S02.E02: Italian Dream

[smartymarty]

On 11/7/2022 at 7:29 AM, Johnny Dollar said:

I find this season to be incredibly boring, filled with unlikeable characters and absolutely no plot development. At least you could root for the staff last season. At this point, I don’t really care whose body was found floating in the sea. 

Agree. Many more characters to like last season. This season, I'm only interested in Daphne, Albie and Lucia.

On 11/7/2022 at 10:21 AM, iMonrey said:

For a five-star hotel the walls in that place are paper thin.

That was ridiculous. No 5-star hotel would be like that.

On 11/7/2022 at 2:59 PM, anniebird said:

I think our fondness for Jennifer Coolidge has made us automatically like Tanya whether she deserves it or not.

Mr. Smarty and I can't stand her!! We tolerated her in S1, but in S2 fast forward all of her scenes. As someone else aptly said:

3 hours ago, Johnny Dollar said:

Jennifer Coolidge is playing the exact same character for over twenty years and it’s getting very tiresome. How she won an Emmy over Kaitlyn Dever in Dopesick is beyond me. 

How she even was nominated for that performance is beyond me.

On 11/7/2022 at 3:08 PM, tennisgurl said:

My favorite character is absolutely Sicily, its a gorgeous backdrop for all of this rich people drama. The ruins, the gorgeous beaches, the Vespas, moving the destination this year was a great idea.

Yes. That and the 3 characters I like are all I'm watching for, so far.

[RedDelicious]

I enjoy Jennifer Coolidge and find her funny but the emphasis on giant claams as a part of her Italian dream was pretty trite.

[Snazzy Daisy]

I like the camera movement in one of the restaurant scene.

As soon as Albie finished talking about "pretty wounded bird", the camera focused on Portia for a little bit then moved to a close up of Tanya eating her pasta, looking like a bird eating some worms.

Subtle huh... 😆

Edited November 9, 2022 by SnazzyDaisy

[heatherchandler]

On 11/6/2022 at 10:45 PM, SoWindsor said:

This show is amazing! The way they were able to film on location really makes you feel like you’re there with them at this five star resort in Sicily. Really enjoying this season and I wasn’t sure if anything could top season one.

I am actually liking this season.  I didn't like the first season at all.

[carrps]

I don't really care much for Daphne so far. Pretty much a Suzie Creamcheese bland blonde. Hopefully, she has more depth soon...although the season opening scene doesn't indicate it's gonna happen. Also, I've always found Theo James kinda repulsive; if he were a woman, he'd be a butterface. And I hate his character in this show.

But, oh, the Sicilian scenery -- awesome! I've been to Hawaii a few times, so I was familiar with it. I'm loving getting a more detail view of a place I haven't been.

[Samsnee]

I know this is a fictional story but the idea that a guy would turn down sex from Aubrey Plaza twice in one episode irks the hell out of me. 

[jeansheridan]

12 hours ago, carrps said:

Also, I've always found Theo James kinda repulsive; if he were a woman, he'd be a butterface

I honestly thought this joke was buried back in the 80s where it belongs. It's fine you don't like HIS looks but why drag women into it? 

[RedDelicious]

Looking at Portia in the way she dresses and makes facial expressions, I see shades of Alanna Ubach as Noreen in the Brady Bunch movie.. As a side note I love Alanna Ubach, she's a pretty awesome actress. 

[carrps]

9 hours ago, jeansheridan said:

I honestly thought this joke was buried back in the 80s where it belongs. It's fine you don't like HIS looks but why drag women into it? 

Because butthisface doesn't work?

[Roxie]

Tom Hollander has been listed in the credits for both episodes, but I don't think I've seen him.  Have I seen him and just not recognized him?  His character's name is "Quentin."

[peachmangosteen]

Just now, Roxie said:

Tom Hollander has been listed in the credits for both episodes, but I don't think I've seen him.  Have I seen him and just not recognized him?  His character's name is "Quentin."

Pretty sure he hasn't been in eps 1 or 2. I believe I might have seen him in the 'this season on' promo after the 1st ep though, so I guess he's just coming later.

