Special Treatments

This episode continues The White Lotus tradition of mostly following terrible people. I enjoyed this episode more than the season premiere, as now we know a little more about the characters and their relationships. As you know, if you've watched this show, is that this show is a slow burn. But I was happy there was a little action that I think will have more consequences going forward. As for the characters they are interesting. I found the three groups of women particularly toxic, and it will be interesting to see what happens with them. I've only seen Leslie Bibb in Comedies, so it's a nice change of pace for her. Also, Michelle Monaghan is great, as always. As for the family, they just seem weird. There are some strong incest vibes going on between the two brothers and sister, and hopefully, it doesn't go down that road. As for the other couples, there is some business problems hinted at, but we still don't know much. What I like about this show is there are a lot of potential ways this show could go moving forward.

The last two seasons was like a 9 since the first episode, but now, honestly, it feels like a complete waste of time. The characters are shallow, their conversations revolve around pointless gossip, and nothing ever leads anywhere meaningful. Every episode drags on, filled with empty dialogue and unnecessary scenes that only serve to stretch the runtime.

There's no real tension, no depth, and certainly no payoff. It's like watching a group of people talk in circles. I didn´t find compelling storytelling, characters, or even a basic sense of progression.

This season is looking like a pure filler to make a buck.

The first season had two electrifying and magnetic stars: Murray Bartlett and Jennifer Coolidge. They were totally compelling. The havoc they wreaked was riveting and startling. I never knew what would happen next. It was like watching a car crash.

I didn't like the second season as much as it was populated with creepy characters.

This season is blessed with Walton Goggins, one of the most electrifying performers around. I remember the first time I saw him in 'Justified'. He turned a guest role into a leading role. 'White. Lotus' has managed to make him dull. It's not him. It's the writing and directing. I decided he's the thief, so maybe his character will really come to life now. I hope so, because this season is incredibly boring. It definitely needs a booster shot of life.

What was once, truly one of the smartest and best written shows out there, has been reduced to flat characters, obvious stereotypes and wooden dialog. Will I watch until the end? Yes of course, but what happened to the writing?

For example, A smart, realistic strong black female character from season one, who was motherly and wise. The kind of person Anyone would look to for the answer in an emergency, has been reduced to what feels like a character from Scary Movie. One who hears something in a tree and quips "uh uh, I'm gettin up outta hurr". A family that COULD have depth, is each a boring flat stereotype plucked from any generic big budget movie.

Bottom line is so far, the show is well casted and visually stunning, but the writing feels like it was taken over by the Fast and Furious team.

Compared with S1 and 2, this season seems "off." Too many scenes that lack dramatic oomph. But the casting is so good that I'm still hooked. Love Parker Posey and Carrie Coon. Walton Goggins is really cast against type here, playing an inhibited and low-key character but I'm sure the shoe will drop soon.

The location is of course gorgeous and some plot threads are intriguing. What's going to happen with Tim's legal dilemma, what is the connection between Rick and Sritala's ailing American husband, and does Belinda really have no inkling at all what happened to Tanya and how her husband was connected? (I had the impression Tanya's assistant had enough info at the end of S2 to put it all together.)