White Lotus Returns

[+ BenjaminNicholas]

Mike White needs to take a long holiday.

This season wasn't even exciting enough to be called a dumpster fire.

[Becket]

Glad to see Tim finally grew a pair and decided that killing himself or the rest of his family was not the best way to handle his legal problems. I liked his speech on the boat leaving. "We are a strong family we'll get through this, but I need you to have my back. His family proceeded to play with their phones. Typical rotten kids.

Was ok with who died I suppose if someone had to go. Delighted that Pam got all that money. Yet Greg gets off Scott free, ready for season four I suppose.

I Thought that Mike White's reason that he included incest in the plot to draw a bigger audience was ridiculous. Can you imagine some old couple saying, "well, I wasn't gonna watch this week but with the promise of incest I can't miss that!" People aren't lining up for that, are they? (Tell me they are not)

Glad it's over frankly. Getting geared up for the next series next week; the second season of The Last of Us.Thought brutal, I liked the series. This year is supposed to be worse, sadly. 

[d.anders]

5 hours ago, ApexNomad said:

WASH YOUR FUCKING BLENDER!!!! C’MON!

The ridiculous things you have to do to get your manipulative plot twist to stick. That's the problem with hoop jumping. If it isn't thought through well, you miss the hoop and have your characters doing absolutely silly, nonsensical things. Who on earth would prepare a protein shake in a dirty blender left overnight with the remains of "spoiled" coconut milk and alcohol? No wait, what father who decided to protect his family would leave the unwashed kill-pill on the counter? No wait, the underage kid has been drinking, taking drugs, and masturbating his brother the entire trip, but to save the last episode, the father suddenly decides to get strict? Good grief, who writes this shit?

 

[d.anders]

5 hours ago, Becket said:

Glad to see Tim finally grew a pair and decided that killing himself or the rest of his family was not the best way to handle his legal problems.

I was so hoping the family would be found dead, and I was OK with Lochlan being the only survivor. They were a dreadful family who deserved death on a TV show. Instead, we get Mike White tickling our balls.

5 hours ago, Becket said:

I liked his speech on the boat leaving. "We are a strong family we'll get through this

Except, the shit hits the fan when the plane lands in America, and we don't get to see Parker Posey have her breakdown. She is such a great screamer, I feel robbed.

[+ EVdude]

Ah sweet Chelsea. Turns out the incest storyline was a big nothing burger. Hated the Carrie Koon monologue ending to that story… expected some major drama there. And I imagine we’ll see Greg, Belinda and son in a future season… assuming there is one.

Edited April 7 by EVdude

[SirBillybob]

On 3/4/2025 at 12:42 PM, SirBillybob said:

Where death offers the greatest resolution systemically, other than the more obvious usual suspects’ “just desserts”, is Lochlan croaking because it solves a pathological bind. It needn’t be intentional malicious targeting. It would be divisive because not everybody will view him having reached a shit-disturbing behavioural threshold, and his coping style is a function of cray-cray family dynamics. He superficially does what’s expected but there’s a price for consuming a protein drink in just the right way and without slouching, and it may be his family enduring his eradication while never having recognized he both provocatively heats up and balances the system.

Close. Disappointingly, White pulls a Snow White and a Hamlet.

Edited April 7 by SirBillybob

[pleasureseeker]

As the French say: bof. Finale matched the season, one big meh. What I did take away from it though is you can't have teeth like that and except to live at the end of the season 😵‍💫.

[d.anders]

3 hours ago, EVdude said:

Turns out the incest storyline was a big nothing burger.

Very true, but I sort of enjoyed Lochlan confronting Saxon, expressing his honesty, although the conversation didn't go anywhere. There was plenty of room for some interesting dialogue. White decided that Saxon was too repulsed. Oh well.

3 hours ago, EVdude said:

Hated the Carrie Koon monologue ending to that story… expected some major drama there.

