Biggest Unanswered Questions From The White Lotus Season 2
If you tuned into Season 2 of HBO's "The White Lotus," you were certainly not alone, as the series has officially launched into internet myth with some immediately iconic memes. It's not hard to see why, as the series boasts an incredible cast made up of Aubrey Plaza, Jennifer Coolidge, Will Sharpe, Theo James, Meghann Fahy, and more, who haphazardly explore themes of sex and repression among the immensely wealthy at an exclusive resort.
Set amongst the breathtaking architecture and natural beauty of Sicily, "The White Lotus" Season 2 knocked it out of the park by combining humor with moody awareness of the inherent classism at play at luxury resorts. Indeed, "The White Lotus" very likely wouldn't work as well as it doesn't without spending equal time on the resort employees as it does on the glamorous rich.
The expansive cast of big names and relative newcomers shines through the compelling character arcs that are the heart of the series. While those arcs are uniformly engaging, they are often left intentionally vague by series creator Mike White. With Season 3 officially confirmed by HBO, now is the perfect time to ask ourselves about some of the confusing hints dropped throughout these seven episodes. Here are the questions that "The White Lotus" Season 2 leaves unanswered.
What is up with Greg?
Fans familiar with Season 1 will recognize Greg, who we met as a very sick man unable to afford treatment for his terminal illness until the extremely rich heiress Tanya swoops in to offer money. The two had a passionate affair that ended in marriage, but we see in their very first interaction in Season 2 that things have almost immediately soured between them. After seeing Greg fail to respond to texts, take late-night business calls that end in him whispering "I love you," and negging Tanya about her appearance and general lifestyle, it comes as a bit of a relief when he announces that he'll be departing for a few days — even if Tanya is devastated.
The second Greg announces he'll take Tanya on a Vespa ride to enjoy a romantic day, we see that the guy barely tolerates her presence. There are plenty of sketchy things about this man, but inviting Tanya to Sicily for a romantic retreat, going off when he sees that she's brought her personal assistant along, and taking off with almost no warning had us wondering what his issue was. Was it an affair, or was there something more going on?
While we eventually see that his plans were a lot more insidious, we never truly find out much about Greg. Will he show up again? Time will tell.
What happens with between Cam, Harper, Ethan, and Daphne?
The apparently happy and highly sexually engaged Cameron and Daphne find themselves at odds with the significantly more reserved Harper and Ethan, and these two diametrically opposed couples made up a bulk of the season's screentime. At first clashing due to Harper's rigidity, as well as long-hidden jealousy between Cameron and Ethan, this volatile but compelling foursome effectively communicates some of the season's most complex observations on relationships. In the end, neither couple seems particularly healthy, but that's not exactly the point.
The sexually repressed Harper and Ethan are pushed to extremes by Daphne and Cameron's comparative sexual freedom, and it all comes to a head when Harper suspects Ethan cheated on her and Ethan suspects that Harper did the same. Daphne sums this scenario up perfectly toward the end of the season by telling a troubled Ethan that it doesn't actually matter what Cameron and Harper did, noting that you can never know for sure what goes on inside another person's head.
Still, there is certainly plenty of room to question what exactly happened that "doesn't matter" between the couples. Cameron and Harper vanish briefly, only to be interrupted by an angry Ethan, but this seems to be resolved after a thoughtful Daphne leads Ethan to a secluded area along the beach. Did the two couples cheat on each other? We'll take Daphne's advice and not stress about it, but we have plenty of questions.
Wait, what were the allegations?
When the two couples land, it becomes immediately obvious that tensions will arise as Harper seems baffled by Cameron and Daphne's public displays of affection, which only escalate as the show continues. When a well-meaning hotel worker casually notes that their bedrooms have an adjoining door, Harper quickly states that it will not be needed during their stay as Daphne and Cameron look on with unspoken offense at the adamant statement. Though Harper relaxes slightly through the series, there are plenty of hints that maybe she should keep her guard up.
Cameron is immediately put off after Harper tells him she is an employment lawyer who works on cases involving employee abuse and sexual harassment allegations against bosses. Harper asks why Cameron makes a face, and he's dismissive, noting that "we're" dealing with a lot of bogus claims. This puts Harper on the defensive, and she responds with a patient but firm, "Well, they're not all bogus," to which Cameron concedes before apologizing.
The conversation moves on, but what exactly were those bogus allegations about? Considering Cameron's constant advances on the women in his vicinity, we could probably guess, but this is a pretty wild thing to drop without follow-up. In many ways, it tells us what we can expect from Cameron without being explicit, which is a lot of what "The White Lotus" is about.
Daphne's kids aren't Cameron's?
