The White Lotus season 2

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My unscientific ranking of the chances that each of the main guest characters die:

Daphne - 0% chance. She finds a body or bodies, she lives.

Albie - 20% chance. Not getting ominous vibes around him, much more likely he just gets screwed over or embarrassed somehow. But I guess small likelihood that he has a terrible accident or gets offed by Lucia's pimp.

Harper - 30% chance. She's playing with fire a little bit right now, messing with Ethan because she's pissed at him. But Harper is one of the smarter and more insightful characters on the show, plus she has probably the best communication skills (in that she has communication skills). Ethan's mad but it's all being channeled at Cameron, and Harper is the kind of person who annoys the crap out of you but then you have to admit she's right about whatever it is because, usually, she is.

Tanya - 40% chance. I know her situation looks bad but she is more with it than she lets on. She started sniffing this thing out days ago. Agree with a PP on this thread who said she's a slow processor, but I think she'd going to piece it together and use her money and privilege to stay safe, whatever is going on. Tanya is messed up but I don't think she's naive. She's way safer than Portia at this point.

Dom - 50% chance. This is entirely based on the fact that Dom cheated on a character played (on the phone) by Laura Dern. You can't cross Laura Dern, bro! She might show up herself and strangle you. And she'd deserve it. Who cheats on an absolute goddess? Dumbass.

Cameron - 60% chance. He's a huge jerk but also incredibly entitled and arrogant, seems like someone who needs to get got, you know? Has a very angry enemy in Ethan, who is now very motivated by his belief that Cameron did something with his wife. Also he's trying to bail on his prostitute bill in a foreign country, seems dangerous. Oh, and his wife has some "I'm gonna smile and laugh with you, but then I'm gonna snap and murder you" vibes going on. I'd say Cam is protected on White Lotus by virtue of being rich, but there's also some indication he might not be rich anymore.

Mia - 70% chance. She keeps dressing like the swan in Leda in the swan, which is confusing foreshadowing (or maybe a red herring?). But she's dreamy and sort of stumbles through situations. She almost accidentally killed Giuseppe which is not a good sign. Now she's done Valentina a solid but it feels like the ladies of the night are going to get punished in this show, you know?

Portia - 80% chance. She's currently being held in a hotel room against her will, she has limited survival skills, Jack seems like a sketchy dude and he works for Quentin who is even sketchier.

Lucia - 90% chance. She's funny and charming, she's a prostitute, her name is Lucia, she appears to be running some kind of scam on Albie, she has dirt on Dom he'd prefer not get revealed, and she keeps demanding money from Cameron, who is the second scariest guy on the show after Greg. Lucia is in the $hit. I want her to live but she probably won't.

Bert - 100% chance. Bert's dead, y'all! He fell down again. Probably off a cliff. Or he finally gets laid one last time and it kills him. One way or another, Bert's dying in Sicily. I guess you CAN go home again, old man, just not the home you were thinking of.

Forgot Ethan, wonder why. Gonna slot him right between Dom and Cameron, at 55%. In a battle between Ethan and Cameron, my money is on Ethan because of sheer rage and intensity. I think it's way more likely Ethan kills someone than gets killed.

Excellent analysis, no notes

Greg, any chance ??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My unscientific ranking of the chances that each of the main guest characters die:

Daphne - 0% chance. She finds a body or bodies, she lives.

Albie - 20% chance. Not getting ominous vibes around him, much more likely he just gets screwed over or embarrassed somehow. But I guess small likelihood that he has a terrible accident or gets offed by Lucia's pimp.

Harper - 30% chance. She's playing with fire a little bit right now, messing with Ethan because she's pissed at him. But Harper is one of the smarter and more insightful characters on the show, plus she has probably the best communication skills (in that she has communication skills). Ethan's mad but it's all being channeled at Cameron, and Harper is the kind of person who annoys the crap out of you but then you have to admit she's right about whatever it is because, usually, she is.

