Since the dawn of television and the creation of the ‘TV dinner,’ many partners have watched TV together. It’s that moment of peace at the end of work and after the “How was your day?” conversation with a wine bottle companion. All lights are off, your hand holds their hand while you each look up at the show you watch together. You’re both excited at what this week’s episode will bring up or what this new season will introduce as a storyline. It’s a ritual to be observed and respected.

But then — boom! You find yourselves watching The White Lotus, the one show that dares to explore some unspoken truths about sex, power, and relationships, all while digging into terribly funny fiction. At first sight of a conflict, you look at each other and giggle. But the conflict turns into something more serious, more awkward, and, why not, more real. That couch union becomes uncomfortable now. You become physically incapable of enduring more. The night has turned into something much more complex.
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Updated May 26, 2023: If you’re a fan of The White Lotus, then you’ll be happy to know this article has been updated by Grayson Uckele with additional content.

Whether this is part of the ritual (it all depends on the season, the subplot, and, of course, the kind of couple you are), it’s fair to say Mike White’s show has its own vocabulary, pace, and personality. It’s not that it doesn’t look like other shows, but with HBO, audiences get the feeling restrictions don’t apply and that those fears will likely come true. One of those unsettling feelings audiences have gotten with both seasons of the very successful drama is that couples seem to be always broken or that they exist under a shroud of mistrust and unhappiness that will end up bursting like an explosive bubble filled with relevant confessions. Most people agree that it’s a fantastically written show, one of the best shows on TV. So, why does it feel like an unfit Sunday evening pick for couples?

From The Awkward To The Unsettling

Warner Bros.

The White Lotus rides smoothly between drama and comedy and does a great job at portraying tragedy in the most uncommon of places: a resort hotel where everything should work and where you should indulge in guilty pleasures without fear of consequence. Even though the guests are wealthy and beautiful people, the audience is able to see their lives reflected in the series’ characters.

In the beginning, of course, the characters seem like wealthy, beautiful versions of regular people. They have surface issues that shouldn’t affect what’s basically a dream vacation. But the tension strung insists early on that the show’s relationships aren’t perfect, far from it. This escape from reality would be a spark in, what’s later, an explosion of sincerity that shows a darker, more violent, and primal side of the union between couples.

Related: The White Lotus: Similarities Between Seasons 1 and 2

Season one revolved around newlyweds whose relationship was a facade. They were endearing up to a point, but Rachel Patton (Alexandra Daddario) was terribly unhappy. Her fulfillment seemed to be an enigma that she couldn’t resolve, which was furthered by her mother-in-law’s arrival during her honeymoon. The purpose of her visit was to sort out the hotel staff, which couldn’t fulfill the snobby demands of Shane Patton (Jake Lacy), Rachel’s new husband. Viewers could infer it wasn’t going to end well, and it didn’t.

But season two takes this dynamic one step further. Two couples going on vacation together clash silently and enter a final act of infidelity that’s solved in a strangely disturbing way. What’s so effective about this decision made by White is that nothing is confirmed. Engaged viewers are able to read between the lines – questions about what happened between Cameron (Theo James) and Harper (Aubrey Plaza) or Daphne (Meghann Fahy) and Ethan (Will Sharpe) are few and far between for the series’ loyal viewers.

That’s not to say that the tension on screen wouldn’t extend to the living room for some couples. On the contrary, the fictional encounters could serve as a reminder for those who have gone through similar situations. For couples who have always been under ideal circumstances, perhaps doubt could arise after viewing. Unfortunately, none of the characters is too much of a stretch for the imagination, particularly the frenemy dynamics between Cameron and Ethan, a familiar dynamic across genders. These reminders of the viewers’ own life could surface memories of an overly friendly encounter between partners and call forth unnecessary arguments.

Not Just Couples

Warner Bros. Television

In the end, it’s all about twisted motivations and how they result in great depictions of horrible characters. White has made a great deal at making them likable in the middle of chaos and whatever comes after. There’s an inevitable effect on the audience, the couples who decide not to snuggle, the family who see their flaws in an HBO show that’s more relatable than they thought.

But The White Lotus goes beyond what we have presented as a simple premise about the probable crisis in households. There are different storylines that range from downright funny to ones pertaining to crime. It all seems to fit the wheel in a show with a smooth drive through several conflicts at once, and in the same idyllic resort haven where dreams can come true, and nightmares too.

Related: These Are Some of the Most Destructive Couples In Movie History

Families like the Mossbachers from season one serve the plot as not only a wealthy, white, entitled family and the microscale dynamic between generations but how macroscale wealthy white entitlement interacts within society. This is seen in the ongoing discussion between the Mossbacher parents, their children, and their daughter’s friend Paula (Brittany O’Grady). Olivia Mossbacher (Sydney Sweeney) often engages her parents in controversial political and social discussions that reveal her parents’ conservative views. It’s unclear whether Olivia’s starting these discussions as an act of rebellion, though it’s hinted at throughout her characterization.

Paula distances herself from the family and grows closer to a native employee working at the resort. She discusses the resort’s foundation on stolen Hawaiian land with Kia, the employee (Kekoa Kekumano), and they devise a plan to steal jewelry from Mrs. Mossbacher so as to buy their land back. Their plan ultimately fails, and Kia ends up getting arrested. The consequence mirrors the dynamic between the upper class’s younger and older generations clashes, which typically result in the lower class facing the repercussions.

The Truth Is Harsh in The White Lotus

HBO

Peering into the reflection that fiction provides is horrific for some and entertaining to others. It’s still something that demands to be looked at. The White Lotus has the capacity to reflect the viewers’ darkest, repressed desires. It certainly sparks interesting conversation, and with The White Lotus season 3 in the works, it is interesting for viewers to return to.

Some couples who watched The White Lotus together when it premiered may no longer be together. Not that the show caused any breakups, but it speaks to the fluid nature of relationships, and nobody truly knows what the future has in store. One season you are watching it with one partner, the next season, it might be with someone new. The White Lotus is a series that embraces the idea that relationships are complex and just how fragile they truly can be.