(may contain spoilers)
Douban rating: 8.4
Director: Mike White
Starring: F. Murray Abraham, Jennifer Coolidge, Adam DiMarco, Beatrice Grannò, Meghann Fahy
Douban Comments: “So far, I think this season is much deeper and more interesting than the first. It keeps exploring different possibilities:
- If a billionaire is a woman, would she still be emotional when it comes to close relationships?
- If the boss is a woman, would the workplace be safer and more fair for her employees?
- Can a so-called ‘feminist man’ truly respect women?
- Are couples who believe in monogamy and stay loyal to each other happier than couples in open relationships, if they’re from the same social class?
- And do wealthy people in their later years truly have compassion for the poor?
On the surface, it looks like a mystery drama, kind of like Desperate Housewives, but underneath, it’s actually a fascinating story about ethics and human nature.”
“The last episode was a bit underwhelming. Tanya’s death really caught me off guard – it felt like an anti-climax in a way.
As for this season, I felt disappointed by Valentina (the manager). After she traded a job for a singer’s sexual favor, her innocence and naivety were hard to watch. I would have preferred if she’d stayed true to herself instead of giving in so easily.
The youngest son’s breakdown was ridiculous – pretending to be righteous and moral, only to end up doing everything for his own savior complex. And Ethan’s downfall wasn’t about lust for Harper at all. It was about his patriarchal need for control. Once he regained his sense of power, that’s when he finally slept with Harper. It’s the ultimate satire of patriarchy.
But the biggest disappointment for me was Harper. She started out sharp and intelligent, but by the end, she just lost her confidence. That ‘radical honesty’ thing between them – what was supposed to be a space of trust – ended up triggering a whole chain of suspicion.
This season really drives home the point that sex is just another form of power dynamics. I completely agree with that idea. It’s not just between men and women, but also between same-sex relationships. Even among the rich, power imbalances and control issues can’t be escaped.”
“This season continues the first season’s independent reflection on political correctness, exposing the complexity of human nature beneath the surface of political labels. Inside the Sicilian hotel, a full spectrum of human stories plays out along the lines of modern ideological divides. It’s a vivid, chaotic tapestry of life where the lines between left and right blur, and people find themselves lost, anxious, and confused in this awkward in-between period – where traditional orders have collapsed, but a new social consensus has yet to be formed.
The reworked theme music captures this feeling perfectly: a haunting blend of compassion and unease, shifting seamlessly from medieval harp to strange, almost deranged modern electronic sounds. The baroque-style opening sequence is quirky and full of layered metaphors.
Once again, the first episode caused an online stir with full-frontal male nudity, and of course, it all begins with a dead body. The scenery is stunning, but there’s a constant eerie undertone. Two couples representing the white left and white right, a three-generation Italian-American family of men, a dramatic older woman and her boyfriend, plus two local sex workers – you never know what’s going to happen.
It’s rare to see an HBO show use such flashy, colorful, almost gaudy posters, which makes it stand out even more.”
