Big Little Lies Review: Tell-Tale Hearts (Season 2 Episode 2)

Big Little Lies Season 2 Episode 2, “Tell-Tale Hearts,” is aptly named as the truth begins to catch up with Monterey Five in a variety of ways while each woman begins to question her sanity and reality.

“The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe is the story of a person trying to convince the reader of the narrator’s sanity while simultaneously telling the story of a murder they committed.

As we saw on the previous episode Perry’s death, the way they covered it up, and the guilt of each of their personal secrets is weighing on all of them in different ways, Bonnie being the most affected and Renata the least, with everyone else falling somewhere in between. , 

Bonnie: It’s gonna get us, it’s gonna get us all.

Madeline: What are you talking about?

Bonnie: The lie. 

CELESTE

We open this episode with a seemingly intoxicated Celeste having flashbacks to a tryst in her car and then promptly crashing it into the guardrail as she dozes in and out of reality. The man she’s sleeping with is really unclear, and at first, even the timeframe is uncertain. But we are led to believe that that’s where she spent the previous night and this is just one of the ways that she is just a passenger in her life as it spirals out of her control.

Thankfully, Celeste is continuing to go to therapy, and in all honesty, maybe she should start going more frequently. Dr. Amanda Reisman is great at gently getting Celeste to understand the reality of how badly she was abused and the lasting ramifications of that abuse in every aspect of her life. 

Going through the exercise of putting her closest friend in her place is an extremely effective technique. Celeste goes from remembering herself in that position believing she must have done something to deserve it and convincing herself that she still loves Perry, to violently, almost screaming in protest as she imagines Madeline in her place. 

Kidman really acts the hell out of this scene as she goes through Celeste’s memories, her face and body language taking the audience to that dark place are brilliantly intercut with the things she’s picturing. 

Dr. Reisman: Did Madeline deserve that? Should Madeline stay in that relationship?

We are often much better at taking care of the people we love than we are at taking care of ourselves. Having Celeste go through these steps shows her that she didn’t deserve what happened to her and she doesn’t deserve to keep punishing herself now that Perry is gone. 

It would be one thing if Celeste was able to process this entirely on her own and move through this as just a widow, but now she is a single mother and Perry’s abuse and his death have left a mark on their children too. 

Josh and Max’s violent behavior towards each other reaches a fever pitch when Celeste is triggered by it, reacting in an outburst that both hurts her kids and reveals some uncomfortable truths in front of Mary Louise. 

Celeste: No! You will not be like him!

Mary Louise manages to instill fear and discomfort in both Celeste and the audience with little more than a stern look. Her insistent refusal to believe that her son could be anything less than perfect, turning his crimes back against the women he abused and assaulted is something that victims deal with on a regular basis. It is because of people like her that victims don’t report their abuse and women are gaslit into believing they deserved it, or it was their fault in some way. 

Each piece of information that Mary Louise wrings out of Celeste and the others makes her more and more dangerous. She wants someone to pay for the death of her son and Celeste is in her crosshairs. 

The unspoken communication between Celeste, Jane, and Madeline when they realize that Perry is the one who raped Jane remains one of the best and most striking moments in television history. Because we’ve seen each of their stories, we completely understand why it is so easy for Celeste to believe Jane. All of the pieces fit together seamlessly. 

However, Mary Louise has built her son up to be a shining beacon of perfection and she refuses to believe he’s anything less than the image she has of him in her head. It doesn’t line up for her and her loyalty to her son’s memory outweighs her willingness to believe other women. 

In contrast to Jane, Celeste keeps telling her children that Perry was a kind and wonderful person. I understand her desire to let her kids believe that, but they clearly saw more of his abuse than she realized. Telling them that he was all of these good things can only lead to them equating his behavior with being good. If their father was an amazing person while beating the hell out of their mother, they can still be amazing boys while being violent to each other and their classmates. 

JANE

The mature and gentle way that Jane speaks to Ziggy about extremely complicated issues, and the way she always has, is part of what makes her the best parent on Big Little Lies. Watching her explain the truth to Ziggy about who his father was, why she didn’t tell him sooner, and what assault means is nothing short of heartbreaking. 

I’m really pleased and impressed with the way that Jane doesn’t shy away from these heavy topics. She doesn’t try to lie to Ziggy or pretend that everything is fine; she holds him close and tells him the truth in the best way she knows how and in a way that he can understand. In spite of the promise she made to Celeste, Ziggy comes first, he is the most important thing in Jane’s world. 

Even with all of the tragedy surrounding Ziggy’s very existence, the connection between him and Jane is one of the best parental relationships on Big Little Lies. I’m proud of Jane and looking forward to more of her story. 

MADELINE

Mary Louise continues to rile Madeline up each time they meet, and I for one cannot wait to see Madeline throw an ice cream cone at her head. Now that she knows what kind of person she’s dealing with Madeline stands her ground and delivers some absolutely stinging clap backs. Meanwhile, Mary Louise remains cold and calculating as she plays the long game against both Madeline and Celeste. 

Madeline: Am I the bully in this scenario?

Mary Louise: On your awesome days I suspect you are a godsend. On your bad days…decidedly less so. 

Unfortunately for Madeline, Mary Louise is the least of her worries on “Tell-Tale Hearts.” Ever the town gossip, Madeline’s tendency to not be able to keep her mouth shut is something she’s passed along to both of her daughters. First, we learn that Chloe overheard the truth about Perry being Ziggy’s dad and told different pieces of that to Max, Josh, and Ziggy. Then Abigail accidentally outs Madeline’s affair to Ed. 

Chloe is exactly the kind of chaotic that I adore, and I have no doubt she’ll be even more of a Monterey queen bee than her mother when she grows up. As a child, I don’t think Chloe has any idea what the bigger implications are surrounding the things she learned and shared and she was truly just following in her mother’s footsteps. That serves a sort of wake up call for Madeline to examine how she behaves when she thinks no one is watching.

