The White Lotus season 2

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ethan was a bigger mark than Albie.

Harper played him like a fiddle with psychological manipulation to get what she wanted — her filthy rich weirdo husband wrapped around her finger and impregnating her.

Cameron and his wife orbited him to corrupt him and bring them all closer, so when they get back Ethan will wire a boatload of money to Cam to “manage”. Asset management is just a scam to milk to money for management fees forever.

Nobody likes Ethan. People just want his money, even the snarky conniving lawyer he’s married to.

This was not in the show at all and I think you should unpack with a therapist why you see this series through such a misogynistic lens.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think Jack saved Portia’s life. He was probably supposed to kill her

He didn't strike me as a killer, just a hustler.

This. His "job" was to keep her busy and out of the way. As to whether he was attractive, his styling got worse and worse. He looked attractive in the beginning but by the end he was sweaty and greasy, made to drunk or hungover.

Then why didn’t he just say ok get out of the car, this is where I’m dropping you off. Why get out of the car, smoke a cigarette, look like he was conflicted, and say your smart don’t go back to the hotel, go straight to the airport and leave.

Because he's supposed to kill her or deliver her to be killed. And if she shows up on TV after talking to the police he's going to have to explain himself to people he is afraid of.

He was conflicted bc he was participating in Tanya's murder, IMO, and felt bad about it. I don't think he was preparing to kill Portia. They didn't show a gun or any weapon and they weren't anywhere hidden. Was he going to kill her in broad daylight on the side of a public highway?

That's why I said kill or deliver to be killed. He warns her not to go back to the hotel, but doesn't say exactly why. That means Portia showing up at the hotel would be unexpected (she was supposed to have been killed by Jack) or she was walking into a trap (killed/abducted/harmed by someone else).

Agreed. Given that a mafioso was scheduled to perform the hit on Tanya, the local mafia would expect to get a percentage of the payout. Portia would be able to identify persons involved, so she would need to be killed. I didn’t view that gays as being “powerful,” but rather the local mafia who would handle the wet work.

[Anonymous]

I was expecting Jack to kill Portia during the finale, especially when she figured out what was going on and confronted him with what she knew about him and his “uncle.” I was VERY surprised and relieved that he did the opposite, basically taking her close to the airport and telling her that she needed to get away. He showed real heart and generosity with that choice, I thought, because if Quentin and all had succeeded in their plan, he put himself at serious risk of retribution from them by letting Portia go and tipping her off, too. (And kudos to Mike White for making me think, right up to that moment, that she was in mortal peril -/ Jack’s decision was a total surprise)

Regarding what happens next with Greg’s attempt to get the money — I wonder if sad Matteo might be the one to spill the beans on the evil plot, if there is a police investigation. His friends are now dead and he was very conflicted about what was going to happen (not conflicted enough to stop it, but enough that maybe with his friends gone, he might want to relieve his conscience by telling the truth).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It was fishy from the beginning that someone who looked like Jack would show interest in Portia. That scene in the pool when they met was out of place for a reason.

Albie and Portia are both naive suckers and I’m glad Mike White drove that point home at the end so we don’t have to rehash the conversation about how deluded and naive Portia’s worldview is relative to Jack’s.

Another point about Jack is that in this whole thread no one mentions he’s a victim when he clearly is either a victim of a predatory older, privileged man or a victim of child abuse or both. A lot of untold demons in his closet that he’s trying to drink away.

It’s funny that the only true friendship in the show is between Lucia and the piano player. Cameron and Daphne seem like they actually like each other but their friendship is too twisted.

The “you f your uncle?!” and Tanya telling the captain the gays were trying to kill her in vain were hilariously cringe.

Great ending to a great season. This is the best show of the past 10-15 years.

Who looked like him? He was gross and a drunk! No thank you!

Now we’re going to act like this guy isn’t attractive? He looks like a young, more athletic Damon Albarn. No one who looks like Portia is going to pull someone who looks like a 1990s Calvin Klein model in the real world. Please.

Uh no, he was not attractive to me at all.

+1 The actor might be, but that character? Run.

+1 million. He was so gross and unattractive to me as the character. The fact that he can clean up well and is otherwise handsome is immaterial.

He became “gross and unattractive” to you because he was getting drunk to ease the emotional pain of having to do the bidding of a man who’s obviously sexually abusing him and using him in general.

