S01.E01: Arrivals

[Meredith Quill]

Quote

As a new wave of guests arrive at the White Lotus, resort manager Armond tries to assuage an unreasonable Shane and his easy-going new wife Rachel, while spa director Belinda calms a grieving Tanya. Meanwhile, Nicole suggests her husband Mark distract himself from a health scare by spending time with their son Quinn, who’s been cast out by his sister Olivia and her friend Paula.

Airs July 11th.

[mjc570]

I have to admit that I liked this more than I thought I would.  I only really watched it for Connie Britton, and she (of course) did what I thought was the funniest scene - cutting her teenage son's lobster because "lobster meat is so tough."

I was surprised the manager expressed sympathy for Lani, showing some remorse about what she was going through.  

[BryroseA]

I loved the first episode - lots of interesting tensions to explore. I worked a summer at a very-rich-people-resort in Santa Barbara, so this is giving me mild PTSD, but I’m still into it. The scenes with Jennifer Coolidge and Natasha Rothwell, in particular, were incredibly well acted with some great nuance. Also, I snorted so loud at the look on Rachel’s face when her new husband asked, mildly threateningly, “Should I call my mom?”

 I can’t decide if I’m bummed to have to wait for the rest of the episodes, or glad to have some time to ruminate over the episode and look forward to Sunday.
 

All right, predictions!

1) Is the body on the plane Rachel, aka maybe-Mrs.-Patton?

2) Will we ever see Lani again? 

3) Does Steve Zahn have cancer? 

[Swartz]

I enjoyed it.  I enjoyed Enlightened so when I read its the same writer i made sure to watch

[preeya]

56 minutes ago, BryroseA said:

1) Is the body on the plane Rachel, aka maybe-Mrs.-Patton?

I'm betting it is Kitty Patton (Molly Shannon), likely murdered by Rachel.

[Cheezwiz]

This is soooo intriguing so far! As much as I'd love to binge this, I'm glad I have something to watch on Sunday nights since Mare of East Town ended.

I just recently started watching Enlightened (even though that series is a decade old) and loving it, so I was excited that something new from Mike White has cropped up. He really is a talented writer who goes to uncomfortable places.

Fantastic cast - some of my favourite actors (Jennifer Coolidge, Steve Zahn), and I love that the show is featuring both the guests and the resort staff as characters. 

3 hours ago, mjc570 said:

I was surprised the manager expressed sympathy for Lani, showing some remorse about what she was going through.  

I was surprised by that too. My guess now is that his character might be a luxury resort version of the one played by Willem Dafoe in "The Florida Project": basically a good egg frantically trying to put out fires and spin plates.

• Great acting by the two snotty teen girls - man, they are scary and MEAN!
• Feeling bad for Alexandra Daddario's character, who is just discovering that her new hubby is a total asshole.
• I wonder how long they're going to drag out the suspense on Steve Zahn's character. I must say the full frontal scene was a bit of a shocker - was not expecting that at all.

Looking forward to next Sunday!

[thuganomics85]

Haven't watched Enlightened, but the cast made me give this a go and I enjoyed it.  Definitely can go to some uncomfortable places at times, but I think in it's own way, it probably really nails down what it probably is really like at these types of "paradise on Earth" resorts, filled with eccentric, troublesome guests and the employees that have to deal with all of the problems that come their way.  Customer service jobs can be rough!

The entire cast was pretty great, but I thought Jennifer Coolidge and Murray Bartlett were probably the highlights.  Steve Zahn was right behind them.  Connie Britton was her normal awesome self, but didn't have a lot to do (yet.)  Also thought Alexandra Daddario shined as Rachel, which was nice since she is usually someone know for being just a "pretty face", but I think she showed some good acting chops here.

Oh, and credit also to Sydney Sweeney and Brittany O'Grady, because they really nailed down the snotty teenager characters.  I think it works better than the norm because they avoided the outlandish, over-the-top bullying that most shows go for, but instead show them being jerks in more subtle, but still obvious ways like their general smirks, smug back-talking to Olivia's parents, and dismissive, "superior" attitude when Rachel was trying to make small talk with them.  Although I wonder if Olivia's gawking at Rachel in her swimsuit is a sign she might actually have a crush on her instead.

Not sure what to make of the mysterious dead body yet.  I felt like they were trying to hint it might be Rachel since Shane was by himself at the airport, but I can see that being a twist and he's just alone because she will eventually leave him since he is already proving himself to be the worst.

