Welcome back to Analyze Scripts, where a psychiatrist and a therapist analyze what Hollywood gets right and wrong about mental health. Today, we are analyzing "White Lotus" Season 2. In this season we follow Tanya and Greg to beautiful Sicily where the water is a dreamy blue and the passion red hot. This season has received 23 Emmy nominations and we think they deserve them all! We continue to analyze Tanya for a personality disorder, discuss the power and currency of sex, and talk all things complicated relationships. If you are missing this season come along with us to admire the clothing, food and of course their mental health. We hope you enjoy!
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Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: Hi, I'm Dr. Katrina Fury, a psychiatrist.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: And I'm Portia Pendleton, a licensed clinical social worker.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: And this is Analyze Scripts, a podcast where two shrinks analyze the depiction of mental health in movies and TV shows.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Our hope is that you learn some legit info about mental health while feeling like you're chatting with your girlfriends.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: There is so much misinformation out there, and it drives us nuts.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: And if someday we pay off our student loans or land a sponsorship, like.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: With a lay flat airline or a major beauty brand, even better.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: So sit back, relax, grab some popcorn.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: And your DSM Five, and enjoy.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Welcome back to another episode of Analyze Scripts. Today we are covering White Lotus, season two. I'm so excited. The scenery is beautiful. They're in Italy.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: Oh, my gosh.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: I just want to be there.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: You've been to Italy?
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: I have that part or a different no. So I think this is in Sicily.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: Yes.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: So I visited Naples and then Positano and Capri.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: Oh, wow. Oh. Was it like this?
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: It was literally everything of the sort. Like, stunning, beautiful, incredible. The food I could write home about every day. Just the most beautiful, stunning place ever I've been.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: I mean, that reads true in this series. It looks so beautiful.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: I definitely want to go there. I noticed, too, in season one of White Lotus, right, there's a lot of cuts of the water, the waves crashing, that the water scene often either comes out of or into another scene of a person. It kind of fades into the scene of underwater or something. So I think that's like an interesting.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: And sometimes it would be like the waves are slowly, gently crashing. Other times, there's a big crash. And I feel like that was purposeful and sort of played into the scene or what's going on with the then, you know, spoiler alert. Tanya eventually dies in the water.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: The water takes her.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: The water takes her. She almost made it. Like, I thought she was going to make it, and then she slips.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: I think that was they said the writer director was commenting on how it was so important for him that Tanya did not die at the hands of someone else, that she still was kind of able like, she still was in charge even though she slipped and died, but he didn't want her being killed. Know the quote unquote gaze?
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: Yes.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Oh, my gosh.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: So let's just jump right in, I think, with Tanya. Yes. So we talked a little bit about our feelings toward her last time we recapped season one. We talked a lot about how she displays some traits and characteristics of borderline personality disorder and how the character talks about how her mother actually also had borderline personality disorder. Did you feel, Portia, like that was consistent in season two or I think so, yeah. What did you notice?
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: So I think, again, her interpersonal experiences with both Greg with know, fun to see my name in the light, for one. She just seems to really be only thinking about. Right. So, like can't hear Portia. They were having a conversation. We were talking about this before the podcast. And it's like she almost like tunes her. It's kind of is talking over her. Just goes back to her. Right, right. She can't even hear Portia. I think she's asking for a day off to Albie.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: Yeah, there was that scene where Portia was like, I know I'm kind of on the clock, but could I take the day and hang out with Albie? And she sort of tries to make a case for it, and there's like a pause. And then Tanya just keeps talking about her own issues. Like doesn't even acknowledge that Portia said anything. Almost like Portia didn't say anything. And I think that actually so tracks with people with cluster b traits, whether it's borderline narcissistic histrionic that the way they relate to other people is almost like other people in their lives are objects that are only there. To serve a purpose in relation to really? They can't see these people as their own independent humans who have their own wants and needs, who are both good and bad. Right, exactly. And so Tanya couldn't even hear it, didn't even register in her consciousness that Portia was asking for some distance from her. And I think that probably played into her intense fear of abandonment. And she just didn't even acknowledge it. I thought that was such a smartly written scene. And I wonder if the writers were really going for that, if they knew, or if that just happened, if that's just the way I'm interpreting it.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: I feel like it's got to be intentional just because it's so perfect, you know? And Greg also says to her at one point, I think at the beginning when he sees that Portia is there, they get into a fight and he says, you discard people. You drop people on a dime, you fire people. And then she calls him a full of ****, man. And then she says, I hate so. Like, I think that even their dynamic you see over the couple of episodes that he's there in Italy with her for, she's really easily know. She's really emotive. Which again, if someone was on vacation with me, like my partner, and all of a sudden they were like, oh yeah, I'm going to leave you for two days, I might have a reaction to that as well.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: It was unknown. So again, maybe that's why she brought Portia, because she had a feeling he was going to leave and she didn't want to be.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: So my question is the ultimate kind of problem or issue, I guess I would say with Bpd is right, the fear of abandonment. And so is Tanya picking up on Greg's right like other relationship, his obviously very nefarious plan to have her murdered know, I think this is hard talking with clients. It's like, are you picking up on something that's real or not?
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: Or are you projecting such a difficult question?
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Exactly.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: That is such a hard question. I also think as a therapist, it's really hard when you only have your patient's perspective. I wonder if that's easier to pick up in couples or family work. But I think that's part of the therapy is learning where your own baggage ends and where the person you're interacting with begins. And that is almost like the definition of an interpersonal boundary which people with these personality disorders really struggle with. And we see that displayed so know throughout this series with Tanya. And I think you're totally like, at first when I was watching this, I thought Greg was upset Portia was there because he wanted to just be on vacation with her. Then I realized it's because he was planning to murder her and didn't want a witness. But yeah, why did she bring Portia? Like a why does she have an why? Um, but I wonder if she was picking up on, like, pulling like, we easily see that. We also easily saw that in season, like, from the yeah. And we talked about how, like, isn't a safe attachment figure for her, but that's probably what she's used to. So for her, that feels like it's, you know, and we just see how mean he is to her, like, with the macaroons. Right?