The hatred a lot of women have for a character who is basically a victim of sex trafficking and probably childhood sexual abuse is very telling. Would you say a female sex worker was “gross and unattractive” because she was drinking away the pain caused by being abused by a bunch of creepy, sadistic older men?

That’s what’s genius about this show. One of the only true victims on this show is some working class young white guy who would be called white trash if he didn’t have a Cockney accent. The only exploited sex worker / abuse victim is a young white man, not Lucia or her friend.

PP here. First, I don't need assistance in parsing my reaction to a character on a TV show. I thought the guy was gross from the second he got in the pool to meet Portia.

Second, you are deranged.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is interesting how so many viewers think Harper is just another Aubrey Plaza sarcastic witty character they love no matter what, so they refuse to consider any ulterior motives. She's just a low-key ball breaking corporate lawyer from Puerto Rican poverty, who just randomly met a rich Yale boy who founded a multi-billion (?) tech company. She is not at all attracted to prestige or money! She's above that! And she totally doesn't fear her billionaire net worth (or at least hundreds of millions) husband whom she has no children with and she doesn't have sex with could leave her like presumably the dozens of other starter marriages she's seen fail around her in the last 10 or so years. Harper is a good person!

Omg, stop with this

DP. I called this wacko out pages ago when he dropped the red pill comment and had a lot of posters jumping all over me, but I stand by it and thing I was right. #sorrynotsorry

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Agreed, but I don't think many people here are arguing that Harper is perfect or had no flaws. It's that some people are pointing out that she's not a total villain with no redeeming qualities and that (1) she might actually love her husband, and (2) she might have some positive qualities that make him love her. And there is one person on here who has decided that we're all idiots who are obsessed with Aubrey Plaza because obviously Harper is a vicious and manipulative harpy.

That is true though. Plaza is the most famous character, especially to all the millennials obsessed with White Lotus. Young people are captivated by her and think she's so witty and funny and totally them, so you don't want to acknowledge even the possibility that she's just as much of a ruthless striver, manipulator and conniver as everyone else on the show. To me, the only pure leading character was Bert.

No, it's not true. People are pointing out that Harper was flawed and complicated, like all the white lotus characters, but not a one-dimensional villain. Meanwhile you keep insisting she is in fact a total villain running a years-long scam aimed at getting Ethan's money when every indication is that, despite her flaws, she married Ethan as an equal partner and just wanted a normal UMC life with a loving husband and some kids and a job.

Years-long scam? I wouldn't necessarily go that far. Unsure about how many years but it's clear Harper's quite cunning and manipulative. And there is some urgency involved in her scheming because he just cashed out, their marriage is sexless, he's not sexually attracted to her even in the most romantic setting, and she's on the wrong side of 30, which means tick-tock on her own beauty and fertility. There's a very long thread in the relationship forum about selfish men who steal a partner's fertility. This is a very real and very valid concern among women Harper's age. What are her prospects if they divorce? She gets a chunk of money, okay. Is her next husband a high status Yale tech titan? No. He's one in a million, she's a dime a dozen late 30s lawyer. How long does it take her to find a new husband? This would all fuel a survival instinct in her to do any and all things necessary to lure him back into her web. Attorneys, like actresses, are professional liars paid to manipulate an audience. Harper's a seasoned pro and she played her husband like a fiddle.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think Jack saved Portia’s life. He was probably supposed to kill her

He didn't strike me as a killer, just a hustler.

This. His "job" was to keep her busy and out of the way. As to whether he was attractive, his styling got worse and worse. He looked attractive in the beginning but by the end he was sweaty and greasy, made to drunk or hungover.

Then why didn’t he just say ok get out of the car, this is where I’m dropping you off. Why get out of the car, smoke a cigarette, look like he was conflicted, and say your smart don’t go back to the hotel, go straight to the airport and leave.

Because he's supposed to kill her or deliver her to be killed. And if she shows up on TV after talking to the police he's going to have to explain himself to people he is afraid of.

He was conflicted bc he was participating in Tanya's murder, IMO, and felt bad about it. I don't think he was preparing to kill Portia. They didn't show a gun or any weapon and they weren't anywhere hidden. Was he going to kill her in broad daylight on the side of a public highway?

I don’t think he was supposed to kill her as the A plan, he was just supposed to keep her away and out of touch. She wasn’t supposed to figure anything out. It’s possible that he OUGHT to have killed her given her suspicions, but decided to just warn her and let her go.

I agree with this.

