Forget Rick and Chelsea, Let's Talk About Belinda
Natasha Rothwell epitomizes the good, the bad, and the ugly of The White Lotus
Hello, Gorgeous!
There are spoilers aplenty below. If you haven’t yet watched the finale of The White Lotus Season 3, consider yourself warned.
Next up, a love letter to Natasha Rothwell, and her portrayal of a character with more quirks and complications than anticipated.
The White Lotus 101
I’m not going to do a deep dive into the show itself. For the unitiated, The White Lotus is a series created/written/sometimes directed by Mike White, he of the brilliant Enlightened with Laura Dern.
The White Lotus just completed its third season on Max. It takes place at a fictitious hotel in different spectactular locations around the globe. The show is by turns gorgeous, sleazy, insightful, hilarious, depressing, and frequently cringe-inducing. And instead of characters you love to hate, most are kinda loathsome.
The White Lotus also has a recurring trope I haven’t seen addressed elsewhere. One that was shattered in the Season 3 finale.
The recurring Hollywood trope that’s uncomfortable to even discuss
Back in 2001, Spike Lee went on a speaking tour of colleges. He disparaged a slew of movies using what he deemed to be “Magical Negros.” The intentionally offensive expression describes Black characters in literature, film or theater who ostensibly exist just to support the White character’s journey. These characters frequently have spiritual or nearly mystical abilities as well. (You can read more about it in this great article in Salon from 2010. Some years back, Key and Peele mocked the notion mightily in a sketch. ). Think Mammy in Gone With the Wind or Michael Clarke Duncan’s character John Coffey in The Green Mile.
Lee coined the expression that was meant to be shocking and offensive. At the time, he asked "How is it that Black people have these powers but they use them for the benefit of White people?"
The reason I’m bringing it up is that for the first season of The White Lotus, Natasha Rothwell’s character of Belinda seemed to serve just that purpose. To be the soothing, comforting character who existed to improve the lives of others. While her chosen profession as a massage therapist intrinsically served others, she went above and beyond and then some. Sure we were privy to some of Belinda’s frustrations and disappointments, but her role was to support the spoiled guests. And then Season 3 swerved hard.
The evolution of Belinda Lindsey
For the first season of The White Lotus, Spa manager Belinda Lindsey was a background character to most guests of the show. In Season 3, we saw her bloom in all facets of her character.
Belinda, as embodied by the magnificent Natasha Rothwell, glowed from within. And while we saw her frequently wearing greenish greige variations of spa employee gear, we also caught sight of her in a vivid array of caftans.
Viewers were also treated to a more vulnerable Belinda; Sexy in her flirtation with the unfortunately named Pornchai. Matter of fact when sleeping in her satin bonnet to protect her curls and coils. Unapologetic about her soft shape, including a rounded belly. Hard edged when telling son Zion just exactly how to negotiate with the evil Greg.
I wanted to hug costume designer Alex Bovaird for all the spot on lewks in the show’s three seasons, but especially the loving detail in the way Belinda went from background to peacock to sleek or evil depending on how you view her final decisions.
I’m still not sure if I cheered on Belinda’s $5 million payday, or felt sad that she’d been around loathsome people for so long that she felt comfortable following suit. While she was kinder in her ultimate rejection, Belinda left behind all the Hollywood tropes when she discarded poor Pornchai in the exact way she’d previously been left behind.
Incidentally, Rothwell is an Emmy-nominated Peabody winning powerhouse, and one wonders if she brought some of herself to the final (for now?) iteration of Belinda.
There’s no denying that Mike White frequently brought the ick The White Lotus. But he also created incredibly nuanced characters, especially the ever evolving Belinda. Perhaps in Belinda, Mike Whilte ultimately decimated outdated Hollywood cliches.
Did you watch The White Lotus? What did you think about the ending? Let’s meet in the comment section to discuss!
Rachel, Your beauty concierge 💋
I love the show but hated the ending! For example, the three friends all chummy at the end-not realistic at all, after all that happened.
I agree 100% with your description of the show writ large. However, I was consistently disappointed with season 3- unrelatable characters overall (with a few exceptions), unresolved storylines and - for me- a lot of wheel spinning. I get the spiritual over/undertones. I get the foreshadowing. I'm impressed with how Mike White tells a story. But overall, for me, this season was a MEH. In the end, I didn't really care what happened.