The White Lotus | |
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Season 2 | |
![]() Promotional poster | |
Showrunner | Mike White |
Starring | |
No. of episodes | 7 |
Release | |
Original network | HBO |
Original release | October 30 – December 11, 2022 |
Season chronology | |
The second season of The White Lotus , an American satirical comedy-drama anthology television series created, written, and directed by Mike White, premiered on HBO on October 30, 2022. The season was greenlit in on August 10, 2021, filmed in Sicily in early 2022, and features an ensemble cast of F. Murray Abraham, Jennifer Coolidge, Adam DiMarco, Meghann Fahy, Beatrice Grannò, Jon Gries, Tom Hollander, Sabrina Impacciatore, Michael Imperioli, Theo James, Aubrey Plaza, Haley Lu Richardson, Will Sharpe, Simona Tabasco and Leo Woodall. Coolidge and Gries are the only cast members to reprise their roles from the previous season.
The season consists of seven episodes, and follows the lives of the staff and wealthy guests at a luxury resort in Sicily. The season received critical acclaim. It received 12 nominations at the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards and 11 nominations at the Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards. The season received five wins across both ceremonies.
No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | U.S. viewers (millions) | |
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7 | 1 | "Ciao" | Mike White | Mike White | October 30, 2022 | 0.460 [10] | |
The bodies of multiple guests at the White Lotus in Taormina, Sicily, are found off a nearby beach. A week earlier, a group of guests arrives at the White Lotus, greeted by its short-tempered manager Valentina. Among them is Tanya, now in a strained marriage with Greg. Greg is angered to learn that Tanya brought along her young assistant Portia to a romantic getaway; to appease him while still retaining Portia's services, Tanya orders Portia to stay in her room and remain out of sight. An upset Portia later meets and bonds with Albie Di Grasso, a recent Stanford graduate who is exploring his ancestral roots in Sicily alongside his father Dominic—a Hollywood producer whose marriage is failing due to his numerous infidelities—and womanizing grandfather Bert. Meanwhile, married couple Ethan and Harper Spiller join Ethan's brash college roommate Cameron Sullivan and his wife Daphne on a trip to Sicily. Harper is quickly put off by Cameron and Daphne, believing their constant displays of affection to be insincere. Cameron exposes himself to Harper while changing into his swimming trunks. Ethan brushes off Harper's concerns and says Cameron probably did not realize she could see him. Lucia, a local prostitute, sneaks into the resort with her friend Mia, and goes to meet her latest client, Dominic. | |||||||
8 | 2 | "Italian Dream" | Mike White | Mike White | November 6, 2022 | 0.421 [11] | |
Dominic sets up Lucia and Mia at the hotel as his guests. Portia joins the Di Grasso family on a visit to the ancient theatre of Taormina, where Bert continues to make inappropriate conversation. Albie and Portia discuss their romantic preferences over dinner, and Portia later violates her non-disclosure agreement with Tanya by divulging sordid details of Tanya's past to Albie. Albie awkwardly kisses Portia at the end of their night. Bert, meanwhile, chastises Dominic for being "sloppy" in how he conducts his extramarital affairs. Dominic later explains to Lucia that he wants to overcome his sex addiction, but relents when she and Mia offer to "thank" him for letting them enjoy the hotel's amenities on his tab. Ethan and Harper struggle to build sexual chemistry while on the trip, in contrast to Cameron and Daphne. Cameron makes another pass at Harper while swimming. Harper later apologizes to Ethan for being a "shrew" and promises to enjoy their trip. Greg tells Tanya he has to fly back to Denver for work. She later overhears him on the phone with his possible lover. | |||||||
9 | 3 | "Bull Elephants" | Mike White | Mike White | November 13, 2022 | 0.474 [12] | |
