Editor's note: The below contains major spoilers for Season 2 of The White Lotus.While this fall saw the debut of many franchise television properties like House of the Dragon, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, and Andor, the series that may have inspired the best fan theories may have actually been HBO’s dark comedy The White Lotus. Similar to the first season, The White Lotus: Sicily opened with the aftermath of a murder, which teased that some of the characters that we will be introduced to won’t make it to the end of the season. While the first season of The White Lotus only resulted in one death, the opening moments of season 2 teased that there would be some sort of larger-scale tragedy within the next few installments.
While creator Mike White had initially envisioned The White Lotus as a miniseries, the titular luxury vacation destination has multiple installations throughout the globe. This gave The White Lotus the perfect way to organize an anthology format; a new location could introduce a new set of characters, allowing the series to cycle in and out cast members. Tanya (Jennifer Coolidge) returned after her traumatic experience in the first season, but Season 2 introduced another set of helpless staffers, fighting families, troubled couples, and enigmatic strangers.
As revelations stacked on top of each other, fans began to question which of the characters would meet their untimely demise by the end of the second season. Some theories proved to be correct; Tanya did perish after being betrayed by Quentin (Tom Hollander), Lucia (Simona Tabasco) did end up conning Albie (Adam DiMarco), and Daphne (Meghann Fahy) does prove to be more deceptive than she initially appears to be. However, some of the wildest theories out there among viewers ended up being false; check out some of the interesting predictions that didn’t actually happen.
Bert Dies of Natural Causes
It seemed like the eldest member of the Di Grasso dynasty, Bert (F. Murray Abraham), was showing signs of illness due to his failing memory and frequent naps. Bert certainly was not getting any attention from his son, Dominic (Michael Imperioli), who had finally learned to stand up to the man who has refused to apologize for his entire life. However, Bert emerges from the vacation unscathed and obnoxious as ever.
Ethan or Harper Kills Cameron
Cameron (Theo James) is perhaps the most unlikeable character in a show that centers on exposing the sins of the upper class. After sexually confronting Harper (Aubrey Plaza) and dragging Ethan (Will Sharpe) into a night of drugs and women, it seemed likely that either of the Spillers would end up killing Cameron. While Harper does get the satisfaction of calling Cameron an “idiot” to his face and Ethan gets to pummel him in the water, neither of them actually end up with Cameron’s blood on their hands.
Tanya Returns for Season 3
While there are not many references to the first installment of The White Lotus, the return of Tanya allowed Coolidge to create a more tragic arc for the character that had earned her so much acclaim. Tanya has her heart broken all over again when she realizes that her husband, Greg (Jon Gries), is involved in an elaborate scheme to deceive her with Quentin. Any theories that Tanya might end up becoming the connective tissue of The White Lotus universe were put to rest when she meets her grizzly fate at the bottom of the Ocean.
Albie Kills Lucia for Scamming Him
As many fans suspected, Albie’s new romance with the illustrious hustler Lucia ends up being part of a scheme; Albie is able to convince his father to pay off Lucia’s debts, but she doesn’t stick around to thank him for very long. While some viewers suspected that this might make Albie finally lose his cool, he’s ultimately more heartbroken and humiliated than he is angry.
The Di Grassos Have Criminal Ties
The White Lotus: Sicily has subtly homaged Francis Ford Coppola’s mafia classic The Godfather, and it’s not just because of the Italian location. Bert, Dominic, and Albie discuss the merits of the film with Portia (Haley Lu Richardson), and they decide to take a trip that the Corleone family would approve of when they look for their distant relatives. Some fans had suspected that the Di Grassos might have been even more in line with the Corleone dynasty; could Dominic’s “Hollywood career” be a front for a mafia organization? It would make sense, given Imperioli’s role on The Sopranos. However, the visit to the Italian relatives turns out to be a red herring, and the Di Grassos' only crime ends up being ignorance.
The Dead Guests Are Characters We Haven't Met
Given all the characters that were potentially endangered throughout the season, some viewers thought that White wouldn’t end up going for anything too obvious. Perhaps, these sorts of squabbles, deceptions, and affairs are just what happens at these vacation chains, and the real victims are some of the other guests, locals, or staffers that we haven’t spent any time with. While Quentin and his cohorts don’t appear until halfway through the season, they do end up meeting a bitter end along with Tanya when their murderous plot goes awry.
Portia Dies Saving Tanya
Tanya and Portia have one of the most fascinating relationships on the show; Daphne has grown to rely on Portia for emotional support, and she begins to grow jealous of her young assistant when Portia finds love on their vacation. It did seem like Portia had sympathy for her boss, and some fans thought that she might end up coming in to save Tanya from Quentin and pay the ultimate price. Ironically, it was the other way around; Tanya alerts Portia over the phone that she shouldn't trust Jack (Leo Woodall), which inspires her to make plans to evacuate.
Jack Kills Greg, Who Returns in the Finale
The penultimate episode, “Abductions,” ended with a startling revelation; Tanya discovers that her husband had some sort of relationship with Quentin when they were both younger. This explained why Greg had initially brought her to Italy, and why he was so keen to leave after Tanya had gotten settled. Some viewers expected Greg to return in the final episode, and that he might meet his death at the hands of Quentin’s “nephew,” Jack, who could be trying to close up loose ends. However, Jack ends up not being a killer; he shows sympathy for Portia and lets her go. Despite his importance throughout the season, Greg is nowhere to be seen in the Season 2 finale.
The first two seasons of The White Lotus are currently available to stream on HBO Max.