Who Dies in ‘The White Lotus’ Season 2? Clues From the First 5 Episodes

Season 2 of HBO’s smash hit The White Lotus started with a lifeless physique, identical to season 1, earlier than zooming again seven days to disclose how we obtained right here. There is different connective tissue between the 2 seasons — each comply with per week within the lifetime of the vacationing wealthy on the fictional White Lotus resort chain (first Hawaii, now Italy), and each characteristic Jennifer Coolidge at her most Jennifer Coolidgey — however aside from that, it is technically an anthology collection. 

This means we will make some inferences about what’s to come back based mostly on what occurred final season, however showrunner Mike White will not essentially retread acquainted territory. 

Warning: Spoilers forward for The White Lotus season 1.

The query hanging over each episode: who’s the lifeless physique floating alongside the shore within the prologue? And additionally, how did it get there? How many different deaths had been there, and the way did they occur? In season 1, the lifeless physique ended up belonging to resort supervisor Armond (Murray Bartlett). But what about season 2? We’ll have to attend till the season 2 finale for these solutions. In the meantime, all we will do is speculate.

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Here’s what we all know as of episode 5

Season 2 episode 1, Ciao, opens with Daphne (Meghann Fahey) making use of sunscreen on a seashore chair, alone. She’s taking one final dip within the glowing Ionian sea earlier than getting on a airplane to go dwelling. While she splashes round, she comes throughout — what else? — a lifeless physique and runs to shore screaming. Crucially, her preliminary response to the physique is a real “What the fuck?” Since she’s alone within the water, there isn’t any cause to interpret her shock and shock as a efficiency. However, as of episode 5, Daphne is beginning to appear increasingly more like a completely dissociated psychopath. Also, as we’ll quickly be taught, this isn’t going to be the one corpse. 

Hotel supervisor Valentina arrives on the scene, and she or he’s promptly knowledgeable by Rocco, one other resort worker, that there is been a dying. “Salvatore says other bodies have been found,” he says. How many visitors are lifeless? “A few.” Who is Salvatore? We lastly know! In episode 5, Salvatore makes his on-screen debut as Rocco’s entrance desk alternative. This additionally explains what former entrance desk man Rocco was doing on the seashore — Valentina strikes him to seashore obligation to get him away from Isabella, her office crush.

So we have now three characters who undoubtedly survive the week: Daphne, Valentina and Rocco (4 should you rely Salvatore.) At probably the most, everybody else is lifeless. And as a minimum, one of many different principal characters is lifeless, together with “a few” others we’ll by no means know. It’s additionally doable that the physique rely may even enhance after the occasions of the primary scene. Let’s take a better look.

Which characters are most (and least) prone to die in The White Lotus season 2?

Most possible

Cameron (Theo James): Between the “Testa di Moro” motif, Daphne’s affinity for dead-husband true crime exhibits, Ethan’s “mimetic desire” principle and Cameron’s debt to intercourse employee Lucia — who now has keen white knight Albie behind her but in addition an offended pimp, possibly?? — Cameron is actually beginning to appear like a goner. When Daphne comes working and screaming out of the ocean within the season’s first scene, simply after her brush with the drowned corpse, a tanned, shirtless man in squid-print swim trunks catches her on the seashore. It’s not clear whether or not she is aware of the person, nor can we see his face. It may’ve been Cameron, however then why wasn’t he sipping an Aperol Spritz together with her earlier than she took a dip? All I do know is the squid-print trunks have but to make a second look, although they do appear to be Cameron’s model. Then once more, The White Lotus loves a purple herring — and it appears to hate a comeuppance.

Quentin (Tom Hollander): What is Quentin as much as? The plot thickened in episode 5, and he is both mendacity about Jack being his nephew or… no, please not the choice. Quentin’s curiosity in Tanya might need appeared like harmless misdirection final week, however in episode 5 issues take a darker flip, when he tells Tanya he’d “die for beauty” and that he’d nonetheless do something for his misplaced cowboy love, which is both referring to Greg or simply the plot of Brokeback Mountain. He additionally mocks Tanya’s naivete in regards to the “queen of Sicily,” which lends credence to the idea that he is simply after her cash. Perhaps he’ll meet the identical destiny because the Isola Bella matriarch and his crumbling villa will finally divulge heart’s contents to the general public, too.

Bert (F. Murray Abraham): Bert is “quite old” (Valentina’s phrases), and he already took a tumble on the pool. He’s additionally now “concussed” after a run-in with the distant management. Now’s nearly as good a time as any.  

Harper (Audrey Plaza): With Ethan’s inevitable discovery of Chekhov’s condom wrapper, and later the “maybe you should get a trainer” dialog with Daphne, to not point out Cameron’s hand on her thigh at dinner, Harper is beginning to look much less like this season’s viewers surrogate and extra like a tragic determine. I would not be shocked if Daphne had been to orchestrate Harper’s demise, within the spirit of “do what you have to do to make yourself feel better about it.”

