If you are one of the very, very few people who hasn’t seen it yet, I just want to say: you’re welcome.
You’re welcome to read this and get to know what it’s about, and you should definitely drop whatever you’re doing right now and get into it straight away. Because The White Lotus is not just a good series - it’s a masterpiece. It’s a snapshot of the socioeconomic class clash set up in a lavish resort, something like the meta-modern televised War and Peace. By HBO.
This type of thing doesn’t happen too often, and it’s really one of its own kind, one that basically creates its own new genre.
Created by Mike White (School of Rock, Enlightened, Brad’s Status), this fascinating award-winning anthology series follows a group of very rich people staying at a chain of exclusive resorts called “The White Lotus”. The first season takes place in Hawaii, while the second one is set in Italy.
Each season focuses on a specific theme: the first one is about money, and the second one is about sex. The third season revolves around spirituality and will take place somewhere in Asia (Thailand and Japan are the best speculations as of now). Due to the SAG strikes, the third season has been postponed to 2025, so you have plenty of time to catch up and see what the fuss is about.
Prepare for a cascade of amazing performances and incredibly crafted characters. Prepare to be exposed, prepare to see your judgement and prejudice physically manifested right in front of you on your screen. White presents a group of people of different backgrounds, divided into two groups: the guests of the resort and the staff of the resort. Each character is shown genuinely, in their full being.
Although we follow people saying and doing pretty questionable, disgusting, and shocking things, their humanity is always present, their actions always somewhat justified. Absolutely nothing is black and white here, there is no judgment from the director’s side - it’s all left for the audience to figure out, to judge. The dive that White takes into the human psyche, playing with the boundaries of status, religion, culture, and identity, to dig into the very core of the onion, is not only brave but filled with sincere and just compassion.
Season 2
Speaking of the core of the onion, one of the biggest reasons to watch this amazing show is the character called Tanya, played by Jennifer Coolidge, who got an avalanche of awards for this outstanding performance. Tanya is a very rich, dysfunctional woman who inherited her fortune and whose mother recently passed away. In the first season, she is at the White Lotus to grieve, and to throw her mother’s ashes into the ocean. This happens with the help of her newly acquired friend Belinda (Natasha Rothwell), who works at the spa massaging her and singing Sanskrit mantras for her to calm down. But her life takes a whole new turn when she meets Greg (Jon Gries), to whom she spectacularly reveals her true self - the real core of the onion.
In season one, we also follow the lives of a wealthy family and a newly wedded couple, all of which make for splendid performances. Nicole, played by Connie Britton (who might be coming back in season 3), as well as Rachel, played by Alexandra Daddario, are beautifully executed roles for which both actresses were nominated for a series of awards along with Coolidge. While Nicole is trying to take control of her family, she is faced with constant complaints and mockery from her children as well as her very messy husband going through a midlife crisis.
Rachel, on the other hand, is on her honeymoon, slowly realising that perhaps marrying this rich frat boy, Shane (Jake Lacy), was not the best idea after all. But is it too late now to call off the marriage? To make things worse, Shane, furious because they got the wrong suite, is constantly arguing with the hotel manager, Armand (my other favorite character), played by Murray Bartlett. Anyone who has ever worked in hospitality has either known a guy like that, been a guy like that, or at least fantasised about being one.
The second season is even spicier than the first one, but I will do my best not to spoil too much. We’re dealing with a whole new group of people with the exception of Jennifer Coolidge who comes back to show you what Tanya is really made of. In addition, we get an unforgettable trio of Adam DiMarco (Albie), Michael Imperioli (Dominic), and F. Murray Abraham (Bert), playing the son, the father, and the grandfather of a Italian-American family, visiting Sicily to reconnect with their roots. Unsurprisingly, the three actors do an extraordinary job, and the transgenerational conflict at the root of their story is another example of White’s beautiful approach to bridging different generations and showcasing each of their stands in a complex - and again incisive yet very fair manner.
As a viewer you still have opinions on each character, you still pick sides, yet you understand where others come from and get to see them in their full humanity. A quote that stuck with me from this season is when Bert, responds to his grandson with: “we’re just an uncomfortable past to you”, as Albie tries to run away from them to chase Portia (Haley Lu Richardson), Tanya’s quirky assistant. The characters that White creates serve as tools to show the most contemporary kind of societal struggles, concerns, and fears. Add to that the loveliest sex worker (Simona Tabasco), her dreamy singing friend (Beatrice Grannò), neurotic hotel manager (Sabrina Impacciatore), Aubrey Plaza at the peak of her game, and bunch of rich gays, and you get a televised masterpiece.
Just trust me (and the rest of the world who loves the show) and watch it. I can guarantee you will absolutely love it and show it to everyone you know so that you get to talk about it with them over and over again. Speaking from experience.
