The White Lotus- Season 1, A Review

Paradise is no Vacation.

The first season of The White Lotus follows the various guests and staff members at The White Lotus Hotel Hawaii, as they spend a week in paradise, sunning and tanning and trying to have the best vacation possible, whatever the cost. Season one follows three sets of vacationers as they arrive at The White Lotus, all in search of their own version of happiness. Paradise however is not always the ideal vacation and across the series these ten individuals will learn that sometimes the best thing you can do is stay at home.

The White Lotus has really become a global phenomenon over the past two years, with the show completely sweeping every awards category and becoming a much talked about subject. I’ve been meaning to watch for the absolute longest time and with the recent release of season two (which I have already started and should be reviewing next week), I figured there was no time like the present. Having now watched the first season I can definitely see what the fuss is all about and am really excited to continue season two and watch any future seasons we may get, as an anthology there’s so much potential with the relatively simple concept. The vacation genre is always fun to watch but there’s just something about the rich and successful letting loose and getting messy that makes for such an entertaining viewing experience. Here we got to follow all of these different characters in their holidays highs and lows and I just loved the entire cast chemistry and watching all of the individual storylines gel together as one, it was really a lot of fun.

The Mossbacher family were obviously the largest group of the series and I really loved the family dynamic as they tried to get through their vacation without arguing. The split between the older and younger generation was particularly hilarious and I loved the constant back and forth between Nicole (Connie Britton, Dirty John) and Olivia (Sydney Sweeney, Everything Sucks!) with Mother and Daughter seemingly disagreeing on everything. Olivia constant ‘wokeness’ went against her Mother’s more conservative views and it seemed like Olivia and Paula (Brittany O’Grady) would cause arguments at every turn, it made for some great comedy . I also loved Quinn’s (Fred Hechinger, The Woman in the Window) progression from screen obsessed shut in to Hawaiian paddler as well as Mark’s (Steve Zahn) constant crises, the entire family was completely messy and insane in the best way possible.

Shane (Jake Lacy, Otherhood) and Rachel (Alexandra Daddario, Why Women Kill) made up the ‘honeymooners’ role of the show and their very new relationship and the struggles that come with made up most of their central conflict. Marrying into wealth, Rachel begins to feel lost in her new ‘trophy wife’ role and struggles to find herself in this new relationship. Shane meanwhile comes into extreme conflict with Hotel manager Armond (Murray Bartlett), not being happy with a suite mix up which then spirals out of control. The constant back and forth between Shane and Armond was nothing short of brilliant and both actors played their roles wonderfully- Shane as the rich douche and Armond as the frazzled manager. Shane’s mother Kitty (Molly Shannon) also made aa surprise appearance and Shannon was also brilliant in the role, the difference in work ethics between Shane and his Mother versus Rachel made for some nice comedic moments and I really enjoyed the conflict throughout. I’m not entirely sure Rachel made the right decision in going back to him but I think on her own she was a very lost person and needed someone to guide her, even if it was Shane.

Tanya (Jennifer Coolidge, The Watcher) has definitely been labelled as the series break out star and I was already aware of the critical acclaim Coolidge had gained from the role before I started watching. I definitely enjoyed her character and just loved the pure chaotic energy she seemed to emanate. Coming to The White Lotus following a family tragedy, Tanya latches on to Belinda (Natasha Rothwell) in order to regain her former personality and I really enjoyed seeing this relationship of sorts unfold. Coolidge just played the role with a brilliant mix of comedy and tragedy and I’m really excited to see her reprise the role next season, it really is one hell of a character.

Overall I really enjoyed this first season of The White Lotus and can definitely see why the show has gained so much critical acclaim, I already can’t wait to finish season two. Following each group on their vacation was the perfect blend of comedy and drama and I truly loved every single storyline, which is honestly quite rare in such an ensemble show. A brilliant comedy with a fantastic mix of characters, I’m excited for even more of The White Lotus moving forward and can easily see this show running for many years.