From the first moment I spent with the characters in The White Lotus, I knew that it would be inevitable that I would make the rare exception to write about a television show. It often becomes quite unwieldy to discuss them, since so much depends on the cumulative nature of multiple seasons, and they often change over time, making the possibility to speak on them in a way that felt complete almost impossible, unless one goes episode-by-episode, which poses its own challenges. However, the deliriously brilliant show written and directed by Mike White felt much more insular, a work that could be viewed as a single entity (much like several other miniseries), meaning that it would be possible to discuss it with some sense of completion. Naturally, right after putting together a few words on that show, it was announced that another season was being developed, which threw the entire logic into disarray. However, The White Lotus: Sicily feels like an entirely different work – it may share a couple of characters, and certain traits are carried over from the first instalment. Yet, there are so many profound differences that punctuate this season, which sees White once again venturing into the unknown and creating an enormously satisfying, 7-hour existential odyssey that touches on many fascinating themes, and becomes a work of impeccable sophistication, humour and curiosity, which is exactly what we’d expect from a follow-up to one of the most acclaimed narrative projects of recent years. The White Lotus: Sicily is one of the year’s most riveting achievements, a darkly comical and deeply reflective mystery story that holds the viewer captive as it immerses us in this increasingly disturbing experience, which is both thrilling and terrifying, and a clear indication that White is one of our most interesting artists, and somehow whose perspective has never been more essential, both socially and artistically, as seen throughout this terrific season of an already iconic series.

The evolution of White into one of our most intriguing auteurs has been gradual but worthwhile – someone who had a lot of control in his capacity as a screenwriter (working on a number of terrific films), but who came into his own when he created Enlightened, which allowed him the space and time to develop into a gifted director, since his previous cinematic forays into helming films didn’t have too much success. Television seems to be the medium in which he is most comfortable – it’s clear that he relishes in the ability to create an entire world, spending several hours exploring it and its range of peculiar characters, rather than condensing them into a single two-hour narrative. The White Lotus (either season) were not necessarily insular in the sense that they are defined as large-scale film productions that were aired in instalments, but rather individual narratives that crossed over between each other in increasingly interesting ways, while still remaining independent. The White Lotus: Sicily sees White continue to grow, as he is finding new ways to tell a story, playfully subverting storytelling structure and developing techniques that may not be revolutionary at face value, but rather have a very particular sense of complexity that we don’t realize until we have spent several hours meditating on these themes, while simultaneously working to unearth the mysteries that lie beneath the surface of this world White has so carefully constructed. There’s something so alluring about assembling a cast of terrific actors, sending them to Sicily and asking them to help interpret a story that shows that even the most beautiful, idyllic landscapes can have a darker side, and those who dedicate their lives to the pursuit of youth and beauty can sometimes find themselves at a disadvantage when they realize that paradise means nothing when the inner workings of society are truly insidious, which is a sentiment filtered through a distinctly comical lens by the always hilarious and insightful director, who understands the balance of humour and tragedy in meaningful ways.

As with the first season, The White Lotus: Sicily puts together quite an impressive cast, drawn from all corners of the industry, placing them in this beautiful hotel and allowing them to run rampant in White’s world, which seems like a dream for any performer. Choosing a standout is difficult, since this ensemble is even better than the first, with every actor playing a memorable part that is handcrafted by White to be meaningful and complex, very few ever hitting anything close to a false note. Aubrey Plaza and Will Sharpe (who is quickly making a case for himself as one of the most promising young directors, but also proved that he’s a terrific actor) act across from Theo James and Meghann Fahy, who is one of the show’s breakouts, alongside Simona Tabasco and Beatrice Grannò, who turn in exceptionally strong performances that help this season not solely be defined by the more famous American tourists that descend on Sicily. Sabrina Impacciatore is wonderful as the hotel manager who gets embroiled in sordid activities that could potentially shatter the balance she had maintained for years. F. Murray Abraham, Michael Imperioli and Adam DiMarco play three generations of a wealthy Los Angeles family that realize that money and fame is not enough to qualify as a personality trait, especially when such matters come to mean very little when dealing with more intricate subjects that is not made easier by the presence of wealth. However, the true standout is the one person carried over from the first season, with Jennifer Coolidge once again proving that she is amongst our greatest living actors, playing the role of Tanya McQuoid-Hunt with so much spirited conviction, humour and complexity. Her arc is the most impressive – going from the absent-minded comedic relief, to the tragic heroine whose death is both the emotional core and narrative epicentre of the story, and she manages to convincingly play every note with so much dedication. Coolidge’s recent career revival is wonderful to witness, and she continues to prove her mettle as a performer, turning in another undeniably strong performance that utilizes both her well-known comedic skills, as well as giving her the chance to demonstrate her aptitude for drama, which have been laying dormant for decades, but are finally making an overdue appearance. The whole cast is tremendous, and it is not unlikely that every viewer will have a different standout, which points to both the talents of the ensemble, and White’s ability to write memorable characters.

