“The White Lotus” season two strikes the vacation-themed collection to Sicily, and there is one iconic a part of the island that the present makes word of: the intricate statues of heads.
During the primary episode, Cameron (Theo James), Ethan (Will Sharpe), Daphne (Meghann Fahy), and Harper (Aubrey Plaza) ask concerning the statue of their room. Their hotel-worker information explains to them that it is referred to as a Testa di Moro. He explains, “The story is a Moor got here right here a very long time in the past and seduced a neighborhood woman. But then she discovered that he had a spouse and youngsters again residence. So as a result of he lied to her, she minimize his head off.”
The group wonders why individuals would wish to show the statues if they’ve such a darkish backstory. Daphne tells Cameron, “It’s a warning to husbands, babe. Screw round and you may find yourself within the backyard.”
Rocco would not inform them the remainder of the legend, or the opposite interpretations of the Testa di Moro’s origins. According to Visit Sicily, after the woman eliminated the person’s head, she used it as a vase to develop basil. The scent attracted her neighbors, who cherished the vase and had copies of it commissioned.
But Visit Sicily additionally offers one other backstory for the statues. In a unique model of the legend, the woman and the Moor fell in love. When her mother and father discovered, they beheaded each of them and hung their heads as a warning. That’s why the heads are often proven in pairs, although “White Lotus” largely reveals the person’s head alone, referencing the opposite model of the story.
What Is the Meaning of the Head Statues in “White Lotus”?
Based on Rocco’s rationalization, it appears the heads are a reminder of the secrets and techniques that may be stored between {couples} and the best way they flip into poison — and even violence. It thematically resonates with the present’s second season, which appears to all be about dramas between {couples}. Daphne and Cameron appear to be the picture-perfect wealthy couple, however Harper would not belief them. And on the finish of the night time, whereas Cameron and Daphne have intercourse of their resort room, Harper and Ethan are disconnected in mattress.
Tanya (Jennifer Coolidge)’s marriage to Greg (Jon Gries) is not going nice both. He’s livid she introduced her assistant Portia (Haley Lu Richardson) along with her and reprimands her about her weight and consuming. And Dominic (Michael Imperioli) will get berated by his spouse on the telephone. She calls him a liar, accuses him of maintaining secrets and techniques, and finally ends up crying. His actions have stored his spouse and daughter from becoming a member of the lads of the household on trip, and his apology for his inaction appears significantly disingenuous since he hires Lucia (Simona Tabasco) to sleep with him earlier than he even arrives in Sicily.
But different resonances are tied to the statue within the collection, too. The resort employee says the statue is of a “Moor,” a phrase that Europeans used within the Middle Ages to imply Muslim individuals, and particularly these from North Africa or the Middle East. In Shakespeare’s “Othello,” the title character is described as a Moor, and that is why he would not slot in with the remainder of Venetian society. The characters of “White Lotus” season two are virtually all white. Harper notes to Ethan on the finish of the episode that the 2 of them are the “white-passing, numerous associates.” The Testa di Moro, then, is a literal objectification of a nonwhite particular person, an individual who in any other case would not be welcome on this ultra-elite area. And he turned an object by way of violence; solely by way of homicide can he be an accepted a part of Sicilian life.
We already know that no less than one visitor will not make it by way of their trip alive. Could it’s due to the secrets and techniques and lies that come between a husband and spouse? We’ll have to attend and see.
