[HBO] The White Lotus

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Tue Dec 06, 2022 3:13 pm

I think Hep and I are the only ones watching, but I suppose it's fair to start a thread for anyone else looking to join.

S1 trailer:

The show isn't what you think, exactly. It's a character driven drama with a bit of a mystery to solve. More specifically, there are a series of characters that initially don't have any connection but as the episodes unfold, you start to see how their individual plots are intertwined. It's very well written and I think only ~6 episodes per season. Would definitely recommend.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Tue Dec 06, 2022 3:14 pm

To re-post my theories on what's going to happen at the end of S2 (which I'm enjoying more than S1)

Regarding the Harper group:

Spoiler:

Regarding Tanya:

Spoiler:

Regarding Lucia:

Spoiler:

I did go back and watch the S2 opening again and my original guess about what happens with Harper group might be wrong:

Spoiler:

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Tue Dec 06, 2022 3:23 pm

White Lotus?

...Oh...you mean the Jennifer Coolidge show?

Anyway, I didn't think I'd like the show. But it turns out I love the show. The closest I can come to describing it is Mad Men on vacation. It has that same overpowering sense of dread punctuated with the occasional moment of levity. You also have to pay attention to everything as even the smallest thing can result in a rather large event.

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Tue Dec 06, 2022 3:34 pm

We're probably going to start watching this over the weekend.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Tue Dec 06, 2022 3:37 pm

telcta · Post by **telcta** » Tue Dec 06, 2022 5:49 pm

One of the few series that I must watch the night it airs. I think it’s so well done and very engaging as it’s mostly character driven and the cast chemistry is so good on both seasons. I love F. Murray Abraham.

The music is fantastic and is like a character in the show, very expressive and fitting.

Z-Corn · Post by **Z-Corn** » Tue Dec 06, 2022 6:24 pm

Yep, about to start this soon, we have both seasons taking up room on the TiVo.

malchior · Post by **malchior** » Tue Dec 06, 2022 6:28 pm

Migrating here

Smoove_B wrote: ↑Tue Dec 06, 2022 2:30 pm

Regarding the Harper group:

Spoiler:
I was reading something this morning suggesting that Daphne is the behind it all - that she knew Cameron would do exactly what he did if left alone, so she intentionally "kidnapped" Harper for a night away to set the wheels in motion. There was a throw-away line I'd forgotten about how much she loves watching TV shows about how wives plot the murders of their husbands. Between that and the likely reveal that her kids are from her trainer, it definitely fits - that she would manipulate the situation to have Ethan murder her husband.

Spoiler:

Regarding Tanya:

Spoiler:
I think that's what we are supposed to believe she believes, yes. Whether or not it's really him or it was just part of her coked-up fantasy, that is definitely unknown. It also seems to fit - that the entire experience with Quentin is all a long con for her money.

Spoiler:

Regarding Lucia:

Spoiler:
That's a good guess. I'm pretty sure the guy she left with is just someone helping her with the con, regardless. I don't think she's in any danger at all.

Spoiler:

I did go back and watch the S2 opening again and my original guess about what happens with Harper group might be wrong:

Spoiler:
It looks like Daphne runs into the arms of Cameron. We never see his face, but a quick blurry shot kinda looks like him. Maybe Ethan tries to kill Cameron and it's Cameron that ends up killing Ethan? What's weird is she runs into the arms of a guy wearing squids on his bathing suit, but in the followup shots, there's no man with squids on his bathing suit to be seen. It's a mystery!

Spoiler:

Edit: Also...Sorry.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Tue Dec 06, 2022 6:54 pm

Is it wrong that I want Portia to have a bad ending?

Jaymann · Post by **Jaymann** » Tue Dec 06, 2022 7:11 pm

hepcat wrote: ↑Tue Dec 06, 2022 6:54 pm Is it wrong that I want Portia to have a bad ending?

You're not wrong.

I started watching at season 2, because Aubry Plaza. Who TF would kick her out of bed?

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Tue Dec 06, 2022 7:21 pm

Jaymann wrote: ↑Tue Dec 06, 2022 7:11 pm
hepcat wrote: ↑Tue Dec 06, 2022 6:54 pm Is it wrong that I want Portia to have a bad ending?
You're not wrong.

I started watching at season 2, because Aubry Plaza. Who TF would kick her out of bed?

Quentin.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Tue Dec 06, 2022 8:27 pm

I'm wondering if we've been misled the whole time regarding one of the characters?

Spoiler:

malchior · Post by **malchior** » Tue Dec 06, 2022 9:05 pm

Smoove_B wrote: ↑Tue Dec 06, 2022 8:27 pm I'm wondering if we've been misled the whole time regarding one of the characters?

Spoiler:
Valentina is seemingly the only one that hasn't tried to actively manipulate anyone in the whole show. Well, I guess other than Bert - but he has demonstrated his historically been problematic. Valentina has a crush and she was (I suppose) trying to arrange the work place in such a way to act on it, but on the list of sins that seems pretty low. Is it possible that something bigger will be revealed this coming week?

