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Rob joins me to talk about the last two episodes of Season 3 of The White Lotus. Overall, I found the ending mostly satisfying. But the plot holes. There were so many! Among them (spoilers below):

* Tim assuming that his family would be permanently poor

* Tim acting like a lost doofus unable to handle any pressure throughout the show

* Belinda getting a $5 million transfer into her bank account that quickly, without anyone worrying that it would come to the attention of authorities

* Rick assaulting Jim Hollinger at his house, and then returning to his resort not expecting anything to happen

Still, most of the storylines wrapped up quite nicely. I like that Rick ended up giving Chelsea validation in the short time they had left together. I did not foresee Hollinger actually being Rick’s father, but it made sense. We all thought Gaitok was headed towards a bad ending, but he did get the girl. This may have involved a sacrifice of his principles, but still, Mook under normal circumstances was well out of his league. If you’re going to sell out, that’s exactly what you do it for. I didn’t expect the friendship of the three women to last, but I liked how they came together at the end.

The scene I found most profound on the show was Victoria’s brief speech on the nature of wealth. Modern people, particularly the rich, have this conflicted relationship with their standard of living and place in the world. After Piper told her parents that she realized she didn’t want to live in a developing world monastery for a year, Victoria explained that it would be indecent for them not to make the most of their fortunate circumstances.

We’re lucky, it’s true. Nobody in the history of the world has lived better than we have. Even the old kings and queens. The least we can do is enjoy it. If we don’t, it’s offensive. It’s an offense to all the billions of people who can only dream that one day they could live like we do.

The right has this tendency to LARP and imagine things were better in the past, while liberals know history has been miserable but are often consumed by guilt. Lately, we’ve seen a kind of rightoid Maoism that celebrates poverty and thinks it’s good for the soul. None of this is healthy. The idea that enjoying your life is the way to honor the story of human progress is a message that is both intellectually compelling and quite moving. Victoria’s wisdom was a pleasant surprise, showing that she was much different than we had been led to believe.

Previous discussions of The White Lotus

Me and Rob on Season 1

Me and Rob on Season 2, Episodes 1-4

Me and Rob on Season 2, Episodes 5 & 6

Me and Rob on Season 2, Episode 7

Me and Sophie on Season 3, Episodes 1 & 2

Me on Rob on Season 3, Episodes 3 & 4

Me on Rob on Season 3, Episodes 5 & 6