“The White Lotus” was back on HBO Sunday night with its mix of dizzying strands of murder, suggested incest, homoeroticism, infidelity, frontal nudity, and white collar crime.
Spirituality in Thailand? Not so much.
The numbers: Earlier this week HBO said 2.4 million people watched the first episode of season three.
But the only monitored part of that was HBO itself, with 420,000 fans. These are known as linear ratings, reported by Nielsen. Did 2 million more people watch “The White Lotus” on streaming on Max? Who knows?
The new “White Lotus” is a lot like the prior seasons, just moved to a new locale. A wealthy American family from the South (Jason Isaacs, Parker Posey, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Sam Nivola, Sarah Catherine Hook ) arrives at the resort, followed by three gal pals including Michelle Monaghan as a TV star, Leslie Bibb, and Carrie Coon. Plus Belinda (Natasha Rothwell) from season 1 Maui comes to do research. In short order she crosses paths with Greg, the mysterious husband of the late Tanya (Jennifer Coolidge), whom Greg killed at the end of season Season 2.
There’s also a mysterious man named Rick played by Walton Goggins, who’s mean to his girlfriend (Aimee Lou Wood, who seems like she time traveled from a Robert Altman movie) and hasn’t come to the White Lotus for enlightenment.
Greg (Jon Gries) was a surprise, unpublicized by HBO. He’s the through-line from season 1. What’s he doing there? Is he spending Tanya’s money? Do the authorities know where to find him?
What’s going to happen? This Sunday, not a lot. We’re still establishing everyone’s weirdness. But looking ahead, things are going to get, um, really weird. Episode 5 is the key. That’s when Goggins has a jaw dropping conversation with a special guest actor. Also, two characters do something incredibly inappropriate (big vibe from a shocking conversation in season 2). Also, we get an eyeful of one actor after having already seen too much of Schwarzenegger’s Saxon. After episode 5, you’re almost afraid of what happens next.
Will also these shenanigans drive up the ratings? It may take a month before audiences kick in for real. But I did laugh out loud when Goggins’ character is delivered that surprising news. And then it felt like the real “White Lotus.”
