By Kristine Pascual, Dec. 6, 2022
Season two of the five-time Emmy award winning show, “The White Lotus” premiered on Oct. 30 and is now halfway through second season. This show is extraordinarily funny, witty and filled with loads of anticipation and immaculate drama. Like the first season, the course of events that unfold happen within a week at the franchise hotel, White Lotus, this time in Sicily.
In a Wall Street Journal interview, the creator of the show Mike White talks about the inspiration he has taken from old reality TV shows such as “Survivor” and “The Amazing Race,” both of which he participated in as a contestant. Once again, White has appointed himself as the sole writer and director for this meticulously layered season filled with dark humor and drama.
This season’s cast is brand new, apart from Tanya McQuoid-Hunt and Greg Hunt. Jennifer Coolidge and Job Gries make a return from last season as their now married characters Tanya and Greg. Accompanying Tanya is her young assistant, Portia, portrayed by Haley Lu Richardson, who becomes entangled with some other guests and is caught up in a love triangle with two men. The cast also includes a rich, picture-perfect couple, Cam and his wife Daphne, portrayed by Theo James and Meghann Fahy. Invited to tag along with them are their opposite, “friends” Ethan and Harper who are played by Will Sharpe and Aubrey Plaza, who are a bit more practical in their relationship. Other guests include a Sicilian family of three generations looking to connect to their roots, but all three men face their own issues that further complicate their family relationship. However, there are many complications intertwined between the guests at the White Lotus.
Mirroring its first season, the first episode kicks off with dead, unidentified bodies found in the ocean of the resort. The manager of the resort is oddly calm and states how the beach technically is not resort property, so it should not be their problem, despite having so many of their guests spending their time on that same beach. It then shifts back to earlier that week to introduce this season’s characters. The situations these characters are put in are dark and extremely well written.
Season two heavily focuses on the theme of sex. There are a lot of sexual interactions between characters and with that comes infidelity. Two characters who heavily stir the pot are Mia and Lucia, played by Beatrice Granno and Simona Tabasco, prostitutes who loiter around the resort looking for rich men to prey on. They become involved with multiple guests and employees at the White Lotus, which makes character interactions awkward. With each episode, increased drama unfolds resulting in many complications in the short span of a week. Moreover, this show is about rich people’s First World problems and the tons of drama they bring upon themselves.
There is a shift in the hotel manager’s role this season. In the first season, the hotel manager, Armond, was heavily involved in the drama and written in the storyline. However, the hotel manager in this season is pushed to the sidelines, limited to short scenes and small interactions with the guests.
Overall, this series is dark and comedic with a lot of tension felt between the screen and its viewers. “The White Lotus” is available to stream every Sunday evening on HBO Max with three more episodes to air in the next few weeks.
Feature image courtesy of Jackson Gray