Big Little Lies: Monterey Moms and Their Drama Part 2
The Production - The show’s creator, David E. Kelley (Creator of Ally McBeal and Boston Legal) chose a well-written book to adapt. He masterfully created these 7 hours of dialogue and added more life and depth to the characters. It was amazing of the producers to bring on board, director Jean-Marc Vallée. Vallée worked on Dallas Buyers Club and Wild, which also starred Reese Witherspoon. Directing films are right up Vallée’s alley and Big Little Lies, to him, was like a “7 hour movie”. Since he usually focus on films, it was great to see some of his familiar crew that he has always worked with, to do this show. That would answer to why the cinematography and the production design of Monterey was so beautiful to look at. Everything was handled so elegantly. The production designer knew where to film those big mansions looking out on those lovely sunsets and the cinematographer knew exactly when and how to capture that sunset mixed in with other lighting techniques. Since everyone in the show was rich, things were even more beautiful. The way the show handled their production team was spot-on. How the producers got all the creative people to make this show a better one is amazing. If it wasn't for the executive producers who are also cast members, Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman, this show would not have done well. The two ladies saw a perfect opportunity and took it, adding more great actresses to their group to make this a female-empowered and touching HBO show.
The Script - All of the 7 episodes were written by the creator, David E. Kelley. That was one element I really admired. The show’s ability to stay on track and almost never lose the audience. The pacing of the show’s dialogue could have been better. It started off as a “Desperate Housewives” kind of show but turned into a worthwhile dramatic mystery. It takes a little patience to fully appreciate the seriousness of it. The structure of the story flows nicely, piecing the events slowly leading up to what really happened at Trivia Night. The director, Jean-Marc Vallée, and David E. Kelley both made the show feel like a 7 hour movie. If I had a complaint, it would be that there were some filler moments that were a bit uninteresting or unnecessary. The writer could have used those moments of blankness to add more foundation or understanding for some of the more interesting characters. Other than that, I thought the script was fresh in its own way and kept the audience wanting a bit more.