[DrSpaceman73]

On 11/7/2022 at 3:34 PM, badhaggis said:

I wondered if Greg got a bad health diagnosis and didn't want to upset Tanya/or did not think she could handle it. The "I love you" really threw me though. I don't remember does he have kids?

That's my guess too

On 11/9/2022 at 10:30 PM, Samsnee said:

I know this is a fictional story but the idea that a guy would turn down sex from Aubrey Plaza twice in one episode irks the hell out of me. 

Right?   Is he secretly gay or something?   Not according to his porn. 

[Mr. R0b0t]

On 11/9/2022 at 5:43 AM, Johnny Dollar said:

Jennifer Coolidge is playing the exact same character for over twenty years and it’s getting very tiresome. How she won an Emmy over Kaitlyn Dever in Dopesick is beyond me. 

I came here to say the exact same thing.  She seems like a lovely person and somehow has an Emmy for this exact role and she CANNOT act.  She drags the show down.  That restaurant scene had devastating dialogue with pathos and she lumbered through it like a wine mom after three glasses on an empty stomach jumping on stage to read a poem at an open mike.  Tanya is a poorly drawn cartoon.

[DrSpaceman73]

On 11/7/2022 at 12:28 AM, MerBearStare said:

They seem like a less extreme version of Tanya and Greg. With both couples I'm like "Do you guys even like each other?" But with Tanya and Greg, the answer is obviously no.

With the conversation between Ethan, Harper, Cameron, and Daphne about the aristocrats who have no money (there's a term for that I'm blanking on, it's "<something> rich, cash poor"), I wonder (putting this in spoilers because it's based on next week's preview)

  Reveal spoiler

if Cameron and Daphne are cash poor and next week when Ethan and Cameron are at the hotel without Daphne and Harper and they're hanging out with Mia and Lucia, Cameron is going to try to set up something with Ethan and one of the girls so he can blackmail Ethan. 

You may be thinking of the texas based expression Big Hat No Cattle, someone flashy and likes to show off but has no actual wealth.

And then as mentioned the more modern version big house no cash. 

[Joimiaroxeu]

Huh, Tanya did sort of look like Monica Vitti on that Vespa.

When Greg kept yelling that Tanya was going to make them crash, why didn't he just pull over? Was he hoping she'd just fall off?

Sex addiction. Oh please. Dominc's probably just using sex as a distraction from some other problem, and that problem is chronic.

Greg doesn't seem sick to me. I think he's either a bigamist or he has a sidepiece.

Quote

Because butthisface doesn't work?

I generally use "buttaface" as a generic term, applicable to both men and women.

[DrSpaceman73]

19 minutes ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

Huh, Tanya did sort of look like Monica Vitti on that Vespa.

When Greg kept yelling that Tanya was going to make them crash, why didn't he just pull over? Was he hoping she'd just fall off?

Sex addiction. Oh please. Dominc's probably just using sex as a distraction from some other problem, and that problem is chronic.

Greg doesn't seem sick to me. I think he's either a bigamist or he has a sidepiece.

I generally use "buttaface" as a generic term, applicable to both men and women.

I wondered too why he didn't pull over 

[peachmangosteen]

On 11/7/2022 at 12:28 AM, MerBearStare said:

(there's a term for that I'm blanking on, it's "<something> rich, cash poor")

2 hours ago, DrSpaceman73 said:

You may be thinking of the texas based expression Big Hat No Cattle, someone flashy and likes to show off but has no actual wealth.

And then as mentioned the more modern version big house no cash. 

There's also 'house rich, cash poor.'

[JD5166]

On 11/9/2022 at 8:19 AM, jeansheridan said:

How Portia is moving through this world is interesting to me. She's an employee but she's white, pretty, and does have a defined role. The fact that these three presumably very rich men essentially take her along for a walking tour and eat with her and are actually very candid around her is interesting to me. Had she been a POC I don't think this would have happened. Had she been more overtly beautiful (Mia & Lucia) and not girl next door, not sure this would have happened either. And her insistence all the time, "I HAVE to eat," cracks me up a bit. Sure you do, but on the guest buffet in the middle of the space? Or the dining room? The restaurant wasn't her fault clearly. But her insistence on being treated like a paying guest and that she has a right to enjoy herself even though she's on the clock really is so different from the wellness worker last season. 