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Yeah, totally.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: So mean. He's just always putting her down, always criticizing her. It's just mean.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: And in some points, I was like, it's interesting, Tanya's interpretation of that. Right.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: She said to herself, like, oh, he.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Cares so much about me. That's why he's saying that. And it's like, no, he just said something mean to you. But then, on the other hand, she has a quote unquote inappropriate reaction to something that isn't that bad. So it's just like her it's skewed where and again, I'm a third party. I'm also a therapist. It's also a show, but I'm watching. I'm like, Tanya, you should have had a bigger reaction to him, like food shaming you and a lesser reaction over here, right.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: And a bigger reaction when you overhear him in the bathroom saying, like, I love you. I'll be there soon. And I know, right?
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: That's what was just, like, interesting, confusing, and I think maybe difficult for someone who doesn't know or isn't thinking about her in terms of Bpd.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: Yeah. But I also wonder if that is just, like, a really accurate portrayal of the inner world of someone with Bpd. She was saying at one point to Portia later on in the season, basically saying, like, Portia, you remind me a lot of me when I was younger, and you could see Portia, like, recoil inside, like, no, no, I don't want to be like you. But then she said to Portia, when you're empty inside and you have no direction, you'll end up in some crazy places, but you'll still be lost. I think she said that to her after Portia and Jack sort of, like, dined and ditched, and Portia was, like, sort of high off the thrill of that. And Tanya was like, Aaron, teeny balls are like a like, what are you doing with this guy? And I just thought that spoke to another core feature of borderline personality disorder, which is this pervasive inner sense of emptiness. And I think that's exactly what Tanya was speaking to. And I thought that was just, like, a really beautiful way to put words to a really difficult experience. And I just thought in general, we've really got a feel for the chaotic inner world of, like, in all of her big reactions, her small reactions, where you think they should have been bigger, and just kind of all of it. Like, her whole character, I thought, really just portrayed the inner emotional chaos people with Bpd often feel and how, again, that's in such discrepancy to also their inner emptiness. And that goes right back to that old sort of, like, splitting defense mechanism. Right. It's just fascinating and just really well written, really well portrayed.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Yeah. I think Tanya I wish that she could go on to season three. I know I'm definitely disappointed that she's not going to be, but also, I think that was intentional. This was the end of her story, and we'll see if there's some talks that maybe Portia is in season three.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: I would love that.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: That was a cliffhanger. Like, what does she do with this? You know, is in this weird position of being scared and not sure if it was Tanya. Right. She learns from Albie that a guest was found dead in the water, and then there was this ship with all these gunshot weddings, and that's kind of all she knows.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: And I just think I hate I.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Just how dare you?
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: How dare you? Greg and I just feel like he's going to get off, like, he's going to inherit all the money. He just used everyone he used. Right. Like, we come to find that Greg was like, the cowboy from the past that Quinton was in love with. And it sounds like I didn't quite understand why Quentin felt such loyalty to Greg, but he's, like, doing his dirty work, I think for financial reasons, too. Like, Greg's like, I'll give you some of the money. It sounds like Quentin really needed it. He's kind of spent all his money, but he used that love from Quentin to get rid of his wife so he could get the money. And he also knew that Quentin and his friends could suck Tanya in, and she would quickly idealize them, which she does with everyone, and she did. And they knew how to make her feel exactly how to manipulate. I was like, is he trying to give her make the last week of her life the best ever. Like, even when they play out her fantasy in Italy on the Vespa, which I thought was hilarious, I was like, on the one hand, you're like, is that kind of nice? But then you know you're going to kill her, or is it just like you're getting even more over on her?
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Well, and how do you do that as a person, right? Like, if we try to diagnose Greg, what does that even look like? I mean, you come into someone's life and have the gall to take their family money after being married to them for a year. It's just so gross. How do you think you can do that?
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: I think he's, like a know, and I think he just is so and again, like, is looking and relating to Tanya as just like a means to an end for like, she's an object to him, and now he's ready to discard her and kill her. And I was just so sad that it took her so long to figure it out. And even as she is shooting the gays, as she calls them, she asks, is Greg having an affair? And again, it just speaks to that is the core fear of abandonment. Like her life is in danger, and she still wants that answer. Right.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Because that's more heartbreaking.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: Right? It's just so heartbreaking because it's almost.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Like the money isn't about her, but him cheating on her is about her.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: Right. And her just being so rejected and unimportant, and yet he treats her as unimportant, and he rejects her all the time, and she's constantly coming back, wanting to feel good enough, and she's just not. Like, she'll never get that with him, but she doesn't have a secure sense of self enough to be able to walk away.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: No, totally. I think, too, there was some question of were we seeing more borderline traits with her or more histrionic traits, right, yeah. So histrionic just a little bit of background is in the same cluster as borderline. You experience discomfort when you're not the center of attention. You might engage in provocative or dramatic behavior. There's, like, mood swings, over the top, displays of emotion. So some of these sound, like, pretty in line with Bpd, seeking reassurance or validation. Extreme sensitivity to criticism. Impulsive behavior, easily influenced, but also, like, a lack of concern for others, which I think in some ways, Bpd, it's not a lack of concern of others due to being how do I say this? Because you want to. It's almost like you have deep concern for others. You are often just so stuck in your head about you because your emotions are so intense. A lot of people with Bpd have care. Loved ones do have great relationships, are often used or often vulnerable. So I think that was just, like, a little bit of a difference.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: Where do you think Tanya falls?
