Who is the killer in The White Lotus Season 3? Theories and speculations explored

HBO's critically acclaimed Black comedy anthology series, The White Lotus finally returned with Season 3's Episode 1. The show is back in the new and exotic location of Thailand.

Typical of The White Lotus formula, the third season also began with a shooting, followed by a dead body discovered by Zion, Belinda's son, who has returned after Season 1.

Among all the guests introduced in the new season, everybody seems to have their own quirks and secrets, which means anybody can be the shooter in the latest season.

While the identity of the dead and the shooter will be revealed in the final episode, fans are already speculating who could be the killer in The White Lotus Season 3.

Here are some speculations and fan theories on the killer in The White Lotus Season 3.

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How was the murder scene set in The White Lotus Season 3?

As typical with The White Lotus, Season 3 also started with a murder setup (but they don't reveal who died just yet), and the scene then shifted to 'One week earlier.'

This time, the center of attention was Belinda's son Zion, who was attending a spiritual meditation session with the hotel therapist Amrita. First, he is interrupted by the sounds of monkeys, which are prevalent this season, but then they hear shooting sounds, which eventually intensify.

While Amrita flees the scene, Zion is concerned for his mother and jumps in the pool ahead of him, where he discovers a dead body. While it is not Belinda. we are not shown who died in The White Lotus Season 3.

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Exploring the staff and guests in The White Lotus Season 3

With only Episode 1 out, it is very difficult to theorize who will be the killer in The White Lotus Season 3, but one twist, which nobody saw coming, is Greg, who is in Thailand with a new and younger girlfriend.

After his whole fiasco with Tanya, where it was still not revealed whether he planned her murder, Greg's return will definitely have something to do with the murder, as one Reddit user, u/honeymummyguy, pointed out:

''Greg back with a younger wife def sets the tone with dark energy. Always hated Greg but this is already iconic''

Another possible suspect that fans are theorizing could be the killer is Saxon Ratliff, who is the weirdest among the family of five. Not only was he visibly h*rny in Episode 1, but he was oddly sexual with his siblings, which has made people wonder what is going on with him in Season 3.

The scene where the hotel guide warns him about the poisonous fruit, fans are speculating, could be a foreshadowing of eventual incest between Saxon and his brother, as the show's final moments also hinted:

''Is it possible the dead body was not shot? The poisonous fruit tree was too Chekovian not to surface later. And if someone eats forbidden fruit - that sounds like a metaphor for incest to me.'' a Reddit user, u/Prettylittlelioness, notes

Even if not Saxon, fans have noticed an eerie feeling within the Ratliff family, which is making many of them speculate that the shooting in the first scene involves the weird family. As one Reddit user noted:

''Hmmm let's see...ultra rich family, ultra religious family, ultra tribalistic family trying to pull their son to a specific college. Yeah, definitely some childhood trauma hit these kids and has permanently fucked them up.'' u/atmospheric90

With only Episode 1 out, fans are inclined toward the Ratliff family, who has a weird incestual streak set in Episode 1. But as the show continues, other characters' quirks are bound to come into play, which will eventually reveal who the actual killer is.

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