The dynamic between the central foursome of Ethan (Will Sharpe), Harper (Aubrey Plaza), Cameron (Theo James), and Daphne is one of the most intriguing aspects of “The White Lotus” season two. While Harper is initially repulsed by Cameron, her husband Ethan’s former college roommate, their antagonistic dynamic becomes more ambiguous as the married couples interact. All of this leads up to a potential fling between Harper and Cameron in episode six, which might end fatally in the climax.
After rejecting her advances during their vacation, Harper becomes irritated with Ethan in episode four when he repeatedly refuses to tell her the truth about the naughty antics he and Cameron got up to while she and Daphne were in Noto. A frustrated Harper still has doubts about Ethan’s story after he finally confesses (only after she finds a condom on the couch), so he asks Cameron to speak with her and support his version of events.
Cut to Harper and Cameron grabbing drinks at the bar, who Ethan thinks are a little too friendly. Ethan immediately suspects them of hooking up when they leave together so Harper can get her hat from her room, especially when he sees the door to their hotel rooms next to each other is unlocked.
Harper is adamant that nothing happened, but Ethan can’t help stewing in a deliciously ironic twist. What actually happened between these two, then?
Do Harper and Cameron Hook Up on “The White Lotus”?
After dropping the bomb that she knows Cameron cheats on her in episode five, Daphne counsels Harper to “just get a trainer” (a.k.a. an extramarital boy toy), leading the audience to speculate that her oldest child might not be Cameron’s. It’s possible that a resentful Harper just followed this advice. Given that Ethan spits, “I know you did something!” at his wife in the finale preview and punches Cameron, it is safe to assume that this is what he believes.
Might he be correct? He’s a sleaze who mocks her work as an employment lawyer; can you blame her? Harper always seems disgusted with Cameron, but there has also been tension between them. Remember how he touched her leg under the table in episode five? Or how he undressed in front of her in episode one? Can you blame Harper for being upset that Ethan would prefer to watch porn than have a private moment with her? — and repeatedly queries Ethan in episode six as to whether he still “wants” her. Could the hurried hookup Ethan keeps imagining have put an end to her desire to be desired?
Is Harper Playing Games With Ethan on “The White Lotus”?
However, Harper’s actions in episode five are telling. At the winery, she repeatedly inquires about Cameron and Ethan’s relationships with other women, picking at the sores of Ethan’s past insecurities about Cameron.
Ethan is abrasive as he explains, “Cameron would always sleep with the girls I liked but before I could get to them,” ostensibly because Cameron was envious of Ethan’s “higher status” (a dynamic that is especially noticeable today, as an adult Ethan is now significantly wealthier than Cameron).
Between these two, there is undoubtedly some macho rivalry, and Harper is astute enough to take advantage of it. Despite the fact that she discovers a condom in their room, sees Ethan talking to Lucia (Simona Tabasco) and Mia (Beatrice Grann), and waits days for him to reveal the truth, Harper is expected to believe Ethan’s account of his night with Cameron based solely on his word. She obviously dislikes both his alleged deceit and Ethan’s lack of interest in her.
Harper may be “playing games” as Daphne taught her in Noto in an effort to give him a taste of his own medicine. What better way for her to retaliate against her husband than to set up a hookup with his frat boy foe, complete with “smoking guns” like the deadbolted door, and ask him to believe her? We can’t say we don’t like it, but it’s sneaky. Let’s just hope the next episode doesn’t end with someone getting killed because of this tiny bit of domestic theater.
Is Ethan Just Paranoid on “The White Lotus”?
The final possibility is that Ethan has simply grown overly paranoid that Harper would do the same thing because he discovered he was capable of kissing another woman while they were on vacation, even though she did nothing to raise any doubts in his mind about her loyalty. After all, Harper had previously returned to their rooms with Cameron. Ethan’s fears might simply be an instance of poor projection. Just let’s hope that at the conclusion, his paranoia doesn’t push him to do something he can’t undo.
