Warning! This article contains spoilers for The White Lotus season 3, episode 2.
AfterThe White Lotusseason 3’s premiere, a theory was crafted linked to one of season 2’s characters, but episode 2 of the former has debunked this. Initially,The White Lotusseason 1’s endingwas supposed to be the end of the show that was conceived of as a limited series. However, I was happy to hear that the popularity of the HBO show led to its expansion, leading to another two seasons and the plannedstory ofThe White Lotusseason 4, primarily due to the addictive nature of Mike White’s stories.
With the show’s evolution came more links between each season andThe White Lotus' cast of characters, be it Greg’s continued return in each installment ofThe White Lotusto season 3’s return of Belinda. To further this, audiences became convinced by a specific theory that linked a character fromThe White Lotusseason 3, episode 1 to a fan-favorite from its predecessor. However, by the time ofThe White Lotusseason 3, episode 2’s ending, this theory was debunked, removing another possible throughline from Mike White’s many anthology stories.
The White Lotus Season 3, Episode 2 Debunks The Theory That Laurie’s Daughter Is Haley Lu Richardson’s Portia
Laurie’s Daughter Is Another Person Entirely
The theory in question stemmed from the conversation inThe White Lotusseason 3, episode 1 about Carrie Coon’s Laurie. Theending ofThe White Lotusseason 3, episode 1saw Laurie crying in her room after talking with her friends, with this conversation featuring mention of Laurie’s daughter. Little information was revealed about the daughter, leading to a fan-crafted theory that she would turn out to be Haley Lu Richardson’s Portia fromThe White Lotusseason 2.
Why Carrie Coon’s Laurie Starts Crying In Her Room In The White Lotus Season 3 Episode 1
One of the last scenes in The White Lotus season 3, episode 1 involved Carrie Coon’s Laurie crying by herself, begging the question of why she did so.
Portia was the assistant to Jennifer Coolidge’s Tanya inThe White Lotusseason 2, who ended the story by reuniting with another character named Albie after Tanya’s death. I will admit that the potential connection between Laurie and Portia was tenuous at best, but it likely derived from other unlikely links betweenThe White Lotus' characters, alongside the physical similarities between Carrie Coon and Haley Lu Richardson. However,The White Lotusseason 3, episode 2 debunked the theory.
The beginning of the episode showed Leslie Bibb’s Kate and Michelle Monaghan’s Jaclyn talking further about Laurie.The duo mentions Laurie’s daughter again, this time by name and age, revealing her to be a high-school student called Ellie. This puts to bed the potential connection between Laurie and Portia fromThe White Lotusseason 2, which may turn out to be for the best.
The White Lotus Season 3 Already Has Too Many Tanya Connections
Any Others May Seem Too Implausible
As alluded to,The White Lotusseason 3 including another connection to Tanya via Portia could have proved one too many. The return of Belinda had already provided one, with her and Tanya sharing a strong connection inThe White Lotusseason 1 before the latter departed Hawaii with Greg. Speaking of Greg, his return inThe White Lotusseason 3 and the all-but-inevitable confrontation between him and Belinda means Tanya’s character lingers over the show despite her death last season.
If Portia was revealed to be the daughter of Laurie, the show would risk overdoing it with the Tanya connections. Although Tanya has long been one ofThe White Lotus' most iconic characters, the show’s third season is finding strong ways to move beyond her, all while easing the transition through Belinda and Greg. Portia’s potential return would only put further emphasis on Tanya, meaning this specific theory being debunked byThe White Lotusseason 3, episode 2 is good news narratively.
