Warning: this article contains minor spoilers for the second season of The White Lotus.

When the first season of a TV show is so good, it can almost feel fearful to tune into any future series. Will it live up to the hype of the first instalment? Will the clever writing grow tired and less well-paced? Will it be a good season but not a great one? All questions that many devoted The White Lotus fans have likely been pondering in the run-up to the release of season two.

Well, I’m happy to tell you that you can push those questions aside and rest easy in the fact that this second series may very well be better than the first. I know, I know – a big claim. But a series as bold as this deserves a statement that rings true.

Where the first series was concerned with social hierarchy, wealth and privilege, the second season has elements of all three of those things, along with a heavy dose of sexual politics. It’s an unexpected – but very welcome – turn away from the original premise and feeds off the idea that we never really know the intricate life details of those around us.

It’s the same luxury setting but this time around, we’re in The White Lotus Sicily. With sprawling mountain views, sea, sun and plenty of flowing wine, it’s the perfect hotbed for all things scandalous. So when the series opens up with a unidentified body floating in the sea, we know that when we flash back to a week prior, we’re in for a rollercoaster ride. 

Of course, we have returning Jennifer Coolidge’s Tanya McQuoid as a familiar face for this season but it’s the new cast that are part of the sheer brilliance of this series.

As well as Michael Imperioli (The Sopranos), Theo James (Divergent), Will Sharpe (Giri/Haji), there are a host of female characters that underline the important themes and messages of this new series. Those include Meghann Fahy (The Bold Type), Haley Lu Richardson (Split), Simona Tabasco, Beatrice Grannò and, of course, Aubrey Plaza (Parks And Recreation).

On holiday with her newly wealthy husband Ethan (Sharpe), Plaza stars in the new series as Harper Spiller, a dry humoured, no-nonsense character who is skeptical of the couple they’ve agreed to holiday with: Cameron (Theo James) and Daphne Babcock (Meghann Fahy). Cameron, her husband’s former college roommate, and Daphne are gushy, overly romantic and never argue which, naturally, sets Harper’s personal alarm bells ringing. “It feels performative,” she tells her husband once they’re in the comfort of their own hotel room.

In those moments of respite away from Cameron and Daphne, like Harper, you’re left thinking whether their relationship is a thing of enviable beauty or complete dishonesty. We soon find out half-truths that potentially point to the latter. 

But more interestingly, The White Lotus shows us that trying to understand a couple’s sexual and romantic relationship proves futile because, like many of the other guests in the hotel, people just cannot be read on a first glance. But why do we care so much? What is it that propels us in our innate nosiness to understand relationships? Prepare for a mirror of sorts to be held up to you when watching, that’s for certain.

Amid the interwoven plotlines, characters and affairs, the unsettling energy between Cameron and Harper carries this series through in an unexpected way. There’s no attraction on Harper’s side, just pure suspicion. 

But it’s clear to see that Cameron is the kind of successful businessman who is used to getting what he wants – by any means necessary. He’s the archetypal alpha male who isn’t used to being around a woman as outspoken, fierce and intelligent as Harper. Yet, she remains droll and determined in her dedication to unsettling him as much as possible. It’s a joy to watch, but in this subtle game of cat-and-mouse, who will succeed? And in focusing on Cameron and Harper’s dynamic, are we instead understating how influential Daphne is? We’ll just have to wait and see.

As well as being a series concerned with sex in all its forms, The White Lotus also weaves in ruminations on sexuality, the value of sex, intimacy and the taboos and understandings around sex work, through the eyes of Sicilian locals Lucia (Tabasco) and Mia (Grannò). Yes, there are sex scenes aplenty, but what propels this series forward is the underlying intrigue behind all the holiday-goers, the very thing that had us all hooked in season one.

From outdated views on the patriarchy, infidelity, power, social hierarchies and gender, this series has it all – along with outstanding performances from all the new cast, namely the women, who make these superbly written roles their own in the best possible way.

The White Lotus will be exclusively available from today (Monday 31 October) on Sky Atlantic and streaming service NOW. 

Images: HBO