The White Lotus

I gobbled down six of the eight episodes available for review, and will say – without even the slightest reservations – that “Lotus” regulars should check in for this third season. You won’t be disappointed. Just be prepared to get your jaw dropped and your raised eyebrows torched right off.

“The White Lotus” sneaks essential questions in between the laughs. It is certainly among the year’s best TV offerings.

For fans of White's deathly sharp comedy, "Lotus" is a triumphant, deliriously funny satire of the privileged classes against a gorgeous backdrop. For those who don't know White well, it's an exuberant comedy that might introduce them to his other work, such as Laura Dern's HBO vehicle "Enlightened."

Based on its first six episodes, the third season of The White Lotus lives up to the show’s previous work, while perpetuating some of its established weaknesses. We’ll know where we really land on this one after we’ve seen the whole thing.

Season 3 of "Lotus" may be lacking in some aspects, but creator White's ability to build tension in his stories is simply unparalleled.

For all the goings on, the first five episodes don’t exactly build up a narrative head of steam. It’s hard to tell where any of these stories are heading, or if they’re heading anywhere. That’s not a criticism, exactly; it’s easy enough to hang out here, with the actors and the scenery, and the series is not without a subtle sort of movement.

The bloated ensemble has become a crutch to avoid actually developing anything in the way of character or plot, and a tactic to distract the audience from the fact that we've been watching variations of the same story for three seasons.

Season 1: Hawaii provided a vivid backdrop and a smart take on privilege. The plot twisted cleverly, and the actors shone brightly. It left me thoughtful, even with its subtle complexity. Season 2: Sicily delivered a fresh setting and a bold focus on desire. The writing cut deep, and the cast excelled effortlessly. It built on the first season while keeping me hooked. Season 3: Thailand offers a lush stage and a welcome slower pace—I enjoy the gradual build. With two seasons of proven sharp writing, it doesn’t need to rush. Halfway in, I’m intrigued and optimistic for what’s ahead.

First 2 seasons were stellar, but season 3 was a colossal disaster, causing the average score to drop.

This was an interesting show. While I liked some of the story lines, most of them went nowhere and didn't make much sense. The concierge was great and was the highlight of the show. Saying that, there were some truly horrible people in this show but the one I just hated was Jennifer Coolidge. I find her presence to be very offputting as she is remarkedly unattractive. Every time she appeared on screen it was like a horror movie jump scare. (I don't understand why she keeps getting cast in movies). This show left a lot of loose ends which was frustrating as well. E.g. One of the hotel staff has a baby in episode 1 which she tries to keep secret. Never see or hear from her again after that even though it was one of the main themes from the episode.

Wow is this show boring. I actually can't believe just how bland it is. Plot twists you see coming from miles away and characters that are both unlikeable and unrelatable. The camera work is pretty good, but each wasted hour of an episode is an absolute chore to get through. The only people I can see enjoying this are those who've never experienced any kind of challenge in life since these frail characters seem to make mountains out of molehills. I understand if this is the point, as a "satire" but it's just not an enjoyable ride. Also, to the show runners at HBO, we get it. You like man butts. Maybe cut the shots down to one or two an episode and it'll be more palatable for everyone else.

This show is meant to watch while doing some other primary activity like browsing Instagram stories or whipping up a nice hollandaise sauce. This show is really slow, but reliably builds tension every episode. The difference between say this, and the Leftovers, is that I don't really care about any of the characters or what happens to them. There's no compassion building, and unlike other shows about almost nothing like Seinfeld, this show isn't funny and its script is derivative and boring. All of the characters are incredibly unlikeable, but the writers lack the skill to build connection with characters who are truly awful people like Breaking Bad's writers did. It's fairly obvious why reviewers like the New Yorker gave this great reviews: it's a great show for people who consider themselves smart to blow smoke up their own butts about how smart they are for grasping this show's subtlety. This show is TV's meta jump-the-shark moment. It's a clear reminder that the golden age of TV is behind us. It is content. It is built as a distraction from the mediocre lives that late-stage capitalism has provided for many of us. All of the characters are neoliberal archetypes that don't actually exist. This is really the first show I can say was probably produced solely to keep people in front of their TVs and out of the city hall and streets.