HBO’s The White Lotus surprised us last summer…but it shouldn’t have. After all, Mike White created another uncomfortably hilarious series a few years back with Enlightened, and here, with a scintillating cast populating its sharp-tongued comedy of manners, Lotus ended up garnering more buzz and accolades than Enlightened ever did. It’s now become an anthology, and with Season 2 arriving on HBO this Sunday at 9/8 (I’ve seen the first two episodes), the question is: Can White regain the old magic with a new cast? Or do you want Season 2 to feel like a trip to a place we’ve been before?
Thankfully, the new season adds a few intriguing creases to the formula — enough to help us overlook some of its recurring tendencies. Season 2 takes us to another of White Lotus’ luxury hotels, a beach resort in Sicily that welcomes a new generation of overly spoiled travelers, including an unlikely pair of young married couples staying together on vacation and a newly divorced father trying to reconnect to take up his Italian roots with his elderly father and son in tow. There’s one returning guest, though: Jennifer Coolidge reprises her Emmy-winning role as spacey socialite Tanya, bringing a fleet of luggage, her now-husband Greg (Jon Gries) and a disheveled new assistant, Portia, played by Haley Lu, with Richardson.
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Season 2 covers many of the same themes as last season – rich people revel in their privilege amidst beautiful vistas while the less fortunate strive to make them happy – but White again goes deep into marital dissatisfaction. Aubrey Plaza and Will Sharpe play Ethan and Harper, a newly rich couple who share a getaway with cheerful, unsuspecting Cameron (Theo James) and Daphne (Meghann Fahy) while they solve their own nagging problems. Sopranos vet Michael Imperioli plays divorced father Dominic, who struggles to keep his family together while indulging in his own self-destructive appetites. Even lovebirds Tanya and Greg are now bickering, and the goofy spark they shared in Season 1 is now gone.
The new season is also decidedly more amorous, with several characters seeking sexual adventures. (We even get to see Tanya and Greg in action, though it’s played for laughs, of course.) But at the heart of The White Lotus is White’s keenly observing eye for awkward social interactions and his ear for naturalistic dialogue, with the characters saying just as much through what they don’t say. Yes, season 2 brings back its crime thriller element and opens with another corpse – and more than one this time – but through White’s emotionally insightful writing, the real fireworks come from within.
I’m torn about the return of Tanya: In many ways it feels like a reiteration and a distraction from the other storylines, but Coolidge is so much fun as Tanya that it’s hard to argue against it. (Her presence here is, in a nutshell, something like Season 2: perhaps unnecessary, but entertaining nonetheless.) The new cast is once again gem-strewn, highlighted by Fahy as chipper trophy wife Daphne and F. Murray Abraham as Dominic’s father Bert , a raunchy old bugger who flirts with every girl he sees. In fact, a mischievous pair of Sicilian girls, Lucia and Mia (Simona Tabasco and Beatrice Granno) might be the most refreshing addition of all, bringing a lively local flavor to the proceedings. However, the hotel staff is not that interesting this time; Valentina (Sabrina Impacciatore), the resort’s tight-lipped manager, feels too broad for an otherwise subtle series.
Season 1 of The White Lotus was such a breath of fresh air that it’s a bit disappointing at first to see Season 2 play many of the same notes, just in a different key. But two episodes later, it was already starting to grow on me, as long-held secrets and hidden resentments surfaced between the guests. The season also has an old-world elegance and continental flair that contrasts nicely with last season’s luscious Hawaiian dream, suggesting this anthology could continue to tweak its formula for years to come. While it’s a little repetitive, The White Lotus is still head and shoulders above the vast majority of TV shows, and with the way it uses great new actors and adapts to its surroundings, I certainly wouldn’t have had it mind staying at The White Lotus an annual trip.
THE TVLINE BOTTOM LINE: Season 2 of The White Lotus covers many of the same themes as last season while still offering a great cast and insightful social satire.