Curious to see where this goes!

[Laurie4H]

I liked it.  And watched also because of Mike White.  I loved Enlightened.  He also wrote a few episodes of the great show Freaks and Geeks.  Also wrote and was in a great yet disturbing movie called Chuck and Buck.  If you haven’t heard of it please check it out.  

Edited July 12, 2021 by Laurie4H

[meep.meep]

"You can't give birth on your first day!"

I like that this is going to dark and twisty places with three dimensional characters all around.  My pandemic TV addiction has been to the Below Deck franchise, and this reminds me a lot of that.  All the machinations that go on behind the scenes to make the rich people have a great vacation.

[tennisgurl]

I haven't seen Enlighted in years but I remember loving it, so that plus the excellent cast made me really excited to check this out. I think we got off to a really strong start, it certainly does give you the feeling of being on a vacation with people your increasingly annoyed with as well as the exhaustion of everything that goes on behind the scenes to give people their perfect vacation. This is very intriguing, I really have no idea where this show is going and I love that feeling. They seem to be implying that Alexandra Daddario's Rachel will be the person who dies in the flashforward, but its also just as likely that she left her new husband when she realized what a prick he is and someone else is dead. If its a mystery, they probably wouldn't tell us the supposed answer so quickly. Especially as Rachel seems like she is going to be the relatively normal person and audience surrogate among the guests. 

I like that they are focusing on the guests and the staff about equally, the actors are all knocking it out of the park. I like that they are mostly playing things subtle, like the teenage girls aren't over the top bullies but are more quietly giggling about people behind their backs judgmentally, and Shane the entitled husband is clearly an ass but isn't an over the top rich jerk stereotype who is a total dick to everyone, instead a guy who has clearly always gotten what he wants and cant handle even a minor inconvenience who's asshole tendencies aren't as obviously in your face until he gets denied something. They also seem to be setting them up to be very three dimensional, like the manager actually expressing regret that he didn't notice that the new girl was so pregnant she was about to pop. 

As much as I would love to binge this, I think this will be a fun show to come back to week after week so that we can really digest each episode before getting to the next one. 

Edited July 12, 2021 by tennisgurl

[Iseut]

I'm intrigued and like the cast enough to keep watching this, but I can't say that I enjoyed it? Exactly? Definitely more dark cringey than dark funny I thought.

It reminded me of that other HBO show with Hugh Laurie and the tourists in space, Avenue 5, which I haaaated. This one seems like it has more depth and is not quite so broad, so I think it will be better. But I didn't love it quite as much as I'd hoped. The only characters I really like so far are Belinda and the new bride. I felt bad for Lani, but not sure what she expected to happen. I get that she needed money, but did she really think that her pregnancy and/or her delivery (at some point, even if it didn't happen right at work) would go unnoticed? Seems a bit of a stretch.  

[candall]

Mike White put me off for a few decades with Chuck and Buck, but I guess we're both older and wiser now.

I thought this was excellent--such an interesting, character-driven, establishing episode.

 

Also, Steve Zahn's balls.  Brave choice.

[preeya]

13 minutes ago, candall said:

Also, Steve Zahn's balls.  Brave choice.

Not sure about that, as it looked more like a dildo to me.

[Empress1]

10 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

Although I wonder if Olivia's gawking at Rachel in her swimsuit is a sign she might actually have a crush on her instead.

I was like "You couldn't tell she was hot before?"

That scene was really masterful. I'm not wealthy but I've spent a lot of time around pedigreed people (private school, Ivy league, certain professional industries) and that trying to place someone on the ladder thing the girls were doing with Rachel is very real, and not limited to teenagers. I've experienced it myself as a Black person, and at the root of it is "what are you doing in this space that I don't think you should be in?" The scene gave us a sense of who Rachel is and how she fits into this world (read: she doesn't, really), while also establishing the meanness and classism of the girls (although I think the dark-haired one is going to get sick of it, especially if her character is supposed to be a person of color). 

1 hour ago, tennisgurl said:

Shane the entitled husband is clearly an ass but isn't an over the top rich jerk stereotype who is a total dick to everyone, instead a guy who has clearly always gotten what he wants and cant handle even a minor inconvenience who's asshole tendencies aren't as obviously in your face until he gets denied something.

