Abductions
| "Abductions" | |
|---|---|
| The White Lotus episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 2 Episode 6 |
| Directed by | Mike White |
| Written by | Mike White |
| Cinematography by | Xavier Grobet |
| Editing by | Heather Persons |
| Original release date | December 4, 2022 |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Guest appearances | |
| |
"Abductions" is the sixth episode of the second season of the American black comedy drama anthology television series The White Lotus. It is the twelfth overall episode of the series and was written and directed by series creator Mike White. It originally aired on HBO on December 4, 2022.
The series follows the guests and employees of the fictional White Lotus resort chain. The season is set on Taormina, Sicily, and follows the new guests, which include Ethan and his wife Harper; Cameron and his wife Daphne; Bert, his son Dominic, and grandson Albie; and Tanya and her husband Greg. The season explores the characters' conflicts, along with the short-tempered manager Valentina. In the episode, Ethan's marriage continues to fall apart, while the Di Grassos visit their blood relatives.
According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by an estimated 0.684 million household viewers and gained a 0.10 ratings share among adults aged 18–49. The episode received extremely positive reviews from critics, who praised its dark tone, revelations, writing and performances.
Plot
Ethan (Will Sharpe) talks with Harper (Aubrey Plaza), confronting her on humilliating him in front of Cameron (Theo James) and Daphne (Meghann Fahy). He reiterates that he never lied to her, causing even more strain in their marriage. Ethan is also confronted by Lucia (Simona Tabasco) and Mia (Beatrice Grannò) as neither he or Cameron paid for their services, which is witnessed by Harper.
Before Dominic (Michael Imperioli), Bert (F. Murray Abraham) and Albie (Adam DiMarco) leave to meet with their relatives, Lucia suggests in accompanying them as their translator. While driving, Lucia finds that she is being followed by Alessio. Not wanting to cause trouble, Lucia agrees to leave with him. Their reunion with their old blood relatives proves to be fruitless, as the Di Grasso family only consists of three women. The women demand that they leave their property, disappointing Bert. They return to the resort, where Bert praises Mia for playing the piano. After the performance, she meets with Valentina (Sabrina Impacciatore) to have sex.
Per Ethan's insistence, Cameron talks with Harper to be easy on him. However, Ethan believes Cameron is flirting with Harper, and scolds him for doing it. Albie is visited by Lucia, who explains that she owes money to Alessio, and by fulfilling her debt, he will stop harrassing her. Tanya (Jennifer Coolidge) accompanies Quentin (Tom Hollander) to a club, where he introduces her to his dealer, Niccolo (Stefano Gianino). They use cocaine before going out to a party. Tanya goes with Niccolo to his room to have sex, when he leaves to get something. She checks his room, discovering a picture of a younger Quentin with another man whom she recognizes. A naked Niccolo returns to have sex. After walking on the city, a drunk Jack (Leo Woodall) confesses to Portia (Haley Lu Richardson) that Quentin is not rich, but claims he will find money. Jack also reveals Quentin helped him in overcoming a rough spot in his life.
Production
Development
The episode was written and directed by series creator Mike White. This was White's twelfth writing and directorial credit for the series.[1]
Reception
Viewers
In its original American broadcast, "Abductions" was seen by an estimated 0.684 million household viewers with a 0.10 in the 18-49 demographics. This means that 0.11 percent of all households with televisions watched the episode.[2] This was a slight increase from the previous episode, which was watched by 0.641 million household viewers with a 0.11 in the 18-49 demographics.[3]
Critical reviews
"Abductions" received extremely positive reviews from critics. The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an 100% approval rating for the episode, based on 2 reviews.[4]
Manuel Betancourt of The A.V. Club gave the episode an "A" grade and wrote, "I always knew this season of The White Lotus would belong to Aubrey Plaza. But I was hardly ready for the way in which her Harper would take a chokehold on this HBO anthology series. Plaza, who's long been known and often underestimated because of her uncanny ability to channel deadpan 'evil hag' energy, has here yet again proven why she's one of the most fascinating performers around."[5]
Tom Smyth of Vulture gave the episode a 4 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "Few shows welcome rabid theorizing more than The White Lotus does, between its promise of impending death and every episode's ominous ambiguity. If you've been on the internet at any point over the last five weeks you've probably seen a lot of those theories, because everybody's watching this show with a suspicious eye. And while we've had our guard up this whole time, it seems like our characters have finally caught up — reading into every little interaction and developing suspicions of their own."[6]
Paul Dailly of TV Fanatic gave the episode a perfect 5 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "'Abductions' was a perfect hour of this HBO drama because it continued to peel away at these individuals on their vacation in Italy."[7]
Henry Wong of Esquire wrote, "It's been such a pleasure to watch these various couples mess around, break up, and get together, that it will be difficult to watch next week's finale. Still, you have to check out sometime."[8] Shawn Laib of Den of Geek gave the episode a 4 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "We still have hardly an idea who will remain dead or alive going into next week, but it certainly seems like the lack of communication between these four characters will have a lot to do with their fates."[9]
References
- ^ "The White Lotus – WGA Directory". Writers Guild of America West. Retrieved June 20, 2023.
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (December 6, 2022). "ShowBuzzDaily's Sunday 12.4.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals Updated". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on December 8, 2022. Retrieved June 20, 2023.
- ^ Salem, Mitch (November 30, 2022). "ShowBuzzDaily's Sunday 11.27.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals Updated". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on November 30, 2022. Retrieved June 20, 2023.
- ^ "The White Lotus: Season 2, Episode 6". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on November 28, 2022. Retrieved June 20, 2023.
- ^ Betancourt, Manuel (December 4, 2022). "On The White Lotus, Aubrey Plaza steals the show". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on February 23, 2023. Retrieved June 20, 2023.
- ^ Smyth, Tom (December 4, 2022). "The White Lotus Recap: Suspicious Minds". Vulture. Archived from the original on December 19, 2022. Retrieved June 20, 2023.
- ^ Dailly, Paul (December 4, 2022). "The White Lotus Season 2 Episode 6 Review: Abductions". TV Fanatic. Archived from the original on May 16, 2023. Retrieved June 20, 2023.
- ^ Wong, Henry (December 5, 2022). "'The White Lotus' Episode 6 Recap: Fever Pitch". Esquire. Archived from the original on March 27, 2023. Retrieved June 20, 2023.
- ^ Laib, Shawn (December 5, 2022). "The White Lotus Season 2 Episode 6 Review: Abductions". Den of Geek. Archived from the original on February 8, 2023. Retrieved June 20, 2023.
External links
- "Abductions" at HBO
- "Abductions" at IMDb