I saw a lot of people making a fuss about Kerry Washington's facial expression: I am going to assume these people form their opinion after the second episode or without understanding the character or able to detect what kind of emotion was demanded. Kerry Washington played her part brilliantly. She was deep and dark. Purposely melancholic from a life of pain, hurt and disconnection. Therefore, I am surprised that these people expected Kerry to be laughing, smiling or expressing some emotions that would ruin the general tone of the series. In fact, we know that this was the correct emotion demanded by the creator, because when Tiffany Boone plays the younger Kerry, we see her also displaying the same expression. There was also a scene in one episode where Kerry's "expression" was mentioned; thus, it was intentional, and I believe it was the correct choice.
I gave this series a 9 star rating because I was captivated right fro the start. I am not a big fan of teens in films, but the story each of the younger cast tells was powerful, and they played their role with the level of conviction needed to make it believable.
Reese Witherspoon is a gem. She walked throughout her character like she lives it a thousand times. I love the fact that Reese can put a smile on your face even when you have to take her dramatic role seriously.
This series deserves every award it will get.
767 Reviews
Not horrible, has potnetial
mnsmb725 March 2020
With just 3 episodes completed so far I am writing this review because there have been some consistent things. 1) Kerry Washington is really hard to watch. She only seems to have emotional extremes and it really makes you wonder how no one has ever coached her on subtle acting. 2) Reese Witherspoon is basically the exact same mom from Big Little Lies but now in a different show. 3) The child/teenage actors are actually all pretty good so far. I think the plot is developing nicely and has been pretty in-line with the book so far. Looking forward to seeing more. Sorry for you Scandal lovers but Miss Washington is tough for me
Kerry Washington is the worst thing about this show
shuchikg22 March 2020
The book was phenomenal to read. But the show has been very painful to watch because Kerry Washington over acts harder than anything I have seen before. She is constantly emoting an "about to ugly cry" face. There is no need for her to be so overly emotional in each and every scene. Reese Witherspoon is the only worth watching.
Ok
torresmassiel-756-71283324 March 2020
Love the show but.........
darrell_kahoalii25 March 2020
As one reviewer said, Kerry Washington seems to show the same emotional face in every projects she works on. She made the same emotional face on the show "Scandal". Reese is great as always and so is Kerry, however, that emotional face has got to go!
Big Little Fires
dsohn718 March 2020
Warning: Spoilers
It's really cool that Reese Witherspoon's role isn't all that different from Madeline in Big Little Lies, but the difference in setting changes the whole conversation. Instead of Jane Chapman from BLL, we now have Mia Warren; both working class single mothers, haunted by emotional ghosts. The biggest difference being Jane and Madeline were immediate friends bonded by their whiteness, while Mia and Elena struggle to find common ground anywhere-but in Elena's defense, Mia's just not easy to connect with. Rather than being a feel-good like The Blind Side, Little Fires exposes how unheroic and superficial white saviors can be, like how Lexie buys Pearl's homecoming dress for Pearl in exchange for her personal story to get into Yale.
I also appreciate the story doesn't shy away from the puzzling role Asian Americans play in this conversation about class and race. While many assimilate with ease like the women at the bookclub (one of whom was a cameo by the book's author), some like Bebe Chow cannot. The one thing I bumped on the most (aside from KW's face expression that everyone else is pointing out lol) is the way-too-convenient way Bebe reconnects with her lost baby. To me it felt too "tiny town," a term I heard in a writers room I once PA'd for. But I will say, the writers and the author did a great job creating a very morally ambiguous dilemma where even I can't find myself siding against the rich white people this time.
I'm very interested to see how this story continues to unfold, but something tells me it won't end in a neat bowtie with all the women bonded at the end like in BLL. The social and economic barriers between the mothers in LFE just seem way more daunting to scale.
----- Finished the series. Despite the couple of lulls here and there (like an entire flashback back story episode when I just wanted to see what was going happening in the present) The finale did not disappoint! I loved it. Not as much as BLL, but it was great.
I also appreciate the story doesn't shy away from the puzzling role Asian Americans play in this conversation about class and race. While many assimilate with ease like the women at the bookclub (one of whom was a cameo by the book's author), some like Bebe Chow cannot. The one thing I bumped on the most (aside from KW's face expression that everyone else is pointing out lol) is the way-too-convenient way Bebe reconnects with her lost baby. To me it felt too "tiny town," a term I heard in a writers room I once PA'd for. But I will say, the writers and the author did a great job creating a very morally ambiguous dilemma where even I can't find myself siding against the rich white people this time.
