New HBO channel hit and caustic satire about modernity
The second season of the series “White Lotus” – the winner of 10 “Emmy” awards – is being released on HBO and in “Amediatek”. In the first season, viewers followed a week in the life of a luxurious Hawaiian resort – and wondered which of the eccentric staff and arrogant guests would die at the end. In the continuation, we are sent to sunny Sicily.
“White Lotus” was conceived as a mini-series, but due to the success of the audience, the project was turned into an anthology. Each season brings a new resort, new guests, and a new murder. We tell you why the series should not be missed in any case. Especially the second season about Sicily. You can watch it even if you have never seen a single episode of White Lotus before.
What is the series about
A tragedy has occurred in the Italian branch of the White Lotus resort – the bodies of several guests are fished out of the sea. The action is postponed to a week ago. New guests have just arrived. Among them is a capricious millionaire, her personal assistant and two married couples – a wealthy IT specialist with a gloomy lawyer wife and his selfish friend with a charming wife.
Three generations of Italian Americans also come to the resort: a son, father and grandfather want to learn more about their Sicilian roots. From the locals – several women: a sassy manager, a sex worker and her best friend. Which of them will die and why is unknown.
“White Lotus” is a series about a murder. But crime is easy to forget “White Lotus”
is a collective portrait of not very pleasant people. At one resort, privileged rich people, hypocritical youth and girlfriends ready for betrayal found themselves. Series creator Mike White pits everyone against each other and sees what happens. It turns out not only hilarious, but also cognitive conflicts. As well as new loves, betrayals and unexpected alliances.
For example, a family of Italian Americans is always arguing about the attitude towards women in their culture. The pro-feminist son proves to his father and grandfather that The Godfather is too masculine and therefore outdated.
Patriarchy and traditional values are classic causes of intergenerational conflict. Nevertheless, the argument and arguments of men are fun to follow. After all, none of them had thought to ask the opinion of the woman sitting next to him.
White especially devotes a lot of time to the conflict of two married couples. Through their confrontation, the playwright speaks on fascinating topical topics. IT specialist Ethan and his wife Harper are socially conscious people. They follow the news and do not even think about having a baby, because the world is going on do not understand what.
Their vacation friends Cameron and Daphne are the complete opposite of the couple. They prefer the soothing “Ted Lasso” to disturbing news. Wealthy spouses can afford to hide from the informational noise and enjoy life carefree. Different outlooks on life are just the beginning. The dynamics of their relationship is constantly changing male rivalry, old grudges and sexual tension.
The White Lotus is full of whimsical musings and witty dialogue. Heroes casually can give an interesting argument about the dependence on technology or the value of life in the modern world. In a dispute with his grandson, the Italian-American grandfather admits that old age used to be respected, and now old people remind everyone of an unpleasant past.
And one of the heroines, after visiting a safari, realizes that men are like elephants – males leave the pack and wander alone all their lives. Each replica sounds natural and without pathos. In The White Lotus, monologues and dialogues are remembered no worse than plot twists.
It is so interesting to follow the relationships of the White Lotus characters and their unexpected intersections that by the end of the first episode, you can forget about future deaths. The White Lotus is not a detective story. Don’t waste time speculating about whose bodies will be dragged out of the sea in the end. Besides, it’s simply useless – even in the first season, Mike White proved that deaths on vacation are absurd and unpredictable.
🔞There is a lot of lust, lust and sex in the series
The first season of The White Lotus deals with the class divide, privilege and race. Without moralizing, Mike White noticed the difference between wealthy guests and helpful staff, between the opportunities of whites and the obligations of national minorities.
It turned out to be a topical satire, but only Western viewers could fully appreciate it. The new season focuses on a more universal theme – sex drive. Sex in the series is shown from different angles. At some moments slowly and gently, more often – as a demonstration of the power of one hero over another.
And sometimes funny and ridiculous. The scene of unsuccessful sex in exchange for a favor stands out especially: the girl unsuccessfully tries to excite her partner and instead of Viagra accidentally gives him a drug.
Sometimes the series also looks like a hilarious sitcom. “White Lotus” frankly shows sex and boldly reflects on it. Lust is the main driving force of the plot. Some heroes get their way through seduction, others suffer through sexual frustration and addiction. Under the hot Italian sun, there is nowhere to hide from lust.
The desire to charm or make jealous forces the heroes to do stupid things and betray their own ideals. Even if they don’t die in the finale, they will obviously leave the resort as different people.
HBO
🤝 “White Lotus” – the perfect series for discussion
Modern viewers are accustomed to the Netflix distribution model – in one day, the streaming giant releases all the episodes of the series at once. This happened, say, with the “Crown” and “Wednesday“. Watching new products for many has become a race against time. You need to watch the show as soon as possible so as not to catch spoilers and fall out of the pop cultural context.
In that sense, HBO’s traditional weekly release model is a real outlet. House of the Dragon, followed by The White Lotus, proved once again that there are benefits to waiting for each episode. The viewer is in no hurry and stretches the pleasure. The release of a new series is a small holiday.
There are a lot of ambiguous characters in the series – so it’s easy to choose which one to love and hate. After watching the series, there is time to discuss their actions and plot twists. Reflect on what you will see next week. You can also watch memes or make your own.
The final episode of the second season of White Lotus will air on December 11. So you still have time to join the fan community. The sense of belonging only strengthens the love for the series.