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: I think more in Bpd, especially just primarily because we know of her trauma history, and we know we think of her mom's diagnosis. There's less research with histrionic personality disorder, so maybe they also have strong connections to childhood attachment trauma, but the research is more so currently with Bpd.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: And like you're saying, Portia, there's so much overlap. And that is why we sort of lump or think about personality development when we're trying to organize such a complicated, convoluted topic into more concrete ways of understanding it. We've sort of come up with these clusters, like these buckets of, like well, people with these types of personality traits tend to have one of these personality disorders, but often there's some overlap. So she very well could have traits of both. And sometimes some traits might be louder, others are softer. And it can go back and forth. Yeah.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: No, someone I saw online, the main difference between histrionic and Bpd is that Bpd with I'm sorry, that histrionic personality disorder are motivated more by receiving and their desire for attention, while people with Bpd are more motivated by fear of abandonment and rejection. But I would ask, like, okay, but why do people with HPD need this desire for attention and different from narcissism? Exactly. So I think there's some questions that I have with HPD.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: Yeah, I feel like HPD we don't talk about as much. It doesn't get as much airtime, I guess, in the media or even clinically. Maybe we kind of leave it at like, oh, those are histrionic behaviors. Yeah, I would say. And then what.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Do we come from?
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: Right. And how is that different from someone with narcissistic traits also needing to be the center of attention? Or else they feel like nothing.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Right.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: Is that what's similar? And people with histrionic personality disorder just really act out in a more behavioral, attention seeking way?
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: It just feels unclear to me.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: It does feel unclear, and it's murky. And again, I think it is unclear because personality development is so complicated, and sometimes this is just us trying to put words to such a complicated topic.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: No, I agree. And some of the parts of thinking back to attachment trauma, childhood trauma, maybe, is when Tanya is having sex with Greg, right. And she says that she is disassociating.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: Disassociating. I just want to put this out there. The word is dissociate. Dissociate. I hear so many dissociating. It is a tricky word with all the S's and C's, but I don't think it's disassociate. But I hear a lot of people say it that way. I don't know why. Maybe this is just splitting hairs, and I'm just being a snob, but I thought that was hilarious. Right. And again, so well written and perfect. Right. Like, her and Greg are finally having sex. She had come in in her beautiful lingerie, beautiful. Trying to get his attention after he'd really shamed her for all the macaroons. He's so mean to her and so dismissive. Like he's just constantly rejecting her. But finally he's like, okay, let's do it. And then as they're having sex, she freaks out, right, and pushes him away. Pushes him off of her. And he gets offended and annoyed. And she's like, I'm sorry. I was just disassociating. Do you remember what she was imagining in that moment?
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Well, it kept, I thought, showing, like, one of those statues or those heads.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: Yeah.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: And then she tells him she's like, this head was on you and then you were gone and you were right in my face. And he's just, like, looking at her like, she has three heads. And then he's I didn't I didn't get off. And she's like, okay. I was proud of her for know, getting him off.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: Me too, Portia, because it was so interesting. Right. They're finally connected in a very physical, intimate, sexual way. And then she dissociates and pushes him away. And I wanted to be like that. Is your gut instinct telling you, Get away from him. He is dangerous, but she can't stay there too long. But she did stay there enough where she didn't just get right back to having sex. Which, again, I was proud of her for, but only further pushed him away.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Yeah.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: What a fascinating scene. I would love to interview Mike White and just pick his brain and figure out how did he get these complex interpersonal dynamics depicted just so perfectly. I'm just now realizing also, his name is in the title White Lotus.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: That's funny.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: Interesting.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: So then we know around Tanya, Greg and Portia's kind of dynamic, we see.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: Portia and Jack develop who's the alleged nephew of Quentin. And then we find them having sex. So we sort of come to find out he's not actually the nephew. He's also being used. That was sad to me. That was really sad. And to see that actor really portray the heartbreak when he was really drunk and talking to Portia near the end.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: How did you feel with all that? I thought it was really sad. My guesses are maybe that he was struggling either with contemplating suicide when Quentin came about him. Maybe some substance use, maybe being unhoused.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: He probably had his own trauma history.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Seems like he was in a really dark place. I mean, he says, then he cries. Which is so different from this character that Jack, the character, is portraying as this macho man who's very appealing to Portia after she has been having some fun with Albie, who we will cover. You know, Albie seems more like kind, soft spoken, very aware of using consent. And Portia is then all of a sudden very taken by Jack who kind of comes in and kisses her. And it's more like a little bit aggressive and hot and sexy to her. But we see this downside to it, which, again, is not typical. Typically, if someone's kind of like taking swept off your feet in that way, you don't end up in a murder plot. But know, I think just Jack's story was like it made me sad.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: It made me sad too. I found him really obnoxious, and as soon as he came into the show, I was like, oh, no, Portia, you've been talking about how you want to make better decisions. Albie's right here. He seems really sweet, but you're noticing, like, he's not chaotic enough or bad enough. And then here comes this guy. And I was like, oh, no, she's totally going to go for him, and he's going to be such a bad choice. But I still feel like she's, like, young and learning these things and making these choices and mistakes, and it all.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Feels very appropriate, to be honest.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: Yeah, this feels like kind of like appropriate development. I did find her costumes really interesting. I felt like she was such a great character that just embodies the early 20s person of today. I actually thought her dialogue with Albie on the pool chairs just about how struggling through COVID and how it affected her mental health. And now she's feeling lost. She doesn't know what to do for a job. She has this awful boss. I was like, this is all so accurate, and she's really putting good words to it. But then she's opening up a lot to him and dumping a lot on him, and he's, like, just listening. That didn't feel like a really equal relationship right away.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Well, maybe that was part of her discomfort, maybe after a while with Albie and then why Jack felt so good because he didn't know anything about her. Right? It was just purely physical. She hadn't shared anything emotional with him. It was just like, based off having sex and being hot and sexy and doing these wild things, and there was no nothing deeper emotional vulnerability.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: And in that way, I kind of did find myself wondering, is Portia like, a younger version of Tanya? Is this sort of the development of something like Bpd or attachment? Like, she's opening up to Albie so quickly, but then pulls away so quickly? Is that more in line with a personality disorder brewing, or is this also just like, normal development and she's figuring it out and just like, what an interesting character. I felt like she some of her clothes I loved, and then some of them reminded me of limited two. And I think, again, that was probably intentional to just play up, like, how she's so childish and immature in some ways. But again, she's like a young person.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: And they did intentionally include her talking right about COVID being alone. And I think we've seen both littles adults and really specifically, at least for me, adolescents, and how COVID and the social isolation and not being around your peers has impacted them. I see a lot of more immature behaviors that shouldn't be, quote, unquote, happening. So I think even so, if we picture her more as maybe like she's a little stunted 18 instead of maybe 22. I'm thinking, right when you get out of college, she feels more appropriate.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: And again, like we talked about last time, we've talked about before, you can get psychologically stunted when a trauma has occurred and COVID is a trauma. We have all lived through this collective trauma, but it affects us all in different ways. And we are seeing just skyrocketing rates of youth and adolescent mental health issues also in adults, but I think especially in that population, it's huge. And that social isolation was a really big deal and it was a really scary time for people and for the youth. So I totally agree. I was really glad that they touched on that. I also thought it was interesting that I guess the first season of White Lotus was filmed in 2020, and that was partly why they were restricted to the resort. Remember? I was always like, why doesn't anyone go explore Hawai? And I'm like, oh. And then season two was still in COVID y times, but things were loosening up so they could film elsewhere and leave the resort a little more. And I was like, oh, that makes a lot of yeah, but that scene when Portia's like, starting to put together that something really bad is going on and then I couldn't tell if she was supposed to be killed too, and then Jack spares her or if he was just supposed to keep her away. What did you think of that?
