Why Renata Klein Is the Jon Snow of 'Big Little Lies'
*Warning: Spoilers for Big Little Lies season two finale ahead...*
Dear HBO,
Why do you keep screwing over our favorite characters? Laura Dern's epic and Emmy-worthy performance as riches-to-rags Renata Klein met a depressing fate on Sunday night during the Big Little Lies season two finale, and we couldn't help but be reminded of the disappointment we felt when we watched our hero Jon Snow during the Game of Thrones series finale. Here, every reason why Jon Snow and Renata Klein are one in the same.
1. They Both Had the Best Character Arcs...
In the first season, Dern's Renata went from a money-obsessed power-hungry helicopter mom plagued by paranoia over her impossibly shy, seemingly shell-shocked daughter Amabella to one of the Monterey Five. She was, after all, the mommy enemy (momeny?) to Reese Witherspoon's Madeline and Nicole Kidman's Celeste before ultimately playing witness to the cliffhanger ending of season one. From then on, her fate is sealed as one of the inner circle of Monterey moms who's sworn to secrecy over the death of Celeste's husband, Perry.
Jon Snow, too, was an outsider for much of Game of Thrones. He, like Renata, had to prove himself to the Night's Watch, to Daenerys, even to Sansa, before he was accepted as the leader of House Stark. His character arc was also the most satisfying, as he went from outcast bastard son of Ned Stark to King in the North and true heir to the Iron Throne.
2. ...But the Worst Outcomes
But then that all goes to hell. Renata's revelation that Gordon is cheating on her feels unresolved by the final episode of season two. After losing her possessions, her money and (nearly) her sanity, Renata discovers her slimy git of a husband, Gordon, wasn't just gambling away HER fortune, he was also sleeping with the nanny. Surely, BLL would give some sort of a triumph to Renata? Nope, sorry.
Just like Jon Snow's miserable ending on GoT when he gets sent back to The Wall after he kills his girlfriend Daenerys in order to save Westeros (congrats, your watch has NOT ended!!), Renata somehow ends up with a worse lot in life than when she started.
"It's over," she tells Gordon lamely after taking a bat to his vintage train sets and novelty toys in his man child-cave.
Really? "It's over?" As cruel as it sounds, we would've preferred a more Perry-like ending for Gordon, too...but all we get is a final shot of Renata holding Amabella in bed. Literal snoozefest. Sorry, HBO, but this is the worst kind of cruelty to afflict on your viewers.
3. And They Both Know What It Means to Lose Everything
Jon Snow lost his life (OK, he wins that one), but Renata lost her possessions, her money, her reputation, her magazine spread and, finally, after discovering her husband's infidelity, her pride.
4. They're Both Extremely Meme-able
Renata clenched-teeth-screaming "I WILL NOT NOT BE RICH!!!!" as she pokes the glass partition of the jail where Gordon is being held sent Twitter into a frenzy, and is reminiscent of the also super-viral "You know nothing, Jon Snow." There's also the raging baseball bat scene, the car ride full of the most glorious f-bombs, the photo shoot with "It's my house, and I live here," the Starbucks encounter…
5. And They Both Deserve the Iron Throne
As Buzzfeed's Jarett Wieselman tweeted, these characters both deserved better. OK, Jon Snow more so than Renata. But, still, it's just not fair.
In the words of Renata (and probably also Jon Snow after realizing Dany was losing it): "Maybe you should've shown a woman a little respect!!!!"
Now, please, give these two some Emmys. We don't wanna have to break out the baseball bat...
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