Episodes: 6
Running time: 54-65 minutes
Cast: Murray Bartlett (Armond), Connie Britton (Nicole Mossbacher), Jennifer Coolidge (Tanya McQuoid), Alexandra Daddario (Rachel), Fred Hechinger (Quinn Mossbacher), Jake Lacy (Shane Patton), Brittany O’Grady (Paula), Natasha Rothwell (Belinda), Sydney Sweeney (Olivia Mossbacher), Steve Zahn (Mark Mossbacher)
Release details: The White Lotus premieres on HBO (StarHub CH 601; Singtel CH 420) every Monday at 9am. It is also available on HBO GO.
I was a little curious about The White Lotus at first – it sounded like a yoga or hipster drama, but then it was billed as a comedy, and the Wikipedia page described it taking place at a hotel. In the end, I discovered it was more of the latter two – no yoga or hipsters to be found! It’s a mature comedy (without the slapstick) that gets a little dark at times. But it’s ultimately an examination of humanity, through rather relatable situations that I’m sure many will find familiar.
The White Lotus is a comedy-drama that revolves around the titular hotel resort. It explores the lives of hotel guests and staff over a seemingly normal but momentous week. As their paths cross and they learn more about each other, each character also has to look within and discover what they really want out of life. Sometimes, what we’ve been living with all our life may not actually be what our heart’s desire is.
The series revolves around three different groups of characters – a troubled woman who is plagued by the trauma caused by her deceased mother, a newly married young journalist who is now doubting her marriage to a wealthy mummy’s boy, and a family whose parents try hard to connect with their two teenage children. Although I can’t say I’m in all three situations, they’re certainly quite relatable. After all, who hasn’t had the shadow of their parent lingering over them, had uncertainties over some relationships, or tried to connect with a different generation? What makes this series grounded yet interesting is how ti takes these familiar situations, but then pushes them to their logical conclusions.
The series is also mature and classy in tone, dealing with its themes in a respectful way (while still injecting humour into those situations). It manages a deft blend of introspective drama and dark humour, especially with the relatable situations that we frequently see the characters in. They often get into uncomfortable conversations, get judged for their actions, or just get into compromising situations. It derives its humour from how these characters behave, which helps to flesh out our protagonists while still delivering funnies.
The dark humour is a delightful aspect of the show, and you can see the dry wit of the writers as they put the characters through the mental wringer. Of course, these are all privileged, wealthy individuals (“rich white folk”, as another character describes it) so they’re not suffering in any physical sense. But there’s this sense of catharsis at seeing their emotional turmoil. Enjoying it doesn’t make one a bad person – this is a work of fiction, after all. But the fact that we can step into these characters’ shoes is where the black comedy comes from.
The White Lotus’ visuals are evocative of an island resort, and creates the feel of an idyllic paradise. However, it’s plagued by an ever-present sepia tone that threatens to drown out everything in yellow. It’s understandable that the creators wanted to make the series look very Instagrammable, but someone should have really reigned in the colourist for the show.
While the series is a chipper six episodes, each episode lasts between 55 minutes to 1 hour 5 minutes. It switches between the plot lines of the three different groups of characters, but it does take its time to slowly weave its tale. The story can get a bit meandering at times, as the series tries to give us as much background as possible, before plunging into the fresh hell that the protagonists find themselves in.
The White Lotus leverages on relatable characters and dark humour to bring a unique comedy to screen. Its mature and classy take on themes of humanity is what differentiates it from the other hipster comedies out there. It does suffer from some issues with the story and visual direction. Nevertheless, it’s a pleasant series to catch over a weekend or two.
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I’m an independent scriptwriter who’s written for popular shows like Lion Mums, Crimewatch, Police & Thief, and Incredible Tales. I’m also a Transformers enthusiast and avid pop culture scholar. You can find me on social media as Optimarcus and on my site.
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