After a great first season, it was interesting to see what Mike White was going to cook up for the show in its sophomore year. Originally conceived as a limited series, HBO got him to come back to do another season, and I was excited to see if he could find a way to keep it fresh, but without treating the same steps that he did last time. It's a whole new cast - with the exception of Jennifer Coolidge and Jon Gries - and new hotel. And it's already off to a promising start and it's changing up the game and adding more big social themes.
It continues on the idea of introducing a huge ensemble cast and slowly bringing their stories together by bringing them together and it seems like it's continuing with the great pace of the first season. And the new cast is already off to a swinging start with a lot of great names being added to the roster. F. Murray Abraham and Meghann Fahy are already standing out with great representations of the two sides that this show is trying to tackle. It's still going on with the class satire and that is as funny as it has ever been (although one can't help but feel very bad for Haley Lu Richardson's Portia), but it's also delving into a pool of gender issues, showing how the effect of the many movements that sprung from the #MeToo-movement impacts rich people. An interesting idea and something that will definitely keep the show going on a fresh course for this second season, if they are able to continue to balance the two. The style is very much intact, and while the music has been subtly changed to fit its Italian setting, it still sounds amazing and shows a lot of creativity on behalf of composer Cristobal Tapia de Veer. Mike White has used most of his career to write in the comedy field, but with this show, he's showing that knows how to compose drama brilliantly. The season is off to an amazing and refreshing start, although some things may feel a bit too similar to the first season.
"Ciao" is a great beginning and White enhances his own job by introducing another big social theme into the mix, so far with great results. The new cast is great and fits into this world flawlessly, and the production value is off the charts as usual with the subtle changes showing off the talent behind.
