The White Lotus, S3: Thailand Hosts Another Addictive Round of Sunlit Seven Deadly Sins
By Karen Gordon
Rating; A
I sometimes feel writer/director Mike White scored a package deal on the rights to the Seven Deadly Sins.
White is the creative force behind HBO’s recurring social-satire/ suspense mini-series The White Lotus, now about to launch its third season, and thank goodness for that. Having seen the first three episodes (of 8), I’m impatient to see how it’ll all unfold.
He created the series, and has written and directed every delicious episode, each one introducing us to characters who, while on vacation in the most beautiful settings, descend into behavior ranging from simply neurotic to subversive or narcissistic.
Jason Isaacs and Parker Posey are a couple who’ve fled to Paradise to escape a scandal.
And then there are others who are either criminals to begin with, or who find themselves unfortunately entangled by criminals.
The White Lotus has been nominated for a plethora of Emmys: 20 in season one, 23 in season two, and between the two seasons won 15. But who’s counting? The series is addictive watching, in the best sense.
Out of White’s brain— which is a place I’d like to visit someday— has come a number of fantastic, well drawn characters, all impeccably cast, each one dealing with deep unmet needs, or harbouring secrets that follow them to the most beautiful locations.
Vacations are supposed to be relaxing. But as White knows, being pulled away from your daily routine isn’t always a psychologically relaxing one. We go to free ourselves of the obligations of daily life that grind us down hoping for a mental reset.
But without the day-to-day distractions, people can become quietly unmoored, or more easily seduced by insecurities. And then there are the addictions and unresolved personal problems that can be hidden in normal life, but again, without the distractions of life at home, can’t be suppressed or hidden.
Add to that The White Lotus is set at a resort location where vacationers are in a small village, relying on staff, and bumping elbows with fellow vacationers, a.k.a. strangers. There are plenty of opportunities for weirdness, emotional triggers and other kinds of craziness, or worse. And boy is White insightful about human behaviour.
White’s brilliance is creating multiple characters dealing with a range of issues. But canny understanding of human nature is just part of the fun. His direction finds that sweet spot between drama, tension, comedy and menace, and that’s enhanced and underscored by his choice of music.
The White Lotus is an upscale chain of resorts in beautiful parts of the world. Season One was set in Hawaii, Season two in Sicily. Season Three is set in Thailand.
The resort is beach adjacent, its rooms and cabins surrounded by the natural wonders of Thailand. But even in such a beautiful setting, it doesn’t take long for the cracks in the lives of the guests to show.
The resort is run by the diva-ish Sritala (Lek Patravadi), a former singer, now one of the owners, who has pioneered the health and wellness program that this resort is famous for. Her manager is the nervous Fabian (Christian Friedel, from the Oscar winning film The Zone of Interest). And a key member of the health program is Amrita (Shalini Peiris), a spiritual teacher. Meditation is on the menu.
Parker Posey and Jason Isaacs are Victoria and Timothy Ratliff, who arrive with their adult children, the handsome and lecherous Saxon (Patrick Schwarzenegger), his shy younger brother Lochlan (Sam Nivola), and their middle child, Piper, (Sarah Catherine Hook) a religious studies major. . The family has booked the vacation at The White Lotus, Thailand, because Piper is studying Thai Buddhism. But, Timothy’s hopes for a quiet vacation are quickly challenged by the potential of an unfolding scandal back home.
Walton Goggins is Rick Hatchett, supposedly spending time at the resort with his much younger girlfriend Chelsea (Aimee Lou Wood). But Rick is in a perpetual sweat, literally and behaviourally. He has the aura of a man who is going to default on his bill. Chelsea, in the meantime, befriends Chloe, a savvy local played by Canadian Charlotte Le Bon.
And then there is Jaclyn, (Michelle Monaghan) a famous actress, who has brought two of her long-time girlfriends to the resort with her. Laurie (Carrie Coon), and Kate (Leslie Bibb) have known each other from school days. They are all gorgeous and seemingly successful.
Fans of the series will recognize Natasha Rothwell, who plays Belinda Lindsey, the spa manager at The White Lotus in Maui, who bonded with Tanya McQuoid-Hunt (Jennifer Coolidge, whose cartoonishly narcissistic character was key in the first two seasons, but is now departed. She is missed, but her loss is not insurmountable).
This season Natasha is at the Thai location for an extended period as both a guest and a co-worker, aiming to learn from the resort’s wellness program to take back with her to Maui.
White doesn’t waste time introducing us to the sense of menace that also awaits the guests.
As is his habit, White right up front shows us a scene from farther in the series. This telegraphs that, health program or not, there’s a good chance one of the guests won’t make it home, giving this canny series the vibe of a thriller.
From the first three episodes, it appears White is on track for another brilliantly plotted, intelligent, compulsively watchable season, designed to keep us engaged and guessing until the last delicious minute.
The White Lotus, Season 3. Created, written, directed by Mike White, Starring Jason Isaacs, Parker Posey, Walton Goggins, Michelle Monaghan, Carrie Coon, Leslie Bibb, Natasha Rothwell, Lek Patravadi and Christian Friedel. Episode one debuts on HBO, February 16.