The White Lotus season 2

[Anonymous]

If you are 2 episodes in and think everything and everyone is what or who they seem to be so far you’re on the wrong track.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The take that the show is regressive is so weird.

In season one, every single white, wealthy, male character got absolutely skewered by the show as a waste of space. So did all the rich white women, for that matter. The only characters who ended the season as likable, IMO, were the masseuse and the rich white girl's tag along friend -- both women of color. The masseuse gets screwed over but in a realistic way that you can tell even she is like "why did I trust this crazy rich white woman, that was dumb." And the tag along friend winds up screwing over her love interest in order to stay in the good graces of her friend's rich family, but it's understandable because they both realize that there is no "winning" in a rigged system. But at least she realizes that her "friend" is actually full of it and will always choose to take advantage of her privilege, rather than actually stand up for the progressive values she claims to have adopted. It's education and makes her cynical but also probably makes her tougher and less likely to wind up in the masseuse's shoes down the road.

Of course it's upsetting when all the rich people are not held responsible for the terrible things they do -- that's the whole point! You are supposed to be upset by it, while also recognizing this is 100% the way the world works. It's a cynical show but is honest, too. It's shining a light on how these power dynamics actually play out in the world, and it's not offering some sugarcoated redemption story or even an unrealistic comeuppance because that wouldn't be true to life. In reality, rich people get away with doing terrible things all the time because they hold all the power, especially if they are also white, and the rest of us are just pawns. If that upsets you, duh. It should.

I'm sorry you have such a simplistic understanding of storytelling that you can only appreciate a story if it tells you exactly what you want to hear and does so in a voice that most resembles your own. Life is going to pretty hard for you in that case. Unless you're a rich white guy, but based on your comments here, I'm guessing that's not the case. Sucks, right?

That’s one of many interpretations. Thx

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The take that the show is regressive is so weird.

In season one, every single white, wealthy, male character got absolutely skewered by the show as a waste of space. So did all the rich white women, for that matter. The only characters who ended the season as likable, IMO, were the masseuse and the rich white girl's tag along friend -- both women of color. The masseuse gets screwed over but in a realistic way that you can tell even she is like "why did I trust this crazy rich white woman, that was dumb." And the tag along friend winds up screwing over her love interest in order to stay in the good graces of her friend's rich family, but it's understandable because they both realize that there is no "winning" in a rigged system. But at least she realizes that her "friend" is actually full of it and will always choose to take advantage of her privilege, rather than actually stand up for the progressive values she claims to have adopted. It's education and makes her cynical but also probably makes her tougher and less likely to wind up in the masseuse's shoes down the road.

Of course it's upsetting when all the rich people are not held responsible for the terrible things they do -- that's the whole point! You are supposed to be upset by it, while also recognizing this is 100% the way the world works. It's a cynical show but is honest, too. It's shining a light on how these power dynamics actually play out in the world, and it's not offering some sugarcoated redemption story or even an unrealistic comeuppance because that wouldn't be true to life. In reality, rich people get away with doing terrible things all the time because they hold all the power, especially if they are also white, and the rest of us are just pawns. If that upsets you, duh. It should.

I'm sorry you have such a simplistic understanding of storytelling that you can only appreciate a story if it tells you exactly what you want to hear and does so in a voice that most resembles your own. Life is going to pretty hard for you in that case. Unless you're a rich white guy, but based on your comments here, I'm guessing that's not the case. Sucks, right?

I must be missing something. Besides the jerk newlywed guy not supporting his new wife’s writing career and thinking he’s gods gift to women, what was the terrible evil thing the white male characters did in the show?

One was high and trying to sleep with a subordinate and then crapped in a guest suitcase. That’s semi-evil.

The girls kicking out the autistic brother to sleep outside is bonafide evil.

The guy breaking and entering rooms to steal locked up jewelry is illegal in most countries and cultures, so evil.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DH kept laughing throughout the show. Why?

Aubrey Plaza’s character is me, apparently. (With several extra zeroes of net worth.)

My DH told me the same thing!

She is in fact a classic DC law shrew. They nailed it

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is the Aubrey four-ple going to do some wife swapping or something? The rooms connect and the "happy" couple seemed open to the idea of connecting them. Then the whole getting naked in front of Aubrey and the "I want you to like me, it's important" speech.

