
'The White Lotus' unpacks the staff-guest divide through the window of a luxury resort
CNN
If you're itching for a tropical vacation, "The White Lotus" might cool those jets. The edgy, engrossing six-part HBO limited series follows multiple stories in a kind of modern "Upstairs, Downstairs" fashion.
The simple set-up involves a boat of luxury travelers arriving at an exclusive Hawaiian resort, where the eager-to-please staff waits to greet them. But "Fantasy Island" this isn't; rather, the guests turn to be an especially high-maintenance bunch, in ways that challenge the hotel's manager, Armond ("Looking's" Murray Bartlett, a particular standout among a terrific cast), who counsels employees about creating "an overall impression of vagueness" and the need to treat the patrons "like sensitive children."
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