TV Series Review: The White Lotus – Season 2 by Mike White

Set against the deceptively romantic backdrop of Sicily, The White Lotus – Season 2 explores the grotesque undercurrents of privilege, fragile masculinity, and gender politics among a group of affluent tourists. Through symbolic visual motifs, from the ominous Testa di Moro to operatic and cinematic homages, the series critiques patriarchy, toxic male bonding, and the commodification of sex and relationships. The lavish setting contrasts sharply with the characters’ emotional unraveling, exposing the decay beneath the dolce vita illusion in Mike White’s incisive and tragicomic anthology.