Based on the Liane Moriarty novel of the same name, Big Little Lies became quite the hit for HBO. It was originally intended to be a miniseries consisting of just seven episodes. However, its popularity, buzz, and awards victories led to a second season being greenlit. It was met with less praise but still did well in terms of bringing in the audience.
Viewers were passionate about every aspect of the show, especially the relationships between the characters. Some pairings were incredibly entertaining to watch while others drove us crazy. We look at the Big Little Lies relationships that the fans were behind and the ones they were most against. They include friendships, families, and romances.
Rejected: Gordon And Renata
Even though she started as a pretty unlikable character, fans grew to love Renata. That’s partially thanks to the stellar work of Laura Dern. But as much as the audience came to love her, they couldn’t really get into her marriage to Gordon. In Season 1, it was a case of Renata being more interesting on her own.
With Season 2 came all sorts of new challenges for the couple. Gordon made some terrible decisions that led to the couple losing all of their money. It was revealed that he was doing inappropriate acts with their nanny. Each move made us dislike the idea of these two together even more.
Were Behind: Madeline And Abigail
One of the strongest parts of Season 1 was the relationship between Madeline and her daughter Abigail. The two were immediately shown to be uneasy towards each other due to the difference in their strong personalities. But each scene between them was electric.
The way they butted heads over Abigail’s relationship with Bonnie and her decision to sell her virginity made for captivating television. Plus, it always led to some of the show’s most endearing and emotional moments. Season 2 severely lacked in giving them scenes together, which was a problem.
Rejected: Bonnie And Elizabeth
When Bonnie was revealed to be the person who shoved Perry down a flight of stairs and to his death, it was one of the most shocking moments of TV in years. As mostly a supporting character in Season 1, she wasn’t who we expected. Season 2 teased giving us major fallout from this moment.
Instead, the show opted to bring her parents into the fold. Her contentious relationship with her mother Elizabeth didn’t offer much in the way of story development and often slowed an episode down to a crawl. From what we could gather, Elizabeth was pretty terrible to Bonnie growing up and it was never a story the show needed to tell.
Were Behind: Jane And Tom
From the very first episode of Big Little Lies, the local coffee shop played a key role. Jane, Madeline, and Celeste hung out there for the first time. Nearly every episode saw them at the coffee shop. The barista, Tom, was built a slow burn romance with Jane that was endearing.
Watching the two of them prepare for their big date in the Season 1 finale was incredibly sweet. He seemed like the perfect nice guy for Jane following the horrible experiences of her past If ever there was a guy for Jane to give herself to again, Tom was perfect.
Rejected: Jane And Corey
Relating to the last entry, we have Jane and Corey. When Season 2 began, things on the show changed. Gone was the coffee shop we all loved and in its place was a similar location that had no explanation. Why had the characters started going somewhere new? It was a major problem with the sophomore season.
Along with that came the loss of Tom. Instead, Jane was shown to be smitten with Corey, a guy she worked with at the aquarium. They lacked the chemistry that Jane and Tom had. Their scenes were boring and it felt more like a lame ending than a happy one for Jane’s romantic life.
Were Behind: Bonnie And Ed
Madeline and Nathan are the divorced parents of Abigail. They made attempts to be civil but are often at each other’s throats. Madeline’s current husband Ed is strongly disliked by Nathan, while Madeline goes a little nuts when she sees Bonnie bond with her kids in the first season.
Yet Bonnie and Ed have a pretty great friendship. They’re nice to each other in a way that drives their spouses mad. In Season 2, with Bonnie being a loner and Ed dealing with his crumbling marriage, the two spend time together. We wish we got to see more of it because they’re so great together.
Rejected: Madeline And Joseph
Whatever issues they had, fans enjoyed Madeline and Ed together. They typically balanced each other out and made for a great couple. So when we found out that Madeline had an affair with the town’s theatre director Joseph Bachman, it was highly upsetting.
Ed found out about this affair in Season 2 and it drove a wedge between their marriage. He was understandably crushed and so were the viewers. A couple like Ed and Madeline didn’t deserve to be put through the wringer by an affair like this. Audience members wanted no part of it.
Were Behind: Madeline And Ed
That brings us perfectly to Madeline and Ed. As noted, this married couple begins the series together. They live with Abigail and have a daughter together named Chloe. Ed seems like he puts up with a lot, thanks to Madeline’s emotional outbursts and penchant for finding trouble.
Mostly a relaxed guy, his sassy and angry side came out when he found out about Madeline’s affair. Watching their marriage fall apart was difficult to watch because of how much fans loved to see them together. When all is forgiven and they start fresh at the end of Season 2, it was one of the show’s most touching moments.
Rejected: Celeste And Perry
You can’t say these two weren’t passionate. Their scenes together were often intense, steamy, and would get you hot under the collar. They were also usually good parents to their twin boys. But that’s about all anyone can positively say about Perry and Celeste being together.
Perry put on the facade of being a great guy but he was viciously brutal towards Celeste. Though she would give it right back at times, he was much more violent. A relationship as physically and emotionally abusive as this one is always going to be one that fans reject.
Were Behind: The Monterey Five
As a concept, “The Monterey Five” was a great idea. The first season did a stellar job in building the friendship between Madeline, Jane, and Celeste. Renata started as their enemy before slowly turning into an ally. Bonnie became the de facto fifth member when she shared the secret with them of what happened to Perry.
Trailers for Season 2 billed them as “The Monterey Five.” And audiences were all about it. These five strong women bonding over their secret, becoming the best of friends, and trying to save each other from jail was a splendid idea. Unfortunately, we rarely got scenes with them together. But when they happened, they were magical.
