DawnGame

Enjoyed that interview, thanks. She’s a pretty cool actress, just kinda “different”, which is refreshing from usual stereotypes. Mike White’s characterisation too of course.

Actually, the only reason I was confused was because another poster insisted that “Tanya” was back for a Series 3 according to the media (I moaned about ‘spoilers’ then and he replied it wasn’t a spoiler since it was openly asserted in the media). So in my mind perhaps Tanya could have been ‘saved’ somehow, even if turned into a bit of a ludicrous cliffhanger for the next series. Annoying. Realise it’s best to keep away from these forums and just enjoy the film/tv myself without interjections and spoilers. Next time I will. I still think it was a good series - as I said great acting from so many, interesting scripts, and the music track was fabulous.

^yes Mrs R I concur, from the beginning, and even Jack finally giving Portia a quick way out possibly. Alluded to, and ever present.

Great music, great ending, what else is there to say? 🥰 except - we still don’t really know exactly the mystery “dead body” is. (as chocolati poster predicted Tanya’s back in series 3! ) But it mostly figured/played out. Arrivederci!!!!

I was thinking about the theme of illusions and delusions in terms of the White Lotus. So many of the holidaymakers arrive seemingly bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, literally fresh off the boat. And then, so many of the characters have the illusions of their lives gradually or dramatically challenged. Tanya starts “paying attention” and before long is speaking to her lawyer about a marriage annulment. Portia who only wants ‘fun” with a “caveman” who “knows nothing about the discourse” finds herself in a hotel room with a drunken football fan mumbling about the dark hole of his previous existence. The diGrasso grandfather is devastated not to find the “homecoming” he imagined. Harper thinks her marriage is great, until she doesn’t. Her husband actually starts to have physical delusions, imagining her have sex with Cameron. Re. the world of escorts and porn, all arguably worlds of illusion and delusion, various characters are struggling with that. Maybe not everyone seems to have illusions, or at least ones that we can see. Cameron (Mr Gorgeous Himself, actor Theo James) and Daphne. Daphne knows her husband or at least says she does, and says she just does what is necessary to make herself “feel better”. Others don’t quite fit into it so neatly, or else it’s not quite resolved yet e.g. Quentin. But maybe clearer by the end of the series? Some of the occasional comic interludes may also be due to bubbles of illusion being burst? As previously pointed out, Tanya as Monica Vitti but with a bug stuck in her mouth. Escort Mia’s impatient attempts at “sex” with the piano player was hardly the stuff of his dreams, especially when he ended up in an ambulance, lol. Finally, perhaps there is also the chance that negative self-illusions can also be swept away. Tanya enjoying herself at the party … ? Perhaps that’s just wishful thinking on my part. But one couple left Series 1 loved up and reconciled. Otherwise it might all be too bleak? Will the rest go home sadder but wiser? Or just pretend that nothing ever happened? The ‘packing up and going’ might reveal more of this, as in Series 1.

^ no spoilers please One opinion I read was that Tanya knows very well what’s going on (or as I think, at least has some v strong suspicions). Her vanity may be getting in the way, but then again she was really enjoying herself at that party! The music, the grooving, mr Italian stallion. She may well have been mocked in earlier episodes - but during the party she appeared to be having a good time, at least. Compared to arguing with Greg about the number of macaroons missing and his awful and dismissive approach to sex with her (gotta be gay right?). Anyway the party looked more fun than poor Portia stuck with the drunken, bawling Arsenal / United fan in the hotel room.

^ interesting, JeanSheridan. However I would add in the final sex scene with the Italian ‘gigolo’ when he is kneeling at her feet, the configuration seemed to be more her being worshipped as a woman …. In contrast to her cringey sex scene with Greg her husband of course, and the hedonistic rumpy pumpy of the escort girls with the men.

Daphne. She winced when she sat down at dinner and blamed her ‘masseuse’. Who goes off for a massage for ‘a few hours’? She was also asking Cameron more seriously and pointedly ‘what happened that night?’. re. Quentin. Despite the gun, it doesn’t seem likely a murder plot is planned by him (though maybe used by someone else). Far too messy for Quentin, he’s far too clever. Maybe it’s blackmail or some other kind of leverage as people have suggested. I somehow can’t see Tanya as the one who comes off worse, as she has a certain intelligence and intuition despite her flakiness*. She’s too sympathetic a character I think to kill off (though who knows could be her swan song to complete her ‘story’ from series 1?) The English boy. I read that one of the prominent tattoos we see on him is ‘666’ in Roman numerals, the mark of the devil. What was the black hole he mentioned that was so, so bad? And this coming from a seemingly completely amoral person. He seems a wreck of a character though, it’s hard to guess whether he’s malicious or an impulsive fool E.g. scaring Portia by jumping out at her, was it nasty or just childish? He is the most disposable character. It really all is a mystery. I think these White Lotus series may become like the Agatha Christie films of the seventies eg Murder in the Orient Express, Murder Under the Sun. I am enjoying the very high production values of this series, from the sets to the music to the perfect-clothes-for-the-character (Harper’s dreary ensembles anyone?). The acting, the humour. Also, the wisdom and fantastic dialogue dotted here and there. It felt emotional and heartfelt when the diGrasso father said to the grandfather “you never taught me how to be intimate with a woman, you were selfish, and I learnt to be the same”. (As I’ve said before I Just wish the director would lay off some of the unnecessary/gross sex scenes eg episode 5) Only next time I think I’ll do a binge watch at the end, save dragging it out, as really, like others here, I just want a resolution now please. * Quentin seemed to be slightly mocking Tanya at the opera with that “look” re. the princess of Sicily being in the neighbouring box. In fact there is a Princess Maria Carolina of Bourbon Two Sicilies, even if it wasn’t her.

@WatcherUatl10 ”maiden, mother, crone?” Fascinating. Now you mention it, the three women were all “crones”. My understanding is that the word ‘crone’ comes from the word ‘crown’ of the head, implying a further state of wisdom, and in fact the word “hag” means simply “wise”. The English boy refers to all the women over 60 who visit his uncle’s villa as ‘hags’ of course! It was a very strange scene, very unlike all the sun sea and sex scenes so far. Definitely at a tangent. Was the role of the 3 crones to sharply pull the three DiGrasso men out of their ‘fantasy’ world?. To challenge the men’s delusions, of which they seem to have a few, to bring them back down to earth (the artichoke!). In particular, the DiGrasso grandfather’s delusion about his marriage to his wife whilst having numerous affairs, as well as his delusion about the ‘homecoming’ they would find in Sicily. He was a sad and crushed man at dinner. (Though did I imagine it and he may have designs on Mia or perhaps just admiring her from afar?) Maybe the father and son also have some delusions, especially about women …. Also, “you want the pretty money, shame on you?” thing - I’m not sure why the crone screamed that at them. Also “what do we need men for?” was her droll observation on their announced arrival. She did seem to enjoy very much shaking her artichoke at them as they backed off into their hire car. The other two women were laughing too. The three crones were more than a match for the three men. The hags were not impressed with their arrival, their money or their intentions, perhaps a departure for these men who are used to getting what they want, (including easy money with which to buy sex in the case of the younger two). OTOH, when the old woman cursed them: “I curse you and your kind”, it might be a reference to the mafia as much as wealthy foreigners? I honestly don’t know. A puzzle. Anyway, an odd but telling little scene, perhaps? Just ruminations! Now for some washing up!

Yes, I remember the gun too. Tanya knows where it is, which may be telling. Even in her heightened drugged state, she seems to be filing away a lot of stuff. She also gave Quentin a very strange direct look at the party - and it wasn’t friendly. It also brings to mind her powerful retort to her husband in the restaurant in an earlier episode. “I’m paying attention!” So whilst she’s a vain spacey klutz, she also notices stuff. I guess we just have to wait and see. Harper and Ethan are such a weirdly antagonistic and miserable couple I am less invested in what happens to them. It was odd he swam right out to the sea when angry. Just like his running every morning. Is he really just a pretty angry porn-addled loser, despite his $$$? Harper clearly either (a) had sex with Cameron or (b) pretended to to wind up Ethan. There is no other logical reason to put chain across the door when you are getting a hat! Not nice! But I think she’s an alpha female and smarter than any of them, Cameron included. “Tough”. She “wins every case” at the office and is the “star” of her law firm. She’s probably playing them all now. Just saying. p.s. Albie appears nice, albeit in a drippy sort of way, but is it true? Clutching at straws here, lol! Of course I could be and almost certainly am completely wrong 😆!!!

My prediction: Portia (one of my favour characters) will go hot-footing it back to her boss on the island. She’ll have figured stuff out from her “cave man’s” drunken ramblings. Maybe she’ll get her “shit” together as her boss advised her (whilst herself falling down the rabbit hole). I guess we’ll have to see! I think the conclusions to the various shenanigans will be interesting. At least I hope so!

Great review by Mark Blankenship. I, also found episode 6 rather underwhelming. And dark in a stodgy kind of way. I did think the visit of the three men to their “Italian roots“ was quite interesting though. Was their promiscuity was some kind of search for “home“.? As the grandfather (great actor) said, rather movingly, “there is no homecoming“….. Perhaps I’m reading too much into it though? It was interesting that it was three women who pushed them away. As for the rest, it became a little bit overblown, soggy, dark. Thankfully, there wasn’t too much explicit sex in this episode. Perhaps it’s just me, but I really get sick of seeing arses thrusting away, threesomes, etc. I wish the director would stop trying to “shock us with sex”, it seems both childish and distasteful. One can easily allude to it without explicitly showing it in that indulgent way. And I feel sorry for the actors having to do the soft porn turns as well :-(. I love Portia, the character and the actress. I love her clothes too, so funky fashion. I also like the English dude. He is playing the part so well. The next Daniel Craig perhaps? I’m English so I guess I “get it”perhaps more? But regardless nearly all the actors are fabulous. However episode 6 was dark and quite slow. I was literally addicted to the series to begin with. Now I think I will be glad when the whole thing is over in episode seven. I will miss gazing upon the gorgeous actor who plays the psycho stockbroker though! One thing that was terrific. I think, that nobody has much mentioned, is the music. The soundtrack/music in the series is amazing to me. I found myself singing Amore off and on all week. Always the music, often quirky or unusual, is perfect for the scene.

Great review by Mark Blankenship.