The White Lotus: Season 2/ Episode 5 – Recap/ Review (with Spoilers)

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As Harper teases what Ethan finally reveals, other secrets begin to come out, which threatens everyone’s good time.

Recap

This content contains pertinent spoilers. Also, images and text in this post may contain affiliate links which, if a purchase is made from those sites, we may earn money or products from the company.

It’s About Beauty and The Thrill, Not Sustenance – Quentin, Jack, Portia, Tanya

With the chance to go to Palermo for a few days, Tanya takes it, with Portia coming along, and both spend time with their new favorite people. Tanya goes to the opera with Quentin, Madame Butterfly to be specific, and talk the night away about love, companionship, and essentially just wanting something beautiful for as long as it can last.

As for Portia? She gets all she wished for out of Jack. Whether it is the sex, the thrills, or the chaos, he provides it all. But what she doesn’t learn, but Tanya walks in on, is that he has access to all Quentin offers, not because he is Quentin’s nephew but his lover. In the form of him topping Quentin when he isn’t having sex with Portia.

Fun Today, Consequences Later – Isabella, Valentina, Rocco, Mia, Albie, Dominic, Bert, Lucia, Alessio

Valentina is less and less subtle about how she feels about Isabella and even gets Rocco out of the way to have her all to herself. But, while her eyes are on Valentina, she isn’t necessarily asking her out or anything. But, with Mia clocking Valentina and wanting a chance to sing, she uses what she has learned from Lucia to her advantage and offers sex for an opportunity, which Valentina, against her better judgement, agrees to.

Meanwhile, Lucia may or may not be falling for Albie. Honestly, it is hard to say since she likes him, but at the same time, she apparently has a pimp named Alessio who expects money out of her. Also, with Dominic not fond of his son and the woman he had sex with being together, he tries to complicate things. But, at this point, Albie is having consistent sex, a beautiful woman paying attention to him, and not making him seem like an alternative choice, so escort or not, he doesn’t care because he is getting the life he has longed for.

And as Dominic looks down on that, he tries to push the idea this is Bert’s fault for normalizing cheating, messing with sex workers, and Bert immediately pushes back, and Dominic backs down. However, he makes it clear that Bert wasn’t as smooth with his affairs as he thought, to Bert’s surprise. For in his mind, Dominic’s mom was happy, but Dominic makes it clear she lived and died a bitter woman all because of Bert, and that example messed him up a bit.

Things Were So Much Better When We Pretended And Lied – Ethan, Harper, Daphne, Lucia, Cameron

Ethan telling Harper what happened leads to her acting up. She gets drunk and pushes Cameron throughout the day, hinting she knows something, and after a certain point, Ethan reveals he told Harper to Cameron, and Harper reveals something happened to Daphne. But luckily for Cameron, while Lucia demands her 1,300 euros, she isn’t willing to expose him just yet. Though, who knows if Daphne really cares. She apparently has a trainer she has been messing with, who could be the father of one of her kids, and she recommends Harper get a trainer too. You got to find joy and balance one way or the other, right?

Things To Note

Question(s) Left Unanswered

1. Where did this pimp come from? Am I the only one who thought Lucia was an independent sex worker?
2. Is Jack basically a male version of Lucia, just with a permanent sugar daddy?

What Could Happen Next

1. Portia learns she is with the village bicycle
2. Mia and Valentina hooking up
3. Alessio getting into a fight with Albie
4. Ethan and Harper’s marriage blowing up spectacularly

Review

Notable Performances or Moments

1. Drunk Harper poking the bear when it comes to what Ethan and Cameron did
2. Lucia’s relationship with Albie being hard to pin as manipulative or genuine
3. The loneliness Tanya and Quentin share

Highlights

Watching Harper’s World Implode

Harper is having a full-on conniption right now. But can you blame her? She didn’t think her marriage was perfect, but it was good. She seemed to be happy or at least thought she and Ethan could work their way there. But now, things are shifting. She realizes they may have hit a glass ceiling of some kind, and the moment he has an option beyond her, he might have taken it. So, what can or should she do?

Daphne, in one ear, presents the idea she has options too but is that what Harper wants? Does she want to cheat out of revenge, to have something of her own, or is that too messy? Cameron clearly is down, but while he is hung, is that the right move? That feels so personal, especially since Cameron often swooped in and slept with who Ethan liked. And while upset, is Harper at that point of wanting to divorce because, is there any going back after doing something so drastic?

It’s hard to say, but Aubrey Plaza is really given one of her best performances getting to be what feels like her comfort zone but without having to be comical.

Lucia and Albie’s Relationship

There is an almost “Pretty Woman” vibe here between Albie and Lucia. Yes, she is a sex worker and could very well be manipulating Albie for money, to get at his dad, who knows. Yet, with Albie pushing past that and seemingly getting the kind of relationship and intimacy he longed for out of Portia, it is hard to not want to see these two continue.

And when it comes to Lucia, there is this feeling that her whole opinion on men and sex is shifting thanks to Albie. Which could just be us being tricked as much as Albie, but you almost get the vibe that with being with a rich and nice guy, her priorities, wants, and maybe even needs are shifting. It’s just whether or not Alessio, or the universe, will allow her to rewrite her ending is hard to say.

Portia Getting All Tanya Has Warned Her About, And Set A Precedent Of What To Avoid

In many ways, Tanya has been worn out from the excitement and drama of her life. Yes, some of which she started, but when you are traumatized like she is, it’s hard to not expect the worst and hope for the best, and try to control the narrative or situation when you can. And in a way, you can see, once you strip away the money, why she likes and takes to Portia. For just as Tanya seems aimless, going with the flow, and unhappy, so is Portia.

But, as shown by the past relationships Tanya has had or talked about, while men can fill a void or a distraction when they are fun and beautiful, that wears off with time. From there, it’s messy and getting to be messy, and being able to live with someone else who is messy, is hard, it’s work, it isn’t fun, but what’s the alternative? Being alone is difficult and threatens your stability in so many ways. Be it your financial, your physical, mental, or emotional, because there can come a point where you are willing to trade anything. I mean, Quentin talks about trading death for beauty!

Getting back to Portia, however, with Jack nearly getting her arrested and being a wild ride, it will be interesting to see if she sees this as a fun fling and not get attached. For Jack’s secret of being Quentin’s young, fun, and dumb sex toy surely won’t stay a secret forever.

On The Fence

Valentina & Mia

With the reveal Valentina is queer, she officially is walking in Armand’s footsteps but without her interest in Isabella bringing any form of interest. Never mind, even with Mia and Mia becoming excited to use her youth and sexuality to make gains in life, this isn’t benefiting Valentina or her. Both remain the weakest link on the show, and putting the two together isn’t bolstering them. It is just giving them something to do, and while we accept it, it doesn’t make them any less disappointing.

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