Tanya - 40% chance. I know her situation looks bad but she is more with it than she lets on. She started sniffing this thing out days ago. Agree with a PP on this thread who said she's a slow processor, but I think she'd going to piece it together and use her money and privilege to stay safe, whatever is going on. Tanya is messed up but I don't think she's naive. She's way safer than Portia at this point.

Dom - 50% chance. This is entirely based on the fact that Dom cheated on a character played (on the phone) by Laura Dern. You can't cross Laura Dern, bro! She might show up herself and strangle you. And she'd deserve it. Who cheats on an absolute goddess? Dumbass.

Cameron - 60% chance. He's a huge jerk but also incredibly entitled and arrogant, seems like someone who needs to get got, you know? Has a very angry enemy in Ethan, who is now very motivated by his belief that Cameron did something with his wife. Also he's trying to bail on his prostitute bill in a foreign country, seems dangerous. Oh, and his wife has some "I'm gonna smile and laugh with you, but then I'm gonna snap and murder you" vibes going on. I'd say Cam is protected on White Lotus by virtue of being rich, but there's also some indication he might not be rich anymore.

Mia - 70% chance. She keeps dressing like the swan in Leda in the swan, which is confusing foreshadowing (or maybe a red herring?). But she's dreamy and sort of stumbles through situations. She almost accidentally killed Giuseppe which is not a good sign. Now she's done Valentina a solid but it feels like the ladies of the night are going to get punished in this show, you know?

Portia - 80% chance. She's currently being held in a hotel room against her will, she has limited survival skills, Jack seems like a sketchy dude and he works for Quentin who is even sketchier.

Lucia - 90% chance. She's funny and charming, she's a prostitute, her name is Lucia, she appears to be running some kind of scam on Albie, she has dirt on Dom he'd prefer not get revealed, and she keeps demanding money from Cameron, who is the second scariest guy on the show after Greg. Lucia is in the $hit. I want her to live but she probably won't.

Bert - 100% chance. Bert's dead, y'all! He fell down again. Probably off a cliff. Or he finally gets laid one last time and it kills him. One way or another, Bert's dying in Sicily. I guess you CAN go home again, old man, just not the home you were thinking of.

Forgot Ethan, wonder why. Gonna slot him right between Dom and Cameron, at 55%. In a battle between Ethan and Cameron, my money is on Ethan because of sheer rage and intensity. I think it's way more likely Ethan kills someone than gets killed.

Excellent analysis, no notes

Greg, any chance ??

No longer really a guest, right? But I guess if he showed back up and then died, they'd call him a guest since he did stay there a couple nights and interacted with staff.

I think Greg is a total wildcard, but that there is a high likelihood he either winds up dead (maybe the gays already killed him????) or shows up and gets involved in something that results in a death. It feels like the "shocking" thing in the finale probably involves Greg/Tanya/Quentin and maybe Portia/Jack? It seems like that's what they've been hinting at.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So everyone still romanticizing Portia’s fling? I knew he was trouble and was just as crass as I said he was 10 pages back.

And are we all still thinking Ethan and Harper have a better marriage?? They admitted they aren’t even attracted to each other. They haven’t even had kids yet.

Anyone think the pimp ends up killing one of the men or Lucia? Albie is crazy to still be hanging out with her after the car chase.

The Tanya thing is so weird. The gays are after her money obviously.

Brit guy is trouble and might end up knocking Portia off since she knows what he does to earn his keep and told her too much about a plan to get $ to save the villa. She’s slowly putting that together.

Could Valentina kill Mia because she is closeted gay and doesn’t want her secret out?

Who knows? I have no idea how they can tie everything up in just one more episode.

There were lots of hints that he was less than ideal but you seemed to pick all the ones that made you seem vaguely prejudice and classist.

Portia willingly had a fling with someone she met on vacation she didn’t know well. And clearly it has soured. I am not surprised but I’m not sure it makes the point you want it to.

