Today's Entertainment

2 • June 9 - 15, 2019 • Brainerd Dispatch By Kenneth Andeel TV Media W hen the Season 1 finale of "Big Little Lies" aired last year on HBO, few were expecting it to return for a second season. Not because it wasn't worthy — the show did ex- ceptionally well, and raked in the ac- colades during awards season — but because the story on which it is based ends where Season 1 left off. On Sun- day, June 9, the critically acclaimed series returns for an unexpected sec- ond season, and we are treated to further exploration of the intrigue- filled lives of a group of Californian women. "Big Little Lies" premiered in 2017 as a seven-part limited series on HBO. The project was spearheaded by movie stars Nicole Kidman ("The Hours," 2002) and Reese Wither- spoon ("A Wrinkle in Time," 2018), who, several years earlier, had op- tioned the rights to produce a film or television series based on author Li- ane Moriarty's novel of the same name. Moriarty's novel depicted a complicated web of secrets, abuse and revenge that brings a group of very different women together and results in an ultimate act of desperate violence. After Witherspoon and Kid- man opted to produce the project as a series rather than as a film, as ini- tially expected, the already notewor- thy cast began to grow. A additional stars signed on, including Shailene Woodley ("Divergent," 2014), Zoë Kravitz ("Mad Max: Fury Road," 2015) and Laura Dern ("Jurassic Park," 1993), who filled out the group of women central to the story's plot. Supporting cast members includ- ed Alexander Skarsgård ("True Blood"), Adam Scott ("Parks and Recreation"), Kathryn Newton ("Halt and Catch Fire") and Iain Armitage ("Young Sheldon"), most of whom are returning in Season 2. I say "most" in an effort to spare you from spoilers — if you haven't watched the first season, telling you who isn't returning for Season 2 would give too much away. So far, "Big Little Lies" has fol- lowed the three lead characters Ce- leste (Kidman), Madeline (Wither- spoon) and Jane (Woodley). Jane is a newcomer to Monterey, and is there to raise her son as a single mother and hide a troubled past. The women meet because of their children, who all attend the same school, and Mad- eline takes Jane under her wing. Season 1 was a roller-coaster of drama and secrets. Celeste's mar- riage was not what it seemed. Made- line's controlling nature threatened to ruin her relationships with family members. Jane's past seemed to liter- ally chase her as she did her best to outrun it and care for her son. Ulti- mately, these women, along with others who seem at first to be an- tagonists, come together in a mo- ment of great need to resolve a seri- ous case of abuse. They kill a man. It's here that the story diverges from the source material. In the nov- el, the woman who does the actual killing admits to her actions immedi- ately and turns herself in, despite her friends agreeing to lie on her behalf. In the television version, the women come up with a story in which the man died accidentally after instigat- ing a struggle, and present a united front to police. The investigation into the death and the repercussions of that night are the source of much of the tension and drama Season 2 has to offer. Meryl Streep ("Doubt," 2008) joins the already ridiculously talented cast this season. She plays the moth- er of the man who died, and she comes to town looking for answers about his death. When Moriarty's novel left the se- ries with no further source material to draw upon, the cast and creators seemed reticent to endorse the idea of a second season; they all claimed to be supremely happy with the way the first season turned out and de- fended its existence as a standalone piece of work. The demand for more must have simply been too great, because in 2017, shortly after "Big Little Lies" had received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Limited Series, HBO announced that a second season was being explored, and that Moriarty had been contacted to write new ma- terial for it. Later that year, the second season was confirmed, and while fans were overjoyed, the announcement didn't thrill other awards-season contend- ers. HBO had waited until after voting had concluded so the show would not be pulled from the "Limited Se- ries" category for awards season. "Big Little Lies" ultimately nabbed several awards, including the Emmy and the Golden Globe for Best Mini- series. Awards-season controversy aside, the return of the series has plenty of people excited. Like Moriarty's novel, the television version of "Big Little Lies" manages to balance a dark sense of humor with a conscientious and sensitive exploration of domestic abuse and the effects of trauma. The show's elite cast, which now includes three Oscar winners (Kidman, Wither- spoon, Streep) and a two-time Oscar nominee (Dern), lovingly brings each character to life, and it's a real joy to watch these women, both fictional and real, work together on screen. Season 2 of "Big Little Lies" con- tinues to explore the dark secrets of Monterey when it premieres Sunday, June 9, on HBO. Secrets and lies The powerhouse cast of 'Big Little Lies' welcomes a familiar face for Season 2 Cover Story this week Shailene Woodley in a scene from "Big Little Lies" Conan Last night was the final episode of "Game of Thrones" and people are not happy about it. USA Today was railing against it. It was the angriest pie chart I've ever seen. That's why I'm happy I've put a lot of thought into how our show is going to end. It's going to be Season 48, oh boy. I'm gonna burn the whole set down and then I'm gonna marry my Aunt Louise. The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon President Trump is in a trade war with China, and I saw that Chinese officials said that, "No one should expect China to swallow bitter fruit." Then Trump fired back: "I believe the word is 'vegetable.'" I saw that the CEO of Bed Bath & Beyond is stepping down. He was supposed to leave Bed Bath & Beyond last month, but he kept seeing things he needed. The Late Late Show With James Corden An Australian man was recently out walking his dog when he found a gold nugget worth $37,000. Does anything ever go wrong for Chris Hemsworth? Jimmy Kimmel Live There's another controversy over who might be the new Batman. It is rumored that Robert Pattinson from the Twilight movies might be the next Batman. If you think about it, it makes sense. He was a vampire, now he's a bat. Late Night With Seth Meyers Police in Philadelphia are investigating after a five-year- old boy walked into his preschool class holding about two dozen vials of crack cocaine. In the kid's defense, he did bring enough for everyone. Late Laughs We'reSoMuchMore anCabinCountry. VisitBrainerdthissummer—adventurestobehad,excellent accommodationsanddiningtobeenjoyed,andacoupleofthe bestbreweriesinMinnesotatobediscovered. StartyourresearchonBrainerdandBaxter atVisitBrainerd.comoronourApp. Followus@VisitBrainerdand#LoveBrainerd. VISITBRAINERD EntertainmentGuide_June_2x4.indd 1 5/22/2019 3:04:16PM Truth Lutheran Church 501 Kingwood Street, Brainerd, MN (Corner of 5th & Kingwood) truthlutheranchurch.com An LCMC Congregation …Lutheran Congregation in Mission for Christ Sunday worship 9 AM Fellowship and Sunday school following worship Sunday, June 30 10am-4pm Gregory Park Some new art elements as well as old favorites, food vendors and local musicians. Bring a lawn chair and enjoy the musical talents of Ukulili, Singlespeed and Almost Blue throughout the day. NEW THIS YEAR "COMMUNITY CORNER There is still space for a handful of art vendors as well as nonprofit and community partners for the community corner – contact Cassie Carey with questions! 218.821.6975 Something for Everyone!

• Cover