Killer monkeys, villain Mook: Here are the 10 best ‘The White Lotus’ season 3 predictions
Please, for the love of God, give this resort's PR crisis manager a raise.
Mike White’s satirical comedy The White Lotus is back for its third season on HBO/Max, and all I can say is please, for the love of God, give this resort’s PR crisis manager a raise. As this delicious murder-mystery continues to unfold, here are some of the best fan theories for how things are going to play out in the end.
Warning! Spoilers ahead for The White Lotus season 3.
Can Belinda and Pornchai just kiss already?
The title “The Meaning of Dreams” couldn’t be more appropriate for our girl Belinda (Natasha Rothwell), who’s living out her Thai fantasy as a trainee with the resort’s wellness program. It’s a much-deserved break from the chaos that is The White Lotus Maui, and after the shenanigans she dealt with in season 1, no one deserves it more than Belinda.
Who better to teach her all his, ahem, “special treatments,” than the insanely ripped, clearly interested Pornchai (Dom Hetrakul)? Their chemistry is off the charts as their flirty post-dinner banter in episode 3 had me begging Belidna to invite Pornchai into her room for a “nightcap.” Sparks have been flying between these two all season, so here’s hoping someone will make a move before Belinda’s son, Zion (Nicholas Duvernay) comes to visit.
Mook is up to no good — and we need to protect Gaitok at all costs
Mook, a.k.a. BLACKPINK’s LiSA, might look like an angel. But fans — myself included — are convinced she’s secretly the devil in disguise. The White Lotus has a track record of hiding its most sinister villains in plain sight, and eagle-eyed viewers are (rightfully) convinced that Mook has something to do with the gift shop robbery in episode 2. After all, she sure does seem cozy with the shady bodyguards, and knows she has sweet, innocent Gaitok (Tayme Thapthimthong) wrapped around her finger. Why? Well, according to this Reddit user, all for a flashy new necklace.
Sritala’s husband has something to do with the death of Rick’s father
Rick (Walton Goggins) is one of the more elusive characters to check into The White Lotus Thailand, and for a good reason. Through his stress management sessions with Dr. Amrita (Shalini Peiris), audiences learn about his troubled youth. Not only was Rick’s father murdered, but his mother also overdosed when he was ten. Now, his thinly-veiled anger and need for control has bled over into his relationship with Chelsea (Aimee Lou Wood) — and he may have a hidden agenda.
There are two leading theories here regarding Rick’s daddy issues: 1.), the hotel owner Sritala’s (Patravadi Mejudhon) husband, Jim, is somehow responsible for the death of Rick’s father. 2.) Jim is Rick’s father. Both of these could explain why Rick is so desperate to high-tail it to Bangkok, either for closure or worse, revenge. In any case, I fear we’re about to see Rick’s dangerous side come out in the ensuing episodes. Let Chelsea enjoy her holiday in peace, damnit!
The monkeys are going to go apes***
Some serious monkey business is going on behind the scenes at The White Lotus Thailand, so there’s a good reason why this remains one of the most popular season 3 predictions. The premiere, titled “Same Spirits, New Forms,” opens with Zion minding his own business during a guided meditation. All of a sudden, he hears gunfire, and bam — there’s a dead body floating in the water. Fade to black.
Given this season’s overlying theme of “man versus nature,” it’s no wonder fans are placing the blame on the resort’s apeish residents. Since episode 1, viewers have speculated that it’s not actually a person who shoots the gun and kills someone — it’s just a monkey with an impressive shot. Given just how absurd The White Lotus is with its big character deaths, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if this ridiculous theory ends up being true.
“See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil”
It’s wildly easy to hate the Ratliff family, who reek of nepotism, entitlement, and faux-Southern charm. However, there’s more than meets the eye when it comes to the Ratliff siblings. Piper (Sarah Catherine Hook), the middle child responsible for dragging her family to Thailand for a research paper on Buddhist monks — or she says — is sick of her family’s antics. From her father’s (Jason Isaacs) constant need to check his phone, to her mother’s (Parker Posey) pill-popping tendencies, she’s over it. When we first meet Piper on the boat, she’s wearing headphones over her ears; the visual representation of the Buddhist proverb, “hear no evil.”
The obnoxious sibling, Saxon, (Patrick Schwarzenegger), is often seen wearing sunglasses; he is “see no evil.” As for quiet, baby bro Lochlan (Sam Nivola), his mouth is covered in that initial shot — “speak no evil.” The Ratliff siblings have their own downfalls and shortcomings, and this visual symbolism hints that each of them are turning a blind eye to the harsh lessons yet to come. Not-so-subtle foreshadowing there, Mr. White.
Saxon Ratliff has a not-so-subtle Oedipus complex
Speaking of not-so-subtle, there’s definitely a vibe between Saxon and Lochlan in The White Lotus season 3. Thanks, I hate it! X (Twitter) has been all over this incest plot line since episode 1, where it sure looked like Lochlan was checking out his big bro’s bod. The sexual tension is only amping up, I fear, as Saxon is obsessed with the idea of Lochlan losing his virginity during their trip. Saxon also called his own sister hot, which is…something!
Suffice it to say, fans are theorizing that Saxon and Lochlan’s feelings for each other will come to a head at some point in the season. Halfway through episode 3, my roommate and I joked that Saxon will reach over and give his brother a handjob sooner than later, only for Saxton to say onscreen: “OK? All hands on deck.” Fore. Shadowing.
Greg — I mean, Gary — is a part of something much bigger
There’s so much to say about everyone’s least favorite bald guy, Greg (Jon Gries), or, as he’s known around Thailand, “Gary.” Right off the bat, Belinda clocks him as Tanya’s (Jennifer Coolidge) ex, and we watch helplessly as she connects the dots. After all, Greg is responsible for Tanya’s little boat incident in Italy — the gays were trying to murder her, actually.
In season 3, we don’t know much about Greg/Gary’s intentions, other than the fact that he’s shacked up with the much-younger Chloe (Charlotte Le Bon) and supposedly owns a house near the resort. There’s something fishy tying Greg/Gary to the robbery, which Chloe herself witnessed. Is he orchestrating his next heist? Will Belinda be his next victim, simply on the basis of doing too much? Either way, did nothing wrong, actually, and I hope she and Chelsea run off into the sunset together.
Jaclyn, Kate, and Laurie are going to hash it out WWE-style
Ah, the curse of the three-person friendship group. The White Lotus season 3 has this triangle of gal-pals to thank for reminding us that the show is still, at the end of the day, a comedy. Those women are Kate (Leslie Bibb), Jaclyn (Michelle Monaghan), and Laurie (Carrie Coon), the kind of wine-guzzling WASPs that make the simplest conversations feel like peak reality TV.
Episode 3 definitely goes there by touching on Laurie’s double-life as a closet MAGA, and even name-drops Trump as the girls talk politics over dinner. We’ve seen each of the women splintering into two-person groups to trash talk the others, so it’s only a matter of time before Jaclyn hits Laurie over the head with a folding chair, Kate throws a glass of Pinot noir in Jaclyn’s face, or vice versa. I believe this trio will eventually work things out, but someone is 100% going to sleep with Valentin (Arnas Fedaravicius), and feelings will be hurt.
Timothy Ratliff will talk his way out of federal charges — or just never return to America
This is more of a personal theory, but stick with me here. We all know by now that Timothy is in deep doo-doo by the time he and his family touch down in Thailand, but in episode 3, we learn that the feds have obtained a warrant to raid his office. They’re looking into his involvement with a money laundering scheme carried out by the holding company Sho-Kel, which could land him in prison.
It’s worth noting that the U.S. and Thailand have an extradition treaty, so Timothy is either going have to face the consequences of his actions (let’s be real — it’s unlikely) or run for the hills. However, there’s a third option here that feels all-too-relevant: he lawyers up and talks his way out of it. Who knows? Maybe he could make a run for president next. The White Lotus is ultimately a class commentary, so Timothy buying his way out of a jail sentence would speak to the unfortunate truths of how this country works.
Somehow, Tanya returned
The White Lotus has, without a doubt, suffered for the loss of its anchor character, Tanya McQuoid. As mentioned, Tanya was double-crossed by her husband, Greg, who had her murdered in season 2 to claim her fortune for himself. She was just too fabulous to be kept alive.
I don’t know how or why, but I feel like this isn’t the last we’ve seen of Tanya. There’s a chance she could re-appear in season 3, perhaps in a dream sequence or flashback. After all, Tanya was a fan-favorite character, and her connection to both Greg and Belinda could play a key role in how season 3 plays out. I mean, c’mon — a Jennifer Coolidge cameo in which Tanya avenges herself from beyond the grave? That would be peak HBO programming.
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