Tell-Tale TV Series Premiere Panels: Big Little Lies

HBO’s latest drama is an adaptation of Liane Moriarty’s 2014 novel, Big Little Lies, which features the, surprisingly, drama-filled world of the parents of kindergartners.

Throughout the premiere, we learn that sometime in the future a school fundraiser ended with someone dead. While everyone’s lives may look relatively normal or even perfect, there’s definitely something off about the families with children attending Otter Bay Elementary School.

Below, some of our writers share their thoughts on Big Little Lies Season 1 Episode 1. Join the discussion by leaving your thoughts in a comment below.

Our panelists are

• Caralynn Lippo, staff writer for Tell-Tale TV
• Milka Väinämö, staff writer for Tell-Tale TV
• Amanda Steinmetz, staff writer for Tell-Tale TV
• Marisa DiPaolo, staff writer for Tell-Tale TV
• Nora Williamson, staff writer for Tell-Tale TV

Did you enjoy the premiere?

Marisa: YES! I had very high expectations for this premiere, so of course I was ready to be let down. But the first episode was everything I hoped it would be. I was immediately captivated by the plot, and the incredible cast and direction kept me on my feet throughout the hour.

Milka: I really did! Once upon a time, I read like the first 100 pages of this book, never finishing it, and I am happy now because I rather see the mystery unraveling itself on screen.

The cast is incredible, and, while I pretty much hate every single one of these characters (except Adam Scott’s character, because it just isn’t possible for me to have hateful feelings towards Adam Scott), it worked out here, and I can’t wait to see what happens next.

Nora: Yes! I read the book (and all of Liane Moriarty’s books), and the premiere was great. I read the book quite a while ago, so I remember the main gist of it, but there are so many details that I don’t recall.

One of the biggest differences from page to screen is the setting. Liane Moriarty’s books usually take place in Sydney, so it took a while for me to accept it. The cast is amazing and even though I am familiar with the story, I was still very intrigued by the setup.

Amanda: I was hooked right away. Despite the heightened lifestyle of these characters, the little peeks we’ve gotten into their inner lives so far made everything more grounded. I haven’t read the book, but I do know the gist of what happens due to spoilers and time since the book was released.

Caralynn: I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it! Right off the bat, I was interested in nearly every single one of the characters and found them all to be varying degrees of intriguing and sympathetic. I especially want to know more about the past of Shailene Woodley’s character.

What’s the show’s biggest problem?

Marisa: The biggest — and only — problem for me was Shailene Woodley. Before watching, she was one of the actresses I was most excited about. But when her character was first introduced, I’m sad to say that I didn’t quite buy it.

Maybe it’s because the last several films I’ve seen her in had her playing a teenager, but I struggled to believe she was a single mom befriended by Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman. I’d have been less surprised if she were cast as Kidman’s daughter.

I will say that, as the episode went on, I grew less and less bothered by Woodley’s casting. And with such an enthralling plot line for her character, I’ll certainly be pushing myself to suspend all disbelief and just enjoy the show.

Milka: For like the first 20 minutes or so I was slightly overwhelmed by the structure of the show, and how it cuts back between the brief interrogation scenes and everything else.

This “problem” fixes itself though as it gets more consistent and proves that it actually has a purpose within the overall narrative structure of the show.

Nora: I didn’t find it hard to believe that Shailene Woodley was cast as a single mom. She’s supposed to be young (and I think IRL Woodley is 25), but I agree with Marisa that I found it hard to believe that she was befriended by Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman’s characters. It happened really quickly, but I guess that had a lot to do with Madeline’s personality.

I also agree with Milka. The structure jarred me a bit at first, but by the end, I really liked seeing these outsider opinions of the main characters.

Amanda: The structure doesn’t bother me so far. If the scenes between the past and the present stay consistent, I’ll be fine with it.

