Last week I paid a plumber £140 to explain to me that, to improve the water pressure in my bathroom, I should hold the palm of my hand over the end of the tap and run it until the water reverses up the pipe and removes the airlock. The experience of doing this – feeling the water stream in, the sink shudder and then, finally, releasing a torrent of backed-up water – reminded me of watching Sky Atlantic’s The White Lotus, Mike White’s feverishly stressful satire of modern capitalism.
This time, the action is relocated to a Thai wellness spa – complete with an unenforceable digital detox policy – nestled in the coastal jungle. Monitor lizards scuttle on pathways, monkeys leer from trees, and the wealthy assemblage of guests luxuriate in total serenity. Of course, that calm doesn’t last long – and will ultimately culminate in gunfire that pierces the sanctuary. This is The White Lotus after all. Some things might change – the location, the dramatis personae – but we’re always going to end up with a body.
