Dave Has Thoughts On... White Lotus Finale, Bachelor, Star Trek And More
In this column, TVLine's West Coast Bureau Chief Dave Nemetz shares his take on the current state of TV, including capsule reviews of upcoming shows, commentary on recently aired episodes and perspective on TV casting news, cancellations and more.
I didn't get a chance to do a full review for Sunday's season finale of The White Lotus, but: I mostly liked it! I appreciated how Rick and Chelsea's tragic fate tied into the season-long theme of karmic retribution, and how Rick's lust for revenge ultimately doomed him — and her, too, as collateral damage.
I also enjoyed how Mike White isn't afraid to leave things on an uncomfortable, inconclusive note and add some flaws to his most heroic characters. Belinda, so noble throughout the season, ended up abandoning Pornchai once she scored her big payday (the same way Tanya abandoned her), and Gaitok betrayed his Buddhist principles of non-violence to shoot Rick and win himself a promotion that finally impressed Mook. Good finale, good season.
Could Season 3 have been one or two episodes shorter? Yeah, maybe. But I wouldn't want to lose any time spent with Parker Posey's Victoria, or Carrie Coon's Laurie, or a half-dozen other characters. So where does Season 3 fit in my overall White Lotus season rankings? I'm having a hard time picking a favorite among the three; they all have unique things about them I love. I might put Season 1 at the top, just because it established a formula that the others have closely followed, but really, I could make an argument for any of the three as the best — and I'm already booking my reservations for Season 4.
* Forgive me this obvious pun, but: Is the bloom off the rose for The Bachelor? Grant's season wrapped up a couple weeks ago, earning a series-low viewership for a season finale and suffering from a distinct lack of buzz. The entire franchise seems to be in steep decline, with The Bachelorette skipping this summer and The Bachelor's showrunners exiting amid accusations of fostering a "toxic" work environment. Meanwhile, Netflix dating shows like Love Is Blind are running laps around it in terms of cultural relevancy. Does The Bachelor need to go on a break? Or to spice up the format in some way to get some buzz back? After 20 years, it's hard to imagine ABC's primetime lineup without it... but it's also hard to see it continuing without some big changes.
* Speaking of Netflix dating shows: I thoroughly enjoyed the new season of Temptation Island, which got a serious glow-up after five seasons on USA (and three more on Fox back in ye olden days of the early '00s). Netflix streamlined the show and made it more Love Is Blind-y, but the framework stayed basically the same, and it's still effective, with couples at a crossroads facing temptation from a bevy of sexy singles. It also helped that this season was especially messy, with Brion's open yearning for threesomes and Grant's blatant cheating on Ashley. Let's hope it gets an annual slot in Netflix's dating rotation alongside Love Is Blind, The Ultimatum and Perfect Match. (Netflix didn't do a formal reunion, but Bachelor alum Nick Viall did a lengthy podcast interview with most of the couples that should scratch that itch for fans. And if you still want more, Peacock has five more seasons of Temptation Island available to stream.)
* I'm excited for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds to return for Season 3 this summer, and the new trailer promises all kinds of fun — but I do have a nagging concern. Does every episode have to be a "special" episode? We already got a musical episode and an animated crossover in Season 2, and now the trailer promises a murder mystery, a rom-com, a '60s throwback, an all-Vulcan episode... what happened to a good old-fashioned alien encounter? Now I'm not a Vulcan; I do enjoy fun on occasion. But if every episode is special, no episode is special, and we could use some straight-forward space adventures to get to know the characters we love even better. I haven't seen any Season 3 episodes yet, so maybe it will feel more balanced when viewed as a whole, but give me some old-school Star Trek episodes without all the bells and whistles, please.
Got questions for Dave? Thoughts on his thoughts? Reach him at davehasthoughts@tvline.com.