Spoiler alert! This story discusses a major twist from The White Lotus’ November 27 episode, “That’s Amore.” Make sure you’re caught up before you keep reading.
The current ensemble of White Lotus guests are nearing the end of their weeklong Italian vacation, and it’s hard to say if we the viewers are any closer to determining the identity of Season 2’s mystery corpse. The White Lotus did, however, provide a huge plot twist for Quentin and his "nephew" Jack, who have befriended Tanya McQuoid (the lone returning character from Season 1) and her assistant Portia. With the bare-backed twist, however, comes one big obvious question, and creator Mike White seemed content to play it coy with his response.
“That’s Amore” saw Jennifer Coolidge’s Tanya joining Quentin (Tom Hollander) and his entourage at his Italian villa for a couple of days, with Portia (Haley Lu Richardson), of course, in tow (and Leo Woodall's Jack in Portia). Of all the directions this story could have gone, I don’t think many expected that jaw-dropping ending, when Tanya went to investigate some strange noises and walked in on Quentin having sex with Jack. Mike White spoke with Variety about the episode, and in regards to the question we all are asking — Are Quentin and Jack really related?! — White simply teased:
Well, you’ll have to see.
There’s been an air of foreboding surrounding this story on The White Lotus Season 2 (of course, that’s the case for pretty much every plotline), in regards to whether Tanya’s new friend has an ulterior motive for inviting the rich and clueless traveler to join their festivities. The same could also be said for Jack, especially after Quentin’s musings that it was good it was for his nephew (?) to be able to hang out with Portia, rather than be stuck around all of the older men. And it's now more safe to assume he also meant stuck inside the older men.
As well as learning exactly what Quentin and Jack's relationship entails, it remains to be seen how Portia will react to the news that her Sicilian fling is actually also flinging Uncle Sugardaddy — and that’s assuming that Tanya even spills the beans. Mike White couldn’t hide his pleasure over how “dirty” the whole vibe was, and how the carnal nature of the transgression made the big reveal all the more titillating. In his words:
I just think transgressive sex is sexier. I guess I’m old school. There’s this Gothic vibe of walking through a haunted hotel or haunted house and people are having sex behind closed doors.
It was powerful, to be sure. Incestuous? We'll have to wait and see, though if past HBO shows such as Game of Thrones, Six Feet Under, House of the Dragon and Boardwalk Empire (among others) are any indication... Either way, it was a huge cliffhanger to lead us into the penultimate episode of the Emmy-winning anthology’s second season.
Also, given that we know the opening credits hint at the stories to come, Is it possible this was foreshadowed? Tom Hollander’s name appears in the credits over two men, as a woman near them walks away, while Leo Woodall’s name is shown next to a man standing over another, with his foot precariously between his legs. What does it all mean?
Catch the next episode of The White Lotus at 9 p.m. ET Sunday, December 4, on HBO, or streaming with an HBO Max subscription.
