Big Little Lies: Season 2, Episode 4 “She Knows” – Recap, Review (with Spoilers)
Mary Louise continues to be a big draw as the ladies of Big Little Lies watch their lives nearly all fall apart.
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Mary Louise continues to be a big draw as the ladies of Big Little Lies watch their lives nearly all fall apart.
| Network | ||
| HBO | ||
| Director(s) | Andrea Arnold | |
| Writer(s) | David E. Kelley | |
| Air Date | 6/30/2019 | |
| Introduced This Episode | ||
| John Davidson | John Marshall Jones | |
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Recap
One Last Hoorah!: Renata, Gordon, John
With bankruptcy court comes Renata and Gordon prepping to end their lavish lifestyle. Which includes letting a trustee, a man named John, take things over. Something that kills Renata for, as she has said ad nauseam, what she is losing is her money, years of work, and seeing the end of dreams she had for herself and her daughter.
Yet, before that happens, she has an early disco birthday party to celebrate the end to her joy.
And They Dare Say The Truth Will Set You Free: Madeline, Ed, Bonnie, Elizabeth
But another thing which weighs on Renata’s joy is Elizabeth, Bonnie’s mom, having a stroke at the disco party. Mind you, she was doing well for most of it, even though she was uncomfortable with Bonnie whispering and seeming like she was hiding something. However, with disco music playing, she was having a good time. That is until she touched Renata and got a vision which led to her collapsing. A vision which, later on, after surgery, we learn is of her seeing Bonnie drowning.
Now, why would she think that? Well, probably because Bonnie is. She, and now Celeste as well, aren’t enjoying living this lie, and it is weighing on them. Thus causing Madeline to feel a bit attacked for Celeste is her go to about everything and if she feels this way, who is she going to turn to? In a way, she’d love to turn to Ed, but even if he is back in the house, there is no sense that he is willing to be her husband again, never mind act as a friend. Leaving her feeling isolated and unsure of what to do for a rare moment in her life.
Drastic Measures For Immediate Problems: Mary Louise, Jane, Celeste, Corey
One of the main things focused on this season is the exposure of secrets or the things which eat away at us. For Jane, it is being violently raped, especially as she tries to be intimate with Corey, currently in non-sexual ways. So, with him becoming more and more important to her life, to the point she brings him to Renata’s party for her daughter, making him official, she decides it is time for the truth. Now, she doesn’t reveal Celeste’s ex-husband raped her, but she notes she was violently raped. To which Corey, ever the understanding young man, takes her hand and consoles her in silence.
Which, in many ways, I’m sure Celeste wishes Mary Louise was capable of. However, between moving into Jane’s complex to filing papers to get custody of the twins, she continues to be hell-bent on wrecking and disturbing the life of anyone who would speak ill of Perry. Making Celeste slapping her seem long overdue.
Highlights
Mary Louise
While this show is becoming more and more a soap opera each episode, partly due to Mary Louise, if not mostly, you can’t deny a consistent appeal. One which, as said each episode, makes her the driving force to watch. For with her now trying to take Celeste’s kids, so comes the question of whether she is trying to punish Celeste, redo motherhood so she can prove Perry wasn’t how he was due to her, or any other combination of answers. All of which drive you to want to understand her psyche and invest in her far more than the majority of the characters we’ve known since the series premiere.
Corey and Jane
Most of the season has been about the chicken coming to roost and people dealing with their past while standing still. With Jane, she seems to be the only one moving forward and in control. For while Madeline deals with being outed, Bonnie hides her suppressed feelings, Celeste drugs herself up, and Renata blames everyone, directly or passively, for her misery, Jane is moving on. Granted, she is struggling since moving on means not only dealing with her trauma but naming it, telling others, and even exposing Corey to that – which could have went badly.
Yet, it didn’t. Corey took Jane’s hand, and while he may not fully understand, he provides hope in ways which can’t be overstated. Creating this beautiful storyline that gives you an alternative to all the drama.
On The Fence
Everyone Else
As noted above, the show has largely just become a soap opera. One which has decent performances but I cannot express enough how glad I am this show is only 7 episodes. For, at this point, you can see them escalating drama in order to compensate for a season which really lacks a reason to exist.
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