I'm very interested to see how this story continues to unfold, but something tells me it won't end in a neat bowtie with all the women bonded at the end like in BLL. The social and economic barriers between the mothers in LFE just seem way more daunting to scale.
----- Finished the series. Despite the couple of lulls here and there (like an entire flashback back story episode when I just wanted to see what was going happening in the present) The finale did not disappoint! I loved it. Not as much as BLL, but it was great.
Actors who play the younger versions of the leads.
michaeljlinderman26 February 2021
Phenomenal!!!!
cateainsworth26 April 2020
I think that this show is amazing! The characters are intriguing, and it is well acted. By the time you realize the true complexity, it will leave you with "Wow!" It is very thought provoking.
I think it would be exciting if they make a season two; I want more!!!!! I'm going to read the book now.
Reese was amazing
gallagherkellie16 March 2021
Wow Reese Witherspoon did an amazing job in this role!! To be honest, almost all of the actors did. The only one who I had trouble watching was Kerry Washington - why does she always look like she's just stepped in dog poo or about to scream or cry?
I enjoyed the show, some good drama and a few twists. I didn't love it though, especially the silly ending.
Incredible characters
samuelove938 May 2020
Watch the Show then Read the Book.
faerietxn20 March 2020
I read the book and am now watching the show and noooo... I can't do it. I told my daughter all about this and she really wanted to watch it so we're doing it but if it weren't for her I wouldn't be watching. They changed all the good parts of the book. It's disappointing.
It's not about right and wrong
kieran-211-16719030 November 2020
It's not about right and wrong, it's not about good and bad, it's about the inherent messiness of being human, about how nobody actually gets it right, about how nobody will ever get it right, about how hard it is to be a parent, a child, a human being. And for this, it is perhaps one of the truest shows I've ever seen
Who is the good guy?
lana-roberts-fl23 April 2020
Warning: Spoilers
This series evoked very mixed emotions. I just do not understand why Elena ended up to be a bad guy. Raising 4 kids while still trying to keep a career is hard. Really hard. We never see her husband doing anything around the house or spending time with kids, it's all her responsibility. Why the expectations for Elena are so high? Just do not get it. She is doing her best like most women nowadays.
She felt sorry for a literally homeless woman and let her in. And yet, it was wrong. Why? She gave her a job because she wanted to help, but again this fact is being used against her. So stupid.
Mia is really weird. She is a coward who is afraid to confront the truth and fight for the baby legally. Instead she is running, hiding and living like a criminal. She does not care how the couple who had hopes feels. And yet she is a hero. Yes, you messed up, but it takes courage to admit it. Her facial expression and her disdain towards Elena is annoying. Be grateful for once.
I do not know what the message is - it's ok to abandon babies, it's ok to live in a car, all white people who give you jobs are bad??? I was watching the entire series only because of Reese Witherspoon. She is outstanding as always.
Honestly just don't get it....
supernaturali3 June 2020
Warning: Spoilers
I was with this for 7 episodes, I loved it, loved the drama, the story, the mystery, etc then the final happened...
I honestly don't really get what the message here is...Is it ok to steal babies as long as you love them the most? Are all white people just simply racist? If you think a certain action is OK are you then above any kind of repercussion?
Let's start with Mia, she took $12000 (putting a price on a baby, an action she later condemns) to carry a baby for an apparant lovely but unlucky couple, she had some hardships and some losses and instead of dealing with them and moving on she dissappears and tells the couple she miscarried the baby, before changing her name and living on the run with said child. All this is supposed to show that she's a good mother... no wonder she tried to justify what she's done by interjecting herself into a custody battle. She obviously loves Pearl, that's not the question, but she has lied to her daughter her whole life, stolen a baby, effectively faked her death and lived life on the run, then intruded on the Richardson's and friends lives and still she feels like she can look down her nose at everyone else because she's black and not as privileged as her white neighbours...
Next we have Bebe. A truely sad story, a young desperate immigrant alone trying to raise a baby with no help. Very sad yes, but she abandoned her child, a hard decision to be sure, but one no less illegal or horrific. She left her baby out in the freezing cold, unsure if she would be found, then came back a year later and tried to act like a good mother who can do more for her child, despite being in the exact same circumstances as she was when she gave her up. The best thing she did for that child was to give it away, even though she did so in the worst way possible. She comes back and tries to win the child through legal means from the family that have taken her in and taken care of her and when that fails she proceeds to kidnap the child and obviously begin to live a life on the run as a criminal, who also happens to be an illegal alien in a country that is not shy about what little empathy it has for people in that situation....How is this best for the child, which according to her lawer is what Bebe was after all along?
