Reviewing "Big Little Lies" Seasons 1 to 2: An excellent drama series about lies, secrets, and interpersonal struggles

Big Little Lies is an HBO drama-comedy series, starring Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Shailene Woodley, Alexander Skarsgard, Zoe Kravitz, and Laura Dern, with Meryl Streep joining in Season 2. The series focuses on the lives of several women in the Monterey, California area. Every one of them have their own issues. Madeline (Witherspoon) is dealing with a distant teenage daughter Abigail (Kathryn Newton) and her resentment towards Bonnie (Kravitz), the new wife of Madeline's ex-husband Nathan (James Tupper). Celeste (Kidman) is a former lawyer, now a stay-at-home mom of two sons. Unfortunately, her home life is turbulent, due to her abusive husband Perry (Skarsgard). Jane (Woodley) is a new arrival to Monterey, with a young son, Ziggy (Iain Armitage), in tow and a traumatic event haunting her. Renata (Dern) is the local alpha, so to speak, as someone with a lot of influence, using it to her advantage and throwing her weight around. The story revolves around the friendships between Madeline, Celeste, and Jane as they deal with their problems, some of which involve Renata.

The acting is great. All the actors involved give great performances, Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, and Shailene Woodley in particular. They really channel their characters so fully that even when they're silent and acting with facial expressions alone, you believe that they are the character and you care about them and what happens to them. When they're acting over-the-top, they have such a good handle on their performances that it doesn't really veer into silliness. In short, their performances are completely engrossing and engaging. It's even more impressive that Woodley, being a relative newcomer compared to the others, though having given memorable performances before, proved that she could competently take on a more adult role and keep up with the other members of the main cast. Is there anything to be said about Meryl Streep that hasn't been said already? Her character in the series is simple and has a clear goal, but she is so good at her craft that every interaction the character has with others are simply electric.

The storylines are excellent throughout. There isn't much in the way of plot twists, and the plot is relatively straightforward, though certainly not uneventful. In fact, the plot's easy comprehensibility is a plus in my opinion, allowing viewers to immerse themselves in the lives of these characters, helped along by the enthralling performances and the subtle dreamlike atmosphere courtesy of Jean-Marc Vallee, the director of Season 1, who also made the similarly dreamlike and surreal Sharp Objects starring Amy Adams. However, it must be made clear that much like Sharp Objects, the series can get very emotionally intense and deals with some heavy topics at times, so be prepared.

There isn't much more to say about Big Little Lies other than the fact that everyone involved did excellent work, including the catchy opening credits tune and the use of music throughout the series. Everything about the series is impeccable, and it is a definite must-watch!

Score: 10/10

PS. As of this writing, it's been a day after finishing the series, and it was such a great watch that I feel like not much else can measure up to it, so I have this slight feeling of emptiness. Still definitely worth it.