S01.E05: The Lotus-Eaters

[meowmommy]

How pathetic that after Tanya got what she needed out of Belinda by promising her the moon, she abruptly blows her off not once, but twice, to pursue the skinny geek from the BLM.  I agree with those who suggested his sudden cough was a ruse to get around answering the question she had just posed to him, but then, later, when she goes bonkers on him, he sticks around.  Weird. 

I don't think he's important enough a character to end up as the stiff in the casket.

The actor who plays Quinn looks like he could really be Steve Zahn's son. 

Isn't it too bad that Mark had to get beaten up during the robbery for his family finally to take him seriously?

[Roxie]

On 8/10/2021 at 1:50 AM, CarpeFelis said:

I’m sort of reminded of an old spoof of a commercial (I think it was from SNL) back in the days when Ma Bell was still a monopoly: “We don’t care. We don’t have to. We’re the phone company.” Only for these people it’s “We don’t care. We don’t have to. We’re filthy rich.”

I think it was on Laugh-In, with Lily Tomlin playing Ernestine, a telephone operator.

[Milburn Stone]

On 8/9/2021 at 4:10 PM, hurrrz said:

[Greg] essentially ghosting her during the day also felt like he was really trying to just have this to be a very limited engagement. Then again, he switches after they have a few drinks, so I am not sure which interpretation is right. 

The only thing that (mildly) surprised me was that when he was swimming and saw her in the cabana, he actually seemed glad to see her! I was expecting him to be embarrassed. For a moment there, I wondered if he might actually like her. I still wonder that.

[giovannif7]

 

1 hour ago, Roxie said:

  On 8/9/2021 at 10:50 PM, CarpeFelis said:

I’m sort of reminded of an old spoof of a commercial (I think it was from SNL) back in the days when Ma Bell was still a monopoly: “We don’t care. We don’t have to. We’re the phone company.” Only for these people it’s “We don’t care. We don’t have to. We’re filthy rich.”

1 hour ago, Roxie said:

I think it was on Laugh-In, with Lily Tomlin playing Ernestine, a telephone operator.

Actually, Lily Tomlin hosted the Season 2 premiere of SNL in 1976, and she revived her Laugh-In Ernestine character for a quick skit parodying the telephone company commercials of the time, for which that quote was the punch line... so you're both right!

https://snltranscripts.jt.org/76/76aphonecompany.phtml

Edited August 12, 2021 by giovannif7

[CarpeFelis]

1 hour ago, Roxie said:

I think it was on Laugh-In, with Lily Tomlin playing Ernestine, a telephone operator.

I think you’re right! I did picture Lily Tomlin in that skit.

[chocolatine]

1 hour ago, Milburn Stone said:

The only thing that (mildly) surprised me was that when he was swimming and saw her in the cabana, he actually seemed glad to see her! I was expecting him to be embarrassed. For a moment there, I wondered if he might actually like her. I still wonder that.

I think he likes her and is flattered by the attention, but not to the point of dropping his other vacation activities to spend all his time with her. And/or maybe he's an introvert who needs alone time in order to recharge.

[ahpny]

Quote

So, Paula thought a pair of $75K bracelets was going to allow Kai's family to get back acres of prime real estate in one of the most desired locations in the world with a luxury resort built on it?  Clearly, she is not an economics major. 

Exactly – “this will enable you to hire the best lawyer and get your rightful stuff back?” Please, 150K is less than 100 hours of legal work for “top” lawyers these days. Neither an economics major nor someone with any general knowledge of how legal matters are handled.

So much risk over such a small reward. From Paula's perspective, her primary motivation seemed to be screwing the Moschbochers, not so much "righting" historical wrongs, or helping Kai.

And her brush off of Kai - "we'll never see each other again" - while likely true, was pretty harsh, especially compared with how warm and kind he was (if naively unrealistic).

