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Why We're Stressed About Meryl Streep Joining 'Big Little Lies'

On Wednesday evening, the internet collectively screamed due to the news that Meryl Streep is joining the cast of Big Little Lies. That’s right, mother has come to Monterey. If this is the first time you’re hearing this news, please give yourself a minute or two to hyperventilate into a paper bag, I promise it’s normal.

Up until now, details about the second season of BLL have been very scarce, but this makes us feel much better. The show was originally supposed to me a miniseries, so we were worried that a second season would feel unnecessary and struggle to live up to the first. But with Meryl Streep in the lineup, they’ve got a lot to work with.

Reports are that Meryl will play the mother of Alexander Skarsgård, aka Perry, Celeste’s abusive husband who died at the end of the first season. Sorry if that was a spoiler, but the show is seven episodes long and aired like nine months ago, catch the fuck up. Meryl comes to town to figure out what the hell happened to her son, and she probably fucks some shit up in the process. The character was written with Streep in mind, and Nicole Kidman made it happen because they’re friends and that’s how Hollywood works.

So here’s the thing. We adore Meryl Streep, and she can basically do no wrong. Add her to an already amazing cast consisting of Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Laura Dern, etc., and this shit should rake in the awards. But there are still so many unanswered questions.

First of all, we have no idea how big Meryl’s role will actually be? She’s reportedly getting $800,000 an episode, but is this like a one-off guest starring deal, or is she going to slay us for a whole season? And we also still know basically nothing about what else will happen in the story. The first season had so many twists and turns that it would be tough for any show to do it again. Will the new season have one central mystery, like Perry’s death, or will the ladies of Monterey head off in their own directions?

We still have faith in this talented team that season 2 can be beyond amazing, but it’s going to take more than them dangling Meryl Streep in front of us like a sparkly, Oscar-winning piece of jewelry. We’re so damn excited for this to happen, so let us know in the comments what you think will happen in the second season. Will Zoe Kravitz become a lesbian? Will aliens come to Monterey? This shit is bananas.