‘The White Lotus’ fans stunned by shock death: “A fan favourite always dies”

7 April, 2025

The White Lotus

Spoilers for ‘The White Lotus’ season three, episode eight below.

Fans have been reacting online to the explosive finale of season three of The White Lotus, that left many viewers shocked.

In the devastating conclusion, a tragic series of events unfolds. Rick (Walton Goggins) fatally shoots Jim (Scott Glenn), only to discover Jim was his biological father. Chaos ensues as gunfire breaks out, with Jim’s girlfriend Chelsea (Aimee Lee Wood) accidentally being killed by a stray bullet.

Devastated, Rick walks away carrying Chelsea’s body, only to be shot dead by resort staff member Gaitok (Tayme Thapthimthong), at the behest of resort owner Srilata (Lek Patravadi). The two bodies are then shown laying side by side in the water.

Reacting on X (formerly Twitter), some fans had the feeling Chelsea would die but were still hit hard by it. “Everyone predicted Chelsea would be the one to fall, I just wasn’t expecting to be so devastated by it,” said one, while another reacted: “Well, a fan favorite always dies. The irony of Rick & Chelsea floating in the water, facing up & down like yin & yang. They’re soulmates.”

Others felt a sense of bitter irony that Chelsea committed to Rick earlier in the episode, despite flirtations with fellow guest Saxon (Patrick Schwarzenegger). “Chelsea could have had Saxon! Let’s not forget that! She chose Rick, and that got her killed!” exclaimed one, with another quoting Chelsea from an earlier scene saying it “hit me to the core.”

The consensus was that of all the murky characters staying at The White Lotus, Chelsea was the least deserving of the fatal bullet. “Dare I say Chelsea is the only character in the entire show that didn’t deserve her death, everyone else had it coming,” said one, with another adding: “Poor Chelsea, bad things really did come in threes for her this season.”

Many blamed Rick for dragging his beloved into the darkness. “Because of Rick’s stupidly insatiable hunger for revenge, he got my baby girl Chelsea dead”, as another exclaimed “Rick WTF.”

Finally, one of the stranger conspiracy theories for this season was reflected on, with a user concluding: “Whoever started that prediction that ‘one of the monkeys got the gun’ please never watch a tv show with us again bc HUH???”

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