Answering your questions about the ‘White Lotus’ Season 2 finale

Some have been addressed definitively Sunday night time, some not a lot. However the largest query concerning the present’s future — Will there be one other installment? — was already answered final month, when HBO introduced its renewal.

With that in thoughts, right here’s a rundown of the questions answered in Sunday’s finale, the mysteries left lingering from the Sicilian escapade and what we already find out about Season 3:

Who died within the Season 2 finale?

A number of folks, it turned out, after scatterbrained socialite Tanya (Jennifer Coolidge) lastly picked up on a plan hatched by her husband, Greg (Jon Gries), and his co-conspirator Quentin (Tom Hollander) to kill her on a ship within the Ionian Sea and divvy up her billions. Sensing the hazard aboard Quentin’s yacht, as she wined and dined together with his band of accomplices off the coast of Taormina, Tanya grabbed a bag meant to result in her demise — full of rope, duct tape and a pistol — and shot Quentin, Didier (Bruno Gouery) and Niccoló (Stefano Gianino) in a teary-eyed rampage.

However the physique we see within the season’s opening scene — a flash-forward through which White Lotus visitor Daphne (Meghann Fahy) bumps right into a corpse whereas wading into the ocean — is none apart from Tanya. Having seemingly escaped the assassination try, she will get spooked by the yacht’s fleeing captain, then slips whereas making an attempt to leap to a smaller boat beneath, knocking her head on the railing and drowning underneath the Sicilian moonlight.

‘The White Lotus’ winds down as the bodies pile up

Talking on HBO’s post-episode recap, White defined the choice to carry again Coolidge — who gained an Emmy for the present’s Maui-set first season — and kill off her character.

“I really like her as a personality, and clearly I really like Jennifer,” stated White, who wrote and directed all seven episodes. “However I simply felt like, , we’re going to Italy, she’s such a diva, larger-than-life feminine archetype — it simply felt like we might devise our personal operatic conclusion to Tanya’s life and her story.”

When it got here to the way of her demise, he added: “I simply suppose her dying by the hands of another person felt too tragic. It felt like she wanted to present her greatest battle again and that she, in a means, had some type of victory over whoever was conspiring to do away with her. So it simply made me giggle to suppose she would take out all of those cabal of killers, and that after she efficiently does that, then she simply dies this derpy loss of life. It simply felt like, ‘That’s so Tanya.’”

Will Greg get away together with his plan?

Greg didn’t seem within the finale after leaving Sicily for a purported work obligation earlier this season, however he would appear to be the large winner of the episode’s occasions, contemplating he’s in line to inherit Tanya’s fortune and now not has to separate it with the deceased Quentin.

However Tanya’s assistant, Portia (Haley Lu Richardson), did make it out alive, after being dropped off close to the airport by Quentin’s so-called nephew, Jack (Leo Woodall) — who might or might not have been assigned to whack her earlier than getting chilly ft. Even when Portia is rattled sufficient to remain quiet, Italian police shortly got here throughout the blood-soaked yacht, and White hinted that the fallout of that investigation might discover its means right into a future season.

“It’s doable that, I believe, Portia is simply scared sufficient to go away it alone,” White stated. “However the truth that all of these guys die on the boat appears like there’s received to be someone who’s going to trace it again right down to Greg. However perhaps you’ll have to attend to search out out what occurs.”

Did Cameron and Harper hook up?

The finale leaves this matter deliberately hazy. Lastly giving in to her husband’s suspicions, Harper (Aubrey Plaza) admits to Ethan (Will Sharpe) that she kissed his faculty roommate Cameron (Theo James) after doing photographs on the resort bar and rendezvousing to their rooms. But Ethan stays unconvinced, accusing his spouse of telling a half-truth and speculating they did extra than simply kiss.

“I believe in all probability that’s simply all that occurred,” White stated. “On the similar time, there’s a while that isn’t fully accounted for, and I believe that’s why it’s consuming at Ethan.”

HBO’s ‘The White Lotus’ returns for Season 2 with sex on its mind

Did Daphne and Ethan hook up?

