Critical Condition: Big Little Lies (S2)

Big Little Lies | SoHo, 1.00/8.30 Monday

☆☆☆☆ “Through its first three episodes, the new season of HBO’s Big Little Lies may not be as cleanly structured as the first season or have its carefully varied shifts in tone — both possibly positives for some viewers — but TV this summer will offer few pleasures as pure as watching Meryl Streep conduct a passive-aggressive symphony opposite the likes of Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman and Laura Dern.” — The Hollywood Reporter.

☆☆☆☆ “Surprisingly, even shockingly, almost everything about season 1 that was overwrought and overdone has been ratcheted down. What was given insufficient exposure—specifically, Laura Dern—has been ratcheted up. And what’s entirely new to the game—namely Meryl Streep—is close to perfection.” — Wall Street Journal.

☆☆☆☆ “Big Little Lies quickly proves that its primary worry isn’t the latent concern that someone might find out about the colossal lie at its centre. It’s far more interested in sifting through the visceral aftermath and continuing to untangle the ferocious knots of shame, fury, and melancholy strangling just about everyone — whether they want to admit it or not … Even when Season 2 is messy — and it is, more often than not — the mess at least feels like the point.” — Variety.

☆☆☆☆ “In its second season, Big Little Lies remains the same moody suspense-drama that fans fell in love with during its initial run. There are no jarring formula changes or new gimmicks to keep it going; this is simply the second half of the same story, with a very slight break in time, and it works. Even though it is a bit too heady to truly serve as an avenue of escape for audiences, Big Little Lies Season 2 will still transport you right back to Monterey, wherein the water is warm but the wine is chilled.” — TV Guide.

☆☆☆☆ “The question is now what these women will become; who they will try to be. If they can claw their way to another happy ending, or if they will resign themselves to their own weaknesses. If it’s almost too delicious to watch them figure it out, maybe that’s the point: Big Little Lies understands nothing more than it understands the weight, the power, and the ubiquity of feminine guilt.” — Vanity Fair.