Editor's note: The below contains spoilers for Season 2 of The White Lotus.
Although Mike White planted the seeds for Tanya McQuoid-Hunt (Jennifer Coolidge) to die in the second season of The White Lotus, it still felt shocking and sad. She could have been the character we follow across beautiful resorts as the wealthy come to grips with themselves, discovering new ways to cope and deliver hilarious lines. Instead, White delivers a sobering reality, as he often does, leaving the series with one last recurring character: Greg (Jon Gries).
Tanya’s now-widowed husband left Sicily early with concerns over his finances because of their prenup — and it appears he had a connection with Quentin (Tom Hollander), the man who plotted Tanya’s death to get her money to save his palazzo. Given the series has already killed off one recurring character, could it happen again? Maybe not next season — White said in an interview that he still has yet to decide if another character will return — but it would make too much sense for Greg to leave a future White Lotus resort in a body bag.
Tanya Misses All the Signs That Greg Doesn't Care About Her
White said his decision to kill Tanya came from little pieces from the first season, namely how she said “death is the last immersive experience I haven’t tried.” Tanya also spent the season trying to let go of her mother’s ashes and coping with the loss of a person who, in Tanya’s words, “mentally abused” her. She initially tries to give that money to Belinda (Natasha Rothwell) for dream wellness center, but then decides to back out and avoid creating a “transactional relationship” where she uses her money to use people.
That becomes an ironic choice, because Tanya not only hires a bad assistant in Portia (Haley Lu Richardson) and gives her little to do, but she also marries Greg — who uses her money to survive cancer and live lavishly. Initially, Greg is mainly interested in having sex with Tanya and just having fun before he dies. He only meets Tanya by accident, angrily confusing the rooms. Greg tells Tanya he’ll text her back and then never does, but Tanya still meets him at the bar later that night. She cries and tells him to leave her hotel room before Greg eventually leaves her — and he stays because he “really wants to fuck” Tanya. Not to support her emotionally or hear more about her mom, but to have sex. And Tanya relents. She later agrees to build a relationship with someone who’s had three divorces and paid for his cancer treatments. It points to Tanya’s flawed decision to use her money on a man who was never as interested in her as she was in him. Yet, she still misses signs that Greg doesn't care for her beyond superficial pleasures.
Tanya is somewhat right: Greg does get tired of her. He makes almost all of their conversations feel like a chore; he's upset Tanya brought her assistant to Sicily, complaining about driving the Vespa, and uncomfortable having sex. Gries appeared to be somewhat slimy in the first season, but he lets it all out in these moments. And yes, Tanya is a lot, but Greg is very ungrateful for the person who saved his life. He seems to care more about his financial future than his relationship. That prenup became a big deal for Greg, saying he would be broke without Tanya’s money. Greg says that in their final dinner - which is a revealing conversation. Tanya reminds Greg he "insisted" they go to Sicily. Greg says he didn't want this — referring to his job, but could also be about their relationship — and says he cannot "afford to quit" because of their prenup. He blames Tanya solely for this and how she constantly changes her mind without any introspection and says that Tanya "discards" people. That type of pointed language shows a lot of disdain for a person who has put her resources into saving his life.
Tanya's Fate Is Heavily Foreshadowed in Season 2
Tanya is right about one of Greg's lies: that he will return to Sicily after two days. She does overlook some glaring signals in Sicily: the clause in her prenup (how Greg would her estate upon her death), the references to her as Madame Butterfly (a tragic heroine), and the scene with the tarot card reader/psychic.
The psychic, named Agata, tells Tanya that Greg is in love with someone else, someone beautiful who is not her. Her cards drawn — “le diable,” the devil, “la lune,” the moon, “le mat,” the fool, and “le toile,” the star— lead her to believe Tanya is in danger. Agata frantically ends by saying “the truth, this is the truth” (“la verità, questa è la verità” in Italian) almost trying to comprehend what she’s predicting. As Tanya shoos her out, Agata mutters phrases that include the word “pericoloso,” or dangerous. Again, Tanya overlooks the obvious warning that her ties to Greg are misguided and also put her in danger.
Greg Should Face Consequences in 'The White Lotus' Season 3
White has revealed little about what's to come, but he has said that the third season of The White Lotus will focus on Eastern spirituality and death — a fitting subject for the series. White also adds there’s a chance that investigators tie Tanya’s death back to Greg, saying, “But maybe you’ll have to wait to find out what happens.” So, White is leaving the door open for Gries to return to the series in the future to could face more consequences. We still cannot be completely sure if Greg planned to ax Tanya, but the photo in Quentin’s room makes things suspicious. There’s also the question of whether he is having an affair after he told someone he loved them over the phone within earshot of Tanya. The death element would make sense, as Greg has cheated death already in this show thanks to Tanya’s money. He already has a lot to think about, with Tanya’s role in keeping him alive and then trying to kill her. Maybe he finally can face that experience of death — and also some consequences.
The White Lotus has provided many clues that Greg is a shady human being only out for the main vices of affluent white men — money and sex. White has already built up many signs throughout about how Greg uses Tanya to save his life and live comfortably without her in peace. That type of thinking can yield paranoia, but also confidence. Greg already has cheated death once and now his fourth marriage is over and he, seemingly, gets a lot of money out of it. That type of thinking could lead him to use that for, say, another expensive vacation to a resort. White has been willing to follow through on multi-arc stories taking Tanya’s death into account, and it is clear that Greg’s arc may not be finished based on those brief post-season comments.
Greg may not be taking a trip to Season 3's White Lotus — and he may very well survive again. The series does point to the apathy of the rich not changing or facing consequences for toxic behavior. But who knows? The show left the breadcrumbs for Tanya’s trail to finality. Maybe there are a few leftovers for Greg.