Bert tells Dominic he spotted Lucia and Mia leaving his room; Dominic, feeling guilty and ashamed, severs ties with Lucia. Albie tries to impress Portia on a day trip with his family, but Tanya calls her away; she is very upset about Greg's departure and needs Portia's support. Tanya consults a tarot reader, who tells her that Greg is in love with someone else. That evening, Albie attempts to be more sexually forward with Portia, but she finds herself instead attracted to an English man she spots at the hotel pool. Daphne and Harper visit Noto while Cameron and Ethan spend the day jetskiing. Daphne has secretly rented a palazzo in Noto for one night, where she tells Harper that although she is aware of Cameron's infidelity, she chooses not to see herself as a victim. She also insinuates that Cameron's business partners are engaged in criminal activity. Disappointed that Ethan did not give him any insider trading tips, Cameron attempts to persuade Ethan to invest with his company. They spend the night drinking, taking MDMA and partying with Lucia and Mia; Cameron has sex with Lucia, but Ethan turns down Mia. | |||||||
10 | 4 | "In the Sandbox" | Mike White | Mike White | November 20, 2022 | 0.416 [13] | |
Cameron does not pay Lucia and Mia in full. Harper and Daphne return from Noto. When Harper presses Ethan about last night, he admits only to getting drunk, concealing Cameron's infidelity. Harper is shocked to discover a condom wrapper in their room but spends the day fuming about it rather than confronting Ethan. Tanya is befriended by Quentin, a wealthy English gay man who lives in Palermo. He introduces her to his friends and she has a great time. Portia meets his nephew Jack, whom she had earlier spotted at the pool, and they hit it off. Albie, meanwhile, meets Lucia while waiting for Portia. Unaware that she is a prostitute who slept with his father, they get on well. While Lucia is beginning to question her own life choices, Mia suddenly decides to have sex with Giuseppe in order to further her musical career, ignoring Lucia's attempts to dissuade her. This backfires when Giuseppe, unable to perform sexually, takes some pills thinking they are Viagra. He later collapses during his evening gig and is taken away in an ambulance. Shortly after Jack and Portia leave the bar to sleep together, Albie and Lucia go back to his room, where she performs oral sex on him. | |||||||
11 | 5 | "That's Amore" | Mike White | Mike White | November 27, 2022 | 0.641 [14] | |
Ethan finally comes clean with Harper after discovering the condom wrapper; she grudgingly accepts his apology. The two couples go on a wine-tasting trip on which an increasingly drunk Harper drops various hints that she knows about what happened. Ethan accuses Cameron of "mimetic desire" for his habit of seducing every woman Ethan was interested in at college. Throughout the day Harper continually undermines and embarrasses Ethan. Later at dinner, Cameron puts his hand on Harper's leg under the table. Albie is surprised when Lucia asks for payment for the previous night's sex. Dominic attempts to dissuade Albie and Lucia from seeing each other, but Albie seems to have fallen for her. Lucia is accosted by a man named Alessio, to whom she claims she owes money. Albie and Lucia again spend the night together. Discerning that Valentina is gay, Mia offers her sexual favors in exchange for Giuseppe's piano gig until he recovers. Tanya and Portia visit Palermo with Quentin and his friends. Quentin accompanies Tanya to a performance of Madama Butterfly at the Teatro Massimo. Meanwhile Jack and Portia explore the town, doing a dine and dash after sampling the arancini at a local restaurant. Tanya is later shocked to discover Jack having sex with his "uncle", Quentin. | |||||||
12 | 6 | "Abductions" | Mike White | Mike White | December 4, 2022 | 0.684 [15] | |
Ethan and Harper discuss their mutual lack of attraction, with Harper asking Ethan if he still desires her. After later seeing Harper interacting with Cameron on the beach, Ethan becomes increasingly suspicious that Harper is cheating on him with Cameron. The Di Grassos go to visit the home of their apparent blood relatives. Albie brings Lucia along as a translator, but Alessio follows them; Lucia eventually agrees to accompany him, against the Di Grassos' protests. The Di Grassos arrive at their ancestral village and locate a Di Grasso family there, whom they visit unannounced. The remaining family members are three women of different generations, who angrily turn them away. Bert is despondent, having hoped for a happier family reunion. Lucia returns to the hotel that night and tells Albie that she can only leave Alessio once she pays him the money she owes. Valentina enjoys her first lesbian tryst with Mia, after Isabella, a concierge with whom Valentina has been infatuated, reveals her engagement to fellow concierge Rocco, whom Valentina had reassigned to the beach club to get closer to Isabella. Tanya hints to Portia that Jack may not be Quentin's nephew. Quentin sets up Tanya with his cocaine dealer, Niccoló; before they have sex, Tanya finds a framed photo of Quentin with a man, possibly Greg, when they were younger. A drunken Jack admits to Portia that Quentin and his friends have spent all their money on their luxuries, and cryptically implies that Quentin rescued him from dire circumstances in exchange for sex. | |||||||
