There's a finely tuned social choreography among the ensemble, so many scenes slowly, brilliantly playing out for maximum discomfort... each player on their absolute A-game.
[Murray] Bartlett and [Jennifer] Coolidge emerge early as the show's MVPs though, both offering performances that cater to their theatrical inclinations whilst remaining centred in a tragic truth.
Aside from a subplot involving cultural reparations that doesn't entirely land, it would have been nice to see a bit more exposition about what point "The White Lotus" is ultimately trying to make.
The most reliable source for laughs - and heartache - stems from Belinda (Natasha Rothwell), the resort's spa manager, and Tanya McQuoid (Jennifer Coolidge), a rich woman in distress over her mother's death.
