[Warning: Spoilers ahead]
HBO’s seven-episode adaptation of Liane Moriarty’s hit novel Big Little Lies finished last week, perfectly intertwining the miniseries’ three mysteries and wrapping them in a neat little bow. We learned that Perry was both the murder victim and Jane’s rapist (as well as Ziggy’s father), in addition to the fact that it was Perry and Celeste’s son Max who was abusing Amabella — most likely mimicking behavior he learned at home.
So, that’s the end of that, right? The final episode closed out with all of the women happily frolicking on the beach with their children. But in an effort to leave just the right amount of ambiguity intact, it was revealed that someone, or something (okay, probably someone) was watching the group.
Given that Moriarty’s source material was intended as a standalone novel, it seemed unlikely that the series would be picked up for a second season. But that’s apparently just what HBO is hoping for. In an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald, Moriarty revealed that things seem to be heading in that direction.
“I have started to think about ways this could continue,” she says. “The producers have asked me to see if I can come up with some ideas. I wouldn’t write a new book but perhaps a new story and then we’ll see what happens.”
“I’m absolutely open to it because, once I started thinking, it was too much fun to see what I could do and to see these characters again. And there’s definitely places you can go.”
Apparently, one of the few diversions the miniseries took was eliminating Bonnie’s backstory of being abused by her father, which led to her pushing Perry down the flight of stairs. Moriarty says that a hypothetical second season would explore more of Bonnie’s story from the book.
“And also what happens next [for Celeste]. That’s the question that’s also a really interesting thing, when you’ve been through a relationship like that, how do you feel now? How would she feel? She’s grieving. She’s still grieving for the end of a terrible relationship and I think that would be a really interesting thing to explore. So there’s a whole lot of different storylines.”
“I think everybody is pretty keen,” she says. “They all loved working together but I think the thing is the story has to be right. So if is right, and if [screenwriter] David E. Kelley is happy to get the screenplay right, then I think that’ll do it.”
It’s tough to say whether or not this could work. You can look at another mystery-based series such as Wayward Pines which was intended to be a standalone season, and went disastrously off the rails when the producers went rogue and veered away from the source material. Then again, Game of Thrones has been operating this way for at least a season now and will feasibly continue to do so until the end of the series.
Thankfully, at least there’s no shortage of talent involved should HBO decide to continue with the story of these secret-having, wine-drinking, wealthy Monterey women.
