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Managing editor & film and television critic with a Bachelor's of Arts in English Literature with a Writing Minor from the University of Guam. Currently in graduate school completing a Master's in English Literature.
The above photo for The White Lotus Episode 4 is credited to Mario Perez at HBO.
The fourth episode of Mike White’s The White Lotus (titled “Recentering”) attempts to recover from last week’s antics. However, the characters’ reputed attempts fail miserably! As usual, White serves as the writer/director of this HBO limited series. This review will include spoilers, as the title of the article suggests. Please read ahead at your own discretion.
Plot Summary
As per HBO, here is the synopsis of this fourth episode.
After Shane (Jake Lacy) shoots down her latest career plans, Rachel (Alexandra Daddario) is further blindsided by an unexpected arrival. Just as Belinda (Natasha Rothwell) begins to take her business proposition seriously, Tanya’s (Jennifer Coolidge) attention turns to an intriguing hotel guest. Meanwhile, Armond’s (Murray Bartlett) renewed commitment to sobriety is put to the test.
Connie Britton, Steve Zahn, Sydney Sweeney, and Fred Hechinger appear as Nicole, Mark, Olivia, and Quinn Mossbacher. Brittany O’Grady plays Paula, Olivia’s college friend.
Molly Shannon appears as Shane’s mother, Kitty Patton, while Jon Gries appears as a hotel guest named Greg who gets Tanya’s attention. Lukas Gage and Kekoa Scott Kekumano play respective hotel staffers, Dillon and Kai.
Other actors in the episode are as follows: Alec Merlino, Michael Trisler, Angela Kay-Uherek, Brad Kalilimoku, Shea Lokahi Timothy Fabiana, Nathan Feitos, Imani McNorton, Denton Kukahiko, Archie Kalepa, Terevarevahaunui Jacobson, Mahana Moua, Jessica Flores, David Kawika Dang Jr., Sean Aquino, Vincent Evalu, and Shea Argel.
Discussion
We are now halfway through the series, and some changes are underway. For example, we have John M. Valerio taking over Heather Persons as the episode’s editor. Brent McReynolds replaces Bob Allen as the assistant editor, while Matt Temple replaces Mark Allen as the sound effects editor.
Two major elements that I love dearly about this episode, in particular, are White’s screenwriting and Cristobal Tapia De Veer’s musical scoring. Holy shit, are they both thrilling! From start to finish, the score fluctuates with the rhythm of the story, and my, the dialogue keeps up the pace. Not to mention the dark and gritty imagery at the end with the ocean water washing up onto the shore.
We have Armond waking up passed out on his office couch to shower in the women’s locker room of the spa. He wrongfully tells Belinda about the previous day‘s events. The hotel manager tells his worker that Mark wanted to have sex, which was not exactly how that moment had played out. Meanwhile, the Mossbachers quarrel about their differing belief systems until Quinn makes an interesting point. He says:
What does it matter what we think? If we think the right things or the wrong things, we all do the same shit! We’re all still parasites on the earth. There’s no virtuous person, and we’re all eating the last fish and throwing all our plastic crap into the oceans. … Where does all the pain go?
Other events transpire in the episode, and they are funny in either an awkward, cringe-worthy, or embarrassing manner. It is a little difficult to watch, but how can you not? They’re all so intriguing.
Performances
Coolidge delivers a terrific comedic performance in this episode. I love the way her character compared her mother’s ashes dropping onto the ocean’s waters to sprinkling fish food into an aquarium.
Meanwhile, we have Bartlett, who shows us how bad of a hotel manager he can be. In the pilot episode, we see him tell a worker about how to behave in front of guests. Now, his character has devolved as a human being from there. While Zahn and Hechinger do well, I have to commend Lacy for rising to a breaking point. Although, we’ve yet to see the last two episodes of the series for this to actually happen.
Character Developments
A part of me was right about Armond, and at the same time, I may be proved wrong about Olivia. It seems that both of them are turning into the antagonists of their own stories. Armond returns the backpack of drugs to the girls but keeps some of the medication. This turns him into some sort of evil hotel employee who begins to work for his own self-interests. (Think of the characters from Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.) Does Dillon know what she’s gotten himself into, or rather what’s getting into him? Meanwhile, it turns out that Olivia does not exactly have lesbian feelings toward Paula. Instead, she is jealous of what her friend has and, in this case, wants Kai to herself. This also makes me wonder if she is even an ally to the minority.
We get to learn more about Paula and Kai in the foreground in this episode. Kai tells her his family was pushed out of their home by the U.S. Government and that he found himself working for the colonizers against his family’s wishes. This urges Paula into taking a stance against people of high economic power, such as the Mossbachers. She asks Mark what cause he stands for and that “it’s someone else’s turn to eat.”
Quinn starts to question his sexuality the more time he spends by the beach. And even more so, it might just be working. Daddario’s character is degraded even more once Kitty enters the fray. The Pattons tear down her image as a woman, as a professional in the journalism field, and as a working-class individual. I believe this can hit home for a lot of people. Lastly, as far as Belinda and Tanya go, their subplot lies in the synopsis above. There’s nothing much to it than that.
Final Thoughts
Just when you thought things would get better for the main character guests of The White Lotus, it really doesn’t. Instead, it all spirals down towards mental chaos in this episode. “Recentering” takes a new focus on what we haven’t noticed before. Everything that is foregrounded is placed into the background, and everything in the background is foregrounded. We see a lot come to the light, but at the end, it looks a bit dark. With two episodes left, will matters be resolved? Let’s hope so!
Mike White’s limited series, The White Lotus, is now on HBO. Check it out now! And take a look at our reviews on The White Lotus Episode 1, Episode 2, and Episode 3!
Have you seen the former half of this limited series? What are your thoughts on it? Let us know! For more comedy-related news and reviews visit and follow The Cinema Spot on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!
Managing editor & film and television critic with a Bachelor's of Arts in English Literature with a Writing Minor from the University of Guam. Currently in graduate school completing a Master's in English Literature.
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