After Greg leaves Tanya alone with the comfort of his assistant, Portia, on their romantic Sicilian getaway in “The White Lotus” Season 2, Tanya quickly finds refuge in her friendship with Quentin, whom Tom Hollander calls, “Compassionately Deceptive”” Tanya talks about the struggles of her marriage to Quentin.
“He thinks he should escape a miserable situation,” Hollander told TheWrap in a recent interview. “Quentin is trying to assure her that he is not limited by his unsatisfying marriage or failed marriage.”
Although Tanya and Quentin first meet at a luxury hotel in Sicily, Quentin and his charming nephew, Jack, take Tanya and Portia to Quentin’s villa in Palermo, where Quentin and his friends try to dissuade Tanya from marrying her. encourage.
Hollander said, “I think he’s trying to get him into the idea of being a little aggressive and not worrying about cheating.” “I think he’s kindly goading her, or trying to encourage her to be a little naughty for the sake of her sanity and pleasure.”
Although no apparent debauchery has yet occurred, the two share an immediate connection after Quentin compliments Tanya’s adventurous nature and invites her to relax at the beach club with him and his community of gay friends. Where Tanya tells Quentin her story – from the very beginning.
Hollander said, “Quentin thinks Tanya is a wonderful, tragic outsider that he can put his arms around and take care of a little bit and have fun with it.”
In Palermo, Tanya and Quentin share a tender moment at the opera when a rendition of “Madame Butterfly” in an elaborate opera house brings Tanya to tears.
“In that opera moment, I think they’re as close as they’ll ever get,” Hollander said, adding that they were both still vulnerable in their conversation after the opera. “They’re both outsiders in a way and they find common ground and in ‘Madame Butterfly’.”
Despite the trust between the two, Quentin cannot help but take advantage of Tanya’s naivete to mock her and convince her that another opera patron is the nobility. Hollander said, “Quentin is one of those people who patronize upper-class British people who can’t help the people.”
However, their friendship takes a turn when Tanya witnesses something that makes her question everything she knows about Quentin.