The other thing I thought would come back was the "happy" couple's wife saying she could cut off her husband's balls if she wanted to. If they don't all swap together and just the husband does it, maybe she will kill her husband? Or kill Aubrey's husband if the swap and she is mad that he still loves his wife Aubrey? Her character seems ineffectual but I think there is a hint of something underneath there that could cause problems. (Though she finds the bodies and is horrified so maybe not.)

It felt to me like Daphne purposefully reached out and talked to the two women at the start of episode 1. They did not engage with her first. Like she wanted to create and alibi or story where all was well on the morning of xyz date. She does a quick side glance as she goes into the water that doesn’t look as carefree as the rest of those seconds as she jumps into the water.

The women she is talking to were on Survivor. I don't think we were meant to take anything from that interaction.

Oh I didn't realize they were from Survivor -- guessing from Mike White's season or people he met through Survivor contacts? That's kind of fun -- I love that he's so obsessed with Survivor that he went and got cast on the show, I thought that was hilarious.

Anyway, the fact that it was a bit of a stunt casting doesn't mean that scene doesn't have importance in the show. In Season One, the very first scene is also a flash forward, to the Jake Lacey character at the airport waiting to leave Hawaii, and mention of the plane waiting on a dead body that we're supposed to think is his wife because he seems so upset and he is playing with his wedding ring. Of course the truth was that the dead body was the hotel concierge, who Jake's character killed, and he's worrying over his wedding ring because he's unsure if his wife, who has just discovered (somehow) that he's an entitled a$$hole who can literally get away with murder, will come back to him and they'll stay married. But at the end of the flash forward teaser, they cut to the main cast on the boat just arriving at the resort.

This season started the exact same way, so it makes sense that what appears to be happening in that first scene with Daphne is not actually what is going on, and that we'll get some big revelations over the course of the season that will reveal how we got it wrong. The presence of some Survivor alums in the scene might just serve as further distraction from what is actually going on. I like PP's theory.

Agree 100%. I do think that Cameron is involved - either he's dead or he is responsible - because that scene is the only time so far (and granted we're only on episode 2) that we see Daphne alone. She is connected to Cameron by the hip in every other scene.

Is that her husband Cameron who hugs her when she rushes out of the sea? Watch it again.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is Mike White’s show, so I am not mad that it is male gaze. It’s the creation of one person. I suppose now that it’s a hit, it could have a new iteration as something else. But as long as it’s his show, it’s his show. He’s not a woman. Elevate shows created by women. You don’t have to try to shoehorn this one.

My biggest problem with this season so far is the prostitutes vs hotel storyline made no sense. It was distractingly implausible. She already had an appointment. There was no need to wear a slutty dress. She could have just put a coat on and walked in. It made no sense.

The two young couples are growing on me. The three men are not.

It can be written by a man and he can choose not to allow a ton of female input. And we can choose to comment on it, and, as you can see, people already are, as is inevitable with these extreme male gaze shows. It's tedious and annoying and people, especially younger people, are getting fed up with it.

So yeah- you can be complacent about it, others can voice their dissatisfaction. Everyone is allowed to have an open discourse on it and I do think this will be brought up. Because it's the rule rather than the exception, and it's very myopic.

You sound like a fool though

Speak for yourself!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My frustration so far is that the women are so one dimensional. Whereas the men have complex psychology.

I actually totally disagree with that. Seems like women are just more in control, but more complex than men. And it will unfold soon enough.

[Anonymous]

Okay, so Ethan's gay right? I mean, he seems to be really focused on his friend and battling his feelings for / about him.

And Tanya's husband is going to commit suicide. That's what the psychic was trying to say. That's why she was so urgent about communicating with Tanya. His daughter was going to help him with assisted suicide because he's definitely going to die and doesn't want Tanya to have to watch him go through that.

And Cameron's broke and trying to get Ethan involved in his fraudulent investment firm. His wife doesn't know he's broke or else is in on the swindle. But I don't think she's in on it because if she was she wouldn't have told Audrey Plaza's character that his business partners are Bernie Madoff types.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Okay, so Ethan's gay right? I mean, he seems to be really focused on his friend and battling his feelings for / about him.

And Tanya's husband is going to commit suicide. That's what the psychic was trying to say. That's why she was so urgent about communicating with Tanya. His daughter was going to help him with assisted suicide because he's definitely going to die and doesn't want Tanya to have to watch him go through that.

And Cameron's broke and trying to get Ethan involved in his fraudulent investment firm. His wife doesn't know he's broke or else is in on the swindle. But I don't think she's in on it because if she was she wouldn't have told Audrey Plaza's character that his business partners are Bernie Madoff types.

