'The White Lotus': 7 clues about the ending that were there all along

Warning: This post contains spoilers for “The White Lotus.”

While Daphne (Meghann Fahy) discovers a body floating in the water off the coast of the Sicilian White Lotus resort within the first two minutes of the first episode of Season Two of "The White Lotus," no one expected for the ill-fated guest to be Tanya McQuoid-Hunt.

The iconic character, played by Jennifer Coolidge, was a fan favorite from the start of the first season, which made her untimely death all the more shocking and comedically gut-wrenching.

But could we have seen her death coming? Let’s take a look at the clues scattered throughout the seven episodes.

Wait, what happens to Tanya?

After consulting with her assistant Portia (Haley Lu Richardson), Tanya pieces together that Quentin (Tom Hollander) and his pals she's been traveling around the island with are actually trying to kill her in a plot with her husband, Greg (Jon Greis), to gain millions from her death.

She's figured it out — but she's trapped on a yacht with the people plotting against her. As day turns to night and they try to persuade her to board a small boat with her would-be murderer, Tanya grows more terrified. She eventually runs to the bathroom, grabbing a bag with a gun inside.

After Quentin manages to break down the door, Tanya goes on a full-on shooting spree, killing him and several of his associates. Once she stops firing, she attempts to jump to a smaller boat to make it to shore, but miscalculates the leap and bangs her head onto the side of the boat before falling into the Ionian Sea.

The clues go all the way back to Season 1

Mike White, the show's creator, said one of the first clues leading to Tanya's death actually occurred in Season One. In an interview with the Daily Beast that aired after the Season Two finale, White pointed to a scene in the first season in which Tanya and Greg spoke about health issues.

"I’ve had every kind of treatment over the years. Death is the last immersive experience I haven’t tried," Tanya tells her future husband.

White said the quote was where the idea started for Tanya to take her doomed trip to Sicily.

"I was thinking it’d be so fun to bring Tanya back because she’s such a great character, but maybe the journey for her is like a journey to death,” White said. "I just felt like, you know, we’re going to Italy, she’s such a diva, larger-than-life female archetype, it just felt like we could devise our own operatic conclusion to Tanya’s life and her story."

'Madama Butterfly'

Fans began to fear for Tanya's life when Quentin took her to see the Italian opera "Madama Butterfly." In the opera, the main character dies by suicide once she realizes her husband isn't going to come back to her.

Tanya sympathizes with the protagonist, as her husband Greg left for a work trip in the middle of their vacation, and believes he will return for her. Tanya's tumble into the Ionian Sea after she is nearly betrayed by Greg resembles the plot of the play.

Note that Greg never reappears once he leaves for his "business trip."

The photo of Quentin and Greg

One of the most obvious clues that Tanya's days were numbered appears when she picks up a framed photo in Quentin's palazzo Episode Six. The photo shows a younger Quentin in a cowboy hat, with a man who looks a lot like Greg.

The photo came to light following Quentin's admission in Episode Five (after viewing "Madama Butterfly," by the way) that he had only been in love once before in his life: With a cowboy he met in Wyoming 30 years prior.

"I’d have done anything for him," Quentin tells Tanya. "And the amazing thing is after 30 odd years, I still would."

Fans caught on immediately the cowboy might have been Greg, and that Quentin could be in on a plot to cash in on Tanya's fortune if she dies. Her prenup with Greg states that he would inherit nothing in the case of a divorce — and everything in case of her death.

'The Godfather'

In the final episode, Tanya wears a pink and orange floral dress that eagle-eyed fans noted looked very similar to the dress on the mannequin when Portia (Haley Lu Richardson), Albie (Adam DiMarco), Dominic (Michael Imperioli) and Bert (F. Murray Abraham) went on a sightseeing tour of filming locations for "The Godfather."

Bert explains that the mannequin was dressed as Apollonia Vitelli, who dies in the film when a car bomb that was actually meant for her husband, Michael Corleone, detonates.

"I was pretty surprised by the internet sleuths’ ability to put things together," the show's costume designer Alex Bovaird told Page Six. "When I saw the Evan Ross Katz tweet showing Tanya’s death dress on the 'Godfather' dummy, I was very impressed."

In another reference, Portia wears a "Godfather" shirt in Episode Six as Tanya tries to tell her that she doesn't think Quentin and his nephew, Jack, are actually related. Razor-sharp fans also noticed that a bowl of oranges are in front of the pair as they are talking, which often is an omen for death in the 1972 film.

Tanya's tarot reading

Shortly after Greg leaves the "White Lotus" resort, Tanya asks for a fortune teller to make a house call. An Italian tarot reader shows up, and pulls cards for Tanya.

The woman grows increasingly distressed throughout the reading, and eventually calls out, "La pazza ti portera al suicidio!" TikTokers and Reddit users said the phrase translates to "the crazy woman will bring you to suicide," further foreshadowing Tanya's impending doom.

'Tarquin and Lucretia'

As the show unfolded, TikTokers raced to find the answer to the finale. One method? Examining the artwork for potential clues. The painting of Tarquin and Lucretia appeared many times throughout the show, and once right in front of Tanya.

According to Roman history, Tarquin rapes Lucretia after he threatens to kill her if he rejects his advances, and she ultimately dies by suicide — hinting at Tanya's death once again.

Peppa Pig

In Episode Two, when Greg takes Tanya on her dream day in Sicily, he rents a Vespa, much to hotel manager Valentina's despair. She tries to talk the couple out of using the scooter, and ends up dropping one of the funnier clues.

"Guess who I am?" Tanya asks Valentina (Sabrina Impacciatore) as the hotel manager is snapping pics of the two guests aboard their Vespa.

"Uh ... Peppa Pig," Valentina replies.

"I’m Monica Vitti!" Tanya exclaims.

"Monica Vitti’s dead, but yes," Valentina spits.

Tanya really did channel Vitti after all.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com