The White Lotus

I really hope she gets some award consideration love. Every single scene she is in is cringeworthy, fun, and full of depth. She's killing it!

Though some of the first season was cringe-worthy. This second season is about as masterful as anyone could hope for.

It starts a bit slow, the first episode, but soon finds its legs and impresses again and again, captivating me as if I weren't quite seasoned. It feels like a review of every thought I've ever had at a vacation resort, many of which I'd long forgotten. On that score alone it's a delight, but not to worry, it goes way beyond that to flirt with opera-like heights of drama and beauty something quite appropriate given its setting in Sicily.

Given the excellence of the acting and the seeming effortlessness of the story I would have to say Mike White, this series' creator, is some sort of unsung genius. The guy seems unaware of boundaries coupled with one of the sharpest eyes for detail I've ever seen.

The first season of the show gets a nine from me. It's tight, consistent, darkly humorous, and its social commentary is nuanced and central to the show. Season two gets more like a six. It's good enough for me to watch a season three, but overall season two is less interesting because it feels more like a slow moving trainwreck of a tabloid story. The writing is just too obvious and lacks the nuance necessary to make the excesses interesting or meaningful. That doesn't make it bad television, but it does move it to the "maybe" category of recommendations for me - except for Aubrey Plaza's performance. She is excellent and definitely worth showing up for. Overall, the show is engaging and has plenty to say. If they can move past the sophomore slump of overly obvious excess, I'd love to see more seasons.

I will say from the start this isn't a series for everyone, it's different, there's tons of charecter development, and it's a show I'd find much more enjoyable binge watching then consuming one episode per week.

I've grown to love limited series, immediately there is a start and end point set out from the get go. There's no cliffhangers written with no exact conclusion in mind or series that goes on way past its shelf life. This series is so well done it gives you a definitive, acceptable conclusion that leave little if anything to conclude. It's great when a season of episodes ends and it leaves you begging for more, however it's also great to watch a short series that tells its story while manages to leave no stone on turned and you're satisfied with it's ending and enjoyed it. In a lot of ways I believe this series left a wonderful blueprint for future limited series to come.

I went into watching The White Lotus not really knowing what to expect. I just finished the second season and now know why it's had so many great reviews and won so many awards. What makes this show so good is the acting and the writing. Each character is beautifully written and acted, not a weak link on either season. HBO always puts out great content and this is no different. It's not a show for everyone but I definitely enjoyed it. It's one of the rare anthology shows where both seasons are equally as good. I'm now looking forward to future seasons of The White Lotus and hope they stay as good as these first two.