Warning: this article contains spoilers for the ending of every season of The White Lotus.
The White Lotusis one of the most entertaining shows streaming currently, and its death scenes are always as dramatic as possible, though some do resonate more than others.Each season ofThe White Lotuscenters on guests traveling to a beautiful location to stay in a White Lotus hotel with a new cast each season. What starts out as an idyllic trip quickly spirals as each season progresses, leading to many moments that are equally hilarious and horrifying. With the recentending ofThe White Lotusseason 3, the series has added several more victims to its ranks.
The White Lotusseason 3’s castwas full of A-list stars who made their characters' tension incredible to watch. The season saw even bigger moments than ever before, with Timothy Ratliff nearly losing it all andBelinda walking away with millions. While most of the characters left Thailand alive, for better or worse, there were a few big deaths this season. Season 2 also included multiple losses, butThe White Lotusseason 3’s deathsfelt grander in scale, both more shocking and saddening, though some of the previous seasons' deaths arguably had just as big an impact.
They Were Not Big Enough Characters To Have A Real Impact
Image via Max
Sritala’s bodyguards were just some of the victims fromThe White Lotus’s season 3 finale, but compared to the other deaths, theirs were not the main concern. After trying and failing to speak to Amrita, Rick takes his gun and goes after Sritala’s husband Jim. In the ensuing shoot-out, Sritala’s trusty bodyguards are taken out by Rick, though they also do some damage in the process. With everything else going on during that scene, the deaths of the bodyguards are easy to overlook, making them the least impactful of the series' deaths.
Compared to the other characters who die inThe White Lotus, Sritala’s bodyguards are not main characters, only appearing whenever she is in the scene.
In addition to their death scenes being the least memorable, the characters themselves are also the easiest to overlook. Compared to the other characters who die inThe White Lotus, Sritala’s bodyguards are not main characters, only appearing whenever she is in the scene. Even in the scenes where they do make appearances, they rarely speak. The only notable lines that Sritala’s bodyguards have throughout the show are to Gaitok about how he is not fit to be part of her private security team, showing that they were not very sympathetic characters anyway.
6Tanya’s Boat Murders
Tanya’s Preemptive Attack Was Funny But Not The Main Event
The White Lotusseason 2’s ending was arguably the best of the series so far. All the stories were satisfactorily wrapped up, and the deaths were very entertaining. Tom Hollander’s Quentin and his friends are fun characters and help move Tanya’s season 2 story along. That being said, compared to the main death in season 2, the earlier murders on the boat were far less important thanThe White Lotus’s other deaths. When Tanya realizes Greg’s plan to have them kill her, it makes sense that she attacks them preemptively.
Thus, the characters themselves are fairly entertaining and the circumstances of their deaths make sense within the plot of the season, but they still lack the emotional response that some ofThe White Lotus’s deaths have had. The dramatics of the scene were great, but since I was not that emotionally attached to any of the characters, it plays more for laughs than anything else. The boat scene has become one ofThe White Lotus’s more iconic moments, but the focus is more on Tanya, sothe people that she shoots get overshadowed by Jennifer Coolidge stealing the scene.
5Jim Hollinger
Jim’s Death Was Significant For Rick, But Was Way Overshadowed By Season 3’s Big Deaths
Despite only appearing in the final two episodes of season 3,Jim Hollinger ended up playing a huge role in the outcome of the season. Though Rick was searching for him from episode 1, Jim is not actually introduced until he visits Bangkok to avenge the death of his father. After confronting Jim, Rick decides to leave him there, realizing he is just an old man. While it seems like their story might be over, allowing Rick to finally find peace, when Jim turns up at the White Lotus hotel the next day, things quickly take a dark turn.
After Jim tells him to leave the resort, Rick retaliates by shooting him. While the death itself is somewhat shocking, since audiences are still hoping that Rick will pull back and go his own way,the real devastating moment comes when Sritala finally tells Rick that Jim was his father. Though this has been hinted at and many audience members had theorized that this would be the case, the finality of the moment and Rick’s inability to take back what he has done to his own father is the biggest revelation and what truly seals Rick’s tragic fate.
4Armond
Armond’s Death Was Sudden And Darkly Humorous
Season 1 ofThe White Lotusstarted the show very strong, so it is completely understandable why it remains many people’s favorite season. The season clearly demonstrated Mike White’s prowess at creating a world that was both hilarious and completely off-putting at times with characters that are often both unrelatable yet completely human, and Armond fits so well within that framework.Murray Bartlett did an absolutely amazing jobportraying someone who is on his last straw and quickly goes overboard in a way that still felt very sympathetic.
