WARNING! This article contains major SPOILERS for The White Lotus season 2!The White Lotus' season 2 ending confirms the Sicily resort’s biggest death, which was far more tragic and operatic than expected. The opening scene of The White Lotus season 2 teased that multiple guests would die before the vacation concluded, leaving audiences to guess which characters would resort to murder. With sex, money, and power being the overarching themes of The White Lotus season 2, it seemed at least one character from each storyline would die, but the various sexual affairs and secrets only brought death to one major character.
Although it seemed like Tanya would end up becoming a recurring figure throughout the entire series, The White Lotus season 2’s ending sees Jennifer Coolidge’s character die under shocking circumstances. After confirming that Greg was the straight cowboy that Quentin was in love with, The White Lotus reveals that Greg, Quentin, and his associates intended to kill Tanya for her money. Tanya gets a call from Portia that makes her realize the men are planning to kill her, so she grabs Niccoló's gun and fatally shoots several men on board. It seems like Tanya is going to make a great escape, but she ends up accidentally slipping off the yacht, hitting her head on the dinghy’s railing, and drowning.
Making Tanya's White Lotus S2 Death An Accident Was Even More Tragic
The White Lotus season 2 gives Tanya an incredibly tragic ending by making her death an accident. She had evaded the conspirators and was prepared to flee back to the hotel, but died by mistakenly slipping off the edge of the boat. It was quite fitting for Tanya, who was presented as a somewhat pitiful figure throughout The White Lotus; she gets a great, confident ending by killing her would-be murderers, only to sadly fall to her death by accident. Her death was truly operatic, which is exactly what creator Mike White intended.
In the “Inside the Episode” portion of The White Lotus season 2 finale, White explains that he brought Tanya back in order to depict her death. Tanya told Greg back in The White Lotus' season 1 ending that the one big experience she still hadn’t had was death. So, The White Lotus season 2 gives it to her. After an exciting setup for her death through sinister schemes by her husband, which she survives, the series introduces a last-minute twist in which she does actually die – but by her own misfortune. Tanya’s redemption by outsmarting her potential killers is immediately undone by her accidental drowning, which makes Tanya tragically foolish in her final moment.
Will Greg Get All Of Tanya's Money In The White Lotus Now?
Since Greg’s plan for Tanya's death did technically succeed in The White Lotus season 2’s ending, he now stands to inherit millions. However, the circumstances of Tanya’s accidental death can still prevent him from receiving the money. Considering Tanya is a wealthy heiress, her death is apt to be looked into, especially since it occurred alongside the murders of several other people. Police would then likely trace Quentin back to Greg. If so, Greg’s phone calls with Quentin and plan to kill Tanya will likely be discovered, which could see him charged with conspiracy to murder.
Mike White teased that The White Lotus season 3 may reveal what happens to Greg and Tanya’s fortune, so it seems their story isn’t entirely over yet. Since Tanya didn’t seem to have any close kin and Greg likely won’t inherit the money, it’s possible that Portia could end up with some of the vast fortune. However, Portia is still scared that Quentin and Jack’s associates will harm her if she reveals the truth behind Tanya’s murder plot. As such, she won’t be the one who exposes Greg’s crime and risks his wrath if she does receive some of the money before The White Lotus season 3.