Then we have the Richardson children. All of these children are the worst examples of spoilt privileged white teenagers. Tripp is a typical jock character who has zero charisma. Lexie is a spoilt, popular girl who has planned her future yet has no substance and actually has to steal some from Pearl. Moody is a typical angsty teen who feels like he is more spiritual than everyone else he knows, he tries to use his family's money (that he later decides is horrible) to try and buy affection then when that fails he flips and turns into an aggressive, possesive bully. Finally Izzie, a teen going through a lot, it is true, but the way she goes about it is entirely wrong. I don't have any sympathy for characters who keep trying to push their parents and start acting like a victim when there is consequences. All of this is forgivable until the final episode, when they decide that because they have stressed their mother to what seems like a mental breakdown, they are going to fix their lives by burning the house to the ground....Like what....?
The best feature of the show was the music and remakes of old 90's songs. The only likeable characters in this entire show were Pearl, Elena and Mia's brother who we only see in a flashback, they are truely the only ones who show any kind of progression at all.
I haven't read the book but from what I can tell from other reviews, this doesnt seem to be a good representation. This show had such promise and I got so excited when I saw the trailer as I love Kerry Washington and Reese Witherspoon but I have not been so dissappointed in the climax of a show in such a long time
I honestly don't really get what the message here is...Is it ok to steal babies as long as you love them the most? Are all white people just simply racist? If you think a certain action is OK are you then above any kind of repercussion?
Let's start with Mia, she took $12000 (putting a price on a baby, an action she later condemns) to carry a baby for an apparant lovely but unlucky couple, she had some hardships and some losses and instead of dealing with them and moving on she dissappears and tells the couple she miscarried the baby, before changing her name and living on the run with said child. All this is supposed to show that she's a good mother... no wonder she tried to justify what she's done by interjecting herself into a custody battle. She obviously loves Pearl, that's not the question, but she has lied to her daughter her whole life, stolen a baby, effectively faked her death and lived life on the run, then intruded on the Richardson's and friends lives and still she feels like she can look down her nose at everyone else because she's black and not as privileged as her white neighbours...
Next we have Bebe. A truely sad story, a young desperate immigrant alone trying to raise a baby with no help. Very sad yes, but she abandoned her child, a hard decision to be sure, but one no less illegal or horrific. She left her baby out in the freezing cold, unsure if she would be found, then came back a year later and tried to act like a good mother who can do more for her child, despite being in the exact same circumstances as she was when she gave her up. The best thing she did for that child was to give it away, even though she did so in the worst way possible. She comes back and tries to win the child through legal means from the family that have taken her in and taken care of her and when that fails she proceeds to kidnap the child and obviously begin to live a life on the run as a criminal, who also happens to be an illegal alien in a country that is not shy about what little empathy it has for people in that situation....How is this best for the child, which according to her lawer is what Bebe was after all along?
Then we have the Richardson children. All of these children are the worst examples of spoilt privileged white teenagers. Tripp is a typical jock character who has zero charisma. Lexie is a spoilt, popular girl who has planned her future yet has no substance and actually has to steal some from Pearl. Moody is a typical angsty teen who feels like he is more spiritual than everyone else he knows, he tries to use his family's money (that he later decides is horrible) to try and buy affection then when that fails he flips and turns into an aggressive, possesive bully. Finally Izzie, a teen going through a lot, it is true, but the way she goes about it is entirely wrong. I don't have any sympathy for characters who keep trying to push their parents and start acting like a victim when there is consequences. All of this is forgivable until the final episode, when they decide that because they have stressed their mother to what seems like a mental breakdown, they are going to fix their lives by burning the house to the ground....Like what....?
The best feature of the show was the music and remakes of old 90's songs. The only likeable characters in this entire show were Pearl, Elena and Mia's brother who we only see in a flashback, they are truely the only ones who show any kind of progression at all.
I haven't read the book but from what I can tell from other reviews, this doesnt seem to be a good representation. This show had such promise and I got so excited when I saw the trailer as I love Kerry Washington and Reese Witherspoon but I have not been so dissappointed in the climax of a show in such a long time
Kerry Washington!
jayanisnice6 April 2020
A nice surprise
samantavillegasm23 August 2020
Personally, I like to watch whatever series whenever I'm feeling to want to watch one. In this day in quarantine, I decided to watch this, and I was very surprised, because you don't expect to be on the side of the two main characters. In the first place, you understand Elena and why she takes her decisions, from the point of view from a person who has their whole lives planned to go to a good university, a good husband, have children, and be happy until death. But her aspect to be the perfect mother and control every move of her life and children especially. You understand her.
