'I believe in my soul that Daphne is going to be in the next season of The White Lotus.'

The White Lotus always opens with a corpse, found in a scenic location, surrounded by immensely wealthy and unlikeable hotel guests, posing a question not of whodunnit, but instead whoisit?

It's this high-stakes start that grabs the audience by the gonads, and I believe it's no coincidence that the character who introduces us to this chaotic space in season two is Daphne Sullivan. 

You can watch the trailer for The White Lotus season two right here. Post continues after video.

Daphne was the first face we saw on this edition of The White Lotus, meaning she set the tone for what was ahead. Sure, what was ahead was absolute mayhem, but she remained the steady rock that the Mediterranean sea smashed against in slow motion.

She, of course, discovers the floating corpse in the sea, but that's not the part I want to focus on right now. Instead, it's what she says to some new guests, just before the body blobs by.

"We leave in a few hours. We had the best time. The hotel's perfect, and the staff is excellent. The food is amazing. And the wine. I mean... Italy's just so romantic. Oh, you're gonna die. They're gonna have to drag you out of here."

Are these the words of someone who just had the holiday we've now all witnessed? The words to describe a holiday that involved fights, infidelity and some deeply shady behaviour? I think not.

But, you see, it's the stoic chipperness of Daphne that makes her so fascinating.

Let me explain. 

Daphne and Cameron in The White Lotus. Image: Binge. 

Your first impression of Daphne was no doubt one stuffed with stereotypes. 

She has perfectly curled blonde hair, a dazzling smile and is almost always seen attached via the mouth or limb to her husband, Cameron. Together they bring a Barbie and Ken energy to Sicily, working as a perfect foil to Harper and Ethan, the friends they are travelling with. 

Harper and Ethan follow world news, they read books, they have intellectual debates, and they have very little sex. While Daphne and Cameron have tapped out of politics, tune into leisure, and the foreplay for their daily bonk involves dirty talk about cheating on each other. 

They are polar opposites, crammed into the same orbit thanks to an unsuspecting dorm pairing and a lucrative business sale.

It's that comparison that first fuels the drama between the couples. Harper sees Daphne as a basic b*tch that doesn't understand the world and she looks down her nose at Daphne's ability to lean into the fun of silly things, to be spontaneous and seemingly refuse to read into things that appear murky to everyone else. 

And I agreed with the assumptions made by Harper. I, too, saw Daphne as the cotton candy, surface-level plus-one in a crowded ensemble cast. I assume that because she's not a person of substance, she couldn't be substantial to the plot. 

And boy was I wrong. 

Ethan, Harper, Daphne and Cameron. Image: Binge.

Because Daphne steers the course of The White Lotus plot. That I am sure of now.

She is the first person we meet; she discovers the dead body that the show is built around; she peels back new layers of interest in every episode and she both triggers the breakdown of Harper and Ethan and rebuilds their connection for them. 

But her true mastery comes in the form of her composure.

Unlike the eons of inflammatory egos across The White Lotus cast, Daphne has a unique ability to disarm. With one measured comment, she disrupts an eruption and deflects drama.

We saw it when Harper confronts her about her husband's philandering. And we saw it again in the finale, when she sat down for a one-on-one conversation with Ethan.

Ethan explains to Daphne that he's pretty sure something happened between his wife Harper and her husband Cameron. Something... sexual, to be precise.

What followed was a moment that I think earns actor Meghann Fahy all the award nominations. Her character, Daphne, absorbs the news, digests it and then mentally discards it – which you can see frame by frame on her face. 

Image: Binge.

It's phenomenal acting – from both Meghann and Daphne – as they swallow the pill of another blow to their picture-perfect image before shaking off the dread and moving on with steadfastness.

It would be easy to shrug this interaction off as another waft of Stepford Wife stoicism from Daphne, but it's much more than that. It's a woman taking what power she has in a tainted scenario and milking it dry. It's combating the cards she's been dealt and somehow coming up trumps with a royal flush. It's oh so subtly f**king the patriarchy.

That was the whole point of this season of The White Lotus - showcasing power in its female form and letting the ladies come out on top. 

Sure, it might not be a win as clear as the one afforded to Mia and Lucia, who walk away from The White Lotus with new careers and a generously topped-up bank account, but it's a claiming of control nonetheless. 

And I think it's a dynamic we may see in season three. 

If the traditions of the first two installments of The White Lotus remain intact – that the show must start with a corpse and carry over the plot of one character – then my money is on Daphne being the chosen one.

Image: Binge + Mamamia.