Big Little Lies finale reaction: Murderer, not the murder, is the surprise
After seven episodes, viewers for the first time (hey, this is based on a book) got a chance to realize that it was actually none other than Alexander Skarsgard’s character of Perry who ended up falling by the wayside in the closing minutes of this episode. This was an exciting end to the story for sure in how it was crafted, but you could probably figure out fairly quickly that this was something that needed to happen. He was abusive, a rapist, and all-around terrible. He’s the one person who almost everyone out there could see dying without causing a massive cavalcade of tears.
As for who killed him, that was a little bit more of the surprise — at least to us as a casual viewer. It wasn’t Jane, and it wasn’t Celeste. It wasn’t anyone you would think on the surface. Instead, it was Bonnie, the second wife of Nathan, who chose to ultimately do the deed, mostly as a means of protection from what we can figure out. Maybe there was something deeper there, but she stepped in when Perry was about to attack some of the women. She pushed him down a flight of stairs, therefore bringing an end to this “journey” — a violent, brutal end.
Was this a satisfying end to the story? Both yes and no. While seeing Perry go won’t spring a tear from our eye, we expected something that was even juicier and more shocking for the end of his road. Having it come about in this way felt a little bit akin to a shrug. Maybe we’re missing the point now as someone who lives in a generation where TV shows try hard to shock you the majority of the time, and the point of this finale was more about trying to figure out ways to give you the story about these characters and the road that got them to the death. It was about the journey and what happened had to feel real within their world. The satisfying part was seeing so many come together to support Bonnie after she took the risk to support them.
What do you think about the Big Little Lies finale and the death that took place? Be sure to share in the comments.
Also, head over here for some early chatter all about season 2. (Photo: HBO.)