WHITE LOTUS – Season 2, Episode 7 – THE FINALE. LET’S DISCUSS!

I was never good at the game Clue so it’s no surprise I didn’t guess Madame Butterfly would die. However, thinking back, I should have known Mike White was not bringing Stifler’s mom forward to another season. She was wearing the same dress as the mannequin in the Godfather car and there was foreshadowing during Tanya’s ominous tarot card reading. Remember the fortune teller warns Tayna “La piazza ti portera al suicidio?” Which translates to  “Madness will drive you to suicide.” DUHHHHH!

White pivoted, kept it suspenseful and had me on the edge of my seat. So kudos to you MW for the tragic ending I so desperately loved and hated

I have so many thoughts my head is spinning.

DAPHNE

First and foremost, Meghann Fahy (Daphne) deserves an Emmy for her brilliant performance in this show. Her acting was GENIUS in the scene on the beach with her and Ethan. Did you see that brief pause Daphne took when Ethan said he thought something happened between Harper and Cameron? It’s the way she stops, breathes, considers the possibility that something “may” have happened and finally concludes there is no way she is going to be a victim (which is written all over her face). You can see the pain, for a brief moment, in the revelation that her husband may have cheated again. And then as she takes another deep breath, cycles through her emotions, cheerfully sighs and says “I don’t think you have anything to worry about”, is a mastery in compartmentalization. I have never been able to feel a character more than I did in those very long 30 seconds. Fucking incredible. Her character, which at first seemed so valid and throwaway, has more depth than any of them. Daphne, you are the most underrated star of White Lotus. I hope you show up in Season 3!

ETHAN

The million-dollar question is do we think Ethan and Daphne banged? Ethan stops in the sand, hesitates and as we are all awaiting to see if he precedes to move forward, he follows Daphne. Which leads me to believe they got naked under the Italian sun. Whatever happened on Isola Bella sure ignited a fire in Ethan and turned on his love light back to his wife. And after a night of hot and heavy sex, Ethan and Harper seem to be going home a “happy” couple.

I dare to ask…are they now the ghosts of Cameron and Daphne’s marriage? Choosing to ignore each others infidelity, and in the process restoring intimacy by acknowledging and forgiving each other. Or was this a “lights on” moment in their marriage ? Ethan desperately trying to save it by coming on to Harper knowing full well how broken their marriage really is despite the way they sat in the airport.

One thing, is for sure, their marriage will never be the same. As Esther Perel says “Many affairs are break-ups, but some affairs are make-ups. Sometimes the relationship that comes out is stronger, and more honest and deeper than the one that existed before because people finally step up.” While this was not an affair, per say, there was (implied) infidelity and this either broke them or woke them!

CAMERON

The mask finally comes off, even if it’s for a brief moment. Did you see it? Cam is flossing his teeth while Daphne is on the phone with their son. Their son asks for his daddy. We see a glimpse of Cameron’s anger and then the mask returns. It must be very hard to play dad for his son when the boy is actually the son of their mom’s trainer . This has been a question unanswered since Episode 5, Daphne all but admits to Harper that she had an affair with her trainer back home. Daphne shares a photo of her two kids in which her older child has “blond hair and big blue eyes,” just like her trainer.

THE DIGRASSO MEN

Albie was played just as we all suspected. In a desperate attempt to save Lucia, he betrays his principles and his mother to win the girl. He becomes exactly the kind of man he despises in his father. This is displayed so candidly when all the DiGrasso men eye fuck the young woman in the airport. (Side note – ” A guy who paid a hooker 50,000 Euros couldn’t even spring for priority/speedy boarding?”)

As for Dom… At first, I thought, “are you seriously going to wire €50,000 to the sex worker who YOU fucked knowing your kid is fully being scammed”? But I guess in the end, Dom has such guilt and remorse, he will do anything to fix the mess he made with his wife and repair the damage he has created with his son. Maybe it’s me, but I got the hunch when Dom called his wife after Albie smoothed things over, her “we will talk when you get home” was implying she is moving on without him, or she already has…

Is his wife Laura Dern or not? It’s her voice….

PORTIA

After the 54 RED F:LAGS it finally clicked for Portia. I literally wanted to kill her myself for not getting out of that car and running the fuck away. I mean Jack has the Roman numeral DCLXVI tattooed on his left pectoral muscle, which represents the digits 666. The devil himself.

What else does she need? He’s not even on Insta :). Luckily for Portia, Jack has a reality check and he drops her near the airport without any luggage I guess we are to assume she has her passport with her.
In the end Portia got everything she wanted:

• She met a guy with no online presence
• She got rid of her phone (for a short bit)
• She had a wild adventure
• She doesn’t have to work for Tanya anymore …

TANYA

“These Gays, They’re Trying To Murder Me!”

Yes they are, Tanya! Her death was perfectly Tanya. All she wanted was to be loved. She should have listened to her instincts instead of wanting to hear how pretty she looked in her salmon dress. All of this plotting and scheming and she’s still like “okay but does Greg like me back though???” Even at the bitter end, it’s her own self-delusion that has always been her biggest flaw. Tanya triple-homiciding her way through a yacht before doing the more predictable thing of falling to her death. She didn’t use the ladder. She didn’t safely jump in the water and swim to the dingy. She didn’t even TAKE OFF HER HEELS! (And how did those strappy shoes manage to come off her feet?) So it’s completely consistent that her death is her own doing.

As Jack warns Portia — you’re smart —so don’t be stupid. Do you see the major theme here? All of the characters ignoring red flags because they wish they weren’t there. And because Tanya does this repeatedly, she ends up destroying herself. Tanya should have grabbed Portia and gotten the hell out of that villa the minute she saw Jack butt fucking his uncle. But she just didn’t have the “heart” to tell Portia the truth.; ignoring the signs in front of her ONCE AGAIN. She had always been right about “these gays.” “These gays” turned out to be true cocksuckers. If only she had listened to herself. If only she had invested in Belinda’s wellness business instead of Greg’s cancer treatment! Did he even have cancer?

LUCIA AND MIA

And who makes out the best ? Lucia and Mia.

Lucia hugs her buddy, old pal Alessio (who she hugged in the exact same spot in Episode 1 – go back and watch it) and strolls off down the street arm and arm with Mia. Lucia makes out with €50,000 (plus whatever Cam paid her), Mia gets her piano gig and Valentina can finally explore her authentic sexuality. They all helped each other out. The Italians WIN!

Arrivederci!

Until Season 3 somewhere in Asia (I think)