I now think the gays are more into blackmail instead of murder. Honestly there were buckets of opportunities to kill her that night. Slip her some bad coke! Push her off a balcony. She was totally hopped up, would have be a piece of cake. So I don’t think he will kill portia but I do think he will keep her away regardless of how much she feels like she’s been kidnapped. I actually liked his speech about this being the best time to be alive.

I don’t think anyone will be murdered, like last season it will be incidental

What if it's not that at all, but Greg asked them to give Tanya the time of her life, knowing that he was going to be dying soon and wanting her to have her dream Italian vacation that he couldn't give her alone.

I like this idea honestly. Maybe Quentin will be inheriting from Greg when Greg dies, and that's where the windfall is coming from -- them showing Tanya a nice time is what Greg wants in return.

Same. I heard this on a podcast and felt it made the most sense. Greg is trying to gift Tonya her Monica Vitti fantasy. The bodies will be from an accident and not a planned murder, just like last season.

then why is the nephew saying that his uncle is coming into money??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do people want spoilers? There's a clip in one of the packages ("checking into the WL" on HBO that reveals more characters who make it through to the end if you're interested.

Is that the one with all three Digrasso guys leaving at the airport and knowingly seeing who the hookers are? I think Bert is also a red herring. Mike White is not about the obvious and also not about killing the innocent. There has to be a twist.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do people want spoilers? There's a clip in one of the packages ("checking into the WL" on HBO that reveals more characters who make it through to the end if you're interested.

Is that the one with all three Digrasso guys leaving at the airport and knowingly seeing who the hookers are? I think Bert is also a red herring. Mike White is not about the obvious and also not about killing the innocent. There has to be a twist.

yeah I don't think any of the main characters are killed. It'll be one of the hookers and Quentin's goons. Probably Jack in a suicide (recalling the tarot card's reading for Portia).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thinking about how portia kept her door unlocked that time so the boy could come in later, the way the Italian girls got into the old guy's room to take a shower. I think it's possible that there's some kind of mistaken identity -- A character decides they 're going to stab someone to death while they're sleeping but winds up in the wrong room, or the guest is in the wrong bed, something like that.

That’s what happens last time so we’ll see. I went back and watched season 1 episode 5 and he really does create similar characters and dynamics so it might repeat. But I think mistaken identity in a hotel room is too identical.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thinking about how portia kept her door unlocked that time so the boy could come in later, the way the Italian girls got into the old guy's room to take a shower. I think it's possible that there's some kind of mistaken identity -- A character decides they 're going to stab someone to death while they're sleeping but winds up in the wrong room, or the guest is in the wrong bed, something like that.

Totally agree. That's in line with how the inadvertent death, and the arrest, went down in Season 1 as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Re: lazy vacationing

I think part of the point is that a trip to the Four Seasons in Sicily is not a "once in a lifetime/bucket list" vacation for them like it would be for me. We're UMC with kids and jobs. We don't have endless time off. If we go to Sicily, it's probably going to be the only time so we'll want to see some things to make the trip feel "worth" the money spent.

If you're just swanning around the world on your 100 million + fortune and don't have to work for a living, it's a different story. The family of men is the group who gets out the most to see the sights and that's probably because this is a bucket list trip for Bert (literally). But for Tanya, Ethan + Harper, Daphne + Cam they might figure they'll be back someday.

Exactly! We poors want to make it worth our limited time and money. They chose this uber fancy hotel because that's the kind of vacation they wanted.

[Anonymous]

It would be funny/annoying if the dead bodies were just background extras and none of the main characters died. Like just some people we'd seen wordlessly eating breakfast or dinner or sitting by the pool. They got drunk and went kayaking late at night and drowned. The end.

I mean it would piss people off but also we'd kind of deserve it because even Mike White acknowledges the "start with a dead body" thing is just a trope he's using to keep people watching, so he can then tell the story he wants to tell. It would be funny if the "shocking twist" was on us. Haha you thought you were watching a murder mystery but actually I just tricked you into that so that I could explore power dynamics in families, sexual relationships, and friendships, and you watched the whole thing anyway! Twist!

