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The White Lotushas already sent fans off into a tizzy, and it’s only just begun. The third season of the widely loved show about the rich in crisis premiered this week with a fury of monkeys, murder, and mayhem. And that’s only in the first few minutes. While viewers will have weeks to watch the unraveling of this murder mystery, fans have already come up with an ape-wild theory that may actually not be so outlandish after all.
Created by Mike White,The White Lotusis a dramatic murder mystery following a group of rich vacationers at one of the world’s most luxurious resorts. An early glimpse into the not-so-distant future reveals gunfire interrupting the tranquility ofThe White Lotusand an unknownvictim floating to an untimely end. Fans on social media have been eager to share their theories on social media. And so far,the prevailing thought of this who-done-it mystery points to one furry-fingered culprit: a monkey.
The White Lotus
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The idea may seem fantastical. And while it may sound funny to say, “The monkey did it,” that’s exactly what early fan theories are leading to. In the premiere episode, much is made of the many monkeys that surround theWhite Lotus Thailand. The chatter of their calls serves as a background to the season from the episode’s first moments. When Zion, the son of Belinda (Natasha Rothwell), opens the series in a calming meditative session, he is frequently distracted by the presence of monkeys in the trees surrounding him. Moments later, gunshots ring out, and a concerned Zion finds a body floating in the pond. Could it be a monkey?
Fans say yes. And their reasoning behind it harkens back to a beloved character who met her demise at the end of the second season.Fan theory suggests that the spirit of Tanya McQuoid (Jennifer Coolidge) was reincarnated into a monkeyto exact revenge on her widower husband Greg (Jon Gries), who set up her death. Fans noted that in Seasons 1 and 2 of the series, Coolidge’s name is accompanied bythe drawing of a monkey in the opening credits.
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Could this be a foreshadowing of her spiritual return? Fans sure hope so. Or perhaps it is only the hopes of fans looking for revenge. And it appears Coolidge might agree. In aVariety Actors on Actorsconversation with Jeremy White, Coolidge spoke about Tanya’s need to resolve unsettled business as she queried, “Maybe she could come back as a seagull and poke Greg’s eyes out.”
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At the end of the second season, creator Mike White hinted thatSeason 3 would be a “satirical and funny look at death and Eastern religion.” Bringing the spirit of Tanya back as a monkey would fit this description to a tee. In addition, the setting of the season in Thailand makes this possibility all the more relevant as it features the Buddhist religion, in which reincarnation is a belief. In a fun moment, the series smartly uses the characters of the show to reenact the three monkeys' “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil” mantra.
The new characters, the Ratcliff family, have traveled to Thailand so their daughter can interview a Buddhist monk. In an early moment on the boat, the three Ratcliff siblings are sitting side by side with the eldest Saxon (Patrick Schwarzenegger) wearing sunglasses, Piper (Sarah Catherine Cook) with a pair of earphones, while Lochlan’s (Sam Nivola) mouth is hidden as he takes a drink.It is a clever call and another sign that monkeys will be the key to the series.
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Another early call happens at the very beginning of the episode, as Zion’s meditation teacher invites him to “calm our monkey minds.” The term “monkey minds” is a Buddhist concept to describe a state of restless, uncontrollable thoughts.Tanya’s death at the setup of her husband could well have made her restless spirit. In theory, if Tanya’s spirit had decided to haunt her husband, his move to Thailand brought her to a place where her restless spirit could reincarnate and exact her revenge to finally find peace. This would be a fitting tribute to her character and, honestly, the sort of wacky misadventure that fans might expect in a Coolidge storyline.
Along with the above cast, Season 3 ofThe White Lotusalso stars Jason Issacs (Harry Potterseries), Parker Posey (Best in Show), Michelle Monaghan (Mission: Impossibleseries), Leslie Bibb (Iron Man), and Carrie Coon (The Leftovers). Fans will have to wait a while longer to see how this monkey manifestation plays out. But even ifit’s all a red herringand there’s a very human finger pulling the trigger, the idea of monkey Tanya’s revenge is so satisfying.The White Lotusairs on Sundays on HBO andMax.