Didier (Bruno Gouery) and Matteo (Francesco Zecca): If a number of White Lotus v isitors need to die, it is smart that a minimum of one or two could be minor characters. Quentin’s coterie of males with little hats and mustaches simply screams collateral harm.     

Somewhat possible

Dominic (Michael Imperioli): Dominic’s unhappy, lonely stroll on the seashore in episode 5 appeared a possible swan tune for the “feminist” lech. His character arc can go certainly one of two methods — he both turns his life round, or he would not. By this level, he appears to have made inroads on the previous, releasing Lucia from his payroll and even turning from porn. And this can be the place his character ends. We know that Dom’s spouse was voiced by the inimitable Laura Dern in episode 1. What we do not know is whether or not Laura Dern will make one other look this season. According to IMDb, we should always not anticipate additional Dern-age, which suggests to me that this trip could also be Dominic’s final.

Giuseppe (Federico Scribani): After overdosing on one thing that was undoubtedly not Viagra, Giuseppe has left his publish on the piano bench open. For all we all know, this man’s already kicked the bucket.

Jack (Leo Woodall): If Portia’s love triangle evokes a criminal offense of ardour, my cash’s on creepy Albie to kill and himbo Jack to be killed. Or: Maybe Jack falls from Quentin’s boat on the best way again from Palermo.

Lucia (Simona Tabasco) and Mia (Beatrice Grannò): The lifeless intercourse employee trope has a protracted and disappointing precedent, and Lucia is aware of this: “All whores are punished in the end,” she lamented to Mia throughout a drug comedown disgrace spiral. The jury’s out on whether or not Lucia and Mia rely as visitors — Rocco was clear in episode 1 that the deaths had been particularly visitors — however their names had been technically added to the Di Grasso reservation. Between the church intercourse and the Catholic guilt, it is clear the 2 ladies have many sins to atone for. Plus, Lucia is wracking up enemies virtually as quick as Cameron. Not solely do Albie and Cameron owe her cash, however Alessio (pimp or not) appears fairly feisty, too.

Least possible

Portia (Haley Lu Richardson): I take again what I mentioned final week about Portia’s crimes in opposition to trend. Her episode 5 matches had been satisfactory penance for her sartorial sins, and she or he’ll possible survive the journey and depart Sicily with a suitcase of crocheted Gilligan hats and outsized shorts. On the opposite hand, assuming Tanya survives (see under), Portia could possibly be an excellent sufferer for no matter nefarious plot Quentin, et al., have deliberate.

Ethan (Will Sharpe): Like Cameron and Harper, Ethan is absent from the primary scene, regardless of being certainly one of Daphne’s journey companions. But Daphne tells the newcomers in episode 1 particularly that “we” depart in a couple of hours. If somebody from her social gathering survives, possibly it is Ethan? Then once more, episode 3’s jet ski antics appeared to foreshadow some hazard within the water, particularly since Cameron made positive to voice his curiosity in renting them means again in episode 1. Perhaps the dynamic duo is not fairly accomplished working waves. And maybe these waves will not be as calm the following time round. 

Albie (Adam DiMarco): The present’s aversion to comeuppance suggests to me that the privileged Stanford grad “nice guy” might be not going to be proven the door. 

Greg (Jon Gries): Was all that dialog about Greg’s poor well being final season a ruse? Or was he actually cured by no matter fancy physician Tanya obtained him in contact with? Either means, possibly he’ll fall in poor health as soon as once more, or possibly the well being stuff was foreshadowing and he’ll die in a unique, unrelated method. Or possibly I’m a sucker for believing we’ll ever see Greg again in Sicily once more.

Very unlikely

Tanya (Jennifer Coolidge): Though Tanya definitely looks like she’s getting arrange for a spooky demise by becoming a member of Quentin’s ragtag group of vacationing gays for a distant off-site social gathering, a little bit of extratextual proof suggests in any other case: Tanya may very well find yourself being the connective tissue throughout all future seasons of The White Lotus. Mike White hinted to Deadline on the season 2 premiere that he is toying with the concept of bringing Coolidge alongside for season 3. Unless it is a prequel season, I’m guessing she survives Italy.

Isabella (Eleonora Romandini): Isabella appears tired of her boss Valentina’s romantic advances. If Isabella does succumb to the crashing waves, it’d possible be Valentina’s doing. But this looks like a stretch, since, as an worker, she would not add to the lifeless visitor rely anyway. I additionally doubt Rocco would recount her dying as calmly as he does in episode 1.

Daphne (Meghann Fahey): In the season’s first scene, Daphne says she has “a few hours” earlier than leaving the White Lotus resort. So she undoubtedly has time to additionally fall prey to no matter mysterious presence killed the opposite visitors, I suppose…

The identical goes for Valentina (Sabrina Impacciatore) and Rocco (Federico Ferrante): They’re each very a lot alive within the first moments of the season, however who is aware of what’s in retailer for the finale. We’ll have to attend and see.