Warning: The following article contains spoilers for The White Lotus Season 3, Episode 1, “Same Spirits, New Forms.”
The White Lotus is back, and that means another batch of cashed-up vacationers – and another as-yet-unidentified corpse! With this in mind, we’ve ranked every resort guest in The White Lotus Season 3, based on how likely they are to wind up dead at the end.
Note: This list doesn’t cover White Lotus staff (except for Belinda, who’s effectively on a working holiday in Season 3). It’s not that the likes of Mook and Gaitok – or even resort co-owner Sritala – aren’t at risk; they just aren’t the focus here.
11. Kate (Leslie Bibb)
Anyone can turn up dead in The White Lotus; it’s one of the HBO anthology series’ main hooks. Even so, some folks enter with better odds than others – such as Kate. She’s clearly in at least as good shape as her fellow 40-something friends, and doesn’t have any apparent vices (her drinking is pretty tame). Kate doesn’t have any obvious enemies either, unless one of her pals turns on her (and they don’t seem the murdering type). So, unless Kate’s simply caught in the crossfire of Season 3, Episode 1’s flash-forward shoot-out, that’s probably not her body floating in the water.
10. Victoria (Parker Posey)
Ratliff matriarch Victoria is another of The White Lotus Season 3’s resort guests who seems destined to leave Thailand alive. There’s just not much about her that screams “target.” That said, Victoria is apparently pretty hooked on prescription pills, which is why we’ve ranked her higher than Kate. After all, we only think that the dead body in Episode 1’s opening is a gunshot victim. It could just as easily be Victoria, following an over-medication mishap.
9. Lochlan (Sam Nivola)
Victoria and Tim Ratliff’s youngest child, Lochlan, seems like a good kid. He’s certainly far more considerate than his obnoxious brother, Saxon. But Lochlan also comes across as fairly impressionable, which doesn’t help his chances of survival. Once the bullets start flying, will he do something stupid, especially if Saxon eggs him on? Only time (and The White Lotus Season 3’s seven remaining episodes) will tell.
8. Piper (Sarah Catherine Hook)
The second eldest Ratliffe child, Piper, has her head screwed on the straightest in The White Lotus Season 3. So, in theory, that should help her sidestep a “lapse in reason”-style demise. Unfortunately, there are plenty of other ways to die that not even the most practical person can avoid. For example, what if Episode 1’s shooter is on a misogyny-fuelled rampage? The White Lotus does have form when it comes to toxic masculinity. Heck, Piper’s own brother, Saxon, seems like the kinda guy who could kill a woman (even his own sibling) if pushed far enough!
7. Jaclyn (Michelle Monaghan)
Jaclyn is the only celebrity guest at the resort in The White Lotus Season 3. She’s a TV star – and that automatically bumps her up this list. Think about it: there are plenty of people out there who’d get a kick out of murdering someone famous like Jaclyn! Equally, a jealous childhood friend – like, say, Laurie – could take her out, instead. That said, we’ve seen little evidence so far that Jaclyn’s in any immediate danger, and we’ve reflected this in our rankings.
6. Timothy (Jason Isaacs)
On the face of it, Timothy Ratliffe’s no more likely to die in The White Lotus Season 3 than his wife, Victoria. But consider this: he gets a call from a journalist late in Episode 1, and his cagey reaction suggests he’s got something to hide. Could Timothy have corporate enemies out to put him on ice? Or could whatever’s brewing back home be enough to make him take his own life, rather than face the consequences? Don’t discount either possibility!
5. Laurie (Carrie Coon)
Poor Laurie is clearly working through some stuff in The White Lotus Season 3. For one thing, she’s possibly an alcoholic; she takes a bottle of wine to bed with her in Episode 1. She also has some serious unresolved issues with Jaclyn and Kate, if her tearful breakdown watching the pair talk is anything to go by. Is Season 3’s shooting a red herring? Could the dead body be Laurie’s, after she’s harmed herself (intentionally or otherwise)? We could totally see that being what goes down.
4. Saxon (Patrick Schwarzenegger)
Saxon is an abrasive, hedonistic rich boy. In short: he’s the kind of guy who ruffles feathers and doesn’t really think beyond his own, immediate desires. These qualities rarely correspond to a long, healthy life – and we could see them being behind Saxon’s downfall. Maybe he hits on someone’s girlfriend and gets shot for his troubles? Or he parties too hard with the wrong people? Either way, his days may be numbered.
3. Chelsea (Aimee Lou Wood)
Chelsea literally references her own death in The White Lotus Season 1’s premiere, so she’s automatically in our Top 3 (even if she was speaking euphemistically). But potential foreshadowing aside, there are other red flags here. For starters, Chelsea’s dating Rick: a sketchy dude likely to get the people close to him shot if ever there was one. Then there’s her friendship with Chloe, who’s dating Greg: the guy who probably (read: definitely) arranged his wife Tanya’s murder in Season 2!
2. Belinda (Natasha Rothwell)
Belinda seems like an odd choice for the #2 slot – until you remember she met Greg in Season 1! So, if she and Greg cross paths in The White Lotus Season 3 (likely, since he and Chloe are regular patrons), she could paint a target on her back. That’s assuming Belinda knows that Tanya died under fishy circumstances, and Greg decides she poses a threat to him! He’s (probably) killed before; will he kill again in Season 3?
1. Rick (Walton Goggins)
Whatever Rick’s up to in The White Lotus Season 3, it’s almost certainly nothing good. And if history (and The White Lotus‘ last two seasons) are any guide, getting tangled up in dodgy dealings can ruin lives – or even end them. Besides, if we’re all being honest here, Rick just gives off the vibe of someone bound to go out in a firefight, either with the local authorities or fellow questionable cats.
The White Lotus Season 3 is currently airing on HBO and Max, with new episodes dropping Sundays.