The White Lotus Is Heading To Thailand For Season 3, Let's Speculate Wildly!
This post contains spoilers for "The White Lotus" seasons 1 and 2.
It's official, Lotus-heads: the highly anticipated third season of "The White Lotus" will be set in Thailand, Variety reports. Each season promises a new location and cast centering around a unique theme, so it's impossible to say for sure where this next season will go. Even still, there's been lots of hints dropped in the press and in the series itself about what season 3 might have in store. Luckily for you, I did a little digging and came up with some educated guesses so you don't have to.
Most Thai people practice Buddhism, a beautiful and ancient religion that has long been co-opted by wealthy Westerners. At its core, the HBO series is a satire of the uber-rich, and the imperialism of Buddhist practices is rife with potential for humor as well as deeply profound introspection.
"The first season [of 'The White Lotus'] kind of highlighted money, and then, the second season is sex," series creator Mike White explained in a season 2 behind-the-scenes video. "And I think the third season would be maybe a kind of satirical and funny look at death and Eastern religion and spirituality. And it feels like it could be a rich tapestry to do another round at White Lotus."
Spirituality is the perfect entry point for both scathing satire and sympathetic psychoanalysis. What better way to pick apart the ultra-wealthy than to watch them explore their own minds? But, let's be honest, theme and location are far from the only questions on fans' minds.
Who will solve Tanya's murder?
Okay, now for the fun part. It goes without saying that Jennifer Coolidge left a huge void when her character's death killed any hope of her coming back for a third season, especially since Tanya was the only character featured in seasons 1 and 2 in their entirety. Coolidge might not be returning, but the events leading up to Tanya's drowning remain unsolved. Could Greg be so bold as to spend his newly acquired capital at one of Tanya's favorite resorts? If so, would another returning cast member be on his tail?
Tanya's assistant Portia sparks up a romance with Albie at the close of season 2, which leaves room for their storyline to be expanded upon. Maybe they will go to Thailand together and solve the mystery of Tanya's death as a newly minted couple. "I think as far as [...] the conspiracy of Tanya's death, it's possible that I think Portia is scared enough to just leave it alone," Mike White suggested, "but the fact that all of those guys die on the boat, it feels like there's gotta be somebody who's gonna track it back down to Greg."
This theory starts to hold some more weight when you consider Michael Imperioli's character, Dominic. His marriage has lots of unresolved issues, and his wife and daughter were a looming off-screen presence all season. More importantly, the wife Abby was voiced by Laura Dern, a close friend, and collaborator of White's — the pair co-created the HBO series "Enlightened" together. It's unlikely that White would introduce Dern onto the show without giving her character a proper day in the sun. The series creator even teased the idea to Esquire back in December.
"Who knows," White suggested, "maybe there'll be another 'White Lotus' season where Dominic comes with his wife and they patch it all up!"
Who is most likely to return for season 3?
The third season is still in the early stages of pre-production, with Mike White scouting locations in Thailand, per Variety. Still, a few more former cast members have suggested that they might return to the show in one form or another. For those that might have found my Di Grasso family fan theory far-fetched, note that Michael Imperioli is totally on board with the idea of returning to the "White Lotus" cast, although he's reluctant to get his hopes up prematurely.
"I don't want to think about it too much," the actor told Esquire. "Because the idea of that makes me so happy. I don't want to be disappointed... I would want nothing more than that. I just loved working with Mike [White] so much."
It seems unlikely that F. Murray Abraham, who plays Dominic's father, would return for another season along with his family. Since his storylines were all wrapped up and largely centered around his impending mortality, it seems more likely that his death would prompt a search for spiritual healing in Dominic.
But let's not limit our imagination to season 2 characters. Connie Britton, who played the powerhouse CFO Nicole Mossbacher in season 1, claimed that she is likely to return in season 3. "[White] wanted me to be in the second season, and there was an idea that I loved for the character," the actress revealed to Deadline. "Our intention is to do it in the third season. A piece of casting didn't work in the second season and we're hoping to [do] that in the third season." Add to that a rumor claiming Abby and Nicole are sisters, and we might see the two in Thailand together.
Who will join the cast in Thailand?
On top of returning cast members, there is always the promise of fresh faces at the White Lotus resort — perhaps played by familiar Hollywood icons. Aside from Laura Dern, a few other names have popped up in fans' speculation.
Most recently, Mike White was spotted at dinner with Danny Devito, per Parade, sparking theories that he might be joining the season 3 cast. The HBO series has a slightly more dramatic tone than we typically see from the "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" actor, but he definitely has the chops to take it on. His dark sense of humor will fit right in, and he has played more dramatic roles in the past — for reference, see the 2016 film "Weiner-Dog."
"Jackass" alum Johnny Knoxville has also expressed an interest in joining "The White Lotus" season 3 cast. When asked if he would consider joining the potentially deadly luxury vacation, he responded in the affirmative. "Mike White is a very close friend of mine," he told Vulture. "He and I had been in Tokyo together [...] I might call him again as soon as this [interview] is over."
So, perhaps Portia's efforts to solve the Great Greg Conspiracy will be aided — or thwarted — by Johnny Knoxville and Danny Devito, or perhaps I'm totally off the map with every single theory here. But, let's be honest, even if I'm totally wrong, it'll still make for an exciting watch. No matter who's on first or what's on second, "The White Lotus" Thailand is sure to be a thrilling third entry into the anthology series, and it can't come soon enough.