Big Little Lies
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| Perry's way of making up for choking Celeste, an episode that is not an isolated incident. |
I can only imagine victims of domestic abuse look at the marriage counseling scene and just scoff, shaking their head and understanding all too well in the episode, Living the Dream, how Celeste (Nicole Kidman) might work out the rehab of her marriage to Perry (Alexander Skarsgård), trying to find her own fault in why he’d choke her for such a miniscule circumstance as not inviting him to Disney on Ice. It was as if he was searching for a reason to choke Celeste, and even as she pointedly and sternly declares she’ll leave him if he does that again, a later scene in the shower where you see bruises on her arm would lead us to believe otherwise. Always at the end of an “abuse episode” the victim will vow to leave, but the assaulter finds the means of persuasion to stop that from happening. Perry presents Celeste with a necklace, and after going to counseling (admitting to volatility, “holding shoulders too hard”, angry and passionate sex, concern, guilt, vulnerability), they have a nice dance to a Neil Young song. The great, big holding pattern that is domestic violence and its “soap, rag, and repeat”, but Celeste will indeed give Perry another chance. Over not being invited to Disney on Ice, that is why Perry would grab a firm hold of Celeste’s throat…
The incredible scene in Once Bitten, where Nicole Kidman, as abuse victim, visits her marriage counselor looking for some way of addressing her desire for a law career again is about as good--no outstanding--a piece of acting as I've seen in years. Look at how she wrestles with the truth. Dr. Amanda Reisman (Robin Weigert) knows domestic abuse when she sees it, and Celeste yet tries as she might to convince her otherwise. Dr. Reisman continues successfully fracturing that fragile wall Celeste has fortified with excuses and erroneous guilt for supposedly egging him into attacks on her. Kidman's performance is so keenly and deftly felt because her Celeste is trying to navigate through the obvious truth she couldn't no longer dodge, and Dr. Reisman wasn't just willing to let her bob and weave around it without confronting it. No better time than with Dr. Reisman was there for Celeste, alone and without Perry there to undermine progress. If Celeste doesn't get out of this marriage, she'll possibly wind up dead. A quick glimpse into a bit of rough sex has Perry pressing Celeste's face into a pillow, just letting her up to get a breath before suffocating...when will the punch or choke result in injuries she'll not be able to recover from? All of that is right there on Kidman's face. The attempts to persuade Dr. Reisman that the children are okay and won't be endangered despite the obvious noise that might be heard when Perry loses it and waylays her. When Max, their son, is later revealed to be the bully of Amabelle it emphasizes how behavior in the home visits upon those quite influenced to see it all as normal. You see Kidman's difficulty protecting Perry and blaming herself, trying to defend the domestic volatility and results of his outbursts, even going so far as to question Dr. Reisman's ethics as a counselor. Anything to avoid the truth until Celeste realizes, while lying on the bathroom floor in her underwear after a pummeling, that action is necessary. It really is a matter of life and death. Considering he tells her he could have killed her after an incident involving a penis injury when Celeste insists on going to Maddy's play, it was perhaps only a matter of time.
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The incredible scene in Once Bitten, where Nicole Kidman, as abuse victim, visits her marriage counselor looking for some way of addressing her desire for a law career again is about as good--no outstanding--a piece of acting as I've seen in years. Look at how she wrestles with the truth. Dr. Amanda Reisman (Robin Weigert) knows domestic abuse when she sees it, and Celeste yet tries as she might to convince her otherwise. Dr. Reisman continues successfully fracturing that fragile wall Celeste has fortified with excuses and erroneous guilt for supposedly egging him into attacks on her. Kidman's performance is so keenly and deftly felt because her Celeste is trying to navigate through the obvious truth she couldn't no longer dodge, and Dr. Reisman wasn't just willing to let her bob and weave around it without confronting it. No better time than with Dr. Reisman was there for Celeste, alone and without Perry there to undermine progress. If Celeste doesn't get out of this marriage, she'll possibly wind up dead. A quick glimpse into a bit of rough sex has Perry pressing Celeste's face into a pillow, just letting her up to get a breath before suffocating...when will the punch or choke result in injuries she'll not be able to recover from? All of that is right there on Kidman's face. The attempts to persuade Dr. Reisman that the children are okay and won't be endangered despite the obvious noise that might be heard when Perry loses it and waylays her. When Max, their son, is later revealed to be the bully of Amabelle it emphasizes how behavior in the home visits upon those quite influenced to see it all as normal. You see Kidman's difficulty protecting Perry and blaming herself, trying to defend the domestic volatility and results of his outbursts, even going so far as to question Dr. Reisman's ethics as a counselor. Anything to avoid the truth until Celeste realizes, while lying on the bathroom floor in her underwear after a pummeling, that action is necessary. It really is a matter of life and death. Considering he tells her he could have killed her after an incident involving a penis injury when Celeste insists on going to Maddy's play, it was perhaps only a matter of time.
