The White Lotus on HBO.

It's a comedy/almost murder mystery where you are rooting for all the characters to die. We just watched the first 5 shows and goddam it's hilarious and addicting.

Steve Zahn and the manager Armond are the best characters so I'm hoping it's not either of them that bites it.
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I am fascinated by the story around the story as much as the story.

Mike White [creator/director] has always been a wild card when it comes to narrative. He finds empathy AND villains in surprising places.

The viewers in today's morays are gaggling about what an unmitigated asshole Shane is, and exuding sympathy for Armond despite his growing villainy, and I'm on tinterhooks to see who ends up sympathetic and who ends up the big bad by the conclusion of the narrative.

Everyone right now [by my eye] has pulls of villainy and sympathy in relative balance. Maybe because I just finished rewatching Succession while watching this and my eye for nuance in narrative is heightened. I can see why each of them are irritating, but everyone has a foundation of justifability as well.

Well crafted, all in all.

Brian Williams' little girl Allison had to have breathed a sigh of relief seeing the end of the last episode, now that she's no longer the go-to visual for that particular plot development. :-)


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Didn’t they show who dies at the very beginning of the first episode?
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It was just a casket getting loaded onto the plane. You don't know who it is just yet.
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Thanks, I thought Shane Patton said it was his wife during that scene. I need to rewatch that part.
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Out of the blue callback, but I finally watched the first season of this.

And I'm honestly at a loss for words. I didn't know what to expect, and what I got was . . . unexepected. And that's not necessarily good, . . . perhaps not necessarily bad.

If I had to sum in up in one word, . . . trainwreck. In two words, fascinating trainwreck. But again, not necessarily in a good way.

The thing it reminded me most of was Studio 60 On the Sunset Strip . . . the gold standard for masochistic hate watch.

It comes down to the writing. The actors and their performances were good and kept you coming back. But David E. Kelly was at his David E. Kelly-ist with the script.

Everything was atmosphere and anticipation, then when you think you've gotten somewhere, it just deflates and moves on to the next. Nothing was coherent. Nothing made narrative sense.

I think he had vibe he was going for, and just didn't put in the work to tie it together and get the details right. The case didn't make sense. The characters and their motivations seemed cobbled together from the specific scenes Kelly wanted to have on film. Someone would be angry for no reason out of nowhere one moment, then gushing about all their pride, love and affection the next. At times, the narrative and dialog actually approached the amatuerism of The Room, . . . yes, that The Room.

I could go on and on, the are so many small details at odds with each other and plot holes and dead ends and confusing motivations and on and on and on. It seems I am as capable of being fascinated by failure as I am by quality.

I can't even say whether or not I'd recommend it. It's an experience, and the performances are compelling, moment to moment, . . . but it doesn't make sense unless your brain is turned completely off and you just live in each scene for the scenery chewing.
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I'm going to binge watch the rest of this mini series on HBO Max this weekend. I loved the 1st episode and I wasn't aware that Alexandra Darraio was in this. She is always a welcomed addition to anything. Been a fan ever since True Detective season 1 :-) She looks great in this mini series as well. Good lord.


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She doesn't show em like she did in True Detective, but so far as episode 4 you just get a little side peek at them while she's laying in bed. Better than nothing, I guess.
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I’m really enjoying Ted Lasso. I was shocked to find out the team boss actress was the “shame” lady from Game of Thrones.
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I watched both seasons of Black Summer, did any of you watch it? I enjoyed it - I guess it's no longer new but I've not been around in a bit and haven't read the whole thread.
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Oh shit I wasn't aware that Netflix made a 2nd season of that:-). I enjoyed the hell out of Season 1. Really intense and it felt like you were really there. Not a lot of character development in it but I found it be very well done overall. I will binge thru the 2nd season after I finish up with the last episode of The White Lotus

Thanks for the heads up!:-)
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The Middle is one of my top 5 comedies of all time. It hits a little too close to home sometimes, but it's brilliantly written.
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You can't really go wrong subscribing to appletv...lots of good original series. The billie eilish doc is great too even if you'd think her music sucks.
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