Another season of The White Lotus means another body washed up on shore. Season 3 of the wildly popular HBO show starts with a bang (or several) and like all its predecessors, we’re itching to know who did it and who they killed.
The Thailand location of The White Lotus is completely devoted to wellness. Several of the staff members emphasize the importance of being disconnected from the real world. For the first couple of minutes, we’re introduced to Zion (Nicholas Duvernay) who boasts to Amrita (Shalini Peiris) about his mom Belinda and her master of the craft. When all of a sudden gunshots start ringing throughout the villa. Zion makes several prayers asking for his mom to be okay, but a body floats up beside him. With the amount of gunshots heard, there will probably be several victims showing up at the show’s final episode.
Related: Here’s All the Characters Who Died in The White Lotus Season 1 & 2
What exactly led to this mass murder? And who had vengeance in their mind after a relaxing week at the resort? Here’s a running list of theories on who died and who could be welding the gun.
We hope that everything stays well for Mook (Lalisa Manobal). Upon her late entrance to The White Lotus, she’s greeted by Chelsea saying that she’s “So pretty!” Whenever a BLACKPINK member is in your area, there’s no doubt that you’ll be captivated by their beauty. She has a pretty wholesome relationship with Gaitok (Tayme Thapthimthong), who doesn’t hide his crush on Mook. Will jealousy overcome one of them to the point that they’re seeking revenge on their work premises?
What is The White Lotus without a WASP-y family trying to escape their everyday life back home? Piper (Sarah Catherine Hook) is the reason why she brought her family to the luxurious resort in Thailand. She’s trying to interview a monk for a research paper, and her family thought it would be a great way to also fit in a vacay. She strays a little bit from her family once she arrives at the temple.
Meanwhile, Saxton (Patrick Schwarzenegger) is looking for any opportunity to use his fine charms with a the ladies at The White Lotus, but ultimately fails. Might be because of his arrogant nature, and that in itself could put a target on his back if he messes with the wrong people. He gives his younger bro Lochlan (Sam Nivola) advice for flirting and fans noticed a weird incest-y vibe by the time both of them went to sleep. Would a brother kill a brother for not reciprocating feelings? We don’t know! But hey, this is The White Lotus so anything could happen.
Some fans on Reddit actually think that Lochlan is the body floating in the water because of the title card. When Sam Nivola’s name pops up, a person is found drowning in a river. But fans are sure that the production crew wouldn’t make it that obvious. “The title card makes it way too blatant that he’s the one in the pond,” one fan wrote. “Surely they wouldn’t give it away so easily. Even last season, there was some subtleness to who died in the opening theme. Maybe it’s revealing him as the killer and not the victim.”
Less than a day at the resort, Timothy (Jason Isaacs) is already making enemies on the soil. He’s a bit skeptical of coming all the way to the Asian country for his daughter’s project. Meanwhile, Victoria (Parker Posey) has been sleepy most of the time she’s on the screen, so maybe she could be a victim of the shooting because of lack of sleep. Which…is an interesting way to go, but not unexpected!
Are we smelling a little sisterhood rivalry here? Look, when we first saw these besties plan a trip for each other, we could already smell the jealousy. I mean, everyone online has expressed how planning vacations in friend groups can drive a wedge in even lifelong friendships. Laurie (Carrie Coon) and Kate (Leslie Bibb) tag along with their actress friend Jaclyn Lemon (Michelle Monahan) to the tropical island. We already see a taste of Jaclyn’s annoyance towards Kate, but will that fuel murder?
Upon meeting Rick (Walter Goggins), he’s in a seesaw between feeling annoyed by his girlfriend Chelsea (Aimee Lou Wood) and something that’s clearly bothering him. Chelsea’s trying to live it up on the island and “get wasted” before their wellness retreat settles in. They look pretty innocent now, but would they be the target of someone’s malice? Maybe.
Season 1’s Belinda (Natasha Rothwell) is on a work-exchange trip to learn more about wellness and to unwind from the events of the previous season. She develops a connection with Pornchai (Dom Hetrakul) who is the resident expert of wellness in The White Lotus Thailand. She’s easily scared by the nature surrounding the resort, and can probably be as scared as her son when she hears those gunshots.
Okay, so we’ve already seen a lot of disdain towards the wildlife in episode one of the season. Poisonous fruit, mysterious rustling, and mischievous monkeys roam the entire place. Yes, they look cute at first glance, but from everything we’ve learned from Chimp Crazy, they’re not to be trusted! Maybe someone had their final straw with these creatures and shot at a ton of them at the resort. Or…a monkey could be behind the trigger.
Michelle Monaghan who plays Jaclyn ruled out the possibility of monkeys in an interview with InStyle “What? The monkeys do the shooting? Man, y’all have lost it,” she said. “Spoiler alert, like, sorry, the monkeys don’t do the shooting.”