I hate to say the weakest character so far to me was Shailene Woodley’s Jane. Perhaps it’s because her character feels so out of place amongst the other women. I’ll see how I feel about her after the next episode.

Caralynn: I’m with Milka as well — the back-and-forth structure was a bit much and a bit confusing. There were just so many different people giving police interviews, and I struggled to remember who they were (or if we were even supposed to know who most of them were).

I foresee dragging out the mystery of who died for too long could potentially be a problem.

Who or what do you want to see more of?

Marisa: I want more of any and all things to do with Reese Witherspoon and Adam Scott’s relationship! This unlikely combination proved just interesting enough to work, and I’m hoping to see much more of their marriage.

Will Adam’s character have the quirky charm to match Reese’s already overbearing-yet-loveable Madeline? And am I crazy, or would Ben Wyatt and Elle Woods actually make an adorable couple?

Milka: Adam Scott. I also think the relationship between Celeste and Perry will be interesting as the show gets more into it — after that discussion they had about Ziggy and their twins, he looks like a freaking predator while he looks at her.

The feeling I got from this opening episode also makes me think that this show could offer interesting portrayals of different kind of womanhood as it seems there’s this drift between different type of mothers and so on. I also have a feeling things will get much more complicated once these characters start to interact more with each other.

Nora: I want to know Jane Chapman’s backstory. Who is Ziggy’s father? Why do we keep seeing her in that blue party dress?

I also am fascinated by Celeste and Perry. They really do seem like a perfect couple, but seeing Perry snap and grab Celeste like that was really terrifying. Anyone who watched True Blood knows how beautiful but frightening Aleksander Skarsgard can be.

I also want to see more of Renata. She’s an interesting character. She is definitely not like-able, but Laura Dern does a good job of making her seem like a multi-dimensional character. I think it will be harder in the episodes to come to choose a side between Team Renata and Team Madeline.

Amanda: I am really curious to learn more about Celeste and Perry. Their relationship appears perfect from the outsider’s perspective, but there is clearly emotional and probably physical abuse going on behind closed doors.

Despite my lackluster feelings about Jane, I am interested to get insight into her past.

Caralynn: I was to learn about Jane Chapman’s backstory as well and more about the circumstances of Ziggy’s conception — there was definitely some mystery there. The gun under the pillow was a big red flag, obviously.

I also want to know more about WTF is going on with Celeste and Perry’s obviously painful relationship.

What was your favorite quote/moment from the premiere?

Marisa: “None of us really sees things as they are, we see things as we are.” Zoe Kravitz’ character was by no means my favorite, but this line struck a chord with me and my life at the moment. And in terms of the show, it really got me thinking about the women and their complicated stories.

Each character has so many secrets to be uncovered, making it impossible to see them for what’s behind all the lies. And something tells me the series will be playing with audience’s perceptions of “things as they are” until the very end.

Milka: Right now that I think back on the first episode, one of the things that got me most intrigued was the play with the narrative structure and how that will probably be used in the following episodes to give the viewer more clues about what happened and to whom.

While it wasn’t necessarily my favorite moment, I found the discussion Madeleine and Abigail have by the piano about the nature of their relationship really touching and raw.

Nora: Madeline says, “Bruises heal but stigmas can last forever,” and that really stuck with me. It’s a great line and very pertinent to the story. Like Milka, I also really liked the scene with Madeline and Abigail by the piano. The look on Abigail’s face as she watched her mother look at Chloe was heartbreaking!

Amanda: I don’t know if it’s a favorite scene, but seeing Jane put the gun under her pillow had me guessing as to what she’s running from. I also loved watching all the other women describe Celeste and Perry’s relationship. It ties in perfectly with how we are perceived by others when they have no clue of we are when no one is looking.

Caralynn: I loved Madeleine’s conversation with her oldest daughter. It made her character seem much more sympathetic, and Reese Witherspoon gave a raw, convincing performance.

Big Little Lies airs Sunday at 9/8c on HBO.

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