13 | 7 | "Arrivederci" | Mike White | Mike White | December 11, 2022 | 0.854 [16] | |
Harper admits to Ethan that Cameron kissed her. He furiously attacks Cameron, nearly drowning him before a bystander intervenes. Ethan shares his suspicions with Daphne, who repeats the advice she gave Harper, to do whatever makes him feel better; she then invites him to join her on a walk to a nearby island, possibly to have sex. An invigorated Ethan later has sex with Harper, reigniting the passion in their marriage. Albie convinces Dominic to wire €50,000 to Lucia to save her from Alessio, in exchange for Albie's help in salvaging Dominic's marriage. Lucia quietly leaves Albie and celebrates her successful scam with Mia and Alessio. Valentina restores Rocco to reception, at Isabella's request, and hires Mia as the resort's new piano player, angering Giuseppe. Portia wakes up and finds that her phone is missing. She takes Jack's phone and calls Tanya, alerting her that something is wrong. Tanya suspects that Greg hired Quentin and his associates to kill her so that he can inherit her fortune. Panicking and paranoid after finding duct tape and rope in Niccolo's bag, she retrieves Niccolo's gun and kills him, Quentin, and Didier. While attempting to board a dinghy to escape, she slips, hits her head, and drowns. Her body washes up to shore the next day and is discovered by Daphne, and the other bodies on the yacht are found soon after. Portia confronts Jack about his own role as a prostitute with Quentin; he angrily drives off, eventually dropping her off near Catania–Fontanarossa Airport and telling her not to return to the White Lotus. Albie and Portia reunite at the airport. |
On August 10, 2021, HBO renewed The White Lotus for a second season. [17] White initially envisioned the second season taking place in a political setting, such as a Bilderberg conference, but scrapped this idea and chose Italy instead. [18] White said regarding this choice, "The kind of mythology of Sicily, at least from the point of view of Americans, is the archetypal sexual politics and role play that you associate with, like, opera and the mafia and Italian romance. I felt like it should be more focused on men and women and relationships and adultery and have an operatic feel to it, so I pivoted." [18] Asked to describe the second season, White likened it to "a bedroom farce with teeth". [19] Kim Neundorf served as an additional composer for the season. [20] White had been inspired for the season by a trip he took with Jennifer Coolidge to Africa. [21]
Upon the announcement of the second season renewal, HBO announced that a predominantly new cast of characters would be focused on at another White Lotus property for the second season, though Mike White had stated there was a possibility for a few cast members from the first season to return as their characters. [22] On October 15, 2021, Coolidge was reported to be set to return for the second season. She and Jon Gries are the only actors in the season to reprise their roles from the previous season. [23] In January 2022, Michael Imperioli, Aubrey Plaza, F. Murray Abraham, Adam DiMarco, Tom Hollander, and Haley Lu Richardson were confirmed to be cast to star in the season. [24] [25] [26] In February 2022, Theo James, Meghann Fahy, and Will Sharpe joined the cast as series regulars, while Leo Woodall was cast in a recurring role for the season. [27] In March 2022, Beatrice Grannò, Sabrina Impacciatore, and Simona Tabasco joined the starring cast for the season. [28] The season features White's fellow Survivor: David vs. Goliath contestants Kara Kay and Angelina Keeley in cameo roles. [29]
