HBO The White Lotus

[jeezifonly]

9 hours ago, MiamiLooker said:

It was fun to watch, but still too many things happened that didn't make much sense. I may have missed explanations, but it seemed to me the Mossbacher's could have afforded a separate room for the girls. Tanya knew the girls had left the bag on the beach, so wouldn't she have told the attendant this info when she turned in the bag? Did Paula get away with being an accessory to the theft (surely, Kai would have been questioned about how he knew the combination)? Couldn't the canoe team have found a better substitute than Quinn?

I threw in the towel on this show making sense in Ep1 when the guests arrived by boat. There’s little about the way the show included the resort setting that lends verisimilitude. I don’t put it in the same category as Hotel and Loveboat in gross distortion of how a large hospitality workplace actually works. But given Covid restrictions during shooting, they had to limit personnel involved, so normal chain of command was short. The GM wore too many daily operation hats, but they needed him directly involved with multiple guest stories. Random scattering of human remains is not a thing the hotel would allow on their beach, but they would have deals with local charters specifically for legal burial at sea… which means one other actor at least. And it would not have given us scene on boat with Rachel and Shane and crazy Tanya, as they would have been on different craft. It’s a workplace dramedy centered on the customers who come and go, not the interaction of the workers with each other. Except of course for Dillon’s Employee Performance Review…😛

[+ WilliamM]

2 hours ago, jeezifonly said:

I threw in the towel on this show making sense in Ep1 when the guests arrived by boat. There’s little about the way the show included the resort setting that lends verisimilitude. I don’t put it in the same category as Hotel and Loveboat in gross distortion of how a large hospitality workplace actually works. But given Covid restrictions during shooting, they had to limit personnel involved, so normal chain of command was short. The GM wore too many daily operation hats, but they needed him directly involved with multiple guest stories. Random scattering of human remains is not a thing the hotel would allow on their beach, but they would have deals with local charters specifically for legal burial at sea… which means one other actor at least. And it would not have given us scene on boat with Rachel and Shane and crazy Tanya, as they would have been on different craft. It’s a workplace dramedy centered on the customers who come and go, not the interaction of the workers with each other. Except of course for Dillon’s Employee Performance Review…😛

And  Belinda who had more screen time than sexy Dillon

[jeezifonly]

3 minutes ago, WilliamM said:

And  Belinda who had more screen time than sexy Dillon

He was tasty, best as a garnish (or dip?)

She for me was a fully nourishing presence

[+ BenjaminNicholas]

11 minutes ago, jeezifonly said:

He was tasty, best as a garnish (or dip?)

She for me was a fully nourishing presence

Exactly.  Dillon was ancillary.  He was not all that important.

Belinda was a comment on society.  She was meat & potatoes.  Her story was important and timely.

Gay men can get far too wrapped up in eye candy and not in solid characters and great writing.

Edited August 18, 2021 by Benjamin_Nicholas

[+ BenjaminNicholas]

I finished the whole thing today and while ultimately melancholy, it had a definite voice.

A lot of it felt like it pushed into satire, but it would then pull back quickly into reality.  

I hope S2 of this show can find a stronger, more definitive voice.

Edited August 18, 2021 by Benjamin_Nicholas

[+ WilliamM]

5 minutes ago, Benjamin_Nicholas said:

Exactly.  Dillon was ancillary.  He was not all that important.

Belinda was a comment on society.  She was meat & potatoes.  Her story was actually important and very timely.

 

Gay men can get far too wrapped up in eye candy and not in solid characters.

The GM told Dillon he wanted to see Dillon naked because he was obsessed with him. Then Murray Bartlett brought out the drugs.

Without Dillon there's no death. Armond kissed Dillon's head before taking a shit in Shane's room.

Yes, he wasn't as important as Belinda, but few other characters are either 

[Deadlift1]

I found the soundtrack annoying.  It was average chick flick.  I didn't like any of the characters except for the manager.  

[+ BenjaminNicholas]

12 hours ago, Deadlift1 said:

I found the soundtrack annoying.  It was average chick flick.  I didn't like any of the characters except for the manager.  

The whole thing went way over your head, didn't it?

[jeezifonly]

I went into it expecting a little cringey weirdness. I got past the parts that didn’t align with reality of resort ops, and began to see how awful they all were, and that various encounters between the guests were able to pull me in.

It is, at its core, a soap opera, right? With extra cringe.

[harlow]

Loved this show.  Kinda disappointed in the way it all ended but the show was great!

[+ E.T.Bass]

HBO is doing a marathon today, for those that want to return to The White Lotus.

[jeezifonly]

It’s definitely coming back 

https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/white-lotus-season-2-hbo-michael-imperioli-1235147717/amp/

[MikeBiDude]

Watched all of the first season over the last couple days. Was sadly unimpressed, even bored at times. I see the appeal and was entertained, but didn’t think it was “all that”.

[+ BenjaminNicholas]

1 hour ago, MikeBiDude said:

Watched all of the first season over the last couple days. Was sadly unimpressed, even bored at times. I see the appeal and was entertained, but didn’t think it was “all that”.

Agree.  It was insipid fun, stuffed with a very weak social justice message.

I wanted to punch every cast member in the face: I sorta felt that was what the writers were going for.

However, unlike Succession- where the writing incredibly transcends your dislike for the Roy family- White Lotus didn't have that talent behind it, neither on the writing nor acting side.

[MikeBiDude]

1 minute ago, Benjamin_Nicholas said:

I wanted to punch every cast member in the face: I sorta felt that was what the writers were going for.

Me too!

1 minute ago, Benjamin_Nicholas said:

However, unlike Succession- where the writing incredibly transcends your dislike for the Roy family-

Spot on….Succession makes you enjoy the dysfunction. Much like The Godfather et al romanticized organized crime and made it feel “ok”.

 

[+ WilliamM]

On 8/17/2021 at 9:10 PM, Benjamin_Nicholas said:

Exactly.  Dillon was ancillary.  He was not all that important.

Belinda was a comment on society.  She was meat & potatoes.  Her story was important and timely.

Gay men can get far too wrapped up in eye candy and not in solid characters and great writing.

A straight friend knows Jack Lacey. And liked his "solid character"  performance. So please  don't punch him in the face!

[+ E.T.Bass]

On 1/7/2022 at 1:50 AM, jeezifonly said:

It’s definitely coming back 

https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/white-lotus-season-2-hbo-michael-imperioli-1235147717/amp/

I'm curious who's next to manage The White Lotus.  Hard to imagine anyone so over-the-top as Armond.  

 

 

[jeezifonly]

1 minute ago, E.T.Bass said:

I'm curious who's next to manage The White Lotus.  Hard to imagine anyone so over-the-top as Armond.  

 

 

True. Armond was also under the top, and behind the top…🙀

[+ WilliamM]

On 1/10/2022 at 11:35 PM, jeezifonly said:

True. Armond was also under the top, and behind the top…🙀

Certainly, not a bad place. I am jealous.