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: I think it's left intentionally kind of like, unclear. There was some talk of why didn't he kill her? And it was just more people were talking about it's not because he loves her at all. They developed this connection. It's just because of his character. He's not a murderer. Yes, he's capable of other things, but we saw how it feels like all this world that he's in is so destructive for him. And he's kind of holding the line at like, and I'm not a killer. He seemed torn for that know, he was angry, which I think, you know, coming off to Portia, which again is so like, he seemed scary. Yeah, he might kill, but like, I don't know, maybe there's some inner conflict at that, like, what to do? And then he drops her off right kind of near the airport and just go to the I thought, you know, that to me was like, he's a victim of his circumstances, but still has like a moral compass.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: Right? Yeah. And I thought, did he end up having sex with Quentin to spare know? Was that happening all along? I bet it was happening all along, but he really seemed so distraught. And I really didn't know until he drove away if Portia was going to be okay until we saw her in the airport again. And I don't know if he knew. I don't know if he was supposed to bring her back or not, or if he was going to then get hurt because he didn't follow through with the plan, or I just really felt for him by the end. I found him really obnoxious at first, and then learning about his whole backstory, he's just so vulnerable and was just taken advantage of. It's so sad.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Yeah. I mean, I think Portia's character, people like, I wouldn't say maybe loved, but some people had really big reactions to her. Didn't like her at all. Thought she was, like, the main villain.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: Of the that I find shocking. Yeah. The main villain. Right. Like, whoa.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: I think that's more and this know, my opinion. I would imagine that's probably coming from a little bit of an older commentator who's watching, because I think if you are a working with Gen Z or if you are in Gen Z, she feels really normal, feels so relatable. And I think she's actually not the villain. She's trying to find herself. She's, like, in Italy with her boss. She doesn't know what to do with. Like, it all makes sense. So she actually had come out with a quote, which I thought was interesting yeah. About commenting on people not liking her. And she said it. The one thing that I thought was actually kind of unfair and warped was the people who were saying that she was awful or that she was the real villain of the season. There's no way that you can look at that young woman and be like, she is the most awful one on this show. People who think that way should go to therapy. And I was like, or maybe just spend some time around the yeah, yeah.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: I totally so, you know, expanding out from know, we talked a little bit about Albie and just the stark difference between Albie versus Jack and how they were so different and how you sort of saw both cute.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Yeah, of course.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: Both, like, physically know. But yeah, albie went to Stanford. He seems really modest. He humble, he's really sweet, sensitive, and it's like, you can tell she kind of wants to be attracted to that guy, but there's something missing for her, like that spark and that sexiness. And I think all people maybe can relate to that or I think a lot of people have felt that at different points in their life. Probably in their early 20s. Yeah. And then here comes Jack, and she's just, like, totally taken by him. What did you think of Albie's character?
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: I thought that he was so interesting in how season or episode one portrayed him. And then the final episode, episode seven, did. So it's like we learn that he is kind of stuck in the middle of this family dynamic, where he's often the moderator. He often, it seems like, also has power in the family. He can kind of go to mom or dad and make changes or make.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: Them move things over.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Yeah, exactly. So he seems initially really sensitive, and I think he still is, but he's sensitive. He does not like what his dad, Dominic, is doing to his mom. It sounds like Dominic has chronic issues with cheating. Maybe some kind of sexual addiction. I don't know.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: And the kids know at this point, it sounds like he has a sister who's not on the trip. The mom refused to come because of his dad's actions, but he came. And his grandfather oh, my God, what a character and what a stereotypical caricature of older man.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: And it seems like so Dominic has contacted Lucia prior to going, that was my interpretation. And then she meets up with them there know, Lucia is like a sex worker. And then we kind of go through all the stages of Lucia and Mia being with or a part of the evening for Albie, Dominic, and Burr, all in different ways. And then at the end right. So his arc from episode one to seven with Albie, it's like, we see Albie, Dominic, and Burr all kind of their heads turn as this attractive Italian woman is walking by in the airport. And I don't know. Would that have happened at episode one with Albie? I don't know for sure. For Burt and Dominic, burt is like this flirt ladies man.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: The scene where they're arriving, and the young receptionist walks him to the room, and he's flirting with her, and then he farts.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Ever.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: Just the look on his face, like, pretending it didn't.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: And the employee is so professional, she's just, like, ignoring it.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: But he's so trying to hold on to his suaveness and his ladies man vibe, but then he's, like, farting and falling, and he's older. It's too much.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Yeah. So I thought what I really liked hearing about this family was when Dominic challenges Bert about Bert's relationship with his wife, who is deceased, Dominic's mother, where Dominic knew that Bert was cheating on his mother. It seemed like she knew. And he kind of talked about her as like, she's either a martyr or she's like, I forget what. It like really resentful, like a bitter woman. And Bert seems so taken aback.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: That his son. Yeah. And that's new.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: All his experience or that he sees Bert's love of his life.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: Right.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: So Bert has this image of his wife, his deceased wife, who's like, that's everything to him. And then we learn of these actions that kind of say differently. It's interesting him being challenged on that.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: And it's almost like speaks to Bert's own defensive reactions to keep all of that out of his consciousness and just think, like, wow, we have a great life, and, you know, my girlfriend's on the side, and no one's the wiser. And then Dominic's, like, really in his face, like, we all knew, and this was really hard. And then Dominic, though, is repeating it.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Right.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: And then in that generation, it's like everyone in the family still knows, but in an even more open way, know the earlier generation. And then we at first think Albie's not going to repeat it, and then the question for me is, does he or was he sort of taken advantage of by Lucia, right? Like, was he really developing strong feelings for her or not? What do you think?