No, here are my theories:

Cameron and Daphne set up the whole boys night/girls night thing in advance. They have an open marriage and Daphne doesn’t care if Cam has sex with someone else. But they are bored rich people and they want to mess with Ethan and Harper by splitting them up for the night, seeing if they can get Ethan to cheat on Harper and planting a bunch of suspicious ideas in Harper’s head. When you have as much money as they do, where can you find a challenge? Screwing with people’s heads. I think it’s going to go wrong and some combo of Ethan, Harper, Lucia and/or Mia will wind up dead.

I think Tanya’s husband is lying about his illness and he has used this con before with other wealthy women. He does not work for BLM and he’s going to swindle her out of her money somehow. Maybe she ends the season broke.

[Anonymous]

Oh and I think the scene of Ethan and Cam playing chicken on the jet skis might be either be foreshadowing one of them killing the other out on the water, or them both dying on the water, or could be a red herring designed to make me think that since we know someone winds up dead in the water.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Oh and I think the scene of Ethan and Cam playing chicken on the jet skis might be either be foreshadowing one of them killing the other out on the water, or them both dying on the water, or could be a red herring designed to make me think that since we know someone winds up dead in the water.

I thought that scene on the wave runners into the sun set was gay AF. ethan's prob bisexual at least.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is the Aubrey four-ple going to do some wife swapping or something? The rooms connect and the "happy" couple seemed open to the idea of connecting them. Then the whole getting naked in front of Aubrey and the "I want you to like me, it's important" speech.

The other thing I thought would come back was the "happy" couple's wife saying she could cut off her husband's balls if she wanted to. If they don't all swap together and just the husband does it, maybe she will kill her husband? Or kill Aubrey's husband if the swap and she is mad that he still loves his wife Aubrey? Her character seems ineffectual but I think there is a hint of something underneath there that could cause problems. (Though she finds the bodies and is horrified so maybe not.)

It felt to me like Daphne purposefully reached out and talked to the two women at the start of episode 1. They did not engage with her first. Like she wanted to create and alibi or story where all was well on the morning of xyz date. She does a quick side glance as she goes into the water that doesn’t look as carefree as the rest of those seconds as she jumps into the water.

The women she is talking to were on Survivor. I don't think we were meant to take anything from that interaction.

Oh I didn't realize they were from Survivor -- guessing from Mike White's season or people he met through Survivor contacts? That's kind of fun -- I love that he's so obsessed with Survivor that he went and got cast on the show, I thought that was hilarious.

Anyway, the fact that it was a bit of a stunt casting doesn't mean that scene doesn't have importance in the show. In Season One, the very first scene is also a flash forward, to the Jake Lacey character at the airport waiting to leave Hawaii, and mention of the plane waiting on a dead body that we're supposed to think is his wife because he seems so upset and he is playing with his wedding ring. Of course the truth was that the dead body was the hotel concierge, who Jake's character killed, and he's worrying over his wedding ring because he's unsure if his wife, who has just discovered (somehow) that he's an entitled a$$hole who can literally get away with murder, will come back to him and they'll stay married. But at the end of the flash forward teaser, they cut to the main cast on the boat just arriving at the resort.

This season started the exact same way, so it makes sense that what appears to be happening in that first scene with Daphne is not actually what is going on, and that we'll get some big revelations over the course of the season that will reveal how we got it wrong. The presence of some Survivor alums in the scene might just serve as further distraction from what is actually going on. I like PP's theory.

Agree 100%. I do think that Cameron is involved - either he's dead or he is responsible - because that scene is the only time so far (and granted we're only on episode 2) that we see Daphne alone. She is connected to Cameron by the hip in every other scene.

Is that her husband Cameron who hugs her when she rushes out of the sea? Watch it again.

yes

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Okay, so Ethan's gay right? I mean, he seems to be really focused on his friend and battling his feelings for / about him.

And Tanya's husband is going to commit suicide. That's what the psychic was trying to say. That's why she was so urgent about communicating with Tanya. His daughter was going to help him with assisted suicide because he's definitely going to die and doesn't want Tanya to have to watch him go through that.

And Cameron's broke and trying to get Ethan involved in his fraudulent investment firm. His wife doesn't know he's broke or else is in on the swindle. But I don't think she's in on it because if she was she wouldn't have told Audrey Plaza's character that his business partners are Bernie Madoff types.

