Big Little Lies: Season 1, Episode 5 "Once Bitten"

 Big Little Lies: Season 1, Episode 5 "Once Bitten"

March 19, 2017

“Once Bitten” is the most powerful episode of Big Little Lies yet. This is the episode where everything falls apart for the three main leads; Celeste, Madeleine, and Jane. Each woman gives a heartfelt, emotional performance as they try to escape the demons within their lives. Jean-Marc Vallee’s direction is as showy as it gets and he revels in his directorial duties with the big stuff, such as car accidents, happening. The writing remains as strong as ever. They really did an excellent job capturing the realism of domestic violence, as I have pointed out in past episodes. Here, they take it to another level. The therapy session is a very strong, emotional scene. Robin Wiegert, who channels her inner Judd Hirsch from Ordinary People, is able to draw out the truth from Celeste about her abusive relationship. The episode incorporates flashbacks to show the searing pain and suffering that Celeste takes from the hands of Perry. Very hard and uncomfortable to watch, but it is needed to show a sense of realism.

In this episode, Celeste has a solo session with her therapist. She tries to say that nothing is wrong, and she loves Perry, but slowly the truth begins to come out. The therapist convinces her to come up with a plan in case she needs to take herself and the kids away to safety. Meanwhile, the marriage between Madeleine and Ed remains unpassionate as it gets, as proven in the attempted kitchen tryst. Madeleine tries to distance herself from her affair with Joseph, but a certain car accident may complicate matters. As for Jane, the school principal (played by P.J Byrne) conducts a meeting about Ziggy which fractures the relationships between the feuding families (mainly Renata versus Jane/Madeleine). Jane also makes a decision to confront her past alleged abuser which could complicate things for her as well.

Wow, what an excellent, well-written episode! It flies by in a hurry and leaves you craving for more. The performances from the women and Alexander Skarsgard are beyond excellent. Skarsgard legitimately scares me every time he is on screen. You never know when he will hit his wife or throw her head down on a pillow. Incredibly tense! As always, the cinematography and the soundtracks remain high points!

My Grade: A


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