Mike White’s HBO miniseries travels to a vacation resort full of bitter resentment and awkward self-discovery.
Hell is other people, but at leastThe White Lotusfinds a beautiful hell in the Pacific.
The cast looks gorgeous even when their characters fall to pieces.
‘The White Lotus’.Credit: Mario Perez/HBO
In the premiere, Armond welcomes the latest batch of “chosen” ones.
Armond’s fussy attentiveness to his guests prepares you for a vacation farce.
With his mustache, the amazing Bartlett actually resembles an Australian Basil Fawlty.
The series is cackle-out-loud funny at times, but minor irritations also spiral into tragedy.
A suite mix-up edges Shane and Armond towards psychological warfare.
There is a cancer scare, an unexpected visitor, and an inconveniently timed birth.
A prologue flash-forward revealssomeoneatsomepoint will diesomehow.
Tanya finds mindful respite with Belinda (Natasha Rothwell), who manages the spa.
They spark a friendship or is it just an especially in-depth transactional relationship?
“I know a lot of rich white f—ed-up people,” Tanya tells Belinda.
“They could really use you!”
You sense the compliment’s accidental threat.
Use you, sure, and use you up.
A sea turtle cameo inThe White Lotuswill satisfyall seven of usEnlightenedfans.This spiritual sequel is glossier… and nastier.
The Mossbachers initially come off as grotesques of private-jet liberalism.
“Watching all the Hawaiians have to dance for all these white people that stole their islands?”
“It’s depressing.”
It could all just be a midsummer soapy-mystery treat:Big Little Lies on the Beach.
If you haven’t guessed, though, withThe White Lotus, White’s got whiteness on his mind.
This is a cringe comedy where the awkwardness is racially systemic.
“Look, obviously, imperialism was bad,” Mark says in a typical bit of dinner chatter.
In this self-dissection of wealthy Caucasian self-awareness, some subplots are just navel-gazing.
Rachel’s dawning perception of her trophy wifery is a .01-percenter character arc that makesSuccessionlook likeThe Jungle.
Quinn’s life-renewing friendship with nameless locals approachesAloha-ish stereotype.
The theme-heavy dialogue occasionally has the strident tone of Twitter clapbacks read aloud.
(Maybe that’s just how people talk now?)
Everyone will be offended by something; some will be offended by everything.
Rothwell, hysterical onInsecure,goes 180 degrees as a wellness worker bee carrying the weight of moneyed sorrow.
She is for Peak TV whatChloe Sevignywas for Peak Indie.
But onThe White Lotus, epiphanies won’t save the day.
Every person is an island, and the waters are rising.B+
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