Well, she doesn’t work for the hotel she technically IS a guest, she has a room and while she could eat in her room she chooses (maybe unwisely) to eat at the restaurant. Tanya treats her even worse (until the end of season 1) than she did the spa worker, but I doubt she gets an envelope stuffed full of cash at the end of this season. 

I love Jennifer Coolidge, I think her character, who is really awful, is her being EXACTLY like her mother who she described as cruel and cold and used her money to manipulate people (which is what she does.) I’ve read stories about Jennifer she plays off the cuff a lot-I would bet money 80 % of her scenes are mostly loosely scripted where she is given carte’ blanche’ to do whatever she feels in that moment what Tanya would do and say. I hate Tanya, but loooove the way Jennifer has made her unbearable for all of us to watch! That’s why she has an Emmy! 

I find Dominick’s putting the girls on his room disturbing if not a little unrealistic. If he’s our floater he probably deserves it. 

[jeansheridan]

On 11/9/2022 at 7:30 PM, Samsnee said:

I know this is a fictional story but the idea that a guy would turn down sex from Aubrey Plaza twice in one episode irks the hell out of me. 

She was a bit...blunt in her approach. Sometimes masturbation is easier and more relaxing. Last season the newlywed husband kind of pushed himself on his wife. Not coercion or anything wrong exactly.  Just in the moment there was a little more take than give. Maybe this dude was tired just like he said. Early jog, jet lag, too much sun, too much alcohol. 

[LilaFowler]

When they met in S1 (Episode 4), Greg told Tanya that his kids are grown and he was divorced. I think he was talking to one of his kids on these calls, both when Tanya was eavesdropping and he claimed to be speaking to Bob, and then again at the end of the episode when he told the caller that he loved them. It's presented as cheating and it could be, but I think it's not. Either way, secrets kill relationships.

Greg is living that miserable gilded cage lifestyle that I think we'd see Rachel living if she and Shane had returned this season. He has conditional access to mega money but it's all on his flaky spouse's terms. One bad argument and he loses it all, which he knows and which is why he has to maintain his employment despite his age and health issues. Naturally, he seems resentful. I'd imagine it's frustrating to have all that wealth at your fingertips but you can't even relax or enjoy it because it's not fully yours. Harper and Ethan also seem to have trouble enjoying their wealth (or admitting to it).

Bert is the horny old man, Dom is the horny middle-aged guy, so when will horny Albie appear? I'm certain he'll get corrupted before the finale. Will this show wander over to the dark side and have the Son (or Nonno, or both) end up in bed with Dad's prostitutes? This trip could very well be That Time In Sicily When We Shared Hookers. Lucia and Mia seem to be down for whatever.

The chemistry that some of the actors have with each other is impressive. Daphne and Cam have a very lived-in rapport, as do the Di Grasso men. That said, Harper and Ethan act like roommates, and I see no chemistry between Portia and Albie. Could be deliberate writing/acting, could be that the actors don't have that vibe that they should--we'll find out. I'm really enjoying this season.

[Madding crowd]

I’m liking this season too but don’t believe wealthy guests would put up with the snotty manager. And people in Italy have no problem with women being curvy so the Peppa Pig comment was annoying and just more Hollywood fat shaming.

I really like Albie so far and hope he doesn’t turn out to be a bad guy. I dislike people like Harper who thinks she is so superior to Daphne and Cameron. And telling your spouse what they can and can’t eat for dinner is rude and controlling. If so had to guess I would say she is going to have an affair with Cameron because she will see him as more masculine and sexually desirable much like Portia who wants a cave man guy. Not saying I feel Ethan is not masculine.

[jeansheridan]

14 hours ago, LilaFowler said:

That said, Harper and Ethan act like roommates,

No spoilers. Aubrey was doing a post ep chat with the actor who plays her husband (he's British!) and he mentioned he had to be a morning person because he had small kids at home and she seemed genuinely startled to find out he had kids. I feel like that is something you would know about a colleague. So maybe they are being distant on purpose. 

