There’s something almost hypnotic about watching The White Lotus. The eerie music. The stunning yet ominous vacation backdrops. The increasingly unhinged rich people making terrible choices in designer resort wear.

It’s a show that makes us laugh, cringe, and compulsively binge-watch—all while quietly whispering to ourselves, Thank God that’s not me… right?

But why has this show burrowed so deeply into our collective midlife psyche? Why are we drawn, again and again, to watching these wealthy, restless, and deeply flawed people flail through their luxurious vacations? Maybe because we recognize something uncomfortably familiar: the restless pursuit of freedom that so often leads to feeling more trapped than ever.

1. It’s about people who are supposed to be happy—but aren’t

By now, we’ve learned that having it all doesn’t necessarily mean enjoying it all. The guests at The White Lotus have money, time, and access to the world’s most beautiful destinations. And yet, they are perpetually unsatisfied, forever chasing something that always seems just out of reach.

Sound familiar?

The White Lotus exposes a universal truth: contentment isn’t something you can book on Expedia.

We’ve seen it in our own lives. The friend who finally makes partner at the firm and realizes it doesn’t make her any happier. The couple who retires early only to discover they have nothing to talk about. The spa weekend that was supposed to fix everything, but didn’t. The White Lotus exposes a universal truth: contentment isn’t something you can book on Expedia.

2. We love watching entitled people implode

There’s something deeply satisfying about watching the ultra-privileged sabotage themselves. It’s not just schadenfreude*—it’s reassurance. The show reminds us that money and status don’t inoculate anyone from insecurity, betrayal, or the fundamental awkwardness of being human.

Watching entitled vacationers unravel over the horrors of a non-oceanfront suite or a slightly overcooked steak is its own kind of entertainment. It’s a reminder that, no matter how bad our own travel blunders, we’re still doing just fine.

3. Midlife is a search for meaning—and this show skewers that

At this stage, many of us find ourselves questioning what actually matters. We start therapy, quit jobs, move cities, take up meditation—all in search of something deeper.

Don’t be these people, the show seems to warn us. Or at least be self-aware enough to know when you are.

The White Lotus guests are doing the same thing, just with more expensive cocktails. They want meaning. They want connection. They want something to make them feel alive. But instead of doing the real work, they settle for impulsive affairs, petty rivalries, and ill-advised yacht trips.

It’s like watching a cautionary tale play out in real time. Don’t be these people, the show seems to warn us. Or at least be self-aware enough to know when you are.

4. It’s a reminder that every vacation eventually ends

One of the show’s best tricks is how it turns paradise into purgatory. The resorts are beautiful, but the longer the guests stay, the more trapped they seem to feel.

That’s the thing about vacations—they’re temporary escapes. But you can’t outrun yourself.

That’s the thing about vacations—they’re temporary escapes. But you can’t outrun yourself. Wherever you go, there you are, still overanalysing your relationship, still regretting that email you sent, still wondering if there’s a better version of your life somewhere else.

And then the trip ends. The credit card bill arrives. You go home. And what are you left with?

If The White Lotus teaches us anything, it’s that how you live matters a lot more than where you vacation.
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5. The casting is absolutely brilliant

Part of what makes The White Lotus so compelling is that its characters feel unsettlingly real. The show doesn’t rely on traditional heroes and villains—just flawed, complex people played by actors who fully inhabit their messiness.

No matter the setting—Hawaii, Sicily, or wherever the next season takes us—we recognize these people because, at different points in our lives, we’ve been them.

Each season, we get a new lineup of characters, and yet the themes remain eerily familiar. There’s always someone clinging to youth, someone desperate for status, someone whose marriage is teetering on the edge. No matter the setting—Hawaii, Sicily, or wherever the next season takes us—we recognize these people because, at different points in our lives, we’ve been them.

And maybe that’s the real reason we love The White Lotus

Beneath all the satire, the absurdity, and the slow-motion disasters, it’s a show about people trying—and often failing—to figure out who they really are.

Which, if we’re being honest, is the most midlife thing of all.

* German word that means taking pleasure in someone else’s misfortune.