The White Lotus - series three - starts February 17th

[curiositykilledthiscat]

The Emmy-award winning HBO original series, which offers an inside look at the powerful and wealthy as they navigate complex personal dynamics and face potentially dangerous experiences while on vacation, returns for its third season this month.

"Seeking peace can be a trip," reads the tagline for this season, which was created, written and directed by former "Survivor" contestant Mike White.
This time around, viewers will be whisked away to an "exclusive" resort in Thailand, where an eclectic group of guests and resort employees will play, and likely misbehave, over the span of a week. "The White Lotus" Season 3 guests include a wealthy businessman and his family, three longtime friends who haven't seen each other in a while on a girls' trip and "rugged man with a chip on his shoulder" and his girlfriend, among others.

Anyone else looking forward to this? Starts on Monday and will be shown on Now and Sky. No watching on demand as all episodes will be dropped weekly.

For $5 million, @Blondeshavemorefun? Maybe if she goes into partnership with someone properly rich.

I'm just not sure this third season had anything new to say? It just seemed like a retread of themes from previous seasons. Wealthy people can be miserable and shallow, and somebody dies!

If there's a fourth season is it just going to be the same again in a new location with different characters. The finale was decent but it's getting boring.

5 million isn’t enough for a spa ?

In your house, maybe!

Yes, when they had the conversation about it being 'the plan' to be together forever, I said, 'She's a goner' at that point
I mean, I guess they are (as someone else has said, in a representation of the yin/yang symbol), just not in life as they both thought they were talking about.

I didn't buy that either. The whole story seemed pointless, apart from I think it prodded Saxon to stop trying to 'make a man' of (in other words bullying) Lachlan.

I feel sad for Gaitok. He's sold his soul for the sake of a more 'prestigious' job to get Mook's dubious approval. He hated shooting Rick.

No, but they were still a bit cliched. I didn't get the sense that they put two and two together at the end, after two of them had shagged two of the grifting Russians, that it was all part of Valentin's charm offensive and 'you've got the profile of a much younger woman' schtick.
Although they were all noticeably cool with him at their last breakfast and he sort of slunk away a bit deflated. So maybe they did have an idea of how he'd tried to use them.

I think Lochlan wanted to try the pina coladas.

I think Zion also egged her on a lot. He clearly fancies himself as a business bro and was possibly more excited than her about the money.
It is interesting that, as she initially said when offered it, she's now going to be an accessory when/if Gary-Greg gets found out. Does she not care because she's temporarily carried away by being rich? Or is the show telling us that if you have enough money, even the law can't touch you?

If I was Belinda, I’d be just living off the 5mil/interest & not opening a spa or anything.
I think with Gaitok, he’s become ruthless with his new position, and no more ‘mr nice guy’ - Mook will now be interested in him, but the tables have now turned, and he’s in a position to let her down.

I know … he was happy with his previous job. She shouldn’t have made him feel he wasn’t doing well enough for her.

I thought the same, she could just live off the interest and go on endless holidays but maybe not to White Lotus resorts!

How can anyone have wanted Lachlan to die 😱 Him nearly dying in Tim’s arms was the most emotional part of the episode. By contrast, I felt nothing when Chelsea and Rick died - wasn’t at all invested in the characters. I think Gaitok is my favourite character - agree that he’s way too good for Mook.

Would you feel the same if he had assaulted his sister, rather than his brother? I'm genuinely confused at the support for Lochlan!

I read Piper was supposed to shag Zion in the last episode but they cut it for timing.

He’s 18 and being bullied by his brother. It was important that the subject of his horrendously ill-judged ‘people pleasing’ was a vile character. That’s why Lachlan is not loathed and the audience didn’t want him to die.

Yes Lachlan was a weird one for me. I didn’t like him as he abused and took advantage of his brother. However I didn’t hate him and would have been sad if he died. The better brother turned out to be Saxon, I think Chelsea changed him. She was trying to save Rick but potentially she saved Saxon. He might now have the perspective needed to get through the shit his family is about to go through.

Not sure on the laws in Thailand but surely Gaitok committed murder.
Rick had his back to him and was unarmed.

I wondered this. Shooting someone in the back is not a good look.
Was Rick unarmed at the time? Had he dropped his gun? I can't remember.

Yes, he'd dropped the gun and left it. Gaitok had seen that. But I guess there would be ways of covering that up.

Might all be part of the idea that enough money and power can make inconvenient facts go away...

I loved this series for Parker Posey alone. She was brilliant - her one liners, her delivery. That proud, indulgent look on her face when Pip-errrr said that she wouldn't be able to live for a year on the non-organic food at the booo-dist mon-as-terrry - it was comedy gold.

I don't disagree about the ‘women getting used for money’ cliché, but I liked how, even though they started out with what seemed to be the classic/depressing bitchy-women dynamic of two constantly pairing up against the third, they did eventually talk honestly to each other and seemed in the end to have become genuinely closer.

Zion had exams. That is why he came late to Thailand.

I did wonder whether there was something there about the pathologising of normal life that was being satirised there. A student needing a therapy session because he had been through exams vs Rick - a person in genuine crisis - asked to wait. And the consequences of that.