‘Big Little Lies’ Cut A Scene Where Reese Witherspoon Hurls Ice Cream At Meryl Streep, And Fans Feel Robbed

HBO

HBO’s Big Little Lies apparently made a creative decision to tone down a scene of over-the-top melodrama, and the effect is a confusing one. That’s especially the case due to HBO’s Euphoria not pulling back at all on graphic scenes (one of which includes dozens of penises), but there must be a method behind the madness. At least, that’s what I’m trying to tell myself while the realization swirls about losing a certainly glorious moment where Reese Witherspoon hurls an ice cream cone at Meryl Streep. This scene was forecast by a paparazzi photo that got meme’d during last summer’s production, and understandably, it feels as though fans have truly missed out on some delicious, drippy action.

That’s difficult to process after already suspending reality enough to accept that Reese’s Madeline Mackenzie would eat ice cream in the first place, but alas, Sunday night’s episode where she did the deed included no vengeful hurling of the frozen treat. Meryl Streep revealed to ET Online that this scene would be included “in the DVD extras,” but it’s still deflating news. After all the bonkers moments so far this season — the Mary Louise scream, endless husband doofus-edry, and the Renata meltdown — why can’t we see Madeline toss a dairy product at the Monterey Five’s mortal enemy?

Big Little Lies fans simply cannot understand why such an “iconic” scene materialized on film but wasn’t aired. And they’re airing their thoughts.

There’s a slight chance that this decision was made for the better. Perhaps viewers would have felt empathy for Mary Louise, and what use would that be? Regardless, this is the ice-cream-drama-free world we live in today, and given that lots of folks now possess only dusty DVD players, here’s to hoping that HBO will also drop the full scene online when those extras surface.

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