It was a letdown. I was hoping for more conflict and resolution, which is what often brings old friends closer. Those 3 traveling together deserved so much more drama, especially with those actors. I did love the bed scene with Laurie, when the Russian lover asked her for $10,000 after he brought her to orgasm. Kind of reminded me of this board.

3 hours ago, EVdude said:

I imagine we’ll see Greg, Belinda and son in a future season

Yes, comparing yachts.

[TonyDown]

Chelsea...😢

 

[+ ApexNomad]

14 hours ago, d.anders said:

Who on earth would prepare a protein shake in a dirty blender left overnight with the remains of "spoiled" coconut milk and alcohol?

[MikeThomas]

I like Jason Isaacs, but he cannot do an American accent. I don’t know how many times I caught his English accent seeping through.

[d.anders]

9 hours ago, MikeThomas said:

I like Jason Isaacs, but he cannot do an American accent.

I first saw him in Brotherhood. I thought he was terrific. At the time, I had no idea he was British. I think he was playing an Irish mobster. I do agree his accent in White Lotus felt like it was all over the place. One can only wonder how committed the actors were to this material, and what they said about it behind Mike White's back.

Here's Mike White talking about his creation of the Season Finale. In open, MAX-produced discussion, he makes it all sound interesting and compelling. I hope someday he can be honest about all the bad choices he made in Season 3. I won't hold my breath. Once you hit a certain plateau, it's very difficult to be self-critical.

From other MAX videos I've seen, it does seem there will be a Season 4. Viewership must be good.

Edited April 8 by d.anders

[MikeBiDude]

3 hours ago, d.anders said:

Viewership must be good.

I saw somewhere on the news that the finale broke a previous streaming record for HBO, and that previous record was set by a prior White Lotus finale.

[d.anders]

Apparently, there's quite a storm brewing. White Lotus composer quits, and he's trash talking Mike White in public.

‘White Lotus’ Theme Song Composer Won’t Return for Season 4 - The New York Times

WWW.NYTIMES.COM

---

Cristóbal Tapia de Veer’s music was one of the breakout stars of HBO’s vacation thriller. But in an exclusive interview, the composer revealed that he...

I'm hearing that White sat down with Howard Stern recently.

[d.anders]

 

[TruthBTold]

The music was good but not something that could not be missed.  Aren't the creator/director in charge a movie?  If he is not getting along with costume designer or music composer he makes the decision about keeping them on.  Or am I getting that wrong?  

[d.anders]

1 hour ago, TruthBTold said:

Aren't the creator/director in charge a movie?  If he is not getting along with costume designer or music composer he makes the decision about keeping them on.  Or am I getting that wrong?

From my understanding, it's not so simple. These people belong to powerful unions, and they are all working under contract. Producers have a say, too, because they are the money.

In the Howard Stern interview, White says he doesn't really know what crawled up Tapia de Veer's ass. It sounds like the composer's personality did not fit well with White's. Mike felt disrespected. It's not every day a composer quits a hit TV show. Given that Tapia de Veer has taken to the airwaves, maybe there is more to discover. Or maybe someone with some sense will tell him to keep his mouth shut.

Lots of musical people in Hollywood seeking work. HBO should have little problem finding a replacement. Tapia de Veer's music did add something exotic to the show, but he's not the only talent out there.

[jeezifonly]

23 hours ago, ApexNomad said:

Someone who’s led such a privileged life he doesn’t know about anything being made in a kitchen?

[jeezifonly]

White Lotus is a series, but Mike White is not sticking to the “series” format we’re used to.

The only links between seasons are that it’s always set at one of many White Lotus properties, which all cater to high-end travelers, and that the story we see takes place within a week’s time. Mike may have zero repeats of staff/guests in S4, and it could even be set somewhere dry. I think of the show as a rich blend of character studies in a haves/havenots space. He always casts really well, which, for me, makes that alone so satisfying.

[d.anders]

Here is the full (1 hour) Howard Stern interview. It's difficult to listen to because it's a phone interview, and there's quite a bit of talking over each other. Also Mike White is a terrible speaker. Hard to believe he has any writing talent because his speaking talent does not exist.

