A little after the fact, as normal, I got around to watching the first season of "The White Lotus". I found it to be the enjoyable and funny series that the rest of the world discovered a few years ago.
At an expensive all-inclusive resort in Hawaii, a boat arrives with a new intake of guests. Newlyweds Rachel (Alexandra Daddario) and Shane (Jake Lacy) disembarked on their honeymoon but issues with the room illuminate awful Shane's temperament. Nicole Mossbacher (Connie Britton) arrives with her husband Mark (Steve Zahn), son Quinn (Fred Hechinger), daughter Olivia (Sydney Sweeney) and Olivia's friend Paula (Brittney O'Grady) but the dynamics of their regular lives remain. Finally, Tanya (Jennifer Coolidge) is an heiress who's looking to scatter her mothers' ashes but can't bring herself to do it.
Mike White has, to my mind, usually been involved with broader comedies than "The White Lotus", perhaps not since "Chuck and Buck" has he written something quite so psychological and psychosexual. Sex features heavily in the series, not just in terms of actual on-screen acts, but also in the dynamics between the characters. Rachel wonders if Shane only likes her because she's so physically attractive, Nicole and Mark have drifted apart both due to an affair he's had previously, but also due to the length of their marriage and the power dynamic.
Performances are really good, across the board and it's rare for a show with this many concurrent storylines that I didn't favour any particular one and was happy wherever the story went. The funniest character work probably goes to Murray Bartlett, who plays Armond, the resorts manager who is in recovery and is driven to relapse by both opportunity and the actions of his demanding patrons. I found this season really funny, even if perhaps its more of a black comedy drama than a straight comedy series.
The good news is I can go straight on into the second season too, which I'm going to start immediately.
At an expensive all-inclusive resort in Hawaii, a boat arrives with a new intake of guests. Newlyweds Rachel (Alexandra Daddario) and Shane (Jake Lacy) disembarked on their honeymoon but issues with the room illuminate awful Shane's temperament. Nicole Mossbacher (Connie Britton) arrives with her husband Mark (Steve Zahn), son Quinn (Fred Hechinger), daughter Olivia (Sydney Sweeney) and Olivia's friend Paula (Brittney O'Grady) but the dynamics of their regular lives remain. Finally, Tanya (Jennifer Coolidge) is an heiress who's looking to scatter her mothers' ashes but can't bring herself to do it.
Mike White has, to my mind, usually been involved with broader comedies than "The White Lotus", perhaps not since "Chuck and Buck" has he written something quite so psychological and psychosexual. Sex features heavily in the series, not just in terms of actual on-screen acts, but also in the dynamics between the characters. Rachel wonders if Shane only likes her because she's so physically attractive, Nicole and Mark have drifted apart both due to an affair he's had previously, but also due to the length of their marriage and the power dynamic.
Performances are really good, across the board and it's rare for a show with this many concurrent storylines that I didn't favour any particular one and was happy wherever the story went. The funniest character work probably goes to Murray Bartlett, who plays Armond, the resorts manager who is in recovery and is driven to relapse by both opportunity and the actions of his demanding patrons. I found this season really funny, even if perhaps its more of a black comedy drama than a straight comedy series.
The good news is I can go straight on into the second season too, which I'm going to start immediately.