‘The White Lotus’: Does Olivia Know Paula Was Involved in the Theft?
The White Lotus raised the stakes for the Mossbacher family last week when Paula (Brittany O’Grady) convinced Kai (Kekoa Scott Kekumano) to steal $75,000 jewelry from their safe. The situation escalated when Nicole (Connie Britton) walked in on him doing so, pushing him to panic and assault the family before running off with his loot. For now, the HBO series hasn’t shown the consequences of that decision. However, the season finale is likely to tie up loose ends.
The question many fans are asking is whether Paula will be exposed in the process. With Kai disappearing from work and keeping the jewelry in his possession, it seems likely he’ll get caught. However, most characters appear oblivious to Paula’s involvement in the theft. Will Olivia (Sydney Sweeney) figure it out?
The HBO series shows a complicated relationship between Paula and Olivia
The White Lotus paints a complicated picture of Olivia and Paula’s friendship from its very first episode. Although the two are close enough to go on vacation together, there’s something off between the two girls. According to Paula, Olivia won’t let her have anything of her own. Meanwhile, Olivia remains suspicious of her friend, following her around and constantly questioning what she’s up to.
Despite the obvious friction between the girls, they do their best to put on a united front before the Mossbacher family. That goes out the window after Paula finds out Olivia flirted with Kai. It’s this that pushes her over the edge and leads her to start scheming.
Paula tricks the Mossbachers into revealing the code to their safe, then convinces Kai to steal Nicole’s expensive jewelry from within. When Nicole and Mark (Steve Zahn) wind up heading back to the room instead of going on their scuba trip, however, the plan fails spectacularly. As the Mossbachers sit with what’s happened, Paula seems to feel guilt over the whole thing — though not enough to come out and tell the truth.
This event will further complicate Paula’s relationship with Olivia, especially since the latter may know that her friend orchestrated the theft.
Does ‘The White Lotus’ Episode 5 suggest Olivia knows about Paula’s involvement?
In the midst of all the chaos surrounding the theft and assault, the Mossbachers don’t look too closely at Paula. However, Olivia may sense her friend’s part in the situation. What she says to Paula toward the end of The White Lotus Episode 5 suggests she’s at least suspicious.
While Paula pretends to sleep, Olivia muses about what a strange coincidence it is that they were robbed almost immediately after Paula asked to put her locket in the Mossbachers’ safe. It’s unclear if she knows that Paula is listening. However, some fans are suggesting that she plans to use the information against her friend in some way.
“It’s pretty clear that Olivia knows that Paula is involved in the break-in,” one Reddit user wrote. “I view what she said about it as a direct threat to Paula. It doesn’t seem murderous, just something to hold over Paula’s head.”
To be fair, Paula’s plan wasn’t the most foolproof one out there. To anyone paying attention, there’s no way someone got the number to the safe by chance. Whether Olivia will be able to prove it is another story.
Will Olivia expose Paula in ‘The White Lotus’ finale?
The White Lotus finale will reveal how things play out for Paula, but a brief moment from the HBO Brasil promo shows Olivia confronting her friend about who she’s texting. Of course, this could simply be another possessive moment from Olivia. Given the circumstances of last week’s episode, it seems more likely Olivia is fishing for clues about Kai.
The promo also makes it apparent that something emotional will occur when Mark and Quinn (Fred Hechinger) go scuba diving. The three women on the boat seem positively distraught in every clip from that scene. Could that have to do with Paula?
Some confrontation between Paula and Olivia is bound to occur during episode 6, but whether that will lead to Paula’s part in the theft coming to light is still up in the air.
Fans will find out if Paula gets exposed for her part in Kai’s crime in The White Lotus finale. The episode airs on HBO on Sunday, Aug. 15 at 9 p.m. ET.