I'd thought maybe the second body could be Rocco - that she kills him out of jealousy - but he's in the S2 opener with Valentina - discussing the bodies that have been found.

Spoiler:

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Tue Dec 06, 2022 9:10 pm

Good catch! In case it's not obvious I'm pretty excited to see where this all ends. I didn't see the S1 ending coming at all so I'm curious if this will have similar track.

malchior · Post by **malchior** » Tue Dec 06, 2022 9:47 pm

Smoove_B wrote: ↑Tue Dec 06, 2022 9:10 pm Good catch! In case it's not obvious I'm pretty excited to see where this all ends. I didn't see the S1 ending coming at all so I'm curious if this will have similar track.

This is why I'm sort of skeptical of the more straightforward guesses. They also littered the show with piles of Chekov's guns just to fuck with us I think. The master key last episode? Probably a total throwaway.

Kurth · Post by **Kurth** » Wed Dec 07, 2022 1:41 am

We're three episodes in to S2. We loved S1, and I think S2 is really good, too, but it feels really different from S1. There's a darkness and a seriousness to this season that I didn't feel in the first season. Granted, the first season had some dark moments, too, but it also had a feeling of lightness about it where this season is just heavy. I think this season is well done and high quality, but it's not as much . . . fun.

rittchard · Post by **rittchard** » Wed Dec 07, 2022 2:43 pm

I'm watching too! Binged Season 1 and loved it for the most part. I heard so many good things about S2 being better, but honestly I don't think I liked it as much as S1. Which is odd because I like a lot of the individual cast better and the men are a lot hotter. I feel like it's more disjointed and disparate in terms of the character interactions, and maybe all the characters/plots need more time to flesh out. So it's kind of a reverse criticism, I think I just want to see more of everyone, and more interaction between the cast/plotlines. The other problem I had was someone told me it was 6 episodes each, so I kept thinking ep 6 was going to end the series and I was freaking out a bit while watching lol. Definitely excited to see how they end this craziness.

malchior · Post by **malchior** » Mon Dec 12, 2022 1:00 am

Well I found that resolution to be entirely unsatisfying but it at least made sense. I think my disappointment comes from thinking this story would be smarter than it was.

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Mon Dec 12, 2022 1:04 am

I'm four episodes into S1 and it's starting to gel for me, even though I'm getting tired of shows where everyone's terrible in some special way.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Mon Dec 12, 2022 11:42 am

malchior wrote: ↑Mon Dec 12, 2022 1:00 am Well I found that resolution to be entirely unsatisfying but it at least made sense. I think my disappointment comes from thinking this story would be smarter than it was.

That ending was not at all what I expected. I have so many questions. Well, maybe a few questions.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Mon Dec 12, 2022 1:00 pm

Kraken wrote: ↑Mon Dec 12, 2022 1:04 am I'm four episodes into S1 and it's starting to gel for me, even though I'm getting tired of shows where everyone's terrible in some special way.

The problem is, everyone in real life IS terrible in some way.

Jag · Post by **Jag** » Mon Dec 12, 2022 4:00 pm

Smoove_B wrote: ↑Mon Dec 12, 2022 11:42 am
malchior wrote: ↑Mon Dec 12, 2022 1:00 am Well I found that resolution to be entirely unsatisfying but it at least made sense. I think my disappointment comes from thinking this story would be smarter than it was.
That ending was not at all what I expected. I have so many questions. Well, maybe a few questions.

Peppa Pig is packing!

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Mon Dec 12, 2022 4:14 pm

hepcat wrote: ↑Mon Dec 12, 2022 1:00 pm
Kraken wrote: ↑Mon Dec 12, 2022 1:04 am I'm four episodes into S1 and it's starting to gel for me, even though I'm getting tired of shows where everyone's terrible in some special way.
The problem is, everyone in real life IS terrible in some way.

Yup. It reflects the time we're living in, socially and politically, when we have no illusions about the rich and powerful -- indeed, we expect the worst of them. Which reminds me that Succession should be back soon-ish.

malchior · Post by **malchior** » Mon Dec 12, 2022 9:18 pm

Smoove_B wrote: ↑Mon Dec 12, 2022 11:42 am
malchior wrote: ↑Mon Dec 12, 2022 1:00 am Well I found that resolution to be entirely unsatisfying but it at least made sense. I think my disappointment comes from thinking this story would be smarter than it was.
That ending was not at all what I expected. I have so many questions. Well, maybe a few questions.

It wasn't the ending I expected either. It was so...ordinary. The reason so many people didn't see what happened coming is because aside from the boat shenanigans it was all telegraphed in the mid-season and dismissed as too pedestrian an outcome. Maybe his point was to be banal. I don't know but I enjoyed the season overall thought. It's just disappointing that this episode fell pretty flat for me. I haven't even thought about it since I made that post last night.

