(may contain spoilers)
The White Lotus Season 1
Douban rating: 8.0
Director: Mike White
Starring: Murray Bartlett, Connie Britton, Jennifer Coolidge, Jake Lacy, Alexandra Daddario
Douban Comments: “This is a satirical allegory set in white society, with beautiful scenery. The story takes place at a resort designed as a vacation spot for “white lotuses.” It starts like a typical Hollywood drama, using a death to create suspense. But what’s more engaging is how it uses vivid, real-life anthropology cases to reflect on, and sometimes mock, political correctness. Although it deals with some ‘first world problems’, it still offers a valuable lesson in self-reflection.
One scene, where an older woman gets a spa treatment, is both funny and bittersweet – making you laugh and feel a little sad at the same time. Under the water, turtles swim gracefully, and the sparkling waves bring back memories of HBO’s Enlightened from ten years ago. Mike White’s exploration of the human spirit still feels familiar and touching.
This series has the potential to be another HBO Max gem, following Hacks.”
“The music, opening credits, filters, and scenery are all really well done. This resort definitely made me want to visit – it looks amazing. It’s a high-quality show, no doubt, but personally, I didn’t really like it.
The white characters use alcohol, ketamine, and affairs (with both men and women) to deal with their stress. Honestly, they just seem too bored. As for feminism, even a strong, successful woman like the finance manager still has to forgive her white husband who’s cheated on her multiple times. At home, she’s the one running around, moving furniture, and taking care of everything. There’s this scene where she’s making the bed for her son, and the husband – who’s just found out he doesn’t have cancer – is just sitting there chatting with their daughter, not helping at all.
The daughter is actually an interesting character. I think she has some really cute sides to her, even if she’s a bit sharp-tongued. I wasn’t surprised when the son chose to stay behind and go rowing. Totally saw that coming.
The mama’s boy is seriously annoying. And never discuss business partnerships with emotionally unstable investors. Even worse, don’t talk about work with a girl who’s totally obsessed with her love life. She’ll drop her friends in a second to run after some guy. Just like how some women cut off years of friendship without hesitation once they get married.”
“One of the best American TV shows of the year, and also one of the most layered and rich in its themes in recent years. In just a few days of vacation, the story keeps playing with satire about social class and identity politics. It explores the echo chambers of the upper class, their exploitation of those beneath them, and a kind of spiritual disillusionment about the ‘big and small hungers’ (like in Burning or Parasite).
All of this is wrapped up in a sharp, high-level style of American dark comedy, turned up to the max. Almost every scene is full of biting sarcasm and ironic little ideas. And even in the final second, the show is still trapped in the very dilemma it’s been mocking all along.”
The White Lotus Season 2
Douban rating: 8.4
Director: Mike White
Starring: F. Murray Abraham, Jennifer Coolidge, Adam DiMarco, Beatrice Grannò, Meghann Fahy
Douban Comments: “So far, I think this season is much deeper and more interesting than the first. It keeps exploring different possibilities:
- If a billionaire is a woman, would she still be emotional when it comes to close relationships?
- If the boss is a woman, would the workplace be safer and more fair for her employees?
- Can a so-called ‘feminist man’ truly respect women?
- Are couples who believe in monogamy and stay loyal to each other happier than couples in open relationships, if they’re from the same social class?
- And do wealthy people in their later years truly have compassion for the poor?
On the surface, it looks like a mystery drama, kind of like Desperate Housewives, but underneath, it’s actually a fascinating story about ethics and human nature.”
“The last episode was a bit underwhelming. Tanya’s death really caught me off guard – it felt like an anti-climax in a way.
As for this season, I felt disappointed by Valentina (the manager). After she traded a job for a singer’s sexual favor, her innocence and naivety were hard to watch. I would have preferred if she’d stayed true to herself instead of giving in so easily.
The youngest son’s breakdown was ridiculous – pretending to be righteous and moral, only to end up doing everything for his own savior complex. And Ethan’s downfall wasn’t about lust for Harper at all. It was about his patriarchal need for control. Once he regained his sense of power, that’s when he finally slept with Harper. It’s the ultimate satire of patriarchy.
But the biggest disappointment for me was Harper. She started out sharp and intelligent, but by the end, she just lost her confidence. That ‘radical honesty’ thing between them – what was supposed to be a space of trust – ended up triggering a whole chain of suspicion.
This season really drives home the point that sex is just another form of power dynamics. I completely agree with that idea. It’s not just between men and women, but also between same-sex relationships. Even among the rich, power imbalances and control issues can’t be escaped.”