[chocolatine]

18 minutes ago, ahpny said:

Exactly – “this will enable you to hire the best lawyer and get your rightful stuff back?” Please, 150K is less than 100 hours of legal work for “top” lawyers these days. Neither an economics major nor someone with any general knowledge of how legal matters are handled.

Also, there's no way Kai is getting $150k for the bracelets. That's how much Mark paid for them at Cartier/Tiffany's/wherever. The only person that would buy obviously stolen jewelry would be a very shady dealer maximizing their own profit, so Kai would be lucky if he even gets 20% of the original price for them.

[sadie]

14 hours ago, Milburn Stone said:

The only thing that (mildly) surprised me was that when he was swimming and saw her in the cabana, he actually seemed glad to see her! I was expecting him to be embarrassed. For a moment there, I wondered if he might actually like her. I still wonder that.

I read those scenes as him wanting to come off as nice likable guy, with him knowing if he was openly rude to her he would cut off his nighttime booty call. He’s playing her, if he was really interested he would have asked her out for dinner, lunch, wanting to spend day with her. He was giving her just enough friendly vibes so when he wanted to get her in bed again he could. I think he’s a creep. YMMV

[Nellise]

Why did Olivia say Paula's locket was stolen from the safe? Kai is shown only taking the two bracelets. Did I miss Olivia stealing it afterwards since she knew it was from Kai?

Edited August 12, 2021 by Nellise

[tennisgurl]

Oh Kai, you really should not have listened to Paula. Paula might be playing at not being the same kind of spoiled rich brat that Olivia is, but her pressuring Kai into stealing the bracelets to "help" his family was just more of the same selfish privilege's we have seen throughout the whole show. Paula's "plan" was obviously nonsense, like they could fence some super fancy stolen jewelry (which the Mossbacher's would have already reported stolen) right by the place it was stolen from and...hire a lawyer to buy back several hundred acres of land? And no one would look into where the money came from and put two and two together? An island? Lawyers can do a lot but they cant exactly reverse colonialism with a few grand. This seems way more like Paula being pissed off at Olivia for flirting with her vacation boyfriend (and generally being an ass) as well as just being annoyed with Mossbacher family drama and wants to get back at all of them in some small petty way. she probably does feel bad for Kai and his family and the injustices they have been dealt, but this all seems more like her wanting to get one up on Olivia for once, and she used Kai to do it. Not that Kai was an innocent in all this, he did go along with this extremely hairbrained scheme and proved himself to be a pretty terrible thief. Why would he throw Nicole in some room, clearly looking to rob the place, when he could have just said that he was restocking things or had gotten the room confused with another room, as he is clearly an employee at the hotel? Not exactly the crime of the century, the real question now becomes whether or not Paula has to take any responsibility for this when Kai inevitably gets caught. In general Paula seems like a real hypocrite, acting like she is so above the shallowness of the Mossbacher's and saying how Olivia isn't her friend while also enjoying the fancy all expense paid trip they're taking her on. she isn't wrong that their ridiculously selfish and Olivia is a brat, but she sure does like enjoying that privilege's of theirs that she apparently hates so much. 

The only person at this whole resort who seems to be actually having fun is Quinn, who is really showing a lot of growth now that he is separated from his phone. While everyone else is all wrapped up in their own neurosis and whining and complaining or pretending to read books so that they can look smart, he is actually engaging with the paradise that he is in the middle of and actually talking with people, having real experiences. The one bright spot in this festival of awkward was him going out to canoe with the local guys, he just seemed to be having such a blast. I also thought it was nice that he waited for his dad for them to snorkel together, he might end up being one of the most likable characters in the show by the time its over. 

Rachel's face as she sat their and listened to Shane and his mom prattle away, laughing at others misfortunes, certainly said a lot. Its like she was picturing her whole future with this awful people having awful conversations with them forever and ever, and its just now hitting her that this is what she signed up for. Also, their new room doesn't look at all as nice as their old one, smooth move Shane's mom. 