Oh, I thought he was a total stereotype. Hearing Rachel's background, I wondered how his parents felt about him marrying someone who doesn't come from money.

43 minutes ago, Iseut said:

I get that she needed money, but did she really think that her pregnancy and/or her delivery (at some point, even if it didn't happen right at work) would go unnoticed? Seems a bit of a stretch.  

I could buy her hiding her pregnancy - she just looks overweight to me, I wouldn't have assumed she was pregnant looking at her. But if she was THAT close to her due date, yeah, I don't know how she thought she was going to pull this off.

[Cheezwiz]

4 minutes ago, Empress1 said:

I could buy her hiding her pregnancy - she just looks overweight to me, I wouldn't have assumed she was pregnant looking at her. But if she was THAT close to her due date, yeah, I don't know how she thought she was going to pull this off.

The only thing I could think of was that the baby arrived earlier than expected, and perhaps Lani thought she could put away some cash for a few weeks before quitting and giving birth. Not sure if we'll see her character again, but maybe the show will reveal more about her circumstances. I like that the staff are being featured in the storylines too.

[DiabLOL]

So far I’m really liking this and can’t wait to see where everything goes. Definitely think things will be dark and weird.

I loved the scene with the snotty teens and Rachel.

I disliked three things quite a bit and I’m hoping this doesn’t continue to bug.

1) the obviously rich family who invited their daughter’s friend yet the son is sleeping on a cot in a tiny kitchen. Hopefully this won’t continue to be played for laughs or whatever. I just find it improbable and annoying enough that it kept taking me out of the scenes. 
 

2) the pregnant and about to pop storyline is too much for me. I get that the coworkers didn’t even stop to think about fat vs pregnant why would they? Lani going into labor in her first day at work is way over the top and I don’t see how the character would continue to stay in the show which bums me out because I really took to both the actress and the character. I did like how they humanized her boss when he actually stepped back from all his bullshit to say out loud how bad he feels that he didn’t even notice.

3) the WHOAH the snotty teen girls gave when Rachel walked off to the pool was really odd to me. I get that teen girls have a million insecurities etc but I still didn’t get their reactions since they both have mainstream approved great bodies too and know it. So the only theory that makes sense to me is the blonde is gay? Idk. I hope so.

[iMonrey]

Quote

Also, Steve Zahn's balls.  Brave choice.

Pretty sure those were stunt balls. If you don't see the actor's face in the same shot you can bet money it's a body double.

I didn't know what to make of this. Maybe I was expecting it to be a comedy. I've also never heard of Mike White or Enlightened before. 

[HC87]

7 hours ago, Laurie4H said:

I liked it.  And watched also because of Mike White.  I loved Enlightened.  He also wrote a few episodes of the great show Freaks and Geeks.  Also wrote and was in a great yet disturbing movie called Chuck and Buck.  If you haven’t heard of it please check it out.  

OMG....that was him? Very twisted film....I've tried to repress this lol, haven't seen in years.

Enjoyed the first ep...lot of interesting characters....should be a good Summah watch.

[Empress1]

5 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

I've also never heard of Mike White or Enlightened before. 

Mike White is a writer; I think his most well-known movie is School of Rock (which he was also in). 

[heatherchandler]

I was trying to figure out where they filmed this, and then I finally googled... it is at the Four Seasons Maui.

But, during my googling, I came across this:

Spoiler

 Alexandra Daddario, faces this dilemma as she spends a tropical-getaway-turned-nightmare at a Hawaiian resort with her husband Shane (Jake Lacy) in the new HBO show The White Lotus.

I guess the dead body being loaded into the plane at the beginning gives away that there will be something sinister, but I didn't get the impression from the trailer that this would turn into a horror show.

eta not even sure if this is a spoiler??

 

Edited July 12, 2021 by heatherchandler

[meep.meep]

2 hours ago, Empress1 said:

Mike White is a writer; I think his most well-known movie is School of Rock (which he was also in). 

And he and his father were on the Amazing Race twice!

[TV Anonymous]

5 hours ago, preeya said:

Not sure about that, as it looked more like a dildo to me.

If those were real-life Steve Zahn, his wife should be a satisfied woman.

[susannot]

I was really excited about this as we have a trip to Maui booked for next January.

 

Mike White was The Amazing Race guy, right?  Love him.

 

Agree that the scene with Steve Zahn's balls was startling and that they looked more like a  dildo. Still, full frontal!

