New scripted content is about to play out on HBO starting this Sunday. Are you interested in THE WHITE LOTUS by Mike White? Consider this posting just a quick setup going into the premiere. We are not here to spell out all the details as we want you to explore the series for yourself. We just want to set up the plot, and talent credits and over a clip or two. Of course, you can always read our reviews that will come weekly and after you read each one, we encourage you to comment. Join us for THE WHITE LOTUS.
HBO Press Release: From Mike White (HBO’s “Enlightened”), HBO’s six-episode limited series THE WHITE LOTUS, a social satire set at an exclusive Hawaiian resort, debuts SUNDAY JULY 11 (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET/PT). The series will air on HBO and be available to stream on HBO Max.
Starring Murray Bartlett (HBO’s “Looking”), Connie Britton (“Nashville”), Jennifer Coolidge (“2 Broke Girls”), Alexandra Daddario (HBO’s “True Detective”), Fred Hechinger (“Eighth Grade”), Jake Lacy (HBO’s “Girls”), Brittany O’Grady (“Little Voice”), Natasha Rothwell (HBO’s “Insecure”), Sydney Sweeney (HBO’s “Euphoria”) and Steve Zahn (HBO’s “Treme”), the series follows the vacations of various hotel guests over the span of a week as they relax and rejuvenate in paradise. But with each passing day, a darker complexity emerges in these picture-perfect travelers, the hotel’s cheerful employees and the idyllic locale itself.
Recurring guest stars include: Molly Shannon (HBO’s “Divorce”), Jon Gries (“Dream Corp LLC”), Jolene Purdy (“WandaVision”), Kekoa Kekumano (“Aquaman”), and Lukas Gage (HBO’s “Euphoria”).
Among the employees at The White Lotus are the fastidious resort manager Armond (Murray Bartlett), who, after a sudden trauma, begins a dramatic downward spiral – and the down-to-earth spa manager, Belinda (Natasha Rothwell) who gets taken on an emotional roller coaster ride by a needy guest. The vacationers include the Mossbacher family – Nicole (Connie Britton), a successful type-A exec, who can’t help but treat her family like disobedient employees; her husband, Mark (Steve Zahn), dealing with both an embarrassing health crisis and a terminal inferiority complex; their teenaged son, Quinn (Fred Hechinger), a socially awkward gamer, experiencing the wonder of nature for the very first time; their daughter, Olivia (Sydney Sweeney), and her friend, Paula (Brittany O’Grady), sharp-tongued college sophomores who cast a sardonic eye on the lifestyles and belief systems of everyone around them. The handsome, entitled Shane Patton (Jake Lacy) is here with his beautiful bride, Rachel (Alexandra Daddario). Shane and Rachel are in the throes of young love, but as they get to know each other better in this new, intimate environment, clouds of doubt appear – and by the time Shane’s intrusive mother, Kitty (Molly Shannon) surprises them with an unwelcome visit, their fairytale honeymoon has begun to unravel. And finally, there is Tanya McQuoid (Jennifer Coolidge), a wealthy, unstable woman, recovering from the death of her mother, traveling alone to the hotel, looking for love and in desperate need of a massage.
At only six episodes they’ve got to pack a lot into each one. Here is how it breaks down – (We are not using press release material here as not to give too much away.)
Episode 01: “Arrivals” – We’ve got to meet the guests, right? Each of them has their own baggage and I mean emotional baggage, not just their luggage. We also meet some of the staff as they accommodate the latest vacationers to their resort. They’ve got baggage to unload as well.
Episode 02: “New Day” – Ahh, wake up to the first full day of vacay in Hawai’i and what is not to love? It is a new day and new beginnings. All is good. Well, we know it’s not that easy as we discover everyone’s issues. 
Episode 03: “Mysterious Monkeys” – I don’t think that refers to any lesser primates inundating the Maui resort throwing feces. We are talking about the meddling and mysterious ways of the human-animal. Hopefully some good comes out of it all, but we shall see.
Episode 04: “Recentering” – Okay, that sounds promising. For some, remember that could be either guest or staff, a recentering could be a calm thing for whenever the stresses get to be too much. A few must have pushed themselves really hard to make a connection, heal some wounds and/or be a better person that it taxed them. Some meditation and focus would align them. We will see how that works out for them.
Episode 05: “Lotus-Eaters” – Now that, on the other hand, sounds negative. It is the penultimate episode after all. Is the resort about to implode. Just how bad a week do these people have, even amid paradise?
Episode 06: “Departures” – The guests, regardless of how good or bad their vacation week goes, get to depart and the poor staff must face a totally different set of faces while trying to keep a happy face themselves.
Curious to see what happens at this exclusive resort? Well then, accept the Invitation to the Set below and tune in every Sunday night for THE WHITE LOTUS. We’ll be there.
