One of These 'Big Little Lies' Theories Is Probably Right
In a way, it's kind of a relief that there's only one episode left of Big Little Lies. Can you imagine waiting another hour or even an entire second season to find out who's the killer and who's the victim on trivia night? It would be unbearable. No amount of kids with good music taste or porches with beach views or Avenue Q performances would make it worth going another second without a conclusion to this murder mystery.
The Esquire team is obsessed with the show, so naturally we have our own theories of what went down on trivia night. Keep in mind, none of us have seen the final episode, and none of us have read the book. (Who reads books?!) So, here are our predictions. One of them is probably right.
The Killer: Jane Chapman
The Victim: Celeste Wright
I didn't want this to be the case because it seems too obvious, but I think Perry Wright (Alexander SkarsgƄrd) is Ziggy's father, so when Jane Chapman (Shailene Woodley) sees him for the first time at trivia night, she whips out her gun to kill him. She carries the gun with her now because of Madeline Mackenzie's (Reese Witherspoon) meddling, which means Madeline will be racked with guilt the rest of her life. But Celeste Wright (Nicole Kidman), unable to completely extricate herself from her fucked up marriage, pushes Perry out of the way and takes the bullet herself. Also, no one asked, but I think the real crime here is who is hurting Amabella, and it's definitely the hippo-ripping twins. -Sarah Rense
The Killer: Renata Klein, et al.
The Victim: Gordon Klein
Alright, I get it. Any ending that's not Perry Wright getting killed by literally anyone else on the show would be deeply unsatisfying. I'm just worried, because that would be entirely too obvious. Really, any scenario seems obvious at this point when every single character has an absolutely believable motive to either kill or get killed. But Gordon Klein (Jeffrey Nordling) really and truly seems like the most sleazy guy around town. The guy is A) always drinking, B) wearing transition lenses, and C) seems like a douche. My theory is this: Gordon is actually the one who has been hurting poor Amabella Klein (horrible name, sweet kid). Who else is hurting her? Not Ziggy, that little freak! Not those Shining-esque '90s surfer twins (too obvious, again). It has to be Gordon, and Amabella is acting so weird because she's afraid to expose her father. Renata (Laura Dern)-who doesn't take shit from anyone-figures this out and goes nuts, rallying all the other women together to kill Gordon. I know, this will probably not be what's going on, but I really don't like Gordon. - Matt Miller
The Killer: Chloe Mackenzie
The Victim: Madeline Mackenzie
Look, I just want to see one of these kids turn out to be the culprit. While weird little Ziggy is too obvious, and Amabella is too timid to do anything, I'm left with Chloe. While we haven't gotten to see what goes on within the confines of the elementary school, I'm betting Chloe is the queen bee of the classroom, mirroring her mother's alpha sensibilities and being generally scary. But is she capable of violence? It depends on how hard she's pushed. I'm betting that Bonnie (Zoƫ Kravitz) reveals to Chloe that Madeline, at dinner the previous week, heard Sade over the speaker system and asked, "Is this Adele?" That's enough to make little Chloe, who has the best music taste of any six-year-old on television, absolutely lose it. - Tyler Coates
The Killer: Bonnie Carlson
The Victim: Perry Wright
Originally I wanted to say Madeline (because she's pissed everyone off) or Renata (because she stole my name). But, even though I know it seems obvious, I think it's Perry who gets killed. I'm sure it won't be Celeste who kills him because, again, too obvious, but I do believe HBO dropped a major clue in the teaser for the season finale, and if I'm right then the killer is the last person we'd suspect. It's probably Bonnie Carlson because the teaser shows Perry and Celeste fighting, and I think Bonnie intervenes. - Renata Sellitti
The Killer: Ed Mackenzie
The Victim: Perry Wright
Ed (Adam Scott) is definitely the killer. There's no reason to give a character that haircut without making him a murderer. We haven't seen the two interact yet, but we know Ed is jealous of Perry's seemingly perfect marriage. I imagine Ed will witness Perry abusing Celeste, which will spark him to finally do something crazy, probably with Jane's gun. Honestly, we should never underestimate a man who owns an Elvis costume. I can only hope Chloe somehow provides the soundtrack to this moment. - Elena Hilton
The Killer: Jane Chapman
The Victim: Eric Northman (aka Perry Wright)
It's probably too obvious, but I think Jane Chapman finally goes head-to-head with Bon Temps' hottest vampire and realizes he's the one who assaulted her. She'll realize it at the party or conspire with Celeste and give her that gun in her purse to do it. I don't care who does it, but Perry should definitely die. - Ben Boskovich
The Killer: Ed Mackenzie
The Victim: Gordon Klein
From early on, I've thought the killer will be relatively inconsequential, as will the victim, and that will make the whole series all the more tragic. (Jane Chapman killing Perry Wright feels too obvious, in other words.) I think Ed Mackenzie's decades of buried rage will finally explode when he learns Madeline Mackenzie cheated, and he'll intend to kill the guy from the play but his bullet will end up accidentally hitting someone who didn't deserve it. I'm not sure who. Maybe Gordon Klein? That would be weird. The only thing I feel confident in predicting is that the murder weapon is Shaliene Woodley's gun, given that she's the only one with a gun. -John Hendrickson
The Killer: Chloe Mackenzie
The Victim: One of the non-famous parents
Much has been written about how this six-year-old girl has the cultural taste of a sophisticated, much older and wiser premium-cable prestige-series music supervisor. The precociousness is a device but it's also a clue: She doesn't get the attention the other kids get, so she'll take it out on some poor grown-up-but not one of the famous ones because there's no such thing as a one-season show on HBO. - Steve Kandell
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