Words by Eva Castenedo
Unquestionably, The White Lotus Season 2 was one of the most talked-about TV shows of 2022, and for many, it was a total success that outperformed its previous season. Most likely, you are familiar with the show, as everyone is talking about it on social media ÔÇô but in case you haven’t, here is a quick recap: The White Lotus is a dark comedy-drama series which follows the guests and employees of the White Lotus resort hotel chain. Without giving too much away, their picture-perfect holiday inevitably gives way to deadly events.
The first season is set on the paradisiac beaches of Hawaii, while the second instalment travels to the picturesque island of Sicily. The plot and cast of both seasons are completely independent of one another, with no other common link than Tanya McQuoid ÔÇô Jennifer Coolidge’s character ÔÇô and her husband Greg, the only two characters that feature in both seasons. This is a brilliant move of the anthology, as it maintains its most valuable asset – Jennifer Coolidge won the Emmy in 2022 for Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Limited Or Anthology Series ÔÇô but presents a different story and a different set of characters which don’t have to live up to the expectations that fans would have for the development of the characters that they were already aquatinted with. Season 1 was a satirical depiction of the absurdity and insanity of extreme wealth, while season 2 penetrates into further topics related to sexual politics, such as toxic masculinity, lust, gender roles, social status, infidelity, and the power it wields and infidelity. These thought-provoking and complex themes are managed smoothly throughout the show’s seven episodes from the prism of male heterosexuality throughout different generations, giving a broader and more sophisticated dissemination of the themes.
Choosing Sicily as the location is another great call that the production made. The seductive and alluring wraps the story in a veil of temptation. Much of Sicilian mythology is deeply rooted in subjects such as sex, eroticism and tempting beauty. Furthermore, the island is also associated with the mafia, Italian romance and extraordinary operas. All of these features lay a foundation for the plot, and it virtually makes Sicily another character whose synergy affects the narrative arc.
The White Lotus portrays a constant struggle between what is right and wrong in romantic and sexual relationships. As the show progresses, those lines get hazier, which, interestingly enough, takes place somewhere profoundly influenced by the morally exemplifying institution of the Catholic Church. But all morality collapses when heroism starts taking over the characters. In their pursuit of pleasure and self-indulgence, the characters make the viewer asks themselves what it is that makes people lose the plot or if giving in to temptation is inevitable, and we are just waiting for the right moment to do it.
This time around, some extravagant gay men are wooing the fantastic Tanya. The head of the gay gang is a long-term British retiree whose only wealth is his family’s rundown Sicilian estate and whose charm and kindness hide much darker intentions. Tanya’s assistant portrays a millennial who is shooed from restaurants and told to stand by, awaiting orders from her boss. She doesn’t really show any care for anything and drowns in self-pity. There is also a grandad Bert, dad Dominic and son Albie, whose sex lives have ruined their legacies and families and who all notice and interact with the two hookers, Lucia and Mia. Lastly, we’ve got two college roommates, Cameron and Ethan, who go on holiday with their wives. The issues both couples have in their relationships will come to the surface during their holiday week. A common factor in all these characters is that they are quite unlikeable; however, they are characters that fans love to hate. Rather the worrying about who might get murdered, fans can enthusiastically hope their most hated ones are the victims.
The second run of The White Lotus is a very profound story that is relevant to our day and age. The most unlikeable and repulsive traits of its complicated charactersÔÇömany of them are eager to destroy the planet to amass and protect their fortune but still don’t seem to understand that money doesn’t make them happyÔÇöare not avoided. Simply put, The White Lotus is the most entertaining television show to watch right now. This is as witty, seductive, and artistically motivated by audience gratification as the lowest common denominator reality TV. It is also just as mouth-watering and moreish as a big bowl of spaghetti alle Bolognese. Grazie!
