The White Lotus

The White Lotus is now finished and the identity of body in the sea which opened episode one revealed.

You could discern who it was in the last gripping 30 minutes but there were enough red herrings to keep you on the edge of the seat.

That said, by general consent, the first series set in Hawaii was better, the characters more interesting, the plot lines more subtle.

The politics in the cast interest me as much as the action itself.

My favourite satire of a long running serial was Frank Marcus’s play The Killing of Sister George.  

This was about a warm hearted, loveable, caring District Nurse but the actress who played her was anything but. She was vicious to her gay partner and most of all outraged when she was killed off.

Also worth noting was the satire The Bowmans about The Archers with Tony Hancock.

When he is removed from the fictional village he returns with a machine gun to wipe the whole village out.

In White Lotus you can imagine members of the cast wondering if they will make a third series – which is apparently intended – and if so whether they will be cast.

Although it is formulaic, depicting rich Americans holidaying, only one Tanya (Jennifer Coolidge) made it to Sicily from Hawaii.

So if there is a third one it’s unlikely to feature too many of these holidaymakers.