The Lotus-Eaters

The White Lotus 1×5

Kitty Patton: I don't think it's the most romantic hotel in Hawaii, do you? It's perfectly fine, but are you finding it very romantic?

Nicole Mossbacher: Paula, are you feeling better? Your migraine?
Paula: Yeah. Much better. Thanks.
Nicole Mossbacher: Is that why you couldn't stay for dinner last night?
Olivia Mossbacher: Paula was disturbed by the entertainment.
Nicole Mossbacher: The hula dancing?
Mark Mossbacher: Oh, y-- you're allergic to fire?
Olivia Mossbacher: It bothers her to watch Hawaiians have to dance for a bunch of white people.
Nicole Mossbacher: Oh. I think it's just a way for them to honor their culture. And they seemed to be having a really good time.
Mark Mossbacher: Look, obviously, imperialism was bad. Shouldn't kill people, steal their land, and then make them dance. Everybody knows that... But it's humanity. Welcome to history. Welcome to America.

Mark Mossbacher: I mean, what are we gonna do, huh? Really. Nobody cedes their privilege. That's absurd. And it goes against human nature. We're all just trying to win the game of life. How are we-- how are we gonna make it right? Hmm? Should we give away all our money? Would you like that, Liv? Hmm?... Yeah, that's what I thought. Mm-hmm. M-- maybe we should just feel shitty about ourselves all the time for crimes of the past? Wear a hair shirt and not go on vacation?

Belinda: I think you might be getting ahead of yourself a little, you know? Maybe he likes you.
Tanya MacQuoid: Yeah. He likes the first layer... But what about the second layer and the third layer? And then every step along the way, you know, I have to worry about, you know, is he gonna like the next layer, you know? And then I get all afraid, like, you know, how much do I wanna show him? You know, is he gonna be repulsed? Or is he gonna be alarmed? And at the core of the onion, Belinda... is just a straight-up alcoholic lunatic.
Belinda: That-- that's not true.
Tanya MacQuoid: No, it is. It is. And I just wanna show my hand. I don't wanna play poker anymore. I just wanna skip all the layers, and just go straight to the crazy, and just like, you know, let the chips fall where they may. And, you know, just show him, just show him the core of the onion.

Kitty Patton: I just think you should feel great.
Rachel Patton: Yeah, but what is the reason? Like, why am I here?
Kitty Patton: What do you mean? Well, you're very magnetic, and you're so beautiful.
Rachel Patton: You're making me sound like a trophy wife.
Kitty Patton: Well, what's so wrong with that? A trophy shines. It's a source of pride. A trophy's made of gold. You know, it's not the worst.

Kai: I don't steal from people, you know?
Paula: They stole from you. They stole all of this from you. You know that.
Kai: But it's different. It's-- It's different people.
Paula: No, they're the same people. They're all the same people. Don't you see they're all the same people? All of these people, at some point, have stolen from someone like you. And they don't need it. They won't even miss it. They have all this money, and they don't even know what to do with it. And then there's someone like you who's struggling.
Kai: I know, but--
Paula: That's not right.

Olivia Mossbacher: I love how you drive us on these family outings, but you spend the entire time on your phone.
Nicole Mossbacher: It's a work e-mail, honey... Oh, I know it's just so pathetic having a job that pays for the vacation.

Kitty Patton: Just be happy.

Tanya MacQuoid: You need to go.
Greg: What? Why?
Tanya MacQuoid: Well, you know, eventually, you're just gonna leave. So I think we should just cut to the chase.

Armond: Sometimes, just watching them eat every night makes me wanna gouge my eyes out. The Lotus-eaters.
     "Hateful is the dark-blue sky,
     vaulted o'er the dark-blue sea.
     Death is the end of life.
     Ah, why should life all labor be?"
Belinda: Yeah...

Rachel Patton: I think I've made a terrible mistake...

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