But I also think people overestimate how much the “bad guys” care about Portia figuring things out. It’s southern Italy. They’re not afraid of the cops.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is interesting how so many viewers think Harper is just another Aubrey Plaza sarcastic witty character they love no matter what, so they refuse to consider any ulterior motives. She's just a low-key ball breaking corporate lawyer from Puerto Rican poverty, who just randomly met a rich Yale boy who founded a multi-billion (?) tech company. She is not at all attracted to prestige or money! She's above that! And she totally doesn't fear her billionaire net worth (or at least hundreds of millions) husband whom she has no children with and she doesn't have sex with could leave her like presumably the dozens of other starter marriages she's seen fail around her in the last 10 or so years. Harper is a good person!

Omg, stop with this

DP. I called this wacko out pages ago when he dropped the red pill comment and had a lot of posters jumping all over me, but I stand by it and thing I was right. #sorrynotsorry

You’re not right though because you’re not basing your comments on the actual text of the show. Portia is portrayed as a clown throughout the whole show even up to her putting on that ridiculous outfit in the airport. Jack is portrayed a much more complicated, tragic figure. Take it up with Mike White, not me.

You are projecting your own politics and biases on the show.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:He became “gross and unattractive” to you because he was getting drunk to ease the emotional pain of having to do the bidding of a man who’s obviously sexually abusing him and using him in general.

The hatred a lot of women have for a character who is basically a victim of sex trafficking and probably childhood sexual abuse is very telling. Would you say a female sex worker was “gross and unattractive” because she was drinking away the pain caused by being abused by a bunch of creepy, sadistic older men?

That’s what’s genius about this show. One of the only true victims on this show is some working class young white guy who would be called white trash if he didn’t have a Cockney accent. The only exploited sex worker / abuse victim is a young white man, not Lucia or her friend.

+1. Very astute observation. All the progressive feminist strivers love Aubrey Plaza but are quick to call a white young male sex trafficking victim white trash. Wow just wow.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is interesting how so many viewers think Harper is just another Aubrey Plaza sarcastic witty character they love no matter what, so they refuse to consider any ulterior motives. She's just a low-key ball breaking corporate lawyer from Puerto Rican poverty, who just randomly met a rich Yale boy who founded a multi-billion (?) tech company. She is not at all attracted to prestige or money! She's above that! And she totally doesn't fear her billionaire net worth (or at least hundreds of millions) husband whom she has no children with and she doesn't have sex with could leave her like presumably the dozens of other starter marriages she's seen fail around her in the last 10 or so years. Harper is a good person!

I have literally never seen Aubrey Plaza in any other show, and I can assure you that you are way off base here. Harper isn't predatory.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is interesting how so many viewers think Harper is just another Aubrey Plaza sarcastic witty character they love no matter what, so they refuse to consider any ulterior motives. She's just a low-key ball breaking corporate lawyer from Puerto Rican poverty, who just randomly met a rich Yale boy who founded a multi-billion (?) tech company. She is not at all attracted to prestige or money! She's above that! And she totally doesn't fear her billionaire net worth (or at least hundreds of millions) husband whom she has no children with and she doesn't have sex with could leave her like presumably the dozens of other starter marriages she's seen fail around her in the last 10 or so years. Harper is a good person!

Omg, stop with this

DP. I called this wacko out pages ago when he dropped the red pill comment and had a lot of posters jumping all over me, but I stand by it and thing I was right. #sorrynotsorry

You sound lovely, dear. Perhaps viewers have a different opinion than yours. Television shows are open to interpretation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It was fishy from the beginning that someone who looked like Jack would show interest in Portia. That scene in the pool when they met was out of place for a reason.

Albie and Portia are both naive suckers and I’m glad Mike White drove that point home at the end so we don’t have to rehash the conversation about how deluded and naive Portia’s worldview is relative to Jack’s.

Another point about Jack is that in this whole thread no one mentions he’s a victim when he clearly is either a victim of a predatory older, privileged man or a victim of child abuse or both. A lot of untold demons in his closet that he’s trying to drink away.

It’s funny that the only true friendship in the show is between Lucia and the piano player. Cameron and Daphne seem like they actually like each other but their friendship is too twisted.

The “you f your uncle?!” and Tanya telling the captain the gays were trying to kill her in vain were hilariously cringe.

Great ending to a great season. This is the best show of the past 10-15 years.

Who looked like him? He was gross and a drunk! No thank you!