”This season continues the first season’s independent reflection on political correctness, exposing the complexity of human nature beneath the surface of political labels. Inside the Sicilian hotel, a full spectrum of human stories plays out along the lines of modern ideological divides. It’s a vivid, chaotic tapestry of life where the lines between left and right blur, and people find themselves lost, anxious, and confused in this awkward in-between period – where traditional orders have collapsed, but a new social consensus has yet to be formed.
The reworked theme music captures this feeling perfectly: a haunting blend of compassion and unease, shifting seamlessly from medieval harp to strange, almost deranged modern electronic sounds. The baroque-style opening sequence is quirky and full of layered metaphors.
Once again, the first episode caused an online stir with full-frontal male nudity, and of course, it all begins with a dead body. The scenery is stunning, but there’s a constant eerie undertone. Two couples representing the white left and white right, a three-generation Italian-American family of men, a dramatic older woman and her boyfriend, plus two local sex workers – you never know what’s going to happen.
It’s rare to see an HBO show use such flashy, colorful, almost gaudy posters, which makes it stand out even more.“
The White Lotus Season 3
Douban rating: 7.9
Director: Mike White
Starring: Leslie Bibb, Carrie Coon, Michelle Monaghan, Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Lisa
Douban Comments: ”Unlike the first two seasons, this one doesn’t have any characters who immediately shine with charm from the moment they appear. The satire is more blunt, and the humor feels toned down. While Season 1 fired shots at class and race, and Season 2 tackled gender dynamics, this season seems to focus on the mind, body, and soul. It’s all about the inner anxiety eating away at each character – everyone’s quietly falling apart.
Now for the classic who dies, who’s the killer guessing game:
Hotel staff Lisa and the unlucky security guard.
The stereotypical white middle-class family – on the surface, they seem like the perfect couple with great kids. But underneath, the dad is hypocritical and controlling, caught in a personal crisis he can barely handle. The eldest son is your typical American straight guy, obsessed with sex, always chasing after rich girls. The daughter is insecure and lost, ready to break ties with both her family and her class. And the youngest son is secretly lusting after his older brother.
The seemingly close-knit trio of girlfriends – a washed-up actress, a show-off married to a rich man, and an ordinary career woman struggling at work. They reminisce about their youth while quietly competing, envying, and fake-praising each other.
The hollowed-out white husband haunted by his father’s murder, paired with his pretty but brainless younger wife.
Tanya’s husband, who murdered his previous wife and is now hiding out here with his beautiful, much-younger new wife.
The spa masseuse, who was the only one in Season 1 to recognize Tanya’s husband, and her deeply anxious son.”
“The Ratliff family represents a typical elite household. The ambiguous relationship between the brothers, along with the subtle hints of taboo between the sister and younger brother living together, reveal the twisted desires lurking beneath the polished surface of the upper class.
Rick and Chelsea’s age-gap relationship, and Jaclyn’s fake friendship with her ‘plastic’ socialite girlfriends, continue the show’s exploration of sex, money, and power. Intimacy among the wealthy is ultimately a game of resource exchange, and the lower classes are always the ones sacrificed in this process.
Belinda, as a branch manager, plays a dual role – both as an enforcer within the capitalist system and as someone being exploited by it. Rick’s search for the resort owner’s missing husband hints at a deeper thread, one that may eventually shake the power structure of the resort itself. These clues suggest that in Season 3, death may no longer be confined to those at the bottom, but may strike directly at the top of the power pyramid.
The brilliance of The White Lotus lies in how it never offers the illusion of redemption. The floating corpse at the very start is a grim promise of how it all ends. The hypocrisy of the wealthy might get briefly exposed, but the rot runs deep and will inevitably be passed down through generations. Just like the Ratliff children – despite witnessing their parents’ ugliness, they are still wrapped in the halo of elite education, destined to become the next generation of ‘White Lotus’.”
“My standard for judging a good show these days is simple: does the first episode grab me right away, or does it drag? The White Lotus, congrats – you nailed it! Season 3 looks like it’s going to be the best one yet. It’s centered around my favorite theme: vacation and healing. And it’s got that same familiar vibe -middle-class people with way too much self-awareness, living completely inside their own heads, endlessly talking without ever considering how others feel.
After the first episode, it’s already a 5-star rating from me. This show is so good. It’s the kind of series you want to really savor and soak in every frame. The soundtrack and atmosphere are still absolutely perfect. And Lisa is so adorable.”