He is introduced from the outset as a person struggling to stay sober even after years of sobriety, and when he comes into possession of drugs, he takes the opportunity to go all out. As the season progresses and he gets higher and more detached from his job and reality,Armond is clearly headed towards disaster. Additionally, after trying everything he can to ruin Shane and Rachel’s honeymoon, Armond’s decision to go to the bathroom in Shane’s bag is shocking and disgusting but also a perfect end to his story.
The whole sequence is chaotic and funny, thanks to the great performances, but it still feels notably less emotionally resonant than the later seasons' endings.
The White Lotus season 1 did a great job of tying up all the loose ends really well, and I think Armond’s sudden and ridiculous death is a big part of that. After sneaking into Shane’s room to defecate in his suitcase, Shane notices an intruder and ends up stabbing Armond. The whole sequence is chaotic and funny, thanks to the great performances, but it still feels notably less emotionally resonant than the later seasons' endings.
3Rick
Rick’s Tragic Walk While Carrying Chelsea Was A Huge Moment
Rick was a very frustrating character inThe White Lotusseason 3, but I still found myself rooting for him to change as the season progressed. There are moments where it seems like this is about to happen, particularly after he decides not to kill Jim in Bangkok. However, Rick’s inability to escape his past, live in the moment, and see Chelsea for all that she is worth, is his and her ultimate downfall. His decisions in the finale fit perfectly with his story as a man who is his own worst enemy, which makes it really tragic to watch.
To a certain extent, all the seasons ofThe White Lotushave these tragic, almost Shakespearean dramatic moments, but season 3’s ending leans into those much more than previous seasons that have highlighted the comedic aspects. Rick seeing Chelsea and finally realizing what he has done to someone he loved is brutal, as is his decision to pick her up and carry her. The scene of Rick carrying Chelsea while Gaitok prepares to shoot him almost feels like it is playing in slow motion. The audience can see the disaster happening, but it cannot be stopped.
2Tanya
Tanya’s Accidental Death Was Hilarious And Unforgettable
Tanya McQuoid was easily one ofThe White Lotus’s best characters. She was the funniest character in both seasons 1 and 2, so it feels incredibly fitting that her death was also undeniably funny. Tanya’s death and Greg’s involvement in it was a huge moment in the show, and one that had lasting consequences for season 3 as well. While it is a shame that Tanya won’t be able to visit more White Lotus locations in the future,Tanya’s death felt very fitting for the character and the plot of season 2.
Tanya’s comedic death was a great end to the season that was satisfying but not too dark.
her death has become one of themost iconic moments ofThe White Lotus, thanks to Jennifer Coolidge’s delivery of the “Please, these gays, they’re trying to murder me” line. The moment will live on forever. While this line and the comedic delivery were incredible,Tanya’s actual death was just as funny. After successfully killing all the men on the boat before they could kill her, Tanya slips and hits her head while falling off the boat, causing her to drown. Tanya’s comedic death was a great end to the season that was satisfying but not too dark.
1Chelsea
Chelsea’s Innocent Hopefulness Makes Her Death The Hardest
The White Lotusseason 3 had the most deaths so far, and it also had the most death fake-outs, so when it came to the final episode there was still some question over whom the victim would be. While all the seasons technically keep the victim a secret, seasons 1 and 2 clearly had one character that was most in danger. In contrast, season 3 had four or five characters that could have easily been dead by the end of the episode,including members of the Ratliff family and Belinda along with Chelsea and Rick.
When the shoot-out finally happened in the season 3 finale and Chelsea ended up dead, it was certainly surprising, but not in a humorous way as previous seasons have excelled at. Instead, Chelsea’s death was a very sad moment as she had come to be a fan-favorite character over the course of the season. While many of the show’s characters are morally gray,Chelsea was one person who was always good. She was very hopeful and committed to her relationship with Rick, constantly reminding others that they were soulmates.
Chelsea had a noticeable positive impact on the other characters this season, and she was really fun to watch.
Though her death was foreshadowed with subtle clues throughout the season, I was hoping until the last second that Chelsea would survive her time at the White Lotus. Chelsea had a noticeable positive impact on the other characters this season, and she was really fun to watch. Aimee Lou Wood was outstanding in the role, and her death scene was heartbreaking. As Rick turns around to see her dying, and she looks at him with love, ittruly hits home the sad reality of Chelsea’s faith in Rick, making her death the biggest inThe White Lotusso far.