He has that rumpled hair relaxed vibe I love in films and hate in RL!

Edited November 13, 2022 by jeansheridan

[overtherainbow]

17 minutes ago, Madding crowd said:

I’m liking this season too but don’t believe wealthy guests would put up with the snotty manager. And people in Italy have no problem with women being curvy so the Peppa Pig comment was annoying and just more Hollywood fat shaming.

I really like Albie so far and hope he doesn’t turn out to be a bad guy. I dislike people like Harper who thinks she is so superior to Daphne and Cameron. And telling your spouse what they can and can’t eat for dinner is rude and controlling. If so had to guess I would say she is going to have an affair with Cameron because she will see him as more masculine and sexually desirable much like Portia who wants a cave man guy. Not saying I feel Ethan is not masculine.

Agreed, I hate Harper she is so sanctimonious and hypocritical! But I guess that's the point of the show to troll wealthy people who feel they're much more enlightened yet don't realize their own privilege. I can see it! She and Ethan have practically no chemistry, they may click together but there isn't much there. But also because Daphne seems like the perfect clueless trophy wife that an affair would probably fly right over her head. Someone's definitely going to have an affair with someone.

[shapeshifter]

15 minutes ago, overtherainbow said:

Someone's definitely going to have an affair with someone.

Or maybe not? 
These writers just might subvert the affair trope.  
Cameron does seem to be up for it, but Harper probably would find it demeaning to give him the satisfaction of having her be another feather in his cap.  
In the first episode Lucia expressed an interest in Cameron, but I doubt Cameron thinks he should have to pay for sex.

[peachmangosteen]

4 hours ago, Madding crowd said:

And telling your spouse what they can and can’t eat for dinner is rude and controlling. 

But, in the end, they got exactly what he wanted anyway.

4 hours ago, jeansheridan said:

No spoilers. Aubrey was doing a post ep chat with the actor who plays her husband (he's British!) and he mentioned he had to be a morning person because he had small kids at home and she seemed genuinely startled to find out he had kids. I feel like that is something you would know about a colleague. So maybe they are being distant on purpose. 

That seemed like Aubrey was obviously joking to me.

[answerphone]

Although skinny, Greg is very toned for a supposedly sick man. 

[heatherchandler]

On 11/12/2022 at 1:44 PM, DrSpaceman73 said:

You may be thinking of the texas based expression Big Hat No Cattle, someone flashy and likes to show off but has no actual wealth.

And then as mentioned the more modern version big house no cash. 

House rich, cash poor.  People who own homes but don’t have money in the bank.

 Cameron had been taking about some aristocrats who has inherited huge castles but don’t have any inherited wealth.

[Blackie]

On 11/7/2022 at 7:29 AM, Johnny Dollar said:

find this season to be incredibly boring, filled with unlikeable characters and absolutely no plot development. At least you could root for the staff last season

WOW I was coming here to say that I think this season is already WAY more interesting then last season. The characters at least have some tension and mystery and the plot seems to be moving along. I thought last season that nothing happened until the second last episode, I had o force myself to watch the whole season. More is happening already in season 2 and not so many long stretches with such annoying music.

Anyways it is interesting how the same show can elicit such opposite reactions.

[Blackie]

On 11/7/2022 at 11:29 PM, divsc said:

I think Portia rambling on about her boss to Albie is going to come back and bite her. Albie's whole expression changed and his eyes widened when Portia started going on about Tonya's father owning half of San Francisco.

I thought his face changed more when she made the comment "that maybe she needed to up her meds".

On 11/7/2022 at 5:35 PM, peachmangosteen said:

On 11/7/2022 at 10:21 AM, iMonrey said:

Weird, I thought last season was terrible but I'm enjoying this season so far. 

Same. I don't even know why I kept watching last season. It was boring and I could only manage to really like 1, maybe 2, of the characters. This season is much better to me. It's funnier, more interesting, and the characters are much more likable.

