The White Lotus Season 2 Is Fantasy Fulfillment Gone Terribly Wrong

This post contains spoilers for season 2, episode 6 of The White Lotus.

Contrary to all the glitz and glamour on display when a new set of guests arrive at the titular resort, "The White Lotus" is not about the perks of wealth or the joy of vacationing at a gorgeous, sunkissed locale. It's also not about murder or money or even doing cocaine at epic palazzo parties (though Jennifer Coolidge in episode 6 might just convince you otherwise). Beneath the surface, Mike White's sardonic drama is far bleaker than all of that.

The destinations may be beautiful and the characters swimming in wealth, but "The White Lotus" is far from the fantasy that it displays. This is a series about dashed dreams and in the penultimate episode of its second season, the anthology starts to show the true danger of wishful thinking. Disappointment and threatening artichokes wait around every corner and for the guests of this basically cursed resort chain, an angry Italian Grandma is (surprisingly) the least of their worries. At least one body is due to turn up on the shores of the beautiful beach, and there's a good chance that misguided fantasies will be the reason for this mysterious demise.

Wishful thinking is where so many of these characters go wrong. Didn't they watch season 1? Don't they know that no amount of hoping for a way out of their unhappiness will make that dream come true? Evidently, the answer is no because, with only one episode to go, folks are just starting to understand how helpless they are to change their miserable circumstances. Take the Di Grasso family, for example.

These three uniquely toxic men hoped to find new family members by returning to their roots. Bert (F. Murray Abraham) in particular was counting on a warm embrace: a dream homecoming that would make up for the way he's become an outcast amongst the women of their family. But when they finally come face to face with their fellow Di Grassos — three utterly uncharmed women — there are no hugs or kind words.

It certainly doesn't help that they speak different languages, but not even a proper translator would help these women understand why the hell these strangers have arrived on their doorstep. Exhibit A — they kick things off with the following exchange in Sicilian: "There are three men out here." "And what do we need men for?"

The Di Grasso men are so unwelcome that they are chased away with knives and an artichoke. Just as they deserve to be. Bert was ridiculous to assume he would be embraced by strangers and in the end, he's forced to come crashing back down to his disappointing reality: there will be no homecoming for him. Those bridges have all been burned.

Speaking of harsh realities, the rest of "The White Lotus" characters don't fare much better. At the first glimmer of affection (i.e. a casual conversation), Valentina (Sabrina Impacciatore) started entertaining a fantasy relationship with an unsuspecting staff member, Isabella (Eleonora Romandini). But despite lots of smiles and plans to get a celebratory birthday drink, Isabella wasn't really interested. Even worse, she's already in a very committed relationship with Valentina's mortal enemy, Rocco (no, not that one). On the bright side, Valentina later finds satisfaction elsewhere...

But the same can't be said for Portia (Haley Lu Richardson), who finds herself trapped in a situation with the potential for danger. Earlier in the season, she lamented her disappointment about not finding a hot Italian guy to throw her around. At the time, her best bet was Albie, the way-too-sweet trust fund baby who could barely kiss her without hesitation. Then along came Jack (Leo Woodall), who's hot, British (not Italian, but close enough?), and just the escape from reality that she was hoping for! Or so he seemed.

Jack later reveals himself to be piss-poor company. He's the kind of guy who would rather dine and dash than foot the bill. Even worse, he suspiciously whisks her away from the palazzo party, gets aggressively drunk, and becomes a loud, obnoxious jerk. But the biggest red flag is what he reveals about his so-called "uncle," Quentin (Tom Hollander). While it might be a bummer for Portia's fantasy to crumble, it turns out that Tanya's idyllic Italian fantasy may have put her in very real danger.

Before Greg (Jon Gries) bids his wife an early farewell in the third episode, he vows to give her a dream day, so she can live whatever Italian fantasy she desires. And so we get the Peppa Pig debacle. Tanya (Jennifer Coolidge) tries to channel '60s Italian movie star Monica Vitti: gorgeous gown, handsome man, Vespa ride, and all. She wants them to be chic, happy, and beautiful. But the picture-perfect happiness she aspires to is far from their reality. No amount of pretending can change their unhappiness or the fact that Greg still departs the next day.

So Tanya seeks out a new Italian fantasy elsewhere, befriending the wealthy, gay, English ex-pat Quentin, who has an eye for beauty and extravagance. Finally, a Sicilian fantasy, with no miserable husband in tow! But there are cracks in this one too. The first comes when she catches Quentin having sex with his "nephew" Jack. The next is a picture of Greg on Quentin's bedside table, hinting that Tanya's husband is the cowboy he monologued about being in love with.

Obviously, the biggest question this begs is why is everyone in love with Greg, the world's blandest man? But that kind of existential query is beyond my abilities, so let's instead turn our attention to the potential murder plot that's afoot. Is Quentin the person that Greg was mysteriously chatting with on the phone? Is he trying to get Greg out of his prenup by encouraging Tanya to cheat on him? Are they going to murder her and run away with the money?

One thing's for sure: Tanya has not met a new bestie. This is not the dream situation she assumed it to be. It's a twisted fantasy and with one episode to go, she doesn't have much time left to suss that out.

On the subject of fantasies, Ethan (Will Sharpe) finds himself in a very precarious situation. He may have dreamed up a fantasy far worse than his current reality — but it has the potential for similarly deadly consequences. After seeing his wife briefly disappear with his cheating frenemy Cameron (Theo James), Ethan is haunted by the idea of the two having sex.

This has left him brimming with jealousy and anger, only spiraling further when he's around them. But what if this is just his overactive imagination? Or worse — what if Harper (Aubrey Plaza) knows exactly what she's doing to him? After all, when she suspected him of cheating, he dismissed her emotions completely, making himself the victim ("It's not fair that you don't believe me"). But when the tables turn and Ethan begins spiraling, Harper has reached new levels of calm. Perhaps she's just giving her husband a taste of his own medicine, by making him believe the worst.

Whether it's her or his hyperactive imagination, there's big trouble ahead: there's a dead body around the corner and this particular fantasy might be the fuel Ethan needs to make a terrible, deadly decision.

At this point, everyone is at the mercy of their wildest fantasies: Bert is crushed by the reality of no homecoming; Portia is being held hostage by her fantasy man; Tanya has no idea that her Italian dream is a bust; and Ethan daydreams about being cuckolded. Elsewhere, the Sullivan's perfect marriage is obviously a sham, Mia has landed her dream job, but only on a temporary basis, and Albie thinks he's a knight in shining armor, capable of taking down a supposed pimp. In the world of "The White Lotus," fantasies can only lead to disaster and we've officially arrived at the tipping point.