Belinda Lloyd
Though Season 2 of The White Lotus was only released on December 11, series creator Mike White might have just revealed the setting for the highly anticipated third instalment.
Since the release of HBO’s The White Lotus’ first season back in 2021, the show has received critical acclaim from award shows and fans alike. The series focuses on a group of wealthy people vacationing at The White Lotus, a Four Seasons-esque, luxurious five-star resort, looking for an exclusive getaway.
To match the star theme, White – the creator, director, and executive producer of the show – selects an ensemble cast for each season, such as Sydney Sweeney and Connie Britton, who played mother and daughter in the premier.
Seasons 1 and 2
Season 1 was set in Hawaii, and Season 2’s White Lotus resort was based in Sicily, so fans were quick to speculate where the third season may be set. White seemed to hint at a completely different location, with an Eastern theme.
The series’ opening episode presented a murder-mystery, whodunit kind of vibe. In the opening scenes, viewers briefly saw an anonymous deceased character before cutting to the events of the season that led up to the murder. As White didn’t give the audience any information, viewers were invited to speculate who the victim and killer were as the season unfolded.
The anthology series is a modern-day American Horror Story, with each season revolving around a different set of characters in a completely different location from the prior. Differently from AHS, The White Lotus sadly does not have Jessica Lange and Evan Peters recurring every season. The only recurring characters are Jennifer Coolidge’s Tanya, an over-dramatic yet comedic heiress, and her love interest Greg.
Tanya has remained the standout character, with social media buzzing with praise for Coolidge’s performance. While the first season became the most-awarded series at the 74th Emmy Awards, the latest season has swiped Golden Globe wins for Best Anthology Series and Best Supporting Actress for Coolidge.
White unpacked his reasoning behind killing off the star of the show and major character, Tanya, saying, “It felt like she needed to give her best fight back, and that she, in a way, had some kind of victory over whoever was conspiring to get rid of her.”
White discussed the themes of each season in a behind-the-scenes featurette. He said “The first season kind of highlighted money, and then the second season is sex. I think the third season would be maybe a satirical and funny look at death and Eastern religion and spirituality. It feels like it could be a rich tapestry to do another round at White Lotus.”
Every White Lotus setting allows White to satirise aspects of upper-class society and their over-the-top and out-of-touch lifestyles.
What We Know
Since it was revealed that the show has been renewed, fans swarmed to TikTok in order to speculate where White would take them next.
Some think that this was revealed in the Season 2 finale when Harper (Aubrey Plaza), Cameron (Theo James), Ethan (Will Sharpe) and Daphne (Meghann Fahy) suggest going to the Maldives next.
However, a recent video posted by Mike White potentially derails White Lotus fan theories. After recording a video giving thanks to writer Evan Ross Katz, who then posted the video to Twitter in shock, eagle-eyed fans swarmed to social media, theorising that this was Season 3’s location.
To some, Mike White was simply sitting on a white beach on a Thai vacation, but to excited fans, the luxurious hotel, similar to White’s White Lotus resort, could hint that The White Lotus Season 3’s setting could be in Thailand.
HOLY SHIT pic.twitter.com/l02wIlxuUK
— Ξvan Ross Katz (@evanrosskatz) January 24, 2023
As the second series was only released in December 2022, and with no update on when writing or filming Season 3 will commence, Mike White’s audience has to sit tight and wait patiently for any official news, and it may be a while.
The White Lotus is currently available on HBO and Now TV.
Featured image courtesy of Austris Augusts via Unsplash. Image license found here. No changes were made to this image.
Belinda June
Belinda is an English Literature graduate from Bristol and Durham. She currently works in education and aspires to work in the creative arts. In her spare time, Belinda is an avid reader, painter, and writer, working on creative fiction, while also an Entertainment Writer and Twitter Editor for Empoword.