The White Lotus Season 3 Subtly Hinted At How The Mystery Victim Really Dies (Not Gunshots)

Warning: SPOILERS ahead for The White Lotus season 3, episode 1, "Same Spirits, New Forms."The White Lotusseason 3 follows the series' trend of opening with a death but not telling viewers who the deceased character is — or how they die. Considering season 3's first scene sees gunfire erupting at the White Lotus hotel in Thailand, it's reasonable to assume that this is the mystery victim's cause of death. However, The White Lotus rarely plays out in such a straightforward manner. The HBO series has a tendency to upend viewer expectations, so it's possible this explanation is too obvious.

And there's another potential cause of death hiding in plain sight in The White Lotus season 3's premiere. Episode 1, titled "Same Spirits, New Forms," spends most of its runtime establishing the setting and The White Lotus' latest cast of characters. But one scene highlights a deadly threat right on the hotel's property. As it's unlikely this moment is included for no reason, the series may be hinting that the victim's true cause of death isn't gunshots.

The Poisonous Pong-Pong Tree Seems Like The White Lotus Season 3's Real Chekhov's Gun

Someone At The Hotel May Die Because The Seeds Are Poisonous

Saxon Ratliff (Patrick Schwarzenegger) in The White Lotus Season 3 Ep 1

When the Ratliff family is shown to their quarters at the White Lotus hotel, "Same Spirits, New Forms" takes the time to highlight the poisonous pong-pong tree that's on the premises. When Pam informs the family that they discourage the use of cell phones, especially in common areas, Saxon jests, "What am I supposed to do here all week, eat a bunch of fruit?" To make his point, he picks up a fruit lying on the ground. And Pam tells him that he shouldn't eat it, as its seeds are "toxic."

It would be peculiar for the writers to add this conversation about the pong-pong tree without ever coming back to it.

Saxon seems eerily interested in this, too, asking, "Yeah? Could it kill you?" Pam confirms that it can, setting the stage for a twist involving the pong-pong tree later on. While this interaction primarily shows viewers how plugged in and entitled the Ratcliffs are, it may serve a dual purpose. It would be peculiar for the writers to add this conversation about the pong-pong tree without ever coming back to it. Therefore, it's entirely possible that the pong-pong tree is the real Chekhov's gun in The White Lotus season 3.

What Did Jason Isaacs' Timothy Ratliff Do In The White Lotus Season 3? Why The Press Keeps Contacting Him

Jason Isaacs' character Timothy Ratliff appears to be in some hot water with an old business partner in The White Lotus season 3 premiere episode.

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Someone at the hotel may use the tree's fruit to poison another guest or one of the staff. It's also possible that a guest could die by accident, not realizing that they can't eat the fruit. Either way, The White Lotus season 3's premiere lays the groundwork for a surprising twist related to the opening death. Of course, the series also needs to explain why there's gunfire at the beginning of its premiere.

Who Was Shooting The Gun In The White Lotus Season 3's Opening Scene?

Rick & Timothy Are Both Suspicious

Even if The White Lotus season 3 surprises viewers with the mystery guest's cause of death, it will need to account for the gunshots heard at the beginning of episode 1. These could come from just about anyone, except for the two people present during the opening scene: Belinda's son, Zion, and Amrita, who works at the resort. There are a few characters who seem more likely to start shooting, however, including Walton Goggins' Rick Hatchett and Jason Isaacs' Timothy Ratliff.

Why The White Lotus Season 3 Changed The Intro Music

Viewers who tuned in for the season 3 premiere of The White Lotus may have noticed a change to the popular club-inspired theme song from season 2.

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Rick is extremely flustered by the fact that the White Lotus hotel owner's husband, Jim, isn't present when he gets there, and he seems to have chosen the resort with the man in mind. It's possible that Rick is a hitman looking for his target — and even if his intentions aren't quite so deadly, there's something off about his character. The same is true of Timothy, whose conversations with the Wall Street Journal writer in episode 1 suggest he's up to something shady.

New episodes of The White Lotus season 3 air on HBO every Sunday at 9 p.m. ET, and they'll be available to stream on Max at the same time.

Of course, Greg has proven himself capable of violence in previous seasons of The White Lotus — though he typically has others do his dirty work — and Saxon seems like the type to have a violent outburst if things don't go his way. The White Lotus season 3 may surprise us, whether it's with the mystery victim's cause of death or the shooter's identity.