White Lotus

White Lotus is a bit like peaches and cream, at first delectable but less tasty after a while.

It’s probably meant to be watched in a binge stream.

My old-fashioned approach is to watch it weekly at 9-00pm on Mondays after Mastermind and University Challenge.  

I am now into episode 7 and Tom Holland – a sybaritic middle aged gay – has fallen for the rich, overweight, sad heiress Tanya (Jennifer Coolidge) whose husband has left her alone in the Sicilian hotel ostensibly to return for business.

The other development occurred in the previous episode, when Harper – the Puerto Rican wife of Ethan – goes on a trip with Daphne the wife of super-rich Cameron, a college friend of Ethan, and ‘while the cat’s away the mice did play’ with two young hookers Mia and Lucia who are doing their best to find rich pickings in the hotel.

In the most recent episode having succeeded with Dominic (Michael Imperioli, once in the Sopranos), the son of a man who believes you can do anything or anybody in a marriage as long as you are careful and discreet.

One of the hookers (Lucia) has fallen for the grandson – sweet but naive Abbie – so much so she is prepared to waive her normal overnight fee of 2000 Euros.

Her partner-in-crime Mia has ambitions of being a singer.

She has already seduced the hotel singer, causing him a heart attack, but her ambitions are blocked by the vicious manageress Valentina.

Valentina is gay and Mia offers her sex in return for the gig.

 

The other plot line is that Quentin’s ‘jack the lad’ nephew has seduced Portia the p/a of Tanya.

I am now finding the characters vacuous and the dialogue limp.

However on a wet dark November night, the beauty of  Sicily – and the luxury of the hotel the San Dominica at Taormina which I have visited – are very welcome.