The fourth episode of The White Lotus’s second season, “In the Sandbox,” reveals how conflicts may unravel for the rest of this season. As tensions rise between couples and new friends, it will be interesting to see how everything plays out.
Local sex workers Lucia, played by Simona Tabasco (Perez), and Mia, played by Beatrice Granno (The Time of Indifference, Euphony), spend another night in The White Lotus, this time with Cameron. Every time they wake up they end up running into the hotel’s manager, which just creates a funny dynamic. In order to appease her high-paying guests, she has to simply turn a blind eye to certain goings-on.
As our two married couples unpack their nights apart, Heather, played by Aubrey Plaza (Parks and Recreation, Little Demon), becomes suspicious that her husband may have cheated on her. He never over drinks, he never sleeps in, and he never normally acts “weird” around her, so she has these suspicions. Alas, the more Heather buries her questions and possible resentment, the more she and Ethan are bound to turn into Cameron and Daphne – always plastering on a fake smile and pretending like they don’t think that the worst is to come.
Returning to Portia and Tanya, Portia, played by Haley Lu Richardson (Five Feet Apart, Unpregnant), is now her boss’s companion with her husband gone. The two meet charming ex-pats Quentin, played by Tom Hollander (Pride & Prejudice, About Time), and Jack, played by Leo Woodall (Cherry, Nomad), who spice up their trips in different ways. Quentin provides Tanya the support and attention that she needs after Greg has departed, and Jack gives Portia the mysterious, “bad boy” vacation partner she was looking for. Albie, played by Adam DiMarco (Radio Rebel, The Magicians), doesn’t take to this too kindly, and Portia and Albie just attempt to make each other jealous throughout the whole night. Jack is obviously probably going to be bad news, but after spending the evening with Lucia, I think Albie could be on the way to becoming his dad, which is not any better either.
While “The Sandbox” includes some important new relationships and moments that will undoubtedly be referenced in future episodes, I struggled to pay attention – parts of the episode just felt longer than they needed to be.
Rating 6.5/10.0