 

I love that Chloe’s apology feels completely genuine while also being an absolute ploy to get her phone back. We’ve all been that kid, don’t lie. 

Ed has his reasons to be upset with Madeline, especially when the truth of her affair comes out, but not telling him about the Perry/Ziggy situation isn’t one a good enough reason to fight with her if you ask me. That secret is not hers to share. Married couples should feel comfortable telling each other everything, but Ed should also realize that this particular secret had absolutely nothing to do with him or Madeline and her choice to simply not share that with him shouldn’t hit him this hard. 

Madeline: Can you understand and maybe contemplate for a minute the fundemental violation of a woman’s privacy when you’re talking about rape?

If Ed has suspicions about Madeline hiding other things from him he should just say that, don’t couch it in being upset that she didn’t tell you someone else’s secrets. 

It’s also bold of Ed to assume we’ve forgotten that he was introduced to us a someone who doesn’t see his teenage step-daughter as his child. The hint that Ed had predatory feelings towards Abigail is something that’s been completely swept under the rug since the Big Little Lies pilot, but I don’t need my eyes checked to confirm that it was inappropriate. 

Madeline’s affair was bound to catch up with her eventually. I’m glad that they’re getting this out fairly early in the season. While Madeline is definitely in the wrong because she shouldn’t have cheated on her husband, I simply can’t bring myself to be that upset for Ed. He seems decent enough on the surface, but there’s a lot of entitled energy lurking beneath the surface. 

Ed is very much a “nice guy” so he expects to be rewarded for doing the absolute bare minimum to not be a terrible person. 

BONNIE

Mary Louise isn’t the only mother coming to town; Nathan’s concern for Bonnie leads him to call for back up, bringing in her parents for the first time. While I don’t think this reunion goes the way he had planned, it is overall effective in getting Bonnie to begin connecting with her own family again. 

 

Bonnie’s mother, Elizabeth, expertly gets to the point of things within a day of being in town but her abrasiveness (and her drinking problem) makes both Bonnie and Nathan resistant to giving her the time of day. 

The introduction of her somewhat supernatural abilities that allow her to have visions, whether true or metaphorical, is an interesting choice. It serves well as a set up for both Bonnie’s future struggles and the turmoil that Madeline and Renata are now facing in their personal lives, but I’m not sure how I feel about the way it’s framed here. Let me know your thought’s in the comments!

I think even more than her mother’s presence and the way she makes Bonnie feel exposed, Skye’s fears and her realization that this is affecting her daughter in negative ways is what begins to pull Bonnie back towards being able to connect to her family. Her guilt and her own PTSD from the night of the fundraiser are still very present but she may finally be able to start processing it in a healthy way. 

RENATA

Listen, not to be dramatic but can we push Gordon down a flight of stairs next? I’ll be honest and go ahead and say that I have never really cared for a single man on Big Little Lies, but Gordon has always been a little extra skeevy. After learning that he selfishly “bet the ranch” for his own gain, I’m ready for Renata to mow him down with her Tesla. 

Renata: I will NOT not be rich! 

On “Tell-Tale Hearts” we get small hints about Renata’s past and how she built herself and her life into an empire. We can gather that she wasn’t born with this kind of money and power, and she fought for every bit of what she has tooth and nail. Gordon may have also been rich, nothing about him tells me that Renata ever needed him to get where she is today, and now all of her hard work could come crumbling down because of him. 

Can we just take a minute to appreciate the character development that led to Renata being able to talk about this with Madeline? A year ago Renata wouldn’t have said a word about this kind of personal scandal to anyone, let alone her arch nemesis Madeline Mackenzie. I am very here for these two plotting against garbage men for the rest of eternity. 

Laura Dern absolutely steals this episode with her line delivery and I volunteer to let her scream at me anytime. Renata began the series as maybe the least dynamic of the Monterey Five, as she was sort of instantly made out to be the enemy. But with each episode, we learn a little more about her, and while she may be absolutely bananas she comes with her own history and baggage. She is fiercely protective of what she has and of her daughter because she had to work for it. 

I’m excited to simultaneously be utterly baffled by her privilege and amazed by her power as she fights to keep it. 

Above all, each of these women loves their children more than anything and they will go to any lengths to protect them in their own ways. The final moments of “Tell-Tale Hearts” anchors us in that truth. None of these women are perfect, but for the most part, they are all doing the best they can. Big Little Lies is bringing us so many different portrayals of motherhood, both good and bad, and I can’t wait for more. 

OTHER THOUGHTS:

• Jane and Bonnie doing hot yoga together is delightful, more of this, please. 
• The kids’ new teacher is great and I love him. He is the only man on the show with my full support. 
• The subtle touch of Mary Louise picking up a toy gun and sword after Celeste’s outburst with the boys is such a clever way to highlight the way violence and the normalization of it has seeped into so many corners of our lives. 
• Ed and Nathan’s weird relationship is hilarious. Should I get the measuring tape out?
• Renata wearing red to the courthouse, specifically to stand out, and then mentally spiraling into imagining everyone laughing at her is a really great look at her mental state right now. Perfection on the outside, panic on the inside. 
• If Big Little Lies thinks I am interested in Corey the aquarium guy they are sorely mistaken. I was barely interested in coffee shop Tom, and as much as I would love to see Jane have a happy successful relationship, this ain’t it. 
• What’s hiding in Bonnie’s past that makes her mother ask what she’s done “this time?”
• I still want Jane and Celeste to kiss. Let them bond over their shared trauma and be moms together, thank you. 

 

What did you think of this episode of Big Little Lies? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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

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