We’ve emerged from the lush Thailand jungle for another day in paradise here at The White Lotus. On day two, what can we expect from our vacationing lovelies?
Two of our lady trio (Leslie Bibb, Michelle Monaghan) are still up chatting casually about their other friend (Carrie Coon, pictured). For starters, not all friend groups of women are like this. I just feel like I need to say 
that off the top. It’s super unhealthy to gossip about your friends because if you actually cared, you could just talk to them. But it’s the left-out one who gets the last laugh, scaring the shit out of them by surprise. I don’t know, I like her most. Maybe because I also have to walk away from people to go have a good cry. But these girls are clearly holding tensions against each other underneath the surface under the guise of “sisterhood” or whatever the fuck. Listen, if someone has something to say to me, say it, because if I have something to say to you, I’m going to say it. Nothing is served in silence nor are friendships strengthened by casual gossiping about each other. They each have their turn feeling like the other and again, a healthy female friend group is nothing like this.
The Ratliff family signs on for a full spa experience, except for Dad (Jason Isaacs). Given his current mental load, he would rather hit the gym and that might be the most relatable thing he’s done yet. I didn’t grow up with money nor do I have an abundance of it now in adulthood, so I just don’t understand the personalities of the ultra-wealthy. But I do understand needing to hit the treadmill when I’m angry or overwhelmed. Mom (Parker Posey) doesn’t have that problem, she’s too entrenched in the pharmaceutical industry. My god woman, do you have a scene where you’re not taking a pill? I have to wonder how much that’s eroded your brain from being just a functional human.
I appreciate that while the youngest (Sam Nivola, pictured) is struggling in his isolation chamber with this arguably huge decision, he still pauses to call out his mom’s shitty behavior. Not that it matters, as the older son (Patrick Schwarzenegger) is just a walking red flag of ick and Mommy dearest encourages him. I’ll say it now for everyone and I won’t say it again: boy moms are the fucking worst. Any mom who encourages her son to behave like a walking fucking felon is a traitor to her sex. Every woman has a story of a man who has been inappropriate with them or even going so far as being assaulted or stalked. So when I see a woman who actively encourages “boys will be boys” shit, I assume you’re also a piece of shit and hope that Darwinism will take its course. The daughter (Sarah Catherine Hook) is the most normal, trying to embrace the experience of being here, even if she has to deal with her pervy older brother being an absolute piece of shit. Is he mad he didn’t get a happy ending to his massage? I’ll be mad if he isn’t the character killed at the end. My friend Dani suggested a monkey with a gun goes wild and I’m actively rooting for that now but only if the monkey also kills that douche canoe.
“I never had an identity. I don’t need to detach. I’m already nothing.”
Rick (Walton Goggins, pictured) starts the day with a snuggle and it’s another of those instances where I have to ask if men even like the woman they are with or do y’all just need to get your dick wet and you don’t care who with? Chelsea (Aimee Lou Wood) seems like a genuinely sweet girl and someone who would be fun to spend time with. But does he care about her? Turns out, yes. After a shocking robbery while shopping in the expensive hotel store, she’s shaken up and frankly, you can see that he is too. She encourages him to continue his sessions with Amrita (Shalini Peiris) even if he feels weird.
“It’s good to talk about things with a wise Indian.”
They have a disastrous dinner date with Chelsea’s new friend Chloe (Charlotte Le Bon) and her boyfriend “Gary” (Jon Gries). I appreciate how quickly Rick is suspicious. First off, if we’re picking between these two, the answer is always Walton Goggins. Don’t play me. Second, seeing these two go head to head was fantastic and if anyone could potentially unmask the situation, I could see it being Rick. Only because he clearly has his own Man of Mystery type life, as he tells Chelsea he has to go to Bangkok for a couple of days. What or who is he following? But he’s not the only one onto Greg…Gary.
Belinda (Natasha Rothwell, pictured) has started her journey training with the staff in order to take new materials and ideas home to Hawaii. She works mostly with Pornchai (Dom Hetrakul, pictured); a name which constantly makes me giggle because I’m not really an adult. But she has some giggles of her own when he gets undressed to try her treatments. Oh my, Miss Belinda. Could you have some intimacy of your own on this trip?! If yes, I propose doing anything before your son gets here. But after a day of learning, she unwinds at the bar and sees a face that she just can’t quite place…yet…
Meanwhile, on the staff side of things, Gaitok (Tayme Thapthimthong) admits to Mook (Lalisa Manobal) that he wants to be more than just friends. She kinda pawns it off. He’s never taken her on a date. If he wants to be an item, there needs to be more effort and on her end, I agree. You can’t just feed a girl your mom’s cooking and then be like “See, we belong together!” Woo her a little, c’mon. He gets hit pretty hard by the fleeing robbers and I’m wondering if we’ll see them again. She comes to check on him and you can tell she cares, but to what extent? If he made plans and actually followed through on dating, would she want that? Or does she truly only care as a friend? And frankly, either way is fine. As long as it’s her choice and not an emotionally manipulated one. Manager Fabien (Christian Friedel) is doing what he can to keep the place going while also handling the diva owner (Patravadi Mejudhon). Staff are encouraged to follow artistic desires and perform, which I personally find insanely cool but he’s a little too chicken to do so yet. Which makes sense when you’re constantly following a diva from another era. All I know is sparks will continue to fly at The White Lotus and I’ll be there for every single moment.