[CarpeFelis]

Just one problem with Kai saying he’d entered the room by mistake: he’d already taken the bracelets out of the safe. To pretend he was there mistakenly, he’d have to show his face. And then he’d be easily identified when the Mossbachers discovered the theft. This idea would only work if he hadn’t opened the safe yet.

Edited August 12, 2021 by CarpeFelis
typo

[Samsnee]

I’m 99% positive it’s Armond in the casket in the beginning. Based on how antagonistic he and Shane have been together, and how Shane looked annoyed in episode 1, it’s obvious to me something went too far and Armond gets killed. 

[aghst]

Paula is vying for the worst POS character on the show with Shane.

She actually had to talk Kai into doing the robbery, stealing from a family which was kind to her.

She really, really likes Kai but she will never see him again and she isn't going to live with him in his modest home.

Thanks for the hot sex but you're the hired help.  I'm going to college to become rich and come back so you can serve me again.

 

I understand Kai feels grievance but it seems like he was content to work at the resort, even if his brothers tried to keep the resentment going.

I don't know if local Hawaiians have career opportunities at resorts, to move up to better jobs.  Maybe they generally don't get to advance so maybe losing the job wouldn't be a big deal.  But going to jail for grand theft and then assault during the theft would be a big deal.

Kai seemed like he had a good attitude, was making the best of the situation, didn't feel like he was being taken advantage of working at the resort, performing in those shows.  Then he met Paula who eggs him on, tells him that his situation is shitty, tells him essentially that he couldn't really have a serious thing with someone like her unless he had more money.

 

Maybe it's just me but the soundtrack with the drums and the howling is really jarring.  Is that what Hawaiian music sounds like?  When they play that soundtrack while Nicole and Mark are about to get it on, it makes it seem like some mating ritual.

If the characters who are about to have sex were black and that soundtrack was playing, it might come across as racist.

Or would Mike White say that's just authentic Hawaiian music, which you'd hear at luaus and such?

 

It's kind of hilarious that Mark takes a couple of punches when Kai was about to leave, not having harmed Nicole at all, and now she and the kids see him as heroic.  These characters are meant to be ridiculous, maybe this is all a satire on the rich.  

For sure, Kitty is meant to be a cartoon character, telling Rachel to be happy being a trophy wife, that her purpose in life now is to make Shane happy, since she didn't have family money like she did.

Maybe Rachel didn't see it because they're close in age whereas usual trophy wives are much younger than their rich husbands.

Turns out this show was put together fast.  HBO needed something for the summer and the goal was to get something on the air out of basically a first draft of the script, something they could shoot right away.

So I think a lot of the events and the characters weren't really thought through that much.

[mansonlamps]

On 8/9/2021 at 11:37 AM, GussieK said:

I agree.  I love the acting and writing.  Is this just a one-time limited series?  That's what I thought but would love to be proved wrong.

It's already been renewed for a second season. 

[MBayGal]

11 hours ago, aghst said:

Maybe it's just me but the soundtrack with the drums and the howling is really jarring.  Is that what Hawaiian music sounds like?  When they play that soundtrack while Nicole and Mark are about to get it on, it makes it seem like some mating ritual.

If the characters who are about to have sex were black and that soundtrack was playing, it might come across as racist.

Or would Mike White say that's just authentic Hawaiian music, which you'd hear at luaus and such?

Not authentic Hawaiian music at all, except for the singing and performing.   

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2021-08-08/the-white-lotus-hbo-composer-score-title-sequence
 

[aghst]

32 minutes ago, MBayGal said:

Not authentic Hawaiian music at all, except for the singing and performing.   

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2021-08-08/the-white-lotus-hbo-composer-score-title-sequence
 

So this description from the article captures it:

Quote

His score features discordant flutes and steadily accelerating percussion layered with animalistic shrieks and heavy moaning.

In the opening credits of “The White Lotus,” the music is paired with sinister images of rotting fruit and dying fish hidden in lush tropical wallpaper — visuals that reflect the show’s focus on the corrosive aspects of high-end tourism. Throughout the series, the score lends a constant thrum of tension to scenes of pretty people lounging underneath palm trees.

