Why Orange May Hint at the Deaths of ‘The White Lotus’ Season 2

[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for The White Lotus Season 2, Episode 2, “Italian Dream.”]

The White Lotus has barely begun its second season, and the question of which characters will perish looms large, particularly when it comes to hints or clues offering any leads.

In Episode 2, “Italian Dream,” one particular visual potentially unlocks clues for who is on the chopping block. In a scene between the Di Grasso men, Dominic (Michael Imperioli) sits with his son Albie (Adam DiMarco) and father Bert (F. Murray Abraham) along with new friend Portia (Haley Lu Richardson) for breakfast. As he has a discussion, the background behind Dominic jumps out with bright spots of color that can be identified as an orange tree.

Although this could be a subtle piece of the landscape at their luxurious resort, there could be more to the fruit’s presence. While Imperioli has delivered more than one great performance over the years, his most notable would be HBO’s flagship favorite The Sopranos. David Chase‘s modern-day tale of Italian-American mob boss Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) has become a pop culture mainstay, like one other famous mobster tale: Francis Ford Coppola‘s The Godfather.

(Credit: HBO)

The franchise’s Corleone patriarch Vito (Marlon Brando) memorably dies among the rows of oranges in his backyard, and the fruit appears throughout the film and franchise overall.  Considering Imperioli’s link to the mafia genre and The Godfather‘s use of oranges to symbolize death or tragedy feels like something worth noting. The Sopranos even used similar symbolism when Tony was targeted in an attack while purchasing orange juice from a newsstand in Season 1. More recently, Fargo‘s fourth season saw Chris Rock‘s mob boss Loy Cannon killed on his front steps while holding a bag of oranges.

Needless to say, the color feels like a bad omen in The White Lotus and there’s something particularly poetic about an actor known for playing an iconic mafia character. And the show’s creator, writer, and director Mike White even revealed that The White Lotus will visit the Sicily-located Godfather house, Castello Degli Schiavi, in Season 2. It could be a coincidence… or not.

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With the possibility of this symbol being used as inferred, it can’t be helped but to notice that the color orange makes several interesting appearances among certain guests so far in Season 2. While it’s the color of the Aperol Spritzes that many of the guests are sipping, it’s also popped up in certain individuals’ clothing including the top Harper (Aubrey Plaza) wore to dinner on her first night to dinner, as well as in Greg’s (J0n Gries) Vespa helmet, and most notably Cameron’s (Theo James) shirt.

Mia’s (Beatrice Grannò) orange shoes aren’t to be ignored either, and Lucia’s (Simona Tabasco) beverage certainly pops. But could this be a marker for death? Ultimately actions will answer the mystery that was set up in Season 2’s opening moments, but it would be interesting if a visual clue is offering an obvious answer to a nagging question.

What do you think of the show’s use of orange? Could it represent deaths to come? Sound off in our comments section, below, and stay tuned to see how The White Lotus Season 2 continues to unfold each week.

The White Lotus, Season 2, Sundays, 9/8c, HBO and HBO Max