Laura Dern shared the official first-look photo of the second season of “Big Little Lies” on Monday, taking to Instagram to post a photo of her character, Renata, sitting with Reese Witherspoon’s Madeline.
The two women are sitting at an outdoor table at the Seaside Coffee Shop. Dern captioned the image with, “Madeline and Renata are back.”
Will the two actually remain cordial after setting aside their differences at the end of last season to help Celeste (played by Nicole Kidman)? Or will something trigger their relationship to fall apart again? From the looks of Dern’s photo, all is well in Monterey, California.
Nicole Kidman, Witherspoon, Shailene Woodley, Dern, Zoë Kravitz and Adam Scott all have been announced to return for the second season of the hit HBO series. They will also be joined by series newcomer Meryl Streep.
The second outing, like the first, be written and executive produced by David E. Kelley and will be based, in part, on a story by Liane Moriarty. Andrea Arnold has signed on to direct all seven installments, stepping in for Season 1 director Jean-Marc Vallée.
The first season was a breakout hit for HBO, bringing the premium cable network 16 Emmy nominations and eight wins, effectively sweeping the Limited Series categories in September. The drama also proved to be a big winner at the Golden Globes, taking home four wins, including a supporting actress award for Dern.
'Big Little Lies' Loose Ends: 6 Questions Left Unanswered in the Finale (Photos)
HBO's limited series "Big Little Lies" ended with the climactic murder resolved in Sunday night's finale, but that didn't mean it all tied up in a neat bow. Click through to explore the storylines that didn't get resolved:
HBO
Madeline never told Ed she cheated on him.
In the second-to-last episode, Reese Witherspoon's character came close to 'fessing up about her affair with community play director Joseph Bachman (Santiago Cabrera). But, alas, Ed's (Adam Scott's) big reaction scene may never come to pass. Plus, in the finale, there's a scene with Joseph and Madeline fighting. Does Joesph still love Madeline? Tori (Joseph's wife, played by Sarah Sokolovic) obviously knows it's her who he had the affair with, but the two never face off again.
HBO
We didn't get to see enough of Jane and Tom.
Jane (Shailene Woodley) and coffee guy Tom (Joseph Cross -- who, surprise, isn't gay) have a twisted first date at the big costume gala, and we see Jane crying into his arms after the murder. But will the duo get together for real? Can Jane trust a man again? We might have to use our imaginations.
HBO
Amabella and Max are suddenly BFFS at the beach.
One of the biggest questions on the show--who was hurting Amabella?--was answered in the finale. It was Max, one of Celeste's (Nicole Kidman's) twin boys. The two kids are seen playing on the beach with all of the others as if nothing ever happened. Also, how did the teacher really never notice?
HBO
Madeline convinced Abigail to quit her "project," but the parenting squad is still at odds.
Nathan still can't shake his need to be better than Ed (Adam Scott) at Elvis impersonations, and Bonnie (Zoë Kravitz) and Ed can't shake their awkward run-ins. (Ed accidentally spilled a drink on her dress.) But Bonnie and Madeline (Reese Witherspoon) seem to be friends now that they witnessed a murder together. Is Abby (Kathryn Newton) happy still living with her dad Nathan (James Tupper) and Bonnie, or does she miss living with her ma Madeline and hubby Ed?
HBO
The detective kept clicking her Zippo.
The dark fairytale ending played out on a sunny Monterey beach with all the leading ladies and their children playing in idyllic fashion. But one thing is left unanswered as Detective Adrienne Quinlan (Merrin Dungey) looks on, clicking that lighter, suspecting a coverup. If there is indeed a Season 2, the murder case is still, most definitely, wide open.
Fans may never get closure from these subplots (spoilers!)
HBO's limited series "Big Little Lies" ended with the climactic murder resolved in Sunday night's finale, but that didn't mean it all tied up in a neat bow. Click through to explore the storylines that didn't get resolved: