Review: ‘The White Lotus’ Is Sly Satire

Although The White Lotus turned up in the one real prestige slot in all of television — Sunday nights at 9 p.m. on HBO — I clicked on it without much interest. Indifference turned quickly into dislike. At first I considered the characters unsympathetic, but I was way off: They’re utterly loathsome. So why did I keep watching? The six-episode show’s writer-director Mike White kept slightly modulating his tone and focus in surprising, intriguing ways. What began as an apparent satire of new-plutocracy stereotypes turned into a hilarious black comedy, then a thoughtful study of disconnection and hollowness in a tech-obsessed era, and finally a tragedy about the slaughter of an innocent. It’s one of the best things I’ve seen on TV this year.

Now that the first season has concluded and a second is in development, I’ll assume you’ve seen it, so spoilers follow.

About the Author

Kyle Smith

Kyle Smith is the film critic for the Wall Street Journal.

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Although The White Lotus turned up in the one real prestige slot in all of television — Sunday nights at 9 p.m. on HBO — I clicked on it without much interest. Indifference turned quickly into dislike. At first I considered the characters unsympathetic, but I was way off: They’re utterly loathsome. So why did I keep watching? The six-episode show’s writer-director Mike White kept slightly modulating his tone and focus in surprising, intriguing ways. What began as an apparent satire of new-plutocracy stereotypes turned into a hilarious black comedy, then a thoughtful study of disconnection and hollowness in a tech-obsessed era, and finally a tragedy about the slaughter of an innocent. It’s one of the best things I’ve seen on TV this year.

Now that the first season has concluded and a second is in development, I’ll assume you’ve seen it, so spoilers follow.