Celeste Kills It In The Courtroom On 'Big Little Lies'

by Megan Walsh

Updated: Feb. 20, 2024

Originally Published: July 22, 2019

There were several tense moments during Celeste's custody battle on Big Little Lies where it really seemed like everything would go wrong. Mary Louise didn't hold back when it came to exposing every painful detail of Celeste's life. But, luckily, Celeste didn't hold back either. And fans were thrilled by the outcome, which is made clear in the Twitter reactions to Celeste's triumph in court.

Warning: spoilers for the Big Little Lies Season 2 finale.

The courtroom scenes in the final two episodes of Big Little Lies Season 2 have been brutal. Mary Louise had her lawyer drag out every one of Celeste's secrets, with visual aids and plenty of accusations about her ability to be a good mother. But Celeste turned the tables on her mother-in-law in "I Want to Know" by doing some secret-spilling of her own. During their marriage, Perry told Celeste that his brother Raymond died in a car accident caused by Mary Louise. She then went on to blame Perry for distracting her, and may have even physically abused him as a kid.

Those were major revelations, but what was more important was seeing Celeste stand up for herself in court. She had been put through so much for so long that watching her take back some of her power was inspiring. And when it paid off in her getting full custody, viewers couldn't have been happier.

Elle Woods Would Be Proud

In retrospect, it seems obvious that Celeste was going to win because she had the best cinematic lawyer of all time cheering her on from the sidelines.

Werk

Celeste seemed prepared for a victory too, because she wore an especially stylish ensemble to court for the big decision. She knew she had to look chic for that power strut back to her car.

Layers

This season of Big Little Lies was imperfect, but the performances were one aspect that could not be faulted. Should they just hand Nicole Kidman the Emmy now, or...?

Free

Celeste has been in pain since the very first episode of the show, and her journey has been a long and complicated one. After countless ups and down, she's finally in a good place. And fans are grateful for that.

Cheers

Though Celeste's lawyer was worried about her taking on her own defense, she didn't need to be. Celeste remained poised and collected throughout her questioning of Mary Louise, even when she had to revisit her own traumatic marriage. It only made her victory more satisfying to see her take total control of the situation.

Turnabout Is Fair Play

After everything Mary Louise put Celeste through, viewers were happy to see her finally turn the tables on the worst mother-in-law in Monterey.

A Legend

Celeste retaining custody was absolutely the right decision, but that didn't diminish its impact. It was still a relief to see it play out.

Yas Kween

At the end of the day, all fans wanted to do was celebrate Celeste's win on Twitter.

I Petition The Court

What if they re-shot Season 2 and it was just six hours of Nicole Kidman grilling Meryl Streep on the stand? Food for thought.

The Library Is Open

If you ask me, Celeste could have gone farther in giving Mary Louise her comeuppance. She should start following her around to various locations and ripping her to shreds emotionally the way Mary Louise has been doing to everyone for six weeks.

Victorious

Celeste was so spectacular that even Mary Louise would have to give her props. Or at least Streep can, in gif form.

The Big Little Lies Season 2 finale may have had its missteps, but at least Celeste was finally able to succeed.

This article was originally published on July 22, 2019