All Thanks To ‘The White Lotus’, Season Finale-Themed Parties Are Hot Stuff Now

This Monday, right after the crack of dawn–which is usually when I pick up my wretched cellular device to doomscroll, 99/100 IG stories on my feed were just reactions, opinions and fan edits of the finale episode of The White Lotus. We get that *spoiler* and *spoiler* died. But *SPOILER* also died?? Phew, that was harsh. And yes, I’m kind so go watch that season finale before I spoil it for you.

One Instagram story by Bhavya Krishnan, a stylist & fashion influencer particularly caught my eye and ignited intrigue galore. This bevy of girls had a themed set-up that included these exotic-looking knick knacks that screamed ‘beach vacation’ alongside cute menus for each of the girls with respective name cards. All of them curated in aesthetic congruence to watch the finale episode of season three of The White Lotus. First reaction: cute. Second reaction: brilliant–and why aren’t more people doing this? But well, turns out, people are. A lot of them.

Apart from the divisive, lush vision of Mike White coming to life in Thailand this time around, the eerie and cold interiors of Lumon Industries from Severence also found allegiance in fans going the extra mile to celebrate the fandom. A really funny Severance themed birthday party video just went viral last month, just when the finale was about to drop. From Lumon branding on files and paper cups to the key cards with the identifyiable 'drop' symbol, the prep here was intense. Kier water was the funniest. If you know, you know.

So why is everyone doing it? “I think we as a friend group of four girls have now outgrown the weekly clubs and bars. We look for activities that bring us closer and feel fun yet comfortable. Themed dinners for our favourite show finales is our go to weekend plan,” states Bhavya. The process isn’t as tricky as it might seem–the group watches the show collectively and one of them assumes charge on a rotational basis. While some may prefer to go all out, Bhavya and the girls denounce the ‘over the top’ business but like to retain a touch of the show's original elements. “We aren’t great cooks so we order take-out for the most part but a general tradition is we discuss potential theories over dinner and then dive into the finale.” Sounds like a plan. 

via GIPHY

People might think such dinner parties might entail a lot of work and expense but if one’s creative with it, it can evolve into something that’s a fun bonding experience for the group as a whole. For example Bhavya didn’t have any plants for their table, so they folded up some green paper into fans and used those in the vases. Easy-peasy, low maintenance effort. 

While it’s not a completely new concept—sports watch parties have existed since forver and let's not forget the GOT hype. Stacked pubs, puzzling traffic on the way and fights. SO many fights. But its re-emergence post the pandemic boom furthermore reinstates the ever-evolving culture of socialising when it comes to friendship. Initially only seen in the west, Indians are warming up to newfound ways of partying, and doing so whilst at home with new shows is a win-win, in my humble opinion. And we have 'The White Lotus' hype to thank, here.

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