The second season of Big Little Lies [1] started off strong, but when HBO aired the drama's finale on Sunday night [2], we couldn't help but find ourselves asking, "so . . . that's it?"
While season one of the award-winning series began as a prestige soap opera about wealthy mothers navigating an upper class lifestyle in Monterey, California, it quickly proved to be something far more — a deeply moving, searing portrait of the secrets women shield not only from their friends, but also from themselves. In season two, the drama picks up in the aftermath of Bonnie (Zoë Kravitz) pushing the abusive husband (Alexander Skarsgård [3]) of her friend Celeste (Nicole Kidman [4]) down a flight of stairs, and how all the women who witnessed it — now dubbed the Monterey Five — are dealing with the guilt.
At first, given the excellent acting and quotable dialogue, the new episodes seemed to be a part of another winning season. Even if the plot wasn't moving anywhere, watching Celeste and Madeline (Reese Witherspoon [5]) complain about life in their cars, or seeing Renata (Laura Dern) hurling vicious insults at her husband, was enjoyable enough to keep us entertained. But then, after episodes full of awkward pacing and bizarre character arcs, we were left with a finale that gave us more questions than answers. Ahead, see our biggest grievances with season two, and then close your eyes and listen to the show's soundtrack [6] as a palate cleanser, since it remains flawless.
So . . . No One Drowned?
Since the very first episode of season two, the series has been bombarding us with not-so-subtle hints that a character would drown [8] by the finale. Would it be Bonnie, as her mother, Elizabeth [9], seemed to think? Or would it be someone else unexpected, like another husband, perhaps? In the end, it was . . . no one! Womp, womp. Despite an entire subplot about drowning, in the end it all seems to have been merely a metaphor for Bonnie being emotionally underwater ever since Perry's death.
So . . . Bonnie Didn't Kill Her Mom?
Speaking of flashbacks and visions that didn't go anywhere, what was up with all those scenes featuring Elizabeth asking her daughter to kill her? It was almost a let down in the end that Bonnie didn't do something, and that the eerie storyline hit a dead end (too morbid of a pun? Sorry). Instead of getting some kind of cathartic conclusion to the tension between Bonnie and her mother, Elizabeth wakes up briefly, has another stroke, and then is taken off life support and dies for real. It's jarring, to say the least.
So . . . Was Bonnie's Mom a Witch, or Nah?
All those visions and talismans? WE NEED TO KNOW.
So . . . Is Bonnie Divorcing Nathan?
In the finale, Bonnie casually tells Nathan that she never loved him . . . as she packs up her now-dead mother's hospital room. It's kind of wild? Sure, Bonnie has been majorly struggling throughout the season with her guilt over Perry's death, but doesn't this confession come out of left field a bit? The show seems to back up Bonnie coming to this realisation thanks to her abusive mother's reappearance and subsequent death, but we would've loved if season two had explored the ins and outs of Bonnie and Nathan's relationship more if it was all going to end like this.
So . . . What Was the Point of Introducing Tori?
Madeline Martha Mackenzie, first of her name, the unburn-able, Queen of Monterey, is outed as a cheater in season two. Her long-suffering husband, Ed, discovers the news in a pretty rough way (overhearing Madeline openly discuss it with her teenage daughter), and their relationship is instantly thrown into chaos. After a pointed conversation about her breasts in the grocery store, Ed is approached by Tori yet again following the cheating revelation, where she propositions him. And he . . . decides not to follow through? Probably? Was she just a ploy to make him realise that Madeline would always be his true love? Ugh.
So . . . Ed Is Taking Madeline Back, Just Like That?
Potential Tori dalliance aside, Ed (rightly) puts Madeline through the ringer, getting into verbal arguments, ignoring her, refusing to dance with her in disco costumes, etc. In the finale, he even mentions that he bought a punching bag to take out his aggression for Madeline on. And then, just like that, he decides they should renew their vows. Yes, seeing his wife in her wedding gown and veil in the previous episode shifted something in him, but it all felt too rushed and neat.
So . . . What Was the Point of Celeste's Lawyer?
Seriously, you guys — did she do ANYTHING?
So . . . Why Did Celeste Wait Until Court to Bring Up Raymond’s Death?
Being armed with the knowledge that the woman who wants to steal your kids away from you once inadvertently killed her young son, and then cruelly blamed that son's death on her remaining child, seems like something you'd want to bring up ASAP in a custody hearing. But, for some reason, Celeste waits until the last possible moment to fill everyone in on this unsavory detail about Mary Louise and Perry's dead brother, Raymond. What if the judge hadn't let her represent herself and question her mother-in-law? Would she have just kept this nugget of information quiet?
So . . . Is Mary Louise Just Gone?
We see her driving back up to San Francisco immediately after the custody hearing, which seems odd given how passionately she fought to take Josh and Max from Celeste and her investigation into her son's death. Don't get me wrong — Mary Louise is the worst, but it's surprising how easily and quickly she (literally) moves on from both situations. She didn't want to check in with the detective one last time?
So . . . What's Going to Happen to Renata?
Will she ever get her money back? Are she and Gordon actually going to get divorced? What will happen to Amabella? Where are they going to live? Is she going to join a softball league?
So . . . Are the Monterey Five Going to Jail?
When Bonnie decides that she's going to confess to Perry's murder, she texts Renata, Celeste, Jane, and Madeline to let them know of her plans. They all meet her at the police station and walk inside with Bonnie as a unit, with their heads held tall. But . . . that's it! That's when the show cuts to black — we never find out what their confessions entail, what the police decide to charge them with (if anything), or if anyone's going to jail. Basically all we know is that the women of the Monterey Five might be able to wipe their consciences clear, for once.
So . . . Is Celeste Going to Lose Her Kids Now, or What?
After enduring the ups and downs of the custody suit, will Celeste's confession to the cops about what happened to her husband call into question her role as a fit mother? Is Mary Louise gonna have to motor down from San Franciso and take them back?
So . . . There Really Wasn't Room For the Ice Cream Scene? REALLY?!
Come on. There was definitely room [10].