The popular HBO series The white lotus has dominated TV news of late thanks to a whopping 11 Primetime Emmy nominations and the announcement of a second season, turning the show into a veritable anthology series — one in which each season features an entirely new cast. The best nomination for the show probably comes from the nomination for Outstanding Limited of Anthology Series, a category that the show per PEOPLEwon at the Emmy ceremony on September 12, 2022.
With season two set to release later in 2022, the announcement of the new cast sparked new conversations about… The white lotus thanks to its stars. Big names like Aubrey Plaza, Jennifer Coolidge and Theo James, to name a few, are helping to keep intact the possibility of another round of nominations for multiple supporting actors. While season two hopes to be as successful as season one, let’s revisit some of the best moments from season one.
7 The attempted robbery
In the fifth episode, Paula (Brittany O’Grady), her island crush, Kai, helps break into the Mossbacher’s room to steal jewelry from Nicole Mossbacher (Connie Britton). Paula was invited to the Mossbacher’s family vacation because she is friends with Olivia (Sydney Sweeney). As the week of vacation progresses, Paula comes into conflict with the wealthy family, convincing her beloved Kai that he and his people deserve more. During what should have been a family boat trip, Paula tells Kai that he could break into the safe and steal the jewelry without getting caught. Unsurprisingly, Nicole ends up going back to the room to find Kai there. He pushes her out of the way, only to be faced with the return of Mark (Steve Zahn). Mark fights him off and saves his wife from the attack, something that finally brings Nicole back to appreciate Mark as a man and puts an end to their long period of lack of intimacy.
6 The soft side of Olivia
During the first season of The white lotus, until almost the end Olivia is not a sympathetic character. Until the season one finale, Olivia is honestly a snarky self-conscious brat. She is privileged and a few times she gets cocky towards other guests and even her friend Paula. After determining that Paula had something to do with the attempted robbery, rather than being her usual self, we see Olivia holding Paula instead of confronting her. While this act may not make up for her behavior for most of the journey, it does serve as a way for viewers to see a bit of a character arc for Olivia.
5 Belinda stands up for herself
During season one of The white lotus, Belinda (Natasha Rothwell) is swept away by Tanya (Jennifer Coolidge), who, after a session with the Spa Manager in the first episode, expresses an interest in investing in Belinda and her dreams of owning her own spa. Tanya and Belinda try to meet and discuss business several times, but Tanya, who is in Hawaii to scatter her mother’s ashes at sea, is distracted by first her mother’s death and then a new love interest. In the final episode, Belinda finally gets the cash investment she wanted, but not in the way she initially had. Her apparent friendship with Tanya and her connections were what she was more interested in than a handful of money. While she is being led on by Tanya, another hotel guest, Rachel (Alexandra Daddario), also asks for Belinda’s advice. In the finale, she calls Belinda to her room and shares her concerns about her new husband to Belinda. In arguably the season’s most iconic line, Belinda replies, “My advice? I’m all out,” then walks out, leaving Rachel stunned.
4 Shane’s tantrums
Shane (Jake Levy) is the son of a wealthy real estate family. From the beginning of The white lotus, viewers get to see what a spoiled brat/man-child Shane is. Although he is there on honeymoon with his new wife Rachel, he spends more time complaining about the room change than actually spending time with his wife. In the show’s opening moments, he tells a couple who ask him how his vacation went to “leave him alone,” and things only get worse from there. When the hotel accidentally doubles up on the Pineapple Suite, also known as the nicest room in the resort, Shane makes life hell for hotel manager Armond, resorting to tantrums and even calling his mother. It’s no wonder his wife is afraid it was a mistake to marry him.
3 Quinn stays in Hawaii
Quinn Mossbacher (Fred Hechinger) may have the best character arc in The white lotus. When he arrives on the island, he is a child obsessed with technology. After spending the night on the beach, thanks to his sister forcing him to try and sleep in the kitchen, he wakes up to find that the flood has destroyed his phone, iPad, and gaming system. While he finds himself lost without his technology, he begins to appreciate the Hawaiian culture around him. One morning, he asks to join a group of Hawaiians who ride a Hōkūle’a or travel canoe. While befriending this group, Quinn finds it more difficult to want to leave the island. In the finale, when his family forces him to come home, he sneaks out and returns to the resort while the rest of his family board the plane. While we don’t get to see the family’s reaction, we can bet they weren’t too happy that their only son went missing.
2 Tayna scatters her mother’s ashes (finally)
Tanya’s sole purpose in coming to The White Lotus resort was to scatter her mother’s ashes at sea. Although she’s not allowed to scatter the ashes until the finale, it’s the subject of almost all of her conversations at the resort. Originally, she doesn’t want to disperse her mother too close to shore for fear of being washed ashore, but when she charters a boat to disperse her mother further out to sea, she can’t bring herself to do it. But rest assured, once she’s scattered her mother’s ashes, she does so in typical Tanya fashion—dancing and spinning, creating a scene—one that Quinn watches from his makeshift bed on the beach.
1 Armond’s Revenge
Armond is the hotel manager of The White Lotus, which means he bears the brunt of all complaints from hotel guests. When man-child Shane makes his life hell, Armond gains momentum and decides to return to his sobriety with drinking and drugs. His relapse spills over into his job, and he’s actually fired from the higher ranks after Shane’s tantrums climb the ladder to business. During a night of partying with some hotel workers, Armond finally takes revenge on Shane for the past week’s torment. He uses his key card to enter Shane’s room and when he sees his suitcase, he decides to make a dump on top of all his polo shirts. Unfortunately, the revenge is short-lived when Shane returns and captures Armond. Without spoiling the ending, let’s just say this is the last the two will ever have to deal with.