WARNING! This article contains SPOILERS for The White Lotus season 2 finale!Ethan and Daphne sneak off to a secluded island in The White Lotus season 2 finale, implying they may have hooked up as revenge against their spouses. The White Lotus season 2 had long been hinting at Cameron and Harper hooking up, as Cameron frequently flirted with her to assert his dominance over Ethan, while Harper was increasingly frustrated that Ethan wouldn't sleep with her. In The White Lotus season 2, episode 6, Harper and Cameron snuck off together, leaving Ethan jealous and furious at the thought of their affair. While Harper claims they only kissed, Ethan is likely right that they actually hooked up, which led to his rendezvous with Daphne in the finale.
In The White Lotus season 2 finale, Ethan marches down to the beach, beats up Cameron, and nearly drowns him in his rage. Ethan then confides in Daphne that he thinks something happened between their spouses. Daphne, already aware of Cameron’s frequent affairs, quietly accepts this and tells Ethan they have to choose to not be “victims of life,” calling back to Daphne's reveal that she has a long-standing affair with her trainer. Daphne then leads Ethan to a secluded island, with The White Lotus season 2 failing to reveal what actually went down. However, the next time Ethan appears, he finally has sex with Harper, indicating something happened with Daphne that changed his perspective.
Ethan & Daphne Likely Hooked Up In The White Lotus S2's Finale
Considering Daphne has her own affairs to get back at Cameron, The White Lotus season 2 character leading Ethan to a secretive location heavily implied that the pair hooked up. Daphne believes that the best way to accept her spouse’s affairs is to have some of her own, so she was passing on this knowledge to Ethan in a more demonstrative fashion. Additionally, since Ethan was furious at Harper for potentially sleeping with Cameron, it seems the only way he could forgive her was if he also had an affair. By not confirming the affairs either way, Harper and Ethan achieve a dash of the mystery that Cameron and Daphne’s sexual romance thrives on.
Not only would the island affair be Ethan’s way of settling the score with Harper, but sleeping with Daphne in The White Lotus season 2’s ending also means finally getting one over on Cameron. Daphne and Ethan hooking up is just as much a way to get back at Harper as it is at Cameron, as Harper continually gaslit Ethan into thinking he was being ridiculous and betrayed Daphne’s trust after being confiding in about Cameron’s affairs. Daphne and Cameron also thrive on playing sexual mind games with one another, so Daphne hooking up with Ethan, who Cameron has a superiority complex over, would certainly make him jealous.
How Daphne Oddly Helped Ethan & Harper's Relationship
Secrets and mysteries keep Daphne and Cameron’s lust alive, which is a dangerous “wisdom” that both impart to Ethan and Harper. Daphne’s advice to Harper when she thought Ethan slept with Mia and Lucia was to “find her own trainer,” suggesting that having her own paramour would rid her of resentful jealousy. Of course, this person for Harper ended up being Theo James' character Cameron, which isn't what Daphne was implying. While the affairs with Harper and Ethan could prove to be the end of Cameron and Daphne’s not-so-secretive hook-ups, it actually helped the former couple to finally rekindle their spark.
It’s unlikely that Harper and Ethan will turn into Cameron and Daphne by having numerous affairs outside their marriage, but adding a dash of mystery certainly reinvigorated the mutual lust that was missing. Perhaps knowing that he had a secret affair is what made Ethan finally want Harper again, which also means he won’t keep asking about what really happened with Cameron. Now that the spark is back, their one-time affairs with Cameron and Daphne will hopefully be enough to maintain their desire for one another after The White Lotus season 2.