Agree with both of you, although I don't know if the characters are necessarily more likable but at least there is a chance they might be, or at least there might be another sympathetic side to them. Last season everyone was awful, even the staff, not likable at all.

[Not4Me]

On 11/7/2022 at 4:15 PM, WatcherUatl10 said:

Personal opinion, but I was hoping Mia's singing would be better than it was.

Haha, me too, it was more eyebrow raising for me. It reminded me of Carey Mulligan’s awkward singing of “New York, New York” in the movie Shame.

[LuvMyShows]

On 11/7/2022 at 7:48 AM, shapeshifter said:

His hotel room door was near hers.

More specifically, he was incorrectly trying to use his key card on her room.

On 11/7/2022 at 2:59 PM, anniebird said:

I think our fondness for Jennifer Coolidge has made us automatically like Tanya whether she deserves it or not.

Speak for yourself about "fondness for Jennifer Coolidge"! 😜

On 11/8/2022 at 9:20 AM, jeansheridan said:

The actress playing Daphne is new to me and I love her. 

As I think someone mentioned in the S1 thread, she is Meghann Fahy.  I first encountered her in The Bold Type (a fun, 5-season piece of fluff, which I highly recommend if you are looking for just empty-calorie low-stress viewing).  So far in this, she is very comparable to Sutton, her character in that.  But if there truly is something darker lurking under Daphne's surface, that will be fun to see.

[AstridM]

On 11/8/2022 at 9:20 AM, jeansheridan said:

His need to be liked is creepy too but I was bummed she didn't have a drier reaction to his question. More of a "jury's out buddy" reaction. I found it weird she was swimming so alone in the ocean too unless that is really more a bay? 

Theo James is charming however. It's funny two of the male leads are actually British. 

The actress playing Daphne is new to me and I love her. She has a Kelly Preston vibe. She feels like a woman with very little ego (other than she maintains her beauty). She’s charmingly candid about her mainstream interests. Her drunk dial donations are funny. Not being sure if Puerto Rico is a territory (which let's be honest, how many Americans ARE sure?). Cameron's casual "oh you are half Puerto Rican" was cringy. As intended by the script, not the character.

Ugh, I absolutely detest her. I certainly hope most Americans are aware that Puerto Rico is an American territory. . .

[SlovakPrincess]

I'm glad Portia got out of the room and is enjoying herself!  Albie talking about his dad's history of cheating and his determination to be different was an interesting scene.  And it sounds like Dominic is repeating some of his own dad's habits.

This hotel sure has thin walls - what the heck?!

So has Greg been scamming Tanya this whole time??  Was the terminal illness story in Season 1 a big lie?  Good thing she got a pre-nup, apparently.

Whatever point they're making with the two couples, I wish they'd get to it a bit faster.  Harper is kind of a downer.  Cameron is being creepy.  Is this gonna go anywhere?

[Anela]

I'm catching up now, and Albie is giving me "nice guy" vibes, too. 

[ItCouldBeWorse]

On 11/13/2022 at 1:07 PM, jeansheridan said:

No spoilers. Aubrey was doing a post ep chat with the actor who plays her husband (he's British!) and he mentioned he had to be a morning person because he had small kids at home and she seemed genuinely startled to find out he had kids. I feel like that is something you would know about a colleague. So maybe they are being distant on purpose.

The mother of those children is the actress who plays Sylvie in Loki!  https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophia_Di_Martino

Edited December 15, 2022 by ItCouldBeWorse

[KittyQ]

On 11/6/2022 at 8:35 PM, chocolatine said:

I thought Valentina's reaction to Tanya and Greg on the Vespa was hilarious, but come on, a manager of a five-star resort would know better than to compare a guest to Peppa Pig. Greg's phone call at the end of the episode seemed too obvious to be about him cheating, especially this early in the season; it has to be a misdirection. Either way, I don't see a happy ending for him and Tanya.

Valentina: telling Tanya she looks like Peppa Pig was terrible. I think The White Lotus hotels somehow always have awful managers - first Armand, and now Valentina.

