White Lotus is a tangled story, chock-full of messages to unpack. Many on-line reviewers talk about how the show has a strong social commentary, some even going so far as to say it’s an “anti-woke” tale. I do not take anybody who uses the word “woke” seriously, since it is merely a Baba Yaga for the Fox News crowd. However, there is a potent social message in the show.

An adjective often associated to the show is “uncomfortable.” While the show is full of cringe-worthy moments, the discomfort exists because the characters are exquisitely normal. Everybody is selfish and lives in their own world.

I think a better adjective for White Lotus is white privilege. How wealthy white people sincerely believe they are entitled to comfort. This is why insufferable assclowns like Ron DickSanitizer is so bat-shit insane with his crusade on everything “woke.” Having to face anything uncomfortable about race gives him the willies, which in his malformed brain is a crime. White Lotus grabs the audience and says: “no, you do not get to look away from this.”
The emotional punch of the show is that the people who try to do the right things and not be selfish, Armond (the resort manager) and Belinda (the spa manager) get punished for their actions. In the end, the white people maintain their status quo and the workers get nothing. It is not what you want to see, but it is honest.

There is a glimmer of hope for these people right before the last episode. Which makes the show that much more frustrating. You think the selfish people will get their comeuppance, but they do not.

I admire the authenticity and honesty of this show. Nobody comes out a winner or the hero, with the possible exception of the teenage son. Everybody is a shade of despicable as well as lovable. The dad (Zahn) is a sexist doofus, but he is struggling with complex feelings of what it means to be a man. The newlywed bride (Daddario) wants her cake and she wants to be loved for eating it too. The teenage daughter (Sweeney) is a sociopath, but she does care her friend (who also tried to help somebody and got punished). The aging heiress (Coolidge) is supremely selfish, but is also dealing with complex emotions of her past and the death of her mother.

The characters are an ookie stew of contrasting compassion and contempt. You do not feel good at the end of the show…but I think that was the showrunner’s point. You are not entitled to feel comfortable. Life is not comfortable for most people.

And poor Armond. He just wanted to make everybody happy…especially himself.

Actors who nailed it: Sweeney (sociopath daughter) and Lacy (super asshole newlywed husband) were deliciously good.

I am looking forward to watching 2022’s season 2. It has 100% more Aubrey Plaza!