This week's episode challenges the old notion of "Mother knows best."

If you couldn&rsquo;t already tell, Big Little Lies Season 2 Episode 2 was all about family. Nathan, unable to connect with his wife, called Bonnie&rsquo;s mother Elizabeth (Crystal Fox) to Monterey for yet another intergenerational medley. Just like Mary Louise, Elizabeth is not the type to mince words and borders on attack mode when critiquing Nathan&rsquo;s emotional intelligence. Both grandmothers are fiercely protective of their children, possibly to the detriment of everyone else. Elizabeth sums up the episode nicely after a restaurant walkout when she fires back at her husband, &ldquo;That&rsquo;s what families are for. Getting in each other&rsquo;s business.&rdquo;

&nbsp;

Asleep At the Wheel

Celeste&rsquo;s state of mind has not improved much since last week, with her opening scene showing her literally careening off the road in an Ambien-induced episode. Madeline comes to her rescue yet again, but Mary Louise stays suspicious as ever of the friend&rsquo;s motives. Mary Louise&rsquo;s devotion to her late son prevents her from seeing the full picture of Perry&rsquo;s abuse, refusing to believe that he would assault another woman, let alone his own wife. The mothers&rsquo; pattern of whispers and lies has also seeped into their children, with Chloe accidentally revealing Ziggy&rsquo;s paternity to Max and Josh. Celeste and Jane deal with the fallout in different ways as Celeste keeps her sons further in the dark about their father&rsquo;s behavior. The twins are beginning to suspect their mom is hiding things from them.

"That's what families are for. Getting in each other's business." 

Can a Woman Get a Moment?

Because all important dialogue happens in a car, Renata&rsquo;s shining moment this episode occurred upon picking up her husband from jail. Gordon revealed that he had &ldquo;bet the ranch,&rdquo; so to speak, in a deal gone bad, losing both of their vast fortunes (let&rsquo;s be honest, it&rsquo;s mostly Renata&rsquo;s.) Renata is rightfully pissed. At the peak of her fury, she stops her Tesla in the middle of the road and kicks Gordon out of the car, screaming the soon-to-be iconic line, &ldquo;Can a woman get a moment?&rdquo; To everyone&rsquo;s disappointment, she eventually turns back around to retrieve her husband. Family sticks together, after all.

&nbsp;

It&rsquo;s Not You, It&rsquo;s Us

Madeline&rsquo;s loose-lippedness has already gotten her into trouble this episode, when Chloe overhears her gossiping and spreads personal information to her classmates. The apple clearly doesn&rsquo;t fall far from the tree, and when Abigail comes back to live with her mother now that Bonnie is bereft, she spills one of the worst secrets of all: Madeline&rsquo;s affair with her community theater director. Ed is one of the most grounded and sympathetic characters in the show (his short standoffs with Nathan being one of my favorite interactions in the season so far), so his heartbreak is especially difficult to watch. Madeline tries to keep him from walking out the door, but at this point Ed is fed up with the double-life his wife is keeping from him. Hopefully, this betrayal becomes the wake-up call Madeline needs to be more forthcoming with her loved ones.

&nbsp;

What&rsquo;s to Come

Next episode positions almost every member of the Monterey Five in a state of marital chaos, with Madeline and Ed&rsquo;s trust shattered, Bonnie and Nathan still on frigid terms, and Renata and Gordon in deep legal trouble. Jane seems to be the only one whose love life is on the uptick as she gets to know her coworker Corey (Douglas Smith) better. Mary Louise has gone from nosy to full-on vindictive as she learns further details surrounding the circumstances of her son&rsquo;s death, and she&rsquo;ll no doubt take her concerns to the detective. Celeste, under close scrutiny from her mother-in-law and without any of her own family to speak of, becomes increasingly desperate and isolated, with only her therapist for support. The show&rsquo;s pace has picked up from the mostly expository first episode, but the plotlines have diverged as each mother deals with her own crisis. It seems like it will take a police investigation to get the gang back together again.

Family Matters: Big Little Lies Season 2 Episode 2 Recap

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