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: I don't know. I think it could go either way, and I think the writers and they do that intentionally. They totally do that intentionally, because I think it could go 100% either way. I think also I'll be learning that Lucia is a sex worker. I think that then was where I see his path to go either way. He was either, okay, this is something that we do, and I care about.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: You and accept that about you and sort of kind of love you, want to move forward with you, or then he's like, okay, I can use that to my advantage.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Right? Is that what you're so I think, you know, albie still feels like the better choice than Jack, but I think that I don't know. I guess what happens in Italy stays, or does the question yeah.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: And I think, like, asking his dad for all that money and phrasing it as how did he phrase it, it's.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: The least you could do, or think.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: Of it as, like, retribution for all your prior actions. And they were both so manipulating each other that I found it really interesting, and that's when I thought albie really did care about Lucia, and they had that whole scene where her pimp is, like, following them, and she has to go with him, but then that's fake. Oh, was it? Yeah.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: So then at the end, when it's showing, her and Mia, like, last five minutes of the movie, and they're walking down the street, they stop, and they kiss and hug her pimp who's working at some other place I think it was a friend.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: Maybe that's her boyfriend.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: I think it was a way to get more money. That's what I interpret it, because we saw him, and they were cheek to cheek, kissing, smiling.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: Yeah. Oh, I didn't know that was the same person. Wow. Whoa. My mind is whoa, whoa because I kept wanting Lucia to, like she was fascinating. She was a fascinating character to me, too. If we want to move on to know the, like, the depiction of a sex worker, is that the politically correct way to sort of refer to her? Not it's not clear to me if that's legal or illegal in Italy, but you certainly saw all the shame coming from Valentina, the manager of the White Lotus. At first, you see Lucia talking to Mia about it in terms of sort of the way they both view money and sex. I just thought it was really fascinating. What was your take?
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Yeah, it seemed also like Lucia at times, though, was really ashamed of what she was doing. She didn't want Mia to be a part of it. And then there were times where she's like, I don't like this feels not okay. And other times where she felt like, really manipulated and also in charge, right? Like, she was manipulating these men to make a lot of money. I was like, wow, get your bag, girl.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: That's a lot. But then I thought she just wanted to make enough money to get out and open her own store. But then by the end, I wasn't sure if that's really true or if she's just happy and fine doing this job right.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: I would have liked to know. And again, it seems up for interpretation. Like, as her and Mia, I thought that after I saw that that was not her pimp, I thought that she was going to show. Like, this is the store I bought with the money from Albie because they didn't I was this is this something that she does frequently. And it wasn't this one time opportunity with Albie to get this huge amount of money. So then I was like, I don't know. Again, I think it's ambiguous on purpose.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: Exactly, and I think they do that on purpose, ending with them strolling down the street, looking in the windows, but not being like, okay, this is the store I bought, and now I can have this new life. And again, I think that speaks to just the strong feelings. The whole concept of sex work, I think, stirs up in everyone, and it's so different for everyone. And I think it perhaps is also different culturally. Like, I'd imagine there's some cultures where it's more accepted than it is in our American culture. And I thought Lucia's influence over Mia was also really interesting. Right. On the one hand, she's, like, bringing Mia along at the beginning, and Mia's, like, not really wanting to, and she's pushing her she's kind of pushing her to like, let's go have a threesome. Like, come on, come on. And then when Mia starts to participate with the original pianist, and then eventually with Valentina and sees like, oh, I can know sex as currency, know, use that power to my advantage to get what I want in the world. I feel like Lucia has mixed feelings about it, kind of.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Yeah, no, I thought that was an interesting dynamic, the two of them, because as I thought initially, like, Lucia seems like she's getting out, mia's getting in. Yeah, but then I think they both were.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: But it seems like kind of they want to be. I think it was sort of like thinking, like, oh, poor Lucia. She has this pimp. She can't get out no matter how much she wants to, but maybe not. Like, maybe she is fine with it.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: And is that the intent, right, to have this question in your mind when you finish of, like, this isn't a clear cut visual of sex work in a really vulnerable way. It's more like they're in charge of it, and they actually got some nice things. Mia, her music career. She gets to sing here, it seems like, too. At least they showed besides the pianist. And I think that was also just like Mia's discomfort, maybe because it was like the first time she was doing something like that. But all of the experiences seemed consensual.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: Right? Yeah.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: And like, gross or where they're feeling or being portrayed as like a victim. They seem very much in charge. And I think that's even more clear when I think you learn that that's not her pimp.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: Yes, I agree. I totally agree. And I'm sure all of that was intentional. And it does stir up important, I think, questions. And then also with Mia and Valentina. I loved the character of Valentina. I loved how quick witted and strong she was. I loved her initial commentary when everyone's getting off the boat and she's saying to Bert, like, well, you're so old, right, but you're like just some of the things she would say was so funny. But wow, it really turned it on its head. Right. Because you really saw how she was shaming Lucia and Mia at the beginning, throwing them out, like just being so derogatory toward them, treating them like they're subhuman, which, again, I think a lot of people in the sex work industry, that's probably how they're treated. Right. But then by the end, it's like Valentina's a willing participant. And Mia is it's like, in some ways was that kind of beautiful that Mia was finally helping, like, explore her sexuality, which had been so repressed and unsafe for her to explore? That actually seems like take the sex work out. That seems like a beautiful way for someone to explore their sexuality, finally righteous. I don't know. It stirs up a lot of mixed feelings for me. It does.