The following contains spoilers for the first two episodes of The White Lotus, Season 2.
Stai attento!
Ciao, and welcome back to The White Lotus! The resort-based social satire is back for its second season, and so far it’s feeling very “same but different,” as they say.
What’s the same is pretty straightforward:
- Someone is dead. Just like last season, we know from episode one that there’s a body — or in this season’s case, multiple. But we presumably won’t know who until the finale.
- We’re following a cast of vacationing characters who are all both very rich and very hot (that includes you, F. Murray Abraham).
- Jennifer Coolidge is once again one of those very rich and hot people, thank GOD!
What’s different falls into two major camps. First is just the overall energy of the show. Last season, most episodes made me feel like I was on whatever combination of drugs Armond was on when he served his final dinner service (RIP).
The humor was fast and furious, and almost every scene made me squirm. This season feels like much more of a slow burn. There’s less (though not zero) outright conflict between characters — instead, the tension seems to live mostly in what each guest thinks everyone else is thinking of them.
The difference makes for slightly less engaging TV, but also makes sense. Last season took place in Hawaii, and the resort was extremely isolated. Being in the U.S. in this bubble of a hotel, the guests felt the power they normally feel as members of the 1%. But season two’s property is very enmeshed in the city, which is a foreign one. Everyone’s a little off their footing, a little more vulnerable, and a little more cautious as a result.
Which brings us to our second, most important difference… that’s right, this season is:
Yes, we are in Sicily baby! Land of my people! As someone whose personality is 99% just the fact that I am Italian, I was thrilled to hear that the new White Lotus cast would be headed to the Mediterranean. And the season has not disappointed in its Italian-ness. Not only did the iconic theme song get a full European club remix, but the first needle drop of the premiere is a Raffaella Carrà song? The music supervisor is clearly someone who knows how to pronounce “bruschetta.”
As a tourist destination, Italy has a unique ability to both enchant and exasperate its visitors. So let’s take a look at this year’s White Lotus guest book, and the trials and tribulations they’ve faced so far.
Cameron and Daphne, Ethan and Harper
You know how everyone seemed to be in Italy this past summer? Well, these four are the quintessential “people who were in Italy this past summer,” and they have the Aperol spritzes at every meal to prove it.
Ethan (Will Sharpe) is a recent millionaire (though I’m still not entirely clear on how, or if it really matters), still getting used to the high life. He and his wife Harper (Aubrey Plaza) are traveling with his college buddy Cameron (Theo James) and Cameron’s wife Daphne (Meghann Fahy). The two couples could not be less alike — Harper and Ethan are in an ongoing debate over the ethics of having a child with the current state of the world and climate. Daphne and Cameron can’t remember if they voted in the last election.
Enough has been said about Theo James’ **** on Twitter, so I’m instead going to focus on my favorite aspect of the dynamic between these couples. It would be so easy for the show to make Cameron and Daphne insufferable, but instead it’s Harper who comes across as the one with the problem (thankfully, Aubrey Plaza is an expert at playing “the person with the problem” in a way that is completely fun to watch). She obsesses over the other pair’s relationship, insisting it can’t be perfect, projecting what they must be thinking about her — “I’m sure they’re over there shitting on me right now saying I’m a bitch or you could do better or whatever.” Right after she says this, we see what they’re actually over there doing: just having an amazing time on vacation in Italy.
Harper might not be totally wrong, as Cameron seems intent on getting under her skin. But for now, I’m just jealous of Daphne and Cameron’s blissful ignorance. (Please vote though.)
Greg and Tanya (and Portia)
Our very needy, deeply insecure queen is back! Tanya (Jennifer Coolidge) and her new husband Greg (Jon Gries), whom she met last season, are on another romantic trip at their favorite hotel chain. Tanya’s goals are to ride a vespa, smoke a cigarette, and look like Monica Vitti. The woman knows how to vacation! Greg, on the other hand, is… cheating on her with someone back in Denver. Tanya has already given us some of the best lines of the season (“This is such a beautiful view. I wonder if anyone’s ever jumped from here.”), and I’m sure her impending meltdown will be Emmy-winning yet again.
Coming along for the ride is Portia (Haley Lu Richardson), Tanya’s assistant, who Greg doesn’t want around on their romantic getaway. Greg… the one who’s cheating. Anyway, the ever-accommodating Tanya basically banishes Portia to her room. But all we really know about Portia right now are two things: she’s extremely stressed, and she’s spectacularly bad at staying in her room and not running into Tanya.
Luckily, Portia has found a friend-slash-love-interest in Albie, which brings us to…
Bert, Dominic, and Albie
This grandfather, father, and son trio are here to connect with their heritage and visit the village where their family is from. I so appreciate everything about these three, because if there’s one thing an Italian American family is going to do, it’s make their Italian heritage everyone’s business. It’s our most consistent trait.
Less consistent are the elder Di Grasso men, particularly when it comes to their wives. Dominic (Michael Imperioli, back on our TV screens at last!) is probably the worst offender — he is mid-divorce after what is hinted to be a cheating scandal. He hadn’t even touched down in Italy before hiring a young local as an escort. Bert (F. Murray Abraham) is an insatiable flirt, whose only issue with his son’s behavior is that Dominic wasn’t discreet enough.
What has all of this taught Albie (Adam DiMarco)? Possibly the worst lesson of all: to be a Nice Guy. He gives Portia a classic speech that boils down to, “girls like bad boys, but I’m different,” and I was ready to throw San Marzano tomatoes! We’ll see how long the niceness lasts as the tensions rise on his family vacay.
Lucia and Mia
Added to the tourist mix are two local women, Lucia (Simona Tabasco) and Mia (Beatrice Grannò). Lucia sleeps with the foreign men who frequent the White Lotus for cash. Mia, fresh off of a break up, joins her friend in her escapades while also trying to follow her dreams of being a singer.
The pair are very reminiscent of last season’s Kai, a local who got tragically tangled up in the lives of the guests. Let’s hope they fare better.
Valentina
She had a pretty substantial tropical button-down to fill, but this season’s hotel manager, Valentina (Sabrina Impacciatore), is already an icon in my book. Her stress level is a constant 100, she is bewildered by everything everyone around her does, and she has the least social decorum of anyone I’ve ever encountered in the hospitality field. Almost every word that comes out of her mouth is so mean, yet stated so matter-of-factly that her guests can barely process.
She is also responsible for arguably the season’s funniest moment to date. Tanya, in her finest Monica Vitti inspired pink scarf, asks Valentina to guess who she is, taking a long drag of her cigarette for effect. Valentina waits for Tanya to finish her prop work, then desperately yet confidently guesses, “Peppa Pig.”
Whatever this season has in store for us, I am firmly #TeamValentina.
And finally… Laura Dern
Michael Imperioli revealed on his (extremely chaotic) Instagram account that Laura Dern was the voice of his wife during their screaming match of a phone call in the season premiere, and it felt like important information to share.
New arrivals, deepening drama, and much more to come in the next two episodes, ragazzi! Stay tuned!
