Switching Channels: The White Lotus (Patreon)

As fans of the great, underwatched HBO series Enlightened, we were naturally inclined toward filmmaker Mike White's first new series since that show wrapped a decade ago, and thus far The White Lotus has risen to our high expectations. Midway through the pandemic-filmed miniseries, Scott and Genevieve got together to discuss how the series reflects White's evolving interests in self-actualization and cultural tourism, and what the show's extremely stacked cast — including Jennifer Coolidge, Jake Lacy, and Connie Britton — bring to their roles as privileged yet aggrieved vacationers semi-politely imposing their personal foibles on the resort staff. Given that this is a show that begins (no spoilers) with the revelation of a dead body, there are still some major plot reveals ahead, so we recorded this conversation based on the events of the series through episode four, and we'll return in a couple of weeks with a post-finale discussion that gets into the nitty-gritty of whether and how this series sticks the landing.