As to questions. My only question is why are people who can blow 50K Euros on an obvious scam and just shrug flying EasyJet?

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Mon Dec 12, 2022 11:32 pm

I liked it. It had one outlandish ending and multiple realistic endings. That’s kind of their thing. It wasn’t ridiculously over the top, but it also delivered on the promise of sensationalism hinted at in the first episode.

Although

Spoiler:

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Mon Dec 12, 2022 11:42 pm

Yes, I actually liked the Seal Team Six ending; that whole plot line (for me) delivered

Spoiler:

I agree that Meghann Fahy was quite good. What I think is interesting about the S2 ending overall is there's still so much we don't know. Also, that volcano in the background was real - like, it was randomly active during the filming of the show. Regarding Daphne:

Spoiler:

I did like it, but I wouldn't call it "satisfying". Worth watching? Absolutely. But I'm left with unease and I think that's the point. Will absolutely watch S3.

malchior · Post by **malchior** » Mon Dec 12, 2022 11:50 pm

Smoove_B wrote: ↑Mon Dec 12, 2022 11:42 pmRegarding Daphne:

Spoiler:
At first I was confused over her encounter with Ethan. Were we supposed to assume they did something? Or are we now like Ethan and jumping to conclusions? Wasn't that her whole message too? Not knowing everything is how you keep that "spark".

Spoiler:

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Mon Dec 12, 2022 11:54 pm

I think Daphne

Spoiler:

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Tue Dec 13, 2022 12:54 am

Thank y'all for using spoiler tags. I'm only at S1E5. I just want to mention that I love the music. Ordinarily I only notice a soundtrack if it's annoying, but this one grabs me for the right reasons.

Fireball · Post by **Fireball** » Tue Dec 13, 2022 11:40 am

My husband and I love this show so much, though he finds the anxiety very overwhelming.

Spoiler:

Absolutely great television. So well written.

YellowKing · Post by **YellowKing** » Tue Dec 13, 2022 3:10 pm

I kept hearing a lot of buzz around this not only here but from some close friends, so I watched the first episode today. I'm hooked, and not just because Jennifer Coolidge is freaking amazing in everything.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Tue Dec 13, 2022 5:27 pm

I will add to my previous post

Spoiler:

Oh, and here's something cool I found on episode 3 of season 2 for a scene Aubrey Plaza was in

Spoiler:

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Sat Dec 17, 2022 1:29 pm

SPOILERS

Spoiler:

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Sun Dec 18, 2022 12:04 am

She’s comedy gold no matter where she shows up. I’m even laughing at her Gap commercials.

Jaymann · Post by **Jaymann** » Mon Dec 19, 2022 2:50 am

Well that turned dark in a hurry. And I thought it was just a tale of bumbling touristas. I'm glad that finally:

Spoiler:

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Wed Dec 21, 2022 12:13 pm

That ended more or less where I thought it was going, at least in broad strokes.

Spoiler:

All in all, I'm looking forward to S3. If you watched the interview with Mike White (whom I didn't realize was School of Rock's Ed Sneebly!) then you know that

Spoiler:

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Wed Dec 21, 2022 8:52 pm

Kraken wrote: ↑Wed Dec 21, 2022 12:13 pm That ended more or less where I thought it was going, at least in broad strokes.

If you watched the interview with Mike White (whom I didn't realize was School of Rock's Ed Sneebly!).

As well as its writer.

Carpet_pissr · Post by **Carpet_pissr** » Thu Dec 22, 2022 6:19 am

This thread is making me think I missed something profound.

Watched the first couple of episodes and it just didn’t hook me - at all. Did I bail too soon or MOTS ahead?

NORMALLY anything with a 90%+ on RT has me nodding my head at the end, knowingly, as if to say ‘right again, RT!” (Also the quality is usually immediately obvious if it’s a TV series like this)

But this one at 91%? I got nothin’.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Thu Dec 22, 2022 9:05 am

It’s more Mad Men than it is Breaking Bad. There are long stretches where something climatic seems about to happen, but doesn’t. It’s very low key. Well, until the final moments when the climax does occur, that is.

stimpy · Post by **stimpy** » Thu Dec 22, 2022 9:42 am

Carpet_pissr wrote: ↑Thu Dec 22, 2022 6:19 am This thread is making me think I missed something profound.

Watched the first couple of episodes and it just didn’t hook me - at all. Did I bail too soon or MOTS ahead?

NORMALLY anything with a 90%+ on RT has me nodding my head at the end, knowingly, as if to say ‘right again, RT!” (Also the quality is usually immediately obvious if it’s a TV series like this)

But this one at 91%? I got nothin’.

Definitely MOTS.
Weird/bad people doing weird/bad things.
Some get comeuppance. Some dont.
If the first couple didnt pull you in, you didnt bail too soon.