Daphne was one of the surprise stand-out characters of Season 2. At first, she seems to be equally as surface-level and thoughtless as her husband, but she shows unexpected layers of emotional depth as the series progresses. Comically unwilling to engage in negative subject matter and often dismissing concerns with a breezy air of authority, she is also prone to displaying subtle emotional awareness and steering people to a happier place without making it obvious that she's doing so. This is a woman that surprised us at every turn, and Meghann Fahy did incredible work infusing Daphne with the level of unstated care that the character needed to come alive.
Though she ostensibly invites Harper along on a day trip out of self-interest, it becomes clear Daphne also realizes that everyone would benefit from a little space and one-on-one time. After surprising Harper by revealing she has booked a luxurious villa for them to spend the night in, she drops some serious gems of wisdom. More importantly, Daphne casually notes that she has a trainer before showing Harper a picture of her children — who do not look at all like Cameron — before laughing it off as accidental and handing the phone back to show a photo of her trainer.
Though not explicitly stated, this brilliant sleight of hand suggests not only that Cameron isn't the father of their children but that she's dropping these clues for Harper on purpose.
What is Jack even doing?
Portia, Tanya's disaffected, internet-obsessed personal assistant, wraps up her journey in a pretty different place than where she starts out, which is due in no small part to her interactions with Jack. We're introduced to him as he goes for a late-night swim and immediately shows interest in her — even as she leaves with Albie. The next time we see him, he uses charm and a devil-may-care attitude to attract the wishy-washy and bored Portia. While he promises adventure and fun, we soon suspect that there are some dark currents under that boyish smile — which is confirmed when his alcohol use and anger arise.
Presenting himself as a surface-level rogue with little concern for larger problems, he portrays himself as the nephew of the wealthy Quentin, which is thrown into question when we see them sharing what could be politely described as "an intimate moment." The questions only go on from there.
After stealing Portia's phone and exploding when she asks him to explain himself, he drives her far away from her intended drop-off and tells her to get lost. Naturally, we know that he's a dodgy guy by now, but the specifics are cloudy. What's his relationship with Quentin? What "hole" did Quentin pull him out of? Was he always supposed to simply drop Portia off or was he breaking the rules after being told to kill her? We may never know, but it all sounds pretty bad.
Who was on the boat?
Few things about the ending of "The White Lotus" Season 2 were as unexpected as what happens to Tanya on the boat, a situation that escalated in ways that stunned even dedicated fans of this windy comedic-thriller. After introducing Tanya as a shallow and unaware character, the series opens her up to express some unexpected depth. Portia reveals important details about Tanya's nightmarish father, and we even see Tanya beg Portia not to let people push her around and use her the way she has been.
Stuck on a boat that Quentin won't let her leave and seduced by an attractive unknown with whom she will soon be sent off alone, Tanya begins to suspect that her absent husband Greg has orchestrated her murder to collect a massive insurance payout. Some have even theorized that Greg may have been hiding on the boat when Tanya found a gun and took out most of the other people onboard (via Esquire). This may not turn out to be the case, but it's hard to say for sure with all we still don't know.
Will Portia get it together after all?
Though Tanya treats Portia like a toy that she can pull out to play with and send away whenever she likes, the two demonstrate an odd level of care toward one another at various moments in the series. In their most crucial scene, Tanya tells Portia she reminds her of herself when she was young. Tanya explains that she was often dressed up like a doll and left waiting for others to arrive only to end up alone. Showing a level of emotional awareness we have yet to see from her, Tanya identifies that Portia is a little bit lost and needs to figure out what she's doing in life before the whole thing passes her by.
She has a point, as Portia regularly expresses conflicting thoughts about what she wants in life and seems much happier when others make these decisions for her. This allows the manipulative Jack to lead her away "on an adventure," but this approach quickly loses its appeal when she sees glimpses of how troubled Jack truly is.
After encountering potentially fatal danger, she sees Albie again before boarding her flight, and the two exchange numbers to stay in touch. Portia seems relieved at the idea of a nice, normal relationship — but we know her employer is gone. So what is Portia going to do next?
What is up with the Di Grasso men?
The Di Grasso men travel to Sicily to see the town from which their ancestors are from. However, we soon discover that there are other reasons why the family patriarch, Bert, is accompanied by his son, Dominic, and his grandson, Albie. Bert's wife has passed away after decades of marriage, while Dominic's wife is unlikely to ever speak with him again after various affairs and an apparent sex addiction facilitated by his career in Hollywood. Though Dominic claims to be heartbroken, he's not so devastated that he isn't immediately setting up dates with sex workers and making questionable phone calls that end with women screaming at him for his lies and emotional abuse.
