The White Lotus season 2 review: Enthralling successor exceeds expectations

‘The White Lotus’ season 2 sees another titular hotel welcome a bunch of new guests whose lives unravel and interject with each other in funn, scandalous, and ominous ways.

Story

Guests arrive at the Sicilian White Lotus and the staff greets them with a huge welcome. Tanya has come on vacation with her assistant Portia, while her new husband Greg is already there.

He’s upset that she’s brought Portia with her on their vacation but Tanya keeps her around, telling her to lay low but close. Meanwhile, Greg has to answer a call from work and leave Sicily for a couple of days.

Distressed, Tanya is cheered up by Quentin, a gay man who’s seemingly a really wealthy man, and his day friends. Portia hooks up with Quentin’s nephew Jack and is wooed away by him.

Ethan and Harper are a couple who have a huge problem of miscommunication and a concerning lack of intimacy of late. They’re on the vacation at the invitation of another couple, Daphne and Cameron.

Who used to be his friend in college, Cameron is now seeking to have some sort of monetarily beneficial deal with Ethan, who has recently come into a lot of money. Meanwhile, he also tries to get close to Harper.

After a miscommunication results in a scuffle between them, Ethan and Harper’s relationship is affected badly, which only becomes worse later on.

However, in the end, the two do come to love one another once again, despite the mutual trust between them not being what it once was anymore.

Albie, his dad Dominic, and grandfather Bert are all in Sicily to possibly find Bert’s living proof of Bert’s familial roots in Italy. While they have no success with that, there are other failures that this trio has to contend with.

After his fling with Portia doesn’t go anywhere, Albie falls for Lucia, a hooker that his dad slept with. Unbeknownst to him, Albie dreams of a future with her while his relationship with his father improves.

The hotel director is a closeted gay woman who’s eventually brought out of it by Lucia’s friend and accomplice Mia, who also secures a spot as a singer at the hotel diner.

Tanya learns the shocking hidden intentions of Quentin and figures out that he’s trying to kill her. In a dazed series of events, Tanya shoots him dead, as well as a couple of his accomplices, before drowning to death herself.

Performances

‘The White Lotus’ season 2 takes the viewers through an enthralling dark comedy with moments of a varied range of emotions, all of which succeed just as much because of the writing as of the actors.

The ensemble cast of the show is packed with great talents who are a blast to watch as they dance around and revel in their eccentricities, personalities, and vulnerabilities.

But it’s Jennifer Coolidge who returns to the show for the second season, who shines unparalleled in her eccentrically oblivious and nonchalant attitude towards life.

Positives

‘The White Lotus’ is a season that arguably surpasses its predecessor in terms of the writing and the sense of dread that the writing imbibes each of its episodes with.

Biting nails in anticipation has never been this fun and with each passing episode, the tension builds up to a new high and the ever-lingering question of who kicks the bucket stays one with no strong answers.

While the mystery aspect of the series remains a constant in this season, it’s also the quality of the writing as well as the visual literacy that makes it such a gripping watch. One notable part of the success of this season is the prolific use of absolutely befitting needle drops.

Negatives

The last episode may prove to be a bit of a loose end for some of the main characters and their storylines, leaving one wondering if this is truly the end of their arcs or if a continuation is in store for the next instalment.

Verdict

‘The White Lotus’ season 2 is a moody, eerie, hilarious, wicked, and fun affair with each episode surpassing the previous in all the show’s characteristic strengths.

With great performances, music, cinematography, and writing aplenty, the sophomore season of the titular comedy-drama is one of the best the Television has to offer this year.

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Also Read: The White Lotus season 2 episode 7 recap & review: Arrivederci