I don't think flutes and percussions are things one would associate with Hawaiian music, which is more lilting and doesn't have the driving beat.

Also if you look at the opening montage, there are monkeys and cheetahs or leopards, so there are definitely African elements.

Quote

The process of creating the music was “very improvised,” he said. “I just started jamming on percussions and all this wild stuff. It just started feeling like a zoo, somehow, and I was completely into it. So it wasn’t calculated — you know, trying to laugh at these people and making them seem like monkeys. But somehow it became like that.”

Tapia de Veer used unusual methods to conjure the sounds of a sinister jungle, creating an eerie warbling by over-blowing into a flute. That was also him doing all the squawks and shrieks you hear. ”It’s aggressive but funny at the same time,” he said. “I had a big laugh the whole project. I was just screaming into flutes, doing completely ridiculous stuff like monkey sounds.”

So he is really going for a jungle theme but the Hawaiian woods is not like an African jungle, unless what White is going for is to satirize the characters acting like animals.

I think Mark says something like "we're just animals" in one of the earlier episodes.

Like I said, I think it would be problematic if they played this music over scenes of black characters on screen.

[izabella]

I love the music.  It puts me right in the mood for the rising tension in each show.  It starts off light and fun, like going on a gorgeous vacation, and then adds layers of awkward and increasing chaos, just like the show reveals.  It's perfect for this show.

[MBayGal]

3 hours ago, aghst said:

So he is really going for a jungle theme but the Hawaiian woods is not like an African jungle, unless what White is going for is to satirize the characters acting like animals.

I think Mark says something like "we're just animals" in one of the earlier episodes.

The 3rd ep was titled "Mysterious Monkeys," and is where Mark tells Quinn people are really just monkeys.  Perhaps this gave the composer the idea of jungle music.

[jaigurudeva]

I just found out about this show and watched the first five episodes in two days, what a trip. There's definitely a lot of stretching to be done for the sake of drama on the show (like Lani thinking she's in pre-mature labor but continuing to work her shift, the Mossbachers only getting a one-bedroom suite for a party of five, or Rachel not recognizing what a dick Shane was until their honeymoon) but the clash of all these assholes, each an asshole in their own way, is so entertaining. 

Olivia and Paula seem a little too old to be acting full-on "Mean Girls," but their weaponized wokeness (at the same time taking ableist digs at Quinn) against their neolib parents is honestly pretty spot on with the tension between a lot of Gen X parents and their Gen Z kids now. Paula definitely planned the burglary more as a way to get back at the Mossbachers and especially Olivia, than it was about actually righting the wrongs against Kai. Even if those bracelets could be fenced for their full retail value of 75-150K, that's nothing compared to the team of lawyers and the millions of dollars the resort corporation can throw back against him. And as far as I'm concerned, Kai dug his own grave. Instead of aborting the burglary and tossing the bracelets into the closet or setting them on the nightstand (Nicole could think they fell out of the safe or she forgot to put them in - either way, as long as they're not on his person it's hard to prove he was trying to steal them) and making an excuse that he's there to restock the minifridge or do maintenance or something, he escalated the situation and assaulted two people. Either he's not the sharpest tack, or he was just that desperate, but way to really make a bad situation worse.

My heart went out to Belinda as she deflated when she finally recognized how flaky and unreliable Tanya is, but also she really should've seen it coming. Tanya definitely comes across as a little screwy right from the get-go (and also often seems heavily medicated, though they've never shown her popping pills so maybe that's just her demeanor). I hope her business proposal wasn't saved to the company computer or printer, some businesses (at least that I've worked for) have a code of conduct where employees cannot engage in any work that's in competition against the business, and that intellectual rights to business ideas that employees come up with on the clock belong to the business, that kind of thing. Hopefully the resort corporation gets more preoccupied with Armand's misconduct and the death on their resort. Best case scenario she can take her proposal to a professional investing group to start her own business completely free of Tanya's influence.

