Season 2 of ‘The White Lotus’: Hidden clues in the opening credits

the white lotus it is quickly claiming to have some of the best opening titles out there. Along with the provocative renaissance-style imagery that makes up the season 2 title sequence, Emmy-winning composer Cristóbal Tapia de Vere returns with a remix of season 1’s eclectic earworm (check out his season 1 soundtrack). 2013 UK series Utopia for more electrifying tunes).

The decadent but increasingly sinister opening credits of season 2 are by Katrina Crawford and Mark Bashore, who also created those for season 1. The pair plant no open clues about the multiple deaths in this season, instead drawing symbolic meanings for each of the characters. Let’s break down those meanings based on the four season 2 episodes that have already aired and try to predict what lewd shenanigans are to come.

Warning: spoilers ahead.

traditional lovers

The first image we see in the season 2 opening credits shows a man bowing to a curtsying woman, a scene of what appear to be traditional Renaissance lovers (the art style emerged in Italy at the turn of the century). fourteenth). Here, titlemakers Crawford and Bashore are setting the themes for the second season set in Sicily: where season 1 focused on privilege and colonialization, season 2 explores themes of male heterosexuality.

In the lower left corner, a shield shows two rings connected by healthy branches. In the other: two wedding rings pierced by a dagger. These rings seem to represent the states of the two central married couples in Season 2: the crumbling solidarity of Harper (Aubrey Plaza) and Ethan (Will Sharpe), and the accepted duplicity of Cameron (Theo James) and Daphne (Meghann Fahy). ).

The camera then zooms in and reveals a woman spying on the two lovers. This could be another sign of infidelity (in episode 3, Cameron sleeps with sex worker Lucia), as well as reflecting Harper’s interest in the secrets behind Cameron and Daphne’s love front (also in episode 3, Daphne reveals who is aware of Cameron’s infidelity).

The Woman and the Chained Monkey

The camera pans up to show a blonde woman holding a chain attached to a jumpsuit. This could be interpreted in any number of ways: if the woman represents Tanya (Jennifer Coolidge), then the monkey could be her husband Greg (Joe Gries), who feels indebted to Tanya after she paid his medical bills and essentially saved his life. The monkey could also be a symbol for Tanya’s assistant, Portia (Hayley Lu Richardson), forced to go on vacation with her boss.

The innocent man, the babies and the sphinx

Crawford and Bashore have even overlapped the meaning when an actor’s name appears in the opening credits. In an interview, they revealed that the matching image when an actor’s name appears reflects his character traits and journey. The next scene shows a man playing music for a woman with a happy-looking dog nearby. Actor Adam DiMarco’s Name Appears Here: DiMarco plays candid and naive Stanford graduate Albie, who seems intent on playing the gentleman with women, unlike his father.

Next, we see actress Meghann Fahy’s name above an ornate image of two naked babies. When she’s not on vacation, Fahy’s character Daphne is a stay-at-home mom.

Then the name of the actress Beatrice Grannò appears with a golden sphinx: her character Mia, an aspiring singer, resists her friend Lucia’s attempts to introduce her to sex work… until episode 4, when she suddenly chooses having sex with the pianist Giuseppe in order to further her musical career. Mysterious people can be called sphinxes, so maybe Mia is destined for more twists and turns.

The donkey and the lovers.

Actor Jon Gries’s name appears below over an image of a man and woman riding a donkey, a donkey peering over its shoulder at us. This could symbolize that Gries’ character, Greg, could cheat on his wife Tanya with another woman. In episode 2, Greg leaves Tanya alone at the resort and tells her that she has to fly back to Denver for work.

We then see the names of actors Tom Hollander and Sabrina Impacciatore on separate men and women on either side of a room. This seems to indicate that Hollander’s character, Quentin, a wealthy gay British expat, is on holiday with his friends. Meanwhile, Impacciatore’s character, Valentina, the resort manager, seems to reveal her feelings for the receptionist Isabella (Eleonora Romandini) in episode 4.

The cracked fresco, a giant statue and fighting birds.

In an intriguing fresco above water, we see a man bowing to a younger man and woman who throw a necklace into the sea. Actor Michael Imperioli’s name appears here: his character Dominic, a sex addict and father of Albie, could be apologizing to both his son and his wife, who are disgusted by Albie’s affairs and betrayal. the.

Next, we see the name of actor Theo James on a giant statue of a naked man; in episode 1, James’ character Cameron deliberately strips and exposes himself to Harper. Here, we also see a dog urinating on the statue, a show of disrespect for everything he stands for.

Above, we see two birds at war with each other, along with the name of actor Aubrey Plaza. The pecking birds could represent the downfall and destruction Plaza’s character Harper faces after finding out that her husband, Ethan, lied to her about what he and Cameron were really doing while Harper and Daphne were at the elegant palace of Noto.

The sacrificial lamb and offering.

In the next scene, next to actor Haley Lu Richardson’s name, we see what looks like a lamb and a maid sitting on the ground. Richardson’s character, Portia, is at the beck and call of her boss, Tanya, so perhaps the maid represents her low status. It also appears that the maid has her back to the lamb; perhaps the lamb is supposed to represent Albie, the man Portia found too kind, innocent and unexciting compared to Quentin’s charismatic and brash nephew Jack (Leo Woodall).

The next scene is a bit confusing: it shows a man making an offering to a regal-looking woman, by the name of actor Will Sharpe. Is Sharpe’s character Ethan serving Harper an apology? Or is this to represent her newfound wealth that he is sharing with her?

The cat and the aggressive men.

Next up: a little cat with leopard spots and a little bird in its mouth, scurrying around a pillar. Actress Simona Tabasco’s name appears here: she plays local con artist and sex worker Lucía, who exclaims in episode 4 that she turned her formerly conservative friend Mia de ella into a monster. Maybe Mia’s innocence is supposed to be the dead bird in the cat’s mouth.

Actor Leo Woodall’s name appears below, along with an image of one man standing over another in what looks like a menacing fashion: the former’s foot is placed in a rather dangerous stance between the latter’s legs. Could a nasty confrontation be on the cards for Woodall’s character Jack?

The burning building and the white swan.

As the tempo of the music increases, the images become even more explicit. We see:

• A hotel-like building burning in the distance – no prizes for guessing the meaning behind it (things are metaphorically about to burst into flames in The White Lotus)
• Two men engage in sexual activity on a beach
• The goats also engage in a sexual act.
• Three circular holes in the side of a wall, which could represent the three generations of the Di Grasso men and their behavior towards women following a circular pattern.
• General scenes of violence and blood
• A woman being seduced by a swan, this seems to be a clear reference to the story of Leda and the swan in Greek mythology, where the god Zeus transforms into a swan and rapes Leda, the queen of Sparta.
• A soaring fountain — a phallic image

There are three episodes left of The White Lotus Season 2. So with these clues, there’s still time to put on your deer hunter and deduce the twisted fates of the not-so-perfect guests on The White Lotus.