Friday, November 30, 2018

BIG LITTLE LIES

A key to understanding the rigor of this show is how thoroughly it rejects the possibility, raised by Jane, that "violence is part of Ziggy's blood." That would imply that she's to blame for hypothetical acts of violence on his part, or indeed any fallout from her fateful encounter. When in fact she's a lovely person and a very good mother, and that's never in doubt to those reading between the lines.

Instead, the finger is pointed where it really belongs. When Ziggy finally reveals the kid who's been hurting Amabella, I exclaimed "Oh my god" out loud. I knew it, but his revelation closed the enormous circle this show had been drawing. Everything made sense and it was just as horrible as it needed to be.

There's an unusual inversion to the Greek chorus conceit in BIG LITTLE LIES. The onlookers are just ignorant commentators, and the main characters' problems can't be reduced to snide quips. Everyone's pain is deeply felt and expressed. Outsiders can't understand, nor do they want to.

(Crucially, none of the supporting characters play much of a role in what unfolds. Celeste, Jane, Renata, Bonnie, and Madeline are changed forever, while the community at large can only smirk from afar. To give any more weight to the glib outside perspective would be to deny the seriousness of what was really happening in Monterey.)

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