One of the long running mysteries from the first season of Big Little Lies finally comes to light during the very first episode. Or, better yet, two long running mysteries — one of them being, who winds up dead during the Monterey, California trivia night; and the other, who is the man who raped Jane (Shailene Woodley) and who is Ziggy’s (Iain Armitage) real father?
In case your memory is a little fuzzy, these two people end up being one in the same when it’s revealed that Perry Wright (Alexander Skarsgård) is the one who dies, and also Perry is the one who raped Jane all those years ago. Learning all of this about Perry takes an entire season of secrets and whispers from everyone in Monterey, and it all comes screeching to a halt when Perry is pushed down a flight of stairs, killing him. But now that Perry's mother (Meryl Streep) is sniffing around Monterey, all of his and the Monterey Five's secrets are about to come pouring out. You're probably going to need to remember every little tiny detail. So, here you go:
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How Perry & Jane Met
Using the name “Saxon Banks,” Perry encounters Jane, rapes her, and then leaves her without a trace. Jane finds out that she’s pregnant and keeps the baby, raising him as a single mom. When she eventually moves to Monterey to try and start a better life for Ziggy, she confides in some of the other mothers that Ziggy is the product of rape, telling Madeline (Reese Witherspoon) and Celeste (Nicole Kidman), about this Saxon Banks. Though the two are able to track down a man by the same name, he’s not the Saxon Banks they’re looking for, and the trail to find him goes cold.
Jane's Memory Of "Saxon's" Face Is Blurry
Throughout the first season, Jane has sort of a reoccuring dream/nightmare about the night she was raped, and in this dream she chase Saxon Banks out onto the beach, pursuing him through the sand in a half-torn dress. We never clearly see his face so honestly he could be anybody. And while Saxon Bank’s identity is certainly a plot point for the first season, it’s not the major plot point for the season, as Jane is clearly trying to move on from her past.
But On Trivia Night, Jane Comes Face To Face With Him
But then, on the fateful trivial night, everything collides for Jane. After Madeline goes running off, Jane follows her, trying to comfort her friend. Slowly, one by one all the other mothers in the Monterey Five show up and then Perry does, too. Jane sees Perry for the first time this entire season (because why would their paths have crossed otherwise?) and with literally a few glances to Madeleine and Celeste she’s able to communicate to these two women that Perry is actually Saxon Banks who raped her all those years ago (and in Jane’s dream/nightmare, she’s finally able to catch him running on the beach and shoots him).
However, Perry isn’t there for Jane (it's not clear that he even remembers her at all), and is instead trying to force Celeste to leave with him. That’s when Bonnie (Zoë Kravitz), sees what’s going on and out of nowhere runs and Perry and pushes him down the flight of stairs, killing him.
Jane at no point confronts Perry about what he did to her, and now that he’s dead she’s never going to have a chance to. From the looks that Madeline and Celeste give her before Perry dies, it’s doubtful they’re going to question whether Ziggy is his child or not. But now that Streep's character is rooting around for answers, there's no doubt that Perry's secret son won't be of great interest to her.
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