Unclear, however in all probability. In his anger, Ethan finds Cameron’s spouse, Daphne, sunbathing on the seaside and tells her about their respective spouses’ indiscretions collectively. After a devastating second of introspection from Daphne, through which she processes the betrayal in actual time and promptly calculates her retribution, she leads Ethan to the remoted island of Isola Bella earlier than the scene cuts away.

When Harper confronts Ethan about their future collectively later that night time, her husband surprisingly caresses her face and kisses her, main the couple to tear off their garments and get intimate for the primary time all journey.

“Did they’ve some type of dalliance on the island?” White stated of Ethan and Daphne. “No matter occurred, it permits him to let go of the jealousy that’s type of been brewing in him and it type of brings again that first sexual cost that occurs to start with of a relationship that typically fades away over time.”

Is Cameron the daddy of Daphne’s children?

This query goes unaddressed, although the finale hints at a solution. In Episode 5, Daphne all however admits to Harper that she had an affair together with her coach again residence. After dwelling on his “blond hair and massive blue eyes,” she shares a photograph of her two children through which her older youngster sports activities, you guessed it, blond hair and blue eyes that very a lot don’t resemble her husband’s darker options.

Though Cameron and Daphne appear to be on stable floor when the finale ends, we do get a quick scene through which Daphne requires her husband to speak to his children and Cameron appears none too enthused — implying, maybe, that he is aware of they aren’t truly his kids.

“A few of the unstated issues between them, you marvel if that’s going to finally meet up with them,” White stated. “It’s considerably of a contented ending, though there’s darkish clouds on the horizon, too.”

Does Valentina get a contented ending?

Kind of. Valentina (Sabrina Impacciatore), the temperamental White Lotus supervisor clumsily exploring her sexuality in center age, wakes up in mattress with intercourse employee and aspiring musician Mia (Beatrice Grannò) early within the episode. Though Mia gently resists her advances, she guarantees to assist Valentina discover a “actual lesbian for a lover” earlier than suggesting that they spend yet another night time collectively.

Was Lucia working a rip-off on the Di Grassos?

Yep! After starting the present as an escort employed by sex-addicted Hollywood producer Dominic Di Grasso (Michael Imperioli), Lucia (Simona Tabasco) efficiently wins the guts of his naive son, Albie (Adam DiMarco), convinces him she’s endangered by a controlling pimp and cons him into asking his father to present her 50,000 euros.

Though Dominic sees the scheme for what it’s — even calling his son “a mark” — he wires the cash anyway as a “karmic cost” for his personal infidelity. Albie finally realizes he received performed, as Lucia silently slips away from his room within the morning, however he nonetheless thanks his father and places in a great phrase to Abby, his mom and Dominic’s estranged spouse. However after we final see the sexually annoyed De Grasso clan — Dominic, Albie and grandfather Bert (F. Murray Abraham) — all three males nonetheless gawk on the younger lady who strides previous them on the airport.

“My hope is that Dominic does change,” White stated. “However there’s a little bit within the texture of it that their relationship with ladies goes to at all times be fraught with this sexual want.”

Lucia, in the meantime, triumphantly strolls by way of the streets of Taormina with Mia at episode’s finish and shares a hug with the person who had been posing as her pimp — confirming there was by no means a risk in any respect.

What will we find out about Season 3?

After putting Season 1 in Hawaii and Season 2 in Italy, White steered he’s planning an Asia-set third season in an October interview with Deadline.

“[Coolidge] is my pal and everyone cherished her within the first season, and I used to be like, ‘I can’t go to Italy with out Jennifer,’” White stated. “And perhaps that’s nonetheless the case. Like, perhaps you’ll be able to’t go to Japan with out Jennifer, both. There are such a lot of enjoyable actors we’ve labored with up to now, so it’s simply type of, like, who’s accessible.”

Though the promise of Coolidge’s continued involvement might have been a misdirection — or a touch at a prequel story — White doubled down on the concept of taking “The White Lotus” to Asia in HBO’s post-finale breakdown and indicated a 3rd season might be centered on mortality.

“The primary season type of highlighted cash, after which the second season is intercourse,” White stated. “I believe the third season, it might be perhaps a type of satirical and humorous take a look at loss of life and japanese faith and spirituality. It feels prefer it might be a wealthy tapestry to do one other spherical at White Lotus.”