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Perry’s outbursts are difficult to stomach, I must admit. I can only imagine that was really difficult for Alexander Skarsgård, and Kidman just had to be dedicated and committed to the part and the message in order for both to go through this difficult storyline. I did ponder to my friend at work when we briefly had a chance to discuss it on whether or not Perry was a serial rapist, perhaps even a killer. He was away a lot, all over the world and United States, various places. The twist at the end regarding Jane’s (Shailene Woodley) rapist—her description early in the season regarding how this guy she met just flipped like a switch into a monster illustrating all too well that possibility—certainly added weight to my thoughts. In the final episode of the season, You Get What You Need, even Perry (when trying to keep Celeste from leaving him) admits that he has this madness inside of him, this sickness, some illness [he even calls whatever he has inside of him, demons] that drives him into that violence, resulting in this horrible outburst leaving Celeste bruised and battered. The rough sex, marks of his handiwork, and her fatigue rattle Perry for a bit, but ultimately (as discussed with Dr. Reisman) he once again would secure control. His possessiveness, this insecurity that motivates him to react so monstrously (her success, beauty, and independence quite a threat), is to keep Celeste at home with the kids. When Celeste was defending the play against the mayor for her friend, Maddy, this ease and command of the argument over whether or not it would continue in Monterey without resistance due to legalities, it was a clear sign she could quite handle herself independently as a successful woman. To Perry the more Celeste doesn’t need him, the less power and control over her he has. I think we all know the kettle will boil over when Celeste finally decides enough is enough and his hold over her—how he used violence and intimidation as a means to lord over her what he was capable of—was no longer on a foundation sturdy enough to sustain itself.
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Admittedly the Perry/Celeste story is so overwhelming and overpowering that Madeleine's often just feels like it pales in comparison. But Reece Witherspoon and Adam Scott are more than capable enough to hold attention. As a married couple, Maddy and Ed, kind of enduring a bit of malaise as her ex-husband, Nathan (James Tupper) seems to enjoy a healthy, happy new marriage with a younger woman, Bonnie (Zoe Kravitz). Bonnie is into fitness, organic eating, and meditation. Zoe's Bonnie is chill and more than willing to expose others to her lifestyle choices and alternatives. She becomes a friend and confidante to Maddy's older, teenage daughter (16 years old), Abigail (Kathryn Newton, I know her from Paranormal Activity 4). Abby's plans to sell her virginity for contribution towards Amnesty International (!) becomes a major explosive plot surprise but the show, throughout the season, concentrates extensively and contentiously on a dinner arrangement between Maddy, Ed, Bonnie, and Nathan in the hopes of spearheading a truce and burial of the hatchet.
Nathan left Maddy to be a parent to Abby on her own, admitting he's a shit for doing so, not proud of that bit of history. Bonnie is his second chance and because she's such a resounding, positive influence on him, Nathan takes great strides to satisfy and pacify her. Maddy sees how Bonnie has molded him into someone better which perhaps irks her, maybe the chief catalyst in why she passes off little snide comments about her to Ed or her friends, Celeste and Jane. Bonnie is young, fit, sexy, and cool; Maddy, in comparison, is a bit older, more stay-at-home-mom, quite fiery and confrontational. Both have Abby's best interests at heart, but their methods certainly are different. Neither consider selling your virginity for a worthy cause the correct way of going about that. How a domestic violent outburst and push down the stairs at a "trivia night" costume function featuring music onstage covers of Elvis could unite Madeleine and Bonnie is just one development that truly defines just how brilliant the show really was.