 

I expect deliciously down and dirty doings and gorgeous Maui scenery.  A fun summer series.

[tennisgurl]

I am actually planning my honeymoon now...I really hope that mine goes better. 

[DoubleUTeeEff]

I'm totally into it so far. I love shows where terrible things happen in beautiful places. See Big Little Lies, Bloodline, and even Ozark to an extent. I haven't read anything about the show so I don't know how sinister the death is going to be (like a murder or suicide) or if it just ends up as something unfortunate (accident or natural cause). Reading here that it's the same guy who did Enlightened makes me even more excited because I loved that show.

I'm thinking that it's too easy for the death to be the newlywed bride and that she ends up leaving her husband instead. The way she was explaining to the teenage girls why they got married so fast was a parade of red flags. HE thought it was a good idea and was very convincing, etc. I don't think I've ever seen Jake Lacy play an asshole so that's different.

Connie Britton brought it as usual. I loved her examining her husband's balls and saying "Are they bigger?" "I haven't seen them in awhile." Also cutting up her son's lobster while both her son and husband give her WTF faces.

What the heck did Belinda do to Jennifer Coolidge to make her so grateful? I was like, was there a happy ending or was that just the first person to really listen to her in awhile?

26 minutes ago, tennisgurl said:

I am actually planning my honeymoon now...I really hope that mine goes better. 

Here's to you getting the room you book and not some inferior room without a plunge pool.

[txhorns79]

7 hours ago, DiabLOL said:

 

1) the obviously rich family who invited their daughter’s friend yet the son is sleeping on a cot in a tiny kitchen. Hopefully this won’t continue to be played for laughs or whatever. I just find it improbable and annoying enough that it kept taking me out of the scenes. 

I found that very strange.  Are you really telling me this family wouldn't have either gotten a bigger suite with multiple bedrooms or some smaller rooms for the kids in a place nearby?  I get logistically, it is easier for filming if they are all in the same place, but that did stick out.  

 

1 hour ago, DoubleUTeeEff said:

What the heck did Belinda do to Jennifer Coolidge to make her so grateful? I was like, was there a happy ending or was that just the first person to really listen to her in awhile?

My impression was that Jennifer Coolidge felt listened to and that the women had developed some kind of connection.  Essentially she was so starved for attention that she's misread this professional encounter as the start of a close friendship.   

[Mr. R0b0t]

Jennifer stated she gets attached to men really quickly and that's been problematic for her, so she clearly can make attachments quickly.  I think the Mossbachers mentioned something about their teen boy stimming, which would imply he is on the spectrum so maybe that's why he wants his own space (and it's not really a punishment type thing).

Interesting tone in this show and nothing like it on TV right now, so I'm in.

[AheadofStraight]

22 hours ago, Cheezwiz said:

The only thing I could think of was that the baby arrived earlier than expected, and perhaps Lani thought she could put away some cash for a few weeks before quitting and giving birth. Not sure if we'll see her character again, but maybe the show will reveal more about her circumstances. I like that the staff are being featured in the storylines too.

She did say she was early but not by how much. 

17 hours ago, meep.meep said:

And he and his father were on the Amazing Race twice!

I googled because I couldn't picture him (but did recognize him immediately) and apparently he was also on Survivor!

I started watching because of the NPR Review by Linda Holmes and I'm definitely interested to see where this goes.

[Empress1]

12 hours ago, Mr. R0b0t said:

Jennifer stated she gets attached to men really quickly and that's been problematic for her, so she clearly can make attachments quickly. 

She is also on this trip alone to spread her mother's ashes, so I'd guess she's feeling particularly vulnerable. 

[chediavolo]

17 hours ago, Mr. R0b0t said:

Jennifer stated she gets attached to men really quickly and that's been problematic for her, so she clearly can make attachments quickly.  I think the Mossbachers mentioned something about their teen boy stimming, which would imply he is on the spectrum so maybe that's why he wants his own space (and it's not really a punishment type thing).

Interesting tone in this show and nothing like it on TV right now, so I'm in.

I had no idea what stimming meant. . I thought it meant he was jerking off in there😄

[Blackie]

20 hours ago, Mr. R0b0t said:

Interesting tone in this show and nothing like it on TV right now, so I'm in.

 

Hmmm, I don't know what to think. I'm Ok with a slow burn but there is only 6 episodes so I think will have to pick it up.  It is different from anything else on TV but I am not sure if the characters were that interesting. It reminded me too much of my work, in a "yes people are annoying " kind of way, I don't know if I need to watch that in a TV show.

