How does Armond die in The White Lotus? Details explored

The White Lotus was able to capture the audience’s attention from the word go, as a dead body was shown at the beginning of the first season. The rest of the episodes kept the audience guessing who among the various characters could have died at the luxurious resort.

In the season 1 finale, it is revealed that the hotel manager, Armond, played by Murray Bartlett, is the one whose remains were seen in the casket in the pilot. Throughout the season, Armond has a hard time managing the resort in Maui.

He remains under intense pressure while trying to handle some tricky guests. Looking at the character’s fate, viewers have one important question in mind: how does Armond die in The White Lotus? In the season 1 finale, Shane Patton, played by Jake Lacy, accidentally kills Armond by stabbing him, mistaking him for an intruder.

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How does Armond die in The White Lotus?

Armond is introduced as the manager of the Maui resort in The White Lotus season 1. He tries to stay calm while dealing with rich guests who throw tantrums and want everything to be perfect at the hotel. One of the guests, Shane Patton, is especially rude to Armond.

He is upset because the hotel made a mistake with his room, and he refuses to let it go. Armond does his best to handle the situation, but the stress becomes too much for him. After staying sober for five years, he starts drinking and using drugs in hopes of dealing with the stress.

As the season goes on, he begins making some questionable choices. Armond flirts with hotel staff, acts unprofessionally, and stops managing the hotel properly. Meanwhile, his arguments with Shane get worse, and the latter eventually gets him fired.

Armond then feels hopeless and decides to take revenge. He sneaks into Shane’s hotel room and plans to defecate in his suitcase. However, Shane, who is in the room, hears him. Thinking he is being attacked, Shane grabs a knife and stabs Armond. The injury is fatal, and Armond dies in a bathtub.

Armond’s death is a major highlight in the show, as the guests keep on with their vacation despite a hotel employee suffering a tragic fate. Meanwhile, Shane does not get into trouble even after killing Armond and leaves the resort like nothing happened.

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What Murray Bartlett has said about Armond’s death in The White Lotus

Murray Bartlett, who earned praise for his impressive performance as Armond in the HBO show, talked about his character’s death in an interview with Entertainment Weekly shortly after the first season finished airing in 2021.

Bartlett said Armond felt a moment of relief at the time of his death, apart from shock and pain. He was finally relieved of all the pressure and the mess he faced through the season:

“I think in that moment, there's like a sense of release of like, 'Oh, f***. Thank God this is over.' It's like, he doesn't have to deal with that s*** anymore. I don't think he's thinking that when he's getting stabbed.”

“Obviously, it's shock and pain and like, I don't want to die. But I think that there is some sort of release in that last moment, out of this insane situation that he's in, and this kind of insane sort of facade that he's tried to keep up for so long. So yeah, I love that moment, because it's tragic, but it's also kind of his way out.”

The White Lotus is currently in its third season and is available to stream on Max.