The White Lotus [HBO] *Spoilers*

delboy85

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120008121#Comment_120008121

I thought that was a great moment too. In the midst of all that was going on at the time that was the thing that was most foremost in her mind.

It's little moments like these that can elevate shows.

Potatoeman

Not as good as the first season, it really misses the gay hotel manager, the new manager was just boring. The heiress was better in small doses and interacting with other people just not a good character to focus on. Didn’t really care about the couples and ‘kids’ either. The Italian grandfather and father were good and the call girls. It needed more staff stories and guests interacting.

I agree with most of this article linked below that Season 2 was better.

One thing that worked better this time even if it's a bit of a cheap trick was the suspense angle on who was going to die - it certainly kept you guessing.

It was more rushed at the end of season 1 imo.

Also the variety of scenery and architecture which is an important part of the show was undeniably better - there was nothing in Hawaii except the beach and palm trees

There was more exploration of the ideas of privilege and wealth here too (and even "rich" people who didn't have any money left!) vs the call girls etc

The characters were good in general as there were more guests and other non-hotel staff this time and the primary focus was never always going to be on having the resort director as the most charismatic character. The call girls were probably the focus this time you'd say. Although Hollander was pretty charismatic as the rich dandy looking for a cash injection.

The article also mentions that yer man was packing a fake willy for the bathroom scene in the first episode - "a grower, not a show-er" possibly? - he described it as " it’s like she [set designer] stole it off a donkey in a field."

https://www.cbr.com/white-lotus-season-2-is-better-than-season-1/#:~:text=The%20White%20Lotus%20season%202%2C%20however%2C%20achieved%20that%20in%20spades,to%20watch%20the%20drama%20unfold.

https://www.nme.com/news/tv/theo-james-ginormous-prosthetic-penis-the-white-lotus-3362377

ixoy

Enjoyed that and again watching the various relationships unravel and, sometimes, grow stronger.

We stayed in Taormina a few years ago, which helped me enjoy the location. We were definitely not staying at the swanky Four Seasons hotel where this was filmed. We wanted to go out to the little island that featured throughout but the tide was too high when we tried. I did think they'd feature a little more of the town itself - it's very pretty (as you'd get from the show).

Aidric

Watched the first season today. Quite simply brilliant satire, the underlying commentary is on the nose. Full credit to Mike White for the writing and direction. I have listened to some interviews with him and it's clear he is drawing on personal experience for some of the themes he addresses in the series. The aloof detachment of the main characters lends itself to some truly unintentional hilarious moments. The boat scene with Jennifer Coolidge's character scattering the ashes and the follow up complaint by Jake Lacy's character being a standout. "You put us on a boat with a crazy lady who was having some kind of f*cking memorial service".

cdgalwegian

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120029199#Comment_120029199

It turns out that the 'cheap trick' is the format of the show.The opening scene, we discover in season 2 is what to aim at - we have to put our detective hats on to solve the opening-as-ending before it returns to the opening scenario again. The delicious stories are meat on the bone.

Where the seeming directionless of season 1 is shorn in season 2, knowing we are in a Hotel Cluedo format raises the bar of expectation. Armed with knowledge of the direction it takes, we're more alive to what is required. In the first season, there was no way the nameless person's death could have been predicted; that death was an accident - motivations didn't come in to it. But with knowledge of the direction the anthology takes, it comes under greater scrutiny, so season 2 was harder to pull off. And I think it did so admirably.

Assuming the who-gets-killed-by-whom format stays the same, I would imagine simply changing the Hotel Cluedo locale and populating it with messed up suspects could run for another season or 2 without getting stale, before a twist might need to be added. The series has to be murder based though, so we can work out the motivations of the suspects of the as-yet-not-happened death. An accidental death, as in the opening season, would make us feel completely cheated.

