YMMV / Big Little Lies

• Alternative Character Interpretation:
  • Perry is the one that suggests he and Celeste go back to marriage counselling. And during the first session, he's the one who's honest about them hitting each other. Does he sincerely want to improve their marriage? Or is this just him trying to justify his worse behaviour?
  • Does Ms Barnes realise exactly how poor her judgement was on induction day? She notably deals with any further matters on the Ziggy/Amabella situation privately between the parents - suggesting she's trying to make up for starting the whole mess in the first place.
• Awesome Music: The show has been praised for its choice of background pop, whether indie or obscure, from its theme song to songs by Motown legends like Diana Ross and The Temptations. Fans of Call Me by Your Name rejoiced when a song from its soundtrack blasted through Jane's earphones in season 2.
• Base-Breaking Character:
  • Madeline, given her busybodying and moments of spite, particularly at Bonnie. Although she is defending her new friend Jane from a bigger and more powerful enemy in Renata, some of her tactics are (unnecessarily) too forceful and mean, considering that the reason for doing them is none of her business. Some may cheer at her antics whereas other viewers would find her a pest.
  • Renata is bad-tempered, aggressive and is a walking Refuge in Audacity. She is also witty, intelligent and cares about her child. This makes her either an irredeemable bitch who deserved Jane's violent confrontation or a Jerkass Woobie, but even Renata fans admit that she'd be insufferable in real life.
• Big-Lipped Alligator Moment: Tori Bachman suddenly announcing to Ed, in the middle of a grocery store, that she's had her breasts enlarged (and they look comically huge). Ed barely responds and Tori just leaves. The scene is completely out of nowhere.
• Broken Base:
  • The television show changing the setting from Sydney to Monterey brought accusations of "Americanizing" from some book fans. The Australian author Liane Moriarty defended the decision because she didn't believe that a Setting Update would affect anything to do with the novel, in compensation for her next television adaptation to be set in Australia where the book took place.
  • The Adaptation Expansion in Season 2 rubbed television fans the wrong way, since there was nothing left to adapt. Some also complained that the writing became sloppier because of this, such as how a lot of characters' secrets (such as Ed discovering Madeline's affair) were discovered by unintentional eavesdroppers walking in on the conversations, whereas Moriarty's writing was a lot cleverer (e.g. Perry discovering Celeste's plan to escape with their sons).
• Captain Obvious Reveal: Some viewers telegraphed that Perry would be the murder victim due to the tight bonds between all the women. However, it's agreed that revealing him to be Jane's date rapist was completely unexpected.
• Catharsis Factor:
  • In Episode 6 Jane hears that there's a petition to get Ziggy suspended. She runs into Renata who gloats about it and finally lets her have it. And the audience cheers along with her.
  • Bonnie pushing Perry to his death is extremely cathartic given how much of an abusive prick he was—or at least it was until Season 2 not only reveals the Freudian Excuse behind it, but shows that the emotional negative impact it had still very much has even with him paying for it with his life.
  • Celeste hitting Mary Louise was damn satisfying, given what a horrible bitch she's been all of Season Two. Many viewers admitted to rewinding to watch that part again.
    • On a related note, Celeste causing Mary Louise to have a near breakdown when questioning her during the custody battle. She had previously been asked very intrusive, loaded, and leading questions about her sexual history and relationship with Perry. She then gets the chance to force Mary Louise to confront the fact that she was not a good mother to Perry and watch irrefutable evidence that Perry was abusive.
  • In one episode Mary Louise accuses Jane of having come to Monterey to murder Perry, and slams the door in her face before Jane has the chance to call her out on how vile she's being. In the next episode Mary Louise tries to confront Celeste in a similar fashion, only Celeste gets to slam the door in her face.
• Crosses the Line Twice: "I used to like to sit on your face too. D'you think that'll ever happen again?"
• Ensemble Dark Horse:
  • From the TV series, Chloe is beloved for her Little Miss Snarker tendencies and for being Wise Beyond Her Years. Every episode is bound to have several fantastic Chloe moments. She also has great taste in music.
  • The only husband in the series that seemingly hasn't divided fan opinion is Ed Mackenzie, both for being a genuine Nice Guy but also courageous and bold. Many were on his side after discovering Madeline's affair (especially if you're in the anti-Madeline camp) and when he warned Nathan about pushing him around. Being played by Adam Scott helps.
  • After being Rescued from the Scrappy Heap, Renata became this in season two, with her amusing Unstoppable Rage, Flowery Insults full of swear words, and campiness, which made her Win Back the Crowd almost immediately. She even won back Laura Dern, who had admitted that Renata gave her second-hand embarrassment at times in the first season.
• Fountain of Memes: Madeline in the first season; Renata in the second.
• Harsher in Hindsight: The final episode of the first season and its revelations are even more reminiscent of the Hollywood sex scandal that broke in late 2017 just months after the miniseries aired. Reese Witherspoon herself was one of the women that came forward about being abused.
• Heartwarming Moments:
  • Jane and Tom try being friends and hanging out together. Jane wants the relationship to go further, but the mood never feels right. Tom finally kisses her and breaks the tension. It's the most beautiful, most tender way to end Jane's arc.
  • After Ziggy is revealed to be innocent, Renata writes him a letter of apology.
  • After Jane discovers that Max was Amabella's attacker, she tells Celeste. It's a mark of their strong friendship that Celeste believes Jane instantly and confronts her son about it - but not in an accusatory way. She acknowledges that he is still a child and just needs to know what he did was wrong.
• Iron Woobie:
  • Ziggy took the rap for Renata's daughter getting attacked. Despite the isolation he gets, he still takes the heat because he's just that sweet a kid.
