The White Lotus season 2 episode 1 recap & review: Ciao

The White Lotus season 2 premiere kicks things off with a new array of interesting characters and even intriguing still, the interjecting and overlapping storylines involving all.

Recap

The White Lotus ‘Ciao’ opens with Daphne Sullivan greeting new guests at the resort while she expresses a sigh of longing for a longer stay there — it’s her last day at the resort and she wants to bask in the waters before leaving.

Before she can perform any casual swim strokes, she’s greeted by floating corpses, a sight she responds to with an understandable scream of horror.

The manager of the Sicilian White Lotus resort arrives on the scene to judge the scope of perilous waters she’s going to be drowning in while managing the aftermath. It’s not looking good as another employee, Rocco, informs that number of corpses is more than one.

The show then cuts to one week earlier to explain all that will transpire over the course of all episodes until last, shedding light on what all led to the floating corpses.

The new guests arrive and Valentina is giving her staff a telling-off for lacking while bracing to welcome the guests. Meanwhile, a local escort Lucia and her friend Mia are standing nearby, gawking at the arriving guests.

Lucia is looking for the man she was contacted by. She doesn’t the face but that it’s among the faces coming to the resort.

Couple Cameron and Daphne Sullivan arrive, appearing to be the happy-go-lucky types, followed by Harper and Ethan Spiller — a couple that’s pretty much the opposite of the former.

Then arrive Tanya Hunt and three men — Albie, his father Dominic, and grandfather Bert. Tanya has also brought with herself her assistant, Portia.

Tanya meets her husband Greg, who’s already staying at the resort. She complains to him about not picking up her calls, he says he was busy. Greg furiously complains about bringing Portia during their quality time.

Tanya tells Portia to confine herself to a room and not get out much, as she might need her for work but doesn’t want Greg to see her.

Bert is at the stage where both his flatulence and libido have no regard for decorum or decency. While he’s continuously hitting on Isabella, an employee at the resort, Dominic tries to salvage the situation and Albie heads off for a swim.

But that’s not the only thing Dominic is trying to salvage. He’s also trying to mend his broken marriage but his wife is diametrically opposed to the idea of paying any heed to her cheating husband, much less entertain getting back together.

Albie meets a frustrated Tanya at the pool and the two gel together really well right off the bat. Meanwhile, Mia and Lucia try to get inside the resort multiple times but are stopped by Valentina.

Elsewhere, the Spiller couple continues to defy the lively spirit that the Sullivan couple is entertaining. Cameron is Ethan’s friend but Harper tries telling the latter how he’s onto something opportunistic for sure, but Ethan isn’t keen on her intuitions or theories.

Ethan recently came to a lot of wealth and Harper is certain they’re invited to this resort for an opportunity at exploitation or advantage.

Later on in The White Lotus season 2 premiere, Harper takes Cameron to the room to give him Ethan’s swimsuit. She then notices how Cameron purposefully tries to align himself in front of the mirror so Harper can see him naked.

After another row of awkward transgressions between Harper and Ethan, the former has to eventually salvage the situation amid the Sullivans covertly scoff at them.

At night, Lucia enters a room and it’s revealed that it was Dominic who contacted her for her services. Meanwhile, Mia has an offensive run-in with a guy who mistakes her for an escort.

While Tanya has bad sex with Greg earlier in the episode, Harper and Ethan have none at all, hearing Cameron and Daphne’s pleasure screams from the adjoining room before The White Lotus season 2 premiere rolls the credits.

Review

  • The White Lotus season 2 premiers with a great instalment that establishes all the core characters while laying out clearly, their dynamics and the nature of relationships.
  • The sense of dread and elitist degeneracy is palpable amidst a sense of humour that pervades many scenes.
  • Coolidge shines in all the scenes and it’s always a treat for the eyes and mind to see her do her thing, delivering lines and reactions in a way only she can.
  • Since the conclusion of this season’s affair has been mostly revealed right at the onset, it’s fun to speculate which ones in this cast of characters are going to end up with a fatal floating fate.
  • The White Lotus season 2 episode 1 ‘Ciao’ is a solid premiere to what seems like a strong series instalment much like its predecessor.
The White Lotus season 2 episode 1
The White Lotus season 2 episode 1 recap & review: Ciao 1

Director: Mike White

Date Created: 2022-10-31 06:00

Editor's Rating:
3.5

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