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Admittedly the Perry/Celeste story is so overwhelming and overpowering that Madeleine's often just feels like it pales in comparison. But Reece Witherspoon and Adam Scott are more than capable enough to hold attention. As a married couple, Maddy and Ed, kind of enduring a bit of malaise as her ex-husband, Nathan (James Tupper) seems to enjoy a healthy, happy new marriage with a younger woman, Bonnie (Zoe Kravitz). Bonnie is into fitness, organic eating, and meditation. Zoe's Bonnie is chill and more than willing to expose others to her lifestyle choices and alternatives. She becomes a friend and confidante to Maddy's older, teenage daughter (16 years old), Abigail (Kathryn Newton, I know her from Paranormal Activity 4). Abby's plans to sell her virginity for contribution towards Amnesty International (!) becomes a major explosive plot surprise but the show, throughout the season, concentrates extensively and contentiously on a dinner arrangement between Maddy, Ed, Bonnie, and Nathan in the hopes of spearheading a truce and burial of the hatchet.
Nathan left Maddy to be a parent to Abby on her own, admitting he's a shit for doing so, not proud of that bit of history. Bonnie is his second chance and because she's such a resounding, positive influence on him, Nathan takes great strides to satisfy and pacify her. Maddy sees how Bonnie has molded him into someone better which perhaps irks her, maybe the chief catalyst in why she passes off little snide comments about her to Ed or her friends, Celeste and Jane. Bonnie is young, fit, sexy, and cool; Maddy, in comparison, is a bit older, more stay-at-home-mom, quite fiery and confrontational. Both have Abby's best interests at heart, but their methods certainly are different. Neither consider selling your virginity for a worthy cause the correct way of going about that. How a domestic violent outburst and push down the stairs at a "trivia night" costume function featuring music onstage covers of Elvis could unite Madeleine and Bonnie is just one development that truly defines just how brilliant the show really was.
Jane keeps a gun in a drawer in her room, imagining her rapist could bang with great violence against her door, breaking out windows in feverish intensity, finding his way in. Not just the rape remains as a never-healing wound, but the fear of a return to perhaps take it one step further…to always be a victim is the never-ending nightmare. Jane combats daily the thought that her beloved son, Ziggy, is a product of a horrible rape. It isn’t Jane’s fault. It certainly isn’t Ziggy’s. But just the same, the two of them must deal with the absent father whose name should not be mentioned. The horrible thought that Ziggy just wants to know…instead of wearing the label of “bastard son”. To be loved by mom isn’t enough, really, as a child wants to know why other kids have a daddy and he doesn’t. Jane is trapped in a no-win. Her son is tasked with developing a family tree for class but and so Jane must navigate herself around the minefield that is an absent spot on the board that would typically feature the name of the father. It is a burden she must bear every fucking day. She shares this with a receptive Madeleine who tries to console her. Jane has concealed all of this, not just wanting to reveal such ugly business to just anybody. Madeleine has built that trust with Jane. And, quite frankly, Jane needs to be able to bear this to somebody.
Madeleine’s trip to Disney on Ice is the perfect weapon against Renata who is hosting a party for her daughter. Certain kids close to Renata’s daughter going with Madeleine instead is certainly a bone of contention. Such high school mind games, you’d think would be confined to the years of teenage angst and polarizing, petty competition for boys and friends, but the children are now the pawns/pieces moved around to dictate leverage within the social circles they exist in. Renata offers a lot of perks if Madeleine will rescind her Jedi mind tricks on Celeste and Jane and bring all the kids (including Ziggy who is accused of choking her daughter!) to the party instead of Disney on Ice. Madeleine is in her kitchen going about her daily “mommy activities”, on the phone with Renata, and the two of them duke it out embarrassingly over who goes where and why. And ultimately both sides go their separate ways, with their own parties, and there’s fun to be had all-around. We see the strategic efforts of affluent women, using their obviously bright minds (despite arguing about where kids should go, they are quite intelligent and commanding women; perhaps they do allow power trips to go to their heads sometimes but still are quite capable of empathy and profundity) to coordinate this supposed hierarchy where sides are seemingly chosen based on how one manipulates the other. During her daughter’s party, Renata initiates a dance that starts out innocently enough but soon other adults get involved and these bodies are gyrating and seductively moving (an interviewed witness mentions how she noticed men with erections!) to the music while the kids kind of fade into the background! Still, Renata is proud of the turnout and results of the party…plenty of her fellow wealthy neighbors and their kids showed up so it satisfied her ego.