I also agree that the feud between Shane and Armand is not over, and he's going to try to get the last laugh next episode and attempt to get Armand fired. That definitely seems like the kind of thing he'd do, in order to ultimately win their perceived pissing contest. I wish Rachel had made some comment either to Shane or her mother on the phone about his behavior being different from when they were dating/engaged. It's hard to care about her plight if she was just self-deluded instead of conned by Shane. I wonder if Kitty is on drugs of her own, considering how she "can't remember" her son's wedding, or maybe it's a neurological condition. I think she's the one who's dead in the coffin. I don't think it would be Armand, unless he has family on that same island, I imagine they would first have to come from Australia to make arrangements about transporting his body to the final resting place - I can't imagine he'd be immediately shipped out on the same flight as the rest of the tourists. And it would explain Rachel's absence if she's the one in jail. He wouldn't be as shaken as he was at the start of the series if it's any other tourist.

[answerphone]

Why wouldn’t Paula have texted Kai from the boat, after the parents jumped off? 
She knew their plan was in jeopardy. 

[AzureOwl]

11 minutes ago, answerphone said:

Why wouldn’t Paula have texted Kai from the boat, after the parents jumped off? 
She knew their plan was in jeopardy. 

Selfishness maybe?

Olivia was right next to her, if she'd pulled out her phone the second the parents left the boat and he had already taken the bracelets and left, Olivia could've put 2 and 2 together.

[aghst]

1 hour ago, answerphone said:

Why wouldn’t Paula have texted Kai from the boat, after the parents jumped off? 
She knew their plan was in jeopardy. 

 

49 minutes ago, AzureOwl said:

Selfishness maybe?

Olivia was right next to her, if she'd pulled out her phone the second the parents left the boat and he had already taken the bracelets and left, Olivia could've put 2 and 2 together.

The other thing is, if and when Kai is busted, is she going to turn herself in?

Or will she try to get Kai to shut up about it being her idea and her giving him the safe code?

OTOH, once Kai is apprehended, they're going to know, especially Olivia, that it had to have been Paula who gave him the safe code.

Or if Paula tries to deny her involvement, throws Kai under the bus, maybe Nicole will see it as leaning in and women's empowerment.  Probably write her recommendations for jobs, if not give her a scholarship or hire her outright.

 

 

Edited August 15, 2021 by aghst

[AzureOwl]

23 minutes ago, aghst said:

 

The other thing is, if and when Kai is busted, is she going to turn herself in?

Or will she try to get Kai to shut up about it being her idea and her giving him the safe code?

OTOH, once Kai is apprehended, they're going to know, especially Olivia, that it had to have been Paula who gave him the safe code.

I don't know. It will depend on Kai's behavior if he gets caught, which I won't take a guess at predicting because so far Kai has not been acting in the manner I would've expected given his situation. 

I mean, for starters, his behavior vis-à-vis the fling with Paula is the exact reverse of what it should be. Ordinarily, you would expect the person working in the hospitality industry in a high end resort to be the one who is more aware of the temporariness of any relationship with a guest, specially a sexual one; but we see that he is the one who immediately starts thinking that she's going to drop everything to stay and be with him. 

The future actions of someone who would get so emotionally invested with a person who they've only known for a few days, and with whom he has only shared a few hours of clandestine hot sex and and a few semi-intimate conversations, are not going to be guided by rationality. I could totally see him taking a page out of a romantic movie and deciding to take all the blame to spare "his beloved".  

As for Olivia figuring it out, given what we have seen of Olivia she is more likely to keep quite and hold it over Paula's head for the rest of their lives. Olivia would frame it as "I understand, and I am your friend so I will keep quiet", but they would both know that the subtext would be Olivia letting Paula know that she can destroy her life any second she wants if Paula doesn't do exactly what she wants. 

