After HBO’s dark comedy series The White Lotus took us to a tropical hotel resort in Hawaii last summer, the show was quickly embraced by audiences for its “biting social satire” of the lives of the wealthy. It was subsequently renewed as an anthology series, with season two set in Sicily. Last night, the show kicked off on HBO in the US, bringing with it a whole damn penis on-screen.
Five star reviews are rolling in, and some critics are pointing out that the show has “sex on its mind”. That sentient couldn’t have been more apparent than in an early scene featuring new White Lotus residents: Theo James’ Cameron Babcock (geddit?) and his friend’s wife, Aubrey Plaza’s Harper Spiller. The two are on holiday together with their respective partners, and when Cameron’s suitcase gets lost in the way, Harper’s husband Ethan offers to lend Cameron one of his swimsuits. Harper and Cameron head up to Harper’s hotel room to fetch one, and instead of changing in the bathroom, Cameron drops his trousers and underwear in front of her, letting all of his shit just… swing out.
Of course, Twitter did its thing.
If you’re interested in seeing the clip everyone’s talking about, you only need to search Theo James’ name on Twitter (ᵒʳ ᶜˡᶦᶜᵏ ʰᵉʳᵉ).
Speaking to Decider, Theo revealed that the original scene was “more graphic”. He said that “Mike looked at [the first cut] and was like, ‘Bleh, way too much.’ So, it ended up being more subtle. I don’t know if you’d call it ‘subtle.’ It was less extreme than originally forecast.”
Of course, the question remains: Was that legit or a prosthetic?
Below you can watch the latest trailer and read about the new additions to the cast, as well as everything else we know about the new season of the acclaimed show.
Does season two of The White Lotus have a trailer?
It does indeed!
What’s the plot of this season?
Season one saw entitled guests, cultural appropriation and a spot of suitcase-defecating come together, leading to a murder at the hotel. Season two will follow a different set of staff and holiday makers at another White Lotus property — this time in Italy. Be ready for high-stakes drama between hotel staff and the “I’d like to speak to the manager” guests they’ve been tasked with in The White Lotus: Sicily.
Who’s in the cast this time?
Champagne-toasting, massage-loving meme queen Tanya, played by the ever-glamorous Jennifer Coolidge, has returned in a guest star capacity alongside Jon Gries, who plays Greg. But this is an anthology series after all, so that seems like all we’re getting in terms of a season one callback.
As mentioned earlier, Theo James and stage and screen star Meghann Fahy play a holidaying couple in the show. Meanwhile, Will Sharpe, who recently appeared in The Electrical Life of Louis Wain, plays the husband of Aubrey Plaza. Slightly more curious is the casting of Leo Woodall, a relative newcomer who’s playing Jack, a “mysterious guest” on the resort.
There’s also The Sopranos’ Michael Imperioli playing Dominic DiGrasso, who’s travelling with his elderly dad Bert, played by Oscar-winner F. Murray Abraham (The Grand Budapest Hotel), and his college graduate son Albie, played by Adam DiMarco (The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina). After Yang star Haley Lu Richardson will play a young business woman Portia who’s away with her boss — none other than Tanya! Meanwhile Tom Hollander (Bohemian Rhapsody) takes on the role of Quentin, an English expatriate staying at the hotel resort with his nephew.
Show creator Mike White has said though that other characters from The White Lotus universe may return in the future. “Maybe it could be a Marvel universe type thing, where some of them would come back,” he told TV Line in October. Maybe unbothered icon Olivia, played by our Euphoria queen Sydney Sweeney, will make an actual comeback. But will Paula (Brittany O’Grady) come with her? For now, there appears to be a new set of Gen Z besties in town: TWL newcomers Beatrice Grannò and Simona Tabasco as Mia and Lucia, a pair of Sicilian locals who hang around the hotel. The Italian actors were cast alongside Sabrina Impacciatore who plays Valentina, the resort manager.
When will The White Lotus season 2 be released?
The White Lotus season two can be seen on HBO and HBO Max now, with episodes dropping every Sunday night.