On this chapter of The Queerest Things I Watched Last Week, I know there are shows with higher queer content television on right now, but this week I’m here for Mia and Valentina on The White Lotus.
- The White Lotus – Season 2 Episode 6 “Abductions” [Live]
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I could write several paragraphs on The L Word: Gen Q or Sex Live of College Girls, but instead I decided to focus on The White Lotus this week – a show new to the site.
I enjoyed The White Lotus season one, but the characters were so unlikable, I wasn’t as enamored as the rest of the show’s cult following. Season two I like a lot more. Each season has a completely different cast (except for Jennifer Coolidge who can stay in every season forever as far as I’m concerned) of rich vacationers in a location of The White Lotus, a luxury resort chain. You get to spy on everyone’s problems and learn their secrets over the course of a week. This season, I find the characters to be more interesting. Also, Aubrey Plaza’s in it this season and you can’t go wrong with that.
Mike White, being an out bi man, the series creator and sole writer and director brings a lot of cis gay male content to the show. Which makes total sense. In season one the hotel manager is a flawed gay guy who takes a revenge poop in another character’s luggage. This season the manger is a later-in-life-to-come-out lesbian named Valentina who doesn’t poop in anyone’s luggage.
A persistent pair of local escorts, Lucia and Mia, troll guests for potential clients and get very tangled up in everyone’s lives. Mia happens to be a very talented singer and musician with her sights on getting the position of hotel piano singer. Valentina is very annoyed with the two of them hanging around the resort charging things to guests’ rooms, but Mia is the only person who sees Valentina for who she is.
Valentina is a very serious manager in a silent struggle with coming out and having a crush on a co-worker. Mia seems to be the only person to notice this and flirts with her to try to get that piano spot. Valentina shuts that down until, on her birthday, she learns her co-worker crush is engaged. Mia sees her drinking alone and chats her up.
This pairing is pretty problematic, but I still find the scene to be sweet.
Later, Mia gives Valentina a very special birthday present.
Was Mia sincerely into her? I’m still on the fence.
It’s hard to tell with Lucia and Mia what is 100% goal-based manipulation vs. real feelings. But either way, I hope Valentina got something good out of it.
Also, bonus content from HBO! Beatrice Grannó (Mia) & Sabrina Impacciatore (Valentina) unpack the episode.
This week: Sunday is The White Lotus season two finale! I’m looking forward to seeing how things get wrapped up.
Just chiming in to say that Mike White is actually openly bisexual, not gay, though his father is a gay man (reading up on his background is interesting to say the least). I’ve been hearing a lot about both The White Lotus and Acapulco recently, but I don’t think I have the platform subscriptions to watch either of them sadly. :/
Oh! Thank you for the correction. I will update that.