No, here are my theories:

Cameron and Daphne set up the whole boys night/girls night thing in advance. They have an open marriage and Daphne doesn’t care if Cam has sex with someone else. But they are bored rich people and they want to mess with Ethan and Harper by splitting them up for the night, seeing if they can get Ethan to cheat on Harper and planting a bunch of suspicious ideas in Harper’s head. When you have as much money as they do, where can you find a challenge? Screwing with people’s heads. I think it’s going to go wrong and some combo of Ethan, Harper, Lucia and/or Mia will wind up dead.

I think Tanya’s husband is lying about his illness and he has used this con before with other wealthy women. He does not work for BLM and he’s going to swindle her out of her money somehow. Maybe she ends the season broke.

Yeah, I don't know any non-appointee Club Fed job that flies you out of Sicily and back 2 days later "for business meetings."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Okay, so Ethan's gay right? I mean, he seems to be really focused on his friend and battling his feelings for / about him.

And Tanya's husband is going to commit suicide. That's what the psychic was trying to say. That's why she was so urgent about communicating with Tanya. His daughter was going to help him with assisted suicide because he's definitely going to die and doesn't want Tanya to have to watch him go through that.

And Cameron's broke and trying to get Ethan involved in his fraudulent investment firm. His wife doesn't know he's broke or else is in on the swindle. But I don't think she's in on it because if she was she wouldn't have told Audrey Plaza's character that his business partners are Bernie Madoff types.

No, here are my theories:

Cameron and Daphne set up the whole boys night/girls night thing in advance. They have an open marriage and Daphne doesn’t care if Cam has sex with someone else. But they are bored rich people and they want to mess with Ethan and Harper by splitting them up for the night, seeing if they can get Ethan to cheat on Harper and planting a bunch of suspicious ideas in Harper’s head. When you have as much money as they do, where can you find a challenge? Screwing with people’s heads. I think it’s going to go wrong and some combo of Ethan, Harper, Lucia and/or Mia will wind up dead.

I think Tanya’s husband is lying about his illness and he has used this con before with other wealthy women. He does not work for BLM and he’s going to swindle her out of her money somehow. Maybe she ends the season broke.

They don’t have an open marriage. She knows of one time he cheated and she said she is making him pay for it. She doesn’t like to be seen as a victim. But, this not a consensual situation or arrangement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Okay, so Ethan's gay right? I mean, he seems to be really focused on his friend and battling his feelings for / about him.

And Tanya's husband is going to commit suicide. That's what the psychic was trying to say. That's why she was so urgent about communicating with Tanya. His daughter was going to help him with assisted suicide because he's definitely going to die and doesn't want Tanya to have to watch him go through that.

And Cameron's broke and trying to get Ethan involved in his fraudulent investment firm. His wife doesn't know he's broke or else is in on the swindle. But I don't think she's in on it because if she was she wouldn't have told Audrey Plaza's character that his business partners are Bernie Madoff types.

No, here are my theories:

Cameron and Daphne set up the whole boys night/girls night thing in advance. They have an open marriage and Daphne doesn’t care if Cam has sex with someone else. But they are bored rich people and they want to mess with Ethan and Harper by splitting them up for the night, seeing if they can get Ethan to cheat on Harper and planting a bunch of suspicious ideas in Harper’s head. When you have as much money as they do, where can you find a challenge? Screwing with people’s heads. I think it’s going to go wrong and some combo of Ethan, Harper, Lucia and/or Mia will wind up dead.

I think Tanya’s husband is lying about his illness and he has used this con before with other wealthy women. He does not work for BLM and he’s going to swindle her out of her money somehow. Maybe she ends the season broke.

They don’t have an open marriage. She knows of one time he cheated and she said she is making him pay for it. She doesn’t like to be seen as a victim. But, this not a consensual situation or arrangement.

Yeah I also watched the episode, thanks. I’m saying she was lying when she said that to Harper and it was designed to make Harper worry that Ethan might cheat on her (as were her earlier comments about what “finance guys” are like in the pool). And that actually it’s all just a little game Daphne and Cameron are playing with Harper and Ethan for $hits and giggles, and also maybe a little because Cameron wants to put Ethan in his place and also is tired of Harper being condescending to them.

I think the whole thing is a power flex like “Oh look at these naive little newbie rich people who want to do charity work and stay grounded and think we’re shallow a$$holes, let’s drag them down to our level and expose them for what they really are, which is no better than us.”