perry’s mother. In a supporting role that’s already generating Emmy buzz, Meryl Streep joins the main cast as Mary Louise Wright, who isn’t convinced that her son’s death was an accident. Mary Louise wants answers, although it’s unclear what she’s planning to do with the truth. On one hand, she might decide to keep the secret, recognizing that Perry was a sadistic sociopath. If this mother loved her son unconditionally, though, Mary Louise may be looking to bring down the Monterey 5. With Celeste behind bars, this would also leave Mary Louise free to take custody of her grandchildren. Speaking of Perry, actor Alexander Skarsgård will reprise his role in Season 2 as well. You might be wondering how that’s going to work, seeing how Perry is pushing daisies. Skarsgård teased at the Golden Globes that maybe Perry isn’t really dead, although all signs seem to indicate that he’s six feet under. The more likely explanation is that Perry will reappear through flashbacks or maybe dream sequences. In any case, his presence is sure to cast a menacing shadow over Monterey. Although Season 2 is guaranteed to be another ratings hit for HBO, the network has yet to announce a third season. When asked about the possibility of Season 3, Kelley said, “We like our closure at the end of Season 2, so that will probably be it.” Although Kidman confirmed that there was “no plan,” she also hinted that there originally wasn’t even going to be a Season 2. So, you never know what’ll happen down the line. After all, when you work on a show that’s literally called “Big Little Lies,” you’re inclined to get pretty good at covering up the truth.