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White Lotus Season 2 Review: Aubrey Plaza and Michael Imperioli stand out in this brilliant return to Mike White’s addictive drama! (Last exclusive)

October 30, 2022

White Lotus Season 2 Review: Billed as an anthology now, Mike White brings us another season of television that sees wealthy white people engaging in pretentious pursuits while building around compelling, addictive satire. Ditch the tropical island of Hawaii for the lavish lifestyle of Sicily, Italy – The White Lotus Season 2 starts again in the same way as the previous output. With a pile of bodies washed up on the beach while shrewd manager Valentina (Sabrina Impacciatore) looks horrified from a safe distance, we’re surprised a week before the hijinks begin. House of the Dragon Season 1 Finale Review: Emma D’Arcy’s ‘Game of Thrones’ prequel ends on a satisfyingly tense note! (Last exclusive).

One of the best parts of The White Lotus Season 1 That’s how it created a cast full of people who had their own weird quirks, and season two is following the tradition. Abandoning class exam concepts alongside a blatant need for control, season two foregrounds themes of sex, lust, desire, and jealousy in a way that compliments the characters here very well. .

A still from Season 2 of The White Lotus (Photo credit: HBO)

Through a boat ride that opens up to a magnificent view of Sicily, we are introduced to Harper Spiller (Aubrey Plaza) and her workaholic husband Ethan (Will Sharpe) who are invited by their wealthy friends Cameron (Theo James ) and Daphne (Meghann Fahy) during a trip to the White Lotus. Constantly assessing the relationship of those they are traveling with, Harper tries to spice up her worldly married life, however, her husband continues to undermine her as he tries to enjoy a trip with his longtime friend. .

Amidst the returning cast that acts as a bridge between the two stories is Jennifer Coolidge’s insufferable Tanya McQuoid. Landing in Sicily with her assistant Portia (Haley Lu Richardson) who is going through a career crisis herself, Tanya wishes to spend a romantic getaway with her husband Greg (Jon Gries), who unfortunately sees his feelings fade and has a building resentment. towards her.

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Also bringing a bit of Italian star, second season of The White Lotus also stars F Murray Abraham as Bert Di Grasso, an out-of-touch elderly man who wants to visit his family’s lands with his son Dominic Di Grasso (Michael Imperioli) and grandson Albie Di Grasso (Adam DiMarco ). This pretty much rounds out our main cast as the themes of the series begin to take over and paint a story that often becomes quite addictive.

Introducing this group of people as their complicated and troubled vacation begins to unravel, The White Lotus Season 2 focuses more on customers this time around, with hotel staff taking a back seat. With the five out of seven episodes that have been provided before, it’s very clear that White wants to delve deeper into complicated human nature while exploring concepts that often lead us astray.

A still from Season 2 of The White Lotus (Photo credit: HBO)

A good example of this can be seen in Michael Imperioli’s performance where we find out about his backstory. With a cold shoulder to his son and growing impatient with his father’s flirtatious nature towards young women, he has his own skeletons in the closet. Finding solace among local Sicily prostitutes as he attempts to curb his sexual desire, Imperioli shines in the role.

The same can be said for Plaza’s Harper. Often critical in her own way and not exceeding two seconds without knocking in a sneaky dig, she remains a great highlight in her scenes. Overall, the cast does just fine with a sweet spot in Albie and Portia’s budding romance, there’s enough storyline here that’s never really distracting.

A still from Season 2 of The White Lotus (Photo credit: HBO)

Presenting a neat concept about how the emptiness of having wealth makes you more miserable, White is able to navigate the season quite well with his impeccable direction and writing that branches out even further. While the second season of The White Lotus may lose some of its novelty by ditching the more socio-political commentary of its previous season, there’s still enough personal drama here that’ll have you immediately gorging on the next episode.

While the season has maintained its seriousness, it’s still a comedic affair at its roots. There’s that absurd humor here still maintained as we see Tanya constantly being insufferable with her relationship-leveling quirks. Same with Albie when he exclaims why would anyone want to watch his grandfathers “old junk” with Bert quickly shutting it down saying “it was never pretty anyway”. The White Lotus manages to bring out this comedy at just the right time. Andor Review: Diego Luna’s “Rogue One” spin-off series revels in delivering a refreshingly intimate take on the Star Wars saga! (Last exclusive).

A still from Season 2 of The White Lotus (Photo credit: HBO)

White does his best to pull these scenarios together, and that feeling of anxiety sets in. Like the first season, the overall plot here relies heavily on conflict, and the sharply crafted dialogue always keeps things interesting. While watching rich people do rich things can get boring, The White Lotus understands very well how to weaponize these experiences and cause a sense of complication. Will the win of the season remain as strong as a nervous man defecating in his guest’s suitcase? Well… that remains to be seen, but this output provides a nice argument for itself.

Yay!

Characters

Themes

Nope!

May lose some novelty

Final Thoughts

The White Lotus Season 2 is another home run this year for HBO. Providing an absurd take on the quack lifestyle of wealthy white people, Mike White crafts a delightful satirical drama that will keep your eyes glued to the screen. The White Lotus Season 2 starts streaming from October 31, 2022 on Disney+ Hotstar.

(The story above first appeared on LatestLY on October 30, 2022 at 11:38 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and fashion of life, log on to our website latestly.com).