In which we find out whether you can kill them with kindness…
Do references work if you only know them in passing? I ask because this week’s episode referenced (maybe heavily, maybe not) The White Lotus, an HBO prestige drama that I still haven’t watched. I know the basic idea and I know that Roger was supposed to be Jennifer Coolidge and the name of the resort Brown Lotus is a play on The White Lotus. What I’m curious is if the references helped to elevate this episode for anyone or if it was just a new coat on the show that didn’t add much.
We open with Hayley at her job, being stressed out because customer service jobs can be hell, especially when people are being demanding and stupid. She gets home and Jeff and Roger suggest she go on vacation. Roger gives them passes to the titular Brown Lotus and they set off to the other side of Langley (a town with remarkable biomes in its city limits). There they meet the Jennifer Coolidge Roger persona who is basically a demanding Karen-type who always gets what she wants because she’s mean. Hayley is turned-off by this and tries to win everybody over by being nice but it doesn’t work until Jeff goes behind the scenes and starts his own bad behavior. Hayley, believing her technique is working, challenges Roger to see which technique works best. Roger discovers what Jeff is doing and tries to force the issue. This involves asking a sea captain to take them to a forbidden island.
Jeff tries to berate the captain but Hayley discovers what he’s doing. The rich passengers then turn on the trio as they head to the forbidden island. A storm kicks up and thanks to Roger, a marble storm basically kills everyone. They head back and Hayley discovers that maybe Roger was right about trying to be a jerk about stuff.
Over in the B-plot the CIA has to rebrand because Congress denied their budget because of all the torture. So Bullock decides to make the CIA the Cake IA. Stan and his team have to learn baking cakes. They appear on talk shows and a baking show and even win the thing. But Bullock tells them that Congress got its cocaine stolen by terrorists and need the CIA to track it down so the budget is returned. The team is made enough to throw the cake around and hurt the cameraman in the ensuing camera explosion.
Stray Observations
- Hayley met Jeff in a ravine
- No Francine, Steve or Klaus this week.
- The in media res cold opening brought back Randy, the sex offender from 42 Year Old Virgin (or at least someone who looks like him)
Final Thoughts: This one was just meh for me. Unremarkable until the marble storm ending. Maybe I would have gotten more out of it if I saw White Lotus but I’m not sure of that