Higher Stakes and More Drama in ‘The White Lotus’

Sabrina Impacciatore and cast in The White Lotus | Credit: HBO

In season two of The White Lotus, we arrive at a new branch of The White Lotus Hotel located in Italy. We meet a whole new cast of characters, except for Tanya (Jennifer Coolidge), who returns for another season of madness and mayhem.

Despite being in a new location with a new crop of uber-rich people, the show maintains its humor and style. The hotel is gorgeous, and throughout the season, we explore different parts of Italy and watch characters party in palazzos. And the humor is spot-on. There are so many ridiculous moments that are laugh-out-loud funny.

If you enjoyed season one, you’re likely to enjoy season two.

I was hooked almost immediately. I would love to spend a holiday in Italy, so I was ready to spend a few hours with zany characters in such a beautiful location. But my interest in this season waned as it went on. By the sixth episode, I was done and just wanted it to be over. I think, for me, seven episodes was too long. I think I would’ve preferred this season if it had been limited, as the first season was, to just six episodes.

While I think The White Lotus is a bold and engaging show, I’m in the minority who prefers season one over season two. If anyone else is with me on this, please let me know!

I definitely came to appreciate season one more after finishing season two. I love how ambitious the first season is in grappling with so many larger themes. It manages to touch on so many different facets of society through the shenanigans of the uber-rich. While there is some of that in season two, it’s not as pronounced, and instead, it’s more focused on the people themselves. While they are fun and interesting, I grew tired of them.

My opinion of season two is a definite reminder of my contrarian ways. What can you do?

Meghann Fahy, Theo James, Aubrey Plaza, and Will Sharpe in The White Lotus | Credit: HBO

Let’s focus a little on some of the characters we meet in season two of The White Lotus.

We are introduced to Ethan (Will Sharpe) and Harper (Aubrey Plaza), a young married couple who just came into money. They are at The White Lotus with Ethan’s college roommate Cameron (Theo James), and his wife, Daphne (Meghann Fahy). Though they are friends, there is a lot of tension between the two couples, especially with Harper, who doesn’t trust Cameron and clearly doesn’t want to be there.

We spend a lot of time with these four characters in particular. We see the good and bad sides of them and how their interactions with each other can be explosive and even toxic. We get to observe how each person handles conflict differently and what they have to do to continue getting along with one another. Daphne is a really interesting character, in my opinion, especially given where we left off with Rachel at the end of season one.

Tanya returns, initially accompanied by her now husband, Greg (Jon Gries), and her assistant Portia (Haley Lu Richardson). We see that her relationship with Greg has progressed, but there’s also more going on than meets the eye. Their relationship is not wedded bliss, and they have some serious issues to work through.

When Portia is not trying to respond to Tanya’s every need, she’s contemplating her own life and longing for a sense of adventure. She hoped she would find in Italy what she had been unable to find in the U.S.

Their adventures really made me think about contentment — I can be like Portia and Tanya and struggle to feel satisfied even though I have it pretty good. But, instead of always searching for the next thing, I’m learning to be grateful for what I have and appreciate the mundane part of my life.

Jennifer Coolidge in The White Lotus | Credit: HBO

In The White Lotus, we also meet three generations of Di Grasso men who are visiting Italy to connect with their heritage. Bert (F. Murray Abraham), Dominic (Michael Imperioli), and Albie (Adam DiMarco) couldn’t be more different on the surface, but as the season unfolds, we learn that there’s more in common than we might think. It’s interesting to think about inherited traits and learned behaviors and how our family of origin shapes who we become.

Honestly, theirs was my favorite storyline, and I wanted to see much more of the three Di Grasso men.

Finally, we are introduced to Lucia (Simona Tabasco), an escort, and her friend Mia (Beatrice Grannò), who spend their week hanging around the beautiful hotel filled with rich guests. They are a really fun part of the season. It seems like Lucia and Mia are always up to something — buying new clothes to look the part, charging their lavish expenses to the rooms, and finding a new John when Lucia’s original client falls through.

There are interesting things here about sex and how it can be used to get what you want from others. We see Mia’s views on this change over the course of the season as she begins to identify what she wants and find ways to get it.

In many ways, these two friends are the glue holding this season together. They interact with just about everyone in this season, including the buttoned-up and outspoken manager, Valentina (Sabrina Impacciatore), who begrudgingly allows them to stay on the property.

I’m going to spoil a couple of things that happen in the final episode, so if you haven’t watched season two of The White Lotus, don’t read on. I don’t want to spoil the ending for you.

Michael Imperioli and F. Murray Abraham in The White Lotus | Credit: HBO

I really loved two things about the season two finale: Tanya’s death and Lucia’s taking advantage of Albie.

From the beginning, I didn’t trust Greg, and I was waiting for him to do something to take advantage of Tanya. And we see that he hatched an elaborate plan in order to murder Tanya and take all of her money, which he wouldn’t have been able to get if he had merely divorced her.

Having Tanya (with the help of Portia) put the whole plot together was brilliant. Watching Tanya try to get out of the situation she found herself in was both hilarious and tragic. Though she had her neuroses that made life difficult at times, we see her desire to live.

It’s such a tragedy that despite her best efforts, creepy Greg still gets all of her money. But it was a fitting end to Tanya. She should’ve just started the business with Belinda (Natasha Rothwell), who was the real MVP of season one.

In the season two finale, we also see the resolution of the relationship between Albie and Lucia. He willingly gives her an outlandish amount of money in order for her to be free, convinced that they are going to have a real relationship. And The White Lotus rejects following in the footsteps of Pretty Woman.

It turns out that Lucia was playing Albie the whole time, creating an elaborate ruse in order to get more money out of him. She played him like a fiddle. While I liked Albie, it was still satisfying to see this show reject the rom-com version of their relationship.

Instead, we get a sweet and hopeful moment between Albie and Portia after they have both had their adventures with other people. It turns out that nice and safe might not be the worst thing in the world. I loved that little dash of hope that we got at the end — it wasn’t too much and still leaves a lot of room for us to focus on all of the ways humans are horrible to each other.

Haley Lu Richardson in The White Lotus | Credit: HBO

Season two of The White Lotus is filled with loads of drama and colorful new characters. We get to explore the beautiful Italian coast with them as they deal with all of their rich people problems and ridiculous hijinks. And, in the midst of all of that, we are given opportunities to think about the world around us.

Though I enjoyed the first season more, it’s still an entertaining season of television, and I can’t wait to see what Mike White and the team come up with for us next.

Also, we’ve been to Hawaii and Italy; what beautiful place do you think is next for The White Lotus?