It seems impossible to deny that the world is now enamored with crime. Whether it’s the sudden fascination with Jeffrey Dahmer after the release of Netflix’s documentary about him, or a fictional account of murderers and supernatural happenings in a suburb, audiences can’t get enough. When The white lotus came out on HBO in the midst of the pandemic, summer 2021, it was a huge success with critics and audiences. The six-part limited series has won a plethora of awards, from ten Emmy Awards to Hollywood Critics Association TV Awards. Season two of The white lotus makes its way to the world in October 2022, just in time for Halloween and the upcoming holiday season.
The white lotus was transformed into an anthology series, meaning it will potentially feature a different cast and most likely a different location with each season. A month after the first season was released, after seeing the success it brought to HBO, the series was renewed and slated for six episodes. Production started in the winter of 2022 and was ready in time for a release at the end of the year. The core aspect of the show’s story also had to be preserved: the hotel the guests flock to, the White Lotus resort, appears to have multiple global 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 will return for the second season. This new cast includes Meghann Fahy, Theo James, Aubrey Plaza and Will Sharpe as a group of friends, with two couples traveling on vacation. The main cast includes Tom Hollander, Sabrina Impacciatore, F. Murray Abraham, Haley Lu Richardson and Michael Imperioli. The beautiful, yet disturbing footage, filmed on site in Italy, complements the strong performances of this amazing group of actors.
A mystery in Sicily
For fans of the first season, they will immediately notice 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 who wants to riff on the themes and storylines established in the first season. However, other discussions that arose that season are being pushed aside in favor of new ones.
The first episode of season two of The white lotus opens on the beaches of Sicily, where a group of women talk about the hotel and the area where they stay. As one of the women goes for a last swim before going home, she stumbles upon what appears to be a floating body head right in front of her. As she begins to scream for help, the scene is interrupted and police reveal that several guests have been found in the water, not just the one body previously discovered. There is trouble in paradise and the party has just begun.
The scene shifts to a week earlier, showing what led up to the ill-fated beach scene. Switching smoothly between Italian and English depending on who is being focused, or who is talking to whom, the narrative frame is quickly set. New guests, mostly wealthy Americans, arrive at the White Lotus in Italy. Two local girls, both Italian, give an outsider perspective to the new blood in town, sucking on lollipops and grinning while making comments and assumptions about the guests. As the story digs deeper, each character is introduced one by one and they can uncover their inner desires and comfort levels with money and wealth. One character, Harper, is a lawyer new to dealing with the richest people and is a stark contrast to, say, the seedy and elderly businessman Bert.
There is a pervasive sense of doom and gloom spread everywhere. Whether it’s the mountains and ocean that trap them, leaving them no room to escape if they wanted to, or the artworks and sculptures depicting endings ending in violence in the middle of their hotel rooms. Italy has a lot of history in its art, but hidden meanings and foreshadowings are tucked away in 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’s quite a bit to unpack when it comes to the mystery elements, leaving viewers in doubt and disbelief towards the end.
A tight but flawed story
The white lotus immediately establishes his conflict: a body has been found on the beach and after it has been reported to the police, many other bodies of hotel guests also float in the water. This isn’t something new in the world of storytelling for movies and television shows, but The white lotus works seamlessly and tightly through its storylines. Many of the characters are the ones we’ve seen before: the rich who do what they want, seek what they want, and get it in every possible way. Unlike other recent movies and shows, most notably: Triangle of sadness, this show is not interested in introducing the class dynamics of the staff of such luxury hotels. The focus is almost exclusively on the wealthy characters who inhabit this space as guests, giving them certain powers and privileges that they are certainly accustomed to in their day-to-day lives. However, there are little pockets where one can peek into the perspective of the native Italian workers, especially if 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 struggling 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 location’s stereotypes, but what happens in the end is a lot darker than expected. This show isn’t about figuring out who did it, cashing in on the mystery elements to create tension between the characters. You might even forget that some people will die very soon as they progress through the episodes. Instead, it’s all about the drama and messy relationships between the characters. There’s going to be a lot of shadow, tension, and anger everywhere, especially considering these characters come in with a lot more baggage than they’re holding.
Season two of The white lotus holds back more than its predecessor. Sometimes it feels more understated and to the point. When the setting was set in Hawaii, there was so much underlying context about the effects of colonialism and such resorts on the islands. By moving the location to Italy, it loses that subtle underlying touch, even though the first season was broadly directly about the issues plaguing the islands. The integration of art about temptation and death, touching the cultural points of Italy, adds a newer layer to the relationships depicted on screen. Sex becomes a focal point in this season, and the quartet of friends with the great underlying sexual tension between them remains one of the most interesting parts of this season.
Even if some of the characters are lackluster, all the actors’ snappy dialogues and performances hold the glue together. The White Lotus’ still holds up, even if it falls short in some areas. The biggest drawback comes from the fact that the shadow of the first season also hangs over this season, raising expectations when, in the eyes of many, the original is better. Season two is still captivating and enchanting, drawing a deeper into its web and sending warning signals through the visuals and surroundings. Even when the characters realize something is wrong, they ignore it and send the entire operation down the path it begins with a week after everyone arrives at the resort. Fans of the first season and the kind of characters and stories it featured will find it worthy of their attention this season as well.
The first episode of The white lotus will be available on HBO Max October 30, 2022. The other episodes appear weekly on the streaming platform and HBO.