The White Lotus

The HBO series opened with “a few” dead bodies found in the azure waters off the Sicilian coast – and the next two episodes will reveal their identities. Tanya ...

The concept of mimetic desire was brought up in episode five – it’s the basis of many erotic thrillers, from Single White Female to Fatal Attraction – suggesting that someone’s erotic jealousy can trigger a murderous obsession. Later in the episode, he tosses Tanya a packet of Marlboro Reds – otherwise known as “cowboy killers”. According to that legend, a Sicilian woman beheaded her Moorish lover after it was revealed he had a wife and family back home. Some fans online have even gone as far as to suggest that Tanya’s Texan husband Greg is the cowboy in question. As she arrived at The White Lotus terrazzo in the first episode, she says in aside to her new husband Greg: “What a beautiful view. The mysterious gaggle of gays who swooped in during episode four look like they are set on scamming Tanya out of her money. He’s leading Portia along as well – and has deceived Tanya up to this point. The final twist might be whether it’s at her own hands – or someone else’s. Has Tanya simply been a target all along? The local Sicilian myth also haunts the landscape of the new season – a hotel concierge instructs the couple in the first episode that the beheaded figures are the stuff of local legend. A tragic ending has been hinted at already by Tanya herself. for good.