Albie is intentionally not like his father, occasionally calling out his dad and grandfather for their constant ill-treatment of women, and he is at first unwilling to accept that he could ever be like them. Yet, as the show goes on, we start to see some very familiar behavior among the three men. When Bert insists that he was discreet with his own affairs, Dominic argues that he was not, and Albie makes himself an obvious mark after allowing his sexual attractions to make decisions for him.
Though women clearly rule the lives of these men, there is a common theme of refusing to view them as people deserving of honesty and autonomy. We hope that Albie turns it around, but we have our doubts.
Who are Cameron and Daphne's friends?
Among the most baffling characters in the series is the couple that insists that they are exactly what they present themselves as. Cameron regularly notes that his sexuality and money are all that he has, while Daphne laughingly tells Harper that she doesn't watch the news and has no idea what's going on in the world. Yet, they both show plenty of moments that lead us to believe that they are just as scared and vulnerable as anyone else, such as when a very high Daphne explains that she is legitimately concerned about Cameron's friends besides Ethan — even referring to them as "sociopaths."
Noting that these are the men that make some of the most sweeping financial decisions in the world confirms our suspicions about the extremely rich, but that's not the end of our concerns around Daphne and Cameron's friends. Daphne explains that she's worried about other women as she's regularly been betrayed, showing vulnerability that is later weaponized against her. She asks Harper if she can trust her, and Harper says yes — although this doesn't turn out to be entirely true.
Still, one gets the impression that a major reason that Daphne and Cameron latch onto Ethan and Harper isn't only due to potentially making money possibilities. It may be because Ethan and Harper pose comparatively little threat to Daphne and Cameron, allowing them to let their guard down as much as they can.
Do Mia and Lucia have a happy ending?
When we meet Mia, she's walking down a crowded street with earbuds in, moping about an ex-boyfriend who has moved on. Lucia helps change this, pulling her along to see the arrival of a ship and introducing her to the stressful but potentially exhilarating life of a well-paid sex worker at a luxury hotel. Mia is hesitant at first, but she ultimately learns to make these situations work for her, embracing a less ordinary life and finding a way to follow her dream of being a pianist and singer at the resort by having a brief but mutually beneficial affair with the manager, Valentina.
Lucia may be portrayed in a slightly less positive light after she manipulates Albie, but it's hard to walk away from it with anything but a hearty "good for her." Not only does she score a huge payday by orchestrating a situation in which she fears a violent man who forces her into sex work, she uses Albie's hidden but still present misogyny to do it, making it more than easy to sympathize with her and Albie in fairly equal measure. Importantly, Albie will live a life of privilege regardless of what happens, while Lucia can now use this cash to get the upper hand in a world that is stacked against her.
Does this mean that Mia and Lucia get one of the few bonafide happy endings of the series so far? We hope so!
Are we going to see any of these guests again?
After Season 1 of "The White Lotus" ended and we saw an almost complete overhaul of the main cast as well as a change of location, it became pretty clear that the series was going to keep us on our toes. While this means saying goodbye to great characters like the fan favorite Tanya, there's nothing that says we might not still see her again in flashbacks, particularly if Greg returns in Season 3. That said, it's all but guaranteed that we're going to see plenty of new faces at the next luxury resort we visit.
Yet, with Tanya making the jump from the Season 1 to Season 2 and plenty of hints that we could easily see characters like Daphne and Cameron again soon, we're wondering who else might pop up in Season 3. Not only could that mean getting reacquainted with breakout Season 2 stars like the Di Grassos, Portia, Mia, or Lucia, but it also leaves the door wide open to call back some of Season 1's great characters.
For our part, we're hoping to hear that Belinda was actually the sole beneficiary of Tanya's largesse due to a late-night drunken change to the will and is now living the high life. Still, we'll be happy to see any of these characters again — even the ones we kind of can't stand.
What does all this mean for Season 3?
Pretty much the moment Season 2 of "The White Lotus" wrapped, we were asking big questions about what a Season 3 might entail. There is no word on a release date for Season 3 of "The White Lotus" yet, but it has been confirmed that it's been greenlit by HBO and there are a few ideas floating around in the air. Not only are there hints dropped in the series around what the next season might look like, with Daphne noting that she and Cameron might travel to Maldives, but creator Mike White noted that Season 3 might take place in Asia.
In HBO's inside the episode clip for the finale, White explained that Season 1 was about money while Season 2 was about sex. Further, he said that Season 3 may take on spirituality. "The first season kind of highlighted money, and then, the second season is sex," White said. "And I think the third season, it would be maybe a kind of satirical and funny look at death and eastern religion and spirituality. And it feels like it could be a rich tapestry to do another round at White Lotus," said White.
There are certainly plenty of characters from the first two seasons that are available to make a comeback, but it's a safe bet that a new location will feature plenty of new cast members, as well. Whatever Season 3 might bring, we'll be waiting.