On January 20, 2022, the second season was reported to be filmed at the Four Seasons San Domenico Hotel in Taormina, Sicily, Italy; [30] on February 28, 2022, HBO confirmed that production had begun there. [31] The opening theme of the second season, accompanied by a chorus of voices, shows scenes from the frescoes of Villa Tasca in Palermo. Filming took place in various locations in Sicily: throughout the city of Taormina, notably the San Domenico Palace hotel which represents the main location, and in the ancient theatre of Taormina; in Cefalù, with the long beach and the view of the Norman Cathedral; in Fiumefreddo di Sicilia (with the famous Slave Castle); in Palermo, in particular at the Teatro Massimo and at Villa Tasca; the interior scenes of the Opera house in Catania at the Teatro Massimo Bellini; in the city of Noto, in particular Villa Elena; Giardini Naxos; and different views of the seafront of Sicily and Mount Etna. [32] [33] [34]
For the season, Cristobal Tapia de Veer collaborated with his manager Kim Neundorf to finish original compositions due to his own scheduling conflicts. For the theme tune, Tapia de Veer wanted to keep elements of the first season theme but rework it to better fit the Italian setting, including making it more harmonious. The season's theme, "Renaissance", begins with oscillating notes on a harp and before the orchestral strings, piano chords, and cymbals are layered in before the return of ululating vocals. This then reaches a high pitch, before a synthetic EDM dance beat builds and drops. Tapia de Veer credits Neundorf for bringing a more organic sound to the production. [35] Singer Stephanie Osorio provided the vocals, whom Tapia de Veer recorded holding a long, single note as she wavered the sound through her hand. Tapia de Veer then sampled this and played different versions of it on a keyboard. [36]
According to Vulture , the costs of production for the season remained at under US$3 million per episode, the same as the first season. Italy, where the season was filmed, offers up to 40% tax credit to foreign productions taking place in the country. [37]
The second season premiered on October 30, 2022, on HBO and HBO Max, with episodes releasing every week until December 11, 2022. [38]
For the second season, Rotten Tomatoes reported a 94% approval rating with an average score of 8.2/10, based on 122 reviews. The website's critics consensus states, "Swapping its tropical trappings for Euro chic while focusing primarily on the corrosive influence of carnal desire, The White Lotus remains a cookie full of arsenic that goes down smooth." [39] On Metacritic, the season has a score of 81 out of 100 based on 40 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". [40]
Multiple critics voiced that White repeated the success of the first season with sharp writing, his ensemble cast, and more focused plot lines, with some saying it is an improvement on the first season. [41] [42] [43] [44] Lucy Mangan of The Guardian rated it 5 out of 5 and wrote, "The writing is as dense and layered as ever, the plotting is immaculate and the viewers' sympathies – or loathings – are never allowed to rest in one place for too long." [45] Writing for The New Yorker, Inkoo Kang gave a positive review, writing "the airless sociological fatalism of Season 1, which was matched by a claustrophobic production due to COVID-19 restrictions, gives way to a more mature drama, as well as a deeper exploration of how the characters' class concerns converge with gendered angst." [46] Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com wrote, "Mike White is a writer that is as thrilled with a fascinating dinner conversation as he is a murder mystery, and so even as the plotting sags more than it did the first time, the way that his characters bounce off each other, unpacking their social constructs, remains fascinating." [47] Alison Herman of The Ringer praised the series' pivot to the theme of gender politics, writing "White knows that sex, like money, is a form of power, and that each is intimately bound up in the other." [48] Melanie McFarland of Salon observed, "You may not want to be in the same room with the people you're watching, but the sights alone provided a level of escapism like nothing else on TV." [49] For The Washington Post , Travis M. Andrews wrote "though these new episodes meander at times, Season 2 is more tightly plotted and there are enough new ideas, with even the most staid insights heightened by White's razor-sharp writing, for it to feel fresh." [50] Some critics welcomed the characters Mia and Lucia, two Sicilian prostitutes whose plot lines intersect with many of the hotel guests', saying their presence felt like a response by White to criticisms of the previous season's focus on its well-off leads. [48] [51] [52] Others noted how the second season "has invested in horror imagery in a way the previous outing didn't, and it's been one of this installment's best through lines." [53]