I'd laugh.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It would be funny/annoying if the dead bodies were just background extras and none of the main characters died. Like just some people we'd seen wordlessly eating breakfast or dinner or sitting by the pool. They got drunk and went kayaking late at night and drowned. The end.

I mean it would piss people off but also we'd kind of deserve it because even Mike White acknowledges the "start with a dead body" thing is just a trope he's using to keep people watching, so he can then tell the story he wants to tell. It would be funny if the "shocking twist" was on us. Haha you thought you were watching a murder mystery but actually I just tricked you into that so that I could explore power dynamics in families, sexual relationships, and friendships, and you watched the whole thing anyway! Twist!

I'd laugh.

That might be a hoot but also make people less interested in a Season 3. I can't imagine he went through all of this expense, opulence and hype only to deliver a meh ending. It's like Game of Thrones. Many felt robbed after all of that time investment in a truly great series only to have it crash in a lazy ending.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Re: lazy vacationing

I think part of the point is that a trip to the Four Seasons in Sicily is not a "once in a lifetime/bucket list" vacation for them like it would be for me. We're UMC with kids and jobs. We don't have endless time off. If we go to Sicily, it's probably going to be the only time so we'll want to see some things to make the trip feel "worth" the money spent.

If you're just swanning around the world on your 100 million + fortune and don't have to work for a living, it's a different story. The family of men is the group who gets out the most to see the sights and that's probably because this is a bucket list trip for Bert (literally). But for Tanya, Ethan + Harper, Daphne + Cam they might figure they'll be back someday.

I mean, yes, this is definitely a real phenomenon and these people generally aren't thinking "well I should make the most of it because who knows when I'll be back." I know people like this in real life and they assume they'll go back in a year or two if they really like it or if there's something they want to see and don't get a chance to.

BUT I also think it's actually a dumb move on their part. The thing is, there are basically infinite great vacations you can take in this world. With enough money, you could do nothing but travel and see interesting places and do interesting things. I know because I know people who are just independently wealthy and this is basically what they do. And when they do stuff like this -- the super high end resort in the quaint little beachside town in Europe -- they don't go back. They don't. It's like Cameron and Daphne have been saying -- they take a safari and then the next vacation they go to Singapore and then the next vacation it's Patagonia and the next vacation is Christmas in London and then the next and the next. They mostly know other wealthy people and when they get together, talking about travel is an easy, safe subject so they do that a lot, and people will mention another place they've never been and they'll get him and book those tickets.

They very rarely actually return to a place they've been to in order to dig a little deeper. They aren't that curious! Daphne is going to go home from this trip and rave to all her [fake] friends about how amazing the food was at their hotel and how she found this fantastic palazzo in Noto, which has the BEST shopping you guys, and then Cameron hooked us up with this gorgeous vineyard toward the end of the week. Oh and did I mention the spa is amazing? She's never going to think "Italy was so pretty but we should come back with the kids and check out the ruins or explore Palermo on foot." She'll go to the next high priced hotel or resort and she will do the exact same stuff -- shopping, drinking, eating, pool time, spa time. Repeat.

Yes, it's the vacation she wants. Yes, it is boring AF. Because people like this are boring. Sorry but it's true. Not all rich people are boring but this specific kind of rich person, who just bounces around from expensive hotel to expensive hotel and posts the photos of themselves on Instagram poolside, slope side, from the balcony of their 5 star hotel, around the table at the Michlin starred restaurant, is boring. Maybe happy too, I don't know. But I don't want their life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It would be funny/annoying if the dead bodies were just background extras and none of the main characters died. Like just some people we'd seen wordlessly eating breakfast or dinner or sitting by the pool. They got drunk and went kayaking late at night and drowned. The end.

I mean it would piss people off but also we'd kind of deserve it because even Mike White acknowledges the "start with a dead body" thing is just a trope he's using to keep people watching, so he can then tell the story he wants to tell. It would be funny if the "shocking twist" was on us. Haha you thought you were watching a murder mystery but actually I just tricked you into that so that I could explore power dynamics in families, sexual relationships, and friendships, and you watched the whole thing anyway! Twist!

