The 5 Most Compelling ‘White Lotus’ Fan Theories

It is a truth universally acknowledged that the best TV shows hit twice: once when you’re watching them, and the second time when you’re texting absolutely everyone you know and falling down a Reddit rabbit hole, breathlessly trying to voice all your theories about what you just saw. After all, what’s the point of watching The White Lotus if you’re not getting your amateur sleuth on trying to figure out who dies (and who the killer is)?

I haven’t been this big a fan of a show in a long time (possibly since The O.C. was airing live), so for help deciphering all that’s going on in the Italy of Mike White’s imagination, I turned to Sam Sussman, Vogue’s director of creative development, programming and social media, for help. Below, find Sussman’s guide to the top five fan theories concerning the fate of this season’s White Lotus guests.

Was Tanya’s hookup filmed?

Some viewers have theorized that when Tanya hooked up with the sexy Italian “party favor” dealer in Palermo, he (or someone) was filming the encounter; this theory comes from a red light in the bedroom that may or may not be a camera, leaving Tanya wide-open to blackmail. We know Tanya has a prenup with her husband Greg, but we don’t know if there’s a fidelity clause attached—so could Greg be working with the “high-class gays” (Tanya’s words) to blackmail her with a sex tape and gain control of her fortune?

Do Mia and Lucia die?

According to one theory, extremely winsome BFFs—and occasional sex workers—Mia and Lucia are the ones dead in the water, specifically because Dominic registered them as guests—or at least guest-adjacent—at the hotel with Valentina a few episodes ago. Lest we forget, in the first episode Valentina asked Rocco how many dead guests there were…meaning we can no longer count Mia and Lucia out as the victims.

Is the name of Dominic’s wife another telling Godfather reference?

We haven’t met Dominic’s wife Abby yet, but we know that a) she’s very mad at him and b) her name is derived from Apollonia—which, of course, is the name of Michael Corleone’s first wife in The Godfather. Does Apollonia’s fiery vehicular death in the movie prefigure anything about Abby’s fate, if indeed we ever even see her on the show? (Personally, I’m desperate for some Laura Dern.)

Is the art a clue?

It’s seeming like the art in the guests’ various rooms may end up signifying something about their fates. For example, Harper and Ethan’s room contains the Titian painting Tarquin et Lucrèce, which depicts the story from early Roman history of Tarquin raping Lucretia after threatening to kill her if she rejected his advances. The next day, Lucretia exposes him and committed suicide. Is all this a clue about how the ongoing tension between Harper, Ethan, and Cam works out? (I hope not, but it’s possible.)

Are birds somehow relevant?

From Albie saying his type is “wounded little birds” to Cam’s bird tattoo to Harper always seeming to be looking at birds around the hotel, there’s definitely some thematic possibility here (that’s even strengthened by imagery in the opening credits). Should we expect a Hitchcock reference when we eventually find out who dies? Only time will tell!