Others thought the shift from the themes of class criticism to gender roles made for a less riveting watch. [52] Writing for Vulture , Roxana Hadadi said season two "centers infidelity, to diminished effect", and that "there's also a new bluntness, and a noticeable tentativeness, that keeps this second season from hitting as hard and bruising as immediately as its predecessor." [51] Vanity Fair 's Richard Lawson wrote season two is a "vibrant set of plates to set spinning, which White does with his usual mix of acerbic bite and melancholy. Though, things do feel a little less pointed this season." [54] Shirley Li of The Atlantic noted "Season 2 is as juicy as season 1, but it's not as caustic in its approach." [55] Commenting on the more diminished role of the hotel staff, Linda Holmes of NPR wrote, "Thematically, without that tension between how the guests see themselves and how the staff sees them, The White Lotus seems adrift. With all the criticism of the first season and the fair questions about whether it was satirizing its rich and white characters' lack of interest in the people around them or just reproducing it, it was always clear what the show was trying to be about, or thought it was about. It was trying to be about the foibles of wealth and carelessness; it's much less clear where White is going with this story." [56]
The second season appeared in the top ten on numerous publications' "Best of 2022" lists, including first for Good Morning America , The Independent , and San Antonio Express-News ; second for I ; and third for Cleveland Plain-Dealer , Irish Independent , LA Weekly , Newsday , Radio Times , TV Insider , USA Today , and The Washington Post , among others. [57]
The second season received 12 nominations at the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards across five categories and 11 nominations at the Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards across 10 categories, moving from limited/anthology series to drama series. It won four awards at the Creative Arts Emmys. [58] For the Primetime Emmys, Coolidge won for Outstanding Supporting Actress. [59] Other nominations included Outstanding Drama Series; F. Murray Abraham, Michael Imperioli, Theo James, and Will Sharpe for Outstanding Supporting Actor; Meghann Fahy, Sabrina Impacciatore, Aubrey Plaza, and Simona Tabasco for Outstanding Supporting Actress; and White for Outstanding Directing and Outstanding Writing for the episode "Arrivederci". [60]
Michael Imperioli is an American actor, novelist, screenwriter and musician. He is best known for his roles as Christopher Moltisanti in the HBO crime drama series The Sopranos (1999–2007), which earned him the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 2004, and as Dominic Di Grasso in the HBO comedy drama series The White Lotus in 2022.
Michael Christopher White is an American filmmaker and actor. He has won numerous awards, including the Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award for the 2000 film Chuck & Buck, which he wrote and starred in. He has written the screenplays for films such as School of Rock (2003) and has directed several films that he has written, such as Brad's Status (2017). He was a co-creator, executive producer, writer, director and actor on the HBO series Enlightened. White is also known for his appearances on reality television, competing on two seasons of The Amazing Race and later becoming a contestant and runner-up on Survivor: David vs. Goliath. He created, writes and directs the ongoing HBO satirical comedy anthology series The White Lotus, for which he has won three Primetime Emmy Awards.
Jennifer Coolidge is an American actress. Known for her work in the comedy genre, Coolidge is the recipient of several accolades, including a Golden Globe Award and two Primetime Emmy Awards. In 2023, she was included in the annual Time 100 list of the most influential people in the world.
Meghann Fahy is an American actress. Her first prominent role was playing Hannah O'Connor on the ABC daytime soap opera One Life to Live from 2010 to 2012. On Broadway, she starred as Natalie Goodman in the stage musical Next to Normal from 2010 to 2011. She starred as Sutton Brady on the Freeform drama series The Bold Type, which ran from 2017 to 2021. In 2022, Fahy played Daphne on the second season of the HBO anthology series The White Lotus, for which she received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.
