The White Lotus S2 Premiere: Trouble in Sicily!

After the ruckus in Hawaii in season 1, we are back at the White Lotus, this time in Italy. As usual, rich people have problems there, too.

Season 2 premiered on Sunday, and it begins with a murder!

Imagine taking a last dip in the ocean before your vacation ends, and a lifeless body floats up! That’s what happens to vacationer Daphne (Meghann Fahy). Soon, the police are called, and they start pulling out a barrage of bodies.

Who are these people? And how did they die? Sure enough, we don’t get these details in the first episode itself.

We are taken seven days back in time as we see guests are arriving at the hotel by boat. We get our first glimpse of the cast members as Daphne and her husband Cameron make their way into the hotel. They are joined by another couple and Dominic, a film producer who comes with his dad and son.

Season 1’s sensation Tanya (Jennifer Coolidge) comes back with an astronomical amount of luggage and her assistant Portia. Another character making a comeback is Tanya’s now husband, Greg (John Gries). Greg seems cranky from the beginning and can’t stand Portia.

So, Tanya orders her to “get lost” but also to “stay close.” She suggests that she should stay in her room for the entire trip. What a fun trip! 

Portia calls her friend and cries out in frustration. She hoped “to get thrown around by some hot Italian guy.” But here she is, sobbing in her hotel room and complaining about her crappy boss.

Valentina is the hotel manager, and she seems like the preoccupied, perfectionist character who almost always messes things up in the end. She tries to meet the elite guests’ superficial standards and keep the locals (Lucia and Mia, who are hookers) out of the hotel.

Dominic, the film producer, calls his wife but gets a verbal thrashing from the other end (a raw wound, eh?). This wound gets bandaged later in the episode, though.

The awkwardness gets magnified as the guests acknowledge each other’s existence in the hotel and try to make peace with it. And, of course, the interactions start on a horrible note.

Harper and Ethan share a painstakingly awkward breakfast with Cameron and Daphne. When Harper says he works in employment law, Cameron comments that it is a “waste of money.”

Harper is the pessimistic sort who keeps on talking about the problems and despairs of the world. Cameron and Daphne seem oblivious to her concerns, and the lack of coordination between the characters makes the scene hilarious.

Things start getting even weirder when Cameron goes to Harper’s room to get a swimsuit. He changes in front of Harper, and she gets an eyeful of, umm, him.

Talking about weirdness, Tanya’s intimate life with Greg has also plummeted. When she tries to seduce Greg, the idea of having sex with her seems to turn him off. They finally end up doing the deed (painstakingly, I might add), but Tanya throws Greg away in an eccentric episode of screaming. Then she blacks out!

At dinner, Cameron teases Ethan for being a workaholic while Tanya shoos Portia away so as not to annoy Greg.

Lucia and Mia are finally able to sneak into the hotel. Mia tries to pass herself off as a singer. But when the piano player tries paying her for sex, she throws a drink at his face and storms off!

The final moments following dinner are very spicy. Tanya overhears Greg whispering to someone on the phone (Is something cooking up somewhere?). Lucia makes her way upstairs to her mystery client.

It is Dominic. The interactions start on an emotional note, with Lucia talking about her dream of going to LA. They take a backseat soon as the action begins. Lucia starts untying her dress as the screen fades to black.

About The White Lotus

The White Lotus is an American satire comedy television miniseries created, written, and directed by Mike White that premiered on HBO on July 11, 2021. Season 1 was set in Hawaii, and season 2 in Sicily.

The White Lotus follows the vacations of various hotel guests over a week as they relax and rejuvenate in paradise. But with each passing day, a darker complexity emerges in these picture-perfect travelers, the hotel’s cheerful employees, and the idyllic locale itself.

Jennifer Coolidge and John Gries star in both seasons with a rotating cast in the two seasons. The series was renewed for a third season.