The White Lotus Season 3: The Most Interesting (and Absurd) Theories About the Ending

The White Lotus Season 3 brought its spectators to Thailand, giving them a mix of luxury, tension, and mystery that made the ending even more awaited. As per the tradition of the series created by Mike White, we expect shocking revelations, revenge, and, of course, a mysterious death that will change the fate of some of the protagonists. But who will be the victim this time? And who will have pulled the trigger? While the Thai resort turns into a theater of secrets and dangers, here are some of the most interesting theories that could explain the season finale of The White Lotus Season 3.

With the premiere of episode 4 of The White Lotus Season 3, it is already halfway there, and although it seems that not too much has happened, the series has already revealed to us that a tragedy is about to happen and that the tensions between the characters are getting higher. From the first chapter, it became clear that things are not going to end well for resort guests. The series opens with a shooting inside the hotel and with guests and staff running to try to hide, and from that moment, there were two important questions: who is going to die, and who or who will be to blame? In the first and second seasons of The White Lotus, we saw the same guests unleashing the chaos that ends in death. The first season was just one, but the second season raised the game with a murder plan that doesn’t go as expected, and the third season seems to be moving down a different path, and one of the biggest tracks is in the opening credits (even when the music is not up to the credits of those of past seasons).

The White Lotus Season 3: The Mystery of the Killer Monkey?

It seems absurd, but it is not entirely. One of the most popular theories claims that the death in question could have been caused by a monkey. Since the first episodes, the theme of monkeys has been recurrent: from their disturbing appearances around the resort to symbolic references to Asian culture to the possibility that a weapon ends up in the wrong hands … or in the wrong legs. During the season, several weapons appeared: a gun briefly stolen by Tim Ratliff, another in Rick’s hands after a trip to Bangkok. Could there be an unexpected sequence of events that leads a monkey to take possession of a weapon and accidentally cause the death of a guest? It would be in line with the black humor of the series and its inclination for the most unpredictable twists.

The Curse of Number Three

Another detail that caught the attention of fans concerns the constant presence of the number three. The season has repeatedly played with the symbolism of the triads: the three Ratliff brothers (Saxon, Piper, and Lochlan), the trio of friends on vacation (Laurie, Jaclyn, and Kate), and even Chelsea’s obsession with the proverb “bad luck comes in three”. The theory suggests that this scheme could herald a nefarious fate for one of these triads. Could it be the death of one of the Ratliff brothers? Or will one of the friends be the victim of a crime related to their dating Alexei and Valentin? What if the misfortune in three concerned the men of the resort – Gaitok, Valentin, and Rick – involved in a shooting that ends in chaos?

The Forbidden Fruit: An Unexpected Murder?

In the first episodes, a poisonous fruit typical of Thailand is mentioned, capable of causing death if ingested. It looks like a random detail, but nothing in The White Lotus is ever truly random. An interesting hypothesis is that the fruit can be accidentally mixed in one of Saxon Ratliff’s protein shakes, leading to involuntary poisoning. Or someone could use it deliberately to eliminate an unwanted guest, perhaps Timothy Ratliff, the patriarch of the family who has now lost everything. It would be a perfect murder, difficult to trace back to a human culprit.

Mook: The Real Villain of the Season?

Mook, the young employee of the resort, has always been painted as a sweet and kind figure. But what if his attitude was just a facade? Some viewers believe that Mook could secretly be the mind behind the tragic events of the season. Her enigmatic attitude, her proximity to Gaitok (who works in hotel security), and her relationship with Valentin, implicated in unclear traffic, put her in a perfect position to orchestrate a crime. If she were to be involved in a plot with Valentin to rob some wealthy guests, the time may come when things get out of hand. Maybe it is she who pulls the trigger, revealing a much darker nature than imagined.

Rick’s Fate: A Dangerous Family Secret?

Rick is one of the most enigmatic characters of this season. We soon discover that the real reason for his trip to Thailand is not only a vacation but the search for answers about his father, who died in mysterious circumstances. The most reliable theory is that Jim Hollinger, the co-owner of the resort, is actually Rick’s father. If this revelation were to come to light, it could trigger a chain reaction of unpredictable consequences, leading to a lethal confrontation between Rick and his alleged father. In addition, Rick has already shown signs of instability between moments of uncontrolled anger and a difficult past. If he finds out that he has been betrayed or manipulated, it could be he who unleashes the final violence.

Tanya’s Revenge: A Ghost From the Past?

