Editor's note: The below contains spoilers for The White Lotus Season 2.Through the array of filthy rich characters that descend on the lavish White Lotus properties for international vacations, HBO’s The White Lotus makes for a clever and thrilling satire of the wealthy elite. While biting in its commentary, Season 1’s satire was noticeably lacking in one area, making it less effective in its discussion of privilege. Given its dearth of native Hawaiian representation, the first season offered the wealthy elite a platform without lending a voice to those affected by their privilege. One of the two native Hawaiian characters, new employee Lani (Jolene Purdy) was introduced in the first episode before being literally and figuratively rushed out of the series, leaving to give birth and never returning. The other, waiter Kai (Kekoa Scott Kekumano), is given more screentime but still reduced to Paula’s (Brittany O’Grady) secret lover, only given traces of depth through his occasional private meetings with her. Similar to Lani, Kai is given a troubling ending; the series finale follows him robbing the Mussbauchers before getting caught offscreen with no resolution for his character.
Season 2 has been a stark improvement to the flaws of Season 1, placing the local Italians in the main cast alongside the wealthy guests who descend on their land. Importantly, they aren’t introduced as supporting characters meant only to suffer at the hands of the rich protagonists or merely serve their storylines. The Italian characters are as valuable to the story, with rich character arcs of their own. The role of resort manager, which won Murray Bartlett an Emmy in Season 1, is now played by a local Italian woman, the hilariously cold and quirky Valentina (Sabrina Impacciatore), whose hard exterior gradually melts away as the season progresses. One of the main storylines follows two Italian sex workers, Mia (Beatrice Grannò) and Lucia (Simona Tabasco), as they become increasingly entangled in the affairs of the vacationers. Still, we know them outside their relation to the wealthy characters. We often see them on their own, speaking in Italian to each other about their dreams and plotting their next moves to get money and opportunities.
Mia and Lucia Expand Season 2's Scope From the Beginning
From the moment we meet Mia and Lucia, it’s clear that series creator Mike White intends to expand the limited scope of Season 1. The girls traverse the streets of Sicily before the new crop of guests has even arrived. In a story of wealthy Americans on vacation, it feels particularly important to see the perspective of the locals who share their land with them, something the first season neglected an opportunity to delve into. As the wealthy guests arrive by boat to Sicily, they're glimpsed from the perspective of Mia and Lucia observing them from the mainland. It marks a refreshing contrast from the opening of Season 1, where the privileged Olivia (Sydney Sweeney) and her friend Paula judge the other guests arriving with them on the boat, absolved of any critique or judgment themselves. As Mia and Lucia try to figure out which man has hired Lucia for sex work and if there are any other prospective clients on the boat, it allows viewers to scope out the new guests, aligning us with the friends from the beginning.
Mia and Lucia are also never judged for their sex work. While the old-fashioned Bert (F. Murray Abraham) and the slightly more evolved Dominic (Michael Imperioli) pass judgment on them, the series never indulges their antiquated ideals. We understand why Mia and Lucia are engaging in sex work; seduction is their form of currency, and they use it to gain access to the hotel, money, and in Mia’s case, career opportunities. As they strut through the hotel lobby in their heels and glittery dresses, we root for them to successfully seduce and manipulate the wealthy men that fall into their trap. It marks another vast improvement from Season 1; Kai and Lani were both disregarded, victims of the guests’ greed but denied the screentime and depth that the privileged characters were given. In Season 2, Mia and Lucia steal the show, their charisma and chemistry with each other bouncing off the screen. We learn who they are outside of their sex work at the hotel, spending time with them shopping and discussing their futures. While Lucia wants to earn enough from sex work to buy a boutique, Mia dreams of being a singer. Through several scenes in which Mia’s able to use seduction to get a turn at the hotel piano, we get to see her vast talent firsthand.
While Lucia begins to fall for hotel guest Albie (Adam DiMarco), Mia becomes determined to use sex work to get a shot at singing at the hotel piano. While Kai and Lani were mere plot devices in the wealthy guests’ games in season 1, the locals get to manipulate the guests, and each other, this time around. In lobby scenes showing the dynamic and hierarchy of the hotel staff, Valentina is on top, the stone-cold tyrant who keeps things in line. But as Season 2 progresses, we learn Valentina is crushing hard on her receptionist Isabella (Eleonora Romandini). Mia, picking up on Valentina’s repressed desires, successfully seduces her, sleeping with her in exchange for getting to sing at the piano while Giuseppe (Federico Scribani) is out sick. It’s a major moment of character development for both of them. Mia, who was at first timid and weary of sex work, has transformed throughout the season, now wielding it as a tool to gain an opportunity that she deserves.
Mia and Lucia Provide a Better Picture of Privilege That Season 1 Never Had
Through Mia and Lucia’s arcs, we’re able to gain a fuller and more nuanced picture of privilege that was not present in the first season. Mia and Lucia must use their bodies to gain access and opportunities the wealthy guests take for granted. Even in this unfairness, they’re far from victims. Lucia maneuvers access to Bert and Dominic’s hotel rooms and their accounts, allowing her and Mia full access to the hotel which they gleefully take advantage of. In a standout hilarious scene, Mia, in her newfound determination to use sex to make her singing dreams come true, hooks up with the pianist Giuseppe in exchange for a shot at a singing career. While it’s unfair that Mia has to do this to get an opportunity her talent warrants, the sequence doesn’t paint her as a victim because she doesn’t see herself as one. For her, this is the best shot at reaching her goals, and her determination to reach them is unwavering. In all their exploits, we’re able to see the stark contrast between their way of life and the life of the uber-privileged guests around them.
As the series progresses, we see the effects of the guests’ greed on the locals, specifically in Lucia’s storyline. Cam (Theo James), despite consistently bragging about his wealth, refuses to pay Lucia for her work, a cruelty that is putting her life in danger. In Episode 6, her pimp follows her to another town while she’s with the Di Grassos. She refuses the Di Grasso men’s help, determined to fix this on her own. Her defiance to accept their assistance reveals new layers to her character. Despite her sex work with the guests, her romantic connection to Albie is real, and she doesn’t wish to get his family involved in a problem caused by Cam’s greed. As the season has progressed, we’ve come to know Lucia as a character who is far more nuanced than a seductress meant to tempt the guests.
In Valentina, Lucia, and Mia’s storylines, Mike White has satirized the privileged visitors while letting the local inhabitants share, and often steal, the spotlight. Season 2 of The White Lotus has marked a substantial improvement in the series; its greater focus on the locals allows for a far more effective and nuanced social satire, depicting both privilege and how it affects those without it.
Season 2 of The White Lotus concludes this Sunday on HBO and HBO Max.