Here's why I hope 'The White Lotus' kills off Jennifer Coolidge's character Tanya, the selfish heiress who enjoys being the victim
Keyaira Boone
Updated ·5-min read
Here's why I hope 'The White Lotus' kills off Jennifer Coolidge's character Tanya, the selfish heiress who enjoys being the victim
The fifth episode of "White Lotus" brought an unexpected plot twist.
"That's Amore" appeared to foreshadow the tragic death of Tanya McQuoid.
I really hope that happens because I hate her and want her dead.
We've only got two episodes left of "The White Lotus" season two and the mysterious death(s?!) has yet to be revealed.
Well, I'd argue that Sunday's episode, "That's Amore," hinted that Tanya McQuoid (played by the Emmy award-winning Jennifer Coolidge) might not be around for much longer.
When the heiress arrived at the White Lotus Sicily resort in episode one "Ciao," she took a moment to admire the view and asked if anyone had ever jumped from its scenic cliffs. Then, in episode two called "Bull Elephants," her assistant Portia made a joke about euthanasia.
In "That's Amore," Quentin (one of the random aristocrats who lured her from the resort to a palazzo in nearby Palermo) took Tanya to see Madama Butterfly, a tragic Puccini opera in which the lead dies. There's also her general sense of recklessness that always suggests she is seconds away from a fatal accident (I was surprised she didn't die on the Vespa in episode two, honestly).
And to all that I say, good! Because to be quite honest, I'm tired of this heifer. Here's why I think Tanya deserves to be dropped into the ocean and never heard from again.
Tanya knows Greg hates her but she refuses to make a move to get him out of her life.Photograph by Fabio Lovino/HBO
She knows and owns her 'alcoholic lunatic' tendencies, but refuses to change
To be fair, Tanya McQuoid was the most authentic character in season one. She felt like she belonged on the Haiwaan adventure because she was the series' most nuanced and entertaining example of a hot classist mess.
However, by the end of the season, it became clear that Tanya could not survive without sucking up all of the oxygen in a room. Her needs are the only ones that matter and she has no problem zooming in on what others desire, dangling them like carrots in her quest for control.
Natasha Rothwell and Jennifer Coolidge play Belinda and Tanya on "The White Lotus."Mario Perez/HBO
From Hawaii to Italy, Tanya chooses to focus on distractions and forces others to be intimate with her instead of getting to the core of what is going on and pursuing pure connections. Then she has the audacity to complain when they don't like her.
I would have empathy for her if she were actually unaware of how irritating and callous she is. But she knows. In season one episode five "The Lotus Eaters," she tells Belinda, a Black Lotus staff member, that she is well aware she is an "alcoholic lunatic" who drives people away, and that she has zero interest in changing. She has all the resources to get her shit together and find people who can stand her but she will not deploy them. Tanya enjoys being a victim far too much for that.
She's the ultimate Karen
Jennifer Coolidge in "The White Lotus."HBO
When requesting a psychic in season two episode three "Bull Elephants," Tanya used a racial slur for the Romani people, and did not think twice about it. She said it to the hotel manager Valentina and later again to her assistant Portia, whose objections she dismisses.
Tanya also exhibited manipulative and predatory behavior with Belinda in season one. She refused to take no for an answer when Belinda told her there were no massages available and dangled a business partnership in front of a Black woman staff member who literally could not afford to turn her down.
In a plot point that surprised no one the psychic has bad news for Tanya.Photograph by Fabio Lovino/HBO
This sets a precedent for Belinda to break personal and professional boundaries to make Tanya happy. The spacey villain continued that pattern by forcing Rachel, Shane, and several other hotel employees to participate in a very awkward sunset cruise in season one episode three "Mysterious Monkeys."
There's nothing wrong with paying people for intimacy but everyone should be aware of that being the basis of the transaction. You can't just convert your waiter into your therapist without their permission.
Tanya treats Portia horribly.Photograph by Courtesy of HBO
She's a terrible boss
To be clear, I'm not exactly a fan of Portia.
But some things are unacceptable in the workplace and controlling your employee's leisure time and placing them in danger without their permission are among them. She forced Portia to stay in her hotel room and, another time, to read a magazine while Tanya slept in case she needed her.
Then she took this young employee to Palermo without fully assessing the situation. Encouraging Portia to stay at a palazzo with some randoms she just met because they complimented her corny Valentino bag is weird.
Ignoring stranger danger for yourself is one thing, but forcing your employee to go with you is twice as reckless. If Tanya doesn't end up axed, I hope she at least gets sued for emotional distress.
Tom Hollander and Jennifer Coolidge on "The White Lotus."HBOShe's a raging misogynist
Tanya said she hated women in season one and her relationship with her assistant Portia proves that has not changed. "I think most women are drips," she declared in episode four "In the Sandbox." "But it's not their fault. They have a lot to be depressed about. They are not fun."
Yeah, because asking random people at your hotel to open a box of your mother's ashes while they're on their honeymoon— like she did in season one— is tons of fun.
Let's not forget that Tanya ditched Belinda when Greg called her because the opportunity to connect with a man means more to her than inconveniencing a woman.
Tanya also made a rude comment about Portia's clothing and assumed she did not pack anything "cute to wear on" the trip and gave unsolicited advice on Portia's love life, encroaching on her in a way we never see Tanya do with male or male-presenting characters.
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