‘The White Lotus’ Ends Season 2 With Plenty Of Unanswered Questions

HBO’s The White Lotus concluded its second season with an incredible finale, as all of that simmering tension and sneaking suspicion finally exploded into a bloodbath.

Spoilers Ahead

As the credits rolled on a satisfying story, there were still more than a few questions left unanswered, such as …

Cheating

Harper (Aubrey Plaza) and her husband Ethan (Will Sharpe) have been squabbling throughout most of their holiday, their sex life steadily corroding away, forced to spend quality time with Cameron (Theo James) and Daphne (Meghann Fahy) a rich, obnoxious couple that they share little in common with, aside from the means to stay at the titular resort.

Harper has been nursing a grudge, suspecting (with strong evidence) that Ethan slept with a call girl, while Ethan also suspects Harper of being unfaithful, having found Harper and Cameron alone in a hotel room together, with the door locked. After a lengthy interrogation, Harper admits to kissing Cameron, framing herself as something of a passive participant.

Part of what makes the couple’s big fight so interesting is that we don’t know the extent of Harper’s cheating; is she telling the truth about her and Cameron’s intimate moment being just a kiss? We have to gauge Plaza’s performance to figure it out.

For what it’s worth, I do believe Harper is telling the truth, but a little bit of damage control isn’t beyond the realm of possibility, as her marriage is on the line, along with Cameron and Ethan’s friendship (which, to be honest, doesn’t seem worth salvaging).

Then there’s the question of Ethan and Daphne, who clearly shared a moment of passion on a secluded island, after Ethan seemed determined to take revenge on Harper and Cameron’s betrayal. We have no idea what the two did on that island, but we do know that Ethan didn’t walk away, and Daphne knows how to keep a secret, for her own sanity.

The story ends with Cameron and Daphne back in their toxic, yet oddly functional relationship, and with Harper and Ethan’s struggles seemingly strengthening their bond. The pair do not know the extent of the other’s cheating, and likely never really will; like the audience, they are left to draw their own conclusions.

At this point, both have been unfaithful, but there is nothing left to gain from digging further into the details; the only question worth asking is, is their relationship meaningful enough to save?

From their body language, the two seem to have figured something out, and their worst moments are left behind in the shadows, stuffed into the same dark place that Daphne represses her anger.

The Murder Plot

Tanya (Jennifer Coolidge) and her assistant Portia (Haley Lu Richardson) were both drawn into a mysterious, sinister plot, with Tanya’s gay best friend Quentin (Tom Hollander) and Portia’s crush Jack (Leo Woodall) deliberately separating the two women, seemingly so that Tanya could be murdered, with no pesky eyewitnesses.

While the series never fully answered the questions surrounding the murder plot, it appears that Tanya’s husband, Greg (Jon Gries), was in league with Quentin, having signed a prenup and only entitled to cash out if Tanya dies.

Halfway during the finale, I was convinced that the murder plot was one big fake-out, as Tanya spent a paranoid evening on a boat with Quentin and his friends, becoming convinced that they intended to kill her. But as the finale wore on and Jack was revealed to have been deliberately distracting Portia, even dropping his mask and warning her to stay away from whatever was going on with Tanya, it seems almost certain that the murder plot was true.

Tanya uncovers a suspiciously placed pistol and decides to blast her way out of the situation, but is never given a straight answer; the dying Quentin refuses to elaborate on what his intentions really were, and if there is anyone else involved behind the scenes.

Amusingly, Tanya really wanted to know if Greg was cheating on her, but alas, even that question went unanswered.

In the end, the exact details of the murder plot didn’t make much of a difference to Tanya, as she attempts to climb onto the yacht’s lifeboat in a drunken panic, and slips into the sea, banging her head on the way down. It’s a tragic, uncomfortably realistic end to the one of the best characters on the show.

Coolidge really nailed this performance, imbuing this selfish, majestically messy woman with a deep vulnerability; in her hands, Tanya was incredibly likable and compelling, not in spite of, but because of, her many flaws.

As for Portia, it is unclear if Jack was tasked with murdering her too, or simply keeping her away from the crime scene; either way, she survived the White Lotus, and perhaps, gained a bit more intuition in regards to untrustworthy strangers.

What will be the setting of The White Lotus season 3?

Thus far, the series has moved from Hawaii to Italy, both locations providing beautiful backdrops, shot to look like paradise on Earth (and Italy inspired season 2’s killer opening sequence).

In an interview discussing the finale, creator of the series Mike White hinted that season 3 could take place in Asia:

“The first season kind of highlighted money, and then the second season is sex,” White explained. “I think the third season would be maybe a satirical and funny look at death and Eastern religion and spirituality. It feels like it could be a rich tapestry to do another round at White Lotus.”

Wherever season 3 ends up taking place, it seems likely that there will be another scenic beach, where the next body can wash ashore.