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: And I think also interestingly, just her character being gay, I know historically and I don't know, like anecdotally that Italy. There's a lot of gay men in Italy. You have been allowed to have a homosexual relationship there since the 18 hundreds.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: Wow.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: In parts. So they've been historically progressive in that way, especially with men. And there's like parts of Italy where there's like a lot of gay beaches.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: I mean, look at the gay posse around which is sidebar. I feel like part of that posse was like Borat and Albert Einstein. Like, I couldn't stop thinking that when I was watching.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: That's so funny.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: But then yeah, compare that to Valentina's experience as a gay woman, and she certainly seems like it was not safe at all to know give any ounce of it was so repressed.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: She also seems to really not like men.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: Yes. Like in that coffee shop.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Yeah, the coffee shop. And then she's really like it's so funny.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: Rocco. Rocco.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Yeah, she makes Rocco go and work down at the beach. And then she's so, I think, trying to almost use her not 100% fluent in english to challenge and shame Dominic when he's asking for lucia and Mia to be added to his room. And she's like, I don't understand. So they'll also be sleeping with your dad?
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: And he's like, no, you'll all be.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: In the same bed. Yes. That was funny. And I think, like, her doing that purposely.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: Yes.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Oh, I think so.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: I think she has, like, contempt for men, and that makes me wonder why. I'm sure there's a lot of background there we didn't get to learn about, but watching her evolution, I also thought was really fascinating. I kind of just wonder how she felt at the end of the like, did she feel, like that relationship with mia, if that was, like, did it end there, or did it continue? Did it feel okay to, like, how is she doing?
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: I and I think that's another right. Like, because she ends up after her and mia had spent the night together, kind of unmia. Didn't ask her, but obviously she made it known that she wanted to sing there. But valentina dismisses the other guy, the other pianist, and he's very upset by it, and she's just like, no, we're moving forward with this. And then she kind of, like, smiles at mia and then goes about her day. So it's like, again, right.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: Like, sex is passed.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: What happens next? Do they have another night together, or is Valentina now, like, this confident woman?
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: I think she's going to go meet someone else to have another night. I think she had said, like, if you're not busy, but how long does that continue? Right. I loved mia. She did have this sort of naive innocence, in a way. All she wants to do is sing, and then she's finally singing, and she's so happy, and I was so happy for her. I did think she was a lot better than the guy. Yeah. The scenes with her and the guy trying to have sex in the chapel, I did feel grossed out by oh.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: And she kept turning her head, and there's, like, right, jesus, there's mother mary.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: And I was just like, oh, my god. And I thought it was humorous when she gave him the wrong pill, and that can happen, so you have to be really careful. As I put my doctor's hat on, be really careful what kind of pills you're taking. Don't take your friends pills. They can interact.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Yeah.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: ****** can interact with blood pressure medications and lead to really serious problems, which I think is maybe what happened with him. But just be careful. We do see in this season a lot of talk about prescriptions, like, there, and then we see harper and her ambient and kind of sharing it around. Ambien is also not something you should just be sharing around. Yeah.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: And she seems to think like it's so normal for everyone to take. And I'm like, Ambien is often, like, a last resort.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: It should be, I think. Unfortunately, it can be quickly prescribed, but it's really powerful. Do not mix it with alcohol. Do not mix it with other drugs. Please don't. You could get really hurt or stop breathing. It's really serious. But yeah, maybe that's a nice segue to our last crop of characters, who I found perhaps the most fascinating of know we have Ethan and Harper, who seem to be married, no kids yet, maybe I think they're thinking about starting to have a family, but they haven't really yet. And it seems like Ethan has come into this.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Right? Right. It seems like he's in tech. Maybe he just sold some that he created.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: Yeah, harper's a lawyer, right? She's a lawyer, so she has her own career too. But they were, like, all of a sudden, like, uber wealthy. And they're on vacation with Cameron and Daphne, who are also uber wealthy, but it seems like he's in finance. I think they live in Connecticut, and she's, like, sort of a stay at home mom. And we come to find out that Cameron and Ethan were roomies at Yale. Right. And then it seems like their dynamic was always like, Cameron always had to be, like, the big guy on campus and was threatened by, like, quiet power. And so I think Ethan was saying whenever he expressed interest in a girl, cameron would swoop in. Which reminded me of Olivia. Yes. Right. From season one. It's just like, in, like, Olivia and yes, yes, kind of fast forward, and now let's switch up the gender roles. So what were your first impressions of these folks? And I can't wait to pick your brain about Daphne.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Well, I think intentionally, right. Like, Harper is made to appear as, like, oh, I know she's fabulous as, like right. Like, I'd say, like, really liberal woke and not in an icky way.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: Like Olivia from season one.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Right. Like, in a really smart way.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: Yeah, like, she's a lawyer and she's, like, fighting for the employees and all that stuff. Yep.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: It sounds like she's either fully or, like, half Puerto Rican, so she has that kind of experience and knowledge base.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: But, like, white passing.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Ethan seems like he's Asian to some degree. So again, not white, but also, I'd say, like, what do they call what's the phrase?
