Web crashes on ‘The White Lotus’ second season: NPR

MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:

Season 2 of HBO’s thriller drama “The White Lotus” wraps up this weekend. It has already taken the web by storm.

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UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: So I used to be madly obsessive about Season 2 of “White Lotus”.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: I’ve so many “White Lotus” theories.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #3: Final evening’s episode cracked all of the code for me.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #4: “White Lotus” followers – I’ve a principle, and I want to speak about it.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #5: Tanya goes for a stroll.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #6: Let’s speak about this scene from “White Lotus” and what it would reveal concerning the ending.

KELLY: Viewers from afar are attempting to attach the dots behind this thriller. So what’s it about this season that’s so obsessed? Alex Abad-Santos is senior correspondent at Vox and, sure, an enormous fan of the present. He is with us now, and I promise to not spoiler. Alex, hello.

ALEX ABAD-SANTOS: No spoilers.

KELLY: No spoilers.

ABAD-SANTOS: We can’t spoil something.

KELLY: We can’t spoil something.

ABAD-SANTOS: I’ll do my finest.

KELLY: Nicely, I am constitutionally incapable of screwing it up as a result of I watched season 1, however I have not watched – not for a second – season 2. So carry me and everybody listening who’s perhaps in the identical boat conscious. In a nutshell, what’s the premise?

ABAD-SANTOS: Take into consideration the richest folks and the worst folks you recognize vacationing in Sicily in, like, this stunning place, having the worst time of their lives, after which, like, actually, actually implausible performances, and anyone one dies on the finish. We do not know who. And so I believe that is principally why everybody has turn out to be a bit obsessive about this present. And that is why folks – there’s so many conspiracy theories and a lot wild stuff on the market. We won’t but inform if it is a homicide thriller or a manslaughter thriller or how these folks died within the first place.

KELLY: Both approach, it is a thriller, and there is one episode left to settle all of it. OKAY. I wish to get to what we talked about once I was presenting this, why an enormous a part of the expertise this season appears to be the net chat that takes place after every episode. Is that this the return of the water cooler present or what?

ABAD-SANTOS: Appropriate. You talked about you watched the primary season, proper?

KELY: Yeah. Yeah.

ABAD-SANTOS: And that was in Hawaii. There was a demise there, however it wasn’t actually, like a homicide thriller per se as a result of I believe there have been lots of nice cultural concepts about Hawaii and, like, American tourism that have been slightly extra necessary than the sequence.

KELLY: That is proper. So it is totally different each in setting and – they type of refined that plot.

ABAD-SANTOS: Appropriate. After which it isn’t a spoiler, however the very first scene within the sequence is that they’re pulling our bodies of water off the White Lotus station. And it is identical to, we do not know what number of our bodies there are. We simply know folks have died, and we all know they’re visitors of The White Lotus, and that is the place we begin. After which the entire season was type of, like, this story of, like, how we acquired to this place. And so I believe everybody needs to be part of this homicide thriller and clear up it for themselves, proper? So, I imply, one, you’ll be able to inform folks, look; I used to be good sufficient to determine that out. Or, two, it is such as you’re watching it since you do not wish to be spoiled, which I’ll attempt to not do on this present.

KELLY: You are attempting very onerous. Sure. Hats off.

ABAD-SANTOS: There may be a lot of my being that claims all of it. And so that you simply have to inform me the place to go.

KELLY: We will take you off board, Alex. Don’t worry.

ABAD-SANTOS: Nice.

KELLY: I imply how folks watch this versus how lots of us have grown accustomed to watching a present, the place you’ll be able to simply binge in your sofa in a weekend. And you understand how it ends earlier than your good friend even begins watching.

ABAD-SANTOS: Appropriate.

KELLY: Individuals have to attend. Like, we’re all – you recognize, if you wish to watch it, it airs on Sunday. You needed to wait as a result of that is fragmented (ph), episode by episode.

ABAD-SANTOS: Appropriate. I believe we come again to this concept of, like, yeah, if there is a Sunday evening TV present, folks wish to tune in. Like, no person needs to be the final individual to know, like, who’s lifeless, proper? And I believe the one feeling worse than that’s somebody ruining it for you. So I believe there’s an crucial and, like, the will to look at it dwell. However I additionally suppose the opposite type of fulfilling factor is that when you watch it dwell, you’ve got a complete group of individuals you’ll be able to discuss to about it – proper? – like, nicely, perhaps not you as a result of you have not seen all of this season. However I am ready to speak to somebody who died on “White Lotus” Monday morning and even Sunday evening or textual content folks.

KELLY: Are we seeing a revival of the basic thriller? I take into consideration this present. I believe – I watched “Unhealthy Sisters” on Apple TV. I favored it. Motion pictures like ‘Glass Onion’ – the place does ‘White Lotus’ slot in with the others?

ABAD-SANTOS: I imply, I believe “White Lotus” and “Glass Onion” – there’s lots of similarities there in that they are each very rich folks. And it is a thriller amongst very, very rich individuals who may also be form of sociopaths, who may also be emotionally abusive in direction of one another. And so I believe there’s positively, like, a crossover. Like, yeah, I am positive there’s lots of people who like “White Lotus” who would love “Glass Onion.”

KELLY: Alright. So disconnect and provides me your finest pitch. For me, for somebody like me who hasn’t turned on “White Lotus” but this yr, ought to we? Ought to we be frantically binging all weekend to be caught up and prepared for Sunday?

ABAD-SANTOS: Okay. There are six episodes which were proven. The seventh episode is on Sunday. It is solely about six instances 40 minutes per episode. You could possibly most likely do it in a day.

KELLY: I may do it. Yeah.

ABAD-SANTOS: You could possibly do it.

KELLY: Alex Abad-Santos, senior correspondent at Vox and king of no spoilers. Thanks rather a lot.

ABAD-SANTOS: Thanks.

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