Rating A｜The White Lotus: An Excellent Interpretation of Gender Relations

The White Lotus is one of the best dramas I have watched in the past two years. One is because the production is excellent, and it also satisfies the desire to spy on rich peoples’ lives. What’s more, the themes are worthy of deep thought, including class, but also human nature.

In the White Lotus, the reason for constant conflicts is that it is actually a huge stage, and there are only two types of actors: foreign tourists (rich people and their families) and service providers (locals and hotel managers). Therefore, they either have money or provide services to rich people.

It's said that traveling together can test a relationship because the minutiae of travel can constantly magnify problems. Even the rich people who are already at the top of the pyramid keep revealing their animalistic side, which is the very side they are trying so hard to hide.

If the first season focused more on human nature under class conflicts, then the second season has been added a new element: sex. It gathers contradictions and makes their hypocrisy even more inescapable.

The disintegration of monogamy: the transition from the middle class to the wealthy

For the first two days, it is clear that Ethan and Cameron are different, so as their wives.

Cameron and his wife don't watch the news or vote, while Harper and Ethan stick to the so-called humanitarian spirit. They don't watch entertainment programs, and care about current affairs. As a labor lawyer, Harper firmly believes that she can sympathize with most people, so she looks down on Cameron. The conflicts between the two couples are difficult to reconcile.

It seems impossible for Ethan and Harper to become the same people as Cameron while they are both wealthy, however, sex can be the catalyst. The more Harper hates Cameron, the more she can’t ignore his sex appeal.

In the first episode, Harper and Cameron return to the room to change clothes, and Cameron begins to change pants in front of her

On the day Daphne takes Harper out, Cameron starts to brainwash Ethan. Ethan firmly believes in the correctness of the monogamous system and would rather masturbate to vent his desire than cheat. But Cameron tells him:

"Monogamy is a system created by the elite to control the middle class. The most ambitious have the strongest sexual desires." This line really made me giddy.

Later, Cameron calls two prostitutes to party. Although Ethan rejected the prostitutes, his rationality at this time is not so much related to his love for Harper, but his fear. When looking at Cameron who is kissing prostitute on the sofa, he is probably wondering if he could refuse them again.

After rejecting the prostitute, Ethan leans against the wall alone and falls into emotion

It can be seen that Ethan is gradually being shaken. As for Harper, facing her husband who is no longer so trustworthy, her defense is also collapsing. When she started responding to Cameron's teasing, she was becoming the person once hated.

On the other hand, when Ethan suspects Harper and Cameron's affair, Daphne advises him "you are not a victim, use your imagination to get a balance". Then she takes Ethan to an isolated island and gives him a "gender relation" lesson.

As for what really happened among those two couples, it is not clear in the drama, though we can make it clear and “use our imagination”.

After betraying the traditional monogamy, the relationship between Harper and Ethan has reached a climax and become an “ordinary” wealthy couple.

Maybe when they come home, Ethan won't hesitate to call a prostitute, and Harper would find a charming guy as her personal trainer too. It is breaking the obsession with monogamy that allow Ethan and Harper to complete the transition from the middle class to the next level.

Daphne, who seems sober, is actually the victim

Many people say that Daphne is the one who is really sober, and they may not see the real irony of the drama.

When she talks about the affair of Cameron, she says, “Don’t feel sorry for me, I’m not the victim.”

But is that what she really thinks?

What does “I’m not a victim” means? In my opinion, those who make their own decision are not the victims.

Cameron cheats anytime he wants to, he is not the victim. For his wife, when she cheats after knowing his affair, it can be said as a kind of compromise, not a decision.

The real reason she doesn't get divorced is that she understands how terrible the wealthy people are and she knows what to do in order to survive. To maintain her dignity, she not only has to glorify but also hypnotize herself.

When one can be confident in the face of unreasonable things, this is not wisdom, but closer to a disguise. In psychological terms, this is a rationalization defense mechanism.

Rationalization refers to creating possible reasons to mitigate harm. Using this approach can prevent a person from breaking down when they encounter unacceptable setbacks. But this is not a solution to the problem, but an immature psychological defense mechanism.

There is a detail in the drama. When Daphne makes a video call with her son, Cameron seems inpatient. Let’s make a bold speculation, maybe Cameron knows that his son is not his own? In this case, Cameron has become the victim of her cheating, but cannot say anything as he knows he cheats first. What’ s more, he will lose part of his property if they divorce. So, the best way for their both is pretend to see nothing.

Then, the relationship between rich couples has really become a game of mutual checks and balances.

"it's a penis, not a sunset"

This line is from the grandpa in the drama, seems like a condensed summary.

At first glance, the three of them have very different values. The Grandpa is an old hooligan who likes to molest young girls; The father is a Hollywood producer, and his wife wants to divorce because of his so-many affairs; Albie, the son, is a feminist who has received modern education.

But actually, they are all scumbags. Let’s take Albie as an example and make an analysis.

As a Stanford graduate, he is smart enough to know how to make a girl happy. Before kissing, he would ask "Can I kiss you", and then make an appointment to see the girl tomorrow, which seems really polite. And after having sex with a prostitute, she asks him to pay, and although he pays, he claims that it is not that he does not want to pay, but the paying behavior made him feel she is being exploited. And wouldn't he be escalating this exploitation by both having sex with her and refuse to pay?

The prostitute tells him she owe $50,000, and Albee wants to "save" her by asking his father for money in exchange for speaking well of him in front of his mother. It is very self-righteous behavior to sacrifice one’s happiness for another.

It is precisely because they are scumbags that the prostitute can have sex with them, and finally earn 50,000 dollars from them.

We are not talking about men cannot have sexual desires for women, but when sexual desires are wrapped in "I can sleep with many women, and when I get home, my wife should cook for me. The reason why I do this is testicles’ influence, you must forgive me". Influenced by the patriarchal fantasy in "The Godfather", it can be called “scum”.

The Grandpa thinks that his wife didn't leave him because she loves him unconditionally, and he doesn't admit the harm he caused. His son has witnessed the process, but still repeats what his father did to his wife. As for what kind of man Albie will become in the future, I think my attitude is also pessimistic.

Lack of love is her Achilles' heel

Tanya is a special one among the rich. She is neither hypocritical nor calculating, all she wants is love.

After her parents died, she inherits billions of dollars in property, but she feels insecure in love. In season 2, she has been married to Greg, but the marriage is obviously not happy. Although spending a lot of money to cure him, Tanya felt even more insecure, and even eavesdropped on his phone calls to suspect that he had cheated.

Without hesitation, she steps into the trap Greg prepared for her. Although she notice Greg’s photo when she has sex with the cowherd, she decides to ignore it. It can only be said that Tanya chooses to die.

I cannot accept the ending when first watching, but maybe it is ironic that She actually had many opportunities to save herself, but she missed them all. Why did those old gays praise her, why did a handsome Italian guy fall in love with her at first sight, she doesn’t want to think about it because she lacks love too much.

After killing three people, the most tangled question for her is still whether her husband had cheated.

This is exactly where the second season is crueler than the first season. The rich gradually degenerated, and the prostitutes finally get what they want. Sincerity is worth nothing compared to money.

Is the world getting better? Nobody really cares about it. Sicily is still that romantic tourist destination, but no one really puts down their desires and stops for its view.