Homelander

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119989743#Comment_119989743

Yes. Due to their history, he obviously cared more that Cam, specifically, might have fucked his wife and gotten one over on him, than he did about his wife cheating in general....and why she might have cheated (Ethan having a long-standing lack of interest in her sexually)

So, as Daphne told him to do, he did whatever it took to make him feel OK with it - and so he did whatever he did with Daphne, equalising things with Cam in his own mind to allow him to move past it.

It's a interesting look at "dysfunctional" relationships, Harper is so insistent to Ethan that Daphne and Cam's relationship is fake and empty, and that their own is superioer because it's built on honesty and trust.....but it's just as completely dysfunctional in other ways and they both know it, and start to become resentful as they realise Cam and Daphne might actually be genuinely happy.

The scene where Daphne goes to show Harper a photo of her trainer/bit on the side and it's the kids, it's obvious that she was implying that one of her kids - with the same blonde hair as described - is actually not biologically Cam's. Really showing the depth and strength of the functional dysfunction of their relationship.

Overall, it was a fantastic season. I loved the first season as well but I found this one superior - the cast were phenomenal. The Harper/Ethan/Daphne/Cam dynamic was by far my favorite angle, but the two call-girls and Grandfather/Father/Son entanglement were excellent as well.

cdgalwegian

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120041178#Comment_120041178

I'm not sad to see her annoying although amusing character go. Nonetheless, the boat scene at the denouement was fantastic; at this stage for Tanya (and the audience), the penny had finally dropped (for certainty at this point), and her justified terror was palpable. Her blind terror, and the immediate chaos in the aftermath of the carnage was brilliantly done, particularly in the context of her survival followed by the manner of her actual demise. We got the who by whom death mostly right, in terms of motivation - the reality was just like season 1. Kinda pathetic.

Stifler's mom had run her course imo.

We had seen enough of her and her neurotic ramblings.

Foxtrol

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120039890#Comment_120039890

One thing not mentioned here is in the last episode when Cam is in the bathroom and hears the kid on the phone he came across to me as very annoyed before putting on a fake smile to say hello to the kid. I took this as either showing he doesnt like his life at home with kids or knows the kid isn't his and has an issue with that specific one.

I don't think Daphne and Cam are genuinely happy at all, they have highs when they're faking it and everything is going well but at their core they aren't happy. To make themselves feel 'OK' they're secretly doing things that would hurt the other person. It isn't a relationship that will end well.

Homelander

Like everything else in the show, it's ambiguous. Like you say, I took it to potentially mean that he's not as invested in that kid because he knows it's not his. Equally, it could be because he's on holiday, and when he's on holiday, all he wants to do is drink, have fun, and completely forget home life.

There's no obvious answer, just indicators that could lean either way, and it's applicable to so many scenes in the show - including the scene where Cam is changing into the trunks in the very first episode. Is he changing so obviously because he knows he can be seen, or is Harper reading too much into it because she's annoyed at herself that she can't help but watch? Possibly, either, none, or both, but ultimately again, ambiguous.

We can't know whether or not Cam and Daphne are truly happy, but we know that they're making something dysfunctional work against the odds, because there's a pair of them in it making - or forcing it to - work.

The core message really is that in real life, relationships come in all sorts of weird, messy, and seemingly unworkable forms, that somehow persist, sometimes triumph, sometimes fail, sometimes inflict severe psychological harm on involved parties, be they direct or indirect (like, impact on kids).

There was some healthy conventional growth in there - for all the continued dysfunction on some parts, like Harper/Ethan/Cam/Daphne - regardless of whether it leads it long-lasting relationships - Valentina, Adam, Dom, Portia all grow, start to reject dysfunction or pipe-dreams, and learn some fundementals about what's important and conductive to what would be considered a conventionally healthy relationship.

De Bhál

Well finished it tonight. Very entertaining

https://twitter.com/allhail_hannah/status/1604958456943104000?t=azSZTImfmfkVkk4fNcf22g&s=19

cdgalwegian

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119969523#Comment_119969523

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119970748#Comment_119970748

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119971975#Comment_119971975

All rise. This court is in season.

