The amount of hype I had seen for this show on the internet was insane so I knew I had to give it a go, but I felt I watched the whole show constantly waiting for something to happen, and it never really did.

The White Lotus is a Hawaiian hotel where rich people go to celebrate different things in their lives, whether they just need a vacation or they are looking for some closure in their life or even a new start with their honeymoon, there are constantly people coming in and out of this hotel with stories and lives that we get to delve into throughout this season. But it starts on a big high when we see a body bag being lifted into an airplane and a lone man saying he came here on his honeymoon, thus setting up the expectation that maybe his new bride has died, but then to have this storyline flipped throughout the series where what you think you know is often far from the truth.

The one thing I can say that is good about this show is the social commentary and the type of characters that are shown, from the newlywed couple who got married far too soon and we’re unsure whether they were going to make it, through to the single older woman who is looking for closure and to start things fresh only to abuse the people below her, and even the family with the rich mother and the husband who is spiralling out of control and the snotty kids who who are constantly looking down on other people and not realising their own privilege while critiquing everyone else’s. It’s a fantastic piece of social commentary but overall it never felt like much was happening, things were constantly being shown but were never really dived into and it did feel quite underwhelming, and after you finish the show you wonder why you watched it and why it has the hype it does.

I was disappointed with this show, based on what I saw online a lot of people were comparing it to things like Knives Out and Glass Onion yet it wasn’t a murder mystery in the slightest, it was simply a commentary on privileged white people, so why online was it portrayed that way? And why did I go in with those expectations of it being about a murder? Yes it was funny at points and yes it did have a lot of good moments but really overall it never got anywhere and I do just sit here questioning why I watched it, what I was expecting to get out of it and why it felt so flat?

I find it fascinating that it was so popular online and now that I’ve finished the first season and don’t intend on watching the second I’m intrigued to see what other people have to say about it and whether I’ve got it wrong or whether it’s simply a piece of art that isn’t for everyone but the small few that it is for have a very large presence online.

What do you think of The White Lotus?

Until next time.

Published by shonaharding

Media graduate with a passion for reviewing film and TV. View all posts by shonaharding