On the other hand, we're with Mia, in the first episodes you see that she haves many secrets, you don't trust her, with her daughter interrupt the whole routine of the Richardons, like Mia is the antagonist.
But when you catch what's did happen in the life of Mia and Elena, you know that's no one has the fault of there decisions they had to do, because of their past, on the opportunities and the decisions they have to do.
Little fires everywhere have a lot of good shots, nice and intelligent dialogs, and a great cast. One of my favorites for the Emmys.
Unwanted display of emotions !!
vanyasawhney25 May 2020
Quite solid TV character study
akcenat14 May 2020
"Little Fires Everywhere" is based on the Celeste Ng 2017 best-selling book by the same name and follows two complex (female) characters and their families in Shaker Heights, a real-life suburb of Cleveland, by telling the story of how their lives unexpectedly begin to intertwine. The Hulu's splashy new 8 episodes miniseries is based in the 90s which is different time from the novel, while first episode drag a lot, but then goes into higher gear all the way until the end. For me, show was a well-crafted drama with believable, multi-layered characters, that tackles issues of motherhood, identity and human nature. At the same time, I must admit that "Little Fires Everywhere" will not be everybody cup of tea, but it was mine and if you found yourself bored with "Big Little Lies" housewives and their lives then this isn't the series for you. Ultimately, "Little Fires Everywhere" is a solid entertaining (melo)drama whose all-around performances carry the show through some of its occasionally overly soapy plot points, but it is also an addictive, emotional story with something to say and that is impossible to look away from.
Rating: 7+/8-
Rating: 7+/8-
I didn't think I'd like this
angiemartin-62-54542418 March 2020
Almost good
jmthomas12224 March 2020
Kerry Washington better be glad the rest of the cast is great especially the young lady playing her daughter. If it wasn't for them I dont think I could watch it. She overreacts every scene she is in. I do like the time period in the movie and the plot through episode 3 is great so far.
Kerry Washington is disgustingly bad!!!
kalopsiaundone15 April 2020
The series is pretty good. Most of the actors are spot on, all the kids are wonderful. The writing is decent and direction impactful. They have really captured the 90s well. The only failing of the show is casting two terribly wrong actors for perhaps the most important characters as its with them the story moves forward. This is the worst of Kerry Washington and Huang Lu hasn't done justice to her role either. Kw seems to have perfected her trembling and making that one annoying af face in the mirror, and no matter what the situation, she pulls the same trick out.. every show, every character, no exceptions. She is deeply unlikable as Mia and so you just can't root for her character. The producers really did drop the ball with casting someone with such limited emotional range. If you can ignore her atrocious presence, the series itself is pretty decent. On the bright side, Lexie Underwood as pearl is pitch perfect. What a bright star!!
Moments of greatness ....
marlorose5323 March 2020
Absolutely the best finale
gatemonkey4 May 2020
I see I am not the only person who noticed Kerry Washington seemingly constant grimace. But as I came to know the character I noticed it less and less. I liked her as Mia and honestly of the two mothers had I a choice I would have chosen her over Elena. At any rate she didn't spoil the series for me. I liked her character.
Now Elena. Ugh. Reese Witherspoon is a force of nature when it comes to acting. She is wonderful. I truly abhorred her character well before the end. Lol. What a poisonous woman she was. I had no sympathy for her at all.
I haven't read the book so I have no point of comparison there. The story reminded me somewhat of Little Big Lies which I have read and loved.
The final episode was a completely satisfying hour for me. It doesn't get any better than that. Honestly I think I cheered it on.
Well worth watching!
Justice for Mia
marceepm28 March 2020
With all my love to Reese, just no
neshitovaa22 April 2020
I was excited to watch it at first as I loved Big Little Lies and had some particular trust to Reese W. and the product she's making. First episodes were ok, I thought it's a warm up for some significant plot twist or whatever, but no miracle happened. As many viewers mentioned, Kerry Washington is extremely unpleasant to watch, which makes it confusing - either the character is seriously lacking depth or it's just about bad acting? Or both? She's always looking like someone farted in her face, and honestly Mia's actions are neither justified nor empathized by her motives. Of course, there is no good or bad guy, the story is about that no mother is perfect no matter what, however she just doesn't call any emotions but disgust. With all my respect to Reese Witherspoon, nothing good can happen when you choose and create roles for yourself, as it gets repetitive and looses artistic value. Five stars for the teen actors, they did some amazing job.
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