{"id":68978,"date":"2022-12-12T17:34:14","date_gmt":"2022-12-12T17:34:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/?post_type=articles&p=225368"},"modified":"2022-12-12T19:41:33","modified_gmt":"2022-12-12T19:41:33","slug":"daphne-white-lotus-season-2","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/daphne-white-lotus-season-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Daphne Was By Far the Most Interesting Character in \u2018The White Lotus\u2019 Season 2"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Well, we\u2019ve now had two seasons of complex, broken characters entering the paradise that is <\/span>The White Lotus<\/span><\/i><\/a> and its various resorts around the globe, hoping for relaxing holidays but instead finding all their problems magnified. In season 1, we didn\u2019t really know what to expect from this series. In season 2, we knew it was all about observational gut-punches \u2014 the way human beings can be their worst selves, and never really have to reckon with their behavior at all, and the way in which we all to some degree hide ugly truths.<\/span><\/p>\n

There is plenty we could talk about from season 2 of <\/span>The White Lotus<\/span><\/i>, from <\/span>that<\/span><\/i> shock death to the searing analysis of masculinity across the decades via grandfather\/father\/son trio Bert, Dominic and Albie Di Grasso. But when it comes to complex, fascinating characters, it was Daphne Sullivan (Meghann Fahy) who stole the show.<\/span><\/p>\n

When we first meet Daphne, she\u2019s in a seemingly perfect relationship. She and husband Cameron are canoodling like teenage lovers, a stark contrast to their friends Ethan and Harper Spiller, who bicker on the short boat ride to the Sicilian resort.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Daphne seems like a victim. But is she? Image: HBO.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

However, this facade quickly cracks. We realize that Cameron regularly cheats on his wife and feels no remorse about it. Daphne, who has an inkling that her husband is less than faithful, counters this by manipulating him with mixed signals and disappearing acts.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This revelation in and of itself would make them one of the more interesting pairs in the season. While Harper and Ethan also have their own sets of issues to work through, the difference is they seem more concerned about actually confronting them. For Daphne, ignorance (well, forced ignorance) is bliss. She\u2019s more than happy to turn a blind eye to her partner\u2019s infidelity as long as she can wrangle her own sense of control back, too.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s this blend of manipulation and passivity that makes Daphne so intriguing. The contrast is only heightened during the episodes following Cameron\u2019s wild night with sex workers Lucia and Mia. When Harper and Daphne have a conversation about doubting their partners\u2019 fidelity, Daphne tells Harper she needs to find new focus. She tells Harper that she spends a lot of time with her trainer \u2014 that he\u2019s extremely attractive and a big part of her life. When Harper asks to see a photo of him, Daphne passes her phone over. \u201cThis is a photo of your kids,\u201d Harper remarks, and Daphne gives her a very interesting look before adding cryptically, \u201cOh, silly me.\u201d It’s implied that her trainer \u2014 not Cameron \u2014 is the father of her children.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A lot of credit has to go to Fahy here for her brilliant work with this character. So much of Daphne\u2019s mysterious nature is the result of little looks and subtle expressions Fahy gives in key scenes. For example, in the season finale. When Ethan pours out his theory that Harper and Cameron have had sex during their <\/span>The White Lotus<\/span><\/i> holiday, Daphne looks momentarily wounded \u2014 just enough to reveal that she cares \u2014 before switching to a kind of mask of calm. \u201cI mean, we never really know what goes on in people\u2019s minds and what they do, right?\u201d she tells Ethan. \u201cThere\u2019s still this part that\u2019s a mystery. You don\u2019t have to know everything to love someone.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Daphne\"
Cameron and Daphne have an awful relationship, but they also seem to enjoy it. Image: HBO<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This feels like passive Daphne talking, but then she twists the tone. \u201cI\u2019m a mystery to myself, honestly I surprise myself all the time. I think you just\u2026 do whatever you have to do not to feel like a victim of life.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Next minute she\u2019s inviting Ethan to walk across to Isola Bella, a small secluded island off the coast. While we don\u2019t know whether Ethan and Daphne have sex on their trip, it\u2019s certainly implied.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

So what is Daphne? She\u2019s not really strong, because she\u2019s being repeatedly cheated on by her husband while remaining in a marriage that is, at its core, a bit of a sham. But she\u2019s also not weak \u2014 just like she advises Ethan, she takes back control by playing Cameron at his own game.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The scene between Ethan and Daphne has everyone asking – did they have sex? Image: HBO<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Then, there\u2019s the question of happiness. It seems like Daphne genuinely is happy in this fucked-up existence. At the end of season 2\u2019s finale, she\u2019s planning a trip with Cameron to <\/span>The White Lotus<\/span><\/i>\u2019 Maldives resort. Their continuation as a couple even after such a tumultuous holiday doesn\u2019t mirror Shane and Rachel Patton\u2019s from season 1, where a disillusioned Rachel sticks by her partner even though she\u2019s almost completely fallen out of love. Daphne seems to genuinely enjoy the chaos of her marriage.<\/span><\/p>\n

One viral Twitter post is doing the rounds at the moment, saying “she’s TRUE lobotomy goals.”<\/span><\/p>\n

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She\u2019s TRUE lobotomy goals pic.twitter.com\/Gyqm67dldd<\/a><\/p>\n

— julia hava (@binchcity) December 12, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n