By Joanna Orland
SPOILER WARNING: This article contains spoilers for ‘The White Lotus’ Seasons 2 & 3
When Tanya McQuoid (Jennifer Coolidge) perished at the end of The White Lotus Season 2, the show lost its shining star. How could the series possibly go on without Coolidge as the unfiltered, oblivious, hilarious Tanya!? Enter Parker Posey as Victoria Ratliff.
Both Victoria and Tanya share a weird eccentric energy, as wealthy white women who are unaware of their surroundings or the needs of others. Like Tanya, Victoria is the funniest character of her season, endlessly quotable, and delightfully memeable. Posey takes things to the next level comedically, with the standout performance of The White Lotus Season 3.
Parker Posey Is Endlessly Quotable As Victoria Ratliff
Parker Posey and Jennifer Coolidge both have that idiosyncratic element that The White Lotus thrives on for its comedic payoff. Each with their distinct way of speaking — Coolidge with that breathy mumble, and Posey with the exaggerated North Carolina drawl. Her accent has become an actual phenomenon offscreen. Impersonations of her are rife on the Internet, with even her co-star Patrick Schwarzenegger getting in on the action with his own attempt at a, “Piper, No!”
Nearly everything Victoria says is memeable, reminiscent of Tanya’s viral moment of “these gays, they’re trying to murder me.” Posey has a whole host of quotes to play with, even beyond the “Piper, No!” In Episode 5, “Full-Moon Party,” Victoria cluelessly shouts to Piper (Sarah Catherine Hook), “you want to live in Taiwan?” as though she doesn’t seem to know where she is at the moment (Thailand. It’s Thailand). There is the way she casually conflates Charles Manson with the Clintons, when saying anybody can write a book. And of course, the amount of times she talks about her “non-addictive” lorazepam dependency — there are already supercuts of every time she’s said the word “lorazepam” — there is definitely a drinking game in the making here.
In any scene she’s in, no matter who she’s playing against, Posey finds the hilarity in the oddest way. Even in a basic scene at breakfast, when Kate (Leslie Bibb) approaches Victoria, simply recognizing her from a party they’d both attended one weekend, Victoria chooses the weird response. Victoria’s reaction isn’t just rude or a brush off, it is socially unnerving and inappropriately bizarre. She could’ve just made her apologies in a curt manner, but instead she dramatically ignores and negates the idea that this other wealthy woman is connected to her in any way.
‘The White Lotus’ Gives Parker Posey Her Big Mainstream Moment
It makes sense that Parker Posey is the one to be Jennifer Coolidge’s spiritual successor on The White Lotus, as they share a similar offbeat vibe. Their comedic sensibilities are complementary rather than clashing or overlapping. They offer an alternative and unique viewpoint on what is considered a comedy performance, as they heighten any material they have to work with.
Being the standouts of their seasons isn’t where their overlap ends. Both actors have had comparable career trajectories, flying a bit under the radar with a rabid cult following, appreciated for their humour in smaller projects or roles over the years. The White Lotus is the work that has given them each their biggest moment in the mainstream.
With their backgrounds, their affinity to each other on The White Lotus makes perfect sense. The White Lotus’ Mike White isn’t actually the first director to cast them in the same project. The actors have worked together with Christopher Guest in his mockumentary films Best in Show, A Mighty Wind, For Your Consideration, and Mascots.
At first it seemed as though The White Lotus would flounder without the comedy gold of Jennifer Coolidge. While it was a bit of a slow start for Season 3, it’s now obvious that Parker Posey has taken up the mantle as the season’s de facto comedy highlight. Like Tanya, Victoria operates outside of the established social norms that everyone else on the show has unconsciously agreed to. And it’s hilarious.
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The White Lotus is available on Max