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: Model minority.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Yeah. So so Ethan might also be considered right. Like, part of the model minority and also very stereotypical in tech. Made a lot of money, very smart. Right. So just interesting that dynamic then kind of pushed against Cameron and Daphne, who seem opposite in some ways. Right. Like, more clear gender roles with, like, Cameron makes the money, daphne stays at home with the kids, and then the conflict or how, like, tolerates that comes.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: Out that I thought was I I sort of, from the jump, had this feeling like, okay, so Cameron and Ethan were friends. Our friends, I don't know. And they're like, on this vacation together, harper was spot on to say, like, he invited you because he wants your money, so just be ready for it. And like, yep, that's what happens, right? It totally blindsided me. I knew Cameron was cheating and stuff. I didn't think Daphne was also getting back at him, but in major ways, like, almost like she has the power. And again, it's like she is using Cameron's fear of abandonment to her advantage. What did you think of that? Yeah.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: And also I was just wondering, like, chicken or the egg, right? Like, who pushed who first?
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: And they get off on pushing each other. Right. It's like, real toxic, but, like, hot.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: And we're going to spend some time talking about them, but I think, again, where we're left to wonder, right, is it's not entirely confirmed, but, like, did Harper and Cameron have sex? And did Ethan and Daphne have sex?
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: Yes. And the final scene of them waiting at the airport where Cameron and Daphne feel kind of distant, but then Harper and Ethan are way more connected, and.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: They know sex back in the hotel room.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: Finally, it's like, finally that spark is reignited. Right. It seems like they were married and maybe going through, like, a dry spell. And they were so openly talking about how well, Ethan watches **** all the time. He wants to have sex in the morning, I want to do it at night, all this stuff. And you could see how when Harper's trying to seduce him, he's, like, pushing her away, and then it's like the flames rekindle.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Right. And so right. The question is why. Is it because they both had sex with others and now they're in this relationship similar to Cameron and Daphne, or did they not? And they are now feeling really close and connected to each other because of that? I don't know.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: I know. I don't know either. And I could see it go both ways. Did they redefine the terms of their relationship and they're both on board with it, or did they resist and that made them realize how much they really care about each other, and that's what reignited the flame? It's so ambiguous. It is clear. I don't know either. I don't know either.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: So we see them have so Daphne and Daphne tricks Harper to go spend.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: The night somewhere, some palazzo or some fancy thing. I was like, who wants to do that? It seemed kind of boring, right?
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: They were, like, in this know, beautiful.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: Space, but, like, by yeah, like, where do you get dinner? I don't know. I don't like she could find one strand.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: They took an edible yeah. To relax.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: But I would feel like yeah. Like Harper felt like she was trapped.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: And she was and then Daphne's like, well, don't call Ethan. I want to call Cameron first. Right. Like, she needed to call Cameron first to let them know that they just got so swept up and are just going to stay here now.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: But that wasn't true. She knew the whole time that she was going to stick it to him in this way. Is it because she knew he was bound to cheat on her, or he has before and she's spending his money.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: And this is her okaying. It because if they had never left, they never would have had the opportunity to do that.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: Never crossed.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: She left intentionally, like, giving him this, which, again, he obviously didn't need to do it, but she gave him this space to have this day that could have just been jet skiing.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: Oh, that never crossed my mind. I always thought she was mad at him and getting him back, but this is also like she's giving him an invitation. Yeah, but it's also like this is where their toxicity plays off each other because she knows it's going to hurt him. And she says that to Harper, like, oh, he has this fear of abandonment. I think she even calls it that.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: And fear of missing out, having this phone experience.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: Right. And she was like, yeah, they're going to stick it to him and spend his money to rent this place, but then maybe she knows that's going to make him mad enough to be unfaithful to her, but then maybe somehow that justifies her. And the scenes between Harper and Daphne where Harper's trying to bring it to her attention, what did you think of Daphne's responses and the actress's responses?
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: I would say first, not typical. Not what know, I guess the knee jerk.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: Not what I was expecting at all.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: And she kind of initially gets pretty severe with Harper insisting that she is not the victim.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: Yes. She gets very hard and defensive very quickly, like when they're still in that palazzo or something, and she's like, I think something happened with them. Right. And when Harper's like, do you think he cheats on you? And she's like, once or twice, like.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: A year, a month.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: And I think at first you're left to think like, he does that, and she accepts it. And then it hit me out of left field when she's talking about her personal trainer. Right. Did you pick up on the kid that it's like his kid? Yes. Right. Yes. And that's like the ultimate sucker punch, I feel like, to Cameron. Right.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Because she describes and this was very, in my opinion, intentional. She describes the trainer as like he looks this blonde haired, blue eyed guy. And then she shows them a picture of her two kids and the one that I zoomed in on, which again, it was probably edited, so I would do that was this blonde haired, blue eyed boy. And Cameron has brown eyes and Daphne has blue. That's possible. But I just thought it was like.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: No, she's trying yeah, and she was allegedly trying to show Harper a picture of the trainer, and then Harper's like, oh, this is a picture of your kids. And she's like, oh, is it? And that's like, Daphne leaves so much she says so much by saying so.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Yep.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: And I feel like that is her power and just like, what a thing to hold on to. And does Cameron know, or like, I.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Think no, I think he thinks that he is the one who's getting away or being hot shot, but I think it's like, Daphne is the one, ultimately, and she knows it, and that's how I think she can tolerate and that's.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: How she gets, I think oof, icky. Yeah.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: And not expected.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: Right.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: When we meet her, she's like, oh, hi.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: She's always so fun. I think I voted last year. When I get drunk, I donate to know. I didn't see that coming. Like, what a fascinating character. I kind of want Daphne to be in season three. I want to see where Daphne goes. I never liked Cameron. He gives me the like right away.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Well, in her comments, daphne's of not having a lot of female friends or having a hard time with that. I was like, well, is it because Cameron's, like, touching them? Is it because he's trying to have sex with all your friends? Or are they picking up on just, like, your toxic relationship and don't want anything to do with it?