The evidence:

Rocco tells Valentina "One of the guest's have drowned", and that "other bodies have been found". When Valentina then asks Rocco how many guests are dead, he thinks it's a few.

This was a clever use of the chaos in the immediate aftermath of Daphne's discovery of the cadaver, and assumptions that are jumped to, which serve as potential misdirection/food for thought for the viewer. All the deaths, in the end, are all obviously meant to relate to the boat. What throws us is the assumption by Rocco that all the bodies were guests. The dynamic between Valentina and Rocco continually showed that Rocco is distractable, as opposed to the business-like and eagle-eyed manager Valentina. She would not have made his mistake of assuming the gay coterie of (probably only recent) frequenters of the hotel were not guests.

It's unclear from the above evidence, though, if the bodies were found floating, or were on the boat. At the end of the Rocco/Valentina scene however, the entire place is a crime-scene; there are a multitude of police buzzing around, with the sound of a helicopter close overhead; not the typical response to a single drowning.

I think this is just a case of sneaky editing. Tanya's body is found and we immediately cut to a time not long after the discovery of the other bodies being found (on the boat). The distractable and unobservant Rocco had jumped to conclusions about Quentin's coterie on the boat, who he had assumed were, along with Tanya, guests of the hotel.

kerplun k

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120041178#Comment_120041178

I think it was about time. Great character, leaning on over staying her welcome.

Brock Turnpike

An awful lot of people got played in the pursuit of love/lust, not just Albie.

Albie - played like a fiddle by Lucia

Tanya - played by Greg and the high class gays.

High class gays - played by Tanya at the end of it all

Portia - played by Jack

Valentina - played by Mia

Piano player - played by Mia

Ethan - played by Harper (did anything actually happen in the room with Cam or had she learned from Daphne's behavior?).

Dominic - willing to go along with Lucia playing his son just to get a chance to get back with his wife

miamee

Just finished watching both series of this recently. I hadn't fully picked up on the meaning of Daphne showing the photo of her kid instead of the PT but that makes perfect sense now. I thought at the time it was more of a reminder that she had a family to keep together by whatever means necessary but the child being the PT's makes more sense. I had also noticed the annoyed look of Cameron coming to the phone to talk to the child so this explains it a bit more.

So will we see Greg living it up with his inherited millions at a third White Lotus resort in series 3?

JP Liz V1

Thailand the rumoured location for series 3 according to Variety

JP Liz V1

Natasha Rothwell Returning - TV Line

Glebee

Only a few episodes into Season 2 and although it's a slow burner and really enjoying it. Locations look stunning as usual, just back from Italy and makes me what to hop on a plane and go back .

Glebee

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120860960#Comment_120860960

Just finished Season 2, excellent TV, really enjoyed that. Not as good as first season but still an excellent show. Roll on Season 3.

enfant terrible

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120872631#Comment_120872631

Much preferred season 2

2smiggy

two excellent seasons !! one of my favorite shows of recent years

Mantis Toboggan

Thought it was grand, nothing amazing, 6/10

JP Liz V1

Parker Posey, Jason Isaacs, Michelle Monaghan and Leslie Bibb joining

JP Liz V1

Carrie Coon also in for season 3

Thelonious Monk

Jason Isaacs and Carrie Coon, I love those two, can't wait for this

JP Liz V1

Hannah Waddingham, Walton Goggins ,  Patrick Schwarzenegger , Aimee Lou Wood , Sarah Catherine Hook and Sam Nivola join

cdgalwegian

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120409362#Comment_120409362

The first season we highlighted money and then the second season is sex and I think the third season, it would be maybe a kind of satirical and funny look at death in Eastern religion and spirituality — it feels like it could be a rich tapestry to do another round at White Lotus.

”https://screenrant.com/white-lotus-season-3-location-asia-story-details/

blackwave

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121626514#Comment_121626514

Walton goggins being added is a great addition, think he is perfect for a show like this.

2smiggy

He is indeed !! Liked Aimee Wood from Sex Education too