In a shocking turn of events, The White Lotus found a way to bring another character back for another season — but did you catch that surprise return?
During the season premiere on Sunday, February 16, Chelsea (Aimee Lou Wood) connected with Chloe (Charlotte Le Bon) at the hotel bar over their much older boyfriends.
“[My boyfriend] just tells me to get lost because I get on his nerves, but honestly, he is so f—ing boring that I almost don’t care,” Chloe told Chelsea. “We have been here a year. We have a house up the hill, we just come down here to eat but we just got into a fight. So I am letting him cool off. He is behind me, the bald guy.”
Chloe’s boyfriend turned out to be none other than Greg (Jon Gries), a.k.a Tanya’s (Jennifer Coolidge) husband. For those who need a refresher, Tanya met Greg at the White Lotus in Hawaii during season 1. They started dating and got married before returning in season 2 at the White Lotus in Sicily.
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Season 2 started to show cracks in Tanya and Greg’s marriage as he continued to act suspicious. He ultimately left her alone to attend to some business elsewhere, which left Tanya to her own devices. She befriended a group of men who entertained her during her time in Italy, but a day trip on their yacht took a turn when she discovered, in Tanya’s iconic words, “These gays are trying to kill me.”
Tanya ended up on a shooting spree in self defense. She didn’t make it back to shore after hitting her head while trying to jump on a smaller boat to escape — but Greg’s involvement was never addressed. Some fans wondered whether Greg paid the men — who had a connection to him — to kill Tanya so he could inherit her fortune.
Gries, 67, however, previously denied his character’s motivations.
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“I think that Greg may not be amorously in love with her, but I think there’s something about her that he does love. Obviously, he’s stayed with her. Whether or not it’s about money, I don’t know,” he told Entertainment Weekly in November 2022. “It’s hard to say. If somebody wants to ask me is Greg uncomfortable living off of his wife a bit, like she’s taken care of everything, I think Greg has become accustomed to being taken care of in this situation. At the same time, I don’t think he’s uncomfortable living that lifestyle, and I think that he would live that lifestyle if he had money of his own.”
The actor called theories about Greg’s intentions “very subjective,” adding, “It’s almost like an exercise in [bias]. Could it actually be argued that, yes, Tanya is incredibly endearing and adorable, and yet at the same time, she’s a chaotic mess.”
Gries continued: “I mean, Greg is unkind, there’s no question, but I think he’s at his wit’s end a little bit, at least that’s what I think the intention was: for it to show that he actually could be at his wit’s end, or is he just done? I think he really does love her, personally.”
Luckily, season 3 seems to be giving Us a second chance to get answers to our questions. Greg’s return means he is likely going to run into Belinda (Natasha Rothwell), the spa manager from White Lotus Hawaii who goes to Thailand to learn more about their wellness techniques. She is familiar with Greg because she was friendly with Tanya in season 2.
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The White Lotus, which debuted in 2021, focuses on the guests and employees at a fictional resort as they experience a slew of personal ups and downs while on vacation. The anthology series is also known for featuring a mysterious murder — or two — that is eventually revealed at the end of each season.
Earlier in Sunday’s episode, a man (who appears to be Belinda’s son) was meditating in the Thailand resort when gunshots broke out and a body emerged in the body of water surrounding the retreat. It is unclear who killed the person in the water — and who the victim is.
In addition to Gries and Rothwell, this season’s cast is made up of Leslie Bibb, Carrie Coon, Walton Goggins, Sarah Catherine Hook, Jason Isaacs, Lalisa Manobal, Michelle Monaghan, Sam Nivola, Lek Patravadi, Parker Posey, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Tayme Thapthimthong and Wood.
New episodes of The White Lotus air on HBO Sundays at 9 p.m. ET.
