Next Time On… The White Lotus episode 5, “The Lotus-Eaters”

The latest episode of The White Lotus was a telling one for several characters. Perspectives were changed, eyes were opened, and indecent activities were discovered. And we still haven’t gotten to the dead body! Next week’s penultimate episode is sure to be a good one, or at least a revealing one, but before we start speculating about The White Lotus episode 5, let’s take a quick account of where we are after the latest installment:

• Paula’s relationship with Kai has opened her eyes to a) how the exploitation of native people forms the bedrock of rich white luxury and b) that the Mossbachers are utterly complicit in that kind of luxury and privilege.
• Tanya has discovered a suitor… sort of.
• Quinn has realized that everyone around him is awful and has taken it upon himself to venture outside of his comfort zone and form some new relationships.
• Olivia has designs on Kai!
• Shane, after spending the entire episode seething about Armond making sure his romantic boating dinner would be ruined by Tanya’s grieving and being given the run-around when demanding to speak to a manager, discovered Armond in a compromising position with Dillon and realized he had some new leverage with which to exploit his nemesis.

The White Lotus episode 5 release date

“The Lotus-Eaters” is slated for release on August 8, 2021, at 9 pm ET on HBO. As usual, it will become available on HBO Max and On-Demand a day later.

Where to watch The White Lotus episode 5 online

HBO and HBO Max, however you get access to those services. Options include Directv and Spectrum, as well as the HBO add-on for Amazon Prime and Hulu. Canadian viewers can catch the show on Crave, though with a subscription. Those in the UK are out of luck.

The White Lotus episode 5 predictions and potential spoilers

While plenty happened in the latest episode, it’s much more interesting to ponder how its ramifications are going to be felt in the next one. So, let’s take a few guesses:

• Shane is obviously going to utilize his discovery against Armond, but how? If he can get through to the general manager he was trying to contact in “Recentering”, then maybe he has a chance, but can he do that without Armond? Will he instead use what he knows to force Armond to cater to his every whim? That certainly seems like something Shane would do.
• Will Tanya continue to see her new fella? And if she does, will she continue to neglect Belinda after promising her business investment? I think the soundest prediction is that Belinda will receive nothing of value from Tanya, except perhaps experience, since there are many women like Tanya, and they usually try and acquire women like Belinda everywhere they go.
• Olivia is obviously going to try and seduce Kai, and I think whether she succeeds or not is probably irrelevant (though I imagine she will succeed). Paula is already turning against the Mossbachers. I think the best outcome for her would be continuing to do that, though not because she likes Kai and realizes he has been exploited, but because she recognizes, fundamentally, that the Mossbachers are part of a culture that facilitates similar exploitation day in and day out.
• Let’s sincerely hope that Rachel tells Shane to do one.