I was really impressed with The White Lotus when it first aired on HBO in July 2021. The show invited us into the lives of characters that worked for or were visiting its titular resort, some of whom were delightfully quirky, some of whom had a darker side, but all of whom were tortured in one way or another. Beyond just being a lot of fun to watch, the show also featured some biting commentary about the hypocrisy and obliviousness of wealthy people.
I wasn’t alone: The White Lotus was massively buzzed about, critically acclaimed, and went on to be nominated for 20 Emmys, eventually winning 5 of them, including for Outstanding Directing and Outstanding Writing.
The second season of The White Lotus will debut on October 30 on HBO and run for 7 episodes, and I’m thrilled to share that Decoding TV will be recapping and reviewing each episode. Furthermore, I’m excited to announce that my co-host will be Roxana Hadadi, a TV critic at Vulture.com and one of my favorite writers on the internet today.
In this episode of Decoding TV, we discuss season 1 of The White Lotus, with a particular focus on its finale. Where did we leave off with each of these characters? What was this show trying to say about wealth and privilege, and how effectively did it say it? And what about that whole murder mystery plot? Listen to hear our thoughts on all of the above!
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Loving it so far.
Though I’ll say I’m a bit disturbed at peoples’ reactions to Harper declining the (champagne…wine?) alcohol.
Not just this podcast, but online as well.
No one should ever have to justify why they’re turning down food or drinks, especially alcohol.
Maybe she’s pregnant, maybe she’s a recovering alcoholic, or maybe she just doesn’t want a glass.
Her husband did suggest just holding the glass, but she shouldn’t have to do that.
People shouldn’t have to put on performances in order to make other people feel better.
They should have accepted a simple “no thank you” and moved on from it.
Pressuring someone to drink is way more of a social faux pas than her declining it.
I was late to White Lotus S1 and missed all the buzz so I am really looking forward to collaboration and coverage
Whooooo!! Welcome, Roxana!