Apparently, Howard loves the show and loved Season 3. Howard asks questions in a way that no one else would. He went a bit deep into the gay incest stuff. You get an unedited version of Mike White, and you get to hear his quirky laugh that all the actors talk about. Mike addresses the strong criticisms he has received for Season 3. Howard does a good job sucking Mike's dick.

It amazes me that they began Season 1 without a completed script. HBO was so struck by Covid and the need for content, they gave White the green light before he had a chance to put words to paper. He had six weeks from approval time to the first day of shooting in Hawaii. Incredible. No one had any clue that a major hit was forthcoming. Quite remarkable.

IMO, the show is a hit because of the premise. Between Covid and now, there is a hunger for wealthy fantasy, and a 5-star resort is the perfect place to tell these stories. People from all walks of life can relate to these quirky characters. Ordinary people watch this show on Sunday night, and then talk about it at work the next day. I have physical rehab on Monday, and all the workers are buzzing on White Lotus.

Mike is currently in new contract negotiations. Unless they try to screw him, this show will continue. I'm glad a rather ordinary gay guy with talent is finding success in Hollywood. There was a time not long ago where this would have been impossible. I'm hoping that with a little rest, and some thinking about the criticisms, White will come back swinging for Season 4.

 

[Rod Hagen]

2 hours ago, d.anders said:

Here is the full (1 hour) Howard Stern interview. It's difficult to listen to because it's a phone interview, and there's quite a bit of talking over each other. Also Mike White is a terrible speaker. Hard to believe he has any writing talent because his speaking talent does not exist.

Apparently, Howard loves the show and loved Season 3. Howard asks questions in a way that no one else would. He went a bit deep 

. Ordinary people watch this show on Sunday night,

 

Thank you for posting this.  Howard is many things, chief among them is a very good interviewer who gets from his guests information nobody else can.

What you said about ordinary people watching Max, reminded me of what Joh Oliver said about HBO.  How do you know if you are Rich?  If you're watching this show (Last Week Tonight) with your HBO subscription, you're Rich, and if you're using your friend's password, you're not.

[Peter Eater]

On 4/6/2025 at 10:44 PM, Becket said:

Glad to see Tim finally grew a pair and decided that killing himself or the rest of his family was not the best way to handle his legal problems. I liked his speech on the boat leaving. "We are a strong family we'll get through this, but I need you to have my back.

Hated that speech. A feel-good contrivance. (And Tim never did seem too interested in who stole the gun he had also stolen. Maybe it was all those downers.) 

[Peter Eater]

The finale, like the coconut milk, was “off.”

Here’s hoping that Belinda, now privileged and conflicted, is the centerpiece of Season 4.

[Njguy2]

The one thing on symbolism regarding  the deaths of Lochy, Rick and Chelsea.  When Lochy "died" they panned to a lily pad with many water droplets on it, the droplets did not merge into the bigger pond of water.  When Rick and Chelsea were shot and eventually fell into the pond of water their "water" merged with the bigger concept of water as explained by the Monk.  Overall, I was hoping other characters dies, but looks like the Russians live for another day, partying with the girlfriends.

[d.anders]

4 hours ago, Rod Hagen said:

Howard is many things

There was a time when I thought I despised Howard Stern. I had family members whom I disliked who adored the guy. Then I saw his movie. Then, with YouTube, I began watching some of his interviews, which blew me away. I don't like his dominating style, but the guy is very talented, and often gets more out of someone than anyone else.

It was interesting to hear Mike White talk about his feelings being hurt over the recent criticism. He was vulnerable, and Howard knew how to address that. Mike talked about the "meanness" of the criticism. I don't know where he is reading, but I'm sure there is plenty of mean being thrown at him. This is America, after all. I doubt Mike is reading this board. I don't think there has been much meanness here. No matter the movie or TV show, holes in the script can turn ordinary viewers into road rage participants. It's something every writer must deal with, especially in the realm of creating suspense and mystery. I'm hoping Mike grows from some of the good criticism.