Well, that was unexpected.
The White Lotus Season 2 Episode 5 sent all of the storylines in exciting directions, preparing us for the final two episodes of the season.
Honestly, it’s hard to tell who will die in these final episodes. Aside from Daphne, Rocco, and Valentina, there are many potential victims.
It’s hard to say I’ll be sad to see the backs of many of these people because they’re all pretty despicable.
They’re like walking disasters; thanks to the writing and acting, you don’t want to look away.
It’s no secret that I’ve been waiting for the other shoe to drop regarding Quentin, but I didn’t expect the final scene to be that shocking.
A part of me thinks Jack, Quentin, and the others are crooks and have kickstarted this plan to try and get money out of Tanya,
Are we supposed to believe that Quentin is this lost soul who recognized a lost soul in Tanya?
A telltale sign there is a lack of funds going around this group is the way Jack bailed on paying the bill and was somewhat proud of it,
If he wanted to make an impact on Portia, he would have had the money available to pay the bill or, at the very least, split it.
I don’t even believe he’s Quentin’s nephew, either. I think the next two episodes will be super telling about who these men are and more importantly, why they’ve taken Tanya under their wing.
It would be great to be wrong, and in the show’s defense, it manages to subvert expectations on an episodic basis, so there’s no telling what could come next.
The tricky part is that Tanya and Portia are well away from the resort in a place that looks like the middle of nowhere.
Tanya isn’t the kind of person who will keep her mouth shut about what she saw in the room, and Portia will have to choose whether to believe her boss or her new love interest.
Portia has already proven that she doesn’t know much about loyalty, based on how she’s spoken about Tanya to everyone who listens, so I’m intrigued to find out how this dynamic plays out.
I doubt Tanya will die because Jennifer Coolidge is an asset to the show, and I don’t think it’d be the same without her. This is Tanya’s world, and everyone else lives in it. It’s that simple.
The Albie-Lucia dynamic could have been a lot of fun, but we’re watching Albie get used here. Lucia has proven to be a master manipulator.
Yes, Alesso — or so we’re being led to believe — showed up at the last minute. Is it possible he is her boyfriend?
Lucia has aspirations of a life away from Italy, and something tells me she won’t get that with Lucia. The only way out of this mess is for Dominic to confess what happened to his son.
It has to come sooner or later, right?
Lucia doesn’t strike me as a bad person. She’s manipulative, sure, but a part of her looked genuinely upset about telling Albie about him owing a debt. #
In the end, I expect Lucia to have sex with Dominic and his son to start a conversation between the father and son about who they really are.
Dominic refuses to take ownership of his actions, and Albie has witnessed his mom learn of his constant affairs. That’s got to lead to a lot of resentment, but Albie struggles to connect with his father because of the lies.
My guess is that Albie will be able to move on once his father starts telling the truth.
I did like the back-and-forth with Dominic and Bert about how Dominic is apparently so messed up. It was another moment for Dominic to lob the blame at someone else.
Speaking of blame, Harper continued to impress because she doesn’t stand for lies. Ethan’s reaction to the condom looked suspicious, probably sending Harper further into her spiral.
Harper may be judgemental, but how would you expect someone to act when they’re on vacation with the worst people? How can she enjoy herself when she thinks her husband is cheating?
It was satisfying watching her call Ethan out about watching porn instead of having sex with her. Their relationship is in tatters because they don’t communicate their wants and needs to one another.
The lack of communication is astounding, and there may be no way back for them at this stage.
Daphne and Cameron are clearly settling for one another while sleeping with other people behind closed doors. If that keeps them happy, who are we to judge? Every relationship is different, but that look from Daphne at the end of the scene was telling.
Daphne thinks her and Cameron’s marriage is and should be the same as everyone else’s. That might change in the next two episodes because we haven’t seen Cameron in the present. Maybe she wisens up and cuts him loose.
You could see the despair on Cameron’s face when he realized Harper knew about that night. I was living for Ethan calling him out and saying that maybe he sleeps with the women he’s interested in to make himself smarter.
Ethan has mostly been relegated to the shadows because Cameron is such an overbearing pain in the ass that thinks everything is about him.
Daphne telling Harper to get a personal trainer, clearly to have sex with, was one of the most casual conversations on this show to date. It’s almost like Ethan doesn’t have an identity at this stage, and he’s starting to break free and say how he feels. That’s progression.
Cameron still owing Lucia and Mia money is something that might come back to bite him.
Mia tricking Valentina into being able to sing and play the piano was expected. Mia has learned some solid manipulation tactics from Valentina.
Valentina continues to be one of the main attractions because she’s so damn hard to read. We’ve been peeling away at who she is for weeks now, and it looks like we’re finally getting somewhere.
What are your thoughts on the action this week? Do you think Quentin and Jack are related?
Do you think Dominic will own up to his actions?
What’s your take on Lucia and Albie?
Do you think Harper went too far?
Hit the comments.
The White Lotus airs Sundays on HBO.
Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.