I thought Greg's phone call might have been about something other than cheating, until he said, "I love you". Unless he has a mom or kids, it seemed like a call to a side piece. I also originally thought maybe he was cheating with the assistant, but in the call he said that he'd "be home" the next day and she's still in Italy, so I doubt she's the one.

 

[blackwing]

On 11/7/2022 at 4:35 PM, peachmangosteen said:

Same. I don't even know why I kept watching last season. It was boring and I could only manage to really like 1, maybe 2, of the characters. This season is much better to me. It's funnier, more interesting, and the characters are much more likable.

I'm enjoying this season so much more than I enjoyed Season 1.  They are using the location much better, we've seen various shots of Sicily and the characters actually seeing Sicily.  In Season 1, that resort could have been anywhere, there's no reason why it needed to be in Hawaii because the characters hardly left the resort and most scenes were either by a generic pool or inside.

On the whole, I like the characters a lot more, except for Tonya.

On 11/7/2022 at 10:32 AM, Irlandesa said:

I don't know that I feel bad for her because her husband had a very accurate assessment of her.  She collects people by giving them what they think they want and discards them when she gets distracted or they don't fill whatever hole she was trying to fill. I can see how it sucks for her that it's pretty clear Greg is growing tired of the dynamics of their marriage but it's also kind of inevitable for both of them.  They probably got married before they knew what being together day in and day out was actually like.

On 11/9/2022 at 6:43 AM, Johnny Dollar said:

Jennifer Coolidge is playing the exact same character for over twenty years and it’s getting very tiresome. How she won an Emmy over Kaitlyn Dever in Dopesick is beyond me. 

On 11/11/2022 at 11:04 PM, Mr. R0b0t said:

I came here to say the exact same thing.  She seems like a lovely person and somehow has an Emmy for this exact role and she CANNOT act.  She drags the show down.  That restaurant scene had devastating dialogue with pathos and she lumbered through it like a wine mom after three glasses on an empty stomach jumping on stage to read a poem at an open mike.  Tanya is a poorly drawn cartoon.

Agree, I can't stand Jennifer Coolidge and/or Tonya.  I find both annoying.  Coolidge's little lost girl voice is tired and played out and she's been doing it ever since she was Stifler's mom.  Greg's observations about Tanya were 100% accurate, she uses her money to basically buy people to hover around her and then she discards them or makes them do what she wants, all in the name of making herself feel important.  Why did she even need to bring her assistant to Sicily?  Why does she even have an assistant?  Does she even work?  I thought she inherited all of her money, she's not doing anything to earn it.  

 

On 11/8/2022 at 8:20 AM, jeansheridan said:

His need to be liked is creepy too but I was bummed she didn't have a drier reaction to his question. More of a "jury's out buddy" reaction. I found it weird she was swimming so alone in the ocean too unless that is really more a bay? 

Theo James is charming however. It's funny two of the male leads are actually British. 

The actress playing Daphne is new to me and I love her. She has a Kelly Preston vibe. She feels like a woman with very little ego (other than she maintains her beauty). She’s charmingly candid about her mainstream interests. Her drunk dial donations are funny. Not being sure if Puerto Rico is a territory (which let's be honest, how many Americans ARE sure?). Cameron's casual "oh you are half Puerto Rican" was cringy. As intended by the script, not the character.

For some reason I thought this resort was on a cliff, and Harper was swimming in a deserted looking bay below.  But in the opening scenes from the first episode, there's clearly a beach.  Is the beach at the foot of the cliff?  So someone has to walk all the way down a lot of stairs to get to the beach?

I like Theo James in this role, his character is self-absorbed but also a bit funny.  I loved when Cameron and Daphne went shopping and he thrust open the dressing stall curtains with a flourish and strutted over to Daphne wearing his ridiculous matching outfit.  I laughed when he muttered "I look so stupid" and she said "I like it".  That scene was well acted.

I think Cameron said to her "oh that's right, you're half Puerto Rican".  I don't see anything wrong with it, it is a fact and he was just remembering this about her.  I thought it was a great nod to Aubrey Plaza, who actually is indeed half Puerto Rican.