What I personally like about this episode is how despite those strategic chest-pounding antics, there are really reflective moments where vulnerabilities arise to remind us that Madeleine and Renata aren’t caricatures. Renata (Dern is just so awesome to watch) arrives at work, on the phone, in total control of her business, quite the taskmaster. It is damned impressive to see her head to her office, eventually in a conversation with her husband. Renata, despite her successes, still feels as if she’s not quite where she needs to be. Her husband has to remind her of what she has accomplished. It is as Renata needs reassurance despite the results of her accomplishments. Madeleine must somehow accept that her daughter, Abby, needs to be separate from her for a while due to how demanding it is to be her child. Abby’s grade point average slipping, confiding in a school counselor, Madeleine is brought into the office to talk with them about what is wrong and why. So Abby admits that all the women around her, the powerful mothers in their successful professions, are intimidating and Madeleine’s “lack of success” is weighing on her. Abby doesn’t want to try and live up to where her mother failed, much less try and compete with the legacies other women around her have built and cultivated. Of course, I’m not sure how living with her father instead will alleviate all that burdensome pressure. Madeleine is bothered by it, though. Ed hears about it, and much like Renata’s husband, must comfort her. Reassurance from husbands to wives who have their moments of weakness, perhaps overthinking and dwelling too much on matters that aren’t as significant as might appear. I don't wish to dismiss such matters as unimportant but others might consider such squabbles as beneath them.
Just the same, Renata's anger is justified: her daughter has been bullied, bruised and bitten. It is an actual result of a domestic turbulence in the relationship of Celeste and Perry as their child is normalizing such violence, with Amabella a victim out of all that.
That is what makes the rather convenient close of the show all the more important as all the important female characters come together as Perry reacts to his marriage's dismissal through violence directed at Celeste.
Jane realizes the man that raped her was Perry, with Maddy and Celeste also recognizing this through her horrified reaction to him. Renata and Jane minding fences is a major turn of the show. Jane is the middle figure in the rivalry between Renata and Maddy. Jane wants her incident involving poking Renata's eye to be quelled before it can build to anything worse. Ziggy is cleared and considered a fond student among his little peers. Ziggy knew of who was bullying Amabella, so Jane must somehow get him to confess without being considered a snitch. It is the domino effect, really. Relationships that were sour are healed and a major scourge (seemingly considered anything but except Celeste knew all too well; as I do believe others who have felt his wrath) is put to rest before he could hurt anyone else or kill his wife.
And those locals in the community quite close to the situation interviewed got to give their two cents, although their observations might be a bit emotionally stirred. The detectives on Perry's case sure take into consideration their comments while also remaining unconvinced of the women witnesses of Perry's demise that it was all just an accident. Perry sure did appear to have no off-switch as he kept on beating on Celeste. Bonnie sure didn't appear to be *the one* to finally silence Perry.
That is what makes the rather convenient close of the show all the more important as all the important female characters come together as Perry reacts to his marriage's dismissal through violence directed at Celeste.
Jane realizes the man that raped her was Perry, with Maddy and Celeste also recognizing this through her horrified reaction to him. Renata and Jane minding fences is a major turn of the show. Jane is the middle figure in the rivalry between Renata and Maddy. Jane wants her incident involving poking Renata's eye to be quelled before it can build to anything worse. Ziggy is cleared and considered a fond student among his little peers. Ziggy knew of who was bullying Amabella, so Jane must somehow get him to confess without being considered a snitch. It is the domino effect, really. Relationships that were sour are healed and a major scourge (seemingly considered anything but except Celeste knew all too well; as I do believe others who have felt his wrath) is put to rest before he could hurt anyone else or kill his wife.
And those locals in the community quite close to the situation interviewed got to give their two cents, although their observations might be a bit emotionally stirred. The detectives on Perry's case sure take into consideration their comments while also remaining unconvinced of the women witnesses of Perry's demise that it was all just an accident. Perry sure did appear to have no off-switch as he kept on beating on Celeste. Bonnie sure didn't appear to be *the one* to finally silence Perry.
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