The theories and easter eggs in 'The White Lotus' season three
After a breathless wait, viewers are checking in once again to The White Lotus, with the third season seeing a new cohort of rich and entitled guests head to the resort in Koh Samui, Thailand.
And judging by the early episodes of the new series, we could have the most disparate and eccentric group of guests checking into the resort so far. As well as an entitled family of a wealthy businessman hiding a secret, we see a much older man with a checkered past and much younger girlfriend, and the girls’ trip from hell with words unsaid threatening to spill out over too much wine.
But in Mike White’s typical style, there’s far more to each episode than just what we see on screen. Foreshadowing, easter eggs and surprises are littered amongst each episode, which can either lead us to seeing who the killer is (and why they chose their victim), or all be massive red herrings to completely throw us off the scent.
Here’s some of the theories, plot-lines and imagery that you may have missed…
Greg is back – will Belinda recognise him?
Surprise! While we knew Belinda (Natasha Rothwell) from season one was going to be heading Koh Samui, it was shock to viewers when we saw Greg (also known as 'the bald guy in the orange shirt') having dinner with his much younger girlfriend Chloe (Charlotte Le Bon). While Greg isn’t actually staying at The White Lotus, Chloe makes it clear that they regularly come down and dine at the resort’s restaurant as they only live up the hill.
Viewers will remember that Greg conned dearly departed Tanya (the legendary Jennifer Coolidge) and hired a group of ‘gays’ to murder her when they stayed at The White Lotus in Italy. Could Chloe be in danger? And might Belinda, who previously struck up a close friendship with Tanya in the first season, recognise Greg over in Thailand?
Jim and Sritala are linked to Rick’s childhood
There’s clearly more to the grumpy Rick (Walton Goggins) than his desire to have a luxury holiday – there seems to be some previous history to his relationship with the owner, Sritala (Lek Patravadi) and he seemed to be visibly angry that he missed seeing her husband, Jim.
Perhaps the clues to Rick’s childhood will explain the backstory – in episode two, we see Rick revealing that his mother was a drug addict, and that his father was murdered when he was young. Could Sritala and Jim have had a hand in this?
What’s wrong with the Ratliffs?
There’s something amiss with the mega rich family hailing from the American south. While Timothy (Jason Isaacs) had a hand in some shady business dealings, and Victoria (Parker Posey) is barely on this planet, it’s their three children that have stirred the most interest – particularly Saxon (Patrick Schwarzenegger). From masturbating in front of little brother Lochlan (Sam Nivola) and describing his sister Piper (Sarah Catherine Hook) as ‘hot’, as well as his overtly flirtatious antics with other female guests, is Saxon’s sexual appetite going to lead to huge trouble?
We’ve seen Laurie’s daughter before…
Laurie (Carrie Coon) is struggling to get along with Jaclyn (Michelle Monaghan) and Kate (Leslie Bibb), with the girls’ holiday quickly descending into a passive-aggressive bitch-off. However, it was mention of Laurie’s ‘cool daughter’ that led some to believe that this daughter could actually be season two’s Portia, played by Haley Lu Richardson. With Greg making a surprise comeback, it’s not beyond the realm of possibility.
Monkey business
The monkeys in the third season of The White Lotus are an unescapable presence – Belinda is fearful that one is about to fall on her head in the first episode, while Laurie is in awe of them as she surveys the suite she shares with Jaclyn and Kate.
Monkeys could serve as a reminder in The White Lotus that, regardless of the wealth and luxury we surround ourselves with, we haven’t really evolved past our primal urges. They could also point towards wilful ignorance; the Ratliff offspring were spotted mimicking the ‘see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil’ adage. In Eastern religions and Buddhism, this saying means not to dwell on immoral thoughts, but in the West, the phrase can be used to refer to a lack of moral responsibility.
When it comes to the murder at the heart of the series, some pundits believe that a monkey could be at the heart of the crime, having taken a gun from an armed guard (or during the robbery, perchance) and firing at random. Weirder things have happened in The White Lotus, after all...
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