The White Lotus opens up with a strong first episode for their second season, called “Ciao,” setting the scene for a stellar cast of new characters and a hotel in not Hawaii this time, but Italy. The show continues to build tension with ease and maintains a great balance between humor, realism, social commentary, and a little bit of suspense.
This season of The White Lotus features many new characters, but the actors playing them aren’t necessarily fresh faces in the business. The show thus far centers mainly around two couples, Daphne and Cameron, played by Meghann Fahy (The Bold Type, The Last Valentine) and Theo James (The Divergent Series) respectively, and Harper and Ethan, played by Aubrey Plaza (Parks and Recreation, Little Demon) and Will Sharpe (Flowers, Landscapers). Cameron and Ethan were friends in college and decided to take their wives on vacation together in Sicily. While the men are friends, the couples as a whole could not be any more different. Daphne and Cameron are more bubbly and outgoing. They are carefree, don’t vote, and care about money and business. Ethan and Harper are a little more down to earth and socially involved in many respects. These foil pairings create lots of tension that can be worked with right off the bat. It will be exciting to see where this goes.
Plaza’s character tends to be a cynic, thinking that Daphne and Cameron are performative in their relationship, which could be true. At the beginning of the episode, the weird statues in all of the hotel rooms are mentioned. Essentially, the statues are supposed to be warnings to those who are unfaithful in relationships. With as much camera focus as this statue receives in the background of a lot of the bedroom scenes, one cannot help but wonder whether or not there will be some faithfulness within the four.
Aside from the two couples, the one and only Tanya is back, played by Jennifer Coolidge (Legally Blonde, A Cinderella Story), and she’s finally married to Greg! Played by Jon Gries (Napoleon Dynamite, Men in Black). While it’s nice to see that this couple is still together, there seems to be some trouble in paradise. Tanya additionally has brought her new assistant, Portia, played by Haley Lu Richardson (The Politician, Five Feet Apart), which brings some tension to the relationship with her husband. As Portia is told to “get lost” by her boss, she spends some time by the pool and meets a boy. There will definitely be a romantic future there.
A lot of “Ciao” has to do with introducing the strong personalities that we’ll see for the rest of the season. As The White Lotus is so much about characters and their relationships, I really have no complaints here, especially with such a strong cast. It’s going to be exciting to see where all of these people’s paths lead.
Rating: 7.5/10.0