The White Lotus Season 2 Review: Episode 1 -2 Is The Return Of The Emmy-Winning Series Convincing?
Cast: F. Murray Abraham, Jennifer Coolidge, Adam DiMarco, Tom Hollander, Aubrey Plaza
Creator: Mike White
Streaming Platform: HBO Max
Filmyhype.com Ratings: 4/5 (four stars) [yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]
Sorry for the late review of The White Lotus Season 2 here is our complete review watch or not. This is also what happens when a miniseries, thanks to the success obtained, is renewed for a second season. On the one hand, there is the happiness of being able to return to a place that had entertained us and had us passionate, but, on the other hand, what we are going to see no longer has that wow effect of the first time. With this state of mind, we are going to write a review of The White Lotus Season 2, limited to the first episode, which takes us to a new resort full of stories and characters over the top, but which does not seem to have the satirical force of the first season, diving into a crystalline sea of stereotypes and coarse grain.
There are wonderful holidays that we hold in our hearts with deserved pleasure. Experiences that we live with the joy of novelty and that, when they finish, leave us nothing but a pleasant memory, sweet and a touch of nostalgia. The end of the holidays is the reason why they have value, but what if, fascinated by that experience, we try to replicate it a year later? Of course, the place is always the same, the happiness of being able to disconnect from the daily routine welcomes us with open arms, but something seems to be missing, a little thrill that makes everything less wonderful and even more normal than usual. The novelty effect is missing, the inexperience of being in a place never seen before: we already know the rules of that holiday, and we are prepared for luxury and pampering.
The White Lotus Season 2 Review Episode 1-2: The Story
The White Lotus Season 2 plot begins with a mystery. The holiday in this luxury Sicilian resort seems to be the non-plus ultra of the experience sought by rich guests, especially foreigners, who come to admire the beauties of Italy: the wine, the food, the beach, the sea … An idyll broken by the discovery of a body in the waters of the Ionian and others inside the resort. What happened to the Sicilian White Lotus? The story takes a step back, a week before the events of the prologue. Various guests come to spend a week’s vacation, each of them with their own story and their reason for being in Sicily. Married couple Ethan and Harper (Will Sharpe and Aubrey Plaza) have been invited by Ethan’s college friend Cameron and his wife Daphne to spend the vacation together; the men of the Di Grasso family, old Bert (F. Murray Abraham) who can’t wait to flirt with young girls, his son Dominic (Michael Imperioli) and young nephew Albie (Adam DiMarco); finally an old acquaintance of the first season, the problematic Tanya, played by Jennifer Coolidge, here welcomed by her new husband Greg (whom she met during the previous episodes) who does not take kindly to the presence of her assistant Portia (Haley Lu Richardson).
These characters will cross paths with the difficult manager of the resort Valentina (Sabrina Impacciatore) and two young local girls, Mia and Lucia, who can’t wait to meet some man who can satisfy them for money. This first episode with the explicit title Hello is nothing more than a long introduction and presentation of the protagonists of the season, each with their problems and a difficult character. The conflict between the different worldviews and the different personalities will begin to blossom, immediately giving the first clues to the tragic epilogue of which we are already aware.
Giving a superficial reading of the plot of The White Lotus Season 2, this does not seem a series capable of distinguishing itself from many others, but since the pilot, we understand that the ambiguous and, at times dark nature of the story, is capable. to tell much more than you might think. Already in the initial stages, we witness idyllic scenery, stained by a rather unusual event for a tourist place, given that in the splendid Sicilian sea, between the clear water and the perfect climate of the island, floating corpses emerge. This happens in the first minutes of this second season, and the following scenes change completely instead of bringing us to the beginning, that is the landing of a group of foreign tourists at the White Lotus resort, located on the sea and with Mount Etna in plain sight.
After the shock start, the first few episodes leave us at a very staid pace(perhaps too much), which takes all the time to immerse us in the splendid place that animates the story, exploring the protagonists, and their personal stories. Specifically, we learn about the troubled trio formed by Albie (Adam DiMarco), their father Dominic (Michael Imperioli), and Grandfather Bert (F. Murray Abraham). The three don’t get along very well, while Dominic, left by his wife after several betrayals and estranged from his daughter, puts all his hopes in Albie. The latter, however, knows well that the father is anything but innocent, and during the 5 episodes to which we had access, the man initially only confirms this theory, and in fact, the visit to Sicily is also accompanied by a chat carried out for some time by Dominic together with Lucia (Simona Tabasco), a young aspiring local escort.
The plot of White Lotus does not only concern Dominic’s family and the lives of Lucia herself and her friend Mia (Beatrice Grannò). The latter seems simply to be looking for the fastest way to make money and live without too many problems, while on the other side Valentina (Sabrina Impacciatore), manager of the Hotel, not only tries to chase them several times but appears as a person dedicated to his career, almost the opposite of the two. This, however, is only the beginning, and the strength of The White Lotus lies in its ability to change skin, and all the characters follow a path that leads them to change throughout the episodes, enjoying excellent characterization. Even the dynamics that are established between the couples formed by Cameron (Theo James) and Daphne (Meghann Fahy), together with Harper (Aubrey Plaza) and Ethan (Will Sharpe), are quite particular, especially considering the differences between the two couples.