It the exact type of passive-aggressive blackmail that I would expect from Olivia. Never actually threaten her with anything (that would go against her own self image as an "ally"), but making damn sure Paula knows that she knows. 

Edited August 15, 2021 by AzureOwl
Spelling.

[AzureOwl]

In case anyone is interested, Mike White gave his own explanation as to why Paula didn't call Kai to warn him.

Spoiler

 

We gotta ask: Why didn’t Paula make up some excuse to follow Nicole and Mark off the boat when she had the chance?

“People handle shocks to the system in different ways,” series creator Mike White explains to TVLine. “I think in the moment she’s hoping that the timing doesn’t end up being a problem and it’ll be OK. Maybe she got on her cell phone and tried to warn him and it was too late. I think it just all happened so quickly… It doesn’t seem that strange to me.”

White adds that Paula’s decidedly imperfect crisis instincts mirror his own. “I’m the kind of person who when a car coming at me and I’m in the middle of the road my mouth just hangs open and I [freeze],” he admits with a laugh. “When something catches fire in my house, my boyfriend immediately jumps in and grabs the fire extinguisher; I”m [the opposite].

“I used to think I would be the person who would definitely survive if there was a shooting,” White continues. “But now I realize I would probably be the first down. I’d be like, “What’s happening?” I would have to look and see… I wouldn’t know how to respond until I knew what exactly was going on.”

 

 

[Andyourlittledog2]

If I've learned anything from watching too much true crime TV it's not to in any way shape or form text your accomplices anything at all that could be construed as being involved in the crime in some way. It's truly astonishing how many 'masterminds' text their accomplices things like 'he's on his way, get the gun ready!' as though no one is going to go through the phone later.

Now I don't think Paula is astute enough to think about that, and if she could warn Kai off before any crime is committed then no one would be checking her phone in the first place, but if there's any chance that you could get caught up in something that is going down you'd better not text anyone about it. Just the fact that Paula and Kai are a thing would make the police want to check her phone if Kai gets caught at any point, even if he manages to get the bracelets and escape undetected before Nicole gets there.

I wonder if the 75k figure was just a brag by Mark and not the true value at all. I mean, he seems like someone who would tell his wife the bracelets were worth more than they were to up his apparent remorse credit for the affair.

[chocolatine]

22 minutes ago, Andyourlittledog2 said:

I wonder if the 75k figure was just a brag by Mark and not the true value at all. I mean, he seems like someone who would tell his wife the bracelets were worth more than they were to up his apparent remorse credit for the affair.

Mark doesn't seem like someone who would do that, plus Nicole is very savvy and would have figured it out immediately. I think the reason why he mentioned is that it was the most he's ever paid for anything since Nicole usually pays for things in their marriage/family.

[Goatherd]

I'm curious, is the alphabetical naming a typical Mike White thing?

This can't be random, can it?

Staff starts at A:

Armond, Belinda, (not sure the others as I haven't tracked staff names all that well

Guests start at M and are grouped by family:

Mark, Nicole, Olivia, Paula, Quinn.

Rachel, Shane. 

Tanya

[ichbin]

oops...wrong episode

Edited August 16, 2021 by ichbin
wrong episode

[izabella]

17 hours ago, Goatherd said:

I'm curious, is the alphabetical naming a typical Mike White thing?

This can't be random, can it?

Staff starts at A:

Armond, Belinda, (not sure the others as I haven't tracked staff names all that well

Guests start at M and are grouped by family:

Mark, Nicole, Olivia, Paula, Quinn.

Rachel, Shane. 

Tanya

You are definitely onto something!  I noticed Christie at the front desk with Armand, and then there is Dillon, the younger bellman or whatever his job is that is partying with Armand.  Hutch was the name of the other guy in the room with them.  At the other end, we have Kai and I think the employee who gave birth in the first episode is Lana or Laney or something like that with an L.

[monagatuna]

On 8/15/2021 at 8:28 PM, Goatherd said:

I'm curious, is the alphabetical naming a typical Mike White thing?

