Big Little Lies, HBO’s killer limited series went so hard that now the network and author Liane Moriarty are looking into a potential season two.
The dark dramedy followed Madeline, Celeste and Jane, women and mothers in the quiet beachfront town of Monterey, California who are trying their best to sweep their cracking relationships under the rug will keep up with their picturesque existence. Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, and Shailene Woodley starred as the three women respectively.
Still, a major character in Big Little Lies was Zoe Kravitz’s Bonnie, the sole Black female character in the series, and many fans of the 7-episode show have criticized it saying that it promoted “colorblindness” at Bonnie’s expense. On the series, Bonnie is married to Nathan Carlson (James Tupper), the ex-husband of Madeline Mackenzie (Witherspoon). Though she lives for Erykah Badu, teaches yoga, and encourages her stepdaughter to embrace her sexuality, Bonnie’s Blackness is pretty much an afterthought.
However, this could all change with a potential season two. It appears that Moriarty has heard the concerns of her critics and she’s willing to do something about it. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Moriarty stated that season two would be all about Bonnie. Much of the Bonnie backstory, specifically when it comes to her relationship with her abusive father which is detailed intricately in Moriarty’s book was erased in the television series. Big Little Lies director Jean-Marc Vallee said, “We had a line from the detective, and it was too much explaining. We decided not even to shoot the line, Whether or not she has been abused, she is going to push this motherf—er.”
If season two does happen, we just hope that the added richness of Bonnie’s turbulent backstory rectifies the series “colorblindness.” After all, addressing race particularly in these times will only help give the character and the series more depth. Though there are no official plans for a season two of Big Little Lies yet, don’t lose hope. Moriarty told THR, “I think the thing is the story has to be right. So if is right, and if [showrunner] David E. Kelley is happy to get the screenplay right, then I think that’ll do it.”
Did you love Big Little Lies? If so, what did you think of the character of Bonnie?
