HBO’s The White Lotus 2 produces sharp commentary on class privilege, sexual politics and social mobility. The anthology series satirizes rich white folks who do not vote but want change to come on its own because they ‘pay their taxes’. A clever take on the social and cultural inequalities, The White Lotus peels off each layer of its characters slowly but also functions simultaneously as an intricately woven murder mystery, a whodunit of sorts where no detail is unintentional or unnecessary. In fact, many of the plot twists, character deaths and important events in the season were foreshadowed in the initial episodes. To top that off, the show also has plenty of Easter Eggs which many eagle-eyed viewers spotted on second viewing. Here’s a list of all the hidden clues, easter eggs and foreshadowing you may have missed.
Tanya’s death foreshadowed
Tanya has a tragic end in Episode 7 ‘Arrivederci’ where she falls to her death – rather comically – after she manages to kill the Italian mafia lords who colluded with her husband Greg to defraud the rich heiress of her fortune. Her death was foreshadowed back in Episode 1 when Tanya struggled to get off the boat while wearing her towering high heels. She almost loses her balance at one point and is helped by the concierge Rocco as the hotel manager Valentina welcomes her with a champagne glass.
That’s not all. In episode 2, Tanya dresses up as Italian movie star Monica Vitti to live her Italian dream – ride a Vespa with her husband Creg through the streets of Sicily and have pasta for dinner. Shortly after they arrive at the restaurant, Greg decides to leave Tanya and go back to the US for business-related reasons which are never disclosed. Fun fact: Monica Vitti’s breakout movie L’Avventura is centered around a woman named Anna who is unhappy with her close friend because he chooses to take long business trips. Anna, much like Tanya, goes missing on the boating trip mysteriously in the Sicilian waters where Tanya ends up dead.
In episode 3 after Greg departs, Tanya calls a psychic with the help of her assistant Portia. The psychic warns Tanya of an impending danger and says “madness will lead you to commit suicide”. Tanya’s death was indeed a case of accidental suicide where she fell off the boat in an effort to escape it. However, foreshadowing takes a new meaning in episode 4 when Quentin, who is planning to kill Tanya with the help of the Mafia, tells Tanya the tale of Isola Bella. The tale is eerily similar to Tanya’s fate in the show. The island of Isola Bella was owned by a wealthy Swedish family whose matriarch was the only living member. As told by Quentin, the locals wanted the island. They made the matriarch offers but she didn’t budge. Soon, the dead body of the matriarch was found in the water. To put it simply, Quentin knew he was going to kill Tanya all along and even dropped multiple hints for her to decipher. In episode 5, Quentin takes Tanya to watch the Italian opera ‘Madame Butterfly’ who dies by suicide because her husband didn’t come back to her. Tanya had the same fate.
Greek mythology, legends and paintings
Set in Italy, the hub of Renaissance which witnessed the revival of ancient Greek literature, The White Lotus 2 is full of references to Greek myths and legends. There are parallels drawn between the characters in the show and ancient Greek figures numerous times through the course of the second season. Starting with the god of the Underworld, Hades, raping Presephone, the daughter of Zeus and Demeter. The eldest Di Grasso, Bert, tells his son Dominic about the myth and how Demeter forgave Hades even though he raped her daughter – thus implying that relationships can be fixed no matter what. The myth is used to highlight the toxicity and male chauvinism which runs on the Di Grasso family who believe women will forgive them even if their actions are heinous and downright inappropriate. At another point in the show, Bert says ‘our Achilles heel is our Achilles cock’ – a quote that was memed aggressively across social media platforms. In the battle of Troy, Paris had shot Achilles on his heel because it was his weak point. Bert implied that much like Achilles, the weakness of Di Grasso men is their cock – the unbridled sexual desire which brings them harm.
In episode 1, we see a 12th-century Sicilian myth being referenced in context to Ethan-Harper and Cam-Daphne. As per the myth, a young Sicilian woman fell in love with an older man. As they made love, she discovered the man was married and had children. She decapitated his head and used it as a vase to keep flowers. Cameron interpreted as a warning – a rather misogynist one – from the dead man to other men “if you come to my house, don’t f**k my wife”. Harper strongly disagrees and interprets it as a warning from the woman to other men who cheat on her – “Screw around and you will end up buried in the garden”. The different interpretations of the myth by Cameron and Harper show just how different the two are. Harper is everything Cameron despises – a strong, independent woman who can see through his antics and misogyny while Cameron is exactly the rich, white American man with questionable views on women Harper despises. The irony becomes apparent here on second viewing – both Cameron and Harper cheat on their partners with each other. The theme of infidelity and the glass heads therefore becomes obvious. In fact, Rocco also introduces a hidden door that connects Ethan-Harper and Cam-Daphne’s rooms. Daphne is confident that the door will never be used but ironically, she is the one who ends up using it.
On the walls of Ethan and Harper’s suite, there is also a framed painting of Achilles nursing the wounds of his friend Patroklos. It is important to note that throughout The Iliad, there were homoerotic undertones in Achilles and Patroklos’ relationship. Both men, much like Ethan and Cameron, have a bond that women in their lives do not understand. It is important to note that Ethan and Cameron invited Lucia and Mia to Ethan’s suite – where the painting is framed. This only underscores the complicated relationship between former college roommates who are still competing with each other.
The White Lotus season 2 is streaming now on Disney+ Hotstar.
