Season 2 Mike White’s The White Lotus Swap Hawaii for Sicily and bring in a (almost) new cast of resort employees and guests. It also remixes its The iconic theme songThis unleashes yet another wave of chaos. Despite this makeover, The White Lotus Season 2 feels very much like its predecessor — for better and for worse.
The White Lotus Season 2 has an extraordinary cast
Jennifer Coolidge, who just won an Emmy, returns to play the wealthy Tanya McQuoid with Jon Gries as Greg. Their marriage is anything other than paradise. Tanya is still very unhappy and worries that Greg isn’t telling her the truth. Coolidge remains brilliant, even though the early episodes (I have only seen five of them) leave her with less to do. Things pick up after she meets gay men who become obsessed with her. This leads to some of the most touching and funny conversations of the season.
Tanya is accompanied by her assistant Portia (Haley Lu Richardson), aged twenty-something who is desperately looking for a new career. She’s at a five star resort in Sicily but still feels empty and unfulfilled. Albie (Adam DiMarco), another visitor, is a good match for her. He’s there with Bert (F. Murray Abraham), and Dominic (Michael Iperioli), his manizing father.
With a wife and daughter who hate him due to his behavior, Dominic is our major introduction to the season’s main themes of fidelity and sex — themes that will quickly consume every character. He makes contact with local sex worker Lucia (Simona Tabasco), who brings her friend Mia (Beatrice Grannò) along with her to the White Lotus. Valentina, the hilariously straight-laced Sabrina Impacciatore plays the hotel manager.
It’s a lot of characters, and I haven’t even reached the core four. The central theme of The White Lotus Season 2 will feature a couple of married couples played by Aubrey Plaza (Will Sharpe), Meghann Fahy, Theo James, and Theo James. Cameron (James), Daphne (Fahy), and Ethan(Sharpe) invited Harper (Plaza), to their vacation. Cameron and Ethan were college friends. Ethan sold his company and Harper thinks Cameron wants Ethan investing in him. Harper in particular is disdainful of Cameron and Daphne’s extreme wealth and unwillingness to engage in the world around them — they don’t vote or read the news.
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The four actors perfectly portray the awkward power dynamics within the group. Sharpe’s passive Ethan is able to play James in full jerk mode. James can also go into full jerk mode. Ethan’s breaking point due to Cameron’s gross misconduct seems to be the theme of the entire season. But when and how it will happen remains a mystery. Fahy is brilliant as a character, but until we get to know her better, it’s hard to believe she’s a boring housewife. Fahy peels back the layers of Daphne and her relationship with Cameron bit by bit until we realize that she is full of surprises — some quite funny, others absolutely heartbreaking. Plaza rounds out the quartet with her witty delivery and subtle comedic timing. It’s a delightful treat to see the tensions between these four emerge in a season that can sometimes feel rushed. Although there are many other plots, White is not as engaging as these four. You’ll miss them every time White takes away from them.
A season that is unquestionably sexy
Although sex is definitely an important part of sex, The White Lotus It rises to the top in Season 1. We are fortunate that this season’s iteration is the best. Far Most interesting is when it examines the relationships between its characters and sex. It also shows where. The White Lotus Accepting its chaos is a great way to enjoy reality shows like Reality Show. Love is blind This is paired with stunning cinematography and the shine of prestige TV.
The White Lotus‘s portrayal of sex and relationships ranges from the awkward first interactions between Albie and Portia, to the sad disconnect between Tanya and Greg, to the absolutely gut-churning…whatever is happening with Harper, Ethan, Daphne, and Cameron. The show’s premiere episode features Cameron sexing near Harper in a power play that violates the law, which Ethan later dismissed as an accident. This is just the beginning of how insanely unhinged this season is.
Viewers and guests at the White Lotus are not able to escape questions about sex or monogamy. The new opening credits sequence features a number of violent and sexually charged murals. One of the most prominent themes throughout the season is the appearances of Sicilian ceramic skulls. These heads are a popular piece of art on the island and come from a legend about a woman who was jilted and cut off her lover’s head. White is not afraid to use this symbolism, as she does with many other parts of the show. How many times must we see these heads highlighted by dark music?
The White Lotus Season 2 sometimes falls prey to Season 1’s pitfalls
The latest edition of The White Lotus It is filled with the same jaw-droppingly incongruous conversations that made Season 1 a must-watch TV series, but it also repeats story moments we’ve seen before which dulls some its surprise. As per what’s becoming The White LotusAccording to’s formula, each episode begins with the death of an unknown character. Then the flashbacks take place to one week ago. Multiple people are killed this time around, which is a departure from the original formula. Later, Valentina is also stuck with what feels like diluted elements of Armond’s Season 1 storyline. At a certain point, a bag full of drugs becomes a major plot device — where have we seen that before?
Season 2’s humor is, as Season 1 was, sometimes too lighthearted. “We’re trying to say something important!” The White Lotus Crows are at every opportunity. But it’s so focused on class and privilege that they are the only thing it cares about, it rarely gets to explore deeper. Remarking that wealth makes people behave differently — most often badly — is not nearly as revelatory as the show seems to think it is.
The White LotusAlthough’s weaknesses as a concept are clearly evident in this season’s episode, the performances are amazing and the plot twists are so compelling that it’s hard not to watch the show again. It’s like a perfect holiday. It’s fun, flirty, and seductive. But unlike that holiday, you can still wish. The White Lotus It was slightly less extravagant.
Season 2 The White LotusPremieres Oct. 30 at 9:00 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO MaxYou can watch the latest episodes of the series on tv, which airs every week.
