You know how you check the calendar every day leading up to a long-needed vacation? That’s us with “The White Lotus,” which returns to HBO on February 16. Mike White’s tense limited series moves to Thailand this season, with a (mostly) brand-new cast of characters seeking solace from their daily lives — and at least one unexpected death.

The ensemble includes a nuclear family, group of old friends, an unlikely couple, and Season 1’s Belinda (Natasha Rothwell) — among many more. Below, the cast break down who’s who in their own words, hinting at the dynamics and twists to come.

The Girl Gang

Kate (Leslie Bibb), Laurie (Carrie Coon), and Jaclyn (Michelle Monaghan) have known each other since childhood and are grateful for a weekend alone together after too long — but Jaclyn is now a famous actress living a life that her friends can never understand, and funding the trip for all three of them.