Final summary of ‘The White Lotus’: we all play

So much for Tanya to be the connective tissue between each season of the anthology series. the white lotus. There are obviously spoilers for the season 2 finale, in which Jennifer Coolidge’s character finds herself on a boat that isn’t a party.

The seventh and final episode of the HBO Max series was a masterclass in social commentary, witty writing, and gorgeous shots from writer-director Mike White. He wrapped up almost all the loose ends, leaving a dangling thread involving Ethan and Daphne, and keeping that mystery unsolved is the point.

Warning: Spoilers ahead for The White Lotus season 2 finale.

But first, Tanya. I was always going to stretch credulity to have someone else die at a White Lotus resort, but White chose the wilder and weirdly more believable option. Rich Tanya did find a photo of her husband Greg and bankrupt British expat Quentin with cowboy hats together. (Although this is not explicitly confirmed.) She and her assistant Portia conclude that Greg colluded with his ex-lover Quentin to kill Tanya, because her prenup prevents Greg from taking any of her money if they divorce.

In a truly terrifying sequence, Tanya loses Portia over the phone and has to deal with a group of people who want to kill her. She stalls for as long as possible before Quentin’s man arrives to pull her ashore and probably murder her on the way. Seizing her only chance to save herself from her, Tanya brazenly grabs the duffel bag from her killer and locks herself in a room. Inside the bag, she finds a gun. As the door is kicked in, Tanya braces herself and pulls the trigger, shooting anyone who comes near her.

In one of many examples of absurd hilarity, Tanya makes sure to ask Quentin before he coughs up blood and dies if Greg was cheating on her with another woman. Quentin looks at her in disbelief, before dying (also known as dying in British). Unfortunately, when Tanya tries to get off the boat and escape from her on a boat, she slips and hits her head on the railing of the boat before crashing into the water, where she drowns. Her colorful dress made it look like the corpse we partially see in episode 1 was wearing shiny swimsuits.

Many thought Tanya would be the only character to appear in every season of The White Lotus, which was renewed for a third time last month. In one of many smart carpet shots, White has eliminated that possibility. Why would Tanya spend all her time at the White Lotus resorts anyway, if they are a hotspot for murder?

You could also use one of the new characters introduced in season 2 as a family tie. Pray that it’s Harper from Aubrey Plaza, though that seems unlikely. In a bittersweet turn of events, her flashy lawyer, initially strongly principled, assimilates the same performative marriage facade that Cameron and Daphne put up. Now it’s the only way she and Ethan can move on, whether they believe each other’s stories about cheating or not doesn’t matter. Both are willing to represent a happy marriage and allow the other to have some level of mystery. Resting in each other’s arms at the airport, they wear an image of peace and solidarity.

This is all after Ethan and Cameron have their inevitable showdown at sea, but perhaps it would have been too obvious and extreme if one or both of them died. The most unexpected turn of events involved Daphne taking Ethan to the nearby island Isola Bella; the shot looks like one of those Instagram photos of couples taking each other on a road. Whether something happened between them is left open to interpretation, but it seems likely, as Daphne was unfazed by Ethan’s concern that Cameron and Harper might have cheated together. She suggestively tells Ethan, “You don’t have to know everything to love someone. A little mystery? It’s a little sexy…”

In an equally sticky situation, Di Grasso’s men leave Sicily 50,000 euros poorer, but they all seem surprisingly unfazed. Young Albie is momentarily upset by the revelation that Lucia was toying with him the whole time, but he quickly jumps at the next opportunity: a changed Portia, who has now had her fair share of excitement and wants to settle for nothing but the safest. , the most boring romantic option possible. Her (she At least she seems briefly mortified that her boss just drowned).

Finally, in a nice 180-degree turn, Season 2 sees no deaths and an upbeat outcome for the staff at White Lotus, Sicily. Unlike season 1, this time it’s the underprivileged who take advantage of the wealthy guests. Lucía has had a stellar payday, Mia is living her dream as a singer and Valentina, the hotel manager, has embarked on her sexual awakening. She’s already less bitter in life about it, allowing her former crush Isabella to work the front desk with her grateful fiancé Rocco.

Best friends Lucia and Mia mill about the cobblestone streets in Elena Ferrante style, basking in the glow of their accomplishments. Lucia briefly greets the now-smiling waiter who chased her and the Di Grasso family in a car, revealing that it was all a ruse to convince three generations of men that she was a hurting pup in need of rescue.

It was a super satisfying end to an even better season of genius spectacle, Italy’s fountains and volcanoes erupting to a perfect climax. It might have been interesting to see Albie’s father’s reaction to his son’s play, just as he suspected, but other than that, this was a truly immaculate culmination to the season.