  • The twins, too. They take Ziggy being revealed as their biological brother very well, despite the fact that they're also grieving for their father.
• Jerkass Woobie:
  • Renata can be a real piece of work at times but it's important to remember that her daughter is being repeatedly attacked, and she outright says she feels powerless to do anything about it.
  • Perry is a horrible abuser but there seem to be times when he's genuinely remorseful for what he does and it's clear he loves Celeste in his own twisted way and, deep down, even he agrees she should leave him. He also loves the two children too. Season Two also reveals that he was a victim of abuse himself from his mother.
• Les Yay:
  • Madeline and Jane hit it off immediately, and become best friends quickly. Madeline is fiercely protective of Jane and will do anything to help her. The episode of the TV series that reveals Jane was date raped has a scene where Madeline just bursts into tears at the thought of someone hurting her. Given Madeline's unhappiness in her marriage, you get the impression that she and Jane could give it a try too.
  • Jane and Celeste's bonding scenes with their children (particularly after discovering the twisted connection their boys have) in season two had many viewers argue that they had a better relationship with each other than Jane was having with potential male suitors.
• Memetic Mutation:
  • Renata's declaration (after visiting Gordon in jail): "I. WILL. NOT. NOT. BE. RICH!!"
  • From the same episode: "WILL SOMEBODY GIVE A WOMAN A MOMENT???!!!" as well as the entire Renata/Gordon arguing scene.
  • After Meryl Streep joining the cast for season two, other actresses' names were jokingly thrown around to make Special Guest appearances in season three.
  • Numerous videos of people dancing with the show's theme song "Cold Little Heart" inserted into the clip, which is a common joke on social media, such as Twitter, to highlight viewers' excitement to watch the next episode about to air.
  • "I said THANK YOOOOOUUUUUUUU!!"
  • The gif of Nicole Kidman saying, "Wow, the power of women!" when she accepted her Golden Globe award.
  • Madeline pressing the car horn, screaming, "I want MORE!!"
  • Ed's speech about regretting walking away from his bullies at school when Nathan threatens him. Former school bully-victims connected over the relatability.
  • The "It's my house, and I live here" scene. Noted for later becoming the most ironic part of season two, it was also the moment Renata became everyone's favorite character.
• Moral Event Horizon:Mary Louise for suggesting to Jane that she had either misread her rapist's intentions or that she had forgotten that she had consented to the sex, although, Mary Louise entered the show a walking Moral Event Horizon.
• Narm: One episode opens with Madeline having a nightmare where Renata ambushes her on the cliff with puppets, and pushes her off. We also get a horrible green screen shot (Renata's POV) of Reese Witherspoon falling before she wakes up.
• Narm Charm: Renata just screaming "I said THANK YOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUU!!!" at Harper when dismissing her from her house in "Serious Mothering". Though it could easily be seen as a comedic scene, it's not subject to any mockery as it fits Renata's unpredictable and volatile personality perfectly.
• Nightmare Fuel: Three words: "your property manager".
• Periphery Demographic: A television series intended for women (particularly mothers) gained an overwhelmingly-enormous male following, as well as a large LGBT Fanbase.
• Rescued from the Scrappy Heap: Upon Renata and Jane making the peace in Episode 6, Renata's goal became entirely about protecting her daughter rather than punishing anyone. And by the finale she joins forces with the other women to save Celeste from her husband.
• Seasonal Rot: The second season was both seen as highly unnecessary and a total step down in quality. While not without it's high points, most agree that it just felt like it was milking the success of the first season and it would've been a more prestigious ending to stop as a miniseries, as was initially planned.
• She Really Can Act:
  • Zoe Kravitz in the season finale conveys a lot of subtle emotion. Even though Bonnie's backstory from the book isn't included (she came from a troubled home herself), fans felt she conveyed it through her facial expressions alone.
  • Shailene Woodley received this reaction, considering how she had only been known for starring in movies for teenagers and had just finished the box-office failing-turned-Development Hell Divergent series. She'd already gotten high praise years earlier for her supporting role in The Descendants and had other roles she was given high praise for too, but this show was just the reminder people needed.
• Stoic Woobie: Celeste is being abused but upholds an image of being the perfect wife and mother.
• Strawman Has a Point:
  • Abigail makes some good points about the weaknesses of a college education, although Madeline is supposed to be in the right for making her go.
  • Even more so, Mary Louise is a victim blaming abusive parent and more or less monstrous...but Celeste is blacking out due to taking Ambien and struggling with PTSD from Perry's abuse, so she's not completely off that Celeste's behavior is affecting the twins.
• Take That, Scrappy!: After catching Harper spying on their conversation, both Jane and Renata promptly put her in her place for starting the petition to have Ziggy suspended.
• Tear Jerker:
  • "Why didn't Daddy fly?"
  • Every time something goes wrong for Jane.
  • Double for Ziggy, who breaks down in tears at one point. You don't even know if he really did attack a girl at that point, but he's clearly wishing it had never happened.
• Unintentionally Unsympathetic:
  • Renata genuinely tries to make the peace with Madeline and the other mothers, deciding to invite Ziggy to Amabella's birthday party. Madeline, however, refuses to accept this just to be petty. It's hard to sympathise with her on this one, considering that Amabella just wants her friends at her birthday party - and Renata was being pretty sincere when she offered (having a bit of a Heel Realization).
  • Corey is supposed to be just a well-meaning foot in mouth type, but he's so relentlessly hot and cold, and just downright rude, to Jane that it's hard to have a great deal of sympathy with him.
• The Woobie: Jane has a lot to deal with. Every chapter makes you want to hug her.
  • Ziggy, particularly in the mini-series. He's too young to understand all the convoluted machinations of the parents, but he's the victim of many of them.

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