Big Little Lies is a drama series based on the Liane Moriarty novel of the same name about a group of female friends in a well-to-do neighborhood who get caught up in a murder investigation. With a star-studded cast that includes Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Shailene Woodley, Laura Dern, and Zoe Kravitz, it’s no surprise that the series has been well-received. It debuted in 2017 and two seasons have aired to date. In season two, the series added Meryl Streep to its cast.
While the characters are all pretty wealthy, with the exception of Jane (Woodley), some are smarter than others. Here’s a look at how they rank in terms of intelligence.
Nathan Carlson
Nathan (James Tupper) is Madison’s ex-husband and Bonnie’s (Kravitz’s) new husband. He not only seems completely clueless about women, often going to his ex wife’s new husband for advice on how to deal with them. But he doesn’t appear to be the sharpest tool in the shed, period.
He has been married to Bonnie for many years, and they share a daughter together. But it seems as though she never really loved him. And while part of that has to do with issues Bonnie has to deal with on her own, it may also be in part because he’s lacking in intelligence.
Bonnie Carlson
Bonnie herself is what some might describe as a flake. While she’s very spiritual, a trait she clearly picked up from her mother, she is also very flighty. She’s the type that just goes with the flow. So while she might not necessarily be dumb, she’s also not the most book smart of the group.
She runs a yoga studio and works hard. But she sometimes makes rash decisions without thinking things through. And doesn’t always follow logic but rather goes where the wind blows.
Jane Chapman
Jane is a smart woman, of course. But with her high-powered friends who run their own firms and have private school educations, she isn’t the most intelligent of the bunch.
A single mother whose child is the product of rape, Jane has done her best with what she has in order to provide for her son. Currently working at a reptile zoo, entertaining kids and other guests, she might be smarter than she seems. But having to raise a son on her own hasn’t allowed her the same privileges in life the other girls have been able to enjoy.
Gordon Klein
Gordon (Jeffrey Nordling) is smart, considering that he has a successful business of his own. But Renata’s husband isn’t the smartest of the bunch. Clearly unhappy with his life and unfaithful to his wife, he made really bad business deals and ended up losing most of their money.
Renata was clearly the breadwinner in the family, wanting to afford anything and everything she could get in life for their daughter. Meanwhile, Gordon focused on greed versus making good business decisions. He put his entire family at risk because of his dumb moves.
Perry Wright
A lawyer, Perry (Alexander Skarsgard) was definitely very intelligent. However, his anger issues and the fact that he physically and mentally abused his wife Celeste meant that he was not nearly as smart as he might want others to think.
While he was book smart and had the ability to charm others into thinking he was the perfect specimen of a man, when it came to how to treat others, especially women, he lacked sorely in that department. Nonetheless, given his high-powered career and success in life, it was clear that he was an intelligent man.
Mary Louise Wright
Make no mistake: while Mary Louise (Meryl Streep) might come across as the innocent woman grieving for her son who doesn’t know any better, she knows exactly what she’s doing. Mary Louise is one of the most calculating and cunning women on the series.
And while she really just wants to clear her son’s name and find out what really caused his death, she’s also out for blood. She knew exactly what her son was but chose not to accept it. She was smart enough to step in when she did though she made some unintelligent moves by trying to gain custody of the grandkids.
Madeline Martha Mackenzie
Madeline (Witherspoon) comes across as the ditzy one of the group who doesn’t work but simply acts as the social butterfly. She’s involved in school productions, works on plays, and puts together parties. But it’s clear Madeline is no dunce. She had admitted regret for not having pursued a college education.
Madeline got married young and had a daughter and she stayed home while her then husband worked. This doesn’t, however, mean that Madeline isn’t smart. Had she had the chance to go to school, she might very well have been the most successful of the bunch.
Celeste Wright
Played by Kidman, Celeste is a successful lawyer and mother who has managed to balance both her career and motherhood. While her husband had been abusing her for many years, she was smart enough to see a therapist to try and work out their issues.
And she was also smart enough to listen to her therapist and get herself out of a harmful situation. She was strong enough to leave Perry, get an apartment on her own, and plan to divorce him for good.
Renata Klein
A self-made woman, Renata (Laura Dern) is proud of her accomplishments and has worked hard to become one of the most notable female businesswomen. She is smart and driven, even if she doesn’t always make the right personal decisions.
Nonetheless, while she often feels guilty about having to hire help with her daughter so she could build her business, she shouldn’t. And she’s a smart woman for knowing what she wants and going after it.
Ed Mackenzie
The quietest, most chill member of the group, Ed (Adam Scott) is Madeline’s husband and father to her second daughter. He often sits on the sidelines, watching and observing what’s going on. And he’s pretty perceptive. Sometimes the ones who are the quietest and least dramatic are the smartest.
A successful website designer, he is wealthy but also seems more down-to-earth than the others. He’s smart in many ways, both in terms of being able to read people and straight intelligence about technology and the world around him.