This can't be random, can it?

Staff starts at A:

Armond, Belinda, (not sure the others as I haven't tracked staff names all that well

Guests start at M and are grouped by family:

Mark, Nicole, Olivia, Paula, Quinn.

Rachel, Shane. 

Tanya

whoaaaaaa

this may be the biggest easter egg from the entire series.

[wendyg]

Izabella: Her name was Lani.

[BluBarbi98]

I'm just catching up and just coming to say that I'm LIVID with Paula for ruining Kai's life by setting the robbery in motion and then not texting or calling him when the parents headed back AND with Kai for going along with it. SMH. 

[chocolatine]

2 hours ago, BluBarbi98 said:

I'm just catching up and just coming to say that I'm LIVID with Paula for ruining Kai's life by setting the robbery in motion and then not texting or calling him when the parents headed back AND with Kai for going along with it. SMH. 

Kai ruined his own life by not only going through with the robbery, but also choosing to assault two people. Paula is a terrible person for suggesting the robbery (and many other reasons), but Kai had agency and could have refused.

[Tara]

On 8/9/2021 at 3:36 PM, BC4ME said:

Belinda, Kai, and even to some extent Rachel— these people are really getting seriously harmed by the blitheness and  self-centered-ness of the upper class characters.

So Belinda wasn’t handed a business, poor Kai let Paula talk him into a crime, and annoying, self-centered  Rachel has to ask for a divorce on her honeymoon. 
 

Belinda is the only one who deserved better. Maybe she’ll get it. 

[Catfi9ht]

I'd skipped watching episode 5 until after episode 6 aired because I intended to watch both back to back to finish the season.

I couldn't get past the opening scene. When Nicole started her fake sympathy crap with the crocodile tears, I had to turn it off.

I came into this show excited because it had been recommended by celebrities whose work I admire, but I absolutely cannot watch the toxic parts of humanity for entertainment. There's enough of that in actual reality and using what little free time I have to be reminded that trash people exist is not my jam.

I tried to like this show, but I just can't. My hat's off to those who enjoyed it.

[LuvMyShows]

On 8/14/2021 at 10:15 PM, jaigurudeva said:

Paula definitely planned the burglary more as a way to get back at the Mossbachers and especially Olivia, than it was about actually righting the wrongs against Kai. 

Am I the only one who thought her primary motivation actually was to help Kai? 

On 8/12/2021 at 12:09 PM, chocolatine said:

Also, there's no way Kai is getting $150k for the bracelets. 

So maybe I'm nuts, but I thought he stole the wrong bracelets.  IIRC, the expensive ones, which Quinn commented on at the meal, were cuffs that were fairly large (and mother of pearl?).  But what he stole looked like a much thinner silver band. 

[PurpleTentacle]

Did Paula try to get her boyfriend caught or was this just increadibly bad writing? There is no way she wouldn't have her phone with her. So no text, no call?
Even if she didn't no "I guess if being bored on this boat for half the day is now optional I'm not going to do it either" and rushing back to the hotel to beat everybody else there?

[KittyQ]

On 8/8/2021 at 9:53 PM, DiabLOL said:

Then the bracelets. I could swear that last week they were 75k total. Am I wrong? I’m guessing they’re supposed to be Cartier.  So yeah not exactly under the radar when trying to sell them. And just because they cost 75k does not at all mean they’re “worth” 75k. 

Very late to watch this show! Obviously neither Paula nor Kai has any "criminal" sense. Stolen property never ends up netting what the owner paid for it or whatever its intrinsic value is. That's assuming you could find someone who would fence something like that for you. Since you aren't an experienced thief, the chances of finding someone like that is almost zero. Paula's misguided advice about reclaiming what Kai's family lost was so naive it was pathetic. She should be burning with shame that she's left Kai in a worse situation than ever. Can he even get another job at a hotel elsewhere with this on his record? She should have to wear his necklace for years like a scarlet letter.