The White Lotus Season 2 Review: Binge-worthy cocktail of sex, style, and a little substance
The White Lotus is flashy, addictive, and stylish but it leaves room for more expectations (photo-DailyO)
From Game of Thrones to Euphoria, HBO originals ooze with graphic nudity at any given moment. When the sex adds to the plot, it makes sense and when it doesn’t, it still dominates the pop culture conversation. The heavy dose of sexual content in The White Lotus’s sophomore season makes for quite an enigma in this case.
Right from Theo James’s (prosthetic) penis popping up in the pilot episode, the gratuitous nudity and debauchery of The White Lotus are contributing to the show’s popularity. And given that the various characters are all entangled in a web of deceit, adultery, and understanding their own sexual identities, the sex appeal is imminent. But does the excessiveness really add to the plot or just doubles as another “style over substance” element?
The first season indulged in similarly dysfunctional characters and their romantic/lustful escapades but still felt more coherent. With most of the Internet hailing the Italian sojourn in the second season as superior over the Hawaiian vacation in the first one might see this review as a hot take but the debut season did feel like a stronger pick when it comes to narrative.
That doesn’t imply that Season 2 isn’t fun. With dozens of fancy Italian locations, rich people tasting wine after wine, and pretentious conversations that satirise the uber-rich, The White Lotus is as binge-able as ever. And its merits do deserve to be mentioned before we get to the cynicism.
In its seven-episode-run, this season also has some interesting takes on toxic masculinity. For instance, F Murray Abraham, Michael Imperioli and Adam DiMarco appear as a grandfather-father-son trio, each of the men having their own polar opposite views of women and “gentlemanly” behaviour. Abraham and Imperioli’s behaviour might even be “cancellable” in front of DiMarco’s Albie with the latter judging the two “boomers” for adoring The Godfather, dismissing it as an outdated classic that old men watch to feel better. With that being said, the Gen-Z-er too has his red flags as the plot progresses.
This case of “nice guy outside but probably a scumbag inside” is also evident in the other seemingly nice guys like the men played by Theo James and Will Sharpe. One is a loud hunk who doesn’t miss an opportunity to get frisky with his wife while the other is the silent type struggling with an emotional and sexual distance from his own partner.
Sharpe’s partner Harper is played by the ever-delightful Aubrey Plaza who feels like she’s pretty much playing herself but she definitely comes out as one of the breakout performers in this season. Plaza brings out the same deadpan humour that characterised the assertive and unemotional April Ludgate from Parks and Recreation but unlike that character from over a decade ago, Plaza also underpins her sarcasm with an emotional nuance. Here’s a woman who deals with an almost-failing marriage, perverted men in Italy, and her own emotional dilemmas.
Even though Harper is on a fancy trip to Sicily, she feels confused as to whether she really likes this lavish life or not. And that pretty much would mirror the perspective of a few viewers while watching this season (especially the one writing this review). In terms more suited for this show, The White Lotus Season 2 feels like a wine that is mostly pleasant but leaves you with mixed feelings when it comes to the aftertaste.
The preceding season was neatly wrapped in a package of six episodes with its dysfunctional ensemble under the watchful eye of Murray Bartlett’s Armond, the recovering drug addict of a manager at the Hawaiian branch of The White Lotus resorts. In the Italian branch, Armond is replaced by Sabrina Impacciatore’s Valentina. And even though the Italian actress delivers a decent performance, Bartlett is surely missed.
Of course, giving more footage to the manager would have felt repetitive in the second season but the new characters also don’t seem to have enough pizzazz to stand out in the seven episodes. The only major returning character in this season is Jennifer Coolidge’s Tanya. From being reduced to “Stifler’s Mom” in the infamous American Pie franchise to picking up an Emmy for her debut stint on The White Lotus, Coolidge has come a long way. And while her anxiously eccentric mannerisms have always been entertaining, Tanya might come off as a tad bit annoying this time.
Yet, her over-the-top performance can be forgiven given how it is her character that adds some of the (obviously) sexually-charged plot twists to an otherwise scattered web of multiple story arcs.
In the end, The White Lotus Season 2 is more of a leisurely watch that is almost as good or inferior to its satirically brilliant debut season. The next entry in the anthology series has already been announced and one can yet again expect a Wes Anderson-like aesthetically-pleasing visit to another exotic location. Till when would creator Mike White’s formula last, it is yet to be seen.
All the mixed views aside, one thing is for certain though. The opening title theme this season is a certified banger. Chilean-Canadian composer Cristobal Tapia de Veer returns to score the series and reinterprets the first season’s tropical sound with an electro-trance inspired reinterpretation. Titled Renaissance, this one track alone is enough to get you hyped for every episode.
We’re going with 3 stars out of 5 for The White Lotus Season 2.