Whatever else about The White Lotus can be speculated or bet on, the conclusion is a given. Every episode between Season 2’s premiere and the season finale is a step closer to one inevitable death, or perhaps even more than one. Bodies will wash up on the beach. Those who aren’t aficionados of traditional Italian operas may have missed out on crucial hints that lead to at least one of the show’s impending deaths: that of Tanya McQuoid. Viewers are keeping an eye out for hints as to whose approaching demise is most likely.
The Tale of Madame Butterfly
The three-act opera Madama Butterfly, also known as Madame Butterfly, was originally presented in 1904 and was adapted from a short story by John Luther Long that was published in 1898. It describes the tragic love story of a Japanese woman named Cio-Cio-San, affectionately referred to as Madame Butterfly by her English lover, Lieutenant B.F. Pinkerton of the US Navy. In order to marry Pinkerton, Madame Butterfly secretly converted to Christianity, which caused her to be rejected by her family. She fell in love with Pinkerton so passionately that it became the entirety of her personality.
However, Pinkerton has no intention of being faithful to her and leaves her as soon as he marries an American woman. When he departs, Cio-Cio-San convinces herself that he will eventually come back for her and the kid she had with him. The song “Un Bel D, Vedremo” (roughly, “One Fine Day, We’ll See”) that is performed during the performance focuses on Madame Butterfly’s impossibly unattainable desire. The sorrow of it is that it all rests on a lie. The song glorifies her love for her man.
Her mistaken faith proves to be her downfall because when Pinkerton returns, it’s not for her; he’s coming to get his son, who he and his new wife plan to raise in America. Using her father’s seppuku knife—used for ritual slaughter—Madame Butterfly murders herself.
Tanya McQuoid Is Also a Tragic Heroine
Tanya’s new buddy Quentin (Tom Hollander) treats her to a performance of Madama Butterfly at the opera in the fifth episode of the show. Tanya is enthralled by the tale. She has undoubtedly been made to identify with Madame Butterfly because Quentin specifically wanted her to do so. He makes Tanya feel better by making her feel like the hero, not the victim, of this sad love story, as opposed to enabling her to feel depressed over her spouse abandoning her.
There is a lot of similarity between Tanya and Madame Butterfly, even though Quentin might not have noticed it entirely. They both have big dreams, and they both hold to those dreams despite all the resistance they have to face. We’ve already seen how negatively Tanya reacts to the concept of bad luck; she rejects it in the same manner that she rejected the fortune-teller who gave her a tarot reading. It’s important to keep in mind that Tanya’s destiny was predicted by the fortune-teller to be suicide, which is exactly how Madame Butterfly tragically died.
There are other minor parallels, such as the fact that Tanya and Madame Butterfly both have close confidantes in Portia, Tanya’s secretary. Both ladies value nicer things and are prepared to sacrifice their sense of self for their romantic fantasies. Their spouses betrayed them and abandoned them, which is the fundamental commonality between the two and what ultimately led to Madame Butterfly’s death. Both of their aspirations were crushed, and it is obvious that Tanya is still struggling with the death of Madame Butterfly.
Tanya is not a woman with a solid sense of reality. In fact, the programme makes the case that the majority of the wealthy have a skewed perception of reality. It makes logical that when you are wealthy like Tanya is, you can fulfil your ambitions, and nothing makes Tanya happier. We’ve seen how happy she was to be able to spend the entire day with her spouse carrying out all of her unrealistic wishes. Additionally, we’ve seen how quickly she flipped when those fantasies were in danger; it becomes nasty. Tanya simply isn’t prepared to live with a world that doesn’t give her what she wants, and if she’s pushed any farther, who knows what she’ll do.
All Signs Point to Tanya’s Possible Death
The White Lotus audience is abuzz with rumours about the weird mystery Tanya seems to have become entangled in with Quentin, with some suspecting there may be something more nefarious afoot that may result in her demise. Others think Tanya is the only character safe and will survive Season 3’s catastrophe while remaining unaffected by it because she was the only one from Season 1 to return. The fortune-teller, the opera, the awareness that more than one character would pass away from a very small cast, and Tanya’s own morbid tendencies that are emerging now that she feels abandoned are all evidence that the production is still very purposefully pointing toward her suicide.
Of course, there’s always a chance that this scenario is just a red herring. Armond, the resort manager, passed away unexpectedly in Season 1 (Murray Bartlett), after all. Armond’s life was mostly unrelated to the tragedy, and it was an unpleasant turn of events consistent with the kind of disorder that The White Lotus specialises in. On the other side, Tanya’s passing was hinted at, although Armond’s was not. Tanya’s story may have come to an end because, as everyone who has been paying attention can tell, it was always going to end tragically. The sole issue is who will finally bear responsibility for Tanya’s demise and whether her name will be called at this precise time.
