Big Little Truths

Madeline and Nathan arrive at Abigail’s apartment. Madeline is suspicious of Abigail and Luka’s relationship, but as she he learns more about the argument and Abigail’s complaints, she softens towards him. Abigail confesses that she never wanted a big wedding and only agreed to Luka’s public proposal at Madeline’s 50th birthday party because she felt pressured. Abigail mistakenly believed her mother wanted her to have a lavish wedding and the stress of planning led to an argument with Luka. 

Luka arrives with a bouquet, ready to apologize. Madeline, now understanding that Luka truly loves and supports her daughter, leaves hastily with Nathan so that the couple can be alone together. 

In the counselling session narrative, Brenda asks the teens about the next time they saw “Pedo Pete.” They explain that a long time passed in which they didn’t glimpse him. They began working on a group project together for their history class and while filming a video on the beach early one morning, they glimpsed him nearby.

On the morning of her date with Marco, Celeste prepares meticulously, feeling a mix of excitement and anxiety. When she and Marco meet, they confess that they are both nervous. They are quickly interrupted when Marco receives a call and learns that his aunt has died and he must fly out that day. Simultaneously, Celeste gets a call from the high school informing her that her sons, Josh and Max, have been involved in an unauthorized protest and must be picked up. 

The counselling session narrative explains that the high school students were angry about dress code requirements and organized a protest. Some students, including Max and Josh, ended up in the school fountain, in violation of school rules.

Jane arrives at the high school to pick up her son, Ziggy. Renata offers them a ride home. In the car, Jane overhears Ziggy and Amabella, discussing their history assignment, making her feel irrelevant and excluded from her son’s life.

The counselling session narrative reveals that after the protest, the six teens shifted focus to their history project: creating a documentary.

Madeline, Celeste, Jane, Renata, and Bonnie go on a girls’ weekend away, organized by Melody. Melody surprises them with a catered dinner in a cave overlooking a spectacular valley. As they drink wine and eat, the women relax and talk about their children’s school uniform protest. Melody admits to secretly encouraging it. They also discuss local gossip. Finally, they recount the story of Perry’s death to Melody for the first time. Celeste also updates them that Marco is still out of town helping his family; Madeline is suspicious of the new man in her friend’s life. 

In the counselling session narrative, the teens recount how the mysterious man walked up to them on the beach and introduced himself as Marco. The twins explain that they didn’t know this was the same man whom Celeste was dating (she hadn’t shared his name with them).

During the dinner in the cave, the conversation turns to sex. Renata stuns the group by announcing “Guess who has been giving me the best sex of my life?” (319). She reveals that she has been sleeping with Brody, their personal trainer. Renata explains that since her mother’s death, she feels free to be rebellious, which includes getting a tattoo and buying a Harley-Davidson motorcycle. Melody then shares that she is still “obsessed” with her husband, Seth, and that her love for him is “almost a sickness” (322). 

The mood shifts when Bonnie breaks down. She asks if Celeste and Jane truly wanted Perry to die, and expresses her lingering guilt, calling herself a murderer. Celeste comforts her as the night ends. Later, Jane and Renata privately discuss these events and Renata expresses her suspicion of Melody.

Celeste and Marco finally have their second date. Afterward, standing awkwardly on the street, Celeste impulsively suggests going to his apartment for coffee. After some hesitation, he agrees and the mood turns more positive as they walk towards his apartment together.

One night, Ed reveals to Madeline that he asked Nathan to contact her brother, Paul, and convince him to come home to help with their mother. Ed also tells her he will attend the History Showcase event at the high school, where Chloe and the other teens will present the projects they have been working on. 

Later, Ed tells Madeline he dealt with another problem: he claims he called Bruce Tortinas and told him to leave Madeline alone. Madeline is confused, because she encountered no problems after Tortinas’s daughter called off her wedding. Nonetheless, Ed is insistent that “nobody messes with my fucking family” (333).

Jane helps her husband, Tom, close up his café. They discuss the upcoming History Showcase and Tom teases Jane about having a “girl crush” (335) on Melody. Jane admits she thought Melody was going to kiss her the night they went dancing. The conversation becomes serious as Jane, burdened by guilt over her refusal to have another child, suggests they should break up so Tom can have a baby with someone else. Tom firmly rejects the idea, stating that he has accepted her decision. He then surprises Jane by calling Melody’s husband, Seth, a “dickhead” (337).