I'd laugh.

That might be a hoot but also make people less interested in a Season 3. I can't imagine he went through all of this expense, opulence and hype only to deliver a meh ending. It's like Game of Thrones. Many felt robbed after all of that time investment in a truly great series only to have it crash in a lazy ending.

It would depend on how he wrapped up the stories of the actual characters. If he did that in a very satisfying way against a backdrop of "oh no some random died, do we need to worry about that or should we return to our personal drama", then I think people would feel had in a way that doesn't make them resentful or less interested in another season. Like if the show basically proves that the unfolding of these small personal dramas in small, sometimes petty ways can actually be more worth watching than a whodunit.

It would be a risk but I'd be impressed if they pulled it off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It would be funny/annoying if the dead bodies were just background extras and none of the main characters died. Like just some people we'd seen wordlessly eating breakfast or dinner or sitting by the pool. They got drunk and went kayaking late at night and drowned. The end.

I mean it would piss people off but also we'd kind of deserve it because even Mike White acknowledges the "start with a dead body" thing is just a trope he's using to keep people watching, so he can then tell the story he wants to tell. It would be funny if the "shocking twist" was on us. Haha you thought you were watching a murder mystery but actually I just tricked you into that so that I could explore power dynamics in families, sexual relationships, and friendships, and you watched the whole thing anyway! Twist!

I'd laugh.

That might be a hoot but also make people less interested in a Season 3. I can't imagine he went through all of this expense, opulence and hype only to deliver a meh ending. It's like Game of Thrones. Many felt robbed after all of that time investment in a truly great series only to have it crash in a lazy ending.

It would depend on how he wrapped up the stories of the actual characters. If he did that in a very satisfying way against a backdrop of "oh no some random died, do we need to worry about that or should we return to our personal drama", then I think people would feel had in a way that doesn't make them resentful or less interested in another season. Like if the show basically proves that the unfolding of these small personal dramas in small, sometimes petty ways can actually be more worth watching than a whodunit.

It would be a risk but I'd be impressed if they pulled it off.

I can't stand the waiting!

It has to be an actual character - the stakes are too low otherwise. Someone pushing someone off a cliff - in anger, maybe, but not really intending to kill? - seems likely.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It would be funny/annoying if the dead bodies were just background extras and none of the main characters died. Like just some people we'd seen wordlessly eating breakfast or dinner or sitting by the pool. They got drunk and went kayaking late at night and drowned. The end.

I mean it would piss people off but also we'd kind of deserve it because even Mike White acknowledges the "start with a dead body" thing is just a trope he's using to keep people watching, so he can then tell the story he wants to tell. It would be funny if the "shocking twist" was on us. Haha you thought you were watching a murder mystery but actually I just tricked you into that so that I could explore power dynamics in families, sexual relationships, and friendships, and you watched the whole thing anyway! Twist!

I'd laugh.

That might be a hoot but also make people less interested in a Season 3. I can't imagine he went through all of this expense, opulence and hype only to deliver a meh ending. It's like Game of Thrones. Many felt robbed after all of that time investment in a truly great series only to have it crash in a lazy ending.

It would depend on how he wrapped up the stories of the actual characters. If he did that in a very satisfying way against a backdrop of "oh no some random died, do we need to worry about that or should we return to our personal drama", then I think people would feel had in a way that doesn't make them resentful or less interested in another season. Like if the show basically proves that the unfolding of these small personal dramas in small, sometimes petty ways can actually be more worth watching than a whodunit.

It would be a risk but I'd be impressed if they pulled it off.

Good points. In Season 1 the arrest showed how having good intentions but manifesting them in a bad way can have unintended consequences. So maybe there will be more exploration of unintended consequences.

[Anonymous]

It seems that Portia's return to the hotel has the greatest potential to upset the probable plot to swindle Tanya, and if she does make it back, her minutes are likely numbered.