When it first arrived on screens four years ago “The White Lotus” became a real television phenomenon.
It managed to provide comfort in the post-COVID period, offering a kind of escapism that combines critical satire hidden under a luxury vacation.
Each season is built on the same concept with a luxury hotel, problematic guests, a season ending surprise with a corpse or more hinted at in the opening scene.
Yet under all the glitter, a different central theme hides in each season the first dealt with money, the second with sex and the third focuses on spirituality, as explained by series creator Mike White.
After traveling through Hawaii and Sicily, this time we move to the White Lotus branch in Thailand, where four groups of guests arrive: three old and gossipy friends going on a girls’ trip; a fifty year old man with a mysterious past arriving with his young partner; a wealthy businessman on a family vacation with his wife and three children.
Alongside them, Belinda from the first season makes a comeback as she joins the local hotel spa staff, attempting to learn new treatment methods. Also, Greg, the ex-husband of the deceased Tanya responsible for her death, is present and with him comes a slightly forced attempt to connect the seasons.
And that is precisely the problem.
The White Lotus is defined as an anthology series, where each season presents a new and separate story.
But in practice, it has drifted from that definition, mainly due to Jennifer Coolidge’s return in the second season.
That connection worked well then, but in the current season, the effect is opposite.
The veteran characters (Belinda and Greg) take a central role in the series, but they are also very unrelated, stealing screen time from the new characters and their stories.
Their storyline does not integrate properly into the new story, they feel forced and they do not add much to the main plot, only harming the mysterious element that was so vital in previous seasons.
Everything is aimed at adding drama to a season that lacks drama.
The new season feels like a step backward, especially after a very successful second season that made the debut season seem pale in comparison.
It is a shame to see a series that evolved from critical drama focusing mainly on gossip and small dramas (and this is said with affection the first season was also excellent) into a richer creation, combining drama, suspense and crime with well constructed complex characters, only to suddenly retreat with its third season.
On the one hand, it is the longest season so far with eight episodes, each at least an hour long.
But on the other hand, it is also the season with the least content.
Time does not equal content there is no sophisticated plot or at least none that successfully intertwines multiple stories, but what is most noticeable is that there are many plotlines that lead nowhere.
What remains is a tiresome, unnecessarily long and unfortunately boring season.
What prevented this season from being a four episode miniseries? Or even a film? Nothing except the interests of the creators and studios, who failed to deliver a season worthy of the successful series.
The cast this season is simply excellent, each giving a strong and impressive performance and the new characters in this season are mostly good.
They have interesting backstories and complexity even if their potential is not always fully realized.
However, the same cannot be said for all characters.
Unlike previous seasons, where local characters were excellent (like Armond and Belinda in the first season or Victoria, Mia and Lucia in the second season), here they are very disappointing. Gaytok and Mook, the hotel staff, feel like unnecessary background characters, lacking depth or real contribution to the plot.
They are simply boring, tiresome and contentless and every scene they appear in feels unnecessary.
Everything related to this couple seems like something that could easily have been omitted and it is a pity it was not.
That said, even this season The White Lotus manages to maintain its uniqueness.
It features amazing cinematography, precise editing, and a captivating soundtrack throughout the series.
Thailand is an excellent and refreshing location, adding another dimension to the world Mike White loves to immerse in.
As in previous seasons, he successfully combines social satire with drama, this time also emphasizing themes of faith, self discovery and culture.
Even if not every plotline feels developed, there is still a certain quality in the way characters appear on screen and in the story that surrounds them.
The ending was also successful the choice of the victim was surprising and unexpected, fitting well with the character’s narrative.
Ultimately, the third season of The White Lotus does not manage to justify the hype.
It is not bad at all, but compared to previous seasons, it is undoubtedly the weakest.
A fourth season has already been ordered by HBO, and this time we can only hope it manages to replicate the series’ peaks.
Advertisement
Advertisement