At Marco’s apartment, Celeste is unsettled by its impersonal atmosphere. She asks to see photos of his daughters. He shows her pictures of his daughters, Quinn and Betty. When Celeste shows him photos of her sons, Marco explains that he ran into them on the beach while the boys were filming with their friends.  

Marco then explains more about why he moved to Pirriwee. Years earlier, Melody Montclair was Betty’s history teacher. He believes Melody knows something about why Betty’s mental health abruptly deteriorated: She and Betty had become very close. Celeste becomes alarmed by what Marco is revealing. 

The narrative switches to the counselling session; the teens reveal the conversation they had with Marco (“Pedo Pete”) after he introduced himself on the beach. Marco confirmed that Melody was their history teacher and explained that Melody once taught his daughter. The teens were suspicious and reject his suggestion that Melody contributed to Betty’s declining mental health. Marco mentions that he found a page from Betty’s notebook and this clue is what leads him to suspect Melody somehow harmed his daughter. Chloe asked Marco what the page said, but the chapter cuts off without revealing his answer.

Madeline is alarmed that Ed threatened Bruce Tortinas and fears that this action may endanger her family. She rushes to the Tortinas home to apologize. She finds Bruce preparing to leave for a vacation to Croatia and apologizes for her husband’s behavior, explaining he is unwell from cancer treatment. Tortinas and his wife are confused, since no one has contacted them. They respond kindly. Madeline leaves, realizing Ed either phoned someone other than Tortinas, or hallucinated the phone call entirely.

The morning after her date with Marco, Celeste wakes up and processes everything Marco revealed. He admitted that he asked a lot of questions about Melody but only heard positive things; he tried to go to Melody’s house, but Seth threatened him. Marco also admitted that he wanted to talk to some of Melody’s current students and thus hung around the high school, but this attracted negative attention. Celeste is distressed to realize that Marco is the man the school and many parents suspect to be a pedophile. She urges Marco to stop. 

When Celeste and Marco parted ways, they both knew they wouldn’t pursue the relationship. She feels sadness but also peace, reflecting that she will not make excuses for another man as she did for Perry. When Max and Josh, come downstairs, she asks them if they spoke to a man named Marco on the beach. They are stunned she knows him and look aghast when she mentions they were on a date. Before she can get more information, they rush out the door, telling her they don’t have time to talk.

On the morning of the History Showcase, Chloe begs Madeline not to attend, insisting it will be boring. Madeline is confused and hurt by Chloe’s vehemence but resolves to go anyway, worried she has been neglecting her youngest daughter. Later, the parents’ WhatsApp group explodes with rumors that a severed human finger was mailed to the school. The principal, Dr. Seawright, sends an official email confirming a finger was delivered, that police are investigating, and that the showcase will proceed as planned.

Detective Quinlan receives the address for Ewan Drew (the man who was identified in connection to the finger) and begins driving. He arrives and a woman answers the door. She confirms the address belongs to Ewan Drew and says she picked him up that morning. When Quinlan asks to speak with him, the woman chuckles and says that will be “real difficult” (360).

Celeste drives Mary-Louise to the high school for the showcase. As they arrive and Mary-Louise spots Bonnie, Celeste feels wary.

Madeline and Ed arrive at the showcase. They find seats with Celeste and Mary-Louise. The lights dim, and Melody Montclair appears on stage dressed as Marie Antoinette. She gives a speech on the theme of “Misunderstood Historical Figures,” noting that most historians believe Marie Antoinette never said “let them eat cake” (366). She introduces the evening of student-made documentaries. The showcase begins, and Ed quickly falls asleep. 

In the counselling session narrative, the teens continue their story of the conversation with Marco. Marco showed them a photo of the page from Betty’s notebook: it had the phrase “I was the gift” written over and over, followed by “Ms. Montclair knew” (367). Marco and the other teens were puzzled by this cryptic message, but Chloe seemed to immediately understand what Betty was referring to.

As the fourth student film is about to begin, Ziggy, walks onto the stage alone. He announces to the audience that his group changed their documentary’s subject from Winston Churchill after receiving new information. He states that while their assignment was on a historical figure, history can be something that happened seconds ago. He says their new documentary is about Ms. Melody Montclair. The film begins to play. 

In the other narrative, the teens mention that they urged Chloe to tell someone about the undisclosed connection she has made between her experience and Betty’s. Chloe hesitates, fearing that she will not be believed, and the group decided to make a documentary about Ms. Montclair.