Big Little Lies

You, Me, and TV

In this episode we break down the pilot episode of Big Little Lies, which was created and written by David E. Kelly. The series premiered on February 19, 2017, on HBO, and the second season premiered on June 9, 2019. The title of the pilot episode is “Somebody’s Dead.”

As always, we take a look at the (HBO) description: “Based on Liane Moriarty’s bestselling book, and featuring Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, and Shailene Woodley, this darkly comedic series tells the tale of three mothers whose seemingly perfect lives unravel to the point of murder.” We also highlight some of the other novels by Moriarty (including one titled Truly Madly Guilty), and Mike almost makes the mistake of saying that Soundgarden (not Savage Garden) is the band that performs the song “Truly Madly Deeply.”

We also discuss the beautiful and stylized look and feel of the show. This is achieved through the unique use of music throughout the episode (all of which is available to stream on this fantastic Spotify playlist), and the excellent directing of Jean-Marc Vallée. Vallée directed the entire first season, as well as season one of the HBO series Sharp Objects.

Additionally, we analyze storytelling structure of the show. One element that stands out is the use of a detective investigating the crime that occurs at the end of the season as a way to build suspense. Another is the use of foreshadowing through some of the music in the episode, as well as some of the lines and incidents hinting toward the effects of physical abuse on women.

In addition to our detailed breakdown of the episode, we conclude the podcast with a game of Two Truths and a Big Little Lie.

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