The White Lotus wrapped up a glorious season two recently. Shot in splendid Italian locales, this season was even better than the first one despite having no Armond (Murray Bartlett). We did see the return of the iconic Jennifer Coolidge as Tanya McQuoid in the new season. After seeing Tanya mope around during season one as she tried to get over her mother’s death, it was intriguing seeing her come alive partying like a true blue trust fund baby with the economically diminishing European nobility.
Just like how Tanya was the thread that linked the two seasons, there is likely to be a common link that connects season three with its predecessors. This could go on as long as we have more The White Lotus seasons coming our way.
With Tanya’s fate sealed in the second season, there are still many likely contenders who could come back to the next destination where murder, mayhem, and rich-people malice are sure to follow.
Mia and Lucia Should Return
Given Jennifer Coolidge’s legacy, the show will feel rather incomplete without her presence in the third outing. Even though The White Lotus doesn’t really do flashbacks, maybe she can appear again in a news report flashing in the background, with the latest details of what is bound to be a sensational true-crime story unraveling in real-time.
Barring Tanya, the strongest candidates for a season three return have to be Mia (Beatrice Grannò) and Lucia (Simona Tabasco). Of course, Tom Hollander’s Quentin would have been our first choice but given that he bites the dust with so much confusion written all over his face, we can’t have that. Unless he survives somehow.
Mia and Lucia are the two Italian locals who, unlike the Hawaiian natives in season one, don’t let the defenders of oppressive gender and class structures get the last laugh. As opposed to hypocritical social media influencers who are already born into generational wealth, Mia and Lucia do a real hustle on the men who hold power over them at the beginning of the story. Mia ends up replacing White Lotus’ lounge singer, who had dangled career prospects in front of her in order to sexually exploit her. And Lucia ends up “helping” Albie (Adam DiMarco) and Dominic (Michael Imperioli) pay off a karmic debt by (almost consensually) swindling them out of €50,000.
Perhaps Mia can show up in the next location we are headed to as a guest singer, there to entertain a whole new slew of filthy, rich narcissists. Or maybe her singing career takes off, and she actually ends up being a guest next time around. We would also like to know what Lucia finally does with her mini fortune. Does she open that cozy little boutique that caters to Italy’s bougie tourists? Maybe she becomes a part of Mia’s entourage, traveling the world, wining and dining on her own terms.
The Di Grasso Men Could Also Return
Albie or any of the three Di Grasso men can return as well. Show creator Mike White mentioned Asia could be a potential destination for the third season. During the aftershow of the season two finale, White further spitballed.
"The first season highlighted money, and then the second season is sex. I think the third season will be 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."
If the third season indeed takes place in Asia, especially in India, maybe Dominic, a Hollywood producer, could show up to produce a Bollywood film. Of course, there are other robust film industries in India, but Bollywood is the most recognizable to a Western audience.
Albie could show up to learn the ropes under his father’s tutelage because the Stanford graduate seemed to have decided to follow in his father’s footsteps after all. This time around the splendid Laura Dern, who only voices Dominic’s wife’s character in season two, can join in on the family fun too.
Harper Would Make a Great Return
Aubrey Plaza’s Harper was a delight in season two, with her scorn and incredulity of the ignorance, indifference, and posterity of the vapidly wealthy. It would be interesting to see how much her newly gained social affluence changes her if she and Ethan (Will Sharpe) show up again in the third season. It will be especially fascinating if they turn up on another holiday with Daphne (Meghann Fahy) and Cameron (Theo James) as a chaotic foursome yet again. It could make for compelling storytelling to see how showrunners develop their equation to bring us an even more sordid insight into the world of the obnoxiously wealthy.
Theories Could Support Greg's Return
The multiple murders in the season two finale left a lot of deliberately unanswered questions. There were indications that Greg (Jon Gries) was merely putting up with Tanya’s shenanigans and possibly having an affair. It is also clear that Quentin, Matteo, Didier, and Hugo were after Tanya’s money. But it is never clarified if Tanya indeed sees a young Greg in one of Quentin’s old photos and if they were actually conspiring together. Was murder even on their minds or was it just going to be blackmail?
There are also some theories that have pointed out that Greg was on the boat when the whole showdown happened. All the arrows pointing to Greg could have been mere red herrings. But if he does come to inherit Tanya’s money the shadows of doubt will forever loom over his head. A shadowy answer is more likely to come our way than a straightforward one because that is how The White Lotus writers like to roll.