[izabella]

I liked this a lot!  The lush scenery is a treat for the eyes, the cast is great, and the characters are interesting  It has a Fantasy Island feel to it, where things aren't what they seem and things don't go the way you think. 

[Bulldog]

Liked this more than I anticipated.  Tuned in mainly for Connie Britton, who I will watch in anything.  ANYTHING.  

Favorite character so far is Rachel, but I think it is much too obvious for her to be the body in the casket.  That said, I do think it has to be someone connected to Shane in some fashion as he doesn't seem the type to look sadly upon a casket being loaded on a plane if the person inside is a stranger or someone he just met.  Or, perhaps Shane is in some way responsible for the person's death and that is why he was looking out at the casket being loaded. 

Speaking of Shane, he's a jerk.  No doubt.  But, he wasn't wrong about the room.  If you pay for the (presumably) more expensive room, then you should get the more expensive room.  Of course, that is somewhat hypocritical of me to say as I would have definitely taken the Rachel stance of the room we have is nice enough.  Didn't really like the manager trying to gaslight him into thinking they got the room they purchased. 

I'll just echo what others have said about Lani being pregnant.  I, too, thought she was just fat.  I didn't think the weight looked pregnancy related at all.  I do wonder what she thought the endgame would be.  Even if she gave birth early, she was clearly close enough to going into labor that she should have known she couldn't keep it a secret.  

Never really been a fan of Jennifer Coolidge, and so far, this has not changed my opinion.  When she was whining about needing a massage, I was really hoping one of the staff would ask her if she had been doing too much bend and snap. 

Did the rich family (whose name escapes me at the moment) really book a suite for five people that only had one bedroom?  If I understood correctly, the two girls were going to sleep in the living room and the son got relegated to closet kitchen (who knew those existed).  These are obviously people of means.  The wife is supposedly a big time exec for some company.  Are we to believe they couldn't afford 3 or 4 bedrooms?  Or maybe, it will be revealed that they are having financial difficulties.  But if that is the case, why take the vacation at all. 

[Accidental Martyr]

I’ve been looking forward to this. Enlightened was really good and Laura Dern was great. I really wish it had gotten another season. 

[chocolatine]

I'm pretty sure the dead body is not Rachel. Shane looked pissed off at the airport, not like he was grieving. She most likely decided to annul the marriage and took an earlier flight home.

I like the show so far, but my bar is low these days. Good cast and pretty scenery is all I need.

On 7/12/2021 at 11:43 AM, Empress1 said:

I could buy her hiding her pregnancy - she just looks overweight to me, I wouldn't have assumed she was pregnant looking at her. But if she was THAT close to her due date, yeah, I don't know how she thought she was going to pull this off.

She emphasized several times that the baby was early, which I took to mean not just by a few weeks but more like 6-8 weeks. She probably thought she'd earn enough in salary and tips in that time to tide her over for a month or two once she had the baby. And/or she may have thought that if she did a good job during that time, they'd let her take an unpaid maternity leave and come back.

On 7/12/2021 at 1:03 PM, DiabLOL said:

1) the obviously rich family who invited their daughter’s friend yet the son is sleeping on a cot in a tiny kitchen. Hopefully this won’t continue to be played for laughs or whatever. I just find it improbable and annoying enough that it kept taking me out of the scenes. 

Nicole doesn't think her son is capable of cutting his own lobster, so it makes sense that she'd want him close by, and she probably also wants to keep tabs on the comings and goings of the girls. But if I were the daughter's friend, I would feel very awkward about sharing such close quarters with a family that isn't mine.

On 7/12/2021 at 7:30 PM, DoubleUTeeEff said:

What the heck did Belinda do to Jennifer Coolidge to make her so grateful? I was like, was there a happy ending or was that just the first person to really listen to her in awhile?

Belinda said she was doing craniosacral therapy. I haven't had it myself, but my understanding is that the relief in physical tension that it brings can also cause a flood of emotion. I don't think the chanting and repeating mantras is usually part of the treatment though.

On 7/13/2021 at 8:53 PM, Bulldog said:

Speaking of Shane, he's a jerk.  No doubt.  But, he wasn't wrong about the room.  If you pay for the (presumably) more expensive room, then you should get the more expensive room.  Of course, that is somewhat hypocritical of me to say as I would have definitely taken the Rachel stance of the room we have is nice enough.  Didn't really like the manager trying to gaslight him into thinking they got the room they purchased.

