The White Lotus fans have a few theories about that episode 5 cliffhanger

Sex scene at the end of the latest instalment was so shocking that the actor who performed it said it left him ‘speechless’

The White Lotus fans were left in shock after watching the final scene of season two episode five on Monday (28 November) – and many have been sharing their theories as to why it took place.

The scene in question, starring Leo Woodall as Essex hunk Jack, was so surprising that the actor admitted that the first time he saw it in the script it left him “speechless”.

Woodall was a mid-season addition to season two of the HBO comedy-drama, playing the new love interest of Portia (Haley Lu Richardson).

His character was introduced as the nephew of Tanya’s (Jennifer Coolidge) new friend Quentin (Tom Hollander), an English millionaire holidaying in Sicily.

*Spoilers for episode five below*

During the fifth episode of the season, titled “That’s Amore”, Tanya is wandering around Quentin’s palazzo when, following the sounds of grunting, she stumbles upon Quentin and Jack having sex.

There are numerous explanations for this, and it seems unlikely that the scene is one of genuine incest, with many fans of the show guessing that there must be a twist.

Is it possible that Jack is not, in fact, Quentin’s nephew? One theory on Reddit is that Jack is a sex worker hired by Quentin for the Sicily trip. He does, after all, speak in a Cockney accent, while his “uncle” is frightfully posh.

Haley Lu Richardson and Leo Woodall on ‘White Lotus’ (HBO Max)

Earlier in the episode, Jack is shown being unable to pay when he and Portia go out for dinner, despite his own family’s apparent wealth.

Another theory circulating on Twitter and Reddit is that the straight American cowboy who Quentin tells Tanya he once loved is actually Tanya’s husband Greg (Jon Gries), who left her alone in Sicily. There have been suggestions that Quentin has befriended Tanya so that he and Greg can run off with her money.

Some have guessed that Quentin is trying to either subtly persuade Tanya to take her own life, or to frame her murder as suicide, given that he took her to Madama Butterfly, the opera in which the protagonist dies by suicide.

Tom Hollander and Jennifer Coolidge among the cast of ‘The White Lotus’ (Sky)

Jack, they have theorised, could be in on this plan – distracting Portia while Quentin gets inside Tanya’s head.

“OK, I’ve had time to process The White Lotus and my official theory is that Greg is Quentin’s aforementioned American lover and they are orchestrating a long-game scam that has been in the works since season one,” one viewer tweeted.

Another added: “Kinda crazy White Lotus theory that I don’t really think will be true but I wanna put it out there just in case: Jennifer Coolidge’s husband is actually the ‘American cowboy’ from Tom Hollander’s story and they’ve actually orchestrated this whole situation.”

Hopefully, all will become clear when episode six arrives next week – but what we do know for certain is that, by the time the season ends, there are going to be numerous bodies piling up at the resort.