I’m subbing this week to cover THE WHITE LOTUS for my mom and lead contributor – Esta. While I agree with her take that THE WHITE LOTUS is slow-moving, this season is still better than the slow-burn of season one. And that’s because S3 has two of my favorite character actors – Walter Goggins and Carrie Coon. I could watch these two in anything and happily support them. I’ve been a long-time Goggins fan since THE SHIELD and Coon stole my heart in one of the best Max series of all time – THE LEFTOVERS.
With all that said, there are some clear problems in S3 that are stopping it from reaching the heights of S2. Those are:
- Jason Isaacs – Every time he’s on the screen, his medicated responses stall the show’s plot progression. Mike White has given far too much screen time for his character to mumble his way through each scene.
- Parker Posey – You know it’s bad when your character is imitated in an unflattering way on SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE. It’s not Posey’s fault – it’s just that she has been given so little to do this year outside of being upset and spoiled.
- Monks – The monk subplot and theme is not that interesting. I get why the mechanism is being used to showcase the lack of balance in these characters’ lives, but again – it’s getting too much screen time. However, I did love the quote of the week – “Maybe Jesus will save her from those Buddhists.”
There’s a lot to resolve in the season finale next week. As audiences gear up to see “hope versus pain,” the only sure thing is that “one will win.” My money is on pain, but we will see.
THE WHITE LOTUS is available on Max.