Many fans hope that Tanya McQuoid (played by Jennifer Coolidge) may somehow reappear this season, even if only as a hallucination or flashback. A fascinating theory suggests that her spirit may somehow influence the fate of her husband, Greg, who betrayed her and orchestrated her murder in the second season. Greg is also present this season, and his fate could be marked by an unexpected posthumous revenge. Perhaps Belinda, Tanya’s former spa manager who has returned to the series, will find out the truth about her death and decide to get justice. Or maybe Greg, tormented by guilt, will end up being yet another victim of a lethal season finale.

Who Will Die in The White Lotus Season 3?

Belinda and Chloe

Belinda: He is the character who returned from season 1, where he met Tanya, and she gets into trouble when she recognizes Greg as Tanya’s husband and begins to suspect that he had something to do with her death.

Greg offered her money to silence her, but she doesn’t accept it, and in the promo of the chapter, we can see that things don’t end well between them, and that means Greg could try to eliminate her so that the truth doesn’t come to light and can continue to live quietly in Thailand.

For his part, Chloe has been playing on dangerous terrain all season, and Greg is not happy with her, we already know what happens to his partners when they don’t give him what he wants.

The Ratliffs

Timothy Ratliff He has been fantasizing about killing his family since he found out that he is going to lose everything and that he could spend years in prison. Victoria made it very clear to her that she doesn’t want to have an awkward life, and this pushed Timothy to the extreme, where we even saw him fantasize about taking a gun and shooting his wife and older son, Saxon, who told him that his career is tied to his and that, if something goes wrong, that will destroy him too.

Timothy no longer has the gun, but in the promo of the final chapter, we see him drinking toxic fruit and asking the hotel staff, which suggests that he could try to poison his family.

Laurie

Laurie She’s not at a very good point with her friends, plus she decided to leave the hotel, go to a Muay Thai fight, and have sex with one of Valentin’s friends, who tried to ask her for money later. Laurie had to run away, but before this, Gaitok realized that Valentin and his friends were the ones who robbed the hotel days before, so this could be a trigger to blow them up, and that could make Laurie a collateral victim.

Timothy Ratliff

Timothy not only fantasizes about killing his family, he also has suicidal thoughts, and he could conclude that, to save his loved ones from shame and discomfort, his suicide could be a good idea, with that toxic fruit that they already warned him not to eat.

Gaitok

It is clear that Gaitok wants to be a hero to impress Mook, and his chance comes when he discovers that Valentin and his friends were the ones who robbed the hotel. Gaitok is going to accuse them with his superiors, and this could make criminals go after him.

Who Is The Killer in The White Lotus Season 3?

Timothy Ratliff

Jason Isaacs He plays Timothy Ratliff, who at the beginning of the season shows himself as a safe and determined businessman, who is simply taking a vacation with his wife and children. But the series has revealed that Timothy is accused of fraud and that he faces the possibility of losing everything he has and going to prison. This leads the businessman to start stealing his wife’s medications and to become increasingly anxious. In Chapter 4, Timothy finds the gun that Gaitok kept in the hotel surveillance booth, and we see him enter the resort with what appears to be the weapon hidden in your pocket, and that introduces the “tool” with which the crime is to be committed.

Greg / Gary

Greg is one of the characters who returned from previous seasons, where we saw him as Tanya’s partner (Jennifer Coolidge), who plans his murder to keep his money and assets.

Greg now calls himself Gary, lives in Thailand, and has a much younger girlfriend. Everything seems to be going well for him, at least until Belinda runs into him at the Thai resort and recognizes him. Greg is clearly upset, and if Belinda confronts him over Tanya’s death, this could push him to a dangerous limit.

Rick Hatchett

Rick, played by Walton Goggins, seems to have reason to want to kill someone, but Chapter 4 changes things and leads Rick to give an important clue as to what might happen.

After Chelsea confronts him, Rick tells him the truth about why they are in Thailand. He tells her that the hotel owner murdered his father, who was an activist in Thailand trying to help the locals and prevent them from continuing to steal their land. The hotel owner killed him to get him out of the way and probably to be able to build that resort they are in.

Someone Outside the Hotel (and the credit wall)

Rick’s story seems to fit very well with what we see in the mural that appears in the opening credits, where we see scenes of chaos, where a group of people appears to attack those who appear to be hotel guests.

Rick revealed that locals were robbed of their land to build resorts and other foreign companies, so this, along with the robbery that happened in previous chapters, could point to a kind of uprising, where locals enter the hotel to try to recover the land that was stolen from them, attacks both guests and staff in a kind of mini revolution.