An Underwhelming, But Still Entertaining Addition to the Series

It seems impossible to deny that the world is enamored with crime right now. Whether it is the sudden fascination with Jeffrey Dahmer after the release of Netflix’s documentary about him, or a fictional tale about murderers and supernatural ongoings in a suburban town, audiences cannot get enough of it. When The White Lotus came out on HBO in the middle of the pandemic, the summer of 2021, it was a smash hit with critics and audiences. The six-part limited series swept home a plethora of awards, from ten awards at the Emmy Awards to Hollywood Critics Association TV Awards. Season two of The White Lotus is making its way out into the world in October 2022, just in time for Halloween and the upcoming holiday season.

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The White Lotus was transformed into an anthology series, which means it will potentially feature a different cast with each season and most likely a different location. A month after the first season was released, after seeing the success it brought to HBO, the series was renewed and slated to have six episodes. Production began in the winter of 2022, wrapping up in time for an end-of-the-year release. The core aspect of the show’s story, too, was to be retained: the hotel to which the guests are coming, the White Lotus resort, appears to have multiple worldwide locations.

Mike White, who created the show, returned for season two and is the sole director and writer for every single episode in this season. Only Jon Gries and Jennifer Coolidge return for the second season. This new cast consists of Meghann Fahy, Theo James, Aubrey Plaza, and Will Sharpe as a friend group, with two couples, traveling on vacation. Tom Hollander, Sabrina Impacciatore, F. Murray Abraham, Haley Lu Richardson, and Michael Imperioli, among others, make appearances in the main cast. Filmed on-site in Italy, the gorgeous, but unsettling, visuals complement the strong performances brought out by this stellar group of actors.

Related: The White Lotus: Best Season 1 Moments, Ranked

A Mystery in Sicily

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For fans of the first season, what they are going to notice straight away is that the setting looks a little different. That’s right: unlike the first season, which was set in Hawaii, this season’s setting is Sicily, Italy. The majority of the cast from season one did not return for season two, making this set of characters an entirely new cast. A notable exception is Jennifer Coolidge, who reprises the role of Tanya. Besides that character, everyone is a fresh face looking to riff off the themes and storylines established in the first season. However, other discussions that arose that season are pushed away in favor of new ones.

The first episode of season two of The White Lotus opens up on the beaches of Sicily, where a group of women chats about the hotel and area that they are staying in. As one of the women goes swimming for the last time before heading home, she stumbles upon what looks to be a body floating headfirst right in front of her. As she starts screaming for help, the scene cuts, showing police discussing that multiple guests have been found in the water, not just the one body discovered earlier. There is trouble in paradise, and the party is just getting started.

The scene shifts to a week earlier, showing what led up to the fateful beach scene. Smoothly switching between Italian and English depending on who is being focused, or who is talking to who, the narrative framework is quickly set. New guests, mainly wealthy Americans, are arriving at the White Lotus in Italy. Two local girls, both Italian, provide an outsider perspective to the new blood in town, sucking on lollipops and smirking as they make comments and assumptions about the guests. As the story digs its heels deeper, introducing each character one by one and allowing them to expose their inner desires and comfort levels with money and wealth. One character, Harper, is a lawyer new to hanging out with the richest people and becomes a stark contrast to the likes of, for example, the seedy and elderly businessman Bert.

There is a permeating sense of doom and gloom scattered throughout. Whether it is the mountain and ocean trapping them in, allowing no room to escape if they wanted to, or the artwork and sculptures depicting endings that end in violence placed right in the center of their hotel rooms. Italy has a lot of history in its art, but hidden meanings and foreshadowing are tucked into scenes and shots. Some of the best stories are created through character studies, and The White Lotus does just that. Like the previous season, there is quite a bit to unpack when it comes to the mystery elements, leaving viewers in doubt and disbelief by the end.

Related: The White Lotus Season 2: Everything We Know and Why We Can’t Wait

A Tightly Knit, But Flawed Story

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The White Lotus establishes its conflict immediately: a body has been found on the beach, and upon it being reported to the police, many other bodies of hotel guests are floating in the water too. This isn’t something new in the world of storytelling for movies and television shows, but The White Lotus works through its storylines seamlessly and tightly. Many of the characters are ones we have seen before: the rich who do as they please, seeking out whatever they want and getting it through any means possible. Unlike other recent movies and shows, most notably Triangle of Sadness, this show is not interested in introducing the class dynamics of the staffing of such luxury hotels. The focus is almost exclusively on the wealthy characters who inhabit this space as guests, allowing them certain powers and privileges they are surely used to in their everyday lives. However, there are small pockets where one can peek into the perspective of the native Italian workers, especially as they roll their eyes or turn away from a guest’s antics.

These characters can trace their roots back to the first season. An ensemble cast plays an interesting variety of people who struggle with their relationships, as many of these couples are not very happy with each other. Both settings are considered romantic in the context of the locations’ stereotypes, but what ends up happening is a lot darker than expected. This show is not about finding out who did it, cashing in on the mystery elements to create tension between the characters. One may even forget that some people will die very shortly as they progress through the episodes. Instead, it is all about the drama and messy relationships between the characters. There will be a lot of shade, tension, and rage witnessed throughout, especially considering these characters are coming in with a lot more baggage than they are holding.

Season two of The White Lotus restrains itself more compared to its predecessor. At times, it feels more subdued and to the point. When the setting was set in Hawaii, there was so much underlying context about the impacts of colonialism and such resorts on the islands. By switching the location to Italy, it loses that subtle underlying touch, even if the first season only broadly touched directly on the issues plaguing the islands. The incorporation of art about seduction and death, touching on Italy’s cultural points, adds a newer layer about the relationships depicted on screen. Sex becomes a focal point in this season, and the quartet of friends with the major underlying sexual tension between all of them remains one of the most interesting parts of this season.

Even if some of the characters are lackluster, the snappy dialogue and performances from all of the actors keep the glue together. The White Lotus’ still holds up even if it falls short in some areas. Its biggest downfall comes from the fact the shadow of the first season hangs over this one as well, creating higher expectations when, in the eyes of many, the original is better. Season two is still captivating and mesmerizing, drawing one deeper into its web, and sending warning signs through the imagery and setting. Even if the characters realize something is amiss, they ignore it, sending the entire operation down the path it starts with a week after everyone arrived at the resort. Fans of the first season and the kind of characters and stories it had will find this season, too, worthy of their attention.

The first episode of The White Lotus is available on HBO Max as of October 30, 2022. The remaining episodes will be released weekly on the streaming platform and HBO.

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