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: Just icky. Yeah. And then it's like, look how she relates to right. Like, at first, she's really complimentary and seems kind of sweet, and one of those like, at first I was like, you're just one of know, people who can just see the good and block out the bad news and stuff like that, whereas Harper and Ethan are more based in reality. But then this whole other nefarious side to Daphne came out, and I'm just left wondering, is this who Daphne is? Or has she turned into this in relation to Cameron?
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Right.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: And this toxicity. I don't know. It's fascinating.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: It is. It's so fascinating. I mean, I thought the four of them were a really interesting storyline to follow. I think also, just, like, it seems to be that if there's something that you're trying to get away with, it's, like, the truth seems to always come out right. Of course, Harper finds the condom, and then she starts pulling all this other information out of Ethan, which I was like, ethan, come clean earlier. It's like you kept adding things in over time, over and over, and it's like, I understand that you still, by sharing what happened, are going to make Harper uncomfortable or upset, but she thinks that you had sex with someone.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: And on the flip side, Harper didn't bring it up right away. Like, she found it. She kind of kept it. They went to dinner as if everything's okay.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: She kept asking him questions about last night, and he was really evasive.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: I know. I was just like, you guys communicate directly, right? Like, come on. But I don't think they really know how to and then they really start to mistrust each other.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: And it seems like it's all because of cameron and right.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: Like I blame for yeah, for sure.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: It's like he's the one who's stirring the pot.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: And I think ethan touching her leg is right.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Flashing back to college, where it seems like he actually really doesn't like cameron, and cameron took a lot from him, and that's why then he becomes really paranoid, which may be rightly. So about cameron and harper. And then he beats him up in the water, which I loved. And then they're all, like, dining together.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: Oh, my know, I don't even know I know. And then it's like, I felt like harper was seeing ethan maybe like, is this why we're on the trip? Because you want to show him? Like, you finally win it's like, again, them on the jet skis was so perfect. They're just having, like, a man contest, like, who wins? And he want to rub it in his face. But then it's like you see cameron for who he is, and he's always been that way. Right? Oh. It's just really, you know, and we.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Saw power dynamics as well in season one, but it's like the power of yeah. The power of relationships manipulating each other. It just was a really interesting season in that way.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: It was really interesting. I mean, I totally see why it swept the emmy nominations right. Under succession. All of the characters in that forsome were nominated for emmys. So was just it was such a good show.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: And lucia and mia, which I loved, the fact that they were I think.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: It was actually lucia and valentina.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Valentina, yeah.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: But just really remarkable. And I thought, again, right up there for me with succession and you and just getting it so right in terms of the dialogue. But even more than that, everything else besides the dialogue when they're acting and staging and their body language and what's not said and the silences and the facial expression, all of it is so good, so compelling and so accurate.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: And even the more quieter characters on this show, like jack, like know, maybe he's a little bit of a bigger character than but, like, I think they're also such good actors. We felt so many different emotions towards all of the characters, all at different times, and I feel like that to me, really speaks about someone's ability to be an actor. Yes. And we also have coming out next month, one flew over the cuckoo's nest, and we talked, too, about jack nicholson's performance in that where it's like his character is set up so that you automatically should not like him. And then there's this weird dynamic in the show where you're rooting for him. And again, I feel. Like, I see that with Jack, right? Like he's participating in this horrible scheme, but I feel really sorry for him and know, have empathy and I think, well, most people can feel empathy. Empathy.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: Sociopath. It's confirmed.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Yeah, confirmed today. But I just think all of their characters are so well written and so well acted. I know we just said that, but I'm repeating it because I'm just such a fan.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: Yes. Mike White, please come on our show.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: I'd love to pick your brain. It must be an amazing place to be in your brain.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: I know, right?
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: So what is your prediction for season three? So we saw an emphasis on money. There's an emphasis on sex.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: What could be greed?
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: I mean, I'm thinking maybe of like the seven deadly seven deadly sins.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: Like gluttony, like sex. I'm fascinated by like I would actually love it if Portia's the one who we sort of follow next. I think that'd be really interesting. I found Daphne really fascinating. I don't know Portia. I have no idea what to expect. I bet all the writer strike and the SAG strikes, which I fully support, but I think that will sort of delay.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Yeah, that's such an interesting thing to think about. I was watching a rerun of a show that I like, I watch Big Bang Theory sometimes at night because I've.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: Seen all the episodes fun, silly, soothing.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: And I was like, this is what we're going to have to do, like watch all these reruns because everything is going to be delayed, right?
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: Yes.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: I'm sure they can throw out some Hallmark movies because they're really good at producing and getting those ones out fast once this is over. But some of these shows we know yellow Jackets, White Lotus, you.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: Know, like.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: You said, I'm supportive, but I just want the content. I know.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: So if these corporations could just get it together, that'd be great. But in the meantime, if you're enjoying this content, please rate, review and subscribe. Our show is doing better than we expected, but if you're listening and you haven't subscribed yet, please do follow us on Instagram at Analyze Scripts. Follow us on TikTok at Analyze scripts, podcast. Follow us on Threads at Analyze scripts. Podcast. Let us know what you want to hear us analyze next and we'll see you next Monday.
Portia Pendleton, LCSW: Yeah, thanks for listening.
Dr. Katrina Furey, MD: Bye bye. This podcast and its contents are a copyright of Analyzed Scripts. All rights reserved. Any redistribution or reproduction of part or all of the contents in any form is prohibited unless you want to share it with your friends and rate, review and subscribe, that's fine. All stories and characters discussed are fictional in nature. No identification with actual persons, living or deceased places, buildings or products is intended or should be inferred. This podcast is for entertainment purposes only. The podcast and its contents do not constitute professional mental health or medical advice. Listeners might consider consulting a mental health provider. If they need assistance with any mental health problems or concerns. As always, please call 911 or go directly to your nearest emergency room for any psychiatric emergencies. Thanks for listening and see you next time.
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