Now we’re going to act like this guy isn’t attractive? He looks like a young, more athletic Damon Albarn. No one who looks like Portia is going to pull someone who looks like a 1990s Calvin Klein model in the real world. Please.

Uh no, he was not attractive to me at all.

+1 The actor might be, but that character? Run.

+1 million. He was so gross and unattractive to me as the character. The fact that he can clean up well and is otherwise handsome is immaterial.

He became “gross and unattractive” to you because he was getting drunk to ease the emotional pain of having to do the bidding of a man who’s obviously sexually abusing him and using him in general.

The hatred a lot of women have for a character who is basically a victim of sex trafficking and probably childhood sexual abuse is very telling. Would you say a female sex worker was “gross and unattractive” because she was drinking away the pain caused by being abused by a bunch of creepy, sadistic older men?

That’s what’s genius about this show. One of the only true victims on this show is some working class young white guy who would be called white trash if he didn’t have a Cockney accent. The only exploited sex worker / abuse victim is a young white man, not Lucia or her friend.

PP here. First, I don't need assistance in parsing my reaction to a character on a TV show. I thought the guy was gross from the second he got in the pool to meet Portia.

Second, you are deranged.

Ad hominem attacks aside, you didn’t answer the question: “Would you say a female sex worker was “gross and unattractive” because she was drinking away the pain caused by being abused by a bunch of creepy, sadistic older men?”

[Anonymous]

I didn’t read Harper as a liar or scammer — at most a bossy partner (telling Ethan what they were going to order in the first episode). I saw them as version of MacKenzie Scott/Jeff Bezos. It seemed like they had been together since Ethan was starting out and when he was more nerdy and less buff (like Jeff Bezos was as he started Amazon). And like MacKenzie, Harper was trying to give away some of the money in a methodical way (in the first episode, Ethan and Harper said she was was working with the Hispanic Federation to set up a foundation, compared to Daphne saying she donated to sad animals and children when she had too much to drink ).

This comparison does not bode well for Harper and Ethan’s marriage in the long term.

[Anonymous]

Season 3 - it’s going to be Jack on a trip with the money he made from selling off the house he inherited from his “uncle”.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It was fishy from the beginning that someone who looked like Jack would show interest in Portia. That scene in the pool when they met was out of place for a reason.

Albie and Portia are both naive suckers and I’m glad Mike White drove that point home at the end so we don’t have to rehash the conversation about how deluded and naive Portia’s worldview is relative to Jack’s.

Another point about Jack is that in this whole thread no one mentions he’s a victim when he clearly is either a victim of a predatory older, privileged man or a victim of child abuse or both. A lot of untold demons in his closet that he’s trying to drink away.

It’s funny that the only true friendship in the show is between Lucia and the piano player. Cameron and Daphne seem like they actually like each other but their friendship is too twisted.

The “you f your uncle?!” and Tanya telling the captain the gays were trying to kill her in vain were hilariously cringe.

Great ending to a great season. This is the best show of the past 10-15 years.

Who looked like him? He was gross and a drunk! No thank you!

Now we’re going to act like this guy isn’t attractive? He looks like a young, more athletic Damon Albarn. No one who looks like Portia is going to pull someone who looks like a 1990s Calvin Klein model in the real world. Please.

Uh no, he was not attractive to me at all.

+1 The actor might be, but that character? Run.

+1 million. He was so gross and unattractive to me as the character. The fact that he can clean up well and is otherwise handsome is immaterial.

He became “gross and unattractive” to you because he was getting drunk to ease the emotional pain of having to do the bidding of a man who’s obviously sexually abusing him and using him in general.

The hatred a lot of women have for a character who is basically a victim of sex trafficking and probably childhood sexual abuse is very telling. Would you say a female sex worker was “gross and unattractive” because she was drinking away the pain caused by being abused by a bunch of creepy, sadistic older men?

That’s what’s genius about this show. One of the only true victims on this show is some working class young white guy who would be called white trash if he didn’t have a Cockney accent. The only exploited sex worker / abuse victim is a young white man, not Lucia or her friend.

PP here. First, I don't need assistance in parsing my reaction to a character on a TV show. I thought the guy was gross from the second he got in the pool to meet Portia.

Second, you are deranged.

Ad hominem attacks aside, you didn’t answer the question: “Would you say a female sex worker was “gross and unattractive” because she was drinking away the pain caused by being abused by a bunch of creepy, sadistic older men?”

Depends. Is she gross and unattractive, or, if a TV show, being portrayed as gross and unattractive?