The intertwined stories in Season 2 of The White Lotus revealed themselves slowly over the episodes — simmering slowly before exploding like Mount Etna. In fact, if there’s a style of narrative showrunner Mike White has perfected, it’s that character revelations, betrayals, and misunderstandings other shows might treat as climactic moments are mere milestones along the way for The White Lotus. It’s an approach White has employed since early in his career, writing for the classic 90s teen drama Dawson’s Creek and his movie Chuck & Buck (2000).

But with The White Lotus, White has created some of the most memorable characters he’s ever brought to screen. And in the last few episodes of Season 2, every ounce of drama, deception, and devious intentions finally boiled over. Since the season finale, fan theories and debates have been raging because of what White left to viewers’ imaginations. What he did choose to show, however, were some classic moments. And though every time Quentin (scene-stealingly portrayed by Tom Hollander) opened his mouth he uttered an absolutely meme-worthy gem, the best moments from The White Lotus Season 2 all came courtesy of other characters…

6 Bert’s Family Reunion Fail

     Warner Bros. Television Distribution

Throughout the first half of The White Lotus Season 2, it seemed a shame to have a gifted actor like F. Murray Abraham along for the ride without anything meaty for him to sink his teeth into. That changed for the eldest Di Grasso in episode 6 when Albie (Adam DiMarco), Dom (Michael Imperioli), and Bert took a road trip to track down their old-country relatives with tragi-comic results.

Movies and TV are littered with family reunions ending in newfound insights and bridges between generations. Bert’s was the exact opposite of such joy, as the men were cursed out and chased off by an old Sicilian woman threatening them with an asparagus. Back at the White Lotus resort, Abraham delivered his best moment of the season (exclusive of his “Achilles heel” comment in episode 7), as he offered a brief, sorrowful insight on the fleeting nature of life and the foolish pursuit of turning back the clock to erase one’s mistakes.

5 Harper Leaving the Evidence

     Warner Bros.

Harper (Aubrey Plaza) leaving the wrapper on the sink in episode 5 to provoke a discussion with Ethan (Will Sharpe) was not the most dramatic or crazy moment of Season 2 of The White Lotus, but it spoke volumes on the passive-aggressive resentment at the heart of their relationship. Ethan and Harper are so wrapped up in what they don’t want to be that they struggle to decide who they actually are. So much of Harper’s brininess is a result of wanting what she claims to loathe — and loathing what she thinks she loves.

Plaza plays the self-righteous, bitter confusion of Harper perfectly. With every acrimonious dig or side-eye, it’s clear Harper is not only indecisive about what she wants, she’s actually ignorant as to what her choices are — and lashing out as a result. When she leaves the evidence for Ethan to find, she’s begging for confrontation, but not willing to throw the first stone. It’s a kind of inertia of suspicion without accusation, and it sets in motion the falling dominoes of the last few episodes between Cam (played by Theo James), Ethan, Harper, and Daphne (Meghann Fahy).

4 The Best Things in Life Are Free

Lucia (Simona Tabasco) and Mia (Beatrice Grannò) strolling arm-in-arm through the streets without a care in the world to close out the second season of The White Lotus was a triumph. Yes, this could have felt like a throwaway dénouement, but White is masterful at showing exactly what he needs to in his stories. And with all the tragedy (for Jennifer Coolidge’s Tanya), fear (for Haley Lu Richardson’s Portia), resentment (for Ethan and Harper), and denial (for Cam and Daphne) the vacationers were treated to in the season finale, the resort’s sex workers taking a well-earned victory lap was the happiest ending fans could wish for.

And while their characters were a kind of narrative glue between the different storylines throughout the season, they were not mere plot devices. They held a mirror up to other characters to expose their natures and spark their journeys — the transactional way Dom attempts to keep his family together, Albie’s wide-eyed naïveté transforming into a sort of earned wisdom, Cam’s sociopathic slow payment. It’s the happy ending these two deserve, with zero strings attached.

3 Valentina’s Coming Out Party

It was beyond refreshing and real to see a person of middle-age accept their own repressed sexuality. And Valentina’s journey was so perfectly acted by Sabrina Impacciatore that viewers could sense the years of denied, detoured, and suppressed desire coming to the surface through the season. From the way she treats the world, through her heartbreak — and finally the epiphany as Valentina embraces who she is — viewers witness a transformation and entry into a new world of possibilities where Valentina can live her truth. As Impacciatore noted about her character, “Sometimes people live an entire life without being able to be faithful to their nature, and from these moments she can start to know herself better,” (via The Wrap).

2 Daphne Facing the Truth

     HBO Entertainment

When Ethan tells Daphne about his suspicions of Cam and Harper, Fahy delivers an absolutely stunning 25 seconds of acting. The moment she hears what Ethan says, viewers watch her silently speed-run through an emotional gauntlet. Her shocked sadness leaps to stinging ache before giving way to an almost matter-of-fact regret. Without a word, her face tells us this is not the first time she’s felt this way — and she has resigned to accept that it won’t be the last. Then, as she turns to look out at the sea and then the resort, it’s as if every fiber of her being is quickly re-constructing all the psycho-emotional defense mechanisms she keeps fortified in place so as not to not crumble under the weight of what her life is. It’s powerful to witness, and Fahy is an exceptional talent. The ensuing stroll to Isola Bella with Ethan is just the icing on the cake.

1 Tanya Doing Tanya Things Right ’Til the End

Tanya hearing Greg’s over-the-phone infidelity set her story in motion this season of The White Lotus. Through Tanya’s journey — as she is taken in by Quentin and his cronies, gives in to temptation, and sees photographic evidence of Greg’s lies — White orchestrates a slow-motion set-up that creeps up behind her while she remains charmingly, yet confidently, confused the entire time. Portia’s frantic phone call warning to Tanya in episode 7 gave voice to every viewer at home — presciently foreshadowed by Quentin’s Isola Bella story told earlier in the season. As the tension and threat level mount, and she discovers the tools intended to ensure her demise, she shoots her way through the boat, killing anyone she sees in the most Tanya way possible.

Then, as Quentin chokes on his own blood, she asks the most Tanya question ever: “Is Greg Having an Affair?” As Coolidge told Variety, “Even with all the bodies strewn around on the floor, that’s a question that Tanya wants answered, despite this horrific scene she’s standing in. When I read it, I thought it was brilliant.” If this season proved anything, it’s the fact that Coolidge is a national treasure, and the way she played Tanya’s pathetically callous and clueless charisma up until the moment she jump-falls off the yacht is a testament to her genius.