Big Little Lies

Rejoice: The Monterey Five, as they are now known, have returned! Madeline, Celeste, Jane, Renata, and Bonnie are back and just as dysfunctional as ever.

Season Two of "Big Little Lies" opens with the start of second grade, and some things never change for these hyper-attentive mothers. The more things stay the same, the more things change, though. The women are still reeling from the events of last season; notably, Perry's death haunts them all differently. Some are attempting to move on, while others are trapped with their thoughts from that night. Everyone has noticed something is off with the group, but these ride-or-die ladies know that snitches get stitches – so the events have been buried among themselves.

Added into the mix this time around is Meryl Streep as Perry's grieving mother, Mary Louise, who uses the guise of helping care for her grandchildren to get answers about what really happened on Trivia Night last year. Mama bear is not one to be crossed.

Casting Streep was the best decision made going into this new season. She is a formidable adversary to The Monterey Five, piecing together her version of the events from that night and taking no prisoners along the way. Watching Streep and Reese Witherspoon go toe to toe is delicious as they trade barbed retorts.

Acting more like a sequel than a simple continuation, the first episode (of the three that were available to review) is disjointed as it acts to bridge the gap between the original series and the new season, offering a look at what's happened with each of the characters. With that out of the way, episode two starts to get the show back on track. However, during these initial episodes, the one thing that is missing is having the women together as a full group. Each of the characters is busy with her own trials and tribulations that they are separated, or in pairs, for most of the time.

The new season is based on an original idea by author Liane Moriarty and creator David E. Kelly. Without having a novel to guide them, it's hard to tell from these initial episodes exactly where the new season is going. The pace has picked up during these new episodes, but overall it's the same show audiences fell in love with two years ago. As they say: Absence makes the heart grow fonder. It's good to have these friends back.