Sabrina Impacciatore is an Italian actress. She is known internationally for her role as Valentina on season two of the HBO black comedy drama series The White Lotus (2022), which earned her a Primetime Emmy Award nomination.
We're Here is a HBO reality television series featuring former Drag Race contestants, documenting the drag queens as they travel across the United States to recruit small-town residents to participate in one-night-only drag shows. The show premiered on April 23, 2020.
The White Lotus is an American black comedy drama anthology television series created by Mike White for HBO. It follows the guests and employees of the fictional White Lotus resort chain, whose interactions are affected by their various psychosocial dysfunctions. The press release notes that "each passing day, a darker complexity emerges in these picture-perfect travelers, the hotel's cheerful employees, and the idyllic locale itself". The first and second season are set in Hawaii and Sicily, respectively. The third season was filmed in Thailand.
Leo Vincent Woodall is a British actor. He is known for his roles in the second season of the HBO satirical anthology series The White Lotus (2022) and in the Netflix romantic drama miniseries One Day (2024).
"Mysterious Monkeys" is the third episode of the first season of the American black comedy drama anthology television series The White Lotus. The episode was written and directed by series creator Mike White. It originally aired on HBO on July 25, 2021.
The first season of The White Lotus, an American satirical comedy-drama anthology television series created, written, and directed by Mike White, premiered on HBO on July 11, 2021. The season was greenlit in October 2020 as a limited series, filmed in Hawaii in late 2020, and features an ensemble cast of Murray Bartlett, Connie Britton, Jennifer Coolidge, Alexandra Daddario, Fred Hechinger, Jake Lacy, Brittany O'Grady, Natasha Rothwell, Sydney Sweeney, Steve Zahn and Molly Shannon. The season consists of six episodes, and follows the lives of the staff and wealthy guests at a tropical resort in Hawaii.
"Ciao" is the first episode of the second season of the American black comedy drama anthology television series The White Lotus. The episode was written and directed by series creator Mike White. It originally aired on HBO on October 30, 2022.
"Italian Dream" is the second episode of the second season of the American black comedy drama anthology television series The White Lotus. It is the eighth overall episode of the series and was written and directed by series creator Mike White. It originally aired on HBO on November 6, 2022.
"Bull Elephants" is the third episode of the second season of the American black comedy drama anthology television series The White Lotus. It is the ninth overall episode of the series and was written and directed by series creator Mike White. It originally aired on HBO on November 13, 2022.
"In the Sandbox" is the fourth episode of the second season of the American black comedy drama anthology television series The White Lotus. It is the tenth overall episode of the series and was written and directed by series creator Mike White. It originally aired on HBO on November 20, 2022.
"That's Amore" is the fifth episode of the second season of the American black comedy drama anthology television series The White Lotus. It is the eleventh overall episode of the series and was written and directed by series creator Mike White. It originally aired on HBO on November 27, 2022.
"Abductions" is the sixth episode of the second season of the American black comedy drama anthology television series The White Lotus. It is the twelfth overall episode of the series and was written and directed by series creator Mike White. It originally aired on HBO on December 4, 2022.
Simona Tabasco is an Italian actress. Tabasco played the role of Lucia Greco in the second season of the HBO black comedy-drama series The White Lotus, which earned her a Primetime Emmy Award nomination. She also gained recognition for her supporting role in the Italian neo-noir film Perez. (2014) and as Elisa Russo in the Rai 1 medical drama Doc – Nelle tue mani (2020–present).
Beatrice Grannò is an Italian actress. She is known internationally for starring as Mia in the second season of the HBO anthology series The White Lotus.
"Arrivederci" is the seventh and final episode of the second season of the American black comedy drama anthology television series The White Lotus. It is the thirteenth overall episode of the series and was written and directed by series creator Mike White. It originally aired on HBO on December 11, 2022.