Also in this case, over time, not only do the perspectives on the four change, but for some of them, the story seems to darken, taking the plot on tracks far from the initial superficial harmony. To conclude this overview of the protagonists, also the fate of Tanya (Jennifer Coolidge, already present in the previous season), a woman as rich as she is unhappy, and of the assistant Portia (Haley Lu Richardson), takes on very chameleonic contours, and if in the first episodes they do not seem to reserve great surprises, a meeting on the spot will be decisive, and it will change completely the tones of their stories. These passages from crystalline situations in total harmony with the splendid Sicilian setting, to murky scenes with much less comforting tones, become the key to the turning point of The White Lotus, which in flashes abandons the humour that distinguishes the first chapters in particular, and during the same season, he can show a completely different face.
The White Lotus Season 2 Review and Analysis
The first season of The White Lotus was a little gem: a satirical comedy that managed, with a good balance, to shame lifestyles, characters and excessive personalities of that American lifestyle, while also giving the story a certain dose. of melancholy and existential crisis. A perfect series for the times we live in. This second season seeks to replicate the aspects that have made The White Lotus a beloved series by viewers and critics, focusing on the exaggeration and exasperation of those over-the-top elements that worked so well. The result, however, is a more constructed and less sincere product, at times even less inspired, in which satire is soon transformed into a farce.
Characters like Tanya, who hid a very sweet and existentialist side in their particularity, here become specks that live in their own shadow, while others, impetuous and over the top like Valentina played by Sabrina Impacciatore, seem to come from the now ancient cinepanettoni, where the acting is always ostentatious, and naturalness is lacking. Instead, there remains that lucid and almost divine gaze that captures fallen humanity, where hypocrisy reigns supreme and where superficial appearance and the ego move the lives of the characters. Slipping into a self-parody, the second season of The White Lotus presents us with a vacation that doesn’t make us dream as expected.
As if that weren’t enough, the choice of setting it in Sicily offers us Italian viewers the vision of a stereotypical postcard country that Americans love so much. The result in our eyes is an absurd soup in which De André, the inevitable Raffaella Carrà, prosecco, the most caricatured accents possible and the Italians who gesticulate exaggeratedly coexist. With the addition of flatulence and lots of sex. The Bel Paese itself becomes synonymous with sex, as can be seen from the frescoes of the initials, full of licentious images. Men and women achieve well-being only through sexual life and everyone seems to have only one thought in their head (even the lack of desire becomes an insult and the pride is hurt by interrupted coitus): this is the irony of Mike White and the painting of ‘Italy as a vacation spot.
From the point of view of writing, The White Lotus, therefore, finds great strength in its protagonists and their dramas, also managing to show off a humour that makes fun of both the very American vision of Italy and some traits often associated with Beautiful country. Unfortunately, however, it is here that some problems also begin to emerge, since in wanting to play on stereotypes, in some situations the same series falls victim to a questionable vision of Italy, especially as regards the figure of the typical eternal Italian male Don Giovanni. , which here, at times, takes on too excessive contours, also resulting in a very dark sequence. Despite this, it should also be emphasized that in the end, the will of the authors is precisely that of exposing certain perspectives, and it is undeniable that a strong critical streak is very much linked to current events flows in the series.
Even the attempt to recreate an Italian atmosphere in all respects is partly too pushed and inserting 4 or 5 classic Italian songs from the past in each episode seems a bit of a stretch aimed at recreating that postcard image that it could be made much more current. On the other hand, the desire to let our local characters speak in Italian with English subtitles (we have seen the version in the original language) is instead an apt choice, which gives a credible feeling to what we see. The willingness of the authors to mix the history and myths of Sicily with the developments that come to life in the course of the narration is also very interesting, for a well-structured story, especially starting from the third episode.
For those who intend to recover The White Lotus Season 2, the most difficult obstacle to overcome will probably be the excessive slowness of the first episodes, which struggle to mesh in the right way, resulting at times in very verbose. Despite this, our advice is to leave the series time to play all its cards, because there are some narrative junctions that, once set in motion, give way to a spiral of events capable of showing what is true. beating heart of the title, or its ability to transform a simple holiday, into a chain of intertwining that over time takes on a much darker and more complex appearance than expected.
In conclusion, these first 5 episodes of White Lotus 2 confirm an excellent characterization of the protagonists and a convincing interpretation of the main actors, even if the choice of the Italian setting is turning out to be a double-edged sword, fascinating but also too linked to a faded postcard from the past. A final note, finally, on the predictability of some important changes, which are not always as surprising as they should be, for a series that is certainly interesting.
The White Lotus Season 2 Review: The Last Words
The White Lotus Season 2 comes with an introductory episode that attempts to re-establish the elements that made the first season so beloved and functioning. But the exaggeration is around the corner and this first hour gives a big-grained farce without rediscovering that miraculous balance of the past season, including over-the-top characters. For now, a big step back. The second season of White Lotus convinces while leaving room for some problems, and what undoubtedly strikes the most is the ability to alternate moments of quiet with almost disturbing situations, in a mix that is even more reinforced by the humour of some sequences. The protagonists of this new story set in Sicily are well characterized, and even despite some predictable turning points, The White Lotus confirms its potential, which we hope can be fully exploited even in the final chapters.
