I get White Lotus, it's a proper build up with very little happening per episode. Actually have a bit of a thing for Walton Goggins in this season which I never thought I'd ever say. Not trying to convert you. The episode with Parker Posey and Sam Rockwell week before last is some of the best TV ever. Hilarious and jaw agog at the same time.
Big fan of Goggins here since The Shield days. It really strikes me that you can’t always tell who from these ensemble shows who is going to become the breakout star.
There were a lot of good actors on The Shield but Goggins has definitely had the best post-series career. I really respect his versatility. He can do comedy and drama very well.
So I did watch season 3 of Lotus just recently. I hadn’t watched the first two and thought each season was a complete standalone.
Of course it became apparent, early on, that the Natasha Rothwell and John Gries stuff dated back to previous seasons. I’ll have to check those out now.
I thought the show was quite good. Effective slow burn. Stacked cast. Good fusion of dark comedy and intense drama.
Not every story arc was equally compelling. But that stands to reason. I thought certain narrative elements were a bit tacked on, introduced abruptly, didn’t have much in the way of resolution. Sometimes with these ensembles series with big casts and limited episodes, you don’t really have too much time to flesh things out. But, overall, sharply written and well executed.
Goggins was a standout. Parker Posey was hilarious. Scene where Leslie Bibb was very warm and upbeat after recognizing her and she made it completely awkward felt hilariously realistic.
Rockwell made a major impact despite only briefly being in there. Carrie Coon, Bibb, and Monaghan all really seemed to embody the exact type of people they were playing.
Gries is a reliably awesome character actor. I’ve seen him in a bunch of stuff but his role as the uncle in Napoleon Dynamite immediately jumped to mind. Seems to have a knack for playing sleazy characters.