Television

The White Lotus: What happened with the “incest brothers” in episode 2?

By Demetri Woode

24th February 2025

After the season three premiere of The White Lotus caused a storm on Gay Twitter with rumours of possible incest between two siblings, what exactly happened between them in episode two?

In the latest episode of HBO’s satirical dramedy, the bitchy, two-faced dynamics between Kate (Leslie Bibb), Jaclyn (Michelle Monaghan), and Laurie (Carrie Coon) persist. Meanwhile, Kate approaches Victoria (Parker Posey), revealing they met at a baby shower ten years ago, only for Victoria to awkwardly rebuff her.

Gaitok (Tayme Thapthimthong) confesses his love to Mook (Lalisa Manobal), Chelsea (Aimee Lou Wood) and Chloe (Charlotte Le Bon) become entangled in a robbery at the hotel boutique and Rick (Walton Goggins) opens up about his tumultuous childhood during a meditation session.

As well as Victoria’s aforementioned standoff-ish behaviour, the Ratliff family’s twisted dynamic continues as Piper (Sarah Catherine Hook) learns that Saxon (Patrick Schwarzenegger) was discussing her sex life with Lochlan (Sam Nivola), while Timothy’s (Jason Isaacs) involvement in a money laundering scheme gets stickier.

In episode one, viewers memorably came out in droves to theorise whether or not Saxon would add “incest” to his endless list of red flags after asking his little brother Lochlan about his porn preferences and masturbating in front of him. The situation exacerbated when Lochlan lustfully stared at Saxon’s naked body.

Although there wasn’t much interaction between the brothers in episode two, aside from a few family scenes, the opening moments saw Lochlan’s eyes fixated on Saxon’s bare ass. While there have only been a handful of inappropriate comments, moments, and lingering gazes between the two, this small moment adds to the growing evidence that incestuous relations are… imminent. (After season two’s uncle-fuck, would we really be surprised?)

As expected, Gay Twitter had a lot to say. “Dude the sexual incest gay tension in White Lotus is [through] the roof,” said one viewer, while another wrote: “Oh okay gay incest in The White Lotus is gay incesting… I didn’t really get the vibes in ep1 but they’re really going there.”

Alongside a mischievous gif of Octavia Spencer in her viral horror film Ma, a third tweeted: “Me when something taboo and gay happens on The White Lotus.”

Check out the best reactions below.