Ep. 1: "Same Spirits, New Forms" with David Bernad and Michelle Monaghan
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Who are the hosts of the White Lotus official podcast?
Hello, and welcome to the White Lotus official podcast, Companion to Season 3. I'm Chia Tolentino.
And I'm Josh Behrman.
We will be your co-hosts throughout this journey in Thailand. We'll be recapping and breaking down the episodes, discussing some of the larger big picture themes. We'll be speaking with the cast and the crew.
What should listeners know before starting the episode?
And a few words before we get started. This is the Companion podcast, which means we'll be discussing the latest episode of the White Lotus. So make sure you watch it before you listen, or you will be spoiled.
And if you haven't had a chance yet, I strongly recommend you check out the Look Back episodes of this podcast in which host Evan Ross Katz dives deep into the first two seasons of White Lotus and speaks with everyone from Mike White to Jennifer Coolidge. You can find those episodes on this very podcast feed.
A little bit about your hosts. We're both journalists and authors and have both worked in film and television as well. I'm Josh. I write for magazines. I write narrative nonfiction stories. And I have worked in film and TV because many of my stories have been optioned for the movie business. That's how I know Mike White and Dave Burnett, the creator and producers of the show.
Are you holding back your greatest tidbit about this season specifically, which is...
I visited the set, so I was on set while they were shooting parts of the show, and I might actually be in an episode. I don't know yet.
Well, I'm Gia. I write for The New Yorker. I'm one of those toxic people that believes, like, but if I went to The White Lotus, I would just have an amazing time and be happy. Funny enough, though, I have been to all three shooting locations. I mean, not in connection to specifically the filming of The White Lotus, but I have been... more or less a vacationer in all three places. So I'm an asshole just like the rest of them slash us.
Or you have a deep insight into the whole scope of the show.
It's true.
We'll be joined later in the episode by White Lotus EP Dave Burnett and Michelle Monaghan, who plays Jacqueline.
Before we get into the recap of the episode, I have a burning question. Who did you have the most immediate identification with on this season?
Well, I have two answers. I'll give you both answers. Neither of them are perfect, obviously. My first instinct actually was the Walton Goggins character. Hell yeah, brother. I feel like the sort of leathery burnout phase could be in my future. I can see it.
Rick, the lady in the airport thought you were my dad, okay? You should get a gentleman's facial.
Who are the new characters introduced in Season 3?
No. And with a mysterious dark past. He's in paradise but miserable. I've had that phase of life. Could be coming back around again in the future. And at the other end, I think probably Lachlan, Sam Navola's character, the younger brother in the family, that not that particular family but sort of being... the odd man out in a family, right? And feeling like you're trying to figure out who you are and trying to define yourself against your family. My family did not go on vacation. That was like opposed to our ethos. And we certainly wouldn't have been to the White Lotus, but I could kind of see being that kid and trying to like figure out your way and being confused by your own family. And then winding up 40 years later as Walton Collins.
You never leave. I'm a Chelsea through and through.
You know, I think the cosmos brought us together so that we could get to the root of your issues. No, I'm going to help you get your joy back.
Yeah? Yeah. Good luck with that.
Even if it kills me.
You know, every season of this show, I've identified with the person that gets brought there but, like, definitely can't pay for it. You know what I mean? Although I will say... When I have been to, respectively, Hawaii or – like I never have a bad time on vacation. I believe like very – I have a strong like moral belief in one should never have a bad time in a beautiful place.
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Chapters
6 chapters
1
Who are the hosts of the White Lotus official podcast?
0:40–0:59
2
What should listeners know before starting the episode?
0:59–3:24
3
Who are the new characters introduced in Season 3?
3:24–10:21
4
What is the thematic focus of Season 3?
10:21–17:53
5
What is the significance of identity in White Lotus?
17:53–20:54
6
How does Buddhism influence the narrative of Season 3?
20:54–52:49