If you still haven’t recovered from meeting the newest character on HBO’s Big Little Lies, Dr. Peep, Amabella’s cosplaying therapist — hey, it’s okay. You’re not alone. We too are shook. Like, seriously shook. Upon seeing Episode 3 of Season 2 of BLL, we immediately shot to our laptops, nearing a heart attack, to research whether or not there are, in fact, licensed child psychologists wearing freaking Little Bo Peep outfits.
In case you don’t watch Big Little Lies (first of all, get on that, stat): The “Dr. Peep” we’re referring to here is a child psychologist character who apparently makes house calls to see her patients while dressed as Little Bo Peep. Yep, she arrives sporting a ruffled, baby-blue, disturbingly sexy-short frock, and gripping a shepherd’s crook. And on the show, she is Laura Dern‘s character’s daughter’s in-home therapist. Dr. Peep was played by actor Kerri Kenney, and her big BLL debut was, uh, really something. Like, it was a MOMENT IN TIME. And it left us — and many, many other viewers — wondering what the writers might have been smoking when they devised this particular character.
I can't.. where did Dr. Peep get her psychiatrist license. Is it necessary to go to these lengths to stop @LauraDern stealing every scene in this show. 💜🤭😂💀 #BigLittlesLies2pic.twitter.com/r9yPFYuRDJ
— JaBBeRJaYJaY 🖤⚡⚔️ (@JabberJayJay) June 24, 2019
In the scene in question, the self-designated Dr. Peep refuses a sleepover with her client — the Kleins’ young daughter, Amabella — after having “so much fun.” So… that’s good, right? Boundaries, yay! But then Dr. Peep tells Amabella that the reason she can’t sleep over is that she really, really has to get back to her sheep. Because shepherding.
Season 1 Renata: She doesn't need to know it's a therapist. Some of the best ones now dress up as clowns.
Season 2:#BigLittleLiespic.twitter.com/q5Fz7sP7Mb
— _ (@Nattie_Boh) June 24, 2019
That seems…stranger, perhaps? Considering this is Monterey in 2019 and there are definitely more seals than sheep, and more Eileen Fishers than, well, Ye Olde Little Bo Peep Frock Shoppes.
When Amabella finally flounces off to watch the sunset on the family’s gazillion dollar deck, Dr. Peep gets real with the Kleins in the living room about what’s really going on with their daughter, letting them know that Amabella is suffering from basic “end of the world” global warming ennui — and her parents’ stress and fighting. That’ll be $400, please. Which insurance? Oh, Dr. Peep doesn’t take that, sorry. She only accepts hay and frilly bonnets.
Seriously, if you don’t watch the show, just absorb the mood below and you’ll be right there with us. Take our hands. Come. We’ve got you.
https://twitter.com/LeanneShandle/status/1143657314232221701
Um, no lie (big, little, or other), Dr. Peep is also THIS mood:
when 'Doctor Peep' came down the stairs in #BigLittleLiespic.twitter.com/jPXpSBdR22
— jim shelley (@jimshelley17) June 24, 2019
And a little of this mood:
Doctor Peep. You are having a laugh 😂. If your child wasn’t disturbed before they certainly would be after. She looked like something you’d find in a sex shop for someone with a sheep 🐑 fetish #biglittlelies
— Eileen M Cumiskey (@cumiskey55) June 24, 2019
Yes, yes, we’re not stupid. We know it’s fiction (and damn good, delicious, addictive fiction at that). It’s a TV show that regularly pushes storytelling limits. But we’re parents, okay? Deeply curious, easily freaked-out parents who care a lot about children’s mental health. And we have to know: Are there really cosplaying children’s therapists? Is this actually a good idea?
And what about trust? Amabella clearly bought the whole act (or pretended to) and was cool with Dr. Peep returning to her flock of sheep. Surely there aren’t actual “character” therapists and this is just a big Big Little Lies moment? What about, you know, that pesky thing called reality? Aren’t both trust and reality important elements of any therapeutic relationship — especially for kids?
Counselor Jennifer Longmore, B.A.S.W., M.Ed., spoke exclusively with SheKnows about her take on Dr. Peep. First we asked her if there are real-life Dr. Peeps out there. “Not that I’m aware of,” Longmore replied. “But if there are, they should be investigated by their governing professional associations.”
Longmore added that she has interviewed “thousands of children who were abused and mistreated by adults they trusted. These perpetrators used child-like behaviors to lure, manipulate, groom and/or make the behavior okay… Aside from being gross and highly inappropriate, it confuses children, and at a stage in life where they are trying to discern between fantasy and reality, right and wrong, it can only bewilder the child even more.”
Longmore believes — and yes, we’re getting serious with this, because fiction or not, it’s good to know what’s okay and what’s not when it comes to our kids’ mental health — there are actually potentially devastating ramifications of a cosplaying therapist for kids. Are you listening, Renata Klein? “[There’s] deep-seated mistrust of people in positions of authority, learning to be childlike in order to be heard or valued, even in adulthood, and perpetual questioning of self and reality, just to name a few,” Longmore warned.
At the very least, we doubt that fictional Monterey’s (seemingly only other) therapist — you know, the poker-faced one seen by Celeste, and now Madeline and Ed too — will be losing business to Dr. Peep. Dr. Peep seems to be a niche market, and call us boring, but we like our therapists in sensible clothing. We just do. Racked (RIP) reported on one psychologist’s take on proper therapist attire back in 2017, and we have to say, we may be dull but we’re here for it.
The author of the article, Juli Fraga, was told as a psychology student by her professor, “ wear blouses and skirts with prints or patterns. Plain colors like beige, navy, and white work best. Choose simple accessories like silver stud earrings and small pendants. Never wear black.” Fraga was also warned that wearing patterns and bright colors can distract from a therapeutic relationship — and that sticking with solid neutrals and avoiding black was the way to go, professionally.
To be fair, not everyone was horrified by Dr. Peep and her over-the-top presentation, exactly. Some were just worried about the cost:
https://twitter.com/rachsyme/status/1143185576117624832
Others were pretty down with Dr. Peep and willing to follow her storyline… wherever it might lead. Baaaaaa.
Would watch a Dr. Peep spinoff pic.twitter.com/YG2FTosq4h
— Jackson McHenry (@McHenryJD) June 24, 2019
Some folks just want their own special version of Dr. Peep:
https://twitter.com/JackieWydysh/status/1142979540014133248
And many are left simply asking a lot of existential questions, as are we as parents.
https://twitter.com/jodielayne/status/1143011999338704896
We’ve reached out to numerous additional therapists and psychologists for comment and will update this article as we receive further information / as we continue to try to block Dr. Peep out of our thoughts. Not that it matters, because Dr. Peep has a way of descending the grandiose Klein staircase…right into our nightmares. She’s magic like that.
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