10 Best Episodes of ‘The White Lotus’

‘The White Lotus’ tells self-contained stories set at luxury resorts where new guests check in, staff try to keep things running, and personal histories collide. Season 1 takes place in Hawaii with six episodes that follow a honeymooning couple, a wealthy family, and a solo traveler who bonds with the spa manager. Season 2 moves to Sicily with seven episodes that track two married couples, three generations of one family, and two local women who work the tourist scene.

Each pick below includes the season and episode, original air date, writer and director credit, principal locations, and the character arcs that define the hour. You can use it to jump to a specific chapter on a rewatch or to focus on the entries that drive the main mysteries and relationships across both seasons of ‘The White Lotus’.

Season 2 Episode 7 Arrivederci

This episode first aired on December 11, 2022. It was written and directed by Mike White and is set around Taormina and the Sicilian coast. The story closes the week for the resort guests as multiple plots converge at sea and back at the hotel. The production returns to Palermo for key sequences connected to the social circle introduced earlier in the season.

Tanya’s trip with Quentin reaches a breaking point, Ethan and Harper confront the tension that has been building since check-in, and Lucia and Mia land outcomes that change their situations inside and outside the hotel. Valentina adjusts to unexpected changes in the lobby while the Di Grasso family completes its tour with a final walk through town.

Season 2 Episode 6 Abductions

This episode first aired on December 4, 2022. It was written and directed by Mike White. The action moves between Palermo and Taormina as a spur-of-the-moment yacht invitation draws Tanya farther from the resort. Back at the hotel, plans are set in motion that carry into the finale.

Albie gets pulled deeper into Lucia’s world, Ethan follows a suspicion he cannot shake, and Harper tries to clarify what happened during the couples’ separate nights out. Mia makes a direct bid for the piano-bar job and negotiates with Valentina to step in on vocals during the evening service.

Season 2 Episode 5 That’s Amore

This episode first aired on November 27, 2022. It was written and directed by Mike White. Dinner scenes bring together several threads at once as new introductions are made and earlier encounters start to surface. The episode features hotel restaurant service intercut with off-site gatherings in Palermo that link Tanya to Quentin’s group.

Harper and Ethan return from a day apart and recalibrate with Cameron and Daphne, the Di Grasso family hosts guests who challenge their itinerary, and Lucia balances time between clients and Albie. Valentina manages the staff while keeping close watch over the bar and the singers who perform each night.

Season 2 Episode 4 In the Sandbox

This episode first aired on November 20, 2022. It was written and directed by Mike White. The setting remains focused on Taormina as rooms, corridors, and the beach club become the primary stages for conversations after the previous night. Palermo is introduced through invitations that set up the next leg of the trip.

Ethan and Harper compare versions of events, Cameron makes himself at home in other people’s spaces, and Daphne proposes a plan that shifts the couples’ routine. Tanya meets Quentin and begins a connection that extends beyond the hotel, while Valentina’s interactions with Mia and Isabella start to affect how the front desk operates.

Season 2 Episode 3 Bull Elephants

This episode first aired on November 13, 2022. It was written and directed by Mike White. The couples split for an overnight plan that sends Harper and Daphne to Noto while Ethan and Cameron stay behind in Taormina. The episode uses the separation to track different itineraries across the island.

Cameron arranges a night that brings Lucia and Mia into the men’s suite, Ethan tests his own limits during the evening, and Harper gathers details about the trip from phone calls and small observations. The Di Grasso family continues its sightseeing while Albie and Lucia spend time together away from the group.

Season 2 Episode 1 Ciao

This episode first aired on October 30, 2022. It was written and directed by Mike White and introduces the Sicilian resort setting. The opening scene establishes that a death will occur during the week, then the story rewinds to arrivals at the White Lotus in Taormina.

New guests include Ethan and Harper on a vacation with Cameron and Daphne, along with three generations of the Di Grasso family. Tanya returns with Greg and brings her assistant Portia, who is asked to keep a low profile. Lucia and Mia enter the picture as locals who use the hotel as a stage for their own plans, and Valentina oversees the front desk and staff.

Season 1 Episode 6 Departures

This episode first aired on August 15, 2021. It was written and directed by Mike White and concludes the Hawaii storyline. The resort prepares for checkout while the characters finish the week they started in the premiere.

Shane and Armond’s conflict reaches the point that explains the mystery introduced at the airport, Quinn commits to a new routine that began on the beach, and Belinda receives an answer to the business proposal that Tanya raised earlier in the season. The Mossbacher family resolves travel arrangements as the boats depart from the shoreline.

Season 1 Episode 5 The Lotus-Eaters

This episode first aired on August 8, 2021. It was written and directed by Mike White. A boat excursion and a hotel celebration run in parallel as day turns to evening on Maui. The schedule brings multiple storylines into the same spaces during key scenes.

Kitty arrives and inserts herself into Shane and Rachel’s honeymoon, Paula coordinates a plan with Kai that depends on timing during the luau, and Tanya continues to discuss money and opportunities with Belinda. Quinn’s interest in paddling grows after nights spent outside and new early-morning routines with local athletes.

Season 1 Episode 4 Recentering

This episode first aired on August 1, 2021. It was written and directed by Mike White. The resort’s spa and beach become central locations as guests try to reset after the midweek turn. Conversations at the breakfast buffet and the pool push the plots forward.

Rachel reassesses her work and marriage, Olivia and Paula adjust the circle around their room, and Mark and Nicole address a health scare that set the family on edge. Quinn spends more time away from screens and gravitates to the water before sunrise as the staff opens for the day.

Season 1 Episode 1 Arrivals

This episode first aired on July 11, 2021. It was written and directed by Mike White and introduces the Hawaii resort, the airport frame, and the staff led by Armond and Belinda. The cold open sets up the season’s central question before the narrative moves back to the start of the vacation.

Shane and Rachel begin their honeymoon with a room issue that shapes their interactions with the manager, the Mossbacher family settles into a suite with different plans for each member, and Tanya seeks treatments at the spa while forming a bond with Belinda. A late-night shift in the back office and an unexpected birth behind the scenes show how the employees keep the property running.

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