I’ve never seen her in anything else.

Been listening to a lot of thoughts via podcast/internet boards/friends/etc about White Lotus S1 v S2 and two things really stuck out to me as I tried to pin down why I don't feel that S2 was so much, overwhelmingly better than S1 -- which seems to be the general consensus.

1. Great observation that COVID kept S1 smaller. This made it feel more like a play, which I think is true and goes a long way toward explaining why I responded to it the way I did. The COVID thing also explains why there is so much "travel porn" in S1, which, again, I fucking loved and really missed from S2. The shots of the water and the land and the sky really set a vibe for S1 that worked like a charm on me. S2 seemed to replace that with the statues and whatnot. Which was thematically cool and appropriate but less interesting and engaging to me.

Which brings me to...

2. Everyone says that S2 was gripping. That it pulled them in and didn't let go. I did not have that experience. I still watched week to week. But it wasn't appointment viewing for me. And if I was late to an episode, the only thing I missed was being able to talk about it on the internet in real time. I wonder how many people watched S2 week to week and how many binged S1. I wonder if that had an impact. S1 was much more gripping for me and I got anxious if I didn't watch it on Sunday night.

I binged watched the whole thing within 2 days. s1 and 2. and enjoyed 1 better for the reasons you listed and because it had a more fun, humourous vibe to me. I really got a kick out of the hotel manager guy, the "treating guests like the big babies they are" theme, and the son breaking free from the stuffy lifestyle into which he was born. Season 2 felt more like a thriller, especially toward the end. I loved them both for different reasons. They are both so very well written and acted, filled with irony, conflicting beliefs, class warfare. Just fantastic shit. I may binge watch them again soon, show them to the wife.

This is a great post and I totally agree.

None of this is to say that I disliked S2. I'm just having a personal crisis about taste. Mostly because of RM, probably.

But I really appreciate what you said above, tree. Good stuff.

Thanks, buddy!

We actually binged S2. I wouldn't say that it gripped me more than S1, but I will say I spent a small portion of each episode trying to figure out who the dead bodies were. Also, as gorgeous as the scenery was in S1, I caught myself several times in S2 in awe of the water, the towns, and the mountains.

I'll also add that for S1, my wife and I started watching it as soon as we got back from our own Hawaiian vacation. Mind you, we were not staying at a Four Seasons, but we'd just left an island (Kona) that didn't have a bad view anywhere.

With S2, we started it after we returned from a vacation at a resort in Playa Del Carmen. Again, not the Four Seasons, and nowhere near the beauty of S2.

I think--for me--what it boils down to after having watched both is:

S1 - seemed to focus on income disparity - I cannot relate to that.
S2 - seemed to focus on flawed men - I can relate to that.

I didn't watch season 1, so I can't compare. Season 2 was entertaining to me because of the luxurious setting, the intricate little dramas that each character goes through, and the visually interesting B-roll editing flourishes they use (cool backwards footage of a rolling wave at night to underline what's happening through a character's mind -- obvious, but pretty cool against the crazy cellos).

It's also full of really weak dialogue. "You are lying to me" "I am not" "Yes you are why are you lying" "You are the one who lies". OK

Overall I thought it was a 6/10 show elevated to a 7.5 because of the cast

it certainly wasn't Shakespeare but the dialogue worked for me. Definitely didn't feel like a flaw. But maybe I'm an idiot.

I definitely found the specific themes of S2 more personally relatable (insofar as it's mostly stuff that I've had experience with AND actively engage with on a daily basis). But those S1 themes are all around us every day.

However, I thought S1's themes were more interesting, better thought out, and presented in a more fun, entertaining way. I can point to flawed men more easily in my own experience than I can income disparity. But to say that I don't have experience with it is a lie. I do and I have. Ditto exploitation and appropriation and racism and privilege, etc.

man, I really didn't want to hold a mirror up to myself today.

dang it, joey...

Happy Holidays!

I love how in both seasons there are no clear-cut good guys and bad guys (except maybe one or two). Everyone’s behavior is justified and understandable, relatable.

this is why nice guys finish last

starting today, let's not be nice guys.

nah i'm fine living with a (mostly) clear conscience.. but have at it and report back to me