The challenge that comes with a show like The White Lotus is that we are part of a culture that is predisposed to solving mysteries. We are naturally an inquisitive species, and the constant emphasis on murder mysteries and true crime in modern times has made us feel like we are all amateur sleuths in some way, which can explain the appeal of everyone from Sherlock Holmes to Benoit Blanc, and everyone in between. White’s modus operandi with this series is to entirely dismiss the idea of the detective as a character in the story, and instead place the viewer in a position where we are impelled (but never forced) to investigate the mystery, piecing together clues and coming to conclusions, the majority of which will be intentionally wrong, inspired by the director’s perverse pleasure in utilizing red herrings to mislead us. Much like the previous season, The White Lotus: Sicily employs the general structure of the whodunnit, but develops it into a sub-genre, that of the “whowasit”, where not only do we not know who the killer is, but also the victim. In fact, there is actually never any clear indication that the death that starts this story was a murder in the first place – and the concluding moments of the show prove that this was just an intentional case of leading us down the wrong narrative path. However, this is all part of the appeal of the show – White is a master of placing clues into every episode, each frame potentially containing vital information that could foreshadow future events. The level of detail in The White Lotus: Sicily is simply staggering – it has been quite a while since we have seen any narrative project (whether in film, television or in literature) that depends so entirely on the audience’s ability to pay attention to each and every intricate detail. It is also a great tribute to the episodic structure of week-by-week instalments, a lost art that has become almost archaic in the era of streaming, where instant gratification (crudely celebrated as being “binge-worthy”) has replaced the discussion and speculation that comes with individual episodes released over a longer period of time. On both a narrative and conceptual level, The White Lotus: Sicily is just a triumph.

Yet, there is an argument to be made that solving the mystery is only partially what makes The White Lotus: Sicily so enduring and compelling. Had this show just been focused on exploring the intersecting lives of characters that lead to one (or more) of them dying, it could have easily have been set anywhere in the world, where the exact location wasn’t important. As was the case with the previous instalment, the decision to situate this story in one of the most beautiful locations in the world was not an accident – Sicily is a place that simmers with history, whether in terms of social structure or art, both of which are factored heavily into the storytelling. Even if the viewer has no interest in paying attention to every minuscule detail and analysing them with surgical precision to find answers, the experience is still so rich and evocative, a beautifully chaotic series of moments set in the most gorgeous setting imaginable. White draws on a lot of Italian culture in putting this show together – everything from the emphasis on art (some pieces even being borrowed from museums to appear in the show, others actually being created for the express purpose of enriching the show and making it appear all the more authentic), to the sonic landscape, where every musical cue and sound creates an aural tapestry that transports us to this time and place, and it creates such a rich and complex story, into which we can very easily just surrender. However, this is all intentional – beauty plays a vital role in the story, and as we see throughout the show, its commodification can be quite dangerous. The fact that so much of the show revolves around surface-level impressions is important – what appears beautiful is actually in a state of deteriorating, where it is less a case of trying to preserve the beauty as it is to create a facade that convinces outsiders that everything within is as solid and unimpeachable as possible. It leads to many fascinating moments, which add to the tension and built to an emotional crescendo that is almost as intriguing as the central storyline about the death of one of the main characters, which only proves the merits of The White Lotus: Sicily as not only a great mystery film, but also a tremendously captivating work of metafictional storytelling as a whole.

The White Lotus: Sicily touches on many issues – one doesn’t write nearly 8 hours of plot to not have it traverse many different themes. Part of the appeal of this show is how easily it weaves through a number of complex ideas – social, political and cultural history are all factored into the writing, and contemporary subjects such as toxic masculinity are woven so deeply into the plot, it is almost disappointing that they weren’t explored more deeply, while still having a very satisfying resolution, at least in terms of how White ties everything together so neatly. There will likely be frustrations in how the show concludes, but when roughly half a dozen different storylines have been created, it is unlikely that they’ll all be resolved in a way that pleases every viewer. What matters isn’t even the ending (which borders on nihilistic), but on the journey to get to the specific destination, which bookends the show in much the same way as the first season, utilizing the elliptical structure to create a very peculiar but deeply compelling experience that has a very precise degree of complexity, the likes of which we don’t often see in contemporary storytelling. We are in a golden age of television once again, with series like The White Lotus: Sicily being shining beacons of how long-form narratives have a very specific purpose, and how the combination of strong character development and a very specific set of themes can bring about terrific results. It is a highlight of the past few months, with Mike White’s extraordinary voyage to Italy being wildly entertaining and undeniably captivating, filled with humour and intrigue, and constructed from a unique understanding of culture and social conventions, which he doesn’t hesitate to examine in vivid detail over the course of these seven episodes, each one adding new pieces to a brilliant puzzle that the audience is invited to solve through utilizing the clues and surrendering to the disquieting but alluring charms of this tremendously well-made show.