The White Lotus Season 2 Review: Billed as an anthology now, Mike White brings us another season of television that sees rich white folks indulge themselves in pretentious activities while building around a compelling satire that feels highly addictive. Ditching the tropical island of Hawaii to settle into the lavish lifestyle of Sicily, Italy – The White Lotus Season Two again starts off similar to the previous outing. With a bunch of bodies washed ashore on the beach while the shrewd manager Valentina (Sabrina Impacciatore) looks horrified from a safe distance, we are taken aback to a week before where the hijinks begin. House of the Dragon Season 1 Finale Review: Emma D’Arcy’s ‘Game of Thrones’ Prequel Ends on a Satisfyingly Tense Note! (LatestLY Exclusive).
One of the best parts about The White Lotus Season One was that how it brought about an ensemble that was filled with people that had their own weird quirks attached to them, and season two follows the tradition. Let going the concepts of class examination alongside a blatant need of control, season two brings forward the themes of sex, lust, desire and jealousy in a way that compliments the characters here very well.
A Still From The White Lotus Season 2 (Photo Credit: HBO)
Through a boat ride that opens up with a beautiful view of Sicily, we are introduced to the judgemental Harper Spiller (Aubrey Plaza) and her workaholic husband Ethan (Will Sharpe) who get invited by their rich friends Cameron (Theo James) and Daphne (Meghann Fahy) on a trip to The White Lotus. Constantly evaluating the relationship of those with whom they are on a trip with, Harper tries to bring about some pizzazz to her mundane marriage life, however, her husband keeps undercutting her as he tries to enjoy a trip with his long-time college friend.
Amidst the returning cast who acts as a bridge between the two stories is Jennifer Coolidge’s insufferable Tanya McQuoid. Landing in Sicily with her assistant Portia (Haley Lu Richardson) who is going through a career crisis of her own, Tanya wishes to spend a romantic getaway with her husband Greg (Jon Gries), who unfortunately has his feelings diminishing away and has a resentment building towards her.
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Bringing some Italian starpower too, second season of The White Lotus also stars F Murray Abraham as Bert Di Grasso, an old and out-of-touch man, who wants to visit the lands of his family with his son Dominic Di Grasso (Michael Imperioli) and grandson Albie Di Grasso (Adam DiMarco). This pretty much rounds off our main cast while the themes of the show start taking over and paint a story that often gets quite addictive.
Introducing this group of folks as their complicated and troubled vacation starts to unravel, The White Lotus Season Two focuses more on the guests this time around with the staff of the hotel taking a backseat. With the five out of the seven episodes that were provided before, it’s very much clear that White wants to dive more into the complicated human nature while exploring concepts that often make us go astray.
A Still From The White Lotus Season 2 (Photo Credit: HBO)
A great example of it can be seen in Michael Imperioli’s performance where we learn about his backstory. With a cold shoulder to his son and growing impatient of his father’s flirtatious nature towards young women, he has his own skeletons in the closet. Finding solace within the local prostitutes of Sicily as he tries to curb his self-desire of sex, Imperioli shines in the role.
Same can be said for Plaza’s Harper too. Often judgemental in her way and not going past two second without punching in a sly dig, she remains a great highlight in her scenes. The cast overall does really well with a sweet spot there being too in the budding romance of Albie and Portia, there are enough plot lines here that never really get distracting.
A Still From The White Lotus Season 2 (Photo Credit: HBO)
Showcasing a neat concept about how the emptiness of having wealth just makes you more miserable, White is able to navigate through the season quite well with his impeccable direction and writing branching out even more. While season two of The White Lotus can lose some of its novelty as it ditches the more socio-political commentary of its previous season, there is still enough personal drama here that will want you to binge the next episode immediately.
While the season does have its seriousness maintained, it still is very much a comedic affair at its roots. There is that absurdist humour over here still maintained as we see Tanya being constantly insufferable with her oddities leveling her relationship. Same with Albie when exclaiming why would anyone want to look at his grandads “old junk” with Bert quickly shutting him down saying “it was never beautiful anyways.” The White Lotus manages to bring out that comedy at just the right times. Andor Review: Diego Luna’s ‘Rogue One’ Spinoff Series Revels In Providing Refreshing and Intimate Take on the Star Wars Saga! (LatestLY Exclusive).
A Still From The White Lotus Season 2 (Photo Credit: HBO)
White does his best in bringing these storylines together and that feeling of anxiety does creep in. Like the first season, the overarching plot here heavily relies on conflicts, and the sharp dialogue crafted always keeps things interesting. While watching rich folks do rich things can get tiresome, The White Lotus very well understands how to weaponize those experiences and bring about a sense of complication. Will the payoff for the season remain as strong as a man at his wits end defecating in his guest’s suitcase? Well… that remains to be seen, but this outing provides a great argument for itself.
Yay!
The Characters
Themes
Nay!
Can Lose a Bit of Novelty
Final Thoughts
The White Lotus Season Two is another homerun this year for HBO. Providing an absurdist take on the charlatan lifestyles of rich white folks, Mike White crafts a delicious satirical drama that will have your eyes glued to the screen. The White Lotus Season Two begins streaming from 31 October, 2022, on Disney+ Hotstar.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 30, 2022 11:38 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).