I really didn't like that either. The manager should have admitted that there'd been a double booking, adjusted the rate for the less-expensive-but-still-nice suite, and thrown in a free dinner or couple's massage as an apology. Shane is an entitled jerk, but he's not an idiot, and I can't blame him for feeling like he's been conned (though he should have dropped the issue because it obviously made Rachel uncomfortable).

Edited July 15, 2021 by chocolatine

[Nellise]

On 7/13/2021 at 8:04 PM, Blackie said:

 

Hmmm, I don't know what to think. I'm Ok with a slow burn but there is only 6 episodes so I think will have to pick it up.  It is different from anything else on TV but I am not sure if the characters were that interesting. It reminded me too much of my work, in a "yes people are annoying " kind of way, I don't know if I need to watch that in a TV show.

I'm assuming something happens in the later episodes since this show got good reviews, but I kept waiting for anything interesting or funny in this episode and it never came. I'll stick with it since I like most of the actors (although I've never understood whatever appeal Jennifer Coolidge has to get so much work), and I have nothing better to watch, but hopefully it picks up or goes somewhere.

One question: was the lingering last scene supposed to imply someone was watching them? It was a weirdly long take if not (or I missed whatever I was supposed to be noticing).

[Soobs]

On 7/12/2021 at 5:57 AM, Laurie4H said:

I liked it.  And watched also because of Mike White.  I loved Enlightened.  He also wrote a few episodes of the great show Freaks and Geeks.  Also wrote and was in a great yet disturbing movie called Chuck and Buck.  If you haven’t heard of it please check it out.  

I'm a big Mike White fan and I also love The Good Girl which he wrote and has a small role in. I feel like we're in good hands and this will go to interesting places.

 

 

[Ms Blue Jay]

"Enlightened" is way better than this.  The only positive I got from this is that I got to clear off an hour from my DVR.

I grew up poor, but I'd still want the hotel room that I (or my family) paid for.  Asking for that isn't weird to me.

On 7/12/2021 at 4:33 PM, Empress1 said:

Mike White is a writer; I think his most well-known movie is School of Rock (which he was also in). 

You just reminded me that he was also on a recent season of "Survivor"!  Haha!

Edited July 16, 2021 by Ms Blue Jay

[Blackie]

1 hour ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

I grew up poor, but I'd still want the hotel room that I (or my family) paid for.  Asking for that isn't weird to me.

 

I agree, I didn't think he was being that much of a jerk about it. One review I read was this show was about rich people acting badly, but I have seen middle class people treating staff at 3 star hotels in poor countries WAY worse. I don't work in a spa but in a health care clinic so how the Jennifer C character was acting before and after the "cranial sacral" wasn't out of the ordinary for me, ugh and not interesting.

[aghst]

6 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

"Enlightened" is way better than this.  The only positive I got from this is that I got to clear off an hour from my DVR.

I grew up poor, but I'd still want the hotel room that I (or my family) paid for.  Asking for that isn't weird to me.

You just reminded me that he was also on a recent season of "Survivor"!  Haha!

 

5 hours ago, Blackie said:

 

I agree, I didn't think he was being that much of a jerk about it. One review I read was this show was about rich people acting badly, but I have seen middle class people treating staff at 3 star hotels in poor countries WAY worse. I don't work in a spa but in a health care clinic so how the Jennifer C character was acting before and after the "cranial sacral" wasn't out of the ordinary for me, ugh and not interesting.

Sure, get the resort manager to address it but Rachel was annoyed that he kept bringing it up.

That is when he wasn't asking her for a BJ or sex.

She noted that he didn't pay for it so why is he letting it bother him to the point that he wasn't focusing on them.

 

Was she convinced when he said they'd always be in love?

This can't be the first thing that annoyed her about him, so how did they get together in the first place?

