The second season of “The White Lotus” ended explosively on December 11th, and boy was it a rollercoaster ride. The popular HBO anthology dramedy follows a group of hyper-dysfunctional, privileged guests for a week at the eponymous luxury hotel. And while the Emmy-winning show’s main appeal was witnessing these vacationers make some questionable decisions, one of the biggest mysteries of the Sicily-focused second season was the unknown identity of the bodies discovered by Daphne (Meghann Fahy) early in the premiere episode.
While we finally know what happened in the finale, series creator Mike White certainly placed some Easter eggs in plain sight throughout the seven episodes to subtly enlighten viewers to the characters’ ultimate fates. You’ve got the legendary history of the head statues, the various pieces of art that adorn the luxurious hotel’s interior, and of course the opening sequence, which is no doubt peppered with many symbolic clues, cleverly anticipating the events of the edge-of-your-seat finale. However, one thing in particular stood out to viewers: the intentional placement of tattoos on certain actors, which further informed the motives, actions, and inherent personality traits of their fictional counterparts.
Let’s break down the deeper meanings behind each of The White Lotus season 2’s tattoos.
Jack’s DCLXVI and Bird tattoos
Jack, Quentin’s supposed nephew, has a touch of ruthlessness, so naturally his character hits it off with Portia. in a (n Interview with Men’s HealthLeo Woodall, the actor who plays Jack, told the outlet that his character’s tattoo collection was meant to convey his fun-loving, easy-going demeanor in a way that made him “scream ‘impulsively’.” White and Woodall worked together to decide on the pieces of ink Jack would have. “Mike had some ideas about what he wanted – he knew, for example, that he wanted something that crawled on his neck. So I found ‘Cowabunga’ which is his neck tattoo and that was Mike’s favorite tattoo. A buddy of mine suggested ‘live’ die quick fast’ which is on my rib. My favorite, which I don’t know if people will see, is “Wendy” on my butt.”
However, it appears that certain bits of ink signify his covert cunning personality as well. He has the Roman numeral DCLXVI tattooed on his left pectoral muscle, representing the numeral 666, a number biblically associated with the Antichrist or the number of the devil. As we now know, Jack was in cahoots with Quentin and his entourage who may have been plotting to kill Tanya (Jennifer Coolidge) on the orders of her husband Greg. Jack also has a swallow bird tattoo just below his right collarbone, which often symbolizes freedom and overcoming difficulties in life. It’s possible that this design is a nod to Quentin, who once helped Jack “out of the damn hole,” so maybe he’s helping them get away with their dirty work by keeping Portia, Tanya’s assistant, away from her during their journey to Palermo.
Lucia’s pepper tattoo
Lucia (Simona Tabasco) has a red pepper symbol tattooed on the side of her forearm near her right wrist. As a Reddit user In theory, the design resembles a cornicello (an Italian horn), widely believed to bring good luck. Given how her character’s fate unfolded, one might assume that the ink subtly hinted at how she would eventually use her wits against Albie (Adam DiMarco) and get him to send her $50,000 by using her makes him believe she is in mortal danger. This is also reflected in the statement she makes to Mia in episode six – “This is a happy week for us. I feel it.”
Cameron’s bird tattoo
Cameron appears to have a bird tattoo on his left calf, which many fans pointed out on social media eerily resembles the bird that appeared right next to Aubrey Plaza’s name in the opening credits.
While Cameron and Harper (Plaza) seem to hate each other early in the series, we see Cameron make sexual advances towards Harper on several occasions, which ultimately leads to a kiss, as shown in Harper’s account of the incident. Although it initially seems like a figment of Ethan’s imagination, Harper later admits to kissing Cameron, which she attributes to her drunken state. However, during her follow-up scene (which takes place entirely in the mind of a paranoid Ethan), Cameron’s bird tattoo is prominent – leading many to believe that this was the show’s way of tacitly letting viewers know (before Harper’s eventual confession in episode seven). This encounter actually happened in reality.