It’s won 15 Emmy awards. It turned Jennifer Coolidge into a TV idol at 59. It somehow depicted a character pooping into a suitcase – and didn’t instantly lose all of its viewers. In terms of astonishing television, The White Lotus is right up there, and now it’s back for a third season.
It’s also a show where having watched previous outings is really going to pay off, with former characters making a comeback. This, of course, means only one thing: hours spent combing the internet trying to remember what on earth happened all those years ago, right? Not if you read on – we’ve prepared a primer of all the key info you need to be ready to dive right in.
Where is it?
At a White Lotus luxury holiday resort, obviously – hence the name of the show. This time round, after having visited Hawaii (season one) and Sicily (season two), it’s headed to Thailand. Seemingly, the Thai branch of the hotel chain is more of a spa resort, given its insistence on digital detoxes and more talk of wellness treatments than a hokey Instagram account.
Who’s new?
This year’s cast includes Fallout’s Walton Goggins as one half of an odd couple alongside Sex Education’s Aimee Lou Wood – who speaks in her native Manchester accent after claiming it helped her win the role. They’re joined by Blackpink member Lisa (using her full name Lalisa Manobal), Jason Isaacs, Parker Posey and Michelle Monaghan.
It also features Patrick Schwarzenegger, whose dad you can almost certainly guess, but whose reaction to his son’s appearance you possibly can’t.
“What a show! I could claim to be surprised to find out he has a nude scene,” the Terminator star posted on Instagram, “but what can I say – the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”
Non spoiler-y returning cast announcement
It’s been widely reported online that – like Jennifer Coolidge last year – there will be a returning main character for the latest season. That person is Natasha Rothwell as Belinda Lindsey – the spa manager from season one. At one point, she gets a plotline based on a real-life experience of the actor’s, when she holidayed in Ireland and found herself surrounded almost exclusively by white people.
“I’m there, on top of this beautiful green hill, and there’s mist everywhere and not another Black person in sight,” she says. “And very cinematically, this Black family emerges from the mist, and we lock eyes, and I go up to them and I literally hug everyone in their family without even speaking. And they hug back.”
Slightly spoilery cast announcement
Skip to the next paragraph if you’re keen not to reveal the return of a previously unannounced character that comes 49 minutes into the first episode. During a barside conversation, we get a brief glimpse of Greg, AKA the love interest of Coolidge’s Tanya McQuoid character from the last two series – making him the only character thus far to feature in all three seasons of the show.
It is it worth watching?
Yes! It’s traditional that the show opens with a flash-forward to someone’s death – so we can spend the rest of the episodes trying to figure out who it is. This year’s is easily the biggest, most dramatic intro to a season of White Lotus ever. And lest you missed our review, it got a cool four stars – well worth tuning in for.
What previous plotlines do you need to know?
The main stories that it’s helpful to reacquaint yourself with are the ones relating to Tanya. First, her dealings with Belinda. After the spa manager spent the bulk of the series whipping out business plans at the drop of a hat and asking Tanya to invest in her new wellness centre, she ended season one by receiving a big cash gift. Given that she appears to be at the Thai White Lotus resort to observe how it works, it seems she’s still in the process of researching that business.
Tanya’s relationship with – again, spoiler alert for those who skipped out a paragraph above – Greg is also key. We last saw him in the second episode of season two, seeming increasingly frustrated in his marriage with Tanya, just before he flew away on “business” – following a suspicious-sounding call that she interpreted as being to his lover.
Shortly after that, Tanya found a photo that looked a lot like a young Greg in the house of her new pal Quentin. After her assistant, Portia, warned her that she feared Quentin was up to no good, Tanya had the realisation that her prenup meant Greg inheriting her wealth, should she end up dying. And then she died while trying to flee.
What does it all mean?
There are plenty of new characters and plotlines that will sprawl out over the season. But we look set for plenty of drama involving Greg. Will Belinda remember him? Will she unearth any odd details about Tanya? Might he get his comeuppance? All will be revealed … (but here’s hoping.)
The White Lotus season three is on Sky Atlantic in the UK from 17 February and HBO in the US from 16 February, and is on Foxtel and Binge in Australia.