 

 

[Leeds]

On 7/13/2021 at 3:26 PM, chediavolo said:

I had no idea what stimming meant. . I thought it meant he was jerking off in there😄

That's what I thought but there was no way I was going to Google it to find out.  In fact I'm still hesitant 😀

[chocolatine]

1 hour ago, Leeds said:

That's what I thought but there was no way I was going to Google it to find out.  In fact I'm still hesitant 😀

I took one for the team and Googled it. Apparently it's short for self-stimulating behaviors used by people who are on the autism spectrum. FWIW, I didn't get the impression that Quinn is on the spectrum, I just thought he's an awkward teenager whose development is being stunted by his mother's helicoptering. Of course it's possible he's on the spectrum (definitely on the high-functioning end of it) and Nicole is being overbearing out of protectiveness. But that's still bad for his development.

[Ms Blue Jay]

On 7/17/2021 at 2:43 AM, aghst said:

Sure, get the resort manager to address it but Rachel was annoyed that he kept bringing it up.

But he was totally in the right.  The hotel gave him the wrong room.  Even worse, instead of it being an innocent mistake they were trying to rectify, it was a mistake that they were standing behind and lying to him and gaslighting to him that it wasn't actually a mistake, but that HE was mistaken. I would not want my partner undermining me in front of other people when I'm trying to stand up for both of us.  I would likely bring it up again (TO THE HOTEL) too, and if I didn't, I'd be mad at myself.

Edited July 19, 2021 by Ms Blue Jay

[aghst]

25 minutes ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

But he was totally in the right.  The hotel gave him the wrong room.  Even worse, instead of it being an innocent mistake they were trying to rectify, it was a mistake that they were standing behind and lying to him and gaslighting to him that it wasn't actually a mistake, but that HE was mistaken. I would not want my partner undermining me in front of other people when I'm trying to stand up for both of us.  I would likely bring it up again too, and if I didn't, I'd be mad at myself.

That may all be true but Rachel's POV was that it wasn't worth letting the agitation get in the way of them enjoying their honeymoon.

She was happy with the room they got, didn't feel wronged that she didn't get the honeymoon suite.

 

 

[Ms Blue Jay]

37 minutes ago, aghst said:

That may all be true but Rachel's POV was that it wasn't worth letting the agitation get in the way of them enjoying their honeymoon.

She was happy with the room they got, didn't feel wronged that she didn't get the honeymoon suite.

Yes, that is clear.  My original point is that I see nothing wrong with what her husband did and I stand by it.

[chocolatine]

3 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

Yes, that is clear.  My original point is that I see nothing wrong with what her husband did and I stand by it.

He told her he was going to do it over her protestations and then asked her to give him a BJ before he went. It's only the first day of the honeymoon, and he's already making it abundantly clear that his wishes take precedence over hers.

ETA: I'd have no problem with him discreetly asking the manager to adjust the rate that they're being charged since they are getting the less expensive suite. But then that should be the end of it. Bringing it up with Rachel repeatedly is obviously making her uncomfortable, so he should drop it out of consideration for her and move on to the more enjoyable parts of the honeymoon. There's nothing productive that he can do anyway, since there's only one honeymoon suite, and the manager isn't going to kick out the other couple.

Edited July 19, 2021 by chocolatine

[Ms Blue Jay]

I wasn't at all talking about his attitude towards Rachel (nor endorsing asking for a blowjob????) just that asking for the correct room makes total sense to me.

When I said "bringing it up" I meant with the hotel, obviously.  If she didn't want to be involved with the discussion with the hotel she could have excused herself.

Edited July 19, 2021 by Ms Blue Jay

[aghst]

But didn't he bring it up repeatedly with her, maybe once with the manager?

[chocolatine]

16 minutes ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

I wasn't at all talking about his attitude towards Rachel (nor endorsing asking for a blowjob????) just that asking for the correct room makes total sense to me.

The correct room was already occupied, so repeatedly asking for it wasn't going to accomplish anything other than ruin his mood and make the staff hate him. Double bookings happen at hotels/airlines/salons all the time, and if you're on the receiving end of it, demanding your original booking won't be helpful. The best thing you can do is negotiate a discount and/or a perk to make up for the inconvenience (e.g. a free dinner, first-class upgrade, etc.) and be thankful that that's the worst thing that happened to you that day. I speak from experience.

Edited July 19, 2021 by chocolatine

[MerBearStare]

1 hour ago, aghst said:

That may all be true but Rachel's POV was that it wasn't worth letting the agitation get in the way of them enjoying their honeymoon.

She was happy with the room they got, didn't feel wronged that she didn't get the honeymoon suite.

Yeah, if this were real life, my position would be to bring it up once but then let it go. The hotel manager isn't ruining their honeymoon, Shane is.