Thrilling Premonitions: Diving into Season Three of The White Lotus

While each season of The White Lotus takes us to new locations with fresh faces, murder ominously ties them all together. Creator Mike White has once again rolled out the unwelcome mat for Death, teeing up a third act with even more lethal undertones.

This season, the infamous White Lotus resort lands us in Koh Samui, Thailand. It kicks off with a wellness session featuring spiritual guide Amrita (Shalini Peiris) and guest Zion (Nicholas Duvernay). Zion’s mother, Belinda (the returning Natasha Rothwell from season one), is also part of the hotel staff. Amrita guides Zion through meditation, helping him find a calming rhythm in his breath.

However, the tranquility is fleeting for us viewers who know what’s coming: maintaining tradition, someone is bound to die. Yet this opener hits harder than previous ones. Instead of a body in a casket in season one or a drowned victim washed ashore in season two, season three starts with gunfire.

The shots shatter Amrita’s serenity, prompting her to flee as Zion dives into shallow waters, hiding from what evolves into a shooter’s rampage.

Finding refuge by a Buddha statue, Zion prays fervently, “Keep my mom safe. Please.” As the chaos continues, he vents his terror and rage at the unresponsive idol, “Don’t let anything happen to my mother, mother-f—er!” The horrific scene unfolds until an unidentified body drifts past him, halting the action as the episode rewinds to a week prior, setting the stage for the vacationers’ twisted journey.

Describing the intensity of reading the script, Aimee Lou Wood, portraying Chelsea—partnered with Walton Goggins’s enigmatic Rick—shared with The Hollywood Reporter, “The script read like a gripping novel, instantly clear and evocative.” She notes how this opening resonates differently by immediately connecting us to Zion’s vulnerability and concern for his mother.

Michelle Monaghan, who plays Jaclyn, a famous guest meeting old friends, highlights how the opening emphasizes season three’s core themes: navigating life and death. She points out, “There’s an immediate contrast of light and dark, setting the spiritual tone that permeates the season.”

Although the premiere presents only one visible body, the relentless gunshots—over a dozen—hint at potential carnage matching or surpassing season two, where Tanya McQuoid (Jennifer Coolidge) took down several adversaries before her tragic demise. Zion and Amrita are out of the lineup as shooters, but their fates remain uncertain. Meanwhile, the premiere hints at potential victims like:

• Timothy Ratliff (Jason Isaacs), a beleaguered businessman anticipating a Wall Street Journal exposé.
• Rick Hatchett (Goggins), shrouded in mystery yet seemingly at odds with hotel management.
• Jaclyn Lemon (Monaghan), the TV star reconnecting with childhood friends.
• Belinda, Zion’s mother and the purported sole returning character.

However, another familiar face, Greg (Jon Gries), Tanya’s widower implicated in her death, resurfaces at the Thailand retreat.

Notoriously silent about future twists, Mike White hinted at a darker, spiritually charged season possibly unraveling mysteries surrounding Tanya’s demise and Greg’s culpability—an outcome eagerly anticipated by fans hoping for his just deserts.

White previously shared with THR the joy of weaving narrative threads throughout the series, challenging expectations. While a fresh murder mystery seems certain, White doesn’t feel bound to predictable paths or opening sequences.

Will season three craft a slow-burning vendetta against Greg, making him the next target in this HBO drama? With seven episodes still pending, only time will unveil the truth.

Catch new episodes of The White Lotus season three every Sunday at 9 p.m. on HBO and Max. Stay updated with THR’s ongoing coverage of this captivating series.