@Invidia said:

The characters who comment about them to the detectives also seem to have set up some kind of contest where they describe them as being monsters. And one of them suggested Ed was one simply because he rehearsed his Elvis part too loudly?

True... and now that I think about it, I can't remember the townspeople ever saying anything nice about anyone in town.

There are actualy four husbands, Perry (th psycho), Ed, Renata's and Maddys's ex.. I hope they don't go there with Ed, but on the other hand, he seems like a saint married to crazy Maddeline and listening to her go on and on about her ex and getting cheated on, so it would be good to see something out of him. His comment about sweaty women was really weird though.

@Invidia said:

Did you also notice the way we see them in town after they make some of the comments about them?

Yes.

Because once there's been a murder in town then the people in the town would probably come up with all kinds of ideas and read lots of things into situations that they've seen (like we're doing here now even when we also don't live there in the town)?

Yes , but the townspeople appear too eager to do so, most seem spiteful, even though they can be funny at times.

@Invidia said:

Yes you're right. Why do you think they would feel that way? Have we seen any of the couples being mean to them?

Have we ? At the moment I can't recall anything specifically , but living in a small town where they all know each other it's possible it has happened.

Why are they so anxious to portray everyone they way they're doing?

( I'd like to know your answer to this.)

I don't know, just seems to me like they are enjoying the attention they are getting from being asked what they know/ their opinions and just being gossipy.

Big Little lies- I think everyone is lying about something.

@Invidia said:

What you've said makes sense.

And like you, I can't recall seeing them being mean to any of these other people either. In fact, Amabella's mother also hands out those really nice gift baskets to the guest who came to her daughters birthday party. But what we hear about is how the guys got erections watching the dancing?

Yes , out of all things that may have happened at the party I thought that was an odd thing to tell. It's not like she actually stripped and masturbated.

If the guys were still only 16 that might happen.

But how likely is it a group of middle aged married men nearing the age of enlarged prostates would have that happen to them?

Maybe if she actually did strip and masturbate.

Have you seen REDS?

It's another story where this same kind of a technique was used before.

No, haven't seen it.

On the contrary, the people they interview in this story seem to have WARPED views of the characters that does nothing to increase our understanding of them. So perhaps that's the point? Maybe the writers want to show us how these interviews with the people in the town does nothing to help increase the understanding of the detectives who interview them? If anything, what they're saying only seems to mislead the detectives or take them in the wrong direction, thus also making their jobs that much more complicated if they also chose to accept or believe what they're being told?

Yes, that may be exactly the point.

And it also describes the story as being:

... *about the lies both big and small people tell others and themselves in order to make them feel complacent or, at least, satisfied in the bubbles they've painstakingly enclosed themselves in. *

Yes I totally agree with the above statement....

The message in the finale (when he was singing) seemed pretty strong to me: Ed is a good guy, and Madeline needs to start appreciating him more.

@ScorpionQ2 said:

I don't know, just seems to me like they are enjoying the attention they are getting from being asked what they know/ their opinions and just being gossipy.

Yes. The people interviewed re: the homicide are supposed to be the typical audience (in real life or in a show). They see or hear something, they interpret it the way they want to. They have no insight into facts, they just judge. During the series it becomes more and more clear that those people misinterpreted practically everything. SPOILERS --> "You could see something about Ziggy was off and his mother was insane too!" But nothing about it is true, as we see in the end. Or: "I saw Ed throwing his drink on Bonnie." This is another lie, since that was an accident. Etc etc.

At the end of the series all the women – Madeline, Jane, Celeste, Renata, Bonnie – have bonded because they have managed to be honest with each other, which contrasts with